solar energy
Need an update on recent developments in the cleantech sector? Following are some stories you might have missed: * Lockheed Martin is teaming with Ocean Power Technologies (OPT) to develop a “utility-scale wave power generation project” to be located off the coast of either Oregon or California. The aerospace manufacturer/defense
ocean iron fertilisation
The controversial on-again, off-again mission of the German research vessel Polarstern is now on: the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research reports that it has begun seeding the waters around Antarctica with iron sulphate. The so-called LOHAFEX (an odd acronym: “Loha” is Hindi for “iron”, “Fex” stands for
bioenergy
The UK’s Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) has announced the launch of a new Sustainable Bioenergy Centre, seeded with startup funds of £27 million, the “biggest ever single UK public investment in bioenergy research.” The centre’s aim is to promote research and development of non-food biofuel
geoengineering
Various geoengineering schemes show promise of reducing the impact of global climate change, but carry risks and limitations as well, according to a first-ever comprehensive assessment by researchers at the University of East Anglia. Among the researchers’ findings: * Enhancing carbon sinks around the globe could help bring down carbon dioxide
cleantech
What was happening in the world of cleantech yesterday? Following are some of the headlines you might have missed: * It’s on again, it’s off again. After initially granting its OK to the project, the German government has ordered a halt to an ocean fertilisation experiment in the Southern
cleantech
Will the declining value of the British pound (though it’s been on the uptick today) impact cleantech spending in the UK? We don’t have access to a working crystal ball (does anyone?), but we’ll offer a few thoughts: * While it broke all records last year, cleantech investing
electric cars
Better Place, the group working to build networks for electric cars around the globe, announced today it’s closed on €103 million in funding to develop a plug-in car infrastructure in Denmark. Under the agreement, Denmark’s DONG Energy will work with Better Place Denmark to develop the network and
carbon dioxide
The global climate changes wrought by rising carbon dioxide emissions are now too late to stop and will linger for more than 1,000 years, according to a new study by researchers in the US and Europe. “Our study convinced us that current choices regarding carbon dioxide emissions will have
carbon dioxide
Couldn’t wade through all the cleantech headlines yesterday? Following are some of the stories you might have missed: * In yet another sign of an environmental and scientific turnaround in Washington, DC, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is holding off its approval of a new coal-fired power plant in
carbon footprint
Sun Microsystems today announced it had finished building its new, über-efficient data center in Broomfield, Colorado. The company says the facility will reduce electricity costs by more than $1 million (US), cut annual carbon dioxide emissions by 11,000 metric tonnes and trim Sun’s US carbon footprint by 6
GHGs
Turns out California’s hunch last week that things are different in Washington, DC, might have been right on the mark: the New York Times reported yesterday that President Barack Obama is expected to order the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to reconsider its decision barring states from setting stricter-than-federal emissions
Jurdy takes on a big green challenge …
