low carbon
If the new coalition government in the UK is serious about building a green economy for the nation, why on earth is it now choosing to cut £34 million from the Department of Environment and Climate Change’s (DECC) low-carbon technology budget? We imagine it was to be expected that
Smart Grid
GE is offering a $200 million dare to startup entrepreneurs, technology pros and other innovative thinkers: Find a way to “reinvent how energy is produced, distributed and consumed.” That’s how Paul Koontz, a general partner with Foundation Capital, describes GE ecomagination’s new $200 million “Powering the Grid” challenge.
It’s still hard to find any bright spots in the North American or European economies these days, but one sector appears to not only be beating the recessionary odds but is poised to be an increasingly dominant industry in years to come: so-called “smart” technologies. The idea behind smart
biodiversity
In yet another sign that the future will be led by countries outside of the US and Europe, a new report finds that corporate leaders in Latin America and Africa are far more concerned about biodiversity-friendly business than their counterparts in the EU. The finding should ring alarm bells for
feed in tariffs
With many churches in the UK struggling financially, a British energy company says it’s found a solution that’s good for both the environment and their bottom lines: rooftop solar panels. British Gas figures that churches and other religious buildings in the country could raise as much as £34
trees
Now here’s a tree-planting programme that puts many other corporate “green” efforts to shame: the UK grocery retailer Sainsbury’s has announced plans to plant two million trees across the country over the next five years. “Trees are at the centre of our food chain, so if we are
bioenergy
Starting later this summer, the UK will achieve a first in biowaste energy: a new plant using brewery waste and local food waste is set to being producing renewable gas that will be fed back into the country’s national gas grid. The £2.75-million plant will also generate gas
waste
The “waste” we put outside in bins for kerbside collection isn’t really waste at all — it’s an assortment of resources that, with the right research and some creativity, could be used in new and beneficial ways. At least, that’s what CLEMANCE says. CLEMANCE, for “Clean Environment Management
energy security
Up until the Deepwater Horizon oil gusher began more than two months ago, many argued that offshore domestic drilling was a way to protect national security by reducing dependence on foreign oil. (Never mind that oil is a global commodity, so what comes out of the Gulf of Mexico doesn’
energy
We’re all familiar with the tales of silly, antiquated laws that remain on the books long past their useful lives, but most of them don’t have any impact on day-to-day society. The Queen, after all, doesn’t really expect to have dead whales delivered to Buckingham Palace (item
electric cars
A study reported on in the Telegraph today raises an interesting question: if rising use of electric cars threatens to overwhelm an ageing and increasingly inadequate energy infrastructure, why shouldn’t drivers with plug-in vehicles pay a fee to help pay for energy improvements? If the logic is straightforward and
innovation
Amid all the questions about where companies can meet their carbon reduction commitments, not often would attention turn to the little round discs that are probably overflowing in your computer-desk drawer. Despite the growing popularity of downloads for music and even films, the humble CD and DVD continue to thrive.
