Retail giant Wal-Mart has been pulled up yet again and has found itself in troubled waters with the Los Angeles and San Francisco municipalities. The company was recently slapped with a total of $110 million US federal and state fines and has pleaded guilty to criminal charges of mishandling hazardous waste as well as pesticides!
Google has stepped on the green road and is busy making its way towards a more environmentally-responsible future. The company has recently stepped behind the wheel of Makani Power, a United States-based company that generates energy from wind turbines hooked on to tethered kites. The company is now part of Google X, the research and development wing of Google that has been known to keep its operations hushed up.
The use of solar energy is indeed catching on quickly and all of this is evident from the increase in business of the solar-power industry. Manufacturers of solar power technology have been enjoying a booming business, particularly in the United States, where more and more individuals and organizations are turning towards the use of solar energy to power up homes, offices, institutions and factories. As per reports by the Solar Foundation, the solar power industry employs more than 119,000 in the United States!
The city of Venice seems to have realized that its water ways are slowly though surely turning polluted and could soon become nothing more than thick sludge. So, to keep away the pollution, the city has banned motor boats and any form of polluting transport through its waterways, with a hope that cleaner and more energy-efficient and eco-friendly means of transport will be used. This could indeed include electric boats and hand-powered vessels that require oars or pedals.
It’s best to inculcate habits in people when they’re young. Teaching the new generation the cons of fossil fuels and the pros of renewable energy is the need of the hour. What we’ve got here is a fuel cell-powered toy car that teaches kids the awesomeness of having a vehicle this clean. Called the H-ROVER or the H2GO, the toy is light, eco-friendly and is recyclable.
While most of the countries around the world are realizing the true potential of clean and green energy, a few countries are struggling to keep up, including the economic superpower, India. The country is one of the most populated in the world and to keep the lives of its people powered up, the nation continues to resort to coal-fired power plants. However, this has led to the deaths of nearly 120,000 people a year, says a report by Greenpeace!
Citizens in Beijing, China, have been suffering rising air pollution levels and in an attempt to keep their lungs safe from the pollutants, a few people have resorted to somewhat innovative yet amusing ways. Recently, this Chinese man was spotted with a padded bra strapped across his face. A make-shift face mask, this pink color bra seems to have worked its charm on the wearer.
NRG Energy Inc has unveiled a solar photovoltaic installation at the new NRG Playground. Taking centre stage at the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Charter School for Science and Technology in New Orleans, the installation is intended to enhance the learning experience for children studying at the school. It includes 397 solar panels, which can generate 112 kilowatts of power – around 1/3 of the school’s energy needs. On the fun and functional side, it also has drinking fountains, an irrigation system, prisms and ‘inspirational sayings’ for teachers and students.
Artificial photosynthesis has been on our minds for some time now. We first reported developments in this area back in 2008. Now, Panasonic is working on an artificial photosynthesis system which works on a level with real plants used for biomass energy. It works exactly like natural photosynthesis, using sunlight to make oxygen and water and CO2 to make organic materials. The materials produced artificially can also be manipulated to suit different needs. In the future, Panasonic plans to build artificial photosynthesis plants to absorb CO2 emitted by whole factories.
Three floating research labs are being powered by concentrated solar power (CSP) in an effort to discover whether CSP on water could be a viable energy source. Each lab has 100 panels, which always face the sun, as the anchored labs can revolve to face it. The watery location also means that solar energy captivation is maximized. Plus, all parts can be recycled after the 25 year life expectancy has passed. Swiss energy company Viteos is investing over $108 million in the project in the hope that more than 80 million kilowatt hours if energy will be produced by CSP on water in the next decade.