Tag Archives: news
Oil Prices and Renewable Energy
The long-term prospects of solar, wind and other clean sources of energy are tied to the cost of fossil fuels. The artificially low price of oil makes it harder for renewable sources of energy to compete. Subsidies drive down the price of petrochemicals, but the true costs are not reflected in crude oil prices. Investors are [...]
Nissan’s Zero-Emission Electric Van
Nissan Motor Company has started the field tests of its new electric compact van, e-NV200, in Saitama City (Japan). Saitama City is promoting the adoption of electric vehicles by bringing together different interested parties, under a program called E-KIZUNA. Since 2009, the project promotes electric vehicles as means to address global warming and create a [...]
President Obama Visits Applied Materials
President Obama rode Air Force One into Austin, Texas, to shine a spotlight on the importance of U.S. manufacturing and middle class jobs and get an up-close look at what Applied Materials has been able to do. Approximately 1,200 employees, business leaders, elected officials and community partners gathered in a former clean room, where Mike [...]
In Focus: The Chemicals in Chicago’s Air
Scientists have found that Chicago’s air is infested with chemicals courtesy of airborne compounds that are traveling as far as the Arctic. The chemicals, called cyclic siloxanes, are toxic to aquatic life. Where do they come from? From chemicals in deodorants, lotions and conditioners. “These chemicals are just everywhere,” said Keri Hornbuckle, an engineering professor at the [...]
Microsoft Creates Smart Campus with Sensors
“Give me a little data and I’ll tell you a little. Give me a lot of data and I’ll save the world,” says Darrell Smith, who heads Facilities and Energy for Microsoft. To transform Microsoft’s buildings into a cohesive ”smart campus,” Smith was among those who realized some 30,000 sensors had been installed by various vendors over the years - it [...]
In Focus: Futuristic Green Energies
The Time Lists has released its ‘Top 20 Green Tech Ideas’, and what a list it is. At Decipher CM, we’ve picked our Top 5 favourite futuristic green energies to share with the new breed of technological hippies out there. 1. Biofuels One of the ‘green industries’ best kept secrets is biofuels. This includes products [...]
Solarreviews.com: Helping Consumers Find the Right Solar Installer
The solar energy market grew by 76% last year, according to GTM Research and the Solar Energy Industries Association. As solar power becomes an increasingly competitive energy source, more Americans are looking for reputable companies that can meet their solar needs. Up until now, however, consumers have not had the ability to easily access ratings [...]
Confimed Shrinkage: Solar Venture Capital Funding
The amount of venture capital (VC)—early-stage funding with higher risks, but high potential returns—going to solar companies continues to shrink, according to a new report from Mercom Capital Group. The report found that solar venture capital in the first quarter of 2013 fell to $126 million, almost a third of the $324 million in the [...]
The Solar Shakeout Continues
The past few years have seen some spectacular flameouts in the solar energy industry, with none so prominent—at least in the U.S.—as Solyndra. Many of these flameouts were startups, but some were bigger players. Now Suntech is in the hot seat. The Chinese manufacturer was one of the world’s biggest PV producers, but it recently [...]