biofuels
What else is new in cleantech? Following are some headlines you might have missed over the past 24 hours: * Colorado-based biofuel firm Range Fuels has received an $80 million loan guarantee from the US Department of Agriculture to help build a cellulosic ethanol plant in Georgia. The plant is expected
energy efficiency
The New American Home 2009 that will highlight this week’s International Builders’ Show and Nextbuild in Las Vegas could qualify for McMansion-plus status, if it weren’t for its high levels of energy efficiency. The 8.721 square-foot (810 square meters) home that’s five minutes from the famed
climate
Attendees at the World Future Energy Summit 2009 now taking place in Abu Dhabi are hearing good news along with the bad: while the globe faces severe threats from climate change and rising energy demand, speakers warn, those factors are also contributing to rapid growth in alternative energy technologies. “Alternative
biodiversity
Under a process backed by the World Bank, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has cancelled 91 of 156 timber contracts, stating they were wrongly granted during a moratorium enacted during the nation’s 1998 to 2003 war. The government’s decision affects some 130,000 square kilometers of rainforest,
green energy
Fans of the environment and cleantech have special reason to cheer today, as Barack Obama is sworn in as US president and successor to oilman George W. Bush. Unlike Bush, Obama has emphasized the need for dramatic and immediate action to help reduce carbon dioxide emissions and curb global warming.
Jurdy puts all on hold for today’s big event in Washington, DC …
data centers
San Francisco-based Advanced Data Centers (ADC) says its facility under construction in Sacramento, California, might be the greenest data center yet. The McClellan Park data center, being built at the former McClellan US Air Force base, has already been pre-certified LEED Platinum by the US Green Building Council — a first
biomass
New York City-based Astonfield Renewable Resources Ltd. today announced plans to spend $2 billion (US) on energy projects in India over the next two years. Most of the funds — about $1.7 billion — will focus on solar energy projects, with the remaining money going toward waste-to-energy and biomass developments. Founded
concentrated solar
German researchers say they’ve broken a new record for solar energy efficiency, converting a full 41.1 percent of the power of incoming rays into electricity. “We are elated by this breakthrough,” said Frank Dimroth, a member of the research team at the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems
carbon sequestration
A proposed $825 billion programme to revive the US’s tottering economy includes spending for a long list of clean and green initiatives. Unveiled this past week by President-elect Barack Obama and Democratic members of the House of Representatives, the plan calls for heavy investment in renewable energy development, electric
biomass
Verenium Company today announced plans to build its first commercial-scale cellulosic ethanol plant, to be located in south-central Florida’s Highlands County. Set to begin operations in 2011, the proposed $250 million (US) to $300 million facility will get its biofuel feedstock from Lykes Bros. Inc., an agribusiness that farms
conservation
If not everyone is taking the steps they should to reduce their energy consumption, at least most realize they should be. Not so with water, though: the Environment Agency this week released numbers showing few business owners think saving water is as important as saving energy. In fact, only 10
