May 14th, 2013

Bicyclists, a pair of inventors in San Francisco are on the verge of making your life easier. The Siva Cycle Atom will capture kinetic energy from your ride and store it in a battery pack that you can use to charge your phone, tablet or other electronic device, via USB. Neat huh?

[Read more →]

November 20th, 2012

Those old-style incandescent lights? They’re still around, certainly. But more and more, they’re being crowded out by the new kids on the illumination block: The longer-lasting, more energy-efficient Light Emitting Diode (LED) option.
LEDs have been around for a few years now, and they’ve got quite a bit going for them. Promotional materials tout energy savings of 80 percent or more over their incandescent brethren.

[Read more →]

March 29th, 2012

U.S. scientists have developed a fuel cell capable of converting 13 percent of the energy found in sewage into electricity, a process that its developers say could also more efficiently treat municipal wastewater. In a report released at the annual mee…

[Read more →]

March 11th, 2011

Rep. Joe Barton’s last bright idea – to apologize to BP for having to make reparations for the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico – earned him national ridicule.

His pandering may not have misfired (much) in the conservative-leaning Texas district he represents, but it was a rude affront to those who earn a living on the gulf, and anyone who cares about the workers and wildlife there.

U.S. Rep. Joe Barton

Now, less than a year later, Barton again appears to have his finger on the pulse of the mean-spirited minority.

[Read more →]

June 18th, 2010

Here’s a useful tip you’ll get a charge out of: Utilizing a one-time change to the computer power management setting on your home computer can save the average residential electric customer more than half of one month’s electric usage each year.

[Read more →]

March 22nd, 2010

From Green Right Now Reports

North Carolina could benefit economically and add nearly 40,000 new jobs over the next 15 years if it follows a greener development path, according to a new study by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy.

The ACEEE’s study looked at how North Carolina, one of the fastest growing states in the nation, could benefit from enacting policies that promote energy and water efficiency and that “lock in” energy savings by building energy-smart buildings and creating eco-friendly communities.

The analysis by the non-profit ACEEE found that:

[Read more →]

October 12th, 2009

By Barbara Kessler
Green Right Now
I woke up at 5 a.m. on Sunday. I wasn’t sure why. The house was quiet and there was a soundless rain outside. I was planning on snuggling back into bed for at least two more hours after checking on the old dog — assuming it was she-who -needs-to-go-out-at-exceedingly-early-times who woke me.

I decided to check on the teenagers too. And there in the in the “playroom” or Texas basement or whatever you call that room over the garage, was a nightmare of electricity consumption. The room was ablaze in light. The TV was blaring. The DVR was glowing. The 14-year-old asleep on the couch as only someone his age could be. He was sent to his room — where a light also had been conveniently left on.

[Read more →]

August 7th, 2009

By Shermakaye Bass
Green Right Now

Okay, here’s the poop on cow power: Dairy farmers from Wisconsin to Vermont are learning that they – and their bovine partners – can produce more than milk and manure. By converting the methane from cow patties into electricity, rural farms can provide their community with power – and in the process, eliminate the odors associated with dairy farming.

“The neighbors like it,” quips Steve Costello of the Central Vermont Public Service (CVPS)’s Cow Power program, which supplies 4,000 customers with the help of 6,000 cows. “You can have a barbecue on the Fourth of July without worrying the dairy farm next door is going spread some manure and wipe everyone out!”

[Read more →]

April 21st, 2009

From Green Right Now reports:

Power bills got you down, and you can’t figure out what you’re doing wrong because you’re trying to do so much right?

The Alliance to Save Energy wants you to realize the most from your efforts to reduce electricity consumption, so they’ve released this checklist for you to consider as you try to trim those galloping electric bills:

1 – If the payoff from your home fleet of energy efficient products doesn’t seem to be reducing your electric bill, ask yourself is it the “dreaded Snackwell effect”? Are you gulping energy in the belief that your more efficient computer, TVs and refrigerator will curb the bill so significantly you no longer have to worry? This phenomenon, akin to dieters indulging on low-calorie foods (like Snackwells) because they estimate that they’re consuming fewer calories overall, could be giving you a false perception of the energy-tightening you’ve done.

[Read more →]

March 24th, 2009

By Barbara Kessler
Green Right Now

Shifting the U.S. toward more renewable wind and solar power would not only generate thousands of jobs and lower consumers’ electric bills, it would create new income for rural residents and vastly reduce carbon emissions, according to a new analysis by the Union of Concerned Scientists.

The UCS released a study today showing that if utilities were required to obtain 25 percent of their electricity from renewable sources by 2025 it would:

• Create nearly 300,000 new domestic jobs

• Save consumers some $65 billion in lower gas and electricity bills through 2025; up to $95 billion through 2030.

[Read more →]

March 23rd, 2009

From Green Right Now Reports

As long as the world is busy refining crude oil for gasoline and other petroleum products, it may as well try to maximize the benefits from the process.

That’s the aim of “cogeneration” plants, such as the newest one put into action by ExxonMobil in Antwerp, Belgium. The refinery there will capture heat from the refining process to generate electricity, “cogenerating” or making dual use of the refining process, according to a press release.

[Read more →]

February 25th, 2009

By John DeFore
Green Right Now

A high-powered conference on the future of energy in America was held Monday in Washington; while it produced some consensus about the foundation necessary to meet future needs, it suggested there might be conflicts ahead in getting there.

Attendees, who ranged from former president Bill Clinton to officials at state utilities, heard plenty about the necessity of a new “smart grid” capable of shuttling electricity cross-country from renewable sources like wind and solar farms to the high-density cities that need the juice.

[Read more →]