L.E.D.’s to become more energy-efficient in the next five years

Light emitting diode lamps are “a rapidly evolving technology” in the field of lighting that deliver energy efficiency. But while it already provides a number of environmental advantages, it still promises a lot. A new report released by the United States Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and Britain-based analysis group N14 Energy Limited suggests that L.E.D. could have a far-reaching edge over conventional...

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Shell’s ‘quest’ for cutting carbon emissions announced

Oil giant Shell is set to build its flagship carbon capture and storage scheme for an oil sands operation in Canada. From late 2015, the Quest project is expected to arrest and detain underground over 1 million tons of carbon annually produced in the processing of petroleum by-product bitumen at the Athabasca Oil Sands Project, a joint venture of Shell with Chevron and Marathon Oil. It will reduce direct emissions...

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Asian grid-scale energy storage market to reach $3.6 billion this year – Zpryme

Constituting more than half the global market’s projected $7.3 billion, Asia's grid-scale energy storage market this year is set reach up to $3.6 billion, according to a report from Zpryme. Asia’s numbers are attributed to its large and growing population, which is placing unprecedented pressure on utilities to meet demand. By 2020 the region’s market share is expected to reach $36.4 billion,

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61 billion aluminum cans in the U.S. kept from landfills

More than half of the aluminum cans – around 61 billion – used in the United States last year were recycled, making it the green packaging material of choice. According to the Aluminum Association, Can Manufactures Institute and the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries, the recycling rate for aluminum beverage containers in the U.S. jumped seven percent to 65.1 percent in 2011 compared with 58.1 percent in 2010.

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Growing tomatoes with carbon dioxide

Red, plum, juicy and fertilized by carbon dioxide emissions – Houweling’s Tomatoes is producing sustainable tomatoes with the help of a system designed by General Electric. The family-owned greenhouse grower is using two 4.36-megawatt, Ecomagination qualified Jenbacher J624 two-staged turbocharged natural gas engines from G.E. to provide heat and power to their 125-acre tomato greenhouse in Camarillo, California.

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London Olympics to be the ‘greenest games ever’

Special attention was given to sustainability for the 2012 Olympic Games happening in London, as the world’s prime sporting event attempts to steer the Games toward “green” principles. "Every Olympic Games represents unique challenges and opportunities in terms of raising the bar of the third pillar of Olympism – namely the environment – and London is no exception," said United Nations undersecretary general and U.N. Environment Programme executive director Achim Steiner.

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Pilot carbon capture system rising in Alabama

Akermin, Inc., a company based in St. Louis, Missouri, said it will demonstrate its carbon capture technology in a pilot project at the National Carbon Capture Center in Alabama. Akermin, which has devised a biocatalyst delivery system to capture and remove carbon dioxide, sulfur oxide and nitrogen oxide emissions from flue gas, has signed an agreement with Southern Company Services to install and operate a pilot project to test their system’s capabilities at the center, which Southern Company Services manages and operates for the Department of Energy.

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Vehicle repair program targets low-income drivers in California

A vehicle repair program in San Joaquin Valley is making headway in cleaning up California’s oldest and dirtiest passenger cars and trucks. The “Tune In and Tune Up” program of the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District is a voluntary program that provides smog check testing and $500 repair vouchers to help low-income drivers pass the state’s Smog Check.

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Itron meters cut carbon footprint to 1.46 kilograms

Nasdaq-listed smart meter company Itron, Inc. said it was able to reduce the amount of greenhouse gas emissions in the manufacture of its products by 1.46 kilograms per electricity meter for 2011, compared with 1.53 kg per meter in 2010. The company said it also cut electricity use to 2.39 kilowatt-hours and water use to 1.62 gallons per meter from 2.53 kWh and 1.74 in 2010, respectively.

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Detailed recommendations made for ‘green’ Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics

The United Nations Environment Programme proposed a number of recommendations to the Government of the Russian Federation to make the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics “green” and to reduce its environmental footprint. The recommendations, which Russia deputy prime minister Dmitry Kozak requested from the U.N.E.P. early in February, seek to initiate projects to restore and maintain water quality in the Mzymta River and to look into potential sources of pollution associated with the development of the games.

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