June 2008 Blog Posts (11)

VW rolls out a Plug-In Diesel Hybrid

Volkswagen’s been toying with hybrids for awhile and got electric-vehicle advocates in a lather over the diesel-electric Golf it unveiled a few months ago. Now the company’s promising a plug-in hybrid by 2010 and the German government’s written a big check to make it happen.

VW boss Martin Winterkorn says gas and diesel engines will be around for a long time to come, but “the future… Continue

Added by Eideard on June 29, 2008 at 8:11am — No Comments

Abandoned farmlands are another key to sustainable bioenergy

Pongamia plantation photo from Tree Oils India Ltd.

Biofuels can be a sustainable part of the world’s energy future, especially if bioenergy agriculture is developed on currently abandoned or degraded agricultural lands. Using these lands for energy crops, instead of converting existing croplands or… Continue

Added by Eideard on June 26, 2008 at 10:00am — 1 Comment

Solar Cell investments to reach parity with semiconductor industry

Worldwide investments in the production of Photovoltaic (PV) cells will rise to the same level as those for semiconductor manufacturing by 2010, due to booming demand for solar energy, according to iSuppli Corp.

Global production of PV cells is expected to rise to as much as 12 Gigawatts (GW) by 2010, up from 3.5GW in 2007. By 2010, as many as 400 production lines in… Continue

Added by Eideard on June 24, 2008 at 9:22am — No Comments

Smart Mayor - Smart Car

WASHINGTON, DC - Mayor Adrian M. Fenty is the new owner of a fuel-sipping Smart Car.

The European style two-seater made famous by high gas prices and celebrities like George Clooney arrived Thursday at the District of Columbia’s city hall. The 1,800-pound car gets 33 miles per gallon in the city and 41 miles per gallon on the highway.

Fenty, who routinely drives… Continue

Added by Eideard on June 23, 2008 at 10:36am — No Comments

New Zealand to turn off old light bulbs

New Zealand will ban traditional light bulbs in favor of energy-saving alternatives in 2009, says Energy Minister David Parker.

He said the move would cut lighting energy consumption by 20 percent by 2015 and save up to $376 million by 2020.

“It is intended that from late next year, these inefficient incandescent bulbs will be phased out… Continue

Added by Eideard on June 19, 2008 at 8:16am — 2 Comments

Sugar-based ethanol stateside - finally

The American ethanol industry, the world’s largest, is about to get a little sweeter. Louisiana Green Fuels (LGF), an international investment group, says it is on schedule to open up the first commercial sucrose-to-ethanol plant in America. LGF, which is 80 percent owned by Inverandino, a Colombian business group, tells Earth2Tech it plans to have four ethanol… Continue

Added by Eideard on June 12, 2008 at 6:34am — No Comments

U.S. gasoline above $4 a gallon for first time

The U.S. average price for a gallon of regular gasoline topped $4 for the first time, a survey issued today by the travel group AAA showed.

AAA’s survey showed a national average price of $4.005 per gallon, up from $3.67 a month ago and $3.10 a year ago.

Average national gasoline prices had stabilized last week before Thursday and Friday’s spike of U.S. crude oil… Continue

Added by Eideard on June 9, 2008 at 9:00am — No Comments

$$$

I used to feel like a good job, education, and nice car were the keys to the door of happiness. A good job is what brings in the money...I'm really starting to disgust that word. Education keeps the mind fit yes, learning new things is just as good as any physical activity, A nice car, or one that makes you happy is certainly the main goal of many young Americans my age. So what's wrong? Everything...

Money, it's everywhere running everything. One needs 25 cents just to take a piss is some… Continue

Added by Gabe Paras on June 7, 2008 at 10:43pm — 2 Comments

Discovery starts ‘green’ cable channel

Can the environment make for entertaining TV? Discovery Communications is about to find out.

Today, in the United States, Discovery introduces Planet Green, a new cable brand promoted as the first 24-hour channel dedicated to eco-friendly living. It is the highest-profile cable channel introduction of the year, and an equally risky one. By wrapping itself in the planet,… Continue

Added by Eideard on June 4, 2008 at 10:54am — No Comments

Power bills soaring? Turn off the Playstation!

Don’t blame the fridge for your steep power bills — an Australian consumer agency study has found that videogame consoles and plasma flat-screen TVs are major electricity guzzlers, even when left on stand-by.

The recent study by Choice said Sony Corp’s Playstation 3, closely followed by Microsoft’s Xbox 360 and plasma television sets, consumed the most… Continue

Added by Eideard on June 4, 2008 at 7:46am — No Comments

Do caregivers know enough about household chemicals?

An important segment of the environment is that which is built to house and protect us. Often, it contains deadly chemicals we use to clean and preserve the structure.

According to a new study, knowledge of potentially toxic household substances among primary caregivers for young children is alarmingly poor. The results show that less than… Continue

Added by Eideard on June 1, 2008 at 7:36am — No Comments