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PESWiki News -- January 2009 Archive

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2009

February

• News:Archive:2009:February - going forward in time

January

Saturday, Jan. 31, 2009

• 
  Featured: Suppression / Silicon >
  The Silicon Mine of the Netherlands -- A Case of Suppression? - Why do some solar silicon companies get sidelined after Gosse Boxhoorn makes them successful? We see a trend. Others see a conspiracy by oil companies to stall the move to solar independence and maintain control of the status quo. (PESWIki; Jan. 31, 2009)
  

• Lighting > Light Emitting Diodes >
  Great bright hope to end battle of the light bulbs - Cambridge University researchers have developed cheap, light-emitting diode (LED) bulbs that produce brilliant light but use very little electricity. They will cost £2 and last up to 60 years and are 12 times more efficient than conventional tungsten bulbs and three times more efficient than the unpopular fluorescent low-energy versions. (Mail Online; Jan. 29, 2009) (Also: Slashdot)
  

• Human-Powered >
  150MPG Human Powered Goblin Aero - Goblin Motors’ new line of human powered vehicles are coming online February 2009. These vehicles, known as velomobiles, allow a single occupant to travel faster than a bicycle using their own power. Power assist systems are available as an option. (Alternative Energy News; Jan. 29, 2009)
  

• Batteries > Lithium >
  Could Lithium Shortages Impede Future Electric Car Deployment? - What happens when demand for it increases because of electric cars? Could we run out of the stuff? Could it become prohibitively expensive? (TreeHugger; Jan 23, 2009)
  

Friday, Jan. 30, 2009

• Tidal Power >
  Navy, PUD both hunt for power from tides - The Navy expects to drop tidal turbines into the water off Marrowstone Island in Admiralty Inlet in 2010, not far from where the Snohomish County PUD is studying installing equipment of its own the following year. (Heraldnet; Jan. 28, 2009)
  

• Biodiesel >
  Fat-Fueled Ford Is Biodiesel Biohazard - If you had cosmetic surgery with Dr. Craig Alan Bittner, there's a chance fat sucked from your butt went right into the fuel tank of his SUV. Bittner called his thigh-test fuel "lipo-diesel". Note: Due to botched surgeries, he has also left the country. (Wired; Dec. 22, 2008)
  

• Human-Powered >
  10 Weird Forms of Human Transportation - Having fun using arms, legs and others to get around. Fred Flintstone would be proud! (TreeHugger; Jan. 26. 2009)
  

Thursday, Jan. 29, 2009

• Nuclear > Fusion / Remediation >
  Nuclear Fusion-Fission Hybrid Could Contribute to Carbon-Free Energy Future - Physicists at The University of Texas at Austin have designed a new system that, when fully developed, would use fusion to eliminate most of the transuranic waste produced by nuclear power plants. They propose destroying the waste using a fusion-fission hybrid reactor. (PysOrg; Jan. 27, 2009)
  

• Lighting > Compact Fluorescent Lighting (CFL) > Downsides
  Just how safe are CFL Light Bulbs? (video) - UV Light from CFLs are causing skin sensitivity issues and migraines, because they do not have a prismatic diffuser and because of "dirty electricity". (16:9 Global TV; Jan. 9, 2009)
  

• Global Warming >
  The Big Energy Gamble - California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is leading an aggressive charge against global warming in his state. Will the country follow? 1-hour NOVA program in 6 parts, online. (PBS NOVA; January 2009)
  

Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2009

• 
  Featured: Storage / Offshore Wind / Energy Islands >
  KEMA's Inverse Offshore Pump Accumulation Station - A new concept is being explored that would use excess renewable energy to pump water out of a lower reservoir into the surrounding sea as a storage mechanism. This artificial inverse island is being considered for off shore deployment in the North Sea. (PESWIki; Jan. 28, 2009)
  

• Wind / Health >
  World Renowned Expert Issues Dire Warnings To Residents Of Ontario - One of the world’s leading research experts in the areas of electromagnetic pollution, radio frequency radiation, ground current and dirty electricity delivered alarming warnings about the dangers to human and animal health, posed by Industrial Wind Turbines. (Videos) (No Sydenham Windfarm; Jan. 15, 2009)
  

• Solar > Thermal >
  Sunrain defies economic crisis - Despite the global economic crisis, the Chinese vacuum tube collector manufacturer Jiangsu SunRain Solar Water Heater Manufacture Co. LTD grew by 74% last year and presently employs around 2000 people. (Solar Thermal World; Jan. 26, 2009)
  

• Wind > Largest >
  Mexico turns toward alternative energy - Spanish energy company Acciona Energia says the 2,500-hectare (6,180-acre) farm at La Ventosa, Mexico, should generate 250 megawatts of electricity with 167 turbines, 25 of which are already operating. The rest should be on line by the end of 2009, making the project the largest of its kind in Latin America. (Associated Press; Jan. 22, 2009)
  

Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2009

• 
  Featured: Fuel_Efficiency > Hydrogen Injection >
  Hydrogen-Boost has been upping mileage for eight years (Interview) - Industry pioneer talks about his mileage enhancement system that can increase mileage from between 15% and 50%. Besides the onboard electrolysis unit, his system also includes fuel heating, a permanent engine treatment, an electronic control circuit to control the air/fuel ratio, and driving tips. (PESN; Jan. 27, 2009)
  

• Electric Vehicles > Plug-ins >
  Gorgeous Convertible Improves Fisker's Plug-In Karma - The Karma S — for Sunset — concept that debuted at the Detroit auto show shares its gas-electric drivetrain with the Karma sedan, but wraps it in an even sleeker two-door body that could see production within two years. (Wired; Jan. 12, 2009)
  

• Solar >
  Energy Companies Competing for Desert Land - The Bureau of Land Management has been swamped with applications for solar projects across millions of acres of desert and has seen a 78% increase in applications, now totaling 223. The applicants are all looking to capitalize on desert land in California, Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Colorado. (EcoGeek; Jan. 12, 2009)
  

• U.S. Government and Energy >
  Obama Energy Advice - An ongoing series of cogent comments, advice and recommendations relating to President Obama's administration energy policy. (OilDrum; Jan. 12, 2009)
  

Monday, Jan. 26, 2009

• 
  Featured: Electromagnetic > Keppean Scalar Motor >
  A Personal Witness Account of the Keppe Motor - Will Lajeunesse of Canada traveled to Brazil where he witnessed numerous demonstrations of the Keppe Motor. He also attended their demo in San Diego. Recommends their manual and kit. (PESN; January 26, 2009)
  

• Solar > Plastic Solar Cells >
  'Solarmer Energy Expects Sun to Shine on Chicago Invention - Solarmer Energy Inc. is developing translucent, flexible, plastic solar cells for portable electronic devices that will incorporate technology invented at the University of Chicago. (PhysOrg; Jan. 21. 2009)
  

• Ethanol >
  Process can cut the cost of making cellulosic biofuels - A patented Michigan State University ammonia fiber expansion process to pretreat corn crop waste before conversion into ethanol, means extra nutrients don't have to be added, cutting the cost of making biofuels from cellulose from $1.41 down to .081 per gallon. (PhysOrg; Jan. 22, 2009)
  

• Top 100: Batteries > A123 Systems >
  A123 to build U.S.-based lithium ion battery mass production facilities - A123Systems announced it has submitted an application under the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing Incentive Program to qualify for $1.84 billion in direct loans to support the construction of new world-class lithium ion battery manufacturing facilities. (GM Volt; Jan. 7, 2009)
  

Sunday, Jan. 25, 2009

• 
  Featured: Financial Resources >
  Barter: For Hard Times + - With the economy tanking as the good-ol-boy's club passes away and a new society arises that will be far more enlightened, barter is not just for survival, but could be one of those superior elements in the new society. (PESWiki; Jan. 25, 2009)
  

• Electromagnetic >
  Solar Panel Powered Keppe Motor - Keppe Motor draws just 6 Watts to run a fan that usually takes 50 Watts. The battery is being replenished by a solar panel at an adequate rate to keep up with the fan. When the standard motor is put on the system, drawing 47 Watts, it rapidly depletes the battery. (PESWiki / Keppe Blog; January 21, 2009)
  

• Solar > Largest >
  SRP Largest Customer-Owned Solar Energy System in Arizona Begins Generating Electricity - PepsiCo’s LEED-certified Gatorade facility at Tolleson, Arizona, has become SRP’s largest EarthWise Solar Energy commercial customer, with the installation of the 500-kilowatt system. (Renewable Energy World ; Jan. 22. 2009)
  

• Communities >
  Governors Island Envisioned as Incredible Eco-Park - New York’s Governor’s Island is set to receive an incredible set of renovations that will transform the 172-acre plot of decaying Coast Guard structures into a stunning eco-park based around a set of new paths, watercourses, restaurants, aquaria and even complimentary wooden bicycles. (Inhabitat; Jan. 22, 2009)
  

Saturday, Jan. 24, 2009

• 
  Featured: DIY > Stirling Engines / Solar >
  Build a Stirling Solar Engine with Off-the-Shelf Parts - Green Power Science host, Dan Rojas, presents the basics of Stirling engine operation, suggesting how make one from off-the-shelf parts including a timing chain wheel for the flywheel, metal cans for the displacer piston, drill paddle bit for the shaft. (PESWiki; Jan. 24, 2009)
  

• Hydrogen > Production >
  Scientists Find New Way To Produce Hydrogen - Scientists at Penn State University and the Virginia Commonwealth University have discovered a way to produce hydrogen by exposing selected clusters of aluminum atoms to water. The geometries of these aluminum clusters, rather than solely their electronic properties, govern the proximity of the clusters' exposed active sites. (PhysOrg; Jan. 22, 2009)
  

• Electric Vehicles > Shelby Supercars >
  World's Fastest Car Goes Electric - Shelby says the Ultimate Aero EV will showcase the company's liquid-cooled, twin-engine, 3-speed, "All-Electric, Scalable Powertrain," which it says can be tailored to suit a wide variety of vehicles, from compact city cars to heavy-duty trucks and even military vehicles. Zero to 60 in 2.5 seconds? 10-minute recharge time? (Wired; Jan. 23, 2009)
  

• Biodiesel >
  Biodiesel not to Blame in Minnesota Bus Stallings - A Lab Analysis Report confirmed the troublesome Daimler Truck Thomas Built MVP-EF bus fuel filters were being clogged with congealed paraffin wax found in #2 Diesel. Other buses were not affected, because they use heated filters and work fine with biodiesel. (Domestic Fuel; Jan. 22, 2009)
  

Friday, Jan. 23, 2009

• 
  Top 100 / Featured: Wind > Vertical Axis >
  Enviro Energies' magnetically levitated Mag-Wind™ system - Affordable wind turbine design by this North American company reduces friction, noise, vibration and energy losses, and generates power in low wind environments; is now going into production. (PESWiki; Jan. 23, 2009)
  

• Electric Cars >
  ZAP to Unveil Alias Performance Electric Car at NADA January 24, 2009 - The ZAP Alias is a stylish, 100% electric, 2-seater capable of freeway speeds. ZAP indicated the mass-production version of the Alias is targeted to be priced under $35,000 and a limited number of hand-crafted, Signature Series Alias roadsters will be produced. (CNN Money; Jan. 22. 2009)
  

• Ten-Year Renewable Energy Plan >
  Alaska Energy: A First Step Toward Energy Independence - The Alaska Energy Authority has released a comprehensive guide that calls for obtaining half of the state's electricity from renewable resources by 2025. It also identifies and prioritizes energy projects, puts into place legal and government structures needed to allow them to move forward and identifies potential funding sources. (Alaska Energy Authority; Jan. 2009)
  

• Humor >
  Survivors Of Gas Station Explosion Mourn Tragic Loss Of Gasoline - Spoof on news reporting of tragic accidents. This one is a gas! Video. 2.25 minutes. (Onion News Network; Jan. 22, 2009)
  

Thursday, Jan. 22, 2009

• 
  Top 100 / Featured / Videos: River / Water >
  Video: Markovic Self-Propelled (SP) River Pump - We've produced a new video about Vladimir Markovic's Top 100 river pump -- a very clever, simple, robust design now going into production that can be used to pump water, generate electricity, desalinate water, all from slow-moving water without the need to build a dam. (YouTube: PESNetwork; Jan. 22, 2009)
  

• Solar >
  Water Heaters Put Solar Energy Within Reach - Andrei Mitran of Cary, NC says he has no desire to live "off the grid." But when choosing a replacement for his 18-year-old hot water heater, the computer programmer says he decided to look into purchasing a Solar H2OT solar unit. (PhysOrg; Jan. 21, 2009)
  

• Solar >
  A Solar-powered mobile phone - Add a small solar panel to your cellphone to reduce the "low battery" messages. The objective is to looks great and not get in the way of using the phone normally. (Instructables; Jan. 11, 2009)
  

• Electrical Grid >
  Alternative energy faces power line "bottleneck" in U.S. West - How much "green" power will come from the U.S. West is uncertain if the sunny and wind-swept region cannot overcome a shortage of power lines. For years the rule of thumb was $1 million per mile, but a recent project in Southern California cost $16.5 million per mile. The "bottleneck" is Federal land use and bureaucratic delays. (Reuters; Jan. 21, 2009)
  

Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2009

• 
  Featured: ZPE / Tom Valone >
  Zero Point Energy devices 5-10 years from market (interview) - Tom Valone, author of several books and tracts on the subject, gives an overview of the ZPE concept and recent developments toward working prototypes. Nanodiodes, already developed, could be the key ingredient for harnessing this energy that is everywhere present and constant. (PESN; Jan. 21, 2009)
  

• Refrigeration / Solar >
  Promethean Solar Refrigerator - Promethean Power Systems is developing a clean, quiet, solid-state solar-powered refrigeration system for commercial cold-storage applications in off-grid and partially electrified areas of developing countries, using thermoelectric cooling modules and solar photovoltaic panels. (Video Series link) (Engineering TV; Jan. 6, 2009)
  

• Prizes >
  Google Project 10^100 ideas update - Reminder: Google is marking its 10th anniversary by offering 10 million dollars for five of the best world changing ideas. A Google panel will announce 100 nominees on Jan. 27, 2009, to then be narrowed to 20 via Google user input. Sign up for email reminder.
  

• Oil > North American Oil Fields >
  3 to 4.3 Billion Barrels of Technically Recoverable Oil Assessed in North Dakota and Montana’s Bakken Formation—25 Times More Than 1995 Estimate - A limited number of wells have produced oil from three of the assessments units. With all the U.S. resources, why, again, are we importing from countries that don't particularly like us?. (USGS; April 10, 2008)
  

Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2009

• Fuel Efficiency > Retrofits >
  ELC Fuel Saver - A next generation product that provides multi-function microcomputer technology combined with electronic physics, chemistry, engine mechanics and fuel chemistry. Instalation isn't as quick/easy as they say.
  

• Oil > North American Oil Fields >
  The US Govts' Secret Colorado Oil Discovery - 25-page PDF of the 2 trillion barrels of proven oil in the Green River Formation — between 800 billion and 1.2 trillion barrels are recoverable at $10 per barrel. (Stansberry & Associates; May 1, 2006)
  

• U.S. Government and Energy >
  Bush Years: 8 in 8 Minutes (video) - Kieth Olbermann of MSNBC gives a scathing recital of George Bush's performance, but doesn't take into consideration the global corporatist/Fascist cabal that is behind him and has pulled his strings from day one. The Beast is still among us, although they will rule now from the shadows of the Democratic party. (Truthout; Jan. 16, 2009)
  

Monday, Jan. 19, 2009

• 
  Top 100 / Featured: Ocean Wave Energy > Buoys >
  Oceanlinx Converts Wave action to Air Action - Oceanlinx is a leading international company in the field of wave energy conversion. It has developed technology for extracting energy from ocean waves by converting them into air flow that turns a turbine to produce electricity, or to provide desalinated industrial or potable grade water from sea water. (PESWiki; Jan. 19, 2009)
  

• Flight >
  Reaction Engines Talk to the Space Fellowship - Skylon is an unpiloted, reuseable spaceplane intended to provide inexpensive and reliable access to space. It operates like an aircraft and uses a Synergistic Air-Breathing Rocket Engine (Sabre) from Reaction Engines Limited, and is expected to have a 15 tonne payload to low earth orbit.” (Space Fellowship; Jan. 7, 2009)
  

• Oil >
  The Costly Compromises of Oil From Sand - The oil that is extracted from Canadian dirt is being portrayed as saving America from energy dependence on the unstable Middle East. Or is it an environmental catastrophe in the making? (Energy Tribune; Jan. 10, 2009)
  

• Clean Coal >
  TVA Disaster Spreads Far and Wide - It is bad enough that Tennessee Valley Authority mismanaged this 50+ year old waste pile of coal ash. But to put salt in the wounds of its neighbors by failing to provide critically important answers and aid is incomprehensible. (Huffington Post; Jan. 13, 2009)
  

Sunday, Jan. 18, 2009

• 
  Top 100 / Featured: Flight > Flying Cars > MYT >
  Angel Flight Pack to tackle last frontier of aviation - Because of its ultra small and light size-to-power relationship, the Massive Yet Tiny engine is an ideal candidate for making personal flight packs, typically called 'jetpacks', a practical reality, as well as flying cars. Coming soon? (PESN; Jan. 18, 2009)
  

• Geothermal > Ground Source Heat Pumps
  Tapping The Earth For Energy - Ground-source heat pumps have been around for decades but every year seem to attract more homeowners and organizations who are looking for alternatives to traditional space heating and cooling. (CBS News; Jan. 14, 2009)
  

• Conservation / Recycling >
  Reducing Ware and Tear on the Earth One Utensil at a Time - To-Go Ware has produced stainless steel food carriers, cotton carrier bags and ceramic cups since their start in 2004, but has recently also added a utensil set made of bamboo along with a 100% recycled plastic holder. (Conscious Choice; Jan. 5, 2008)
  

• Solar >
  MiniWIZ’s Solarbulb Turns Bottles Into Lamps - The Solarbulb is a brilliant solution that provides light while making use of old plastic bottles. Simply attach it to any ordinary bottle and the 0.18 W solar cells will provide up to 6 hours of continuous night lighting. (Inhabitat; Jan. 8, 2009)
  

Saturday, Jan. 17, 2009

• 
  Featured: Fuel Efficiency > Hydroxy >
  Scooter runs on 100% Hydroxy, no gasoline - Grad student, Jake Wall, fitted a scooter with a Bob Boyce like electrolysis unit and was able to run the scooter (in the garage) on just the hydrogen-oxygen mixture, using half the energy input the engine normally requires. (PESN; Jan. 17, 2009)
  

• Ethanol >
  Ethanol’s Federal Subsidy Grab Leaves Little for Solar, Wind and Geothermal - An April 2008 report from the Federal Energy Information Administration (EIA) shows that the corn-based ethanol industry received $3 billion in tax credits in 2007, more than four times the $690 million in credits available to companies trying to expand all other forms of renewable energy. (Environmental Working Group; Jan. 2009)
  

• Environmental Impact >
  Environmental Impact of Google Searches Revealed - Performing two Google searches from a desktop computer can generate about the same amount of carbon dioxide as boiling a kettle for a cup of tea, according to new research. (Note: More Junk Science. Read the comments!) Includes video. (Times Online; Jan. 11, 2009)
  

• Solar > Largest >
  China Announces the World’s Largest Solar Plant - China announced its latest supermassive project: the construction of the world’s largest solar power plant. Planned by China Technology Development Group Corp and privately-held Qinghai New Energy Group, the project will begin with a 30 MW plant in 2009, that will expand to produce 1 GW of solar energy.(Inhabitat; Jan. 6, 2009)
  

Friday, Jan. 16, 2009

• 
  Top 100 / Featured: Radio > NEC >
  Sterling on Coast to Coast this Monday - On Jan. 19, 2009, beginning 10:00 pm Pacific, Sterling D. Allan will be a guest with host George Noory for two hours, talking about various exotic clean energy technologies and the Top 100 as generated by the New Energy Congress which he founded three years ago. (Coast to Coast AM)
  

• Flight > Human-Powered >
  Humans like flying squirrels - Only they fly at 100 MPH off mountains in Norway in windsuits, called "wingsuit basejumping". Not a method likely to come in useful, except maybe from the top of a high-rise to the ground-floor coffee shop a few blocks away. Bring on the squirrels, these guys are nuts! (Vimeo Video; 3.54 minutes, Sept. 2008)
  

• Wind > Offshore >
  Wind, Waves, and Watts - A new wrinkle in an offshore wind proposal by Grays Harbor Ocean Energy Company of Washington state, is that the supports anchoring each wind turbine platform to the ocean floor would be designed in a way to turn wave action into electricity as well. (TruthOut; Jan. 4, 2009)
  

• Alt. Fuels / Biodiesel >
  US Scientists Make Car Parts and Biodiesel From Coconuts - A Baylor University team has created biodiesel from coconut oil, and are confident the new fuel could be an economically viable substitute for gasoline, as well as a vital source of income for more than ten million struggling coconut farmers worldwide. (Gas2.0; Jan. 7, 2009)
  

Thursday, Jan. 15, 2009

• 
  Featured: Flight > Flying Cars >
  Terrafugia Transition -- Flying Automobile - The fantasy of spy novels and science fiction films is at last becoming reality, with a vehicle that can turn from car to aircraft in 15 seconds. The Transition® is scheduled to take to the air next month. (PESWiki; Jan. 15, 2009)
  

• 
  Top 100 / Featured: Organizations > NEC >
  New Energy Congress in the News - List of media features of the New Energy Congress, the primary organization associated with PES Network, Inc., which brings you this PESWiki.com site and its Global Top 100 Clean Energy Technologies listing. (PESWiki; Jan. 15, 2009)
  

• New Energy Congress in the News >
  FOLLOW-UP: He made it into the Top 10
  Ideas for Change: A National Strategy for Sustainability - "The New Energy Congress has developed a promising list of 100 new energy technologies which may be key to our future. Many of these technologies could be profitably produced within two or three years with additional funding for marketing, development, production, and distribution." -- Rob Wheeler, Citizens Network for Sustainable Development (Change.org; Jan. 12, 2009)
  

• Human-Powered >
  nPower PEG Charges Your Gadgets From The Spring In Your Step - The nPower PEG (Personal Energy Generator) is a device that harvests the kinetic energy of your walking and turns it into electricity, charging most devices up to 80% with just one hour’s worth of walking. (Oh Gizmo!"; Jan. 10, 2009)
  

• Electric Vehicles >
  Army Announces Historic Electric Vehicle Lease - The 4,000 non-tactical electric vehicles will be used on Army bases for passenger transport, security patrol, and maintenance and delivery services. (Army .Ml; Jan. 12, 2009)
  

Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2009

• Refrigerators >
  Student Invents Solar-Powered Fridge for Developing Countries - Emily Cummins has designed a brilliant portable solar-powered refrigerator that works based upon the principle of evaporation. Employing a combination of conduction and convection, the refrigerator requires no electricity and can be made from commonly available materials like cardboard, sand, and recycled metal. (Inhabitat; Jan. 12, 2009)
  

• Lighting > LEDs >
  What Is The State Of Solid State LED Lighting? - Researchers at Purdue University have found one method of significantly reducing the cost of a white LED by eliminating the expensive layer of sapphire. Instead, they used silicon as the substrate (the material the diode is printed on) and zirconium nitride as the reflector. (Scientific Blogging; Dec. 29, 2008)
  

• Energy Efficiency >
  Green Is in at CES, but is it Real? - Green has become hip, making the way a product affects the environment a huge consideration in consumer buying habits, at least when it comes to gadgets. A CEA report says that consumers are very skeptical about the green claims made by high-tech firms. (Slashdot; Jan. 7, 2009)
  

Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2009

• 
  Top 100 / Featured: Engines > Retrofits > MYT >
  Massive Yet Tiny (MYT) Engine Going to Production (Interview) - World famous inventor, Raphial Morgado, sets forth a plan for his technology roll-out without requiring auto maker's cooperation. One of Angel Labs' retrofit engines the size of an alternator could replace an SUV engine, increasing performance, and yielding mileage as good as a Prius. (PESN; January 13, 2009)

• Wireless Transmission of Electricity >
  Wireless Power Energizes Many Devices - Utilizing principles of magnetic induction, Powermat pairs an ultra-thin mat with a receiver that connects to your device. The two parts of the Powermat system - mats and receivers - all work together. ("Wired" video interview at CES 2009; Jan. 9, 2009)
  

• Clean Coal / Directory:Natural Gas >
  Fuel from Coal-Eating Microbes - As little as one-hundredth of 1 percent of the coal in the United States converted into methane by microbes would supply the country's current annual natural-gas demands, says Andrew Scott, former professor, and founder of Altuda Energy Corporation. (MIT Technology Review; Jan. 9, 2009)
  

• Events > North American International Auto Show >
  Green Peeks Through The Clouds Over Detroit - By general agreement, this is not the year for the usual hoopla at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, to be held Jan. 17-25. With auto sales down, and the ink barely dry on bailout checks to General Motors and Chrysler, much of the attention will be on green automobiles. (New York Times; Jan. 10, 2009)
  

Monday, Jan. 12, 2009

• Casimir Effect > ZPE >
  Capasso Group to Experiment with Levitation - The Capasso Group, for the first time, were able to measure a repulsive Casimir-Lifshitz interaction to create levitation of objects in nanomechanics. (Nature; Jan. 2009)
  

• Competitions >
  Greener Gadgets Design Competition 2009 - January 15 is the deadline for this year's event. The Grand Prize: US$3,000; Second and Third Prizes of US$1,000 each. The top 50 entries will be published on the web for voting and commenting, and top finalists will be showcased live at the Greener Gadgets Conference in New York City on February 27th for judging by an expert panel. (Greener Gadgets; Jan. 9, 2009)
  

• Sustainability >
  Global Footprint Network- How much land area does it take to support your lifestyle? Take this quiz to find out your Ecological Footprint, discover your biggest areas of resource consumption, and learn what you can do to tread more lightly on the earth.
  

Sunday, Jan. 11, 2009

• 
  Featured: Bio-Energetics > BioElectricity >
  The Secret Life of Plants -- A Stunning Documentation of Plant Sentience - A 1989 psychobotany book alleges, with convincing proof, that plants can sense the emotions of living things around them, from other plants, to fish and animals, to humans. A rare documentary by that name a decade before features video footage of such documentation. (PESWiki; Jan. 11, 2009)
  

• Books > Breakthrough Power >
  Breakthrough Power -- Book Launch - Book launch in October 9, 2008 in Vancouver, BC, featured authors Jeane Manning and Joel Garbon, as well as several individuals mentioned in the book, including Martin Burger, John Hutchison, John Wong, Nassim Haramein, and William Baumgartner. (Google Video, 1.21 hours; Nov. 15, 2008)
  

• "Clean" Coal >
  Stores of coal ash piling up - Millions of tons of toxic coal ash are piling up in power plant ponds in 32 U.S. states, a situation the government has long recognized as a risk to human health and the environment, but has done nothing about. (Salt Lake Tribune; Jan. 9, 2009)
  

• Electrical Grid >
  NASA: 2012 'space Katrina' may cripple U.S. for months - A recently released NASA report warns that the U.S. has forgotten the power of the sun, creating a technological society susceptible like never before to massive infrastructure damage from solar storms. (Video) (World Net Daily; Jan. 10, 2009)
  

Saturday, Jan. 10, 2009

• 
  Featured: Grand Unified Theories / Anti Gravity / Magnet Motors >
  Project Home 2010 - The objective of the project is to succeed with an experiment in relativity to prove out the realities of the universe by developing a magnetic propulsion and anti-gravity system, yielding a vehicle that could levitate above the ground on a cushion of self-generated magnetized air. Project to be completed in 2010. (PESWiki; Nov. 10, 2008)
  

• Electric Cars >
  The 8-wheeled Electric Eliica - The makers of the Eliica (which stands for Electric Lithium-Ion Car) aim to exceed 250 mph, with a range of 200 miles between charges. Each of 8 wheels house an 80 hp electric motor. (Inhabitat; Jan. 6, 2009)
  

• Water >
  A Low-Energy Water Purifier - Oasys estimates that engineered osmosis, will cost just $0.37 to $0.44 per cubic meter -- using one-tenth the energy of conventional systems. A pilot-scale plant is producing one cubic meter of fresh water per day from either sea or brackish water. (MIT Technology Review; Jan. 8, 2009)
  

• Methane >
  Cow tax unlikely - The EPA is backing off from their Regulating Greenhouse Gas Emissions ... proposed legislation, only after the Agricultural Industry raised a stink about possibly paying $175 per dairy cow, $85, per beef cow and $20 per pig for annual taxes. (River Reporter; Dec, 25, 2008)
  

Friday, Jan. 9, 2009

• Nuclear > Hyperion >
  Is small the future of nuclear power generation? - Hyperion, which calls its reactor a "nuclear battery," licensed the technology from the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico. It plans to sell the reactor for about $30 million (U.S.) and says there's potential to sell 4,000 of them around the world by 2025. (The Star; Jan. 5, 2009)
  

• Biofuels >
  Vegawatt Garage Invention Turns Restaurants Into Power Plants - A new garage-engineered generator burns the waste oil from restaurants' deep fryers to generate electricity and hot water. "Just" put 80 gallons of grease into the Vegawatt each week, and its creators promise it will generate about 5 kilowatts of power. (Wired; Jan. 7, 2009)
  

• Solar > Vehicles >
  Solar Electric Cars Invade Hollywood - Cruise Car, which bills itself as the only company mass producing solar-electric cars, hopes to change that perception of Tinseltown with some help from Universal Studios, which will convert its entire fleet of 300 fossil-fuel burning, carbon-spewing vehicles to EVs. (Wired; Jan. 7, 2009)
  

Thursday, Jan. 8, 2009

• 
  Top 100 / Featured: Fuel Cells / Hydrogen >
  PowerAvenue is Revolutionizing Hydrogen Production and Fuel Cell Technology - PowerAvenue Corp has patented a way to create from sand a form of silicon that reacts with water to generate hydrogen at the point of use, making silicon the energy carrier. Their fuel cells operate at low pressure and temperatures, have a high power-to-weight ratio, and are reliable and efficient. (PESWiki; Jan. 8, 2009)
  

• Fuel Cells >
  Omnivorous Fuel Cells - Superprotonic, a startup company in Pasadena, CA, is developing a fuel cell that can handle dirty hydrogen at relatively low temperatures. It could thus use hydrogen produced from other fuels - such as natural gas or ethanol - by a simple device called a "reformer." (MIT Technology Review; Jan. 6, 2009)
  

• Clean Coal >
  Coal in Your Stocking? Fuel Up the Cadillac! - Three decades ago, G.M. developed a prototype powertrain that consumed coal directly. Installed under the hood of a 1978 Cadillac Eldorado, the engine was truly a coal-burner — using the coal in solid form, not converted to a gas or a liquid — though the fuel was in the form of a finely ground powder, not chunks the size of golf balls. (NY Times; Jan. 2, 2009) (Thanks Jim)
  

• Hybrid Vehicles >
  Seattle's Foss Maritime develops "hybrid" tugboats - Foss Maritime has developed the Prius of tugboats, which consumes less diesel and generates less pollution by using batteries for all the vessel's low-power needs. (Seattle Times; Jan. 4, 2009)
  

Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2009

• 
  Top 100 / Featured: Hydro > Tide / Ocean Current >
  Marine Current Turbines' 1 MW SeaGen - SeaGen, designed and developed by Marine Current Turbines Ltd. of Britain, works in principle much like an “underwater windmill”, with the rotors driven by the power of the tidal currents rather than the wind, and has now generated at its maximum capacity of 1.2MW. (PESWiki; Jan. 7, 2009)
  

• Thorium Reactors >
  The Liquid Fluoride Thorium Reactor: What Fusion Wanted To Be - Dr. Joe Bonometti, with the help of thorium expert Kirk Sorensen, gave about an hour long "tech talk" at Google discussing liquid fluoride thorium reactors. (YouTube; 55 minutes) (NEI Nuclear Notes; Nov, 22, 2008)
  

• Algae >
  Trying to Turn San Diego into the Green Houston - San Diego, already home to dozens of companies involved in solar or wind energy, would be a major player in the nation's multi-trillion-dollar energy economy if a group of local researchers succeed in turning algae into a commercially viable transportation fuel, something they think they can do within a decade. (Voice of SanDiego; Jan. 1, 2009)
  

• Solar / Communities ><brAbu Dhabi: The New Prince of Solar Technology? - Solar energy is set to power another major Abu Dhabi project — Masdar City. The ultra modern city, due to be completed by 2015, aims to be the first zero-carbon emission and car-free city in the world, housing 50,000 inhabitants and 1,500 companies. (Renewable Energy World; Jan. 5, 2009)
  

Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2009

• 
  Featured: Movies / Antigravity > SEG >
  John Searl Story DVD set for release on January 15 - Documentary chronicles John Searl’s life and claims that his magnetic Searl Effect Generator requires no external power source, and levitates when in a superconductive state. Includes a look at today’s effort to reconstruct the machine. (PESN; January 6, 2009)
  

• Zeitgeist >
  The Year in Energy - 2008 - Technical advances jump-start electric cars, wind turbines, and solar power. 2008 saw some remarkable advances in energy technology, and many of the innovators in this area remain hopeful that the coming decade won't be like the 1980s, when a drop in oil prices snuffed out interest in alternative energy. (MIT Technology Review; Jan. 5, 2009)
  

• Wind >
  SWIFT Wind Turbines - Renewable Devices Swift Turbines Ltd. has developed the SWIFT Wind Turbine, a quiet, building-mountable wind turbine, capable of providing a cost-effective renewable energy source for domestic, community and industrial use. Developed in Scotland and manufactured and distributed in the US by Cascade Engineering.
  

• Solar Vehicles >
  Solar Car Finishes Round the World Journey - Louis Palmer, a teacher and "adventurer" has been on the road for 17 months, went through 38 countries and clocked 32,000 miles, all "without a drop of petrol". He's also given rides to over 1,000 people in his quest to familiarize the folk and the famous with the benefits of solar power. (Green Daily; Jan. 4, 2009)
  

Monday, Jan. 5, 2009

• Vortex > Michaud Atmospheric Vortex Engine >
  'Twisted' Energy? - "How do you create or manufacture a tornado and how in the world would you harness and exploit the tremendous energy?" (FOXNews; June 26, 2008)
  

• Top 100: Environmental Hall of Fame >
  Big Ideas - Leading Environmental magazine highlights a couple of fellow award recipients. Green Power, Inc. has found a way to turn ordinary municipal waste into fossil-free diesel fuel. Stirling Energy Systems has developed a “sun catcher” dishes with self-supported 4-cylinder generators. (Conscious Choice; Jan. 2009)
  

• Batteries >
  Apple to pioneer use of Silver-Zinc battery technology? - ZPower has partnered with one of the top global manufacturers of notebook computers to roll out a laptop with the world's first silver-zinc battery option in early 2009. The notebook will also be able to work with lithium-ion batteries. (ComputerWorld; Jan. 4, 2008)
  

Sunday, Jan. 4, 2009

• 
  Featured: Suppression > Water as Fuel > GEET >
  Efforts to Remedy Paul Pantone's Wrongful Treatment in Utah State Hospital - Pantone's son has posted recent phone interviews with his Dad who alleges he's been mishandled in not only a reckless but even criminal way by the State of Utah in his negligent medical/dental care and in prolonged incarceration. (PESWiki; Jan. 4, 2009)
  

• Top 100: Fusion > Polywell / EMC2 >
  Fusion we can Believe in? - An $1.8 million experiment, funded by the U.S. Navy, has verified some interesting results that the late physicist Robert Bussard coaxed out of a high-voltage inertial electrostatic contraption known as WB-6. (Cosmic Log; Dec 16, 2008)
  

• Fuelwatch Worldwide >
  Commission Urges 50 Percent Hike in Federal Gas Tax - A roughly 50 percent increase in gasoline and diesel fuel taxes is being urged by the National Commission on Surface Transportation Infrastructure Financing, until the government devises another way for motorists to pay for using public roads. (CNS News; Jan. 2, 2009) (Thanks, Gary Hall)
  

• Fuelwatch / Clean Fuel Conversions > CNG >
  Paying more for CNG at the pump - The Utah Public Service Commission's recent decision to increase the price of compressed natural gas for vehicles has drawn the ire of many alternative-fuel advocates, including famous green advocate and former Salt Lake City Mayor, Rocky Anderson. (Deseret News; Jan. 4, 2008)
  

Saturday, Jan. 3, 2009

• Wind > High Altitude Wind Power >
  Twind High-Altitude Wind Technology - TWIND technology intends to propose an innovative method in order to exploit the Eolic energy with low costs, higher continuity and a minor environmental impact. (Comment: Their site talks about the power:windspeed ratio as a squared function. It is actually a cubed function.)
  

• Electrical Grid >
  Lifeline for Renewable Power - Without a radically expanded and smarter electrical grid, wind and solar will remain niche power sources. (MIT Technology Review; Jan.-Feb. 2009)
  

• Biofuels >
  Air New Zealand tests biofuel Boeing - Air New Zealand, along with Boeing, Rolls-Royce, and Honeywell, retooled one of the four Rolls-Royce RB211 engines on a Boeing 747-400 to run on an unusually fruity blend of half Jet A1 fuel and half jatropha oil, according to Air New Zealand. Jatropha has been used in making biodiesel for cars and trucks, but this is one of the first known attempts to use it as a biofuel in a commercial-size airplane. (CNet News; Jan. 2, 2009)
  

Friday, Jan. 2, 2009

• Electric Vehicles >
  2009: Year of the Electric Car - Although the electric cars will initially appear in limited numbers and likely in restricted regions of the US; while manufacturers, dealers and customers get comfortable with the technology; here is some of what you can expect to see begin rolling down America roads starting in 2009. (EV World; Dec. 31, 2008)
  

• Solar > Largest >
  Portugal's Largest Solar Farm Opens - Portugal's Acciona Energy recently opened the country's largest solar power farm, executing the construction of the project in a record time of 13 months. The solar farm covers an area of 250 hectares, and outputs 48 MW from 2520 solar tracker devices. (EnergyMatters; Jan. 1, 2009)
  

Thursday, Jan. 1, 2009

• 
  Featured: Jobs > Energy Efficiency / Denby >
  Denby Energy making energy auditing easy (interview) - After seeing how easy it is to do energy audits that can help businesses save a lot of money on energy, attorney, Michael Denby set up an online training program to instruct others how to embark on this as a $70k - $130k/year career. (PESN; Jan. 1, 2009)
  

• Conservation >
  The 2008 Eco-Matrix: Who's Hot, Who's Not in the World of Green - Wondering who’s news and who’s so last year? TreeHugger’s 2008 Eco-Matrix is here to inform and entertain. Click through their handy cheat sheet to what happened in the world of green over the past year, and what and who are on the rise for 2009. (Treehugger; Dec. 30, 2008)
  

• Batteries >
  Storing the Breeze: New Battery Might Make Wind Power More Reliable - Minneapolis-based utility, Xcel Energy, Inc., has become one of the first in the U.S. to install a giant NGK battery system in an attempt to store wind power for later, when the wind has dropped, making wind power more integratable. (Scientific American; Dec. 22, 2008) (Also: Slashdot)
  

• Events >
  5th International Congress on Energy Efficiency and Renewable Resources - With Europe now a world leader in sustainable energy projects and improvements, the Congress, to be held in Bulgaria, April 6-8, 2009, will emphasize the opportunities and common sense practices offered through these developments.
  

2008

December

See News:Archive:2008:December - going backward in time

See also

- Current News (PESWiki) || PESN
- PESWiki News Archive index
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