A company is looking to extract electric power from trees. The company, MagCap Engineering, is actually quite credible, especially if you look at their list of pervious clients which includes British Aerospace.
The engineering company “expects to find investors to help pay for the research needed to figure a way to increase the tree power from less than 2 volts to 12 volts sometime this year, creating an alternative to fossil fuels.” Early “prototypes” are going to be functioning late in 2006.
I’m sure everyone is aware of the amazing properties of algae. Prepare to gain newfound respect for our small flora, they could be the next biodiesel crops. Fed a generous helping of CO2-laden emissions, lets say ……. courtesy of a power plant’s exhaust stack, the algae cleans the exhaust and grows at phenominal rates. After the CO2 is soaked up like a sponge, the algae is harvested daily. From that harvest, a combustible vegetable oil is squeezed out i.e. biodiesel for automobiles. Additionally the exhaust contains 40 percent less CO2 (a larger cut than the Kyoto treaty mandates) and another bonus, 86 percent less nitrous oxides. What a little workhorse.
Creater, Berzin of MIT calculates the biodiesel crop potential at 15,000 gallons per acre. To put that in perspective soybeans (currently the major source of biodiesel fuels) produce just 60 gallons per acre. Berzin isnt alone in the algae-to-oil race. Competiator (yes people compete over this stuff) Greenshift Corporation, a Mount Arlington, N.J., technology incubator company, licensed CO2-gobbling algae technology that uses a screen-like algal filter. It was developed by David Bayless, a researcher at Ohio University. One can only hope more competing algae will result in good things.
The Guardian has reported that a few British companies have signed contracts to help build some environmentally friendly cities in China.
From the article “The eco-cities are regarded both as a prototype for urban living in over-populated and polluted environments and as a magnet for investment funds into the rapidly growing Chinese economy.”
It is arguable, and I suppose ironic, that the way that the Chinese government is structured that makes initiatives like this feasible, unlike in many Western nations. The article was also published before the recent oil spill, but the oil spill has sparked demands for more environmental action (thanks, Emily!).
For more information on the technical aspects of the first sustainable city check out the press release from Arup. This is a huge step in the right direction for China (which is notorious for poor environmental protection) and further places China in an international lead when it comes to environmentally friendly societies.
The frog from Bullfrog power, which I am quickly assured has no praticular relevance to renewable energy, has quite a lot to boast about nowadays becoming the first 100% green electricity retailer in Ontario. Electricity consumers, including 100 businesses and homeowners that have already switched, pay a higher rate of 8.3 cents per KWH (Ontario rates are 5.0 cents per KWH) on their electricity to ensure their electricity comes from EcoLogo Certified energy sources. Monies collected go towards fostering increased renewable energy development in Ontario such as small hydro, wind, landfill gas, biomass and solar, minimizing green house gas emmissions from coal fired generation.
Other parts of Canada and many other countries already have green power purchase programs in place. To name a short list: Scottland, France, Australia, British Columbia (Canada) and Europe. Programs such as Power to Change contributing to forest creation and stewardship to eliminate all green house gas emmissions resultant from human activites.
The Supreme Court of Canada has thrown out a case that would have challenged the right of municipalities to ban pesticides in their communities.
A pesticide producer tried to challenge legislation passed in Toronto that banned the use of pesticides. This is a major step in Canada since the issue of spraying nature with chemicals as been for the most part ignored. The court’s decision means that wary municipalities can now ban pesticides without fear of a lawsuit.