Green Energy // Current

Montreal is finally walking the green talk!

Montreal's eco-bike system BIXI made it in the top 50 Best inventions 2008 by Time Magazine!

alternativechanneltv
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Buy your own nuclear plant to power your home

Imagine powering your home with a mini nuclear plant. Imagine that's it's not just a pipe dream. Scientists at Los... more

synclaire
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Interview with Christopher J. Collins Gold winner of the 2008 Holcim Awards North America

Interview with Christopher J. Collins Gold winner of the 2008 Holcim Awards North America. Chris Collins, Executive Director, won... more

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New hybrid material dramatically improves solar technology

" Ohio State University chemists have created a new material that could revolutionise photovoltaic solar panels. ... more

EddieStarr
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Artificial trees capture solar and wind energy

"A London-based startup called Solar Botanic announced yesterday that it has designed lifelike artificial plants and trees... more

EddieStarr
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ABC Refused to Air We Campaign Ad.

[This is a letter I recently received from the We Campaign] Did you notice the ads after last night's presidential debate?... more

hack26
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Bill Clinton being clear about green energy and the upwards spiral that the economy can experience

it is clear now that Al Gore has transcended the thickest of lines when the representative of the republicans accepts that... more

lfm
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Solar Balloons

"In the seemingly never-ending quest to find alternative energy sources, the wackiest of our nation's scientific minds... more

EddieStarr
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Top ten cheap eco-friendly cars

This article first appeared on SmartPlanet, the new green consumer reviews and news website

starr111
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Consumer test - home energy monitors

Energy monitors don't directly save you energy - but they should help you work out where you're wasting it around the... more

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Nature's free energy

A ground loop made up of lengths of pipe is buried in the ground – either in a deep borehole or a long trench. The pipe will... more

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China to become world's largest investor in green energy - Telegraph

China is on the verge of becoming the world's largest investor in green energy as it struggles to reverse the catastrophic... more

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Living Rainforest Exhibit Goes Green - California Academy of Sciences - Popular Mechanics

Amazonian trees and plants in the California Academy of Sciences' new "Living Rainforest" exhibit are... more

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Micro Hydro Turbines and Systems – Rediscovering Water and Hydro Power

From the front, the old brick mill in Middlebury, Vt., looks like any of the other quaint buildings lining the town’s main street. But inside, through yawning gaps in a patchwork floor of long, narrow planks, the gray-green waters of Otter Creek can be seen churning toward a 23-ft. waterfall. Anchored to a stone bridge above the river, the building once had a mill wheel that drove wool-processing equipment; later, a penstock carried water to a turbine, generating electricity for the town’s streetlights.

For the past 42 years, the power of the river has gone untapped—the turbine is long since dismantled—and Middlebury’s electricity now comes from the grid. The only sign of the penstock, the pipe that funneled water to the powerhouse, is a crumbling concrete frame, and the sluice gate that controlled the river diversion is missing its metal plate. Local resident Anders Holm plans to change that.

An ear, nose and throat specialist who grew up in town, Holm was born a few years after the hydropower system was retired. His father purchased the mill in the 1980s and rented it out as commercial space. But changing times—particularly the events of Sept. 11, 2001—convinced Holm to reduce his dependence on foreign oil. He covered his home with solar panels. Then he and his brother, Erik, decided to restore both the mill and the hydropower.

“Our original plan was to make power for our own property,” Holm says. “We didn’t intend to sell it. But then we realized the enormous power potential and knew we had to do more.” Unlike the old system, the new one will take advantage of every inch of head—the water pressure exerted by gravity—and will use a modern 1-megawatt turbine. Under ideal conditions, it will generate enough electricity for about 1000 homes, or most of downtown Middlebury.

Of course, reviving aging infrastructure is no small task. Holm, who recently built a mahogany deck at his home using only hand tools, didn’t shy away from the challenge. Instead he took two months off from his surgical practice to work on the project full-time. His first task: Reduce the flow of the river under the building’s northwest corner to a mere gurgle so that the foundation could be repaired. From the front, the old brick mill in Middlebury, Vt., looks like any of the other quaint buildings lining the town’s main... more