Just a few years ago, 52 inch televisions didn't exist. Now, thanks to dozens of innovations, they're almost boring, and not even that expensive. Oddly enough, they're more efficient than the old CRT televisions...per square inch. The bad news is, as we've been exponentially increasing the square-footage of our televisions, so have we been exponentially increasing their energy use.

California, struggling to meet green power mandates while energy use has been steadily on the rise, is looking to tackle the problem at the source. By 2011, legislators are hoping that all but the most efficient televisions will be unavailable in California.

This might, in fact, completely eliminate plasma TVs from the market, as LCD televisions have been making more progress in efficiency than plasma. Of course, this wouldn't stop Californians from driving to Nevada, or ordering their televisions online.

Of course, the legislation could also have the opposite effect, forcing manufacturers to create more efficient sets for the (extremely large) California market, but also selling those sets everywhere. Less efficient sets would have a smaller market, and so be more quickly phased out.

If enacted, the first round of regulations would go into effect in 2011, decreasing user's electricity bills by about $20 per year. The second tier would come into effect in 2013, lowering bills by an additional $10.

I've seen what manufacturers can do to lower the power use of their sets, and I'm entirely confident that this can be done without a dramatic increase in the price of the units. And, really, if you want your entire living room wall to be a television screen...you should be willing to pay a few extra dollars for it.

Via The LA Times

In December 2001, I wrote a newspaper article about a mysterious invention by Dean Kamen that was about to be revealed the next day. The hype was intense and articles in anticipation of Kamen's announcement made front page news all over the world. The news all focused on the same thing: his device was going to change the world or so reporters were told by the few who had seen the invention.

Fast forward a few years and the Segway hasn't changed the world. In fact, it's likely that the Segway will be little more than a footnote when we look back one day at the evolution of vehicles. So anything that promises to be a revolutionary new kind of car deserves some skepticism. Still, Gordon Murray is known in driving circles for having had extraordinary success. He's the guy behind the McLaren F1 and he has now designed a new type of car that is decidedly different than his super sports car.

The T25 is a tightly-guarded secret, but what has been publicly known is that the four-seater will be smaller than a Mini and has a capability of 80 mpg. It will not be a hybrid nor use an electric motor.

In an exclusive interview with the Daily Mail, Murray has given more hints about what the T25—so named because it's Murray's 25th car design--could look like and why he thinks it will be a success. For starters, Professor Murray is using regular fuel and every day materials to make his car. He won't be relying on hybrids or biofuels.

This past holiday season marked San Francisco’s annual fuel drive, where residents can bring in their used cooking oil to be recycled into biodiesel for the municipality's fleet of vehicles. No results have been posted yet on how much cooking oil the city collected, but the trend has been positive. From Dec. 26 through Dec. 30, residents could drop off their oil at specific Whole Foods and Costco locations around the city. The only requirement was that the kitchen grease had to be stored in leak-proof containers. The city also ran similar programs after Thanksgiving in 2007 and 2008 which yielded 1 and 2 tons of turkey grease respectively.

Grease is a big problem, and not just for the landfills where much of it still gets dumped. In San Francisco each year, 65,000 gallons of grease end up in the sewers and the results are disastrous. Grease hardens in sewers and gets stuck there – in fact, half of all the city's sewer emergencies are caused by grease. “It's hard as a rock,” said Tyrone Jue, a spokesman for the city's public utilities commission. “It's sort of like what happens with grease in your arteries.”

The cost of fixing damaged pipes sucks $3.5 million a year out of the city's budget. In economic times of these, when municipal funds are struggling enough as it is, it would be a shame to spend so much money on a problem that is completely avoidable.

In addition to the grease collecting program, the city is trying to find other ways to cut down on the amount of food ooze going down the drain. About one out of every five of the city's 500 restaurants have signed up for free grease pick up from the city. San Francisco takes the grease it collects to a treatment facility where any food remnant is removed and then the oil is further refined in a biodiesel manufacturing plant before being pumped back into the fuel tanks of municipal vehicles. More information of the city's grease recycling program can be found here at www.greasecycle.org.

If this latest food fuel drive is successful, the city is looking at running the program 365 days a year.

Via The San Francisco Chronicle

The US's new President has a lot on his plate. An unsustainable and unstable energy supply, a crumbling economy with skyrocketing unemployment, and an environmental crisis the likes of which have never been seen.

And, I suppose, he could take on all of these issues one by one...but that just wouldn't be in the spirit of things. Obama seems to have a "one plan to cure them all" kind of attitude and, so far, I'm a fan.

According to his weekly YouTube address, shown above, Obama plans to add three million jobs to the American economy by doubling renewable energy production and vastly improving the efficiency of existing buildings. Jobs, Energy and Environment in one sentence! And if he's including hydro-electric in his renewable energy production numbers, than this is a HUGE commitment. Of course, he doesn't say when it will be done, so we should all reserve judgment until we get a few more specifics.

Of course, this approach is dangerous. By focusing on all three, it's possible that none of them are going to be addressed adequately. Indeed, this plan might be the worst way of all to create jobs and deal with our environmental crisis. But that's not the way it looks to me.

By focusing on efficiency, Obama guarantees energy savings for his buck, and also the creation of infinitely employable jobs retrofitting existing buildings. This creates a very high number of jobs per dollar spent, and they are jobs that can never be outsourced.

Additionally, by setting high but achievable goals for renewable energy production, he creates the foundation of a long-term energy strategy in which we don't just use less, but we replace existing power generation with clean sources. And, theoretically, this plan might breathe a little life into the all-promising growth sector of renewable energy.

Now, I could be wrong about this, I might just be a fanboy with very little economic training (OK, I definitely am.) But I think the time is ripe for a real domestic energy strategy that utilizes the innovation and dedication of the American people.

***NOTE: Industrious EcoGeeks have tried their hardest to find the original source article reporting this news. The AP Article claimed to be quoting an article from Japan's Nikkei. That Nikkei article has not been located, and appears to not exist...so Toyota may not have claimed that they're working on a car solely powered by solar. Frankly...since it seems like such a fantastical claim...we are not surprised. But if this is true...I'll take back some of the mean things I said below :-).

I find it hilarious that Toyota has been going on and on about how extended-range electric vehicles are technologically impossible, and now they're saying that their goal is a 100% solar powered car.

OK Toyota, we get it, you dropped the ball. You were riding so smoothly on your hybrid-electric white mare that you forgot to keep innovating for a couple of years. That's cool, you're welcome to jump back on the bandwagon any time...but don't tell us you'll be doing it with an impossible car.

A vehicle with solar panels to help charge the hybrid or all-electric battery? Sure. A car that comes with a discounted photovoltaic system for your house...I'll buy that. But you can't have a car that is solely run by photovoltaic panels on the car. It is literally impossible.

To power the average 30 mpg car, you'd need a solar array roughly the size of two cars. Even high efficiency solar cells at noon in the desert couldn't produce enough power to run a street-legal two seater. Of course, none of this will really be an issue...since 100% of the cities in America have these pesky things called shadows.

It's possible that something was mistranslated by the AP, who reported the story from a Japanese article. Maybe they're just hoping to build a car that could be run by the energy generated by solar cells...if the car was parked in the sun for 16 straight hours.

Solar powered cars, in general, I believe to be a poor use of solar panels. Because of the relatively small loss of power in transferring electrons from your roof to your car, it's always a better idea to put the panels on your roof. The car will invariably spend less time oriented toward the sun and more time in shadow.

Why not have the panels where they will always catch the maximum amount of sun? They'll cost less, be more versatile, and produce far more power.

Via the AP (and just about every environmental blog on the planet)

Anyone who has traveled to India knows about the massive amount of chaotic traffic on the streets. Crossing the road in Delhi is a terrifyingly heart-stopping adventure. Instead of motorcycles and cars, many people opt for the conveniences of a rickshaw. But, this being the 21st century, some inventors have come up with a version that’s a little more high tech than the old pedal-driven kind.

The Soleckshaw is still in the trial stages, but the solar powered rickshaw has already people talking and contemplating what the technology could do if these vehicles replace the human-powered kind. The Indian prototype by the Center for Science and Industrial Research has been running in trial stages since October. The dual-powered cycle operates by pedal power and a 36 V 240-350 W battery that gets charged at a solar charging station. It has a carbon footprint of zero, so it doesn’t pollute any more than the traditional version.

The solar version reaches a pretty impressive speed of about 15 kilometres per hour and, fully-charged, the battery can keep going for 50-70 kilometres. The goal is to develop the current four Soleckshaws into more advanced models in time for the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi.

If a manufacturer is found to mass produce the Soleckshaws, however, some worry that they would be too expensive for most rickshaw pullers. Each Soleckshaw is expected to cost 2.5 times more than the traditional ones, though the Indian government has offered guaranteed loans for drivers who want to buy them. It’s also unclear who will pay at the solar charging stations will the drivers be expected to pay for their own electricity?

Modeled in some ways after the SolarCab, which was developed in London and set to launch next year, the rickshaw will also be outfitted with solar panels on its roof. But with a unique decorative flair of their own, the Soleckshaws have animated Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck stickers painted on their sides. An added bonus of the solar rickshaw is that the battery can recharge riders’ mobile phones as they zip from one destination to the next.

Image via Treehugger
Via: Ecoworldly and India’s Department of Science & Technology

The Coast Guard in Japan, like other public services from every country feeling the economic crunch, is being told to lower expenses. How do you rescue drowning people on the cheap? In the seaside towns of Takamatsu and Wakamatsu, the Coast Guard offices have taken an idea from high school students that lowers the cost of flotation devices while helping the environment.

A few years ago, a group of high school students on a field trip to the sea came across a drowning man. The quick-thinking students improvised a flotation device using 16 plastic bottles and rescued the man. Though the invention was invented out of necessity, the Coast Guard realized that it was effective.

Each of these red lifesavers made from recycled polyethlene bottles cost about $2. That's a significant savings for the Coast Guard which used to spend $50 to $200 for new official flotation devices. The Coast Guard plans to have the bottles at piers and breakwater lights on rocky shores near fishing ports at the door of lighthouses. The Coast Guard also has step-by-step instructions here on how to make your own flotation devices out of plastic bottles here, but you have to be able to read Japanese.

Photo credit: Wakamatsu Coast Guard
Via: InventorSpot

So now that you know my opinions of which innovations of 2008 are going to change the world the most...how about a less subjective metric. In fact, this list is purely objective, simply listing which cleantech venture deals managed to pull the largest number of dollars.

All together, the top ten account for about $1.8 Billion dollars, with all but one of those deals being in the solar power industry.

Indeed, this has been the year of solar power deals! The only deal in these top ten venture cleantech deals that wasn't solar was the $166M series B funding for Range Fuels, the company that's building America's first cellulosic ethanol plant.

The largest deal was Fotowatio's $350M deal to start consolidating solar power projects in sunny Spain. But the majority of investments were in much younger companies trying to scale up production.

The capital costs were high for all of the small solar companies trying to make a go of it this year, regardless of which technology they were using. But CIGS solar manufacturers fighting to be the first to market took home three of the top five spots. Nanosolar, Miasole and Solopower all took home more than $200M of funding in the last year.

Solar thermal, a less technologically advanced, but still rapidly innovating field got a lot of investment dollars as well. eSolar, Solel and BrightSource all brought in more than $100 M from various investors.

Thanks to GreenTechMedia for compiling the list!

It can sometimes be a little unclear (especially first day of a new year) how the previous year changed the world. No one guessed in 1946 that the Magnetron Spencer Percy was developing for use in a RADAR system (and that subsequently melted a candy bar in his pocket) would one day become the microwave oven. But I like to think that we can make some pretty good guesses about which of this year's innovations are going to be with us, and changing our world, for a good long time.

Here's my list of the top ten clean tech innovations of 2008.

Light Antennas
You know how you can capture and produce radio waves with antennas? Well, what if you could built an antenna so small, it could capture and emit light? The first large array of these nano-antennas was produced this year, and the possibilities for them are endless. They may become efficient light sources, efficient solar panels, or simple ways to transfer energy we feel as heat into energy that we don't feel at all, making them a kind of passive climate control system.

President Barack Obama
Maybe not an innovation in the traditional sense, though, I like to think that it took some innovative thinking to get this man elected president. But President Obama's Administration has already grown to include clean technology advocates and researchers, and carries with it promises of green collar jobs, carbon markets, and restored protections for many of our imperiled ecosystems.

EEStor Begins to Emerge
The power storage company, EEstor, which we're still not 100% sure isn't full of crap did finally begin to tell us some things about their miraculous-sounding power storage technology. If true, vehicles could have batteries lighter than gas tanks, that could charge in five minutes and would never degrade. These ceramic "electrical energy storage units" have not yet seen the light of day (or independent verification) but they do already have contracts with Lockheed Martin and plans to deliver their first unit to an electric car company shortly.

The Gas Crunch
Hey...remember back when gas was freaking ridiculously expensive? Well, while the market may not (the Ford F-150 is, once again, America's most popular vehicle) the innovations that poured into the market to try and help consumers deal with high gas prices will not go away. Better hybrid systems, more efficient engines, massive investments in biofuels, the re-emergence of diesel in America were all direct implications of skyrocketing gas prices.

Solar at Grid Parity
The cost of delivering electrons to the grid has gone up a little bit in the past year, and the cost of delivering electrons to the grid using solar power has dropped dramatically. The first solar electrons costing roughly the same amount as natural gas electrons were produced this year. There's no reason to think that this trend will end, as natural gas gets more expensive, and solar systems get more efficient. In fact, one company is already promising solar power at the same price as coal!

Project Better Place Expands Wildly
While I'm still not 100% sure that Better Place, with it's many battery swapping stations, cell phone-like payment plans and "one sized battery fits all" platform makes the most sense, they have managed to get a lot of governments to bite. California, Hawaii, Australia and Denmark have all signed deals with Agassi's gigantically ambitious electric car program. It could all become extremely passe if EEStor's technology pans out. But otherwise it's one of the few solutions that will work now, instead of waiting for battery technology to catch up with our goals as car drivers.

Pickens Counterbalances Gore with a Real Vision
We've tired of Al Gore. The love affair was great while it lasted, but he's been attacked from too many angles to really latch onto his message anymore. But what about an ultra-conservative, Texas oil man? Now that's the kind of champion clean technology needs! And not only does he provide a different perspective, he provides a clear plan for how he wants to change our energy future. And while it might be a plan that would make him one of the richest people in the world, it's also actually a pretty good plan.

The US may have recently become the world’s largest wind power producer, but it’s the Europeans who are still building the biggest solar power plants. Acciona, a Spanish engineering and construction organization, just built a 46 MW photovoltaic behemoth in Portugal.

This juggernaut is big, powerful and expensive. It cost about $367 million dollars (that’s just under $8 per watt, for those who tuned into last week’s discussion of grid parity), and is made up of 250 THOUSAND solar modules, with approximately one solar tracker for each 100 modules.

One of the cool things about this new plant is that it is not owned by just one organization. Rather, a number of different organizations each owns a piece of the 46 MW total, and they all agreed to build together in a common site. Economies of scale would dictate that the resulting whole would be more efficient than the sum of its parts.

Sometimes we get so used to hearing the latest, biggest number that we don’t fully appreciate the scale of projects like this when they actually come online. We have to remember that clean tech is still just a child, and these 46 megawatts are the latest scratches on the wall to show how tall it has grown. As we change the calendars, we can’t help but notice that solar – though it is not all grown up yet – has certainly gone through a growth spurt.

Via Earth2Tech

Planned solar projects in the U.S. seemed to be one-upping each other throughout 2008, ending with the enormous planned 500 MW facility in San Luis Obispo CA. But now the Chinese are in on the game and, surprise, they're even bigger...planning a solar project twice as large as any currently planned, with a capacity of a full gigawatt.

The project is planned for the Qaidam Basin, a large, sunny desert and The China Technology Development Corporation just signed a deal with local officials to start working on the project.

The project will use only photovoltaic cells (no solar thermal) though it looks like some of the solar cells will be silicon, and others will be thin film. Unfortunately, there's no word on who'll be supplying the panels, but we assume it will be one of the several Chinese companies currently producing solar panels. We also assume that they're using both thin-film and crystalline cells because there would be no other way to get that many solar panels together.

The first phase of the project will bring 30 megawatts of solar power to China, costing roughly $150M and beginning construction in 2009. Whether or not the next phases will be completed, we imagine, depend on the success of this first installation.

This is, of course, fantastic news. Compared to the scale of other solar projects, this is truly massive. Unfortunately, compared to the scale of fossil fuel projects in China, it's minuscule. China reportedly added around 90 gigawatts of coal-fired power in 2006 alone.

This, my friends....is a small step on a very long road.

Via Venturebeat and Earth2Tech

California is now making car buyers even more aware of how their car affects the environment in 2009. All new car models will bear an Environmental Performance sticker that rates the car based on smog and global warming emissions.

California cars have carried the smog rating since 1998, but the new global warming rating is part of a bill that was signed into law in 2005. With both ratings, the higher the score on a scale of 1 to 10, the more environmentally friendly the car.

The global warming rating is based on the amount of greenhouse gas emissions per mile. A score of 1 equals 520 CO2 grams per mile while a score of 10 equals less than 200 CO2 grams per mile. The emission calculations include production and distribution of the fuel used in the car.

For those of us outside of California, the smog scores are available at www.driveclean.ca.gov with the global warming scores to be added. Hybrids and electrics, as would be assumed, are the top scoring vehicles listed.

Having information like this listed right on a product will definitely make a difference in how consumers purchase cars. Making these scores readily available makes it impossible for consumers to make an uninformed decision.

via Earth2Tech