clean

Web technologies are not only letting people telecommute and cutting down on paper--thus reducing greenhouse emissions and saving trees--they're also letting us get more efficient use out of buildings, cars, and everyday objects.

That's according to Sunil Paul, founder of Spring Ventures, who spoke at the GreenNet conference yesterday about how the so-called "CleanWeb" can enable services that reduce the carbon footprint of our lifestyles.

What is the CleanWeb? It's "the idea that information technology is going to be the next big driver of clean-tech innovation and the proposition that IT is going to … Read more

I remember a time not too long ago when my pockets were stuffed with my cell phone, a digital camera, and my MP3 player. Oh, and the glove box of my car housed a GPS device. No longer. Thanks to the functionality of a smartphone, I've been able to carry just one gadget for all of my chit-chatting, photo-taking, music-playing, and navigational needs. Thank goodness, because those pockets were getting bulky and it was getting expensive to continually update each device.

The accompanying video below is all about those gadgets that you no longer need to invest in--for example, … Read more

Fossil fuel subsidies worth $312 billion should be realigned to ensure the growth of renewable energy and curb the world's reliance on carbon-intensive fuels, the International Energy Agency said in a report.

Demand for fossil fuels is outstripping the deployment of cleaner technologies. Renewable energy has seen growth rates of 30 percent to 40 percent over recent years but coal has met 47 percent of global new electricity demand over the past decade, the IEA said in its "Clean Energy Progress Report" (PDF) today.

To change this, the IEA suggests realigning fossil fuel subsidies to support clean … Read more

The clean-energy geeks (definitely a term of endearment) at Stanford University have come up with a way to turn every river in the world into a power plant--no big ugly hydropower dams required.

Put simply, Yi Cui, associate professor of materials science and engineering at Stanford, and his research team want to put a newly developed rechargeable battery at the mouths of rivers; the batteries would take advantage of the difference in salinity between salt water and freshwater to produce electricity and charge themselves.

That's the simple explanation. For the explanation that includes a discussion of the relationship between voltage and the concentration of sodium and chlorine ions, check out the news from Stanford. That said, the basic concept behind the battery itself isn't too complex and is similar to other batteries--basically two electrodes immersed in water--but the Stanford team took advantage of nanotechnology, which is cool because...here, let's just let them explain it:… Read more

The United States fell one spot to third place in clean-energy investment last year as the lack of a national energy policy hurt purchases in wind and solar power and other technologies, according to a new report.

China came in first and Germany second, according to today's report "Who's Winning the Clean Energy Race" (PDF) by the Pew Charitable Trusts, an independent, nonprofit group.

In the previous year the United States had fallen from the top spot to second place, behind China.

A comprehensive energy bill died in the Senate last July. Washington also has failed … Read more

The global wind, solar, and biofuels industries are poised to double within the next 10 years, according to a report released this week by energy research firm Clean Edge.

Its 22-page report, "Clean Energy Trends 2011" (PDF, registration required), has a string of interesting figures.

Specifically, this latest report valuates the global biofuels industry at $56.4 billion for 2010 and predicts it will grow to $112.8 billion by 2020. It appraises the global wind industry at $60.5 billion for 2010, predicted to grow to $122.9 billion by 2020. Meanwhile, the global solar industry is … Read more

President Barack Obama today proposed boosting funds for clean-energy research and deployment in his 2012 budget by slashing subsidies for fossil fuels such as oil, gas, and coal.

The budget would provide the Department of Energy with $29.5 billion for fiscal year 2012, up 4.2 percent from the proposed 2011 budget, and up 12 percent from the enacted 2010 budget. Some $8 billion would support research in clean energy like wind, solar, and advanced batteries.

"Whomever leads in the global, clean-energy economy will also take the lead in creating high-paying, highly skilled jobs for its people," … Read more

STATE COLLEGE, Pa.--President Barack Obama announced a new clean energy program in Pennsylvania on Thursday, seeking to show he remains focused on jobs in a state that may be essential to his 2012 re-election prospects.

Obama outlined a plan in his State of the Union address last month to encourage clean energy technologies and to double by 2035 the U.S. share of electricity from clean energy sources such as wind, solar, nuclear and "clean" coal.

As part of that program, Obama announced a plan to improve energy efficiency in U.S. commercial buildings by offering businesses … Read more

Investment in clean-technology companies rose in the U.S. last year, garnering $3.98 billion in venture capital, according to a report released yesterday by the accounting firm Ernst & Young.

The change represents an 8 percent increase in investment overall, but there was also a major shift in when companies received funding.

"The share of investment dollars going to second rounds increased from 18% in 2009 to 26% in 2010. Later stage deals received $2.37 billion or 62% of the money invested in this period," according to the report.

Of that $4 billion, $1.32 billion … Read more