Picking up on the self-generation trend, Solis Energy has released a range of products aimed at powering low-wattage devices, such as wireless routers, security cameras, lights and so on. “Our products provide continuous, reliable outdoor power generation, connectivity and emergency/secondary power back-up, anywhere it’s needed — including remote locations
CHINA WATCH Chinese Premier Wen and German Chancellor Angela Merkel have signed an agreement to establish two working groups on environmental technology and energy, after a meeting between the two countries’ leaders, according to Chinadaily. Wen admitted that it will be difficult to reach environmental targets as China lacks the
TreeHugger has an interesting interview with Dan Porras, the VP of sustainability at Better Energy Systems, which makes the Solio solar charger pictured here. He talks about personal energy generation, which devices like the Solio enable, and reckons the renewable energy tipping point is nearing: TH: Are we on the
Wired has a guide to the ten fastest ‘green’ cars (ie, electric, hybrids, etc). So, in reality, most aren’t so fast (the one pictured hits a somewhat less than terrifying 54mph). But others, such as a hydrogen fuel-cell-based Ford, can hit over 200mph. Hoo-hah. Check them all out here.
For tech execs, it seems like electric cars are an ideal way to fill one’s time once you’ve made a small fortune elsewhere. Elon Musk took his PayPal payout to kick-start Tesla Motors, and now a former SAP exec is involved with an electric car venture. Shai Agassi
Some very bright chaps at the Fraunhofen Institute in Germany reckon they’ve found a way to convert body heat into a source of power–albeit with very low voltage. In future, they hope to use this method to find a practical way to power electronic devices, rather than relying
The Liberal Democrat party – the UK parliament’s perennial underdogs – has published proposals to make the country carbon neutral by 2050. Plans include improving public transport networks, a government commitment to 100% carbon-free non-nuclear electricity, and a whole range of green taxes and green incentives. All well and good. Except
An Australian company, Plantic, has come up with a way to turn corn into plastics–turning a relatively nasty oil-based product into a renewable, biodegradable alternative. Welcome, bioplastics. Similar organic material-based products already exist, but Plantic claims its technology is the first that can be simply grown in a field.
Greenbang is rather partial to trees. They’re lovely things to look at, rest under and run through (our local jogging route is through a lovely little forest)–and they’re also critical for the well-being of the planet. Which is why this job sounds pretty cool: a forests campaigner
This blogger has an interesting post that speculates about whether tech giant IBM is slowly recasting itself as something of a major player in the green business. It highlights several points to back up this claim: investment in smart grid technologies centred on energy efficiency, clever in-car systems partly aimed
Beijing is in the midst of its planning about how to curb pollution in advance of the 2008 Olympic Games, and now South Africa is starting to prepare itself too. A campaign has launched to plant hundreds of thousands of trees within Johannesburg – and especially within its famous Soweto township
CHINA WATCH China plans to launch a 7bn yuan (about $925m) clean energy fund to sponsor energy saving projects, as the latest in an array of efforts to combat the growing volumes of pollution it produces. The money will all be allocated by the end of this year, spent on
