renewable energy

photo courtesy of General Motors

You may have read how General Motors recently announced that its Zaragosa, Spain factory would be hosting the world's largest rooftop solar array. This Thursday you can get your chance to ask GM Green Power Initiatives Manager Rob Threlkeld all about the plant, solar energy in general, and GM’s use of renewable energy. The chat will take place at the GMnext website, from 3-4 PM, EDT. You’ll have to register to participate prior to the event.

photo: Getty Images

The various renewable energy incentive packages introduced into the U.S. Congress, or stalled in the Senate have been a running post topic in the last month or so on TreeHugger. Now comes word, through GreenTechMedia, that legislative inaction may result in at least one company abandoning two U.S. solar projects.
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photos courtesy of The Jatropha System

India is one of the world’s leading cultivators of as a feedstock for biodiesel, with over one million hectares planted to date. That figure is set to rise slightly on the news that Hindustan Petroleum and the Chhattisgarh Renewable Energy Development Agency (CREDA) are partnering to plant an additional 15,000 hectares.

photo by Tim Duckett

Gordon Brown recently announced that a £100 billion government investment in renewable energy would be “the most dramatic change in energy policy since nuclear power”. Such an investment will allow Britain to generate 30-35% of its electricity from renewables by 2020. Based on recent statements in Paris, we now know more clearly about his commitment to nuclear energy.

New Plants Required to Replace Existing Aging Ones

When Warren first reported on Kite For Sail’s innovative yacht propulsion system back in 2007, the company had apparently slated the next five years for further R&D. However, with rising gas prices hitting the headlines daily, it seems like the Maui-based yachting enthusiasts may be bringing their technology to market earlier than expected – they are now accepting down payments on orders via the Kite For Sail website, with delivery expected in the next 6 months (a full system will set you back between $3,320...

photo by Amelia Davis

When most followers of renewable energy think of Cape Cod, the first thing they probably think of is the embattled Cape Wind project. That may change if feasibility studies concerning developing tidal energy in between Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket prove fruitful.

Cape Cod Times provides the details of two projects currently being investigated:

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photo by laurenatclemson via flickr

Rising oil prices may be making wind power cost-competitive in Spain, but the key to Spain’s rapidly growing solar industry has been generous government subsidies creating market stability. Although nothing is definite yet, simply the mention of reducing the level at which subsidies are capped has created waves in the Iberian solar industry.
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Sulfurcell Headquarters photo courtesy of Sulfurcell.

It was only a few weeks ago when we learned that Intel was getting into solar hrough its Intel Capital division. Well, their solar investments continue once more. This time with a €24 million investment in Sulfurcell, a German thin-film solar developer and manufacturer using

Intel was the leading single investor in the €85 million total equity round, with an additional €38 million coming from a mix of European investors—Climate Change Capital Private Equity, AIG, Demeter Partners, Zouk Ventures and BankInvest. The balance of the...

Tirumala temple photo by SJ Jagadeesh

I’ve often thought that way for ego-consciousness to really become ingrained in people’s lives is for it to be truly adopted by the major faiths of the world—for the interconnectedness of all life to be impressed upon everyone from a young age. Such a belief is already the foundation of Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism so when Time recently ran an article about how India’s Hindu temples are increasingly embracing green ethics, it seemed a perfectly natural match.

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photo courtesy of General Motors

Yet another “world’s largest” in solar power: General Motors has partnered with Clairvoyant Energy, Veolia Environmental and the Government of Aragon to install what will be the world’s largest rooftop solar array on its Zaragosa, Spain assembly plant.

According to GM the array will be 12 MW in size and cover two million square feet and consist of approximately 85,000 panels. Installation is expected to be completed this fall. The space for the project will be leased from General Motors by Veolia Environment and Clairvoyant Energy, who will operate and maintain the installation. According to GM the project will help the corporation reduce cost...

London Borough to Reverses Free Parking for EVs
No sooner do I report on the virus-like spread of electric vehicle charging points in London, that I hear from our friends at GoinGreen that at least one London borough is preparing to withdraw some of the privileges enjoyed by EV drivers:

Today saw the announcement of changes in the City of London's parking concessions for electric vehicles. Existing users of the borough's electric vehicle scheme will see an increase in on-street parking from zero to £50 per year wh...

photo by Wiliam Rowlands

It’s sure not to be the final world in the whole food versus biofuel debate, but the recent secret World Bank report which finds that biofuels are responsible for 75% of the recent rise in global food prices certainly frames the debate in a stark new light.

So does a recent report on the environmental and social impact of biofuels by Professor Ed Gallagher, which recommends slowing the introduction of biofuels because current production targets will result in a rise in greenhouse gas emissions and an ...

Image from petrr

Given all the recent backlash, it seemed inevitable that the EU would be forced to revise its misguided biofuel targets. The final push may very well have been provided by a World Bank report concluding that biofuels may have caused global food prices to rise by up to 75 percent.

Four percent from renewable sources by 2015
In light of this, Claude Turme...

Stealing some of California's thunder, which itself outlined a new plan to significantly reduce its carbon emissions, Massachusetts' governor, Deval Patrick, unveiled the Green Communities Act a few days ago to great fanfare. The bill's primary aims are to encourage businesses and homes to become more energy efficient and to stimulate clean energy development in the state.

The Green Community Act's major provisions
Some of the provisions detailed in the legislation, as

photo: Getty Images

The U.S. Department of Energy has put a lot of money on the table lately. Last week saw $90 million for geothermal research. The agency's latest announcement brings much more, albeit in the form of loan guarantees and not outright grants.

Three separate solicitations announced
The U.S. DOE has announced three solicitations for a total of $30.5 billion in loan guarantees for “advanced energy technologies that avoid, reduce, or sequester air pollutants or greenhouse gas emissions.” There are three solicitation areas: energy efficiency, re...

Jatropha seed photo courtesy of Mali Biocarburant, a Malian collective biodiesel producer.

One of the byproducts of the biodiesel refining process is glycerin: For every 10 pounds of biodiesel, about 1 pound of glycerin is also produced. In certain countries, Mali in particular, the glycerin is being used in soap making, so as to increase the revenue from a given quantity of feedstock.

In most other places, the rapid increase in biodiesel production volumes has resulted in producers having to pay to get rid of their leftover glycerin, Rice University researcher Ramon Gonzalez told

photo by KQED QUEST-some rights reserved.

The world of solar energy has been tumultuous of late in the United States: the BLM essentially bans solar power projects on public lands, then reverses its decision because of public outcry. Not to mention the inaction in the Senate on one set of renewable energy legislati...

Aerial view of Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, site of Velankani Renewable Group’s new manufacturing complex. Photo via Wikipedia.

A well-timed announcement can be a thing of beauty. Just days after Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh said that solar energy would be a key point in his new climate plan, Bangalore-based Velankani Group announces that it will be constructing a new manufacturing complex for silicon compounds and solar cells.

Plant to be Built in Visakhapatnam, An...

Getty Images

Pacific Gas & Electric comes onto the Treehugger radar screen quite a bit: offering carbon offsets which go towards planting sequoias, purchasing wave energy, using hybrid solar thermal-biomass plants. Here’s their latest green step.

In an effort to further increase its renewable energy obligations under California’s Renewable Portfolio Standard, PG&E has signed a long-...

photo by Colin Ashe

Last week saw California and the United Kingdom reveal plans to promote renewable energy and combat climate change. Today, India has announced its intentions in this arena.

Solar Power Will Change the Face of India
In announcing the National Action Plan, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said that a gradual shift towards renewable energy, in particular solar power, would enable India to “make [its] ec...

photo by Edward Burtynsky via :: The Globe and Mail

It’s no secret that Treehugger’s not a big fan of extracting energy from the Alberta Tar Sands. Oil Shale in Colorado doesn’t really rate highly on our list of good things either. Well, it appears that the U.S. Conference of Mayors agrees with us.

Resolution Against Using High Carbon Fuels
Though it’s jus...

The blaring headline on the front cover of the May/June issue really says it all: "It's behind the war, the recession, the ice caps: if we don't confront our energy crisis, we're screwed." As far as "green" issues of major/independent news publications go - and we've certainly seen our fair share over the last few months (Vanity Fair, Time, NYT and The New Republic to name a few) - MoJo's effort stands out as one of the best. ...

Curious about how Iceland's geothermal power stations actually work? Let Albert Albertsson, the deputy CEO of a large station there, take you through the finer points of the energy extraction process, courtesy of the folks at Greenbang. He provides a great introduction to some of the more technical details, including a description of how the island's volcanic activ...