OilPrice.com | Alternative Energy

OilPrice.com | Alternative Energy Alternative energy news and technology developments. Research into various sectors such as solar power, wind energy, getothermal and hydro. http://oilprice.com/ Fri, 10 Feb 2012 7:33:39 GMT Oilprice.com (info@oilprice.com) Green Energy's Positive Impact on the World's Poor http://oilprice.com/Alternative-Energy/Renewable-Energy/Green-Energys-Positive-Impact-on-the-Worlds-Poor.html Renewable energy is often thought of as an initiative of advanced, sane countries such as Portugal and Germany. But there is another arena where green energy is making an impact– on the lives of the world’s poorest populations, in the global South. For them, it is not a luxury or prudent planning for the future or a dutiful attempt to save the planet from the looming catastrophe of climate change fuelled by humans pumping carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Rather, it is a way of solving their present, low-tech energy crisis. Kevin…

]]> juancole@oilprice.com (Juan Cole) Thu, 09 Feb 2012 22:52:55 GMT http://oilprice.com/Alternative-Energy/Renewable-Energy/Green-Energys-Positive-Impact-on-the-Worlds-Poor.html Poland Gears Up to Build First Nuclear Power Plant http://oilprice.com/Alternative-Energy/Nuclear-Power/Poland-Gears-Up-to-Build-First-Nuclear-Power-Plant.html Among the few “gifts” not forced upon Poland during its more than four decades as a Soviet satellite state was a nuclear power plant (NPP). But now, given the European Union and NATO state’s surging energy needs, Poland is about to construct its first NPP. Why the retrograde step? Simple – burgeoning energy needs. Poland currently depends on coal to supply 94 percent of its energy needs but authorities in Warsaw want to diversify the country’s energy matrix with nuclear, liquefied natural gas (LNG) and shale gas projects…

]]> admin@namecake.com (John Daly) Thu, 09 Feb 2012 22:47:32 GMT http://oilprice.com/Alternative-Energy/Nuclear-Power/Poland-Gears-Up-to-Build-First-Nuclear-Power-Plant.html Global Wind Power Capacity up 21% in 2011 http://oilprice.com/Alternative-Energy/Wind-Power/Global-Wind-Power-Capacity-up-21-in-2011.html On Tuesday the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) released statistics that claim a total of over 41 gigawatts of new wind power were installed around the world in 2011. This represents an increase of 21% to a global capacity of 238 gigawatts. 75 countries can now boast wind power installations, with 22 countries having more than 1000 megawatts (1 gigawatt). Steve Sawyer, GWEC Secretary General, said that “Despite the state of the global economy, wind power continues to be the renewable generation technology of choice. 2011 was a tough year,…

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]]> burgessj@oilprice.com (James Burgess) Thu, 09 Feb 2012 16:06:48 GMT http://oilprice.com/Alternative-Energy/Wind-Power/Global-Wind-Power-Capacity-up-21-in-2011.html Is a Solar Energy Revolution Just Around the Corner? http://oilprice.com/Alternative-Energy/Solar-Energy/Is-a-Solar-Energy-Revolution-Just-Around-the-Corner.html India’s “Solar Mission” to install 20,000MW of solar power by 2022 has recently had a boost following the news that electricity from solar power is now cheaper than that produced by diesel generators. Making them a cost effective alternative to many people in developing countries. According to figures by market analysts Bloomberg, the price of solar panels fell by nearly 50% in 2011 alone, and they are currently just one quarter of the price they were in 2008. According to the International Energy Agency’s 2011 World Energy…

]]> burgessj@oilprice.com (James Burgess) Tue, 07 Feb 2012 18:27:30 GMT http://oilprice.com/Alternative-Energy/Solar-Energy/Is-a-Solar-Energy-Revolution-Just-Around-the-Corner.html Nuclear Fusion: The Power Source of the Future...the Far Off Future http://oilprice.com/Alternative-Energy/Nuclear-Power/Nuclear-Fusion-The-Power-Source-of-the-Future...the-Far-Off-Future.html Ah, fusion. Long promised, both on Do the Math and in real life, fusion is regarded as the ultimate power source—the holy grail—the “arrival” of the human species. Talk of fusion conjures visions of green fields and rainbows and bunny rabbits…and a unicorn too, I hear. But I strike too harsh a tone in my jest. Fusion is indeed a stunningly potent source of energy that falls firmly on the reality side of the science fiction divide—unlike unicorns. Indeed, fusion has been achieved (sub break-even) in the lab,…

]]> murphyt@oilprice.com (Tom Murphy) Wed, 01 Feb 2012 23:04:46 GMT http://oilprice.com/Alternative-Energy/Nuclear-Power/Nuclear-Fusion-The-Power-Source-of-the-Future...the-Far-Off-Future.html Forget Wind Turbines - a Completely New Type of Wind Farm is in Development http://oilprice.com/Alternative-Energy/Wind-Power/Forget-Wind-Turbines-a-Completely-New-Type-of-Wind-Farm-is-in-Development.html A design firm from New York, Atelier DNA, has developed a concept that uses cattail like stalks instead of traditional turbine blades for harnessing the power of wind. Planned for the city of Masdar, being built just outside of Abu Dhabi, the “Windstalk” project came in second in the Land Art Generator competition, generating renewable energy in an artistic way from a plethora of international submissions. Traditional wind turbines' biggest downfalls include noise pollution, inadvertent bird death trapping and general difficulties in…

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]]> energydigital@oilprice.com (Energy Digital) Wed, 01 Feb 2012 22:52:26 GMT http://oilprice.com/Alternative-Energy/Wind-Power/Forget-Wind-Turbines-a-Completely-New-Type-of-Wind-Farm-is-in-Development.html New Technique Discovered to Help Harvest Algae http://oilprice.com/Alternative-Energy/Biofuels/New-Technique-Discovered-to-Help-Harvest-Algae.html At the UKs Sheffield University (SU) a team led by Professor Will Zimmerman in the Department of Chemical and Process Engineering believes they have developed an inexpensive way of producing microbubbles that can float algae particles to the surface of the water, making harvesting easier, and saving biofuel-producing companies time and money. One of the cost of production problems that holds algae back as a major biomatter resource is an efficient cost-effective method of harvesting and removing the water from the algae for it to be processed.…

]]> james@pokemoncard.info (Brian Westenhaus) Wed, 01 Feb 2012 22:39:56 GMT http://oilprice.com/Alternative-Energy/Biofuels/New-Technique-Discovered-to-Help-Harvest-Algae.html Energy-Poor Albania Wants Nuclear Power Plant, Neighboring Montenegro Opposes http://oilprice.com/Alternative-Energy/Nuclear-Power/Energy-Poor-Albania-Wants-Nuclear-Power-Plant-Neighboring-Montenegro-Opposes.html The good news? According to Albanian Prime Minister Sali Berisha, Albania has postponed its intention to build a nuclear power plant (NPP) in the Shkoder region near Albania’s border with Montenegro, until all issues concerning its potential impact on the environment and territory are fully assessed. The city of Shkoder is located near a lake of the same name, whose waters are divided between Albania and Montenegro. On 26 January Berisha said after meeting with Montenegrin Prime Minister Igor Luksic, "Nuclear energy is the purest and cheapest,…

]]> admin@namecake.com (John Daly) Wed, 01 Feb 2012 21:12:56 GMT http://oilprice.com/Alternative-Energy/Nuclear-Power/Energy-Poor-Albania-Wants-Nuclear-Power-Plant-Neighboring-Montenegro-Opposes.html U.S. - China Energy Trade War Imminent? http://oilprice.com/Alternative-Energy/Wind-Power/U.S.-China-Energy-Trade-War-Imminent.html Washington loves free trade – if it produces a surplus for the U.S. In an election year, with a modest economic recovery underway, American politicians are trumpeting their credentials in saving and creating jobs and protectionism sentiment against foreign products is rising. And the number one target? China. Hardly surprising, as during the period January-November China’s surplus balance of trade with the U.S. reached $272 billion, almost 8 percent higher than that registered during the corresponding period in the…

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]]> admin@namecake.com (John Daly) Tue, 31 Jan 2012 23:40:18 GMT http://oilprice.com/Alternative-Energy/Wind-Power/U.S.-China-Energy-Trade-War-Imminent.html Hydrokinetic Power Could Grow to be a Big Player if it Passes its First Test http://oilprice.com/Alternative-Energy/Renewable-Energy/Hydrokinetic-Power-Could-Grow-to-be-a-Big-Player-if-it-Passes-its-First-Test.html Hydrokinetic power shows great promise for growth as it can be theoretically installed in both industrial waterways such as wastewater treatment and food processing plants, and natural water ways without disrupting natural flow. Hydrokinetic turbines are designed to be anchored in place in the waterway, and don’t require construction of a large dam to generate false water pressure, which reduces the huge costs in capital and carbon emissions. A company called Verdant Power has just been the first ever to win a commercial license for a hydrokinetic…

]]> burgessj@oilprice.com (James Burgess) Tue, 31 Jan 2012 23:18:30 GMT http://oilprice.com/Alternative-Energy/Renewable-Energy/Hydrokinetic-Power-Could-Grow-to-be-a-Big-Player-if-it-Passes-its-First-Test.html In 2011, Global Spending on Renewable Energy Rose 40 Percent http://oilprice.com/Alternative-Energy/Renewable-Energy/In-2011-Global-Spending-on-Renewable-Energy-Rose-40-Percent.html A global revolution is slowly transforming the world’s energy market, with traditional transnational fossil fuel conglomerates facing future changes that will transform their previously cozy environment, whether they like it or not. Renewable energy, starved from the outset of funding, a foundling left at the door of the world’s rising energy needs, has reached adolescence and has begun to attract investment from beyond the traditional hydrocarbon-based market dominant companies. Sez who? PricewaterhouseCoopers., a titan of Wall Street.…

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]]> admin@namecake.com (John Daly) Mon, 30 Jan 2012 23:43:03 GMT http://oilprice.com/Alternative-Energy/Renewable-Energy/In-2011-Global-Spending-on-Renewable-Energy-Rose-40-Percent.html The Dirty Truth: Some Biofuels are More Polluting than Fossil Fuels http://oilprice.com/Alternative-Energy/Biofuels/The-Dirty-Truth-Some-Biofuels-are-More-Polluting-than-Fossil-Fuels.html Biofuels are a clean, alternative energy that many are hoping will become the next source of liquid fuels for internal combustion engines; a clean substitute for polluting fossil fuels. The US is a huge supporter of biofuels, last year producing 1 billion gallons, and the EU has also stated its intentions for 10% of all transport fuel to be biofuel by 2020. Wait a minute though, new data obtained from a leak by the European Commission provides evidence that not all biofuels are clean. In fact some are more polluting than fossil fuels. The EU proposed…

]]> burgessj@oilprice.com (James Burgess) Sat, 28 Jan 2012 16:02:41 GMT http://oilprice.com/Alternative-Energy/Biofuels/The-Dirty-Truth-Some-Biofuels-are-More-Polluting-than-Fossil-Fuels.html Waste to Energy: A Great Source of Clean Energy - But is it the Correct Waste? http://oilprice.com/Alternative-Energy/Renewable-Energy/Waste-to-Energy-A-Great-Source-of-Clean-Energy-But-is-it-the-Correct-Waste.html Converting Waste-to-Energy, and in particular MSW, are hot topics throughout the global landscape. The conversion process, which consists of a number of physical and complex chemical steps, serves a much needed civic function that at the end of the day produces potentially carbon-neutral energy in the form of electrons or fuels such as diesel, ethanol, etc. Additionally, it furthers benefits the environment by reducing the amount of landfill disposed wastes and subsequent methane emissions. The contribution of methane emissions from landfills compared…

]]> stevensba@oilprice.com (Barry Stevens) Thu, 26 Jan 2012 23:34:50 GMT http://oilprice.com/Alternative-Energy/Renewable-Energy/Waste-to-Energy-A-Great-Source-of-Clean-Energy-But-is-it-the-Correct-Waste.html Does Engineered Material Herald a New Dawn for Nuclear Power? http://oilprice.com/Alternative-Energy/Nuclear-Power/Does-Engineered-Material-Herald-a-New-Dawn-for-Nuclear-Power.html Nuclear power has been getting a hard time of late and outside observers would be well in their rights to assume that this once lauded energy source is dying out as recent events have shown that the dangers outweigh the benefits. Japan is trying to pursue other energy sources, many European countries are gradually decommissioning their reactors, and the US is also letting their nuclear industry slip into decline in favour of alternative energies.But wait, maybe there is hope for the nuclear industry, after all we know it provides vast amounts of…

]]> burgessj@oilprice.com (James Burgess) Thu, 26 Jan 2012 23:25:07 GMT http://oilprice.com/Alternative-Energy/Nuclear-Power/Does-Engineered-Material-Herald-a-New-Dawn-for-Nuclear-Power.html Our Energy Future: Can the Ocean Provide for all our Energy Needs? http://oilprice.com/Alternative-Energy/Renewable-Energy/Our-Energy-Future-Can-the-Ocean-Provide-for-all-our-Energy-Needs.html With the exception of tidal energy, our focus thus far has been on land-based energy sources. Meanwhile, the ocean absorbs a prodigious fraction of the Sun’s incident energy, creating thermal gradients, currents, and waves whipped up by winds. Let’s put some scales on the energetics of these sources and see if we may turn to them for help. We’ve got our three boxes ready: abundant, potent, and niche (puny). Time to do some sorting! Thermal Gradients Wherever there is a thermal gradient, our eyes light up because we can create…

]]> murphyt@oilprice.com (Tom Murphy) Wed, 25 Jan 2012 23:49:19 GMT http://oilprice.com/Alternative-Energy/Renewable-Energy/Our-Energy-Future-Can-the-Ocean-Provide-for-all-our-Energy-Needs.html European Supergrid to Revolutionise Renewable Energy? http://oilprice.com/Alternative-Energy/Renewable-Energy/European-Supergrid-to-Revolutionise-Renewable-Energy.html Europe is the world leader in renewable energy generation, but as with all renewable energy sources they face the problem of reliability. One way of overcoming this limitation and ensuring that power supply will be constant is to have expensive, traditional, fossil-fuelled power stations to generate electricity whilst conditions are unfavourable for the renewable source; but this almost makes the whole investment in renewable power sources irrelevant. A better way of ensuring consistent power is to link several diverse sources of renewable energy…

]]> burgessj@oilprice.com (James Burgess) Wed, 25 Jan 2012 21:29:39 GMT http://oilprice.com/Alternative-Energy/Renewable-Energy/European-Supergrid-to-Revolutionise-Renewable-Energy.html Outrage over Dams Being Built as Part of India's Hydro Energy Scheme http://oilprice.com/Alternative-Energy/Hydroelectric/Outrage-over-Dams-Being-Built-as-Part-of-Indias-Hydro-Energy-Scheme.html In demonstrations barely reported in the media, peasants and students in the North-eastern Indian state of Assam are fighting together against a proposed gargantuan network of dams across the upper reaches of its rivers in Arunachal Pradesh, one of the world’s six most seismically active regions. The movement has gathered impressive momentum against a project that threatens devastating environmental, demographic and socio-economic impact. The anxiety and disquiet among the downstream dwellers created over the construction of mega dams in…

]]> opendemocracy@oilprice.com (Open Democracy) Tue, 24 Jan 2012 0:11:52 GMT http://oilprice.com/Alternative-Energy/Hydroelectric/Outrage-over-Dams-Being-Built-as-Part-of-Indias-Hydro-Energy-Scheme.html Using Ocean Temperature Differences to Create Renewable Energy http://oilprice.com/Alternative-Energy/Renewable-Energy/Using-Ocean-Temperature-Differences-to-Create-Renewable-Energy.html Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) is an idea for creating renewable energy by exploiting the difference in ocean temperatures between the surface and the seabed. The OTEC permit office first opened in 1981 as part of NOAA, America’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the marine counterpart to NASA. It was created after the oil price spike of the 1970’s when interest in alternative power sources rose. Oil prices eventually settled and as a result interest in the alternative power sources dwindled, so in 1994, just…

]]> burgessj@oilprice.com (James Burgess) Mon, 23 Jan 2012 1:38:34 GMT http://oilprice.com/Alternative-Energy/Renewable-Energy/Using-Ocean-Temperature-Differences-to-Create-Renewable-Energy.html Study Finds that Childhood Leukemia Rates Double Near Nuclear Power Stations http://oilprice.com/Alternative-Energy/Nuclear-Power/Study-Finds-that-Childhood-Leukemia-Rates-Double-Near-Nuclear-Power-Stations.html In a report certain to cause fear and loathing in the global nuclear industry, an eminent French research institute published a study in the International Journal of Cancer, which notes increased rates of leukemia in children living close to French nuclear power plants (NPPs.) How much greater? The study by the Institut National de la Sante et de la Recherche Medicale (French Institute of Health and Medical Research, or INSERM) found a leukemia rate twice as high among children under the age of 15 living within a 3.1-mile radius of France's…

]]> admin@namecake.com (John Daly) Thu, 19 Jan 2012 0:29:42 GMT http://oilprice.com/Alternative-Energy/Nuclear-Power/Study-Finds-that-Childhood-Leukemia-Rates-Double-Near-Nuclear-Power-Stations.html Sunny Dubai to Make Large Investment in Solar Power http://oilprice.com/Alternative-Energy/Solar-Energy/Sunny-Dubai-Going-Solar.html The Middle East has two things in abundance – oil and sunshine. Seeking to capitalize on the latter, Dubai’s Supreme Council of Energy has presented plans for the 1,000 megawatt Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park at the World Future Energy Summit. The cost? A mere $3.2 billion. Started in 2007, the World Future Energy Summit is being held in neighboring Abu Dhabi’s National Exhibition Center. Supreme Council of Energy Vice Chairman Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer said, “The Mohammed bin Rashid Al…

]]> admin@namecake.com (John Daly) Thu, 19 Jan 2012 0:23:49 GMT http://oilprice.com/Alternative-Energy/Solar-Energy/Sunny-Dubai-Going-Solar.html