The Dubai Sustainable City development is the first of its kind in the United Arab Emirates and will use an impressive amount of space to house the solar cells required to power it.

Construction of Dubai Sustainable City is planned across four phases. The first batch of 100 villas and townhouses within the city will be made available by the end of 2014; similar sized batches are likely to be released over the following years until the expected completion date in 2016.

Being overseen by Stringa Planning Studio, the project is currently being handed over to UK-based Baharash Architecture for phase 2 of the city’s construction. The company had to win an international competition for the privilege and plans to open an office in Dubai as a result.

Phase 2 will consist of a mixed-use zone, a mosque, the Institute for Ecological Engineering, a museum and planetarium, a “green” school, an eco-resort, a country club, and an equestrian center.

When finished, the Dubai Sustainable City will cover an area of 46 hectares, containing 550 residential villas. As well as housing, the development will include organic farms, educational facilities, and 600,000 square feet of solar panels.

The solar panels themselves will be spread across the city, with many houses and villas incorporating them into their architecture These panels will provide residents with 60 percent of their energy needs, with plans to offset the carbon footprint even further by introducing alternative modes of transportation.

Apart from using solar energy, the project will also make use of a smart water system that will reduce the water demand of buildings by 30 percent. No aspect within the city has been overlooked when it comes to recyclability. Grey and waste water will be used to irrigate plants across the city, and a waste recycling system will make it possible to reuse many other byproducts.

What do you think about sustainable technology? Would you be willing to live in the Dubai Sustainable City?

Dubai Sustainable City Will Be Powered By 600,000 Square Feet of Solar Cells is a post from: The Inquisitr

A Swiss company that specialises in robotics has developed the technology for an electric bus that can be charged in just 15 seconds. Based on current battery technology, this is a task that has so far been difficult to achieve by other companies.

The buses would use a method called “flash charging”, which involves the 135-passenger bus stopping at a charge-point along its route. This charge-point generates an impressive 400-kilowatts and is positioned above the bus stop. It would connect via a laser-controlled moving arm and charge the bus’ battery in 15 seconds. The minimalistic design could also improve the urban environment and landscape as it does not need overhead lines.

The idea would be to pump just enough energy into the bus for it to reach the next charging station. Longer stops at the end of each line would allow for a full recharge when it needs to tackle longer routes.

In addition to the quick charging times, the system would use a system called TOSA (Trolleybus Optimisation Système Alimentation), a zero-carbon-emission solution drawing electricity entirely from clean hydro power.

Initially, the company wants to pilot the idea between Geneva airport and the city’s international exhibition center, Palexpo. If tests prove successful, it could be a huge step forward for public transport. A type of transport already touted to be a more effective way to travel in terms of both cost and environmental impact.

Claes Rytoft, ABB’s acting Chief Technology Officer had this to say about the project:

“Through flash charging, we are able to pilot a new generation of electric buses for urban mass transport that no longer relies on overhead lines. This project will pave the way for switching to more flexible, cost-effective, public transport infrastructure while reducing pollution and noise.”

Are you a fan of public transport? Would you be happy waiting for a bus that charged in 15 seconds?

A New Electric Bus That Can Be Charged In 15 Seconds Flat is a post from: The Inquisitr

Do you like to dance? Do you like to save energy to help the environment? Now you can dance until your hearts content and save the planet at the same time! A new kinect dance floor generates energy as people dance and then uses that power to create electricity.

The kinect dance floor was created by a company in Rotterdam, Netherlands. The kinect floor uses individual tiles with small built in generators to collect and store energy which is used to power nearby systems or LED lights located on the dance floor.

The floor drops 10mm when stepped on, and that small compression is enough to activate an internal generator that products 35 wats of sustained output per module.

The company sells and rents the floors, which the company says has already generated nearly 8 billion joules.

According to Project Frog CEO Ann Hand:

“A few years ago most people didn’t even realize that nearly 40% of the carbon emissions were from the building environment. Everyone focuses so much on transportation and cars they don’t even look at our buildings as the biggest contributors. Now there’s a real appetite for it, and there’s so much inefficiency in the build environment. You don’t have to give up anything to have a better building to occupy.”

While the kinect dance floor may not be the answer to solving our climate change problems the technology could be used to create new closed-loop recycling systems which allow for simple returns on resources.

Could you imagine if the steps we took on city streets could generate the electricity we use in our homes and businesses?

Kinect Floor Generates Electricity From Dancers is a post from: The Inquisitr

Is Kickstarter about to literally reinvent the lightbulb? A group of three graduates from the University of Toronto believe they can do just that, and they are promising the world’s most energy efficient bulb.

According to the NanoLight’s developers, the bulb uses just 12 watts of power but generates the same light as a 100-watt incandescent bulb.

Admittedly, the new lightbulb looks more like an art project than a lightbulb. In fact, the team plans to offer imprint design options on the outside of the lightbulb.

The team’s Kickstarter campaign has already raised $227,000 worth of pledges, more than ten times what the team originally asked for at $20,000. So far, more than 4,700 backers have pre-ordered the NanoLight bulbs, and there is still 11 days left in the Kickstarter campaign.

In a company statement, the researchers claim:

“We center every aspect of our work at the NanoLight around creating higher energy efficiency, reducing carbon footprints and creating ecological value in all of our products. At the most fundamental level, our purpose is to create energy efficient LED lighting that is innovative and economical, so that our planet can have a brighter future.”

Working on the NanoLight technology is solar energy expert Tom Rodinger, produce developer Gimmy CHu, and general manager of manufacturing Christian Yan. The NanoLight is being manufactured at a facility in China.

The NanoLight is slated for a July shipment date. Customers who pre-order the lightbulbs can pick them up for $45 each.

If you have purchased a NanoLight already, the team is also offering new upgrades that include:

• $35 – With LEAF Design – One White 10W NanoLight (75W-Equivalent)
• $50 – With LEAF Design – One White 12W NanoLight (100W-Equivalent).
• $100 – With LEAF Design – One White 12W NanoLight (1800 Lumens).

Here is another look at the NanoLight:

Are you ready for a new type of lightbulb to emerge on the open market?

NanoLight Promises Most Efficient Lightbulb Ever Made, Launches Hugely Successful Kickstarter Campaign is a post from: The Inquisitr

A coffee powered truck called the “Bean Machine” has set a new speed record. Fueled by only coffee chaff pellets, as previously reported by The Inquisitr the coffee-powered Ford P100 pickup truck set a 65.5 MPH Guinness World Record.

Commissioned by The Co-operative Food, the specially-modified truck is the brainchild of the conservationist, Martin Bacon, who lives in Barnard Castle in Teesdale, County Durham. The Bean Machine was built to celebrate 10 years since The Co-operative Food converted all its own-brand coffee to Fairtrade.

According to The Journal, Mr. Bacon took his two children and wife Jill to complete a speed test run at Woodford Airfield in Stockport. Bacon spoke about the experience to the newspaper:

“We’re thrilled to have taken the speed record for the fastest car of this kind. This coffee car has been years in the making.”

Bacon explained to FoodBev.com how the coffee powered engine worked:

“Coffee chaff pellets, which are produced from the waste in coffee production, are heated in a charcoal fire, where they break down into carbon monoxide and hydrogen. The gas is then cooled and filtered before hydrogen is combusted to drive the engine. Any car can run on gasification. In fact, during the Second World War, there were over 100,000 vehicles in the UK that ran on gasification, including cars, buses and delivery vehicles. At the beginning of the 20th century, there were over 900,000 vehicles running on gasifiers across the world.”

Alternative fuels are becoming all the rage. Volkswagen recently announced the XL1, which is a plug-in diesel hybrid that manages a fuel efficiency of 261 mpg. Biodiesel fuel such as peanut oil was originally used by the inventor of the diesel engine, Mr. Diesel himself. Some say the only reason they switched over to standard oil is because, at the time, the cost of oil drilling was far cheaper.

At what price point would you switch over to a vehicle using electricity or biodiesel like the coffee powered truck?

Coffee Powered Car: Bean Machine Truck Fueled 65 MPH Guinness World Record is a post from: The Inquisitr

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced today an $8 million investment in smart grid technology. This came among a broader announcement that rural areas in 12 states will receive loan guarantees to improve the state of their electric service. Electric cooperatives and utilities will receive funds for improving generation and transmission facilities and implementing smart grid technologies.

The announcement was made by the USDA Rural Utilities Acting Administrator John Padalino on Vilsack’s behalf. He made the announcement during the annual meeting of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association in New Orleans.

“In his State of the Union Address last week, President Obama said that in America we have ‘an aging infrastructure badly in need of repair’ and these investments help to address our country’s infrastructure challenges,” Padalino said at the meeting. “Upgrading rural infrastructure sets the stage for economic development, because access to reliable, affordable electricity is essential to rural job creation.”

Smart grid technologies improve the efficiency of electric grids, which can lower electric bills by reducing energy use in homes and businesses. A smart grid is able to gather information about the production and use of electricity and act on it to improve the reliability and sustainability of the distribution of power.

The $8 million for smart grids is but a small portion of the $330 million in loan guarantees announced today. The funding should help electric utilities upgrade, expand, maintain, and replace rural infrastructure.

USDA has an active portfolio of over $176 billion in loans and loan guarantees available to improve the economic stability of rural communities, businesses, farmers, ranchers, and residents.

[Image via ShutterStock]

Smart Grid Technology Comes To Rural Communities Via $8 Million Investment is a post from: The Inquisitr

Dyson Taps are set to change public faucets forever. The British company, Dyson, known for their vacuum products, are expanding their horizons.

The American restroom experience has rarely seen new any revolutions, but now the British company Dyson appears to be looking to add its name to the list. They are calling it the Dyson Airblade Tap. The tap, invented by James Dyson, combines a working faucet and a hand dryer into a single fixture that sits above the sink, so all of your hand washing and drying can be done above the same drain with no water mess left on the floor.

The Dyson Airblade Tap was unveiled at an event in New York City Tuesday night. According to James Dyson, the Dyson Tap can dry a pair of hands in about 12 seconds. The system uses a new motor that the company says has a much smaller carbon footprint than the larger machines we use today, says the Huffington Post. It also contains a “Helmholtz silencer” and a HEPA filter.

These inclusions aim to make drying with the Dyson Tap as clean and quiet as possible.

Marcus Hartley, head engineer at Dyson, explained that air first gets sucked through an air filter, travels through the motor, runs along a pressurized hose, and then enters multiple tubes within the tap. According to ABC News, the air then proceeds to exit either to the left or right “branch” to physically strip water off hands. Says Hartley:

“We actually have some very precise, very fast-moving air to make sure that we get that kind of indentation in your hand, it actually scrapes the water off your hand. You want to push the water down and across into the sink.”

As previously reported by The Inquisitr, another innovation recently unveiled includes the “Man Ring,” which is like a Swiss Army knife that fits on your finger.

While it remains to be seen how well the Dyson Airblade Tap does in a real-life setting, Dyson’s engineers are betting your exits from the bathroom will be quicker. Marcus Hartley adds:

“That’s what all these products are about … you walk away with a dry hand. That’s the best thing, really.”

According to The Inquisitr, unwarranted messes have contributed to toilet paper being removed from a boys’ bathroom in Pennsylvania. Apparently, there are consequences to leaving a mess.

The Dyson Tap is already scheduled for installation in major airports.

Do you think the Dyson Tap will be a welcome change in public faucets?

Dyson Tap May Change Public Faucets Forever is a post from: The Inquisitr

Google has increased its renewable energy holdings with a $200 million investment in the Spinning Spur Wind Project. The investment marks the eleventh time since 2010 that Google has invested in renewable energy. The $200 million investment is also the second largest for Google, second only to its $280 million investment in SolarCity.

Located in Oldham County, Texas, Spinning Spur Wind Project generates 161 megawatts of energy, enough power to provider electricity for 60,000 homes. The Spinning Spur operation is powered by 70 2.3MW Siemens turbines that began spinning full-time at the end of 2012.

The Spinning Spur Wind Project providers power to SPS, a utility services company that providers power for residents and businesses in Texas and New Mexico.

Announced on Google’s own blog, the company says its investment “offers an attractive returns relative to the risks and allow us to invest in a broad range of assets.”

Google has now invested in renewable energy sources that, when combined, provide upwards of 2 gigawatts of power. Other Google investments include the Shepherds Flat wind farm, the Atlantic Wind Connection, Recurrent Energy’s California wind farm, and the Rippey Projects 50MW wind far outside of Des Moines, Iowa.

Google over the last several years has also taken the initiative to increase the green capacities of its own server farms, allowing the company to save millions of dollars annually for its ever increasing data center footprint.

While many solar power and other energy projects have failed over the last several years, Google continues to invest in proven energy company’s with a track record for producing successful profits.

Google Increases Renewable Energy Portfolio With $200 Million Investment is a post from: The Inquisitr

Ascent Solar Technologies kicked off CES 2013 by showcasing the Enerplex Kickr IV, as well as other products that showcase the company’s ability to take solar panel technology and place it in an easy-to-carry format for personal use.

Along with the company’s Kickr IV, their iPhone 4 and 4s solar case also made an appearance, showing a great way to charge your phone without ever plugging it into a wall.

The company’s EnerPlex Kickr IV has a lightweight and durable design and can easily fit in your backpack or purse for portable power wherever you may be — provided that place has sunshine. The panels can easily be placed on a vehicle’s dashboard, an open space in the sun on a backpacking trip, or even on the sand at a beach.

The Kickr IV can be dropped and withstand rain, though it cannot be fully submerged in water. The device sends out energy through a USB port, meaning that it can charge virtually any tablet, smartphone, or other device with a USB cable. Ascent’s President & CEO Victor Lee stated of the product:

“The EnerPlex Kickr IV brings to consumers the ability to transform the way they charge and use electronics in their everyday lives. EnerPlex Kickr IV users no longer need to be on lookout for the nearest outlet, or plan their day around a phone’s battery life.”

The panels have the ability to charge a device at the same speed as a wall outlet, making it a fantastic way to travel without worrying about losing power on your device, provided you travel in an area frequented by the sun. The technology has certainly piqued our interest, since it can save money in the long-term. The only downside appears to be if you live in an area that doesn’t have frequent sunshine.

The EnerPlex Kicker IV can be purchased for $129.99, while the company’s iPhone 4 and 4S case retails for $69.99.

Ascent Solar Technologies Brings EnerPlex Portable Solar Power To CES 2013 is a post from: The Inquisitr

In an ironic twist a coal mining museum has opted to install solar panels as a green energy alternative. The Big Pit National Coal Mining Museum located in Wales has installed 200 solar panels on its roof. The reason the famous coal museum chose this action was because it wanted to save some money on its electricity bill.

According to Renewable Energy World the solar panels are projected to save the coal mining museum a maximum of $650,000 over the next 25 years. According to the manager of the Big Pit National Coal Mining Museum installing the solar panels will cost $115,000 up-front and they consider this a good return on their investment:

“Coal is such an important part of Wales’ heritage, and yet green energy will play a major part in its future. A solar powered coal-mining museum is a fantastic way to celebrate this national journey.”

According to the Big Pit National Coal Mining Museum website Big Pit shut down in 1980 and reopened three years later as “a living, breathing reminder of the coal industry in Wales and the people and society it created.”

Unfortunately, solar panels are not as 100 percent green as people like to think, although they are better in some aspects. According to Low-Tech Magazine, in the best case scenario “one square meter of solar cells carries a burden of 75 kilograms of CO2.” This roughly equates to 20 flights between Brussels and Lissabon on Boeing 747. The good news is that producing the same amount of electricity by fossil fuel generates at least 10 times as much greenhouse gasses.

The estimate for saving $650,000 is likely a best case scenario. Solar panel manufacturers like to say their panels last 30 years, but more realistic scenarios have them lasting 15 to 20 years at most. This does not factor in the slow degradation of the solar cells and the resulting loss of energy efficiency. The cost of maintenance and solar panel replacement will also eat into that projection for saving $650k.

Low-Tech Magazine’s conclusion may have many greenies cringing:

“If we take a life expectancy of 3 years (already quite optimistic for most gadgets) and a solar insolation of 900 kWh/m² (quite optimistic too, since these things are not lying on a roof), the result is 1,038 gram CO2 per kWh in the worst case scenario (high-efficient mono-crystalline cells produced in the US). That means that it is better for the environment to power a gadget with electricity generated by coal, rather than by a solar panel.”

Over the long term Low-Tech Magazine concludes that advancements in solar energy tech may reach the dream that is currently trumpeted in solar energy marketing materials. In the short term, what do you think about a former coal plant using using green alternative energy?

Coal Mining Museum’s Green Alternative Saves $650k With Solar Energy is a post from: The Inquisitr

A group of teenage girls in Nigeria wowed attendees at Maker Faire Africa when they debuted a urine powered generator. The device not only works; it can power six hours worth of electricity using just one liter of urine.

The girls, Duro-Aina Adebola, Akindele Abiola, Faleke Oluwatoyin, and Bello Eniolaaged, aged 14 and 15, showcased the generator during the fair.

To operate the device, urine is placed inside an electrolytic cell to separate out the hydrogen, which then goes into a water filter for purification. At that point, the product is pushed through a gas cylinder of liquid borax which removes moisture from the hydrogen gas to purify it further.

In the last stage, the gas product is pushed through a generator, which produces electricity. It’s a rather simple process that we’re actually surprised is just now becoming a reality.

There is still one tiny little problem with the product: It has a tendency to explode, although it does have one-way valves for added safety to add a tiny bit of added security.

Turning human waste into a source of power has been investigated for years with many breakthroughs. This newest device, however, begs the question: If four teenage girls can create this type of power, why haven’t scientists made huge public breakthroughs with similar technology.

If the device didn’t have a tendency to explode, I would already have mine ordered and ready to be installed. Would you turn your home toilet into a major source of power if given the opportunity?

Nigerian Teens Create Urine Powered Generator: Runs For Six Hours With One Bathroom Break is a post from: The Inquisitr

The net-zero lab is the US government’s answer to the looming energy crisis, a home that actually creates as much energy as it consumes over the course of a year. The next step? Actually getting people to live there.

For the researchers involved, the net-zero lab is a grand experiment of sorts. Named because it would have a carbon footprint of zero, the laboratory for now is located on an unassuming hillside outside of Washington, D.C., Reuters reports.

For now, the net-zero lab is unoccupied, its 4,000 square feet instead filled with sensors and computer programs made to replicate a family of four: two working parents, a 14-year-old, and an 8-year-old.

The program will simulate everyday activities like moving from room to room, taking a bath, or turning on a computer and is so detailed that even the shower is gauged differently depending on which family member is inside. The 14-year-old will take the longest showers.

The appliances really do exist, Reuters noted, and are controlled from a command center located in a detached garage.

Located on a suburban campus of the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the net-zero lab is seen as a good way to tackle the energy crisis.

“This family is very cooperative, they do exactly what we want them to do, every minute of the day,” Hunter Fanney, chief of NIST’s Building Environment Lab, said at the project’s official launch last week.

Energy in the net-zero lab comes from solar panels on the roof. The house is also surrounded by a deep layer of gravel that will collect rainwater.

Something close to the net-zero lab was created for actual use in Concord, Massachusetts for $600,000, and Habitat for Humanity has a nearly net-zero home for $150,000, though it is smaller than the one in Washington.

The net-zero lab is also a success story of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, more commonly know as the stimulus. President Obama made environmentally friendly construction a priority for the stimulus, so nearly every part of the net-zero lab was made in the United States.

For the first year, the net-zero lab is intended to demonstrate that such a high-tech home can fit into any normal neighborhood, NIST reported on its website. Once the year-long experiment has completed, the home will be used to test existing and new energy efficient technologies and find ways to make them a better fit for a home rather than a laboratory.

Net-Zero Lab Tackles Energy Crisis By Creating As Much Power As It Consumes is a post from: The Inquisitr

Researchers at Blue River Technology have developed a robot that is capable of hunting down and killing weeds in a farmer’s field. The robot not only kills weeds, it uses complex algorithms to determine the difference between a healthy plant and the weeds that surround it.

Once a weed-killing robot realizes that a weed has been discovered, it individually injects it with enough fertilizer to kill it.

The robot has been effective enough to land Blue River Technology $3.1 million in Series A funding from Khosla Ventures.

With chemical based herbicides being attacked by health food experts and environmental activists, researchers could win big if they prove the new weed-killing robot is not only effective but also cost-saving.

Blue River Technology still has a long way to go with their robot; at this time, it can only detect lettuce plants from non-lettuce plants. Researchers note that crop knowledge can easily be expanded with the right mixture of automated systems programming.

The robot is still in the prototype stages of testing and will undergo more rigorous testing to determine its efficacy.

In the United States, farmers and home growers use more than 250 million pounds of herbicides per year, substances which are sprayed around homes, outside of cities, and in other areas of high environmental impact on residents.

Do you think new technologies that do not spray potentially hazardous materials on our food should be used as soon as possible?

Weed-Killing Robot Could Rid The World Of Massive Herbicide Doses is a post from: The Inquisitr

Researchers at UCLA have created highly transparent solar cells that can generate electricity while acting just like a standard window.

The group of scientists hope the windows will one day be installed in homes and other buildings to generate electricity while allowing for outside viewing.

The full study appears in the journal ACS Nano and describes the teams polymer solar cell (PSC) which produces energy by absorbing infrared light and not visible light which makes the cells 70% transparent to the human eye. The see-through solar panel is made from a photoactive plastic that converts infrared light into an electrical current.

Study leader Yang Yang, a UCLA professor of materials science and engineering said in a press release regarding the new technology:

“These results open the potential for visibly transparent polymer solar cells as add-on components of portable electronics, smart windows and building-integrated photovoltaics and in other applications.”

The group says the new PSCs are constructed from lightweight and flexible “plastic-like” materials which can be produced in high volume at a low-cost.

Other options for the creation of PSCs include the building of integrated photovoltaics and integrated PV chargers for portable electronics.

According to the groups official press release:

“A team of UCLA researchers from the California NanoSystems Institute, the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science and UCLA’s Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry have demonstrated high-performance, solution-processed, visibly transparent polymer solar cells through the incorporation of near-infrared light-sensitive polymer and using silver nanowire composite films as the top transparent electrode. The near-infrared photoactive polymer absorbs more near-infrared light but is less sensitive to visible light, balancing solar cell performance and transparency in the visible wavelength region.

Another breakthrough is the transparent conductor made of a mixture of silver nanowire and titanium dioxide nanoparticles, which was able to replace the opaque metal electrode used in the past. This composite electrode also allows the solar cells to be fabricated economically by solution processing. With this combination, 4% power-conversion efficiency for solution-processed and visibly transparent polymer solar cells has been achieved.”

Would you be willing to pay for solar-powered windows to be installed in your home?

UCLA Researchers Invent See-Through Solar Powered Cells, Could Be Installed As Windows is a post from: The Inquisitr

Apple has put its products back into the environmental ratings registry after a huge outcry following the techno giant’s original decision to leave EPEAT.

Yahoo News reports that Apple Inc. announced the decision on Friday, apologizing for the mistake they made in leaving the list. The company, based in Cupertino, California, originally sent a letter to EPEAT announcing they would withdraw from the program on June 29th.

Since then, loyal Apple customers, companies, and even the City of San Francisco, have been protesting the assumed leader of environmentally friendly technology for their decision to leave the list, which is considered an industry standard.

In a note posted on Apple’s website, PC Mag reports that Bob Mansfield, senior vice president of hardware engineering at Apple wrote:

“We’ve recently heard from many loyal Apple customers who were disappointed to learn that we had removed our products from the EPEAT rating system. I recognize that this was a mistake. Starting today, all eligible Apple products are back on EPEAT.”

CNet notes that Mansfield went on to say:

“It’s important to know that our commitment to protecting the environment has never changed, and today it is as strong as ever. Apple makes the most environmentally responsible products in our industry. In fact, our engineering teams have worked incredibly hard over the years to make our products even more environmentally friendly, and much of our progress has come in areas not yet measured by EPEAT.”

One reason for the company’s quick decision to rejoin the organization could be the result of a Bush-era ruling, which means that Federal purchases have to be made from EPEAT qualified vendors and equipment. Once they left, Apple did not qualify for this, reports Forbes. Now that they have re-listed all 39 of its qualified products with EPEAT.

What do you think of Apple Inc’s EPEAT scandal?

Apple Admits Mistake, Rejoins EPEAT is a post from: The Inquisitr

Apple over the weekend announced that it was exiting EPEAT certification and will no longer have its products reviewed as part of the agencies recycling rating service. Apple was a founding member of EPEAT and the agency is currently responsible for rating products from hundreds of organizations.

Many companies, universities and government agencies around the world use the EPEAT index to determine a products recyclable components before making purchase decisions.

At this time most of Apple’s Macs meet EPEAT standards for recycling, however it is likely that a change is around the bend. Apple who has met “gold” EPEAT standards recently failed to obtain that level on the MacBook Pro with Retina display. That specific notebook failed to meet EPEAT recyclability and repair standards because the display is bonded to the outer casing and it features a glued-in and sealed battery, both of which make the notebook harder to recycle.

In order to receive an EPEAT index rating devices must have a 95 percent rate of certification, a level many experts believe Apple will not reach as more devices move towards “hard integration” of components. The move by Apple could ultimately hurt federal and business purchase orders which rely on strict recycling review programs. On the other hand Apple’s iPads and iPhones are classes of devices not on the EPEAT indices at this time and those devices make up much of the organization’s business and federal purchases.

According to one government official they are “fully aware of Apple’s decision to stop doing the EPEAT thing. The 95 percent [rule] exists, but is easily waived for mission-critical applications. Just about everything we need the Apple [machines] for is mission-critical. Besides, the [other current models are] EPEAT, and that’s good enough for government work.”

Apple has not commented publicly at this time regarding the EPEAT withdrawal.

Apple Devices Becoming Less Green, Company Exits EPEAT Certification Program is a post from: The Inquisitr

It’s not the most glamorous piece of technology but scientists from Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University (NTU) have invented a toilet system that uses far less water and which can convert human waste into electricity and fertilizers.

Called the No-Mix Vacuum Toilet the system has two chambers that separate liquid and solid wastes. The toilet uses the same vacuum suction technology found on aircraft lavatories which means flushing urine only takes 6.7 ounces of water while flushing excrement only takes 1 pint of water. In comparison a standard flush currently uses one to one and a half gallons of water.

NTU scientists plan to install the toilets in two NTU restrooms and if all goes as planned they will roll out the system to toilets around the world in the next three years.

According to Associate Professor Wang Jing-Yuan, Director of the Residues and Resource Reclamation Centre (R3C) at NTU:

“Having the human waste separated at source and processed on-site would lower costs needed in recovering resources, as treating mixed waste is energy intensive and not cost-effective. With our innovative toilet system, we can use simpler and cheaper methods of harvesting the useful chemicals and even produce fuel and energy from waste.”

The No-Mix Vacuum Toilet works by diverting liquid waste to a processing facility where its components are converted into fertilizer such as nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus. Solid waste is then sent to a bioreactor where it is released as a bio-gas which contained methane. Methane as an odorless gas can be used as a replacement for natural gas and can be converted to electricity.

While the system shows great promise the implementation of the system on a massive scale could prove too costly for mass consumption in the short-term.

Singapore Scientists Invent Super-Green Toilet System With Recycling Capabilities is a post from: The Inquisitr

A group of students at the University of Maryland have just set a flight record with their human-powered helicopter. The Gamera II managed to stay airborne for 50 seconds, beating the previous record, set by the Gamera I, of 11.4 seconds.

ANI reports that the human-powered helicopter is 105 feet across but only weighs 71 pounds. The pilot sits in the middle of the helicopter and uses foot and hand pedals to turn the four rotor blades.

The Gamera II was built by a group of students at the Alfred Gessow Rotocraft Center who are hoping to win the $250,000-dollar Sikorsky Prize from the American Helicopter Society.But in order to do so, they’ll have to get the Gamera II 10 feet off the ground for 60 seconds.

The human-powered helicopter’s 50 second flight is unofficially the new world record. The team has been sanctioned by the National Aeronautic Association to make an official attempt at the flight duration record this August.

The team is a long way away from meeting the requirements for the Sikorsky Prize but they are closer than anyone else. Here’s a video of Gamera II’s 50 second flight.

Do you think a human-powered helicopter will ever be able to fly 10-feet or higher for more than a minute?

Human-Powered Helicopter Sets Flight Record [Video] is a post from: The Inquisitr

Low natural gas prices mean that, even though federal incentives may not come, it is still economical to power heavy trucks with the fuel, according to a report about up-front investment costs for the vehicles, which can be recovered in three years.

The Hill reports that the analysis was conducted by the consulting firm IHS CERA, and could be another blow to stalled legislation on Capitol Hill, which could provide billions of dollars in federal tax credits to help convert trucking fleets into using natural gas.

IHS CERA’s report shows that the trucking industry is better posed than the passenger vehicle market to use the natural gas fuel. Tiffany Groode, director of the IHS Automotive Long-Term Planning and Scenarios Service stated:

“Liquefied natural gas for heavy-duty trucking cracks the classic chicken-and-egg cycle that plagues new transportation technologies and fuels. The route is known, the mileage is high and economics is the primary decision factor.”

According to the Oil Gas Financial Journal, major fleet operators will likely be the first to deploy new LNG vehicles, because their larger scale will give them a greater ability to adopt newer technologies, and also manage operational logistics. The company expects that major fleet operators will gradually increase their purchases of new LNG (liquid natural gas) vehicles over the next two to four years. Rafael McDonald, IHS CERA director, global gas and LNG stated:

“Entry of natural gas vehicles into the heavy duty truck fleet will take some time—the change won’t happen overnight—but the motivations are there for both operators and suppliers to clear the hurdles that remain. Natural gas is a cheap and abundant fuel, and its use in the long-haul trucking industry provides a significant competitive advantage.”

Do you think that liquid natural gas trucks are more economic than our standard petroleum-based gas-fueled trucks?

Natural Gas Trucks An Economical Solution is a post from: The Inquisitr

The Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday announced plans to phase out the rubber boots on gas pumps. Those rubber boots are used to capture harmful gasoline vapors while refueling cars, an option the agency and the Obama administration say is dated and no longer needed.

The EPA argues that vapor-capturing fuel pumps are redundant because 70% of all cars are now equipped with specialized on-board systems that capture harmful gas vapors without the need for an EPA gas vapor pump barrier.

The move to replace the pumps will affect 31,000 gas stations, mostly in urban areas. The agency predicts the switch will save $3,000 per pump.

In a statement regarding the move President Obama noted:

“We will remain vigilant when it comes to eliminating regulations that are not necessary or that impose unnecessary burdens on America’s families and businesses.”

The removal of the gas vapor pump barriers is part of a larger government-wide review of federal regulations. The White House hopes that by eliminating unneeded regulations they can save nearly $6 billion in the next five years. Various other plans being updated include changing railroad regulations realted to freight train travel and changing certain regulatory reporting requirements for doctors and hospitals. Some traffic lights will also be available for replacement at the state level, something that was previously regulated by the Federal government.

In the meantime the move is meant to help drivers who often complain that the rubber boots do not fit over their motorcycles and various recreational vehicles that do not fit inside the “normal” category of vehicles.

EPA Changing Gas Pump Vapor Handles is a post from: The Inquisitr

Ikea will soon be giving away a cardboard digital camera in selected stores. The camera, which is 100 percent recyclable, can hold 40 pictures, and is meant to help customers share photos of the Swedish chain’s furniture in their homes.

Called Knappa, the camera debuted in the press packed at a recent press event in Milan, Italy. It is considered by many tech websites as the most recent development in Ikea’s move towards selling electronics. The company recently announced that it will soon begin selling a home theatre entertainment line.

Knappa’s maker, Jesper Kouthoofd, is a Swedish designer with the company, and a company spokesperson told BBC that the camera is not “a move into selling any digital equipment.”

At the conference, Salon de Mobile, Ikea announced that the camera will accompany a new, more retrospective furniture line, and that they hope people will use the cameras to document the new furniture line in their homes.

The new line will focus on reinventing vintage pieces from IKEA’s line, including a 1950′s teak table, which designer Jon Karlsson has re-made with bamboo, a sturdier, lighter, and faster-growing wood. Each piece focuses on being “sustainable” and more environmentally friendly, a trend that many companies are beginning to follow.

Henrik Preutz is another designer, who created a series of end tables, which also feature bamboo structures. A bowl designed by Marcus Arvonen focuses on sustainability with its materials. The bowl will come in either PET recycled plastic or WPC, which is a special combination of wood, plastic, and fiber.

The move towards going green and sustainability is the second the company has publicly released, with the last being the introduction of solar panels to a California store. Other companies who have “gone green” are Asus, who created a computer of bamboo and recyclable plastic parts, and Samsung, who developed the Samsung Blue Earth, a smartphone made of plastic bottles, and features a solar panel on the back for charging.

Check out the video below, where designer IKEA Jesper Kouthoofd talks about Knappa:

Ikea Goes Green, Creates Cardboard Digital Camera is a post from: The Inquisitr

Dutch electronics giant Philips scheduled the release of their new bulb, which the company indicates will last for 20-years, to coincide with Earth Day. The 10-watt LED (light-emitting diode) bulb won the U.S. Department of Energy’s “Bright Tomorrow Lighting Prize” and is rated to last 30,000 hours.

The life span, when stretched over four hours per day, is equivalent to twenty years. Philips new bulb emits 940 lumens (a measure of luminous flux) of soft white light. According to Philips’ North America executive Ed Crawford, who was quoted by Y! News, the super efficient bulb is:

“83 percent more energy efficient than the standard 60-watt incandescent.”

Philips goes onto say that if the United States were to replace each and every 60-watt incandescent bulb:

“[...] the nation would save about 35 terawatt-hours of electricity or $3.9 billion in one year.”

Equivalent to taking roughly 4 million cars off the roads, the company said that the nationwide changeover would mitigate carbon missions by 20 million metric tons. Prior to the release, Crawford was quoted having said:

“Consumers are no longer looking at a product that will last just six months to a year, they are looking at a product that is much more efficient and will be with them for decades. With LED bulbs, we are looking at a wholesale change in buying lighting technology, going from a disposable good to a durable good.”

Currently, the 20 year bulbs are priced at $50, however, Philips said that it was in the process of planning discounts which would potentially bring the cost down to as little as $25.

While the price tag is obviously significantly higher than standard incandescent light bulb prices, the company said that the high initial cost would be offset by energy savings equivalent to $165 over the lifetime of each bulb.

Philips 20-Year LED Light Bulb Unveiled On Earth Day is a post from: The Inquisitr

Apple, Inc. and environmental group Greenpeace are sparring with one another over Apple’s energy consumption at several large “data farms.” Greenpeace this week released a report in which the organization claims Apple is the “dirtiest” of technology giants for the second year in a row, claiming that its vast data centers used to power the “cloud” for iPhone and iPad owners are using non-renewable energy sources while damaging the environment.

In its annual report Greenpeace claims Apple’s reliance on coal power for its iCloud services is the worst in the industry.

According to Greenpeace spokesman Dave Pomerantz:

“Apple right now is falling behind companies like Google and Facebook, who are taking a leadership role on this issue.” and “It’s a shame that a company that built its reputation on thinking differently is now behind the curve.”

Greenpeace claims that Apple’s plant in Maiden, North Carolina which opened last year to power iCloud devices will use 100MW in power each year and that renewable energy would only account for 10 percent of that consumption.

Apple however disputes those claims, instead revealing that the plant will only use 20MW and that 60 percent of its energy will come from renewable sources including a 171-acre solar array the company is building nearby and fuel cell installation that will be one of the largest of its kind.

According to an Apple spokesman:

“Our data centre in North Carolina will draw about 20 megawatts at full capacity, and we are on track to supply more than 60 per cent of that power on-site from renewable sources including a solar farm and fuel cell installation which will each be the largest of their kind in the country.”

Apple goes on to note:

“We believe this industry-leading project will make Maiden the greenest data centre ever built, and it will be joined next year by our new facility in Oregon running on 100 per cent renewable energy.”

Greenpeace also rates Apple as the worst offender of environmental concerns because of various toxic chemicals the company uses in its phones including flame retardants.

Other company’s high up on Greenpeace’s hit list include Amazon and Twitter.

In the meantime Google and Facebook have been praised by Greenpeace thanks in no small part to those company’s reliance on green data centers.

Greenpeace Calls Apple “Dirtiest” Internet Company, Apple Defends Data Center Operations is a post from: The Inquisitr

Purchasing an electric car is green if you live in certain areas in the United States while other buyers could actually be causing more problems for the environment.

In a recent study reported in the New York Times electric cars are better for the environment when they are powered in states that rely heavily on natural gas, nuclear power and hydroelectric power grids. Those states are considered more EPA friendly for electric vehicles because they don’t send greenhouse gases into the air based on the type of power consumption they rely on for electricity needs.

On the other hand coal producing states require more coal consumption which is less safe for the environment and could in fact be causing more emissions than traditional fuel based vehicles.

The study has found that only 45% of Americans live in areas where their electric vehicle can “out-green” a gas-drive vehicle that receives 50 mpg when combined with city-highway driving.

While the study draws a semi-bleak outlook for green vehicles the authors have found good reason to pressure car-markers into delivering “viable alternatives to the oil-fueled internal-combustion engine—ie, vehicles boasting zero or near-zero emissions.”

Breaking down the report further The Times writes:

“Here’s another way to look at it: if one region were completely dependent on coal for power, its electric cars would be responsible for full-cycle global-warming emissions equivalent to a car capable of 30 m.p.g. in mixed driving.”

Electric and hybrid power vehicles are still in their infancy and continue to develop better technologies which should wide the gap between gas and electric powered vehicles in the future.

In the meantime another recent study found that it can take up to 10 years to earn back your money in gas savings for an electric or hybrid vehicle because of the higher cost associated with purchasing those vehicles.

Green Automobiles In Coal-Producing States Are Bad News For The Environment is a post from: The Inquisitr

If you’re thinking about heading out to your local dealer to pick up a Chevy Volt, Nissan Leaf or another hybrid automobile you might want to take a step back and realize that the money you think you’re going to save isn’t going to be there.

A study commissioned by the New York Times and conducted by TrueCar.com has found that except for in three cases, fuel-efficient technology based on its current higher prices of acquisition simply doesn’t make sense from a monetary perspective.

In fact TrueCar found that even if gas were to reach $5 per gallon it would take the average American consumer more than a decade to realize enough savings to make their high value car purchase worth the acquisition. Making matters worse for automobile manufacturers who push false savings onto buyers, the average car is driven for just 6 years before its traded out or replaced all together with another new vehicle.

The study found that in order to see actual savings with a hybrid or electric vehicle the cost of gas would need to reach $8 per gallon to pay off the difference in pricing over a six year period.

There are two hybrid vehicles that can save you money in as little as two years, the Toyota Prius and the Lincoln MKZ and if you don’t mind diesel-power you can give the Volkswagen Jetta TDI a try.

In the meantime the very car company’s that are making vehicles have turned the idea of owning a hybrid into a status symbol for the environmentally friendly, despite less than stellar changes in gas mileage and car battery production that potentially causes even more damage to our environment than oil drilling and gasoline consumption.

Hybrid And Electric Cars Won’t Save You Money [Study] is a post from: The Inquisitr

The government set aside a nice chunk of change as prize money to be awarded to the developer and manufacturer of a low-energy, super-green and affordable (key word there) light bulb. One small problem. The bulb that took the prize purse is going to set you back a couple bucks. About $50 to be exact.

The U.S. government set aside a $10 million “L Prize” as part of their ongoing initiatives to tease alternative energy out of the private sector. That particular sum was meant for the makers of a greener bulb. Philips LED bulb was the selection that won, and it’s not available for purchase if you’ve got $50 on you. LED bulbs in a similar vein once poised to win the “L Prize” can cost less than half of that. The original contest was indeed looking for a bulb that would sell for about $22 during its first year run on the market and sink to about $8 by its third birthday.

You might be excited by alternative energy development, or maybe you’re just sick of hearing about it, but don’t forget that this isn’t totally Obama’s baby. The original legislation banning traditional incandescent bulbs was signed by George W. Bush. This year, it’s the 100-watt bulb, and next will be the 75-watt. Not long after, the 60-watt goes. Safe to say the government isn’t leaving us with a lot of options, but they did mean well, intending the alternative to the 60-watt to be affordable.

Philips says that the reason their bulb is so pricey is because it’s just so darn efficient. It only uses 10 watts and is supposedly highly effective. “This is a Cadillac product, and that’s why you have a premium on it,” said one Home Depot rep.

What do you think? Is an environmentally-friendly light bulb worth $50?

The Fed’s Favorite Green Energy Light Bulb Will Set You Back About $50 is a post from: The Inquisitr

So, what do we know about climbing Mount Everest?

It’s a big deal, one of those things some people are driven to do before they die- a massive undertaking, to be sure. We know that now you can check-in to a social network or location aware app from the upper reaches of the mountain, thanks to enhanced data signals now available. And we know that it can be a considerably deadly task, trails littered with the corpses of those who succumbed to the elements in their quest to reach the top of Mount Everest. (In fact, one of the funnier comments I saw once on the internet said that there is an easy way to avoid dying climbing Mount Everest, simply by not climbing Mount Everest- a preventive cure that is 100% effective.)

Massive adventurous expeditions have always been the domain of the wealthy and ennui-ridden, to a degree, as well, because the rest of us have jobs and mundane lives to contend with- try telling your Walmart general manager you need a few months off to scale Everest and see if your job is waiting when you come back. But this week, Outside magazine looked at the actual cost outlay for climbing the mountain, and it turns out that even if most of us had the time and inclination, the happy little jaunt would be out of our financial depths.

According to experienced climber Alan Arnette via TIME, the manual transmission, no leather version of an Everest climb will run you about thirty-five large:

According to Arnette’s estimates, the absolute lowest possible cost, without sacrificing safety, would be around $35,000. And that’s if you go as part of a seven-person team. To fly solo, expenses would total around $60,000. Gear, food, oxygen and tents aren’t the only necessities, Arnette explains. Each expedition must also pay for a permit, liaison officer, visa, park fee, waste deposit, insurance — not to mention a ticket to Nepal. Climbing solo could cost you up to $83,000. In other words, two years at NYU or five Toyota Corollas.

Arnette says climbers with experience can shave about five grand from their trip cost, but that still leaves the price tag at more than what many Americans make in a year. However, if you have beaucoup bucks and dream of climbing Everest, a more luxurious trip can be had, and run you about $100K. Would you drop $35,000 or more to climb Mount Everest before you die, or is the money better spent on cocaine and loose women?

Mount Everest Climb Costs More Than a Sports Car is a post from: The Inquisitr

Dutch scientist Mark Post told a major science conference on Sunday that we are only months away from the world’s first completely un-natural hamburger. He and his colleagues have put together a way to make “Test Tube” meat out of bovine stem cells.

Post is interested in creating fake muscular tissue in order to create the first meat substitute that is actually a meat product but does not have to be farmed or harvested. The ingredients to make the test tube burger still exist only in the lab,

Post said that by fall,

“we have committed ourselves to make a couple of thousand of small tissues, and then assemble them into a hamburger.”

Post and his colleagues want to reduce the environmental impact of farming by creating these meat products. They said that conventional meat and dairy products require more land, water, plant matter and waste disposal than all other human foods combined.

The global demand for meat is expected to rise by 60 percent by 2050, said American scientist Nicholas Genovese, who organized the symposium.

The demand for beef is expected to grow by 60% over the next 40 years but according to Genovese,

“But the majority of earth’s pasture lands are already in use, so conventional livestock producers can only meet the booming demand by further expansion into nature.”

The result would be lost biodiversity, more greenhouse and other gases, and an increase in disease, he said.

No companies have expressed an interest in funding Post’s project. They are currently funding their research with a 250,000 Euro grant given to them by an anonymous donor interesting in groundbreaking agricultural technologies.

Would you eat Test Tube Meat?

First Synthetic Test Tube Meat Due Out This Fall is a post from: The Inquisitr

Toyota on Monday began selling a new Prius model in Japan, the smallest Toyota hybrid released to date. Known as the Aqua compact hybrid in Japan the same vehicle will sell as the Prius C in the United States and is currently selling for a cost of 1.69 million Yen ($21,700).

Toyota hopes to sell 12,000 Aquas a month in Japan as they continue to expand their Prius lineup to meet increasing global demand for the company which is expected to reach 20 percent in 2012.

The vehicle is small by any standards measuring just 3.9 meters (12.8 feet) compared to the Prius which measures 4.48 meters in length, however the vehicle still has as much leg room as a Corolla but costs 22 percent less than the standard Prius.

According to the company the new vehicle can achieve 35 kilometers per liter (locally), compared to 30 kilometers per liter for the hybrid version of the Fit.

The company hopes that they can recuperate at least part of the Prius sales they’ve lost in Japan over the last six months after a March 11 earthquake and following tsunami cut out 51 percent of their sales volume. The U.S. market in the meantime has already increased by 49% in November 2011 compared to the same period of 2010.

The automobile manufacturer will also begin rolling out a wagon version of the Prius in May and will introduce a plug-in version which can run approximately 23 kilometers on it’s lithium-ion battery before switching to gasoline, the former will be available in Japan sometime in January 2012 and in the U.S. by March.

Here’s a teaser video for the new Toyota Prius C:

Would you be willing to buy a small Toyota hybrid vehicle if it meant better gas mileage and a cheaper sticker price?

New Prius Is The Smallest Toyota Hybrid On The Road is a post from: The Inquisitr

The Acura division at car manufacturer Honda is set to unveil a revised version of its former NSX supercar, a high-tech model that will be small and eco-friendly.

‘Small’ and ‘eco-friendly’ are not two words you’d use to describe the monstrous V10-powered Acura Advance Sports Car Concept (pictured above looking silver and mean) that appeared at major auto shows in 2007.

Cars to emerge from under Honda’s Acura division, the company’s luxury motors arm, have not always sold that well.

Honda bigwigs hope to change this, by giving Acura cars more of an identity. That’s not empty corporate speak, however: in the past, Acuras have been models adapted from existing Hondas sold in Europe or other markets. When the new NSX rolls out at the Detroit Auto Show in January, it will be its own design. And part of this will involve placing greater importance on affordability and sustainability, rather than features and horsepower alone. Jeff Conrad, Honda sales VP, says:

“That doesn’t mean we won’t create high-performance vehicles, but the way we do it will be unique to Acura.”

So what can we expect from the new NSX? A mid-engine two-seater, it’ll be a V6 gas-electric hybrid with multiple electric motors to improve the all-wheel-drive system. Said motors will be independently controlled by the car’s computer.

The revised NSX will succeed the $90,000 NSX original that was manufactured from 1990 to 2005, a 175-miles-per-hour beast. This new NSX is performing quite the U-turn in many aspects of its design – but can it keep the fans happy?

Honda Acura Division to Reveal New NSX Supercar is a post from: The Inquisitr

A new plug-in version of the popular Toyota Prius hybrid can be ordered from this week.

The latest Prius, a half gasoline-half electric hybrid, boasts extraordinarily efficient mileage (check it: 143 miles per gallon in Japan) and a quite reasonable price of 3.2 million yen ($41,000 – and that price tag is reduced to to 2.75 million yen ($35,200) once green vehicle subsidies are taken into account).

Toyota has fairly modest initial sales targets for its new plug-in baby – they want to sell 35,000 to 40,000 a year in Japan, and 60,000 globally. The arrives in its homeland in January. The company has said it will charge $32,000 in the U.S. and 37,000 euros in Europe respectively.

It’s selling the plug-in Prius, which seats five people despite its compact form, as “the premier next-generation ecological car that will follow the hybrid.” It sports a new lithium-ion battery that can be charged up from a simply household outlet, like an electric car. And it can recharge itself while driving like a gasoline-electric hybrid.

Such cars are widely expected to be the focus of the forthcoming Tokyo Motor Show, which will open its doors to the masses this weekend.

The Prius’ chances at market are boosted by the Japanese government backing subsidies for consumers who choose a green car.

While other governments offer similar perk, it’s true that plug-in cars like the Prius are especially suited to Japan – according to studies, Japanese drivers don’t travel more than 20 kilometers (12 miles) a day on average. How this would fare in the wide, open U.S. remains to be seen.

Plug-in Toyota Prius Now Available for Order is a post from: The Inquisitr

Jay Leno‘s extensive car collection includes Lamborghinis, Porsches, Audis and all sorts of other cars that many of us could only dream to own. But what does a man who owns such a collection use for his work commute? That would be the Chevrolet Volt, apparently.

Considering what Leno told the New York Times, we can’t say we blame him, either. Leno said that in the just under a year’s time since he started driving his Volt, he hasn’t had to fill up the tank a single time. In fact, he’s only used less than half of the 9.3 gallon tank.

“It’s my daily driver,” he said. “It really is. I commute in it to work every day. My commute, and all my other daily running around, totals less than 35 miles.”

Chevrolet claims that the Volt can run up to 40 miles on electric power alone before it has to start taking in gasoline. Considering that Leno’s commute to work is less than 35 miles, he rarely ever has to use any of the gasoline.

“You get 40 miles free, as they say,” Leno said. “Because of the way I drive it, it almost never kicks into gasoline mode.”

Source: NY Times (via Engadget)

[Image credit: Jay Leno's Garage]

Jay Leno has gone 11,000 miles in his Chevrolet Volt on one tank of gas is a post from: The Inquisitr

The Civic Natural Gas has just been named the 2012 green car of the year at the LA Auto Show.

Michael Accavitti, of American Honda Motor Company, said:

“The Civic Natural Gas is not only a great vehicle, it also demonstrates Honda’s commitment to provide a variety of alternatives to gasoline.”

According to the AFP, the Civic Natural Gas is the only factory built CNG-powered car currently produced in America. Inhabitat reports that Civic is the cleanest internal combustion car certified by the EPS. Honda re-purposed a 1.8-liter 4-cylinder gas engine to burn natural gas. The Civic Natural Gas gets 31 miles per gallon.

It went on sale in October with a starting price of $26,155. The editors of Green Car Journal picked the Civic Natural Gas over the Volkswagen Passat TDI, the Mitsubishi i, the Toyota Prius V and the Ford Focus Electric. The Mitsubishi and the Ford are both all electric vehicles. The Toyota Prius is a gas-electric hybrid and the Volkswagen runs on diesel.

John O’Dell, senior editor at Edmunds.com, said that this year’s finalist show that the green car industry is growing and consumers are getting more options when choosing an eco-friendly car.

“(The finalist show that) the industry is finally getting to the point where there’s some consumer choice in green offerings. When you look at those vehicles, they run the gamut of fuel types, price range and vehicle types.”

Last year, the 2011 Chevy Volt was awarded the Green Car of the Year Award.

What do you think of the Honda Civic Natural Gas? Do you drive a green car?

Civic Natural Gas Named Green Car of the Year is a post from: The Inquisitr

If you’re a fan of motorcycles and green technology you’re in luck, Volta Motorbikes this week announced their new Volta BCN motorcycle, an electric bike that will go on sale during the second quarter of 2012.

The all-electric motorcycle will come in three models; BCN Sport, BCN City, and BCN My Volta all of which will debut next month at the Milan based EICMA Motorshow.

Each of the models feature 35 horsepower and a range of 70 kilometers (45 miles) with customized features being made available via an online ordering tool.

Buyers can expected to pay just under $10,000 per bike and more details will be released in November.

While we have to wait a while to see the bikes here’s a teaser video provided by Volta:

Are you excited to check out the Volta BCN line when it debuts?

Volta Announces – BCN Electric Motorcycle Will Go On Sale In Q2 2012 is a post from: The Inquisitr

Natural gas is becoming an increasingly important piece of the alternative energy jigsaw – over the past decade, fom Texas to New York, a million Americans have signed leases that allow energy companies to drill on their land.

But suddenly bankers and real estate agents and excutives are sitting up and noticing a problem: the dumping of toxic wastewater on the leased land.

Indeed, dumping toxic water has become so common that banks are now thinking twice about granting mortgages on properties that have been leased for drilling. According to this post, eight local or national banks refuse to issue mortgages on such properties.

Those in the credit business are looking for ways around this. For example, one New York-based credit union now forces gas companies to promise to pay for any damage caused by drilling that causes the value of mortgaged properties to fall.

Meanwhile, bankers are agitated because drillers operate in ways that violate rules laid out in the terms of most mortgages. One such rule – though it is not common knowledge – states homeowners must gain permission from their mortgage banker before signing a lease.

Increasingly, it is the homeowner who will suffer. When selling a house with a gas drilling lease attached to it, the growing reluctance of banks to offer mortgages on such properties then reduces the number of buyers.

According to Cosimo Manzo, a vice president of First Heritage Financial, a mortgage services company in Philadelphia:

“It’s truly Pandora’s box. If local banks do not require that leases comport with mortgage rules, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac may stop buying mortgages from these banks.”

The message to draw from this? Think twice when the gent in the ten-gallon hat comes a-knockin’ on your door with a fat lease.

Natural Gas Drilling Could Affect Mortgages is a post from: The Inquisitr

General Electric announced a fair big initiative today when it comes to solar energy starting with a new factory going into an existing building in Aurora, Colorado.

Besides bringing 355 estimated jobs to the area GE believes that the facility will be one of the largest existing solar panel factory in the country. The company is hoping that the first solar panels will come off the line in 2012 and be available commercially by 2013.

Estimates are that the facility will be able to produce enough solar panels per year to power some 80,000 homes and when the facility is complete it will represent an investment of some $600 million in their solar business.

In addition to the investment in Colorado the company is also looking to increase high tech jobs through their Renewable Energy Global Headquarters and their Global Research Center; both of which are located in New York State.

You can read the full press release at the Business Wire site.

From Colorado to New York solar energy is getting a big push from GE is a post from: The Inquisitr

It seems that electric vehicles have been sluggish to come to market, to say the least, with interest in the innovation substantial but no affordable options for environmentally conscious consumers to begin unshackling themselves from gas pumps. (For instance, Nissan’s Leaf costs between $35-40,000 and few are available nationwide.)

Sunsetting a technology used by everyone, everywhere is a difficult prospect, and a huge hurdle in getting electric cars to be more widely palatable. Plus, the lengthy time required for a proper charge means that using the technology could seem prohibitive- but that could change.

The good news is that this week Nissan announced that the company is developing a charging station for electric vehicles that can fully charge a car’s battery in just 10 minutes- down from the currently discouraging eight hours. According to Yahoo, new technology has made it so that the process can be truncated significantly:

Researchers at at Kansai University in Japan claim that the breakthrough in this charging method comes from swapping out the electrode utilizing carbon inside a capacitor to an electrode using tungsten oxide and vanadium oxide.

There is a downside, however- the technology is expected to be about a decade away from market, although the situation is improving. Nissan is “aggressively supporting” technology that will charge batteries to about 80% capacity in 30 minutes or so, and electric car charging stations are slowly but surely popping up in the US as more consumers consider the technology as an alternative to high gas bills. Car companies aren’t the only ones looking at making the technology more accessible to consumers- Walgreens is adding 800 electric car charging stations nationwide for customers to utilize.

Have you considered replacing your car with an electric vehicle?

Electric Vehicles Getting 10 Minute Chargers, But… is a post from: The Inquisitr

In a country that talks a lot about the need for clean power there sure is a lot of NIMBY attitude as well as extremely powerful lobbying against any serious move to utilizing clean power alternatives. So it is surprising to hear that there is one municipality in the country that uses only renewable energy, and even more surprising to hear that it is Austin, the capital of Texas.

We’re not just talking dribs and drabs here either as Austin can claim that 100% of it’s energy is coming from renewable sources. That’s all of its public buildings, it’s airport and the water treatment plants. All being powered using wind from West Texas.

In fact, the city’s publicly-owned utility, Austin Energy, has produced more renewable energy than any other power company in the country.

The utility first introduced its energy saving scheme back in 1982 and then a green building program in 1991, and its first wind program back in 1995 and even though Austin Energy’s customers sometimes pay 15 to 25% more for electricity under the Greenchoice program it seems to be a premium they are willing to pay.

For that though they also get a better sense of transparency over what the energy is costing over the duration of any contracts entered into by Austin Energy, as well as seeing their costs go down over the life of those contracts.

It also turns out that Austin isn’t alone when it comes to Texas cities and renewable energy programs. Both Houston and Dallas place in the EPA’s top 10 list of government clean power adopters.

via Fast Company

Texas capital shows how you do clean power adoption the right way is a post from: The Inquisitr

If there is one thing that you can definitely say about Richard Branson it is that he isn’t lacking of hyperbole when it comes to promoting his projects, and his newest announcement today was no exception.

Branson was in London to announce another of his continuing initiatives to lower the carbon footprint of his prize airline – Virgin Atlantic.

Calling it one of the most exciting developments of our lifetime, as well as being a major breakthrough on the ‘war on carbon’ Branson announced that in partnership with LanzaTech they are developing the world’s first low-carbon aviation fuel. It is believed that the new fuel will halve the airline’s current carbon footprint.

This new method calls for capturing the waste energy that typically escapes from heavy manufacturing plants via their huge smokestacks and through a recycling method turn that energy into aviation fuel.

Using this newly discovered method they believe that they can capture up to 65% of the waste energy from places like the world’s steel mills and after fermenting it as well as using a chemical conversion process they believe the results will be a usable jet fuel.

via Richard Branson

Richard Branson`s Virgin Atlantic announces low carbon fuel initiative [Video] is a post from: The Inquisitr

Electric cars are the new cool toy for those that can afford it but one of the biggest problem facing general acceptance is that it takes up to four hours or more to recharge the car batteries.

It is this hurdle that Nissan looking to change with its new charging station which it says will recharge the Nissan Leaf to full capacity within 10 minutes.

Nissan has managed to pull this off by changing the components that go into a charging station. Where they were using carbon as the electrode that goes inside the capacitor they are now using tungsten oxide, as well as vanadium oxide to improve power.

This improvement should be good news for all electric vehicle manufacturers as Pike Research recently released a report that suggested that manufacturers could possibly expect some strong push back from consumers if they don’t find some way to improve the recharging time from the current four to eight hours.

via New York Daily News

Nissan to change the electric car recharger for the better is a post from: The Inquisitr

Scientists in Japan are preparing to tour the country using a poop powered bike that was literally built out of bike parts and a toilet seat where the driving sits.

The bio-gas powered bike known as Neo was developed by TOTO and is said to run on the “new coal” and will travel 600-miles during it’s Japanese tour.

Showing off their sense of humor the Japanese company will have the driver of the bike stop at a giant boulder that happens to be in the shape of a rear end.

In case the driver gets bored the poop powered bike also plays music and talk.

There’s still a few important questions to be answered, for example does the driver poop while driving or does he do it in private? It’s also still unclear what will happen once the bike runs out of poop power.

Poop Powered Bike To Tour Japan is a post from: The Inquisitr

Geothermal energy’s reputation took a blow today after it was revealed two taxpayer-backed clean energy companies are facing serious financial difficulties.

USA Today reports on the plight of Raser Technologies and Nevada Geothermal Power (NGP), both of which specialize in capturing heat from the earth and converting it to electricity.

Both firms received a total of $195 million in partial federal loan guarantees and grants that were intended to promote clean energy. Yet financial records unearthed by USA Today reveal that neither company has ever pulled a profit.

Raser Technologies already filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy this year, while NGP is facing a growing risk of closure. Both companies have agreements in place with utilities to buy the energy they produce, but Raser never produced more than 5 megawatts of power at its plant in Beaver County, Utah.

The case of Raser and NGP carries echoes of Solyndra, the now-bankrupt solar manufacturer that received a $535million federal loan in 2009 by the U.S. government.

The same program that doled out money to Solyndra granted a $98.5million loan guarantee to NGP. Two years ago, Republicans jumped at the chance to criticize the Obama administration over the Solyndra loan, and are unlikely to ignore the failure of Raser and NGP.

When questioned about the complete lack of profits for NGP, the company’s head of investor communications, Paul Mitchell, told USA Today:

“You have to drill. It’s not unexpected that you can get these lag periods where our productivity and our monetary targets lag behind as we develop the resource.”

A third company, U.S. Geothermal, is in similar dire straits, having received a $97 million Energy Department loan in February, yet not having generated a profit in the past four years.

Geothermal Energy Companies Failing to Make Profit is a post from: The Inquisitr

Green energy is a hot topic when it comes to renewable energy and of all the different methods to produce renewable energy geothermal is probably the least well known but the Geothermal Energy Association is looking to change that when in brings together 160 global businesses involved in the industry.

Billed as the Geothermal Energy Expo the convention is being held in San Diego and will provide a unique opportunity for companies to exhibit their projects, equipment, services as well as sharing the state of the art technology as it applies to the geothermal community.

Companies expected to take part include: Siemens, POWER Engineers, Ormat, NALCO, Geothermal Resource Group, Mitsubishi Power Systems and more.

“As our industry continues to proliferate among global markets, more advancements are being made. The GEA Geothermal Energy Expo will highlight these new and important technical advancements, providing a robust forum for industry buyers and sellers,” said GEA Executive Director Karl Gawell. “We look forward to welcoming geothermal business leaders and exhibitors from around the world for a very hands on, dynamic event.”

via Renewable Energy World

As it stands right now geothermal power supplies approximately 10,715 Megawatts of electricity in 24 countries but the potential for the use of geothermal resources is much more than that. It is believed that with our current technology, and technology in development, that geothermal resources could supply more than 300,000 Megawatts of power and with fewer carbon emissions.

The expo is expected to draw over 3,000 attendees during October 24 and October 26.

The Geothermal Energy Expo to bring 160 energy companies together is a post from: The Inquisitr

Tesla debuted their new vehicle this week and the Palo Alto-based automaker revealed that the $87,400 vehicle is able to travel 300 miles on a single charge while reaching zero to 60 mph in 4.6 seconds with a topped out speed of 130 mph.

The company is also offers a Tesla Model S that comes in at $57,400 with a range of 160 miles while larger battery pack options can reach 230 and 320 miles respectively.

In original testing company CEO said Elon Musk claimed the vehicle would have a maximum range of 300 miles, but an ultra aerodynamic wheel design has allowed it to beat those numbers in EPA testing.

The new vehicle was developed thanks to $465 million in funding from the Department of Energy and will be built at a factory in Fremont, California.

The vehicle is a hatchback and features two rear-facing seats that can accommodate passengers up to 4ft 11 inches. Customers who purchase the highest end vehicle with a 4G enabled infotainment system will also receive a 17-inch display.

Throw in a fast charger system with one-hour charging periods and you have a vehicle that’s fairly practical and green.

If I had nearly $60,000 sitting around I would be on board. What do you think about the new Tesla Model S design and ultra-green features?

Tesla Model S Debuts With 320 Mile Charge Radius, One Hour Recharge Time is a post from: The Inquisitr

For those of you not familiar with the term ‘smart windows’ it is the term used to describe a type of window that uses glass that can darken or lighten according to outside temperatures. Up until now that usually involved the use of toxic substances which resulted in glass windows that were very expensive and didn’t work all that well.

Now we have a new breed of these windows from a team of researchers in South Korea who say that they have overcome those problems and doesn’t use toxic elements.

Scientists Ho Sun Lim, Jeong Ho Cho, Jooyong Kim and Chang Hwan Lee utilized a polyelectrolyte copolymer, ions reacting with counterions (ions that have a charge opposite to that of other given ions, resulting in electrical neutrality), and solvents such as methanol. The result was dimmable glass that was inexpensive and less toxic to manufacture, while offering robust performance. It is also said to change tint quickly, going from being opaque to almost completely clear within seconds.

via GizMag

Still no mention of price so I imagine they are still going to be on the expensive side.

A new breed of ‘smart windows’ are less expensive and toxic is a post from: The Inquisitr

Fresh food is a rare commodity in some areas of American cities. Even Walmart has recognized this and is looking to open smaller stores in areas not normally use to having small supermarkets anymore and bring fresh produce to area where it is easy to get a McDonald’s hamburger than it is a head of lettuce.

Enter Stockbox Grocers.

The company is a Seattle start up that want to take old shipping containers and convert them into mini-stores selling a range of fresh food, meat and dairy products. These mini-stores are intended to be set up in parking lots around these food deserts within every major city. They have already opened up their first prototype two weeks ago in the Delridge area of Seattle and plan on two permanent sites in early 2012, and with more to follow.

Carrie Ferrence, Stockbox’s cofounder, says the response so far has been promising. “The community has been really supportive of having access to good food. There is a level of education we need to do. But in the short period we’ve been in Delridge, we’ve been blown away by the level of engagement people have around food, and this as a food option.”

Stockbox picked Delridge because car-less residents currently have a 45-minute bus ride to the nearest decent grocery store.

“It’s mostly gas stations and convenience stores. There aren’t even many restaurants. While there are stores within a couple of miles, there are no direct bus lines. It’s difficult to get out of the community, and get somewhere with greater access,” Ferrence says.

via Fast Company

The company founders are graduates of Bainbridge Graduate Institute and the Institute’s MBA program which fosters “sustainable business” entrepreneurs. Carrie Ferrence and her partner Jacqueline Gjurgevich came up with the idea during their second year and have raised $50,000, including $20,000 via Kickstarter.

Recycled shipping containers to bring fresh food to America’s food deserts is a post from: The Inquisitr

Toyota on Friday finally unveiled their long awaited Prius plug-in hybrid. Production model PHV was rolled out at the Green Drive Expo and the company announced that the vehicle will be ready for sale in March 2012.

The plug-in vehicle comes with a price tag of $32,000 for the base model and will offer two different trim versions with touchscreen audio / navigation display and the company’s Entune in-car entertainment system which comes standard, although the heads up display will be reserved only for higher end versions of the vehicle.

The car delivers up to 87 MPGe when placed in combined drive mode and 49MPG when switched to hybrid mode.

According to Toyota the vehicle is powered by new 4.4kWh Li-ion batteries which can pull a full charge in three hours when plugged into a 120v source or charge in just 2 hours when a 240v connection is made available.

Speaking about the specifics of the launch Toyota officials revealed:

“The Prius Plug-in Hybrid will be on sale in 14 launch states beginning this October through Toyota’s Online Order System at www.toyota.com. Vehicle deliveries begin in Spring 2012. The launch states include California, Oregon, Washington, Arizona, Maine, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Maryland, and Virginia. A national rollout is planned for 2013.”

Buyers will also be eligible for the full federal tax credit of $2,500 when they pick up the plug-in vehicle, slightly lowering their overall out of pocket expenses.

Do you plan to run out and pick up the plug-in hybrid when it’s made available?

Toyota Unveils Prius Plug-in Model, Gives March 2012 Release Date, $32,000 Price Tag is a post from: The Inquisitr

It might look a little funky but I guess not so much if you compare it to a Dyson machine and besides who of your neighbors could brag about having the world’s most efficient vacuum cleaner that uses 43% less energy than any of its competitors; or rather would be competitors.

Called the Stem, this vacuum cleaner prototype is from Cambridge Consultants and as well as using less energy it offers a 27% environmental impact reduction when compared to other vacuum cleaners.

So how did Cambridge cut down on energy and material use? First, the company surveyed the current vacuum market and thought about ways to improve upon often-used technology. The Stem automatically changes power usage depending on what it is doing. When the vacuum is sitting idle for a moment, power usage also declines.

The vacuum cleaner offers the same size, weight, and performance as standard models–but Cambridge rejiggered the layout of internal parts to increase efficiency and airflow.

via Fast Company

I never realized that vacuuming was such an important area of energy efficiency but hey if you are gong to go down that hallway you might as well have something that looks cool.

Introducing the world’s most efficient vacuum cleaner – suck on this Dyson. is a post from: The Inquisitr

Ford Motors and SunPower have teamed up to offer a rooftop solar charger for Ford Focus Electric vehicle owners. According to the company the renewable energy source option will cost $10,000 after energy efficiency rebates, a small price to pay to turn your electric vehicle into a solar car of sorts.

The new solar panel charging stations are part of Ford’s new “Drive Green for Life” program which focuses on renewable energy sources to offset the electricity used by EVs.

According to the announcement the SunPower rooftop solar system will be compatible with C-MAX Energi plug-in hybrid vehicles which Ford will roll out in 2012.

The new solution will feature a 2.5 kilowatt rooftop system made up of SunPower E18 series solar panels that are capable of producing 3,000 kilowatt hours of electricity annually, while producing nearly 50 percent more electricity than conventional panels, while taking up less space on the cars roof.

According to SunPower the panel will provide enough electricity for 1,000 miles of travel per month.

For $10,000 the company will also provide a residential monitoring system which tracks the users solar system performance on the web and through the use of an iPhone application.

Ford Electric and C-MAX Energi buyers will be able to request the SunPower systems when they order their vehicles through more than 400 dealers in the US.

Would you be willing to spend an additional $10,000 for a solar panel charging system for your electric vehicle? For users who drive 1,000 miles per month the savings could be decent, while environmentalists will no doubt appreciate the electricity savings offered by the SunPower charging system and the convenience the solar car rooftop system offers.

Solar Car Upgrade: Ford and SunPower Make It Easier Than Ever To Charge EVs is a post from: The Inquisitr

Last year BMW set the motoring world on its ear when it introduced its electric concept cars, the i3 and the i8. Well, get ready for it to set the whole driving world on its ear when it actually launches the cars next year.

Of the two the i8 is the typical BMW luxury car with sleek curves and gorgeous styling, not the the i3 is any slouch in this area, that will come with a turbocharged 1.5-liter three-cylinder powerplant that will put out 220 horsepower and 221 lb-ft torque.

When combined with the electric motor you can expect to go from zero to 60 mph in under five seconds.

The three-pot works in tandem with a lithium-ion battery pack and front-mounted electric motor pulled from the i3 and driving the front wheels, allowing an electric-only range of up to 20 miles on a charge. Put both systems together and you’ve got a front-wheel-drive vehicle for maximum efficiency, a rear-driver for maximum fun and all-wheel drive for maximum grip. And if that isn’t enticing enough, the i8 has a perfect 50/50 weight distribution.

via Autoblog

Here’s a couple images of both the i3 and the i8.

BMW’s i8 no longer a concept, coming next year. Get ready to drool [Video] is a post from: The Inquisitr