A first for Masdar PV as it integrates modules into a building façade

Masdar PV, a manufacturer of extra-large, thin-film PV modules, has now supplied PV modules for installation on a building façade for the first time. This PV façade solution has been realised in cooperation with Gehrlicher Solar AG, which recently presented this new type of façade system at Intersolar. The system is based on the proven gehrtec mounting system.

Denmark wants to store the wind... in bags

The experiment has been carried out by engineers from the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) and basically involves injecting compressed air into large bags buried under the dunes of Jutland. The bags would be inflated using a compressor operated by wind power.

Cuba investigates potential of marine thermal energy

Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) uses the temperature difference that exists between deep and shallow waters to run heat engines. In the Bay of Matanzas on the northern coast of Cuba, scientists are experimenting with the potential of this renewable energy. Little research on OTEC has been conducted anywhere around the world to date.

Valencia, world capital of photovoltaic solar energy

The 25th European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference and Exhibition / 5th World Conference on Photovoltaic Energy Conversion kicks off on Monday 6 September and welcomes the global PV community to Valencia (Spain). The event is expected to attract 4,500 conference delegates and around 40,000 visitors for the PV Industry Exhibition.

Iberdrola Renovables wins contract for nine wind farms in Brazil

Iberdrola Renovables, in consortium with Neoenergia, a Brazilian energy holding company, and IBERDROLA investee, has been awarded the contract for nine new wind farms in Brazil, with total installed capacity of 258 MW. It is the second contract to develop renewable energy that the company has won in Brazil.

Case Study: Lockheed Martin Facility Roadways

Outdoor lighting systems for a main entrance roadway and the main loop road serving the facility Lockheed Martin, Lake Underhill Facility.

Altenergymag Interview With AMtec Solar

AMtec Solar has applied its 25 years of experience in the Semiconductor, HVAC, Pharmaceutical, Alternative Energy, and Industrial Control markets to the solar industry. The produce solar combiner boxes, re-combiner boxes, tracker panels, MET stations and DAS boxes for some of the biggest names in the solar industry.

A Vision of the New Environmentalist

The new post-BP environmentalist, I predict, will stand taller than those from Earth Day and from Yale and Harvard. They will be more immediate and less technical. They will be pumped up on the steroids of Hollywood, mass media, and Twitter more than the schooling of MBAs. And they will attract massive audiences, with their green eyes and softer training on behalf of the Earth.

Fuel Additives and the Environment

Why Conservatives Are Bad on Energy: It's All About the Costs

When you compare the real costs of solar with the fully loaded real costs of coal and oil and natural gas and nuclear power, apples to apples, solar is cheaper.

CSIRO Clayton (Vic) site map

A one-page map that details the CSIRO's Clayton site, CSIRO’s largest site in Victoria and home to a variety of research areas and our National Enquiries Centre.

Beryllium in Australian export thermal coals

A fact sheet on the occurrence of beryllium in Australian and other coals, the behaviour of beryllium during combustion and the environmental and health effects of beryllium released as a consequence of coal use.

Chromium in Australian export thermal coals

A fact sheet on the occurrence of chromium in Australian and other coals, the behaviour of chromium during combustion and the environmental and health effects of chromium released as a consequence of coal use.

Antimony in Australian export thermal coals

A fact sheet on the occurrence of antimony in Australian and other coals, the behaviour of antimony during combustion and the environmental and health effects of antimony released as a consequence of coal use.

Cobalt in Australian export thermal coals

A fact sheet on the occurrence of cobalt in Australian and other coals, the behaviour of cobalt during combustion and the environmental and health effects of cobalt released as a consequence of coal use.

Wind Turbine or Airplane? New Radar Could Cut Through the Signal Clutter

Wind turbines function best in wide-open spaces where they can capture airflow unobstructed by buildings or mountains. Unfortunately, these same conditions are also optimal for aircraft takeoffs and landings, creating tension between wind energy utilities and airports in a number of locations worldwide. Utility-scale wind turbines, many of which stand more than 100 meters tall, can interfere with the radar used to safely guide aircraft. [More]

(Wed, 01 Sep 2010 08:00:00 EST)

With this final column I will transition Sustainable Developments from Scientific American to the home page of the Earth Institute ( www.earth.columbia.edu ). Although I will continue to contribute occasional essays to the magazine, I will use this last regular column to say thank you and take stock of the deepening crisis of sustainable development.

During the four years of this column, the world’s inability to face up to the reality of the growing environmental crisis has become even more palpable. Every major goal that international bodies have established for global environmental policy as of 2010 has been postponed,...

Engineering students happily deafened by Mwanga metalworkers

Editor's Note: Students from Dartmouth's Thayer School of Engineering are working in Tanzania to help improve sanitation and energy technologies in local villages. The student-led group , known as Humanitarian Engineering Leadership Projects (HELP), will file dispatches from the field during their trip. This is their seventh blog post for Scientific American.

The rooster in the room next to us crowed loudly at sunrise, and we despondently got out of bed with the goal of finding Fundi [see photo at left] , the town of Kalinzi's elusive stove maker. We found him...

Dammed if they don't: Cost to protect endangered sturgeon in South Carolina could be $100 million, utility says

How much will it cost to protect an endangered fish in South Carolina? The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) wants local utility Santee Cooper to make several changes to its dams on Marion and Moultrie lakes, which would help endangered shortnose sturgeon ( Acipenser brevirostrum ) to pass through the dams and breed. But Santee Cooper says the changes NMFS wants will cost more than $100 million. [More]

Lower Cost Lighting May Not Lower Cost

Engineers are always plugging away to get better energy efficiency out of our products -- like cars that guzzle less gas or light bulbs that burn brighter on fewer watts. But even if we replaced all today's bulbs with energy-sipping LEDs, the world might not see any energy savings, according to a study in the Journal of Physics D . [JY Tsao et al, http://bit.ly/bdAclU ] Because the more efficient lights get, the more light we tend to use.

The researchers looked at light consumption since the year 1700. Even though today's compact fluorescents are 500 times more efficient...