City of Sydney plans recycled water network

Clover Moores Sydney city council seems to be plotting a slow secession from the electricity and water grids. The SMH has a report on an interesting plan for storing recycled water in local aquifers - City of Sydney plans recycled water network.THE...

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3rd Symposium Small PV Applications Rural Electrification and Commercial Use

Next Symposium on Small PV applications will take place again in the beautiful Ulm (Germany), in June 2013. Straight after this conference, the Intersolar is being organized again in Munich, so it is an excellent combination for those...

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Oil Supply Update

Stuart at Early Warning has returned with one of his once monthly oil supply updates - Oil Supply Update. Nothing very dramatic happened in the last three months: supply continued to inch up, and prices are a little lower than during most of...

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Coretrack Deeper faster cheaper geothermal drilling

The Climate Spectator has an article on a company looking to make geothermal drilling a lot cheaper - Deeper, faster, cheaper.The transformation of Australian industry into a low-carbon economy is often said to depend on the development of smart and high technology, but some of the country’s most prospective clean energy resources...

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Ivanpah Photo Essay

Time has a great photo essay on the Ivanpah solar thermal power project - The Ivanpah Solar Project: Generating Energy Through Fields of Mirrors. When I visited the Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System, which sits in the Mojave Desert on...

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Power companies overstate cost of smart meters

The ABC reports that utilities havent been helping public perception of smart meter programs by overcharging for their installation - Power companies overstate cost of smart meters.The Australian Energy Regulator that says Victorias power companies have overstated the cost of rolling out smart meters by $500 million.In a draft decision,...

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Amazons Biodome Greenhouses

Inhabitat has a post on some green buildings proposed by Amazon - Amazons Biodome Greenhouses Receive Green Light From Seattles Design Review Board. Last night Seattles Design Review Board voted unanimously to approve Amazons plans to build...

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Crude and Condensate Reached New Highs in Jan

Stuart at Early Warning has a post on global oil production, showing oil production has managed to reach a new high after a long plateau - Crude and Condensate Reached New Highs in Jan. The EIA helpfully produces a breakdown of the global liquid...

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Farm To Table Local Sustainability

Farm-to-table (or farm-to-fork) is a food movement that promotes the traditional use of that which is closest to you. Farm-to-table advocates utilize as many local ingredients as possible, often directly from farmers in their areas or from...

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Russell Brand On Buckminster Fuller

Russell Brand has attracted a lot of attention as a result of his recent interview with Jeremy Paxman on the BBC. This followed his contribution to a recent issue of The New Statesman, which included a Bucky Fuller quote - Russell Brand on...

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GE Promoting Combined Natural Gas Wind and Solar Power Plant

While the “Gas Age" won’t last forever, gas fired power looks like being used as a way of kick-starting the transition to 100% renewable energy, with hybrid plants like this one being proposed by GE enabling solar thermal, wind and gas fired power generation to share generation and transmission infrastructure. Technology Review...

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Renewable Energy Book List

The search for a good book is over with our top 12 list of must read books on renewable energy!1) Kick the Fossil Fuel Habit by Tom RandThis book appeals to a wide range of readers: from those who want to gain a deep understanding of new alternative...

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Collapsus What Energy Collapse Might Look Like

TreeHugger has a look at some peak oil doomerism converted to a transmedia experience - What Energy Collapse Might Look Like (Video).When I interviewed my friend Tim Toben, he argued that one of the most important things we can do is to "tell the story about the transformation from a world powered by fossil fuels to a world powered...

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Reviewing Jevons Paradox

Wired has a look at the accuracy of Jevons Paradox and the implications for energy efficiency strategy - Clive Thompson on Unsaving the Planet.We put a lot of stock in energy efficiency. It is regarded as the quickest and easiest way to reduce carbon emissions. Al Gore even ended An Inconvenient Truth with a plea for everyone to...

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Back To School the green way!

It’s that time of the year again - a brand new start of the school year for students and their parents!­ Take this opportunity to introduce some new practices into your daily life that can be more environmentally friendly. You may even be able...

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Harnessing the power of our oceans

Im not entirely sure if the Australian Governments "Clean Energy Future" venture got some inspiration from this blog - nor am I sure if it will last the year out - however its nice to see a post on ocean energy on their web site - Give us a wave – harnessing the power of our oceans. As construction begins on a ground-breaking wave...

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Grid Parity Low LCOE Driving 34 Global Renewables Capacity by 2030

CleanTechnica has an article on the growth factors for renewable energy -Grid Parity, Low LCOE Driving 34% Global Renewables Capacity by 2030. When it comes to global electricity generation, coal is still king – but not for long. Fast-changing...

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GM’s New Plans To Challenge Tesla’s Electric Battery Dominance

Climate Progress has an article on GMs continuing interest in electric vehicles - GM’s New Plans To Challenge Tesla’s Electric Battery Dominance. General Motors plans to challenge Tesla’s share of the electric vehicle innovation marketplace...

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Electric vehicle dreams the charge ahead

The weekend SMH had a prominent (and long) article on electric vehicles - Electric dreams: the charge ahead.A social researcher, Mark McCrindle, of McCrindle Research, says his studies have shown while most people are concerned about the environment,...

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In marine current energy Siemens wants to be 800 lb gorilla

GreenBang reports that Siemens its expanding its presence in the ocean energy market - In marine current energy, Siemens wants to be 800-lb gorilla.There’s a lot of energy in the world’s oceans, and Siemens wants to play a big part in developing...

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A 3D Printer That Uses Bioplastic

Inhabitat has a post on the rapidly evolving field of 3D printers (with this one using bioplastic feedstock) - The KamerMaker 3D Printer Can Print Entire Rooms From Bio Plastic!. Dutch architecture firm DUS has developed The KamerMaker (RoomBuilder)...

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How much does U S consume fossil fuels and renewables

United States is still the worlds largest energy consumer. Despite the growing popularity of renewable energy sources such as solar power, wind power and biofuels, fossil fuels are still the dominant energy sources in United States and satisfy most of the nations energy demand.The recent data shows that fossil fuels currently account...

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Powerful Energy For Everyone

A new addition to our list of renewable energy documentaries is an incredible film by David Chernushenko "Powerful - Energy For Everyone". Challenging where our energy comes from and who profits from it can seem a little eccentric......

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Exceptionally deep view of strange galaxy

Exceptionally deep view of strange galaxy (2/5/09)A spectacular new image of an unusual spiral galaxy in the Coma Galaxy Cluster has been created from data taken by the Advanced Camera for Surveys on the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope. It...

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SIRT1 and cancer

In the past weve had some discussion of the histone deacetylase (HDAC) enzyme SIRT1 and other related sirtuin proteins, especially with respect to their possible relationship with longevity. (See here, for example.)Much of the focus has been on the HDAC properties of SIRT1 that can switch off various genes. But there have also been...

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Trading sex for resources

The title really says it all. Not much further commentary needed. Care for another example? How about bower birds?Just Like Penguins And Other Primates, People Trade Sex For ResourcesFemale penguins mate with males who bring them pebbles to build egg nests. Hummingbirds mate to gain access to the most productive flowers guarded...

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Finding protection from tumor growth in unexpected places

As just about anyone who takes even the simplest medications knows, almost everything has side-effects. Generally, theres no free lunch. The aspirin that reduces your fever and (maybe) makes your hangover a little less painful can also cause ulcers and stomach bleeding.Among the many thousands of proteins, hormones, enzymes, and...

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