Thin-film solar is attractive for a number of reasons; from the fact that it is more environmentally friendly to produce, to the low cost of manufacturing these much lighter weight and less bulky cousins of the traditional solar panel. But only the fittest are surviving in this niche market of highly sophisticated technology and constant…
Nothing new under the sun? Potrzebie! These biofuels feedstocks set records for ingenuity, sheer craziness and a liberal dose of “what, me worry?“Most of the stories we write on the subject of biofuels feedstocks fall into the well-established realms of normal. But every once in a while, a feedstock emerges that is so compellingly bizarre…
As the United States continues through the interminable process that will end with the national elections in November, the continued poor state of the economy is playing an increasing part in the debate over the likely outcome. What seems to have slipped from the discussion, however, is the contribution that energy costs are making in…
Last year, the Japanese government announced the creation of a national feed-in tariff (FiT) for solar, joining Germany and China in creating robust public policy to drive deployment of renewable energy. The program is set to launch on July 1, 2012 and solar is regarded as one of the brightest spots in the Japanese recovery…
In 2009 the Japanese government signed a pledge to cut their carbon emissions by 25 percent by 2020, however following the disaster at Fukushima in 2011 and the subsequent collapse of public confidence in nuclear power, this target may have to be abandoned. Nuclear power plants used to provide a large portion of Japanese electricity,…
Since 2005 the global capacity of installed wind power has quadrupled, due to a variety of factors such as improved technology, large scale investment, and incentive programs designed to encourage industry growth.According to the Worldwatch Institute, in 2011 the global installed capacity increased by 21 percent on the previous year, with China alone accounting for…