GE invests $50m in 'green' China
BBC NEWS | Business | GE invests $50m in 'green' China: "GE invests $50m in 'green' China

US industrial giant General Electric has struck a deal with the Chinese government to invest $50m on developing green technologies.

GE, which employs 13,000 people in mainland China, said energy efficiency and water filtration were among the projects to be developed.

GE's Chinese unit currently brings in revenues of $5bn and the firm believes it could double its business by 2010.

Up to 40% of its revenue came from infrastructure projects, GE said."
- posted by Chuck Eesley @ 6:40 PM (0) comments

 
Florida Venture Blog by Dan Rua: A World of Biofuel (and then some)
Florida Venture Blog by Dan Rua: A World of Biofuel (and then some): "A World of Biofuel (and then some)

This article from Jeff Schafer had some interesting data on biofuels. Schafer spends much of the article touting Biodiesel and the benefits of diesel generally, but many of his comments relate to bioethanol as well. Although he sounds excited about the prospects of biofuel, he also delivers a healthy dose of skepticism around biofuels replacing fossil fuels.I haven't corroborated elsewhere, but Schafer's table below suggests that replacing crude oil with biofuel would require growing biofuel crops on 5X the world's arable farmland. Even if 100% of the world's farmland was devoted to biofuels, that would only replace 20% of our crude oil consumption."
- posted by Chuck Eesley @ 4:42 PM (0) comments

 
The Wave Magazine - The Bay Area's Best Entertainment Magazine... Ever.
The Wave Magazine - The Bay Area's Best Entertainment Magazine... Ever.: "Having a garden doesn%u2019t automatically make you green or sympathetic to nature. The use of pesticides, the unbridled growth of invasive plant species, and wastage of precious water can affect the environment. But thanks to sustainable landscaping experts like Sherri Osaka of Sustainable Landscape Designs and Alrie Middlebrook of Middlebrook Gardens, the concept of eco-friendly gardens is taking root in the Bay Area.

Sustainable or eco-friendly gardens use less water, fertilizer and chemicals,
and they put out less run-off, pollution and waste. %u201CWe%u2019re trying
to use as few resources as possible, and then what resources we do use, we want them to be as natural as possible. In a nutshell, that%u2019s pretty much what sustainable landscaping is,%u201D Osaka explains.

Experts say the secret to creating an earth-friendly garden lies in working with
nature, not against it. Be it trading your bed of flowers for native plants or
losing your lawn, here are some easy steps you can take toward solving the world%u2019s environmental problems in your backyard. "
- posted by Chuck Eesley @ 12:15 PM (0) comments

 
Times Argus: Vermont News & Information
Times Argus: Vermont News & Information: "As consumers worry over an uncertain energy future, a Virginia company is eyeing an unusual untapped power source: the rivers of the Big Apple.Within weeks, Verdant Power plans to submerge experimental turbines in the East River off the coast of Roosevelt Island, a slice of land squeezed between Manhattan and Queens.Resembling and working much like stout underwater windmills, the six 15-foot-tall turbines will draw energy from tidal currents to power a nearby supermarket and parking garage.The company calls the project the first to use multiple underwater turbines to create usable power. Backers say the technology could ultimately provide a reliable, environmentally friendly and largely invisible solution to many global energy needs."
- posted by Chuck Eesley @ 12:14 PM (0) comments

 
Asia Times Online :: Korea News and Korean Business and Economy, Pyongyang News
Asia Times Online :: Korea News and Korean Business and Economy, Pyongyang
News: "SEOUL - South Korea
plans to spend nearly 2 trillion won (US$2.1
billion) on research and development (R&D) on
environmentally friendly technology over the next
five years as part of efforts to tackle global
warming, officials said Tuesday. A total
of 1.94 trillion won will be invested in five
environmental fields until 2010 to help the
country meet the standards of the Kyoto Protocol,
the Ministry of Science and Technology said. "
- posted by Chuck Eesley @ 12:13 PM (0) comments

 
The Monitor - McAllen, Texas
The Monitor - McAllen, Texas: "Green Fashion -- High couture and eco-friendly styles aren't necessarily at odds

Environmentally conscious and fashion-minded used to be an oxymoron. Clothes that were good for the earth were hard on the eye. Fashionistas, who wanted to wear organic or environmentally friendly clothes chose between one earth-toned potato sack and another. That is changing, though, as more designers are exploiting the niche market of green couture and more people want fashion that fits in with their desire to do good for the environment."
- posted by Chuck Eesley @ 12:11 PM (0) comments

 
Globes [online] -
Globes [online] - : "Israel Cleantech Ventures raising $60 million
The fund is negotiating with European cleantech funds for a possible investment in a clean technology company.

Sources inform ''Globes'' that Meir Ukeles and Jack Levy, two Israelis with a definite Wall Street background, are raising $60 million for Israel Cleantech Ventures. Ukeles said, "We launched venture capital activities in the water industry less than a year ago, although the financing round has been underway for less than two months. Prior to the round, we were busy mapping out the territory, carrying our pre-marketing."

Globes first reported on January 30 that a growing wave of venture capital funding for water solutions, exceeding $300 million. Israel Cleantech Ventures is part of this wave. Ukeles and Levy predict that they will close financing by October-November. They already have pledges, which enable them to make a few million dollars in investments over the next couple of months. They said they were already examining possible investments. At the International Agricultural Exhibition Agritech 2006 in Israel, which focused on water solutions, Ukeles and Levy met the heads of leading European cleantech venture capital funds to consider a specific deal. Israel Cleantech Ventures will allocated 40% of its money for water technologies, 40% for alternative energy solutions, including motor engines, and 20% for recycling, environmentally friendly pesticides and other investments."
- posted by Chuck Eesley @ 9:38 PM (0) comments

 
Medis Technologies LTD
Medis Technologies LTD: "Medis Technologies develops and produces highly advanced proprietary technologies and products in response to key worldwide needs in the areas of:

Greater and longer-lasting power through proprietary fuel cell technology for portable electronic devices.

Improved cell-based medical diagnostics and research systems.
Medis also has other technologies, in varying stages of development."
- posted by Chuck Eesley @ 9:36 PM (0) comments

 
Fuel Cell Works Supplemental News Page
Fuel Cell Works Supplemental News Page: "Brunnthal,
Germany--It's what caravaning fans have been waiting for: SFC Smart Fuel
Cell AG, technology and market leader for fuel cells in caravaning and
leisure application presents the new EFOY Energy for You product
family of fuel cells, the successor of the Company's successful SFC A50
fuel cell. Now consumers can select between three fuel cell models with
various levels of performance for their motor home. The product family%u2019s
top model, the EFOY 1600, is the strongest caravaning fuel cell currently
available with a 33 % increase in power output over its predecessor. With
a performance of 1,600 Wh per day it produces four times the amount of
power compared to a 100 W solar system even in best weather conditions.
And it will do so anytime, in any weather.
EFOY 1600 is the comfort version

for all those who want extra energy for extra convenience. EFOY 1200 provides
1,200 Wh electric energy per day, thus ensuring carefree energy availability
all year round. The entry level model EFOY 600, which will be available
in stores starting Q3 2006, provides 600 Wh electric energy per day - enough
for the motor home's basic energy requirements."
- posted by Chuck Eesley @ 9:35 PM (0) comments

 
Business Edge News Magazine - businessedge.ca - Ontario Edition - Developers catch 'green' building fever
Business Edge News Magazine - businessedge.ca - Ontario Edition - Developers catch 'green' building fever: "The number of real estate developers applying to have their projects certified as meeting environmentally friendly green standards has almost doubled over the past 11 months as they scramble to keep up with public demand.When the Canada Green Building Council (CaGBC) launched its LEED (leadership in energy and environmental design) certification process in April 2005, it started with 112 applications from across the country, says LEED program manager Ian Theaker. Those applications have been climbing ever since and reached 223 this past March.'There's an immense pent-up demand for green buildings right now,' he says. 'But the frustrating thing is you still have speculators out there who want an immediate two- or three-year return on their investment. Your biggest return is with the building operators later on down the road, because they save on substantially lower operating costs. That's where the real money is.'"
- posted by Chuck Eesley @ 9:34 PM (0) comments

 
Energy SIG
Energy SIG: "FINALS
& AWARDS: 2006 Ignite
Clean Energy $125K Business
Presentation Competition
You are invited to attend the Finals & Awards of the $125,000
Ignite Clean Energy Business Presentation Competition.

DATE: May
9th, 2006
TIME: 4:30 - 9:30
LOCATION: Kirsch Auditorium, MIT
Stata Center, 32 Vassar St., Cambridge, MA
COST: FREE
-See
10 exciting new clean energy businesses pitched by leading Massachusetts
entrepreneurs to a team of industry-expert judges.
-Exhibits
by up to 30 competitors showcasing their clean-energy ideas.
-Guest
speakers
-Presentation
of $125,000 in cash and prizes
-Free
refreshments"
- posted by Chuck Eesley @ 8:19 AM (0) comments

 
People's Daily Online -- 'Green Box' targets electronic waste
People's Daily Online -- 'Green Box' targets electronic waste: "Green Box' targets electronic waste

Amy Wei has used five mobile phones since she graduated from college.
One was lost, and the four others were transferred to her family or sold in the second-hand mobile phone market. But along with the batteries, she threw away phone accessories and other electronic waste.
Wei works for the Private Economy News, a newspaper based in Guangzhou of South China's Guangdong Province. She did not know that the disposal of mobile phones in that manner would cause serious pollution to the environment and endanger human health until she was asked to write an article that focused on a new national recycling project for unwanted mobile phones.
The project, called 'Green Box,' jointly launched at the end of last year by China�Mobile, Nokia and Motorola, provides an environmentally-friendly solution for anyone with unwanted mobile phones and electronic accessories.
'If kept at home, the phones may be ignored,' Wei said. 'Now I have a new way to deal with retired mobile phones without causing pollution.'
Special boxes were set out last year across China at about 1,000 branches of China Mobile, the country's largest mobile carrier. Moreover, 150 sales shops and maintenance centres of Nokia and Motorola are collecting unused mobile phones.
The phones either were disposed of by the mobile phone producers using non-toxic methods, or underwent facelifts by professional maintenance shops for reuse."
- posted by Chuck Eesley @ 9:52 AM (0) comments

 
Platinum today: Aviation industry warms to fuel cells
Platinum today: Aviation industry warms to fuel cells: "The aviation industry is set to become more environmentally friendly as Boeing and Airbus have announced they are working together on fuel cell technology for use in auxiliary power units (APUs).The pair made their plans known after the industry was slammed last week for not doing enough to cut emissions at the Aviation and the Environment summit, Geneva.Philippe Jarry, senior vice-president of product policy at Airbus, said: 'It%u2019s our social responsibility and it%u2019s up to us to do it now.'It is expected that Airbus%u2019 fuel cells, which were developed together with GE Motors, will be flight tested by Airbus on an A320 by the middle of next year.Meanwhile, Boeing plans to test its environmentally friendly fuel cells on a 440kW demonstrator airplane towards the end of 2006."
- posted by Chuck Eesley @ 9:51 AM (0) comments

 
Going green - what it all means.
Going green - what it all means.: "In a recent poll of just under 1600 readers, MotorTorque asked the following question:
What would be your choice of fuel for your new car?
The answers were quite surprising and although Diesel came out on top by a ten percent lead, the results were not as cut and dried as we had expected.

Diesel : 479 / 31%
Hybrid : 335 / 21%
Biofuel : 275 /17%
Petrol: 242 /15%
Electric : 208 /13%
Don%u2019t care: 31 / 3%

Modern hybrid cars came out second, despite a recent survey carried out by Honda, in which they discovered that more than half of British motorists were amazingly, not even aware of hybrid cars. Of those that did know of them, more than 40% didn%u2019t know that it was a car that uses both petrol and electric power. When people were asked to name a type of alternative fuel vehicle, a huge 82% failed to mention the hybrid-electric car and instead quoted LPG, which is far more complex for a day-to-day motortist, or even fully electric cars (which we talk more about later on).

Our American neighbours seem to be embracing the hybrid idea, with a 90% jump seen in sales of hybrid cars in the last 5 years, but it seems that the great British public are proceeding with more caution, probably because the huge amount of information on %u2018greener%u2019 cars out there, can sometimes be more confusing than it is helpful."
- posted by Chuck Eesley @ 9:50 AM (0) comments

 
RenewableEnergyAccess.com | Nextek power systems' new solar power application approaches 100% efficiency for the town of Hempstead, NY

RenewableEnergyAccess.com | Nextek power systems' new solar power application approaches 100% efficiency for the town of Hempstead, NY

: "Long Island, New York - Nextek Power Systems, Inc. and the Town of Hempstead have announced the commissioning of the first commercial-scale installation of solar electricity Direct Coupled(R) to Allen-Bradley PowerFlex(R) 700 series motor drives, integrated in the Town Hall's HVAC system.

The electrical efficiency of the Nextek Power Gateway PV interface is 98%; this improves the capacity utilization of the solar by about 10% when compared to conventional, inverter based systems.

This is the southern face of Hempstead's Town Hall where a 256-panel, 40-kilowatt solar energy system is supporting Allen-Bradley motor drives without any hardware modification. The solar PV contribution carries 2 motors (a 40hp and a 25hp) during the peak of the day, seamlessly changing the power source to grid-supplied Alternating Current (AC) as the sun goes down, watt for watt. The electrical efficiency of the Nextek Power Gateway PV interface is 98%; this improves the capacity utilization of the solar by about 10% when compared to conventional systems, thereby producing out-sized results over the 20-year life of the solar array. A smaller PV array can now be used to generate the desired number of kW hours than ever before. This reduced up-front capital expenditure, combined with the benefit of the avoided grid power purchases, lower demand charges and other control benefits improve the Town's Return on Investment (ROI) by 30% to 40%, Nextek says."
- posted by Chuck Eesley @ 9:49 AM (0) comments