Alternative Energy Diggs

Fuel cells, which like batteries produce electrical power through chemical reactions, have been plagued by their relatively low efficiency and high production costs. Scientists have tested a wide assortment of metals and materials to overcome the twin challenge.read more | digg story

Volkswagen of America has launched a new micro-site called Volkswagen Responsible Mobility that is dedicated to, well, responsible mobility.read more | digg story

As a result of this technology, waste hydrogen is fed through the fuel cell and used to help power the chemical plant. Sounds like a great way to take advantage of a usually wasted resource to benefit an area of production.read more | digg story

"Mileage can suffer by about 25 percent with E-85, according to AAA. Over the course of a year, that amounts to an extra 300 gallons of E-85 to go the same distance as when using conventional gas. That means an average household, when the total cost of conventional gas and E-85 are compared, would spend nearly $100 more per year for E-85."read more | digg story

Britain's armed forces could acquire a new tinge of green under plans to end the military dependency on fossil fuels.read more | digg story

Although Brent Hatch's homegrown solar-electric whip looks eerily similar (read: just as ugly) to the SUNN solar car kit, this one was actually created without the help of any pre-packaged parts or sophisticated schematics. read more | digg story

Scientists at Newcastle University have pioneered breakthrough technology in the fight to cut greenhouse gases. The Newcastle University team, led by Michael North, Professor of Organic Chemistry, has developed a highly energy-efficient method of converting waste carbon dioxide (CO2) into chemical compounds known as cyclic carbonates.read more | digg story

It’s official: Green car madness has taken over. After seeing more electric and hybrid vehicle startups than we could keep track of, we finally decided to start keeping count.read more | digg story

E.ON, one of Britain's big six energy suppliers, is teaming up with the University of Nottingham to build a replica 1930s house which will be used to test technologies aimed at improving the energy performance of Britain's ageing housing stock. Check the Video, too!!!read more | digg story

You don't need to run off and live in the woods to be green. We've got some hot tech for the household that'll keep you living in comfort while helping the world, and your expense account, stay nice and greenread more | digg story

Saving energy makes sense, especially when it can also save you money. Despite the current high price, I'd bet everyone has at least one annoying bulb they hate to change which might make one of these bulbs a worthwhile investment.read more | digg story

It's wheels are bigger than your car...the driver has to climb a flight of stairs to get to his seat. And, if GE has their way, they might soon be painting it (at least metaphorically) green.read more | digg story

Area gas prices reached record highs again yesterday, and crude oil neared $120 a barrel. So, how would you like to improve your fuel economy by 30 percent or more without buying a new car?read more | digg story

This new invention burns up to 25 watts of electricity per square foot by turning the glass into an electric heater . They say it is more energy efficient because it eliminates drafts, and the conventional heating system doesn't have to work as hard." read more | digg story

Rising oil prices lift all alt-energy boats. For proof, look no further than the fat $130 million investment scooped up by eSolar, a company whose basic solar power strategy -- using sunlight-reflecting mirrors to generate steam -- was all but abandoned in the 1980s, and has recently recently caught investors' attention again.read more | digg story

Here's a measurement you probably haven't thought of before: it takes between 3,000 gallons and 6,000 gallons of water to power a 60-watt incandescent bulb for 12 hours a day over the course of a year.read more | digg story

U.K. fuels for cars and trucks must contain biofuels starting today, a move that may do more harm than good to the environment and drive food prices higher. read more | digg story

Solar thermal energy plants focus the glare of the Sun’s rays on a central location to create heat, which is then turned into electricity. These amazing arrays come in all shapes and sizes and many of them are design marvels on top of being great clean energy generators.read more | digg story

The solar energy you haven't heard of is the one best suited to generate clean electricity for generations to come.read more | digg story

With all the excitement surrounding the worldwide push to “go green”, there have been some fascinating innovations that make it easy and even fun to save energy. Thanks to their creativity, we are entering an age where saving energy is almost as convenient as wasting it. Here are 12 green inventions that are leading the charge for a cleaner planet.read more | digg story

The three 29m-diameter turbine blades on Bahrain’s iconic landmark are the first in the world to be integrated on such a scale into a commercial development and are forecast to provide the equivalent of 11-15% of the power for the two towers when fully operational.read more | digg story

With California utilities expanding rapidly into renewables, the Mojave Desert is one of the hottest spots for solar energy. Last year, plans for the world’s largest solar array got underway in this ideal energy harvesting setting and the latest news is just as groundbreaking.read more | digg story

Most of us are at least vaguely familiar with biodiesel, but how much do we really know? While biodiesel is easily the most popular alternative fuel available, it’s commonly misunderstood or misrepresented by inaccurate information.read more | digg story

The world’s largest tidal turbine, weighing 1000 tonnes, has been installed in Northern Ireland’s Strangford Lough. The tidal turbine is rated at 1.2 megawatts, which is enough to power a thousand local homes. It was built by Marine Current Turbines, and it will be the first commercial tidal turbine to produce energy...read more | digg story

Carnegie Mellon just put out a new study discussing the GHG impact of conventional cars, hybrids, and plug-ins. The most interesting conclusion is that unless we clean up the grid, PHEVs aren't really worth that much. Still beat the pants of standard cars though!read more | digg story

A team of scientists has completed a carbon dioxide emissions inventory of the United States plotted down to 100 square kilometer chunks.read more | digg story

The world’s first deep-water device to generate electricity from the tides on a commercial scale is due to start operating within weeks. A seagoing crane barge has lowered the 1,000-tonne double turbine into place and an operation to fix it to the seabed with 12 metre (40 ft) pins begins today. read more | digg story

Homeowners are taking sustainability - and their homes - to the next level. These ten innovative designs move the owner off the grid, into the trees, and toward a more environmentally-sound future.read more | digg story

Range Fuels Inc. announced yesterday it has secured over $100 million in Series B funding, an investment that could make it the first company to seriously commercialize cellulosic ethanol. The first phase of construction will produce 20 million gallons of mixed alcohols per year by 2009, and has the potential to expand to up to 120 million gallons.read more | digg story

Record-breaking oil prices, soaring greenhouse-gas emissions, and the rise of carbon trading all add up to one thing: a new dawn for solar power. From New Mexico to Australia, governments and businesses are collaborating to create enormous plants that will each bring clean electricity to tens of thousands.read more | digg story

Researches at PrizmaTech Labs have recently revealed an incredible breakthrough in solar technology that’s sure to brighten your day. The development uses specially calibrated ROYGBIV panels to collect solar energy over a broad spectrum of wavelengths, yielding an unheard-of energy efficiency rating that is 7 times greater than conventional panels!read more | digg story

The Edison rooftop project will place photovoltaic cells on 65 million square feet of commercial building roofs in Southern California. The cells will generate as much as 250 megawatts of electricity -- enough to power about 162,500 average homes, based on the utility's estimate that one megawatt would serve about 650 average homes.read more | digg story

Following the opening of a new 5 MW four-turbine wind farm last week, Rock Port, a town of 1,395 in North West Missouri, has become the first U.S. town to get all its electricity from wind power.read more | digg story

The Australian state added 19 new exploration areas, aiming to generate 10 percent of its power from renewable sources by 2016.read more | digg story

If you subsidize it, they will come. Ontario recently decided that every kilowatt of solar power generated in it's borders could be sold for than 42 cents per kilowatt (more than seven times the going rate for electric power.) They expected folks to want to build solar plants...about 88 megawatts worth. But now there are over 40 projects, with a toread more | digg story

ICO G1 is the largest commercial satellite launched to date, weighing nearly 15,000 pounds at liftoff, and measuring more than 27 feet high and over 100 feet wide, following solar array deployment.read more | digg story

As climate change become a more central issue for people and governments around the globe, a lot of people are looking for solutions - fast solutions. If there were a quick and inexpensive way to dramatically reduce the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere, we should go for it right? read more | digg story

It is often said that the so-called ‘low hanging fruit’ in the energy puzzle is not wind, solar, biomass, geothermal, or any of the other renewable resources. The cheapest way to create more available energy is to use our current capacity more efficiently. In other words the ‘low-hanging fruit’ is energy efficiency.read more | digg story

With dwindling fossil fuel supplies, coal has been viewed as the energy source of last resort. This outlook is changing as estimated global coal supplies seem to have been severely inflated. Is coal’s future in doubt?read more | digg story

Range Fuels Inc. announced yesterday it has secured over $100 million in Series B funding, an investment that could make it the first company to seriously commercialize cellulosic ethanol. The first phase of construction will produce 20 million gallons of mixed alcohols per year by 2009, and has the potential to expand to up to 120 million gallons.read more | digg story

Researches at PrizmaTech Labs have recently revealed an incredible breakthrough in solar technology that’s sure to brighten your day. The development uses specially calibrated ROYGBIV panels to collect solar energy over a broad spectrum of wavelengths, yielding an unheard-of energy efficiency rating that is 7 times greater than conventional panels!read more | digg story

Tell a kid to do some work, like clean their room or take out the garbage, and they roll their eyes and run in the other direction. If you’re living in a rural village in Africa, Mom might ask you to walk 2 miles for a bucket of water. What do you do? Why go to play of course! read more | digg story

PetroSun has announced it will begin operation of its commercial algae-to-biofuels facility next month. The facility will produce an estimated 4.4 million gallons of algal oil and 110 million lbs. of biomass per year off a series of ***** ponds spanning 1,100 acres.read more | digg story

This completely self-sustaining prefabricated house generates its own power, collects its own water, processes its own waste and is 100% automatic. Versatile, durable and site-sensitive, ZeroHouse can be erected in almost any location in one day with steel frame components and a helical-anchor foundation system that requires no excavation.read more | digg story

Some people are starting to believe that Solar Thermal Technology can supply over 90% of grid power, while reducing carbon emissions. High-efficiency is achieved because solar thermal plants do not need to convert energy to another form in order to store it. The future certainly looks bright for solar thermal technology!read more | digg story

While virtually everyone is familiar with the use of biodiesel as a substitute for diesel fuel, there are a few novel uses that may not have crossed your radar. Biodiesel can produce hydrogen, clean up oil spills, degrease your tools, heat your home, and more.read more | digg story

"It comes as no surprise to us that a stunning new residential development is planned for the Putrajaya waterfront known as Precinct 4, just 30km south of Kuala Lumpur. The design, however, is a refreshing and original with unique, marine-inspired structures."read more | digg story

The idea is to coat every piece of steel cladding with a solar cell paint. As steel is passed through the rollers multiple coatings of of the solar cell system are applied to it. Based on the preliminary research, the materials that are being applied are suited to capturing low level solar radiation, which means that they should work just as well read more | digg story

Luxim's tiny plasma lightbulb outshines LEDs. The plasma bulb uses 250 watts, and achieves around 140 lumens/watt, making it very bright and highly efficient. By comparison, conventional lightbulbs and high-end LEDs get around 15 and 70 lumens/watt, respectively.read more | digg story

WARNING - The Department For Enviornment, Food and Rural Affairs has issued the following advise on what to do if low energy light bulb breaks. read more | digg story