Here’s a fabulous video that makes an important point: we consumers are on the receiving end of a steady stream of lies about the products we’re buying.  This particular segment exposes one specific form of this: the word “natural” has no real meaning in our language; our Food and Drug Administration does not object to food manufacturers, with their heavily processed products grown in chemical fertilizers and sprayed with poisons, advertising their products as “natural.”  They’re counting on the fact that consumers will conflate “natural” with “organic,” and they’re right most of the time. (more…)

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The failure to achieve clean energy in the U.S is not because it lacks technology and innovation but because it lacks the idea of implementing the technology. We should focus on laying a strong foundation and going forward to build a smarter electricity system in which the consumer and producer have two-way communication to achieve the required results. (more…)

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Product dewatering is the process of removing elements of liquid and water from waste materials, which can include sludge, slurry, sewage, industrial waste, water sources and others, according to an article by Wikipedia.org. Considering that Americans use billions of gallons of water each day, and also considering that newer and more stringent environmental standards are in place to prevent sewage dumping in oceans, dewatering has never been more important than it is today. (more…)

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On Wednesday, 10 mayors from 10 different U.S. cities pledged to reduce the greenhouse-gas emissions currently polluting their skylines. For obvious reasons, cities are a major source of carbon-dioxide pollution, due to the high, concentrated amounts of fuel necessary for heating, cooling and lighting. (more…)

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The recent announcements around energy price increases has reminded us all that fuel poverty is a very real concern for UK consumers. The government’s recent Public Attitudes Tracker poll showed 48% of people in the UK are now worried about paying their energy bills and this figure is likely to increase as this winter’s bills arrive in the post.

The choice between heating or eating has become a harsh reality for many households and businesses are also suffering as their profit margins are squeezed by spiralling energy overheads. Energy bills have risen by almost 37% since 2010 and this upward curve shows no sign of easing. (more…)

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As I’ve written here once or twice before, it’s unconscionable that the U.S. doesn’t have an energy policy.  What’s the matter with picking a direction and heading that way?

Apparently, the Japanese province of Fukushima has done exactly that, prompted, I presume, by the 2011 nuclear disaster.  The target?  Become 100% renewable by 2040. The goal, i.e., weaning the region off fossil fuels over the next 26 years, was announced this week at Fukushima’s Community Power Conference.

People seldom achieve more than what they set out to, which is why it’s so important to have goals.  No decent person could possibly object to this great nation declaring its intention to migrate away from fossil fuels over the coming few decades.

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Readers will note the new “ESPAÑOL” tab on our navigation here.  I believe this is the best way to offer the Spanish translations of many of the pages that 2GreenEnergy supporter Alejandro Manrique is cranking out.  Muy bien, Alejandro.  Gracias.  

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Over the last few months, I’ve been speaking with Olivier Goavec, a bright young French engineering student.  He’s currently living in Alkmaar, just south of Amsterdam in The Netherlands, which I mention only so I can link to photography that shows how incredibly beautiful the town is. 

Olivier will be researching and writing on the many red-hot developments in renewable energy in Europe.  (more…)

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Guest blogger Cameron Atwood sent me this graph showing the increase in the use of solar and wind energy from 2005 to 2012.  Impressive stuff.  Here in the U.S., our grid-mix is currently comprised of more than 4% wind and about 1% solar – both of which are rising steadily. 

Of course, due to the variable nature of these resources, we’ll eventually need a significant amount of energy storage, whether it’s in the form of advanced batteries, compressed air, hydrogen, ammonia, synthetic fuels, flywheels, pumped hydro, advanced rail, etc.  Insofar as this subject is bound to become important, our list of clean energy investment opportunities contemplate several of these various forms of energy storage.  

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Frequent commenter Brian McGowan comments on my post on the Solar Wind Energy Tower (pictured top) , “I don’t know how feasible it is but I can tell you I have a Popular Science magazine from the early ’70s somewhere in my basement with this exact idea in it and maybe even on the cover.”

Thanks, Brian.  Maybe we should infer something from the fact that, here we are, 40 years later, and we still don’t have one built.  Again, if this turns out to be a cost-effective idea, I’ll ride my bicycle out to the desert to see it.

I’m reminded of a guy who called me a few years ago who thought he would provide power to his house by attaching a generator to his attic heat vent turbine (pictured below). “I hope you live a Spartan life,” I told him. “For that to work, you’ll have no heating, cooling, or appliances – and very little lighting.”

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