warming

True Green Confessions shares your planet-wasting ways

Ever fling fast-food wrappers from the window of your speeding Prius? True Green Confessions invites you to tell the tale. Unlike so many other green social networking websites that encourage you to practice bicycling, recycling and other planet-friendly habits, here you can share the shame of not doing enough or not caring enough about your fat carbon footprint.

There are many confessions about driving, like taking the SUV to the organic grocery store, as well as rants against "self-righteous" vegans. Other posts are a bit more twisted. One mother-to-be wrote: "I dont (sic) think I am contributing … Read more

Wave power device gets in water in Oregon

Finavera Renewables, the Canadian company that wants to harness wind and wave power, has successfully deployed a prototype of its AquaBuoy 2.0 two and a half miles off the coast of Oregon.

Waves push the AquaBuoy up and down in the water. The motion puts pressure on a hydraulic fluid. The pressurized fluid then turns a turbine, which creates electricity. Wave and tidal power are primarily in the prototype and experimental stage, but several companies are ramping up prototypes and test vehicles. Marine Current Turbines hopes to put in a tidal turbine in the water off Northern Ireland later … Read more

Is Microsoft Vista global warming friendly?

Is Microsoft Vista global warming friendly? Could Vista be the best-selling clean-tech product in the world? I was thinking about this question the other day, and started e-mailing the Microsoft press relations folks looking for an answer.

The Microsoft answer--yes, it is. They have a recent release titled "Windows Vista Power Management Features Can Help U.K. Companies Reduce Their Carbon Footprint" on some independent research they had done by PC Pro Labs in the U.K.

Here's their quote:

"Windows Vista is Microsoft's most energy efficient operating system to date with its power … Read more

Software engineers: There are jobs in green tech for you too

The explosion in clean tech investing has been a boon to material scientists and engineers from the semiconductor industry. Sources at Intel tell me that many of them have seen co-workers depart for solar start-ups or companies working on new types of batteries.

But software experts shouldn't feel left out, notes Warren Weiss, a general partner at venture capital firm Foundation Partners in a stopover at the firm's offices last week (They are right next to Sunset Magazine in Menlo Park, Calif.). In clean tech, one of the bigger opportunities, he says, is with companies that want to … Read more

Transonic's goal: A car engine that gets 100 miles per gallon

Transonic is coming clean with its ambitions: it is working on a fuel injection system that will let liquid fuel cars get 100 miles a gallon.

And an engine equipped with Transonic's technology will be able to run on gas, ethanol or other types of fuel without help from batteries. In other words, a car with a Transonic-assisted engine would get as good or better mileage than a plug-in hybrid (mileage on plug-ins drops on freeways) but still have the punch of a gas car. More mileage leads directly to lower emissions, and also less dependence on foreign oil. … Read more

The latest recyclable: Asphalt

San Francisco currently recycles 15 percent of the asphalt that gets churned up when streets get repaved, but the city has a new machine that will help boost the total to 35 percent, according to Mayor Gavin Newsom.

The city has bought a mobile recycling unit that goes to sites where streets are being ripped up and recycles it, he said while chatting with reporters at a press event for Tesla Motors.

There has been concern about the quality of the recycled asphalt, he said, but it seems to work now. The city unveiled the machine yesterday at a press … Read more

When it comes to global warming, it's the little things

It's been said before, but can't be said enough. This is not a technology problem. When it comes to fighting global warming, it's the little things we do that will make the difference.

The average American consumer is responsible for about 9-10 tons of carbon emissions per year.

The big three culprits for us consumers: 1) Car miles driven and car size; 2) Power used; 3) Airline miles flown

Here are my favorite little things:

1) When you have the option, drive the family car with the best gas mileage and drive together--no more three-car families driving … Read more

WSJ: Papua looking to save forests for carbon credits

The governor of Papua--the Indonesian half of the large island of New Guinea--is examining a program in which the state would preserve old forests so the island could sell carbon credits to companies in developed nations, according to the Wall Street Journal. (subscription required.)

Barnabas Suebu, the first democratically elected governor of the state, became interested in getting westerners to preserve rainforests for money after serving as a representative for Indonesia in Latin America.

Under the plan, westerners would buy carbon credits, and the money would then be distributed to villages on the island. A lot of research--how much carbon … Read more

House OKs energy bill - but where's the beef on energy or climate?

The House of Representatives passed the Energy Bill a few days ago. I was quoted in Red Herring on one area that I think is a huge part of the bill, a federal renewable portfolio standard. Now since the 24 state RPSs have been the main driver behind renewable generation growth like wind - I'd look for this bill to underpin growth in the sector for years.

And anything that drives renewable generation growth will tend to drive a need for more transmission. So chalk up getting our transmission grid in order as a new priority number one (this … Read more