2009-05-10 05:59
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A futures-focused blog where energy meets industry, design and society.
2009-05-07 18:20
The Art Center of Pasadena has released video highlights from its recent Summit: Expanding the Vision of Sustainable Mobility held in March 2009. There are a number of energy related v… Read More
2009-05-05 01:32
Creating devices that can manipulate and interact with light (photons) is not an easy feat, but the potential pay off is tremendous as we consider the wide-reaching applications of nano-phot… Read More
2009-05-03 21:31
NPR has released a fantastic interactive map of the US Electrical Grid as part of its Series - Power Hungry: Re-Envisioning Electricity in the US. The tool looks at grid connection poi… Read More
2009-04-29 18:49
60 Minutes recently aired a program on the future of coal power featuring Duke Energy CEO Jim Rogers (an advocate of longer term 'Cathedral Thinking' carbon reduction) and leading climate sc… Read More
2009-04-28 00:55
The Obama Administration is following through on a major campaign promise: funding basic energy science.
Do you want Hope? (Or maybe long term optimism!)
Stop looking for 'short term'… Read More
Northeastern Researchers Use Coated Nanotubes To Improve Splitting Of Water Into Hydrogen And Oxygen
2009-04-26 01:46
Researchers from Northeastern University and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have improved the efficiency of clustered nanotubes used in solar cells to produce h… Read More
2009-04-19 16:39
The Future of Energy will be based on our ability to elegantly control the interactions of light, carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and metals. And for all our engineering prowress of extract… Read More
2009-04-16 21:18
US Energy Secretary Steven Chu has announced $41 million to support the 'immediate deployment of nearly 1,000 fuel cell systems for emergency backup power and material handling applications… Read More
2009-04-14 15:43
The Future of Algae has been a hot topic among energy and cleantech bloggers, but it is still way off the radar of mainstream media. This Wall Street Journal video looks at one of the… Read More
2009-04-12 18:43
MIT's Biomolecular Materials Group has advanced a technique of using 'genetically engineered viruses that first coat themselves with iron phosphate, then grab hold of carbon nanotubes to cre… Read More
2009-04-07 21:30
GM & Segway are hoping to commercialize a new category of smart micro-vehicles for urban environments by 2012 (See previous post). I love the application of Segway software, but am… Read More
2009-04-07 17:34
General Motors and Segway unveiled a new type of small electric motor vehicle with advanced software that could shift how we look at mobility as a service.
In an effort to appeal to digitall… Read More
2009-04-07 02:53
By Ami Sampat
$3.2 million dollars budgeted by the Obama administration as a part of the economic stimulus package is close to hitting your neighborhood. The Energy Efficiency and Conservati… Read More
2009-04-06 00:50
Scientists at the University of Liverpool and Durham University have developed a new carbon nanotube material that might evolve as a room temperature superconductor used to transmit electri… Read More
2009-04-04 01:28
The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Chinese car maker SAIC is planning to use lithium ion battery technology from promising startup A123 Systems of Watertown, MA.
This is not game-chan… Read More
2009-03-30 19:58
Coal is the world's fastest growing source of energy, and at the center of the debate over advancing our efforts to reduce CO2 emissions even as we attempt to meet the demands of a global d… Read More
2009-03-27 22:33
Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology have developed a unique super-'hydrophobic' (water repelling) surface coating that 'boosts the light absorption of silicon photovoltaic cel… Read More
2009-03-27 01:37
Reasearchers at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI) have developed an innovative method for assessing the metabolism of biofuel producing bacteria, that cou… Read More
2009-03-26 23:30
Canada is starting to flex its muscle as a major player in the world of energy around non-conventional hydrocarbon resources.
This week, Suncor, the number two producer of tar sands, wil… Read More
2009-03-23 12:55
Metals, like platinum, palladium and nickel, play a key role as catatysts that change the quality of reactions of gases like carbon, hydrogen and oxygen.
Designing catalysts at the nanoscal… Read More
2009-03-18 04:22
Decades ago IBM earned the nickname 'Big Blue' for the color of its corporate logo and mainframes (*), but maybe it was really a sneak peak at its role in digitizing Planet Earth?
Ther… Read More
2009-03-18 02:21
Can you get 1 billion people to turn off their lights at the same time?* Maybe.
It's a powerful idea that seems to be gaining momentum city by city. The World Wildlife Fund is asking i… Read More
2009-03-15 09:18
Rethinking the Problem: Think Small, not BigOur current 'crisis' around energy and climate change has less to do with our relationship with the Planet, than it does our relationship with mo… Read More
2009-03-14 21:54
Johnson Controls continues to make itself one of the most relevant 'green' companies of the future. But it might have to spend some serious cash on educating consumers if it expects a… Read More
2009-03-13 04:13
Human beings have mastered the brute-force era of ‘energy by engineering’ where we’ve pulled stored energy from the Earth locked up as coal, oil and natural gas. B… Read More
2009-03-10 19:28
Charlie Rose recently hosted a conversation [35 min.] with United States Secretary of Energy Steven Chu. The conversation covered a wide spectrum of ideas being explored from the 'low… Read More
2009-03-10 18:25
Next generation energy storage solutions (e.g. batteries, fuel cells, capacitors) continue to gain attention from investors and energy forecasters who see significant growth ahead beyond typ… Read More
2009-03-09 05:23
Environmental and Energy advocacy group Bellona has released an interactive tool for understanding geo-engineering based CO2 capture and storage (CCS) technology designed to reduce power pla… Read More
2009-03-08 01:29
All over the web, new 'green-themed' eco blogs are sprouting up like mushrooms with low impact solutions for affluent consumers.
So many new sites and products, yet there is no way to 'buy'… Read More
2009-03-06 23:02
By Ami Sampat
The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy recently announced that the city of Nagpur, Maharashtra will become the country's first solar city by the year 2012. Nagpur will… Read More
2009-03-06 21:34
The future of building cars based on the combustion engine does not look bright!
While auto giants like GM & Toyota continue to stumble their way into the future, companies based in Chi… Read More
2009-03-05 18:41
Planet Earth is about to get its own version of the Web!
Cisco Systems is partnering with NASA to create a massive online collaborative global monitoring platform called the "Planetary Skin"… Read More
2009-03-04 10:33
Titanium 'Nanostructures' - Electrons & Hydrogen Boston College researchers have demonstrated a novel titanium nanostructure with expanded surface area for greater efficiency in t… Read More
2009-03-04 09:50
By Joel GreenbergThe Obama administration recently announced their proposed budget with an interesting nuclear wrinkle: they are no longer funding Yucca Mountain, the underground repos… Read More
2009-03-03 02:53
VIASPACE's fuel cell subsidiary Direct Methanol Fuel Cell Corporation (DMFCC) will deliver disposable methanol fuel cartridges to Samsung for integration into portable electronics like note… Read More
2009-03-03 00:21
[Ok, this is a snarky post, but I'm leaving it up. It seems reasonable to assume that CNN would have a Producer, Writer or Intern make a stronger connection between 'hydrocarbons' like… Read More
2009-03-01 23:49
Researchers from RIKEN’s Harima Institute have designed a unique version of a high surface area material known as Metal Organic Frameworks (MOFs). Their version of these… Read More
2009-02-28 22:36
Vision: Skateboard = 21st Platform for MobilityLast week, GM announced $30.9 billion loses in 2008, yet it hasn't lost its 'Autonomy' vision of re-engineering how cars are built via modular… Read More
2009-02-27 06:55
Sony product managers must be loving the blogosphere buzz around its demonstration of three unique fuel cell products at Japan's 5th Annual Hydrogen and Fuel cell Expo.
Geek.com has a… Read More
2009-02-25 21:47
The vision of 'Green Chemisty' is to create the basic components used in making materials, energy, food and pharmaceuticals using sustainable practices, often without the use of petroleum b… Read More
2009-02-25 03:15
Bioenergy startup Bionavitas [Video] has unveiled a new lighting system, designed for both open pond and closed bioreactors, that the company believes could make algae-based biofuels price c… Read More
2009-02-23 21:08
The future where buildings integrate energy generation systems like 'thin film' solar rooftops might be closer than you think.
Instead of designing expensive, bulky and ugly gla… Read More
2009-02-23 02:56
[Note: Sadly, this is a Production chart focused on alternative 'decline rates', and does not include Global Demand forecasts. Only know that there is a gap in any scenario!]
The upsi… Read More
2009-02-21 22:29
Researchers from Northwestern University have developed a new class of ‘honeycomb’ gas separation materials to purify hydrogen rich mixtures like methane (natural gas) for… Read More
2009-02-21 05:39
England, the Birthplace of Coal Power and the Industrial Revolution, will now build Europe's first advanced coal power generation plant based on a gasification process that should provide 9… Read More
2009-02-20 22:47
While the world stumbles through this economic recession, China is not sleeping, it is spending.
Its future success depends on very old world thinking about power and economic growth.
The w… Read More
2009-02-19 20:17
BP has announced a 50-50 joint venture with Verenium to develop and commercialize cellulosic ethanol from non-food feedstocks.
The companies have committed $45 million in funding and assets… Read More
2009-02-19 04:32
Efficiency is widely considered the 'low hanging fruit' for improving the energy sector.
And while it is tempting to seek out gains via some mass market consumer push with hybrids and new li… Read More
2009-02-19 03:19
Fortune may favor those who see carbon as a resource for making things, and not the demise of human civilization.
Carbon Sciences (Santa Barbara, CA) is another company focused on 'gro… Read More
2009-02-18 19:34
One of the great efficiency opportunities for the next century is based on the convergence of information and energy flows. The notion of a 'smart grid' is a more reliable and efficient ener… Read More
2009-02-18 01:33
The Clinton Foundation has announced a plan to help the City of Los Angeles retrofit 140,000 street lamps with more efficient white-light LEDs that offer longer lifetime, lower energy use an… Read More
2009-02-17 19:27
Researchers at US Los Alamos National Laboratory (LLNL) have confirmed a unique energy phenomena known as 'carrier multiplication' via nanoscale sized semiconductor crystals that could impr… Read More
2009-02-16 21:11
Oil Supply Crunch aheadThe world's leading authority on oil markets is warning that these days of cheap ($40 barrel) oil are just a mirage and that the world is likely to experience 'an oi… Read More
2009-02-14 00:00
The most disruptive energy technologies of the 21st century might not exist today. They must be imagined and built.
Researchers are still working to evolve the basic science and applied eng… Read More
2009-02-13 19:20
President Obama is close to naming the ‘Car Czar’ who will oversee a large portion of the federal auto loans and consult on the looming transformation of the US auto industry. L… Read More
2009-02-12 20:13
Our economy grows because it captures stored energy released from the chemical bonds in fossil fuels formed by ancient plants and microbes that became coal and oil.
Our power plants produce… Read More
2009-02-12 03:54
Bioenergy visionaries with algae and bacteria aren't the only players in town trying to corner the market on the 'future of biofuels'. We cannot forget the Chemists.
Biofuels are exp… Read More
2009-02-11 20:29
A joint study by Sandia National Laboratories and General Motors speculates that non-food crop resources (with help from corn) 'could sustainably replace nearly a third of US gasoline use b… Read More
2009-02-11 00:33
The Brookings Institute has released a report: "Energy Discovery-Innovation Institutes:A Step Towards America's Energy Sustainability"[PDF] that proposes a new structure for innovation arou… Read More
2009-02-11 00:33
2009-02-10 22:09
Becoming 'energy efficient' goes far beyond changing light bulbs. Our greatest gains will come from moving beyond today's 'combustion' energy systems that burn fuels in large power pl… Read More
2009-02-09 21:52
I see efforts to improve combustion engines as trying to 'build a better buggy whip' in an era of 'diminishing returns' on mechanical heat engine innovations.
The problem is not their effici… Read More
2009-02-09 19:24
What we don't know about the fundamental science of energy systems might actually help us! The problem is that most people assume we already know everything, and that we are running ou… Read More
2009-02-05 22:24
The Takeaway's Host John Hockenberry interviews the CEO of Sentilla and explores the huge opportunity around the convergence of energy and information. The era of 'smarter energy' syst… Read More
2009-02-05 18:41
Reducing the amount of water needed to grow crops and prevent massive desertification could dramatically reduce the need for energy used in producing fertilizers, irrigation and desalination… Read More
2009-02-04 23:51
By Ami Sampat
In his last days of office, Bush and his administration proposed a lighting efficiency policy which would help save energy and money. The Obama administration must now look ove… Read More
2009-02-04 22:52
MIT Technology Review has a great post on the use of (bee) 'swarm' inspired algorithms to reduce energy consumption of networked appliances like air conditioners, computers and heating syst… Read More
2009-02-04 22:03
Do you want to be the Toyota or GM of the 21st century?
Don't worry about how you 'fuel' the car, rethink how you build cars.
Forget about trying to build an electric propulsion SUV. … Read More
3M Forms Renewable Energy Divison To Evolve Cleantech Materials For Energy Generation And Management
2009-02-03 23:28
The case for investing in a 'New Energy Economy' was just validated by one of the world's leading material solutions companies.
3M has announced the formal creation of its new Renewable Ener… Read More
2009-02-03 20:33
Algae bioenergy is based on a powerful idea that is still just off the radar of mainstream conversations on the future of energy. We can 'grow energy' by tapping 'carbon eating' algae… Read More
2009-02-02 19:21
Thin film solar is a low cost alternative to traditional glass based solar panels. 'Thin film' photovoltaic cells can be inkjet printed onto plastic sheets via a 'roll to roll' machin… Read More
2009-02-02 18:47
Denmark-based bio-solutions firm Novozymes is trying to put an end to the biofuels debate of ‘food versus fuel’ and the politics of corn derived ethanol.
Its recipe for th… Read More
2009-01-31 00:56
Most new technology platforms must walk up the stages of the 'Hype Cycle', and confront our tendency to overestimate short-term change, but underestimate the long term potential.
Fuel cells… Read More
2009-01-30 23:49
There is an echo chamber of cynicism around the topic of corn ethanol. Unless you are a corn farmer or part of the ethanol lobby, evergyone agrees that this is not a sustainable path… Read More
2009-01-30 03:04
Researchers at the University of Nevada, Reno have completed their first demonstration-scale project using an open pound algae to biofuel system.
Unlike most algae biofuels startups which us… Read More
2009-01-30 02:18
Eco-Energy blogs seem to love stories about cleaner ways of making cement - which accounts for at least 5% global carbon dioxide emissions. Last year the viral story was a novel proces… Read More
2009-01-30 01:37
The future you hear about on the news is not what it appears.
Yes, the 'electric car' is coming, but do not be fooled by first generation ideas being fed into the mainstream media.
The short… Read More
2009-01-29 03:21
Once again, we are reminded that the future of energy will be shaped by materials scientists, and that nanoscale engineering gives us plenty of room to innovate around disruptive ideas.
Res… Read More
2009-01-29 00:31
One of the biggest business opportunities of the next few decades will be enabling the convergence of Energy and Information systems to lower costs and improve efficiencies.
Companies such… Read More
2009-01-28 06:03
Beyond the occassional post (or two), I have avoided 'Peak Oil' production issues because of its association with those who must always (and only) describe the future in apocalyptic terms.
B… Read More
2009-01-27 21:44
Extracting energy from the tar sands is not a pretty equation.
It isn' cheap. It isn't energy efficient.
And it is becoming increasingly politically charged given its heavy carbon foo… Read More
2009-01-26 21:27
Scientists at Penn State University and Virginia Commonwealth University have discovered a way to produce hydrogen using aluminum nanoparticles (billionth of a meter) that react with water… Read More
2009-01-26 00:53
Political and Industry leaders agree that it is time to re-imagine the Electrical 'Grid' as something 'smarter', more resilient, and open to new forms of energy storage and onsite productio… Read More
2009-01-24 22:12
The most successful players in the 'New Energy Economy' will be those who advance and profit from materials that enable cleaner interactions between molecules.
Even the 'greenest' consumers… Read More
2009-01-23 20:32
When imagining how much energy we'll need in the future we usually calculate the demand for homes, offices, and factories. But most forecasts ignore a highly probable, energy intensive proc… Read More
2009-01-23 03:20
There is a saying in the energy industry that 'the cheapest power plant is the one you don't have to build'.
The alternative to focusing on the 'supply' side of finding new sources of clean… Read More
2009-01-22 20:06
We might be closer to reframing the public conversation about the future of the auto industry.
The real problem for the auto industry is its manufacturing footprint, not its carbon foo… Read More
2009-01-22 05:42
Corn is not the future of biofuels. It is a political distraction, and researchers are moving beyond crops for fuel.
We are moving quickly into an era of next generation biofuels such as ce… Read More
2009-01-21 20:11
Austin, Texas based Graphene Energy has raised $500,000 to expand its vision of bringing graphene-based ultracapacitors to market. Capacitors are a class of energy storage devices that… Read More
2009-01-20 04:00
Bloomberg is reporting that Toyota plans to sell a 'limited' line of hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles to consumers by 2015 or maybe sooner.
Toyota's fuel cell integration strategy (along with Ho… Read More
2009-01-20 00:31
European researchers at Fraunhofer ISE have achieved another record efficiency of 41.1% in the conversion of sunlight into electricity using a ‘multi-junction’ class of solar cel… Read More
2009-01-18 22:46
Energy is driven by interactions of light, carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and metals.
At least, that's the simple explanation.
The closer the human mind gets to understanding and controlling… Read More
2009-01-16 00:42
We have heard from a number of readers asking about the future of geothermal energy. So here is a solid '101' primer video lecture (short lecture, extended Q&A) by MIT Professor J… Read More
2009-01-15 19:34
Advanced energy storage and portable power solutions continue to grab attention from energy investors.
Massachusetts-based startup up Boston Power has announced a $55 milllion Series D fund… Read More
2009-01-15 02:08
We should be paying closer attention to California-based QuantumSphere and its approach to the future of energy.
QuantumSphere understands the disruptive potential in performance of m… Read More
2009-01-14 02:21
FueCellMarkets is reporting on a $30 million Phase II contract to expand testing of Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) coal syngas power generation. This type of stationary fuel cell conver… Read More
2009-01-14 00:53
By Ami SampatThe Nano car, created by Tata Motors, has not yet gone on sale but an affordable micro-hybrid version is already gearing up to hit the market. In this micro-hybrid, the engine w… Read More
2009-01-13 21:47
EV startup Miles Automotive has announced plans to outsource manufacturing of its California-bound electric vehicles to a China-based assembly factory.
Auto analysts continue to speculate a… Read More
2009-01-13 19:55
Stanford University has raised $100 million to support the creation of the Precourt Insitute for Energy.
The Institute will focus on global energy and climate issues by expanding the number… Read More
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