Renewed interest in green investments in 2010

Some green in lithium-ion?

A new PricewaterhouseCoopers study finds that "energy-efficient technology for batteries, grids and power storage will draw more interest from companies and investors in 2011".

Still, the study seems to believe that the recovery in the green energy sector is recovering "slowly."

More on green investing.

Turning trash into clean, green cash: It's a gas?

Don't just burn it

Interesting piece on GreenTech covering some highlights of the AlwaysOn GoingGreen East
Conference. In particular, how can trash be cost-effectively turned into clean green energy?

Most companies heading down this path have failed thus far, however, new companies, such as Ze-Gen are focusing on various types of gasification and syngas as the way to reap some green by turning trash into clean energy.

Cap and trade the only way to fix US energy policy?

Have to manage CO2 to change US energy policy?

Google’s Eric Schmidt, Nissan-Renault’s Carlos Ghosn, Duke Energy’s Jim Rogers, and Intel’s Paul Otellini, and a number of other top CEO's, met at the WSJ CEO Council meeting in Washington regarding how President-Elect Barack Obama should frame his new energy policy.

According to the WSJ, they concluded "The federal government has to put a pricetag on emissions of greenhouse gases one way or the other in order to make the transition to a clean-energy economy work."

NYC's plan for wind power on skycrapers and bridges

Worth a New York City skyline facelift?

New York City's Mayor, Michael Bloomberg is proposing windmills for the city's buildings and bridges, turbines for local rivers, and solar power to make New York City the nation's cleanest and greenest cities. Already the plan is attracting dissent from those worried about harming New York's famous skyline.

I say its a great idea and a great way to embrace new architecturally beautiful wind power.

Is nuclear power green technology?

Is nuclear power a must?

I was watching CNBC yesterday and a couple of times throughout the day there were experts on nuclear power on the show. According to many of these experts, high energy costs have made citizens much more open to nuclear power. NIMBY has become YIMBY.

Now, aside from waste, nuclear power has become safe, clean and green. Still, nuclear waste is a huge issue. While nuclear advocates claim that nuclear waste can be handled safely, I beg to differ. Perhaps in wealthy countries, nuclear waste can be safely managed, but can nuclear power be safely handled in every country throughout the world?

Ultimately, if America moves aggressively forward with nuclear power, we have little standing to stop other countries from doing the same. Will poor countries be as concerned about safety, especially initially. Then there is security. After a few decades there will be tons of material throughout the world that would make perfect dirty bombs.

Yes, I concede many of the positive aspects of nuclear power, however, can nuclear waste really ever be fully secured?

Save Energy: Go green in your office

Is your office an energy hog?

For some great tips on how to green your office by increasing energy efficiency using some simple steps, check out this IBM paper on the subject.

Is your city creating incentives to go green

Is your city tired of waiting for the Feds?

"Frustrated by what they see as insufficient action by state and federal government, municipalities around the country are offering financial incentives to get people to go green," states an AP article on Yahoo. Thus, many of these municipalities are offering their own incentives such as "Free hybrid-car parking. Cash rebates for installing solar panels. Low-interest loans for energy-saving home renovations. Money to tear up desert lawns and replace them with drought-resistant landscaping."

Not surprisingly progressive cities, such as San Francisco and Berkeley are leading the way, but many small cities, such as Parkland, Florida are also following suit.

How about your town or city?

Can Google make renewable energy affordable?

Plug-in hybrids, renewable energy and the X-Prize

Google is quite an interesting company. First the company created a project to fund plug-in hybrid vehicles, then it joined the X-Prize and the private space race. Now Google wants to make renewable energy sources, especially solar, wind and geothermal, as cost-effective as coal as soon as possible.

Google (NASDAQ: GOOG) today announced a new strategic initiative to develop electricity from renewable energy sources that will be cheaper than electricity produced from coal. The newly created initiative, known as RE-C, will focus initially on advanced solar thermal power, wind power technologies, enhanced geothermal systems and other potential breakthrough technologies. RE-C is hiring engineers and energy experts to lead its research and development work, which will begin with a significant effort on solar thermal technology, and will also investigate enhanced geothermal systems and other areas. In 2008, Google expects to spend tens of millions on research and development and related investments in renewable energy. As part of its capital planning process, the company also anticipates investing hundreds of millions of dollars in breakthrough renewable energy projects which generate positive returns.

Drink beer, fuel your car?

Brewing waste could power fuel cells?

Soon, brewing waste from Foster's Brewing Company in Australia will be creating clean energy, and while it probably won't ever be used in cars, it could be used to create electricity and clean water.

"Brewery waste water is a particularly good source because it is very biodegradable ... and is highly concentrated, which does help in improving the performance of the cell," Keller said.