It’s well known that the race is on to create viable sources of alternative-energy and a serious player in this sphere is the U.S. military.
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) – the Defense Dept. agency that helped invent the Internet – is setting its sights on cleantech by trying to change how both the [...]
The term “smart grid” is one that is increasingly gaining attention in today’s media. Consortiuminfo.org recently posted a great article by Andrew Updegrove on smart grid technology, which can be deployed as a means to turn the existing energy system into an interactive, two-way energy network that recruits users to create electricity from alternative energy [...]
It’s not a big surprise that some U.S. cities are way ahead in policies to reduce carbon emissions. In 2005, with federal funding for green initiatives virtually non-existent, mayors of cities including Boston, San Francisco, and Seattle got together to create the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement – a statement that their cities would reach [...]
In an important step forward for the Obama administration’s energy agenda, tighter standards for tailpipe emissions from new automobiles will be proposed today, establishing the first nationwide regulation for greenhouse gases. The new standards will also raise fuel efficiency targets to 35.5 miles per gallon for new passenger vehicles and light trucks by 2016 (the [...]
With so much else going on, it’s easy to overlook how much the Obama administration has done to support greentech in its first 100 days in office. The president’s proposed budget includes grants for clean power, tax credits for solar, wind, geothermal and energy efficiency programs, smart grid funding, weatherization programs and a new tax [...]
A little more than a month after his task force told him it would take a year to get a proposed high-risk, $415 million clean energy research program up and running, Energy Secretary Steven Chu is proceeding with plans to launch the so-called Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy, or ARPA-E, in half a year or less.
ARPA-E, [...]
No doubt in recognition of Earth Day, InfoWorld today released its annual Green 15 list, which recognizes sustainable IT efforts from organizations in every industry that reduce costs and help improve the bottom line. There are big and small names on the list, which runs the gamut from Aramark, GlaxoSmithKline and Intel, to Niagara Catholic [...]
There’s no denying that green tech has become sort of a buzzword in the industry, but beyond the millions of great ideas, is the reality of turning those ideas into successful business ventures. To address this and the various other issues surrounding the economic implications of clean-energy policies, Van Jones, special adviser for green jobs, [...]
As the concept of environmental responsibility reaches a critical mass, the venture capital community appears to be following suit. According to findings from the Venture Capital Association, clean technology emerged as the fastest growing area for venture capital investment last year. The 54% rise to $4.1 billion in clean technology investment towers over the $444 [...]
Many green-supporters are urging President Barack Obama to pursue a “green revolution” with big investments in renewable energy. This has the potential to open new markets and create millions of “green-collar” jobs. But is there a downside to this investment?
One short coming of the green revolution argument is that it doesn’t realistically take efficiency into [...]