Alternative Energy News Archives

What Would Don Quixote Do? ★★

This short article provides a little snapshot of the wind industry. According to the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC), in 2005 there was 11,769 MW of new installed capacity from wind farms, increasing by 43.3%. It added that the total value of new generating equipment installed exceeded $14 billion, and noted that General Electric delivered 1,346 wind turbines worldwide in 2005.

Tagged: general electric, Global Wind Energy Council, turbines, wind, wind parks | permalink | Read Original Article »

Meridian warns renewable energy pointless without upgrading grid ★★

Meridian Energy of New Zealand has warned that renewable energy options will be useless unless the threat of blackouts is resolved by upgrading the national grid.

Tagged: alternative energy, new zealand | permalink | Read Original Article »

Owens Corning Announces Breakthrough Single-End Roving For Wind Energy ★★

Owens Corning announced... a breakthrough single-end roving and knitted fabric, WindStrand, which will allow the wind energy market to take another step forward in competing successfully against other alternative energy sources by reducing the cost per kilowatt-hour (kwh). The product will allow turbine manufacturers to increase blade lengths by as much as six percent and deliver up to 12 percent more power -- for up to 20 percent less cost than any competing carbon-glass hybrid solution currently on the market.

Tagged: Owens Corning, turbines, wind | permalink | Read Original Article »

Angel Investment Group Targets Energy Startups ★★★

A new group of 15 individuals called the Northwest Energy Angel Group - which included Martin Tobias, chief executive of Seattle Biofuels - is looking to invest in energy-related startups from Washington, Oregon, Idaho and British Columbia.

Quotable from the article: Alternative energy is one of the hottest things going right now in the venture capital world.

Tagged: alternative energy, british columbia, idaho, markets, oregon, seattle biodiesel, united states, washington state | permalink | Read Original Article »

E85 fuel means more corn, less gas ★

Neal Nitz of Michigan, United States, is pushing a bill that would offer a 50 percent grant for service stations that add E85 pumps, with the idea that greater availability of the fuel would lead to more [flexible fuel vehicles], more money for corn-producing farmers, lower gas prices, less dependence on foreign oil and, ultimately, a cleaner environment.

Tagged: ethanol, flex-fuel, michigan | permalink | Read Original Article »

Oregon State Universtiy Researchers Develop Tiny Microreactor For Biodiesel Production ★

Chemical engineering researchers at Oregon State University have developed a tiny chemical reactor for manufacturing biodiesel that is so efficient, fast and portable it could enable farmers to produce a cleaner-burning diesel substitute on their farms using seed crops they grow on their own land.

They state that biodiesel could be produced between 10 and 100 times faster with the 'mircroreactors'.

Tagged: biodiesel, Microgeneration, oregon | permalink | Read Original Article »

Venturing off the grid ★

A profile of 'off the grid' living and how it may be going mainstream. From the article:

Some 180,000 American homeowners live off-grid, according to Richard Perez, publisher of Home Power magazine.

The strongest sign yet of the movement's liftoff is a reality-TV series, due out this fall on the Discovery Channel. Production for "Off the Grid" _ its tentative name _ is to start in May.

Tagged: alternative energy, Microgeneration, united states | permalink | Read Original Article »