A round-up of recent Green Tech stories from CNet:
Where the clean-tech jogs are
General unemployment may be on the rise, but the clean-tech sector should be a bright spot for job seekers, according to a report released Thursday by Clean Edge research.
Solar-charging backpacks set for hike to market
G24 Innovations has shipped its first flexible solar panels, which are destined for the outside of backpacks and other bags, the company said Wednesday.
Who will pay for the electric 'gas' stations?
With electric vehicles, you could probably do away with stopping at fueling stations entirely, as the majority of your fueling, or battery charging, will be done overnight while plugged in at home or during the day while parked at the office. But because it is conceivable that not every trip will be within the battery range of your vehicle, the mere presence of public charging stations for electric vehicles could help alleviate "range anxiety," or the concern that with an electric vehicle, you will be stranded when your battery dies.
Solar village begins to bloom on National Mall
WASHINGTON--After nearly two years of preparation, teams of architecture and engineering students will soon open the doors on a cluster of 20 solar-powered homes on the National Mall.
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Showing posts with label cnet. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cnet. Show all posts
Monday, October 19, 2009
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Green Tech News
A round-up of recent Green Tech stories from CNet's Green Tech Blog:
IBM plunges into the 'smart grid for water'
Even as billions of dollars are being spent around the world to modernize the electricity grid, the systems to delivery fresh water are also in desperate need of a 21st century upgrade.
New school year brings 'Green IT' college degree
Because of financial and environmental concerns, more data center operators are taking steps to cut energy use, such as consolidating server workloads and upgrading cooling systems. Companies such as IBM, HP, and IT consulting companies have practices in designing facilities to be more efficient.
Home appliances to get Cash for Clunkers-like rebate
Now that you've dumped your gas-guzzling pick-up, maybe it's time to move that old fridge from the garage.
USB solar panels charge cell phones on the go
If you plan on walking through the desert with a cell phone anytime soon, you might want to check in with Sanyo before you leave.
IBM plunges into the 'smart grid for water'
Even as billions of dollars are being spent around the world to modernize the electricity grid, the systems to delivery fresh water are also in desperate need of a 21st century upgrade.
New school year brings 'Green IT' college degree
Because of financial and environmental concerns, more data center operators are taking steps to cut energy use, such as consolidating server workloads and upgrading cooling systems. Companies such as IBM, HP, and IT consulting companies have practices in designing facilities to be more efficient.
Home appliances to get Cash for Clunkers-like rebate
Now that you've dumped your gas-guzzling pick-up, maybe it's time to move that old fridge from the garage.
USB solar panels charge cell phones on the go
If you plan on walking through the desert with a cell phone anytime soon, you might want to check in with Sanyo before you leave.
Monday, July 27, 2009
Passively Green
This green home will heat itself
"The Passive House approach is very techie, which I think is its Achilles Heel--it appeals to geeks but not the layman, the lay builder," Hare said standing in the half-finished home last month. "We can prove we can do this without hiring consultants and using software to do the energy modeling. We'll just use precedent and established rules of thumb."
Passive House
By achieving the Passivhaus standards, qualified buildings are able to dispense with conventional heating systems. While this is an underlying objective of the Passivhaus standard, some type of heating will still be required and most Passivhaus buildings do include a system to provide supplemental space heating. This is normally distributed through the low-volume heat recovery ventilation system that is required to maintain air quality, rather than by a conventional hydronic or high-volume forced-air heating system, as described in the space heating section below.
Passive Solar House Designs - Pictures
A collection of images of Passive Houses.
"The Passive House approach is very techie, which I think is its Achilles Heel--it appeals to geeks but not the layman, the lay builder," Hare said standing in the half-finished home last month. "We can prove we can do this without hiring consultants and using software to do the energy modeling. We'll just use precedent and established rules of thumb."
Passive House
By achieving the Passivhaus standards, qualified buildings are able to dispense with conventional heating systems. While this is an underlying objective of the Passivhaus standard, some type of heating will still be required and most Passivhaus buildings do include a system to provide supplemental space heating. This is normally distributed through the low-volume heat recovery ventilation system that is required to maintain air quality, rather than by a conventional hydronic or high-volume forced-air heating system, as described in the space heating section below.
Passive Solar House Designs - Pictures
A collection of images of Passive Houses.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Green Tech News From CNet
A round-up of some recent Green Tech articles on CNet:
Transparent plastic solar cells fitted into windows
"It is energy-efficient and transparent with superior vertical performance and a subtle red, blue or green aesthetic. With these features, BIPV (building-integrated photovoltaics) will no longer need to be confined to spandrel or overhead applications," Arch CEO Leon Silverstein said in a statement.
Green news harvest: IM for air conditioners
Talk about convergence of energy, communications and IT: EnerNoc is using an instant-messaging protocol to update the energy consumption status of building equipment.
Possible smog solution: Air-powered motorcycle
Sure, it only goes 11 mph now, but as a proof-of-concept vehicle it's pretty cool. I could imagine a smaller vehicle (bike? moped?) with the same gear that could go much faster as a final product, if it gets that far.
Q&A: What really goes into that carbon footprint?
Without widespread standards, companies are struggling with how to properly calculate and disclose their carbon footprint to the public. And many don't have the financial resources to address environmental resource concerns.
Transparent plastic solar cells fitted into windows
"It is energy-efficient and transparent with superior vertical performance and a subtle red, blue or green aesthetic. With these features, BIPV (building-integrated photovoltaics) will no longer need to be confined to spandrel or overhead applications," Arch CEO Leon Silverstein said in a statement.
Green news harvest: IM for air conditioners
Talk about convergence of energy, communications and IT: EnerNoc is using an instant-messaging protocol to update the energy consumption status of building equipment.
Possible smog solution: Air-powered motorcycle
Sure, it only goes 11 mph now, but as a proof-of-concept vehicle it's pretty cool. I could imagine a smaller vehicle (bike? moped?) with the same gear that could go much faster as a final product, if it gets that far.
Q&A: What really goes into that carbon footprint?
Without widespread standards, companies are struggling with how to properly calculate and disclose their carbon footprint to the public. And many don't have the financial resources to address environmental resource concerns.
Monday, April 20, 2009
Energy Smackdown
My Year As A Green-Living Beta Tester
Almost a year ago, I signed my household up for the Energy Smackdown, a combination of a community-outreach program, contest, and cable TV show.
Teams from three neighboring Boston-area cities were formed and competed to lower their energy use. About 60 households measured their energy use every month, along with how many miles they drove, flew, and how much trash they generated.
Almost a year ago, I signed my household up for the Energy Smackdown, a combination of a community-outreach program, contest, and cable TV show.
Teams from three neighboring Boston-area cities were formed and competed to lower their energy use. About 60 households measured their energy use every month, along with how many miles they drove, flew, and how much trash they generated.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Green Retrofits
To 'green' the world's buildings, think retrofits
Because of the wide variety of climates, there need to be different techniques for making homes efficient, said Rosenbaum. He sees a very high demand for green technology home products and much more skilled labor in this field.
Green Retrofit Checklist
Financing green buildings and retrofits
To wit: with today's technology, we know how to make new buildings net energy generators, and we know how to retrofit existing buildings to reduce their energy consumption by well over 50%, in some cases 90-95%. We just need someone to pay for it.
Because of the wide variety of climates, there need to be different techniques for making homes efficient, said Rosenbaum. He sees a very high demand for green technology home products and much more skilled labor in this field.
Green Retrofit Checklist
Financing green buildings and retrofits
To wit: with today's technology, we know how to make new buildings net energy generators, and we know how to retrofit existing buildings to reduce their energy consumption by well over 50%, in some cases 90-95%. We just need someone to pay for it.
Saturday, March 7, 2009
CNet Special Report On Green Tech, Day Three
Day Three:
Making solar cheaper than coal
Typical polysilicon solar cells--the most common cell material--convert about 15 percent of the sunlight that hits them into electricity. Sachs' work has focused on boosting that efficiency closer to 20 percent by trapping more light and by reducing electricity loss in the wires. The trick, though, is to get that efficiency with manufacturing techniques that don't add cost.
Making solar cheaper than coal
Typical polysilicon solar cells--the most common cell material--convert about 15 percent of the sunlight that hits them into electricity. Sachs' work has focused on boosting that efficiency closer to 20 percent by trapping more light and by reducing electricity loss in the wires. The trick, though, is to get that efficiency with manufacturing techniques that don't add cost.
Thursday, March 5, 2009
CNet Special Report On Green Tech, Day Two
Day Two:
They got their green-tech bill. So now what?
"There still are people in Congress who think of this as some sort of phantom-technology or vaporware or Internet boom, based on products that don't exist," Reed said. "They don't understand that we're talking about real companies with real products and real jobs. It's very simple for me because I am just looking at my backyard, at companies and their products."
They got their green-tech bill. So now what?
"There still are people in Congress who think of this as some sort of phantom-technology or vaporware or Internet boom, based on products that don't exist," Reed said. "They don't understand that we're talking about real companies with real products and real jobs. It's very simple for me because I am just looking at my backyard, at companies and their products."
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
CNet Special Report On Green Tech, Day One
Starting today, CNet is running a three-day special report on green tech.
Day One:
In search of the Google of green tech
"Utilities are really in a great position to build large-scale projects," said Katherine Potter, communications vice president at Ausra. "You need to walk before you can run, but the technology is there."
Day One:
In search of the Google of green tech
"Utilities are really in a great position to build large-scale projects," said Katherine Potter, communications vice president at Ausra. "You need to walk before you can run, but the technology is there."
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