Ernest Callenbach died a couple of weeks ago at the age of 83. You may not recognize his name, but his book, ‘Ecotopia’ was an extremely influential early novel of environmentalism. It has been translated into a dozen languages and has sold nearly a million copies since it was first self-published in 1975. I would have to say that I am the EcoGeek that I am because of Ernest Callenbach.
A group of eight major German and American automakers are teaming up to demonstrate a new single-port, fast-charging technology for electric vehicles at the Electric Vehicle Symposium 26 in Los Angeles. BMW, Ford, General Motors, Volkswagen, Audi, Chrysler, Mercedes-Benz parent Daimler and Porsche will all be showing off the system that can recharge a battery in as little as 15 minutes.
The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) has released a map that shows which states have the highest concentration of renewable power. The map compares 2001 to 2011 and displays the share of total net generation of non-hydro renewable energy for each state.
The Turanor PlanetSolar, the first completely solar-powered boat to go all the way round the world, will finish its journey tomorrow. The catamaran will pull into Hercule Harbor in Monaco, the place it started, after 19 months at sea.
A lot of emphasis is placed on batteries for electric vehicles, but fuel cells are another means of producing electricity that will get more attention as the technology develops further. Fuel cells offer efficient conversion of fuel to electricity. They also offer a way of combining electric drive with a system that can use portable fuels, and that may be able to overcome the “range anxiety” that is one of the obstacles to further acceptance of electric vehicles.
CoolNYC is a cooperative program being offered by Con Edison and ThinkEco which will provide up to 10,000 free thermostats and Modlet plug-in electrical outlet controllers to New York City residents to be used to monitor and control window air conditioning units. The hope is that controlling window AC units can help reduce peak electrical demand this summer.
Tidal power is one of the renewable energy sources that you hear the least about even though its potential for generating electricity is incredibly vast. The problem is that deploying turbines out into the ocean or rivers can prove to be awfully tricky. But one major project is moving full steam ahead and will be delivering power by this fall.
A group of entrepreneurs has announced the formation of a new company called Planetary Resources with the goal of collecting valuable, useful minerals from asteroids. “Planetary Resources hopes to go after the platinum-group metals — which include platinum, palladium, osmium, and iridium — highly valuable commodities used in medical devices, renewable energy products, catalytic converters, and potentially in automotive fuel cells.”
After teetering on the brink of extinction, Chrysler is continuing its rebound with the start of production this week for the new Dodge Dart. The Dart marks Chrysler’s return to the compact car segment. As other manufacturers have been doing, the Dart offers increasing efficiency through conventional improvements without relying on big technological changes like hybrids or electric drive.
GreanJobsinUSA: Supply Chain Sustainability (SCS) Manager – Dearborn, Michigan – Dearborn – Un… #jobs http://t.co/erjGpOOO