Articles Index
Sunny Side of the Street: Can Roads Be Used to Generate Solar Power?
Using road surfaces to generate clean solar power is an innovative idea being explored in both Europe and the United States. Experts believe that turning highways into solar collectors as well as transportation corridors could generate enough electricity to meet the energy needs of the entire world.
Thomas Edison: Champion of Renewable Energy
Thomas Edison may have invented those incandescent light bulbs everyone is replacing these days, but he was also a pioneer in the use of renewable energy and green technology.
Solar Cell Production Jumps 50 Percent in 2007
Production of photovoltaic solar cells jumped to 3,800 megawatts worldwide in 2007, up an estimated 50 percent over 2006. Growing by an impressive average of 48 percent each year since 2002, photovoltaic production has been doubling every two years, making it the world's fastest-growing energy source.
Let There Be Light: Solar-Powered LED Lamps Brighten Lives of Poor People
An experiment with low-cost, solar-powered light emitting diode (LED) lamps that is lighting up the lives of a handful of families in rural India could become a beacon of hope for millions of poor people worldwide who currently rely on kerosene lamps and other lighting solutions that are toxic--and frequently lethal--when used indoors.
Will Chocolate Fuel Your Next Car?
Combining chocolate with the right kind of bacteria produces hydrogen, a clean renewable energy that could be used with fuel cells to power vehicles or manufacturing processes, according to researchers at the University of Birmingham in the UK.
What is Wind Power and How Does It Work?
Wind Power. What is wind power, how does wind power work, and what are the pros and cons of wind power?
Solar Power: The Pros and Cons of Solar Power
The sun is a virtually endless source of clean, renewable energy, which should make solar power a logical alternative to finite fossil fuels that pollute the atmosphere and contribute to global warming. So why have scientists been unable to find a way to make solar power cost-effective enough for widespread use?
Green Power Partnership Grows to 600 Partners and 3 Billion KWh Annually
The Green Power Partnership is a voluntary partnership between the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and organizations that are interested in buying electricity generated from renewable sources. Between 2001 and 2005, the Green Power Partnership grew from 21 to 600 partner organizations that now buy more than 3 billion kilowatt hours of green power annually.
Global Investment in Renewable Energy Sets Record of $30 Billion
Global investment in renewable energy set a new record of $30 billion in 2004, according to a report released by the Renewable Energy Policy Network for the 21st Century (REN21). Technologies such as wind, solar, biomass, geothermal, and small hydro now provide about 4 percent of the world's total supply of electricity.
Solar Water Heaters: What are the Benefits?
Why solar water heaters are good for the environment, and how solar water heaters can save consumers money.
San Francisco Hopes to Turn Pet Feces Into Power
American dogs and cats produce 10 million tons of animal waste every year, and most of it ends up in landfills or ends up in the water table. San Francisco and several other cities in the Bay Area have set a goal to end their use of landfills by 2020, so they have started looking at the feasibility of turning pet feces into power instead of pollution.
Sweden Aims to be World's First Oil-free Nation
Sweden has set an ambitious goal to eliminate its dependency on oil by 2020. The nation of 9 million people has made a good start at becoming oil-free. Sweden is already less dependent on oil than other nations in the European Union and a world leader in the use of renewable energy.