Is U.S. Biofuel Production Going to Double in the Next Decade?

This is an article published recently in oilprice.com & ensustainabilityconsulting.com, it talks about the increase of U.S biofuel production. Here is an excerpt of the article:

Biofuel production is now receiving substantial attention from the executive branch of the federal government. Shortly before his inauguration in January 2008 President-elect Obama promised to invest $150 billion over the next decade to develop biofuels, plug-in hybrid vehicles, renewable energy production and a skilled work force for clean technologies.
Obama has now made clean energy a centerpiece of his administration's policy - during his State of the Union address on 25 January he said, "This is our generation's Sputnik moment.

To enjoy more of this article, go here

Featured Green Provider-Power One Inc.

Today, we are looking at a company called Power One Inc., the world's second manufacturer of solar power inverters. Power-One as stated on its website is one of only a few companies with the product breadth to support every step in the refinement of utility-grade AC into the various DC voltages required to power high-availability infrastructure systems at the site, system, and semiconductor levels. Its products range from solar and wind inverters, DC-AC converters, AC-DC converters to network power systems. For more information.

Energy Storage: A way to Renewable Energy Sustainability

A new bill being promoted in California legislature requiring utilities to develop programs for energy storage systems is a way forward to enhancing renewable energy sustainability. Energy storage will further enhance the distribution of  renewable energy to a larger population and increase its usage. To read more click here http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2010/09/extending-performance-energy-storage-takes-on-the-variability-conundrum?cmpid=rss

The video below gives a  brief description of the benefits of  an energy storage system (courtesy MIT news office):

Giant Stride In Solar Innovation

Researchers in Queens University Canada have been able to develop a mini inverter that converts solar energy to a form that can be used at home or sold to the national grid. This means that it would soon be possible to plug a panel directly into a wall socket to generate power. To know more, read this : http://www.ckwstv.com/index.cfm?page=news&id=3294

This new innovation is a  huge step  in promoting sustainability and affordability of green products.

Sustainabilty equals Affordability

Renewable energy must be affordable to the consumer if it is to be categorized as sustainable as promoted on the Environment Sustainability Consulting website. An article of interest I found very relevant to this ideology is 'Home Solar made cheaper & easier'. You can read it here
http://green.yahoo.com/blog/care2/67/home-solar-made-cheaper-and-easier.html

Home solar made cheaper and easier

via (title unknown) by Jake Richardson on 8/27/10

(Image Credit: Jeremy Levine Design)
Homeowners looking to switch to solar power can skip the expensive installation and instead use their existing electrical outlet. The home solar kit is designed to be placed as a sunshade over a large window that gets a lot of sun, and faces south.
The product, called Sunfish was created by Clarian Technologies. It generates 1,000 watts of power, enough to run a refrigerator. A smaller version generates 200 watts or enough to power lights within a home using energy efficient bulbs.
In 2011, the cost of the 1,000 watt system will be about $4,000, but it was reported that by 2012, that cost could come down to $3,000. Clarian's website says installing the Sunfish requires 6-8 hours, and it weighs 200 pounds.

It is estimated that after four years, the money saved from energy use would cover the cost of the product. After that, it could save several hundred dollars per year.
Another benefit is that having a home solar power system could cause the owners to pay more attention to their energy consumption and reduce it. Energy monitoring and targeting has been studied and observed to reduce consumption by about five percent.
The Sunfish system has a wireless data transmitter so it can send the energy output information to Google Powermeter, which you can view on a Web browser. Google Powermeter is used to analyze energy consumption to look for potential energy reduction, and cost cutting.


More from Care2:

• Chakra Helper: Solar Plexus
• Passive Solar Design
• Beans Used to Make Solar Panel Component

7 AMAZING RECYCLING BUILDING MATERIALS

 

Are you considering building a house that is green and eco-friendly? Then you may want to look at the following list of amazing recycling building materials which can be used to build an Eco-house. These items can be reclaimed from recycling centers for an amount of money or for free depending on what part of the world you live in.

The list of recycling building materials is endless and these are a few of items I find very useful to anyone who wishes to build 'green' in the 21^st century. Before you search for any recycling building material, it is advised that you have a plan and budget for all the things you might need before starting any project. Firstly, you can ask your local waste/recycling companies for access to any item. This will help provide you with information on free recycled items and those that can be purchased. If you live in a rural area, you can look around for old barn woods etc. You can also Google the words 'recycled materials' to get more information on where and how to get the recycling materials you will need in your local vicinity. In Ontario, Canada for instance you can get used building materials from recycling companies that specialize in reclaiming such items. There are many recycling centers out there.

Below is a list of 7 Amazing Recycling Building Materials:

1. USED STEEL: Steel can be melted down and reshaped into any desired structure in building construction.

2. SCRAP METALS: Like steel, various types of scrap metals can be reshaped again for a different purpose.

3. LUMBER/PLYWOOD: Lumber/plywood that is free of insect infestation and in good condition can be reused again to build houses, furniture etc.

4. USED PAVING STONES : Paving stones reclaimed from a demolition site can be reused again for landscaping somewhere else.

5. STAINED WINDOWS: Stained windows in good condition such as the ones found in old churches can be reclaimed and reused again in the building of a new home to give it character.

6. ANTIQUE FURNITURE: Over the years, antique furniture has become very popular and very valuable as they tend to increase in value over time if preserved properly. They can be reupholstered, painted or polished to give them a face lift. They add personality and charm to a new home where the owners are looking for the old world charm in a new building.

7. OLD PLASTICS: Old plastics can be melted down and reshaped to create various structures such as deck, fences etc.

There are many more recycled materials out there that can be reused again for building construction purposes. The seven items I have listed are some of the ones that are easy to find and affordable for those truly interested in these items.

Sustainability equals Durability

Have you ever bought anything that did not last for more than a few days? If yes, then I am sure you can relate to what I am saying here. I am a strong advocate of durability; no matter the item it should have a reasonable useful life to the extent that you can say that you got your money’s worth on the item. It does not matter if it was worth $1 or $1 million, it should have a certain level of durability which is measured by the satisfaction one gets from using the item.
Recently, I bought a pack of 6 pan sponges. The first sponge I used to scrub my pots and pans did not last more than 2 days before I had to throw it away and use another one. All other sponges in the pack had the same fate. I ended up using 5 sponges in 3days! Though the sponges did not cost me more that a dollar. It was not worth the money to me. Quality control is an important aspect of durability and should never be over looked in the manufacturing process of items. For the customer, value for money is a relative term and varies according to the level of satisfaction he or she gets from an item.
For me, the purchase of the sponges changed my perception and I concluded that cheap or affordability does not necessarily mean durability or sustainability. Sometimes, we may need to buy things a little more expensive to get good value for money. As you search, always look out for ‘durability’ and not ‘cheap’ items.
For any thing to be termed ‘sustainable’ it has to meet both criteria of being both affordable and durable. Read more articles on sustainability. Please leave comments of your personal experiences and your own idea of sustainability.