Here comes more dour empirical data.

Ongoing deforestation in countries such as Brazil, Indonesia and Malaysia has been further linked to the rising demand for biofuels, according to speakers at a recent meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS):

“If reduced U.S. soybean production results in a parallel increase in Brazilian soybean production, a potential net release of 1,800 to 9,100 Tg (trillion grams) of CO2-equivalents of greenhouse gas emissions due to land-use change is possible,” [Michael Coe of Woods Hole Research Center in Massachusetts] wrote in a summary of his talk. That is equivalent to more than 9 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide.

Let’s just hope someone has that cellulosic biofuel breakthrough we’re all hoping for.

Image: Wikimedia Commons

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If good things come in small packages, then a $70,000 small-business grant from the U.S. EPA could rock the fast food world.  The pea sized grant will go to develop a low cost pollution control retrofit for commercial underfired charbroilers like the one at your local burger joint.  Innova Tech, the company that won the grant, is developing an energy efficient system that combines a filter, vapor condenser, and continuous grease removal system.  If the technology proves successful, it could provide a key to reducing the impact of commercial cookeries on rapid glacier melt.

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As an alternative energy innovation junkie I used to get my climate cooling news from scouring the web, but recently made a green job transfer into California’s very innovation-driven alternative energy industry and have been on such a very steep learning curve (for me) that I got out of that reading loop a bit.

But I am learning how to estimate and design solar systems, so now I get emailed inside news as it breaks from within the solar industry:

On Monday, February 9th 2009, the California Solar Incentive program received 11 Megawatts worth of Non-Residential Reservation Requests for installations from California businesses. This is the highest MW total in one day that PG&E has seen in the rebates it administers for the CSI program.

This is not just Movave Desert type of massive utility-scale installations like PG&E and other utilities are doing - because these are not in the rebate program.

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We often write about the many ways to cut your utility bills and carbon footprints. From Energy Star appliances to low-flow showerheads to new efficient lightbulbs, there’s a project for every budget and skill level.
These types of projects, though, are at the end of the efficiency pipeline. This means that if your heating/cooling system, electricity [...]

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Editors Note: This is a guest post by San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom. See his last post for us on EV charging stations on Gas 2.0.

Today, San Francisco took a meaningful step toward turning the promise of renewable ocean energy into reality. We submitted a preliminary permit application to the federal government to develop a wave power project off our coast that we believe can generate between 10 to 30 megawatts of energy, with potential of up to 100 megawatts. When this project is fully operational, upwards of 100 jobs could be created in San Francisco.

Ocean power is a true “game changer” in the area of renewable energy. When wave and tidal power technologies reach commercial scale, they are expected to be able to provide thousands of megawatts of power to our coastal communities, dramatically green our energy portfolios and create thousands of new American jobs. In San Francisco, we’ve been doing our part to spur these technologies by aggressively advancing tidal and wave power pilot projects.  We are 100% committed to this challenge.

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I had the chance to take a look at a Coolerado air-conditioning unit this past August at the West Coast Green Conference. At the time, the company was showing off an energy-efficient model that uses thermodynamics to cool outside air without chemical refrigerants.

Now Coolerado has added another element to its air conditioners: solar power. According to Coolerado, any solar contractor can easily work with installers in the company’s network to add solar photovoltaic systems to air conditioning units. A demonstration solar-powered Coolerado air-conditioner is on display now at RETECH 2009 in Las Vegas.

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If you’re in Tokyo tomorrow, make sure to check out Sony’s exhibit at the FC EXPO 2009. The company will display the newest version of its hybrid fuel cell, which contains a Li-on battery and a methanol fuel cell.

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Considering our country’s current economic woes, it stands to reason that most of us are cutting back on our discretionary spending - in layman’s terms, we’re buying less stuff.  And though we’ve been told that buying more stuff supports our economy, it doesn’t necessarily support our environment.
That’s why it’s more important than ever to make [...]

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Many of us are accustomed to watching TV on high-quality plasma and LCD screens, but we pay a severe price in energy inefficiency. Toshiba has come up with a solution to our energy woes: flexible OLED paper that doubles as a TV screen.

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There are few companies on earth that have a better-known consumer brand than Starbucks. We’ve always hoped that they would use this brand power to take a strong leadership role in promoting sustainability. After all, Starbucks literally depends on the health of the earth for the quality of its products! Starbucks has embraced green practices in [...]

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