Archive for November, 2009
Massachusetts homeowners can now sell electricity back to the power company
Monday, November 30th, 2009Massachusetts’ new net metering law goes into effect tomorrow (December 1st), and that is good news for alternative energy producing homeowners and businesses. Net metering means that you can sell any excess electricity that you produce back to the electric company – in effect, the meter runs both ways. And the new [...]
The “Oyster” – Scottish wave energy device goes live
Sunday, November 29th, 2009On November 20th, Scotland’s first minister, Alex Salmond, flipped the switch and turned on what is being called the world’s largest working hydro-electric wave energy device. Named the Oyster, the device, which was built by Aquamarine Power, is located off the coast of Scotland at the European Marine Energy Centre’s Billia Croo site near of [...]
How ‘Drafting’ can help wind turbine efficiency
Friday, November 27th, 2009 VAWTs closely spaced – Mariah Power
If you don’t know what drafting is, you see it all the time in car races and bicycle races – its when the cars or bicycles follow close behind the leader and enjoy the benefits of decreased wind resistance. Now researchers are finding that the same benefit occurs with [...]
Solar panel demand starting to increase in this quarter
Wednesday, November 25th, 2009 Suntech solar panels
After a year long slump in demand, solar cell and panel manufacturers are reporting that demand in the 3rd quarter of 2009 has been increasing. This increase has mostly been fueled by a large demand increase from Germany, which has said that it expects to add up to 3 gigawatts of photovoltaic capacity [...]
New wind farm goes online in Brookston, Indiana – more to come
Sunday, November 22nd, 2009A new wind farm in Brookston, Indiana started operations this week, with 121 turbines producing up to 199 megawatts of electricity – enough to power about 60,000 homes. The wind farm, which was built by Houston based Horizon Wind Energy, and their parent company, Portugal based EDP Renewables, was built by 450 workers, and is [...]
Is hydrogen from algae the better biofuel?
Tuesday, November 17th, 2009Hydrogen sounds great as an alternative energy power source – its clean burning, with water being the major exhaust gas from a hydrogen engine. But while it sounds great, one of the major problems with hydrogen is how to produce it in large enough quantities to use it as fuel.
This image shows the process [...]
Toyota planning Prius Wagon/SUV in 2010
Sunday, November 15th, 2009Looks like Toyota wants to expand its Prius hybrid family. While its not official, Toyota has been dropping hints that it is planning to sell Prius Wagons and SUV type vehicles in late 2010. The reports also indicate that the new Prius will be Toyota’s first car to use a lithium-ion battery [...]
Dow Chemical says its solar shingles are coming soon
Tuesday, November 10th, 2009 Dow Powerhouse Solar Shingles
Dow Chemical says that its getting ready to start mass producing its long awaited solar shingles. It’s been a long wait – back in 2007, Dow received a grant of $20 million of the US Dept of Energy to develop solar energy products that could easily be incorporated into building materials. [...]
If you’re confused about all the different Prius models….
Sunday, November 8th, 2009The San Francisco Chronicle outlines all the different types of 2010 Priuses (or Prii). Currently, there’s the Prius II, III, IV and V, all with different prices and features. Soon to come is the Prius I, with a base price of $21,000 – this model will be the most direct competitor to the under [...]
Solar cells made from optical fibers
Thursday, November 5th, 2009Researchers from Georgia Tech have come up with a process that turns optical fibers into solar cells. By placing the parts of a dye-sensitized solar cell along the outside of an optical cable, they were able to create thin and flexible fiber solar cells that are six times more efficient than a flat panel [...]