Category Archives: Energy Storage

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First US Power-to-Gas Plants Open in California and Colorado

The first power-to-gas plant in the US opened in California

Southern California Gas Company (SoCalGas) is bringing science fiction to life, launching two demonstration projects to create and test a carbon-free, power-to-gas system for the first time ever in the U.S. The technology converts electricity into gaseous energy and could provide North America with a large-scale, cost-effective solution for storing excess energy produced from renewable…

Japan Smart City Operational Experiments in Four Regions

(Yokohama, Toyota, Keihanna [Kyoto], and Kitakyushu) Steadily Yield Results; Japan Smart City Portal Reports from the Front Lines The next-generation energy and social operational experiments that are being promoted in four regions in Japan (Yokohama, Toyota, Keihanna [Kyoto], and Kitakyushu) toward the realization of smart cities and smart communities are steadily yielding concrete results. The Japan…

Coolest Passive Cooling Tower You'll Ever See

Walk into the lobby of the Neot Semadar Art Center on the Neot Semadar Kibbutz in the Arava region of Israel, and you’ll feel like you’ve just walked into an air-conditioned oasis in the middle of a scorching desert. Which you have…except for the A/C part. As part of  Kinetis-organized tour of Israel’s key sustainability sites,…

Finally! An Integrated Solar Power Supply

Bosch has decided to step up to the plate and construct an integrated solar power supply system called the BPT-S 5 Hybrid. Almost everything is integrated into it. The company integrated an inverter, Saft lithium-ion batteries, and an energy management system (charge controller) into a single unit which is certified and safety tested  for domestic installations….

A Journey through the Natural Building Techniques: Adobe

El Presidio Real de Santa Barbara

The word adobe comes from the Arabic word al-tob, which means “the brick” and from Coptic tube, which also means “brick”. A brick is precisely what adobe is, a sun-dried brick of clay-soil and sand, with fiber added in some instances as well. These fibers, which add tensile strength, are usually straw, hair, or even horse manure. Yes, I said horse manure! Building with adobe is one of the oldest building techniques in the world, and some of the world’s oldest standing buildings were constructed with adobe.

Integral Fast Reactors: Nuclear’s Forgotten Clean Energy Solution

I wrote a post for CleanTechnica on December 6, 2011 about something I’d never before heard about, integral fast reactors — you guessed right, nuclear reactors. Titled, “Our Nuclear Trash Heap Needs IFRs,” I wrote about a 2008 book by environmentalist, Tom Blees, “Prescription for the Planet.”

Company Perspectives: SiGNa Chemistry Brings Smart Hydrogen Fuel Cells to the Renewables Marketplace

According to Carney, when these fuel cartridges are used to provide electricity, the only emissions are water vapor and a benign by-product, sodium silicate – a desirable energy solution that emits no greenhouse gases or toxic byproducts, from supply chain to application. And once the powder in a NaSi cartridge is depleted, both the cartridge and remaining material can be fully recycled.

Sustainable Residential Combined Heat and Power Systems’ Forecast by Pike

New research is being conducted on more energy sustainable residential combined heat and power systems (resCHP). The research is being conducted by Pike Research which joined Navigant’s global Energy Practices on July 1, 2012 which provides in-depth analysis of global clean technology markets. The systems are small generation systems that produce electricity for residences while also capturing heat that would normally go to waste.