Thin Film Solar Panels Are Here
The newest eurostat report on energy production and usage in Europe shows that renewable energy production increased 8.3% and coal consumption dropped 16.3% last year. In total, renewable energy accounted for 18.4% of energy production and coal accounted for 9.6%.
As I reported earlier this year, the European Union (EU) is expected to exceed its target of producing 20% of its energy from renewable energy sources by 2020. These figures are a clear sign that they are on that path.
As the reporter from Mail Online, where I first ran across this news, says, this new, little, pedal-powered yellow submarine looks like something out of a James Bond film. It also makes me think of those big water bicycles you can pay $10 or something to use on touristy beaches (i.e. in Florida, where I grew up).
This yellow pedal-powered submarine is nicknamed “the Scubster.” The propellers on the sides that make the submarine go are connected to a pedal belt. The submarine can reportedly go “8km an hour (5mph) if its pilot is in good shape, and can reach depths of 6 metres (20 ft).”
The French government announced a huge investment package for renewable energy last week, totaling €1.35 billion ($173 billion). The money is to be invested over the next 4 years.
The French government announced a huge investment package for renewable energy last week, totaling €1.35 billion ($1.73 billion). The money is to be invested over the next 4 years.
A new study out of the Stockholm Environment Institute at the University of York reports on “a significant breakthrough in climate change policy by showing how to make drastic cuts in carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from transport.”
Beyond the matter-of-fact carbon emissions reductions it finds possible, it also doesn’t neglect to discuss how the identified transportation changes would make life less stressful, quieter, and healthier, among other things.
It is well-known that transportation is one of the leading causes of global warming. And NASA has actually found that automobiles are the largest net contributor to climate change. Thus, cutting transportation emissions means a big cut in total global warming emissions.
I’ve reported on Cleantechnica before about the great financial savings of using mass transit, and the latest analysis out by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) shows that the average American transit rider saves $9,381 a year by leaving their car at home. But, something I have not written about much on here are the health benefits of riding transit.
There are big advantages to riding transit when it comes to our health. I notice this without any studies telling me so, but it is always nice to see some information that backs up our intuitions or experiential knowledge. Luckily, a new study out by APTA does just that.
Christopher DeMorro on our sister site, Gas2.org, just wrote a story on a new high-speed train China is planning that is expected to go 1,000 KMH! Say what? Yes, that is fast.
As DeMorro writes, “The latest plan from the People’s Republic calls for a high speed train that will combine the maglev system used in Japan and France with vacuum tubes. In theory, this train will be able to go 1,000 kph, or about 620 mph. That is twice as fast as most high speed trains travel today.”
The world’s largest tidal turbine was unveiled last week in Invergordon, Scotland. The AK1000, as it is called, developed by Atlantis Resources Corporation, will be installed on the sea bed and connected to the grid later this summer.
Using more buses, trains, and other forms of mass transit is a great way to address global climate change, air pollution, water pollution, and traffic congestion.
In the US, there is a quite a mass transit stigma, unfortunately. But there are a lot of efforts at making mass transit more comfortable, more attractive, and even sexy. From high-speed rail to modern streetcar systems to bus rapid transit to wi-fi on transit, there are a lot of cool things going on.
One more way to encourage more mass transit and facilitate its use is by creating super sweet and useful transit centers. San Francisco is on the road (or, we might change that phrase to “on a train”) to creating just such a transit center. Its upcoming Transbay Transit Center will perhaps be the sexiest transit center in the nation.
I just reported on new findings out by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory showing that feed-in tariffs (FITs) are responsible for 3/4 of total solar PV in the world. The UK is the latest country to implement a major FIT program and expectations for solar energy growth as a result of this program are big.
The UK’s leading solar energy firm, SolarCentury, reported yesterday that the number of people employed in its company and its partner network of 11 certified solar panel installers nearly doubled in the last 6 months due to the launching of this FIT program — from 200 at the start of the year to 350 today.
Furthermore, it expects this number to rise to 500 by the beginning of next year.