Alternative Energy Newswire » Alternative Energy

Raising the Efficiency of Solar Cells

admin — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 18:36:52 +0000

There’s a cottage industry in solar research involving the manipulation of quantum dots. Solar cells using these tiny particles of semiconductors are much less expensive to produce than traditional ones, because they can be made using simple chemical reactions. And scientists for a number of years now have been drawn to their ability to harvest invisible, infrared light in addition to visible light.

Predicting the Top Sustainability Stories of 2012

admin — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 18:36:51 +0000

Last month I offered my picks for the Top Sustainability Stories of 2011. Here are my predictions for the Top Sustainability Stories of 2012. (It’s a rugged mix of bad news and good.)

Audio Archive: The Future of Oil & Gas: Exploring New Innovation in Old-Fashioned Energy

admin — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 18:36:51 +0000

Thanks to everyone who listened to last week’s The Energy Collective’s webcast, which originally aired on January 27, 2012. For everyon who missed it, you can find the audio below, and explore the accompanying slide material.

How to Go Green Without Going Crazy

admin — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 18:36:50 +0000

Utilities worry about a lot of things, such as keeping the lights on, earning a return for investors, and making regulators and customers happy with their service.Now there is a new worry: How can they protect customers from what one utility refers to as “mental fatigue?”

UK Company ReVend Revamps Fluorescent Light Bulb Recycling

admin — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 18:36:49 +0000

The UK company reVend has teamed up with IKEA to make household hazardous waste recycling simple with “reverse vending machines” for spent bulbs and batteries.

Furniture Made of Encapsulated E-Waste Is Perfect for Geeky Abodes

admin — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 18:36:49 +0000

These designs made by Rodrigo Alonso Schramm are an interesting way to keep e-waste out of landfills and in your livingroom.

Web + Sustainability = Future

admin — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 18:36:49 +0000

How to unlock environmental intelligence in our daily lives.

E-Waste Isn’t Cute: That Singing Valentine’s Day Card is Illegal to Throw Away in California

admin — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 18:36:48 +0000

Generation Green points out the hazards of those “cute” singing cards that pop up during the holidays, and provide us with a petition to get manufacturers to stop making them.

Carbon Capture Takes Center Stage In 2012

admin — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 19:04:12 +0000

For two reasons, 2012 will be a milestone for carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) technologies, marking the beginning of its practical utilization.

Painkillers – the Real Drivers of Innovation for the Electricity Value Chain

admin — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 19:04:12 +0000

One of the largest US-based industry conferences for electricity, gas, and water utilities just wrapped up in San Antonio, Texas. The entire value chain for electricity was well-represented there – you could find products for generation, transmission, distribution, and consumption of electricity. These products modernize the grid – making it the Smart Grid. The profusion of products prompted me to think about what really drives innovation in the electricity value chain. In Silicon Valley, entrepreneurs know that successful new products or services have to be painkill