Alternative Energy HQ solar power for homes, wind energy, and bio fuel issues

Rice researchers develop paintable battery Technique could turn any surface into a lithium-ion battery; may be combined with solar cells Researchers at Rice University have developed a lithium-ion battery that can be painted on virtually any surface. The rechargeable battery created in the lab of Rice materials scientist Pulickel Ajayan consists of spray-painted layers, each representing the components in a …

Solar plane flies to Sahara sun in Ouarzazate, Morocco Highlights World Bank-financed Morocco solar project linking Europe, N Africa to power of Sahara sun After completing its historic 2,500-kilometer intercontinental flight to Morocco earlier this month, the Swiss solar-powered plane, Solar Impulse, lifted off from Morocco’s capital Rabat morning of June 21 on the second attempt at its most challenging …

TAKING BACK AMERICA’S ENERGY FUTURE FROM THE LOBBYISTS: 1 MILLION AMERICANS TO FIGHT INDUSTRY EFFORTS TO KILL CLEAN ENERGY AGENDA Three Dozen Citizen Organizations From Across Nation Take on Undue Influence of Energy Company “Goliath”; Push Reflects Views of 83 Percent of Americans That a “New-Grassroots Driven” Effort is Needed. Fed up with the undue influence of the energy companies, …

NewsyScience asked: BY LOGAN TITTLE Tired of the hype electric cars are getting for being efficient? Well—you’re in luck. TIME reports a recent study by the University of Tennessee says eco-friendly drivers are actually meaner in most cases. The study found that—in terms of air pollution—electric cars aren’t completely in the clear when you look at how the electricity is …

With more and more consumers wanting to reduce their carbon footprints, the use of home solar power has arisen as an extremely viable and eco-friendly option. The only reason it has not become more widespread is the cost, which for many people has simply been too high. However, the cost of manufacturing is slowly coming down, due to increased innovation, …

TheGuardian asked: The Guardian’s environment website editor, Adam Vaughan, takes to the road in two of the newest electric vehicles on the market: the Renault’s Fluence ZE and the Vauxhall Ampera

There’s a lot of moaning and hand-wringing whenever gasoline prices approach $4 a gallon. But all it would take for them to hit $10 a gallon overnight would be hurricanes wiping out a couple of refineries or saboteurs disabling a couple of pipelines, says Dr. R. Paul Williamson, founder and CEO of the non-profit Sustainable Systems of Colorado. “The United …

How to grow a solar energy garden By Elisa Wood Getting energy from the sun is a great idea. However, installing solar panels house-by-house is slow, costly and cumbersome, and downright inefficient if the goal is to bring solar to the masses. This problem troubled Paul Spencer after he built his own uber-efficient, custom solar home near Aspen, Colorado in …

Hawaiian Energy Systems & Centrosolar America Team Up on Oahu Solar Installation Hawaiian Energy Systems, Inc. and Centrosolar America have announced the completion of a 51kw solar power system at the Makakilo Baptist Church in Kapolei, HI. The rooftop installation will offset 90% of the Church’s electrical energy needs and provide electricity for the Church itself and the adjacent office …

According to EnergyTrend, a research division of TrendForce, affected by economic instability in the eurozone, some European power plant investments have not progressed on schedule. Furthermore, Q3 order expectations were initially high, but prospects have changed after the conclusion of the Intersolar Europe exhibition. Although there have not been significant alterations to orders with Taiwanese manufacturers, and suppliers indicate all …

Solar power is one of the most eco-friendly forms of energy available to consumers. Solar technology draws energy from sunlight, which is converted to electricity by exterior-mounted solar panels. One of the disadvantages of solar panels is that a large field of these panels is required to provide the power necessary to fuel a single home, let alone a neighborhood …

By Ysabel Yates It sounds like a child’s question: can you generate solar power underwater? The answer, according to Phillip Jenkins and his team at the US Naval Research Laboratory, is yes. The researchers recently demonstrated a method for harvesting solar power underwater at depths of 30 feet. Currently, the only option for underwater energy is batteries, which shortens the …

The Renewable Energy Accountability Project (REAP) has released its latest satirical video, “The Most Ignorant Man in the World.” The soft release on YouTube and Funny or Die has already garnered hundreds of views and been shared with thousands across Facebook and Twitter. “You say burning coal for electricity causes extreme weather disasters…that’s like saying cigarettes cause cancer,” is one …

NABCEP Partners with SolarNexus to Support Solar Industry Best Practices Software improves quality of sales and operations management for solar contractors The North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners (NABCEP) and SolarNexus, the leading supplier of web-based solar business management software, have announced a new partnership to help solar contractors improve quality throughout their organizations. NABCEP’s top objectives include the …

Green Public Administration Jobs: It’s Not Easy Being Green Green jobs. It’s one of those phrases you hear over and over. It’s not as easy to be green as you might think though, especially when it comes to public administration jobs. Earning the necessary certification to be eligible for public administration jobs usually includes a degree in economics, ac-counting, sociology, …

NEW REPORT RANKS WORLD’S BIGGEST COUNTRIES ON RENEWABLE ENERGY NRDC: Countries need to do more, beginning with Rio+20 Earth Summit U.S. production of renewable energy has increased by more than 300 percent in the past decade, but the United States still lags far behind Europe and Indonesia and is only slightly ahead of Mexico in the percentage of electricity it …

If you are like most people, the thoughts occupying your mind these days likely include the recession, losing weight, high unemployment rates and going green. While I can’t give you advice on how you can shed those unwanted pounds or finally land your dream job, I can help you do your part to save the planet. Without a doubt, going …

START asked: On this week’s Cheap Cool Crazy: a unicorn head you can wear, a miniature arcade cabinet for your iPad, and an electric car from Tesla that will let you ditch the gas station forever! Do you geek out over gadgets and go crazy for gear? Then join IGN’s Naomi Kyle as she presents three sweet products that’ll have …

Energy benchmarking can help you better understand your commercial property’s energy use and monitor performance over time. It allows for comparisons among similar building types and helps identify which ones could operate more efficiently. The Environmental Protection Agency and its ENERGY STAR® Program offers a free online tool called Portfolio Manager that allows users to track and assess building energy …

FedEx Express, a unit of Memphis-based FedEx Corp is rolling out a fleet of 43 electric trucks in the San Francisco Bay Area , joining 53 other electric vehicles in cities across the U.S. The giant logistics-and-delivery company’s new all-electric (EV) trucks will also be deployed in several Southern California cities, suburban Washington, D.C., New York City, and in some …