Category: Energy Matters

New Labs to Concentrate on Solar Thermal Energy

admin /30 December, 2009

 

12.29, 2009

New Labs to Concentrate on Solar Thermal Energy

by Joseph B. Verrengia, NREL
Colorado, United States [RenewableEnergyWorld.com]

As the market for clean solar power rapidly expands, NREL researchers are investigating advanced concepts in concentrating solar power (CSP) with $5.4 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding awarded from the U.S. Department of Energy.

The new work includes establishing two new facilities and extensive improvements to an existing third facility on the NREL’s research campus. It also will include field testing of new CSP technologies at the Solar Technology Acceleration Center (SolarTAC), a new 76-acre solar test site.

CSP uses mirrors to reflect sunlight onto receivers. Unlike photovoltaic cells that directly convert sunlight into electricity, this method uses the sun’s heat to drive a generator to produce electricity.

Key to CSP’s commercial success is developing an economical, effective energy storage capability that will hold the sun’s heat for use to generate clean electricity at periods of peak power demand, or during cloudy weather or at night.

Revealed: the electric BMW

admin /26 December, 2009

Revealed: the electric BMW

JEZ SPINKS

December 18, 2009

BMW Concept ActiveE Click for more photos

 

  • 160km range, rear-wheel drive, no fuel, no emissions. Meet BMW’s first all-electric car.

BMW has moved another step closer to its first plug-in production car.

The Concept ActiveE will debut at January’s Detroit motor show, showcasing technology that’s being developed for the German car maker’s new range of electric city cars due before 2015.

The ActiveE follows the Mini E as part of BMW’s ‘Project i’ zero-emissions program. It’s based on a 1-Series Coupe but ditches the internal combustion engine and fuel tank for a twin battery pack and electric motor capable of powering the car for up to 160km.

Copenhagen hands Kevin Rudd an emissions trading scheme dilemma

admin /20 December, 2009

Copenhagen hands Kevin Rudd an emissions trading scheme dilemma Lenore Taylor and Sid Maher From: The Australian December 21, 2009 12:00AM   THE Rudd government faces a dramatically more difficult task in selling its emissions trading scheme as a result of the weak result from the Copenhagen conference, which has delayed critical decisions on national Continue Reading →

Rich and poor countries blame each other for failure of Copenhagen deal

admin /20 December, 2009

Rich and poor countries blame each other for failure of Copenhagen deal

Wealthy nations accused of bullying tactics to get developing countries to sign ‘death warrant’

COP15 Bolivian President Morales at a press conference at the Bella Center in Copenhagen

Bolivian President Evo Morales said the Copenhagen deal was a failure because of the ‘lack of political will by a small group of countries led by the US’ Photograph: Bob Strong/Reuters

The blame game over the failure of the Copenhagen climate talks started last night with countries accusing each other of a complete lack of willingness to compromise.

 

The G77 group of 130 developing nations blamed Obama for “locking the poor into permanent poverty by refusing to reduce US emissions further.”

Climate justice: should the unborn have ltgal rights

admin /13 December, 2009

Climate justice: should the unborn have legal rights? Andrew Hickman 8th December, 2009 The biggest victims of climate change have no voice – in fact they are not even born yet – but the argument for giving them legal rights is not so far fetched In 1990, a young lawyer in the Philippines launched an Continue Reading →

A 480 Pound train ticket to Copenhagen makes it hard to care about the climate

admin /12 December, 2009

A £480 train ticket to Copenhagen makes it hard to care about the climate

Cheap flights allow people to pursue extravagant lifestyles at little cost to themselves, but at great cost to the world

St Pancras station, London

St Pancras station, London – the start to a costly, but greener, journey to Copenhagen. Photograph: Lewis Whyld/PA

You can spot the problem long before you get to Copenhagen. I’m sitting in St Pancras station about to start a journey for which I have paid – deep breath – £480.

That’s for a standard return journey from London to Copenhagen, with a bed in a six-berth compartment. It’s not the most expensive ticket. I booked it over a month ago, which means I haven’t had to re-mortgage my house (and I’m splitting the cost of the ticket 50:50 with the Guardian, for whom I’ll be blogging most days).

I could have got there by plane for £18.

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