Green tech finds (1/27/11)

Electric scooters, drainwater heat recovery, and 313 mph… this week’s green tech finds.

• 80% by 2035: Hard to think of any bigger news this week than President Obama’s call for massive investment in clean energy technology… with a goal of 80% of the US’ energy coming from “clean” sources by 2035. SustainableBusiness.com has some reactions to the POTUS’ declaration of a “Sputnik moment.”
  
  
• Green foundry jobs come to Michigan: The small town of Eaton Rapids will be home to a new foundry that will produce castings for wind turbines. (via MLive)
  
  

Green tech finds (1/13/11)

From green tech at the auto show in Detroit to a potential standard for eco cell phones… your green tech finds for the week.

• Green tech in Detroit: Lots of green technology at the North American International Auto Show; The Street gives a run-down of seven developments worth watching…
  
  
• Crowdsourced environmental video: Dialogue Earth, an organization tied to the University of Minnesota’s Institute on the Environment, has completed a pilot involving “crowdsourcing” environmental science video content (specifically on ocean acidification). See the winner above…
  
  

Gabby Giffords: Congress’ voice for solar power

No doubt most of us are still experiencing some shock after Saturday’s mass shooting in Tucson, Arizona, which took the lives of six people, and wounded 14, including Representative Gabrielle Giffords. Dignitaries from President Obama to Arizona governor Jan Brewer have spoken highly of Giffords’ work ethic, passion, and common-sense approach to policy.

Green tech finds (1/6/11)

The mother of all electronics trades shows — CES — starts today, so lots of new on that front this week… plus another green Groupon, and hornets that harvest solar power.

• CES’ green cred for real?: CES is promoting itself as green this year; Heather Clancy at GreenTech Pastures and Matthew Wheeland at Greenbiz dig into the claims, and the impact, of the monster trade show.
  
  
• Bob Marley comes to CES: The House of Marley, a company founded by the legendary musician’s family, is debuting its eco-friendly lines of earbuds, headphones, and docks at CES.
  
  

Green tech finds (12/30/10)

For our last green tech finds of the year, we’ve got some predictions (of course), as well as new thoughts on tobacco, and high praise for white roofs.

• Green tech predictions: IBM’s fifth annual “Next Five in Five” list of tech predictions has four items with a green bent, including much more efficient “breathing” batteries, and environmental data collection from all of us via our phones and other devices. (via Information Week)
  
  
• Green tech hopes: Heather Clancy at GreenTech Pastures isn’t going so far as to make predictions, but has a thorough list of stories she’d really like to write in 2011.
  
  

Green tech finds (12/23/10)

Because green tech never takes a holiday… your finds for the week.

• Biodegradable Styrofoam: Styrofoam is a great insulating material… but is made from a nasty chemical mix that doesn’t break down. AeroClay blends milk proteins and clay to create the insulation benefits of Styrofoam (along with strength and light weight) without the waste impact. (via Springwise)
  
  
• Are wind turbines good for crops? Preliminary research from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Ames Laboratory suggest that might be the case… see the video above. (via GreenTech Pastures)
  
  

Green tech finds (12/16/10)

Plastic bottles you can eat, a tiny solar home, and hybrid street sweepers… this week’s green tech finds. Audi’s green history: You likely associate the phrase “green cars” with Toyota and Honda; Denis Duquet at The Car Guide thinks Audi should be on that list, also… More bang from your bike: Fandi Meng’s I-Green battery [...]

Green tech finds (12/9/10)

Fuel cells, iPhone apps, and chicken coops… this week’s green tech finds.

• The fuel cell that does… everything: Think fuel cells are just for energy? Think again… researchers at the University of Colorado, Denver, are working on a microbial fuel cell that desalinates and cleans wastewater… in addition to producing electricity. (via Cleantechnica)
  
  
• Border checkpoint to feature Living Machine: The US General Services Administration has approved a Living Machine wastewater treatment system for the border crossing point at Otay Mesa, California. That’s an artist’s rendering above… (via Water and Waste Water)
  
  

Green tech finds (12/2/10)

Google Earth’s new “tree view,” state-by-state run-downs on solar power, and LED holiday lights… your green tech finds for the week.

• Energy Star Plus: Paul Smith at Triplepundit profiles Energy Forward, a Northwest-based electronics efficiency standard that claims to exceed Energy Star standards by 30%.
  
  
• Missouri a great state for solar? That’s right… as are Arkansas, Mississippi, and Wisconsin. A new study out of Arizona State University ranks the optimal state for solar development based on environmental and economic factors.
  
  

Green gifts from Skymall? Really?

‘Tis the season and all that… the holiday shopping insanity is about to begin in earnest. If you’re looking for gifts with a lighter environmental footprint, Skymall may be at the bottom of your list of vendors — it’s hard to see how a business designed for shopping on planes could be any less green. And then there are the products… how many items do you really need designed only for cooking hot dogs?

Green tech finds (11/18/10)

Gardening apps, high-speed rail, and electric vehicles made from electronic waste… this week’s green tech finds.

• Finnish culture meets green building: Traditional Finnish building involves a lot of wood, and the Luukku House design combines this tradition with solar energy, high-efficiency windows, and other “green” features. The design has won awards from both the Finnish Timber Council and Solar Decathlon Europe. (via Good News from Finland)
  
  
• Onsite composting for restaurants: GaiaRecycle’s new G-30H provides onsite composting for restaurants and schools… no need to have those food scraps hauled away (or — shudders — throw them in the trash).
  
  

Green tech finds (11/11/10)

Weird green tech (not!), vertical farming for real, and a new entry into the electric vehicles race… your green tech finds for the week.

• Rural electrification = solar in the Philippines: The country’s Department of Energy is taking bids to provide solar systems to four regions of the country not connected to the electrical grid.
  
  
• Weird tech?: Newsweek has a slide show up titled “Eco Oddities“… but are wave power, algae-based biofuels, and “poop to power” (among others) really that unusual anymore?
  
  

Green tech finds (11/4/10)

Lots of electric vehicle news this week, plus mushroom plastics and watching watersheds with your iPhone… this week’s green tech finds.

• Sun-powered transportation… in the Sunshine State: Sarasota-area beachside community Pelican Bay will be using solar-powered trams to move people around the development. (via Cleantechnica)
  
  
• GE making massive EV purchase: General Electric will not only make components for electric vehicles, but plans to become the largest single purchaser of them.
  
  

Green tech finds (10/28/10)

Electricity from beer, DIY electric bikes, and purple wind turbines… it’s green tech finds time!

• Beer power: Suffolk, UK’s Adnam’s Brewery will be contributing waste to an anaerobic digestion plant which will create enough power for 235 homes in the area. (via Green Upgrader)
  
  
• Florida utility offers solar hot water option: Lakeland Electric became the first utility company in the country to offer fixed-rate solar hot water service this week. (via The Ledger)
  
  

Green tech finds (10/14/10)

A solar-powered motorcycle, a geothermal motherlode in West Virginia, and Abraham Lincoln meets clean energy… your green tech finds for the week.

• The solar-powered Suzuki: Purdue University physics major Tony Danger Coiro has received a provisional patent for the ’78 Suzuki motorcycle he converted into a solar-powered vehicle. Check it out in the video above… (via Cleantechies)
  
  
• More Google renewable investments: The Internet giant has announced a $5 billion investment in a mid-Atlantic offshore wind “grid.”

White House not the only public property slated for solar panels

Last week’s announcement that the White House would install solar panels and hot water systems the first residence grabbed a lot of attention in the mainstream media and green blogosphere… especially after Presidential staffers rejected a gift of one of the solar panels from the Carter presidency in September.

Green tech finds (10/7/10)

Off-grid battery packs for the developing world, a green tech playground, and more… this week’s green tech finds.

• Making solar cells from wind: Welsh solar cell maker G24 Innovations is preparing for the installation of a wind turbine at its Wentloog Environmental Centre in Cardiff in order to produce its renewable power systems with renewable power (at least partially). (via Treehugger)
  
  
• The off-grid battery pack: Start-up Fenix International rolled out its website and first product this week: the ReadySet, a “a 12-volt lead acid battery designed specifically for frequent charges from a variety of sources, including a solar panel, bicycle generator, the power grid, or eventually hydro and small-wind turbines.” The product is designed for use in areas of the developing world without access to power. See the video above for details. (via CNET Green Tech)
  
  

Green tech finds (9/30/10)

Solar ivy, French hybrids, and green cheese… your weekly green tech finds.

• Are smart grids smart for cities?: Stephen Hammer at Harvard Business Review wonders if smart grid technology is the most efficient way to make our cities more sustainable.
  
  
• New portal features green tech ready for funding: Looking for a green technology investment opportunity? The US Department of Energy’s new Technology Commercialization Portal features over 200 marketing summaries of technologies ready for investment or licensing. (via Environmental Leader)
  
  

Green tech finds (9/23/10)

Poop-powered lighting, a shipping container office building, and the trade-in possibilities for a Chevy Volt battery… your green tech finds for the week.

• The affordable EV: Lots of green tech news coming out of this week’s meeting of the Clinton Global Initiative, including GreenTech Automotive‘s announcement that it will sell the first 100,ooo of its MyCar neighborhood electric vehicles at a discounted price of $10,000. (via TMCnet)
  
  
• Dog-powered lamps: Specifically, dog poop powered… part artistic statement, part green tech, the Park Spark Project gives Cambridge, MA, dog walkers the opportunity to power a outdoor lamp with their dog’s “leftovers”…. (via Green Upgrader)
  
  

Green tech finds (9/9/10)

A bee beard for David Cameron, subway energy harvesting, and using search technology to identify endangered species… this week’s green tech finds.

• The Wolverine solar cell: Researchers at MIT actually looked to plants, not the X-Men, when creating a solar cell that “heals” its own UV damage.
  
  
• Tweet for the honey bees: British marketing firm LBi has created a “twittition” (Twitter petition) to support honey bee populations in the UK. Each tweet added to the petition adds a bee to a “bee beard” on a likeness of Prime Minister David Cameron (shown above).
  
  

Green tech finds (8/26/10)

Hemp cars, pedal-powered submarines, and lots of wave power… this week’s green tech finds.

• Harnessing the surge: Finnish company AW-Energy is building a test plant in Portugal for its Waveroller concept, which “utilizes the so-called surge phenomenon found on ocean coasts.” (via Good News from Finland)
  
  
• More wave power: Ocean Renewable Power Company is testing out the wave power potential for the US Coast Guard’s station in Eastbrook, Maine.
  
  

Green tech finds (8/19/10)

A zero-emissions race around the world, whiskey biofuel, and more… your green tech finds for the week.

• Energy efficient motors mean green jobs in Arkansas: Electrocraft, Inc. has announced it will start producing energy efficient electric motors for heating and air conditioning units in its Searcy, Arkansas plant. This means 55 new green jobs for the small town.
  
  
• Cell phone tech meets data centers: Data centers (aka server farms) suck up a lot of energy. Start-up Smooth-Stone thinks it can cut that power use by applying “low-power cell phone technology to servers…” A number of VCs think they can do it, and have provided $48 million in funding.

Green tech finds (8/12/10)

The greenest cell phone companies, solar Marines, and DIY LED Facebook notification… your green tech finds for the week.

• Smart energy cities: The NRDC’s Smarter Cities project has published a list of 22 US cities taking the lead on more sustainable energy use and production. (via GreenTech Pastures)
  
  
• LED Facebook notification: OK, this is only marginally green, but Instructables has a project up for a DIY Facebook notification device that uses LED lights.
  
  

Green tech finds (8/5/10)

NASCAR, bicycles, and recycled guns… your green tech finds for the week.

• It all started with the bicycle: Trade pub Mechanical Engineering sings praises to the bicycle… not only as an engineering breakthrough for its time, but also as a “platform” for other transportation developments.
  
  
• NASCAR goes solar: Well, sort of… the Pocono Raceway in Pennsylvania now operates the tenth-largest solar farm in the US (and the biggest of any sports arena in the world).
  
  

Green tech finds (7/29/10)

Lots of vehicle news this week… from greener AC to electric vehicles for rent. Here are your green tech finds.

• A new model for solar cells — blowfly eyes: A team of researchers at Penn State thinks blowfly corneas could provide a viable model for solar cells (via Discovery News)
  
  
• Climate-friendly air conditioning for your car: GM plans to roll out a new air conditioning refrigerant in 2013 which performs 99.7% better in terms of greenhouse gas impact than current HFCs. (via Green Tech Pastures)