Smart Water

A standalone desalinator needs 17 gallons of diesel fuel and 66.5 kilowatts of
electricity to make 1,000 gallons of freshwater, but now, the Solar Cube, (made
by Spectra Watermakers in California), churns out 1,500 gallons of drinking water
on just 22 kilowatts of its own solar and wind power. The innovation is a pump
that triples efficiency by recapturing hydraulic pressure during the filtering
process. Solar Cubes are now bringing freshwater to remote regions and places
short on infrastructure and electricity without paying the CO2 price – way cool. (more…)

Home Wind Systems are Selling well in spite of a soft US economy.  Wind Energy 7 is
helping homeowners to build and install wind/solar hybrid systems.  They have complete
kits of matching components starting at $2450 and going up to whatever size project a
customer needs. The best selling is the smaller rooftop mounted turbines that connect
with a solar panel to give clean reliable power.

Rooftop wind turbine and solar hybrid

The cycles of heavy wind season in winter, heavy solar season in summer go hand in
hand with their hybrid wind/solar systems.

Wherever wind resources are available, a solar system should have a wind turbine to
supplement it.   Wind blows more at night, sun is stronger by day. Wind is stronger
in winter seasons, sun is stronger in summer seasons. Our systems have more balance
than a straight wind or solar system. By combining wind/solar as a hybrid system,
their charging capability is more steady and consistant.

Wind Energy 7 designs, develop, and fabricate wind/solar hybrid energy products
that they sell online.  Customers have found the kits to be easy to deploy and
understand.

I know this is still expensive for most folks but it is a start with the right (more…)

My friend, Jennifer Sinclair over at TheLuxurEco has been doing some
research on bamboo used for fabrics. This is her story.

There has been a lot of talk about the eco-friendly nature of bamboo fiber.  I’ve
told everyone who reads my blog about this incredible fabric. It has amazing characteristics,
like softness, absorbency, fast drying, and anti-bacterial.

These are all great things, right?

Well, I have to tell you that not all bamboo towels and robes are created equal. (more…)

Now here is something that can be used today and not spend a kaboodle of
money to get it implemented!

GreenSmith launches Backup Battery for Grid

December 5, 2008 – Exclusive By Emma Ritch, Cleantech Group
Washington D.C.-based GreenSmith Energy Management Systems unveiled technology it says
can solve the peak demand problems of U.S. utilities.

CEO Rodney Smith said the company has designed a battery control and management system
that, when paired with lithium ion battery GreenSmith acquired from a manufacturer
overseas, can store 20 kilowatt-hours at a time and provide between 3,000 and 4,000
full-discharge cycles.

The idea is that utilities could charge the battery when it’s cheaper to produce energy,
such as in the middle of the night, and could discharge that energy onto the grid when
it’s most expensive to produce power. (more…)

Energy efficiency boom leads 9 clean technology predictions for 2009

SHANGHAI, China, December 4th, 2008 – Continuing an annual tradition, the Cleantech
Group™, founders of the cleantech investment category and providers of leading global
market research and financial services for the cleantech ecosystem, today issued nine
predictions for clean technology markets in 2009, forecasting progress in some sectors,
but delays and setbacks in others.

A reflection of undercurrents in the global clean technology category from the company’s
conversations with industry and government leadership worldwide, the nine predictions
include a global focus on energy efficiency as a job creation and economic engine, and an
increase in valuations of global wind companies. (more…)

There are some myths running around out there that need to be clarified
with some reasons why they are just that ….  Myths!

Myth 1 – Replacing windows is a good investment.

New windows will take 20 to 30 years to pay for themselves. Replacing
single-pane windows with double-pane low-e windows will save energy and money.
In a house with 20 windows, you will save $17 per window in energy cost each
year. It will take you almost 24 years to recoup the cost of windows that cost
$400.00 each. A more economical option: storm windows, starting at around $30, (more…)

Mariah Power, the manufacturer of the Windspire®, a residential and commercial wind power appliance, was recognized in “Best of What’s New” in the green tech category by Popular Science in its December 2008 issue.

Windspire turbine

The Windspire is a 30-foot tall, propeller-free, vertical-axis wind turbine designed for harnessing wind power in urban, suburban and rural locations for both residential and commercial use. Each year, Popular Science reviews thousands of new products and innovations and chooses the top 100 winners across 11 categories for inclusion in its annual “Best of What’s New” issue, the best-read issue of the year. To win, a product or technology must represent a significant step forward in its category.

This award comes on the heels of the company’s announcement of its first volume manufacturing facility in Michigan that will be up and running next year, and the first multi-unit commercial installation of six Windspires at Devon Bank the first “green bank” in the Chicago, Illinois area. (more…)