Growing numbers of cities and towns are turning to solar-powered road warning and school safety signs to inform the public and save money and energy. In the past year, cities including Baton Rouge, Branson and Kansas City, Mo., and Lyndhurst, Wayne and Ringwood, N.J., have adopted the technology, officials in those municipalities say.

Thị trường phong điện Trung Quốc đang chiếm ưu thế hơn Mỹ nhờ khung chính sách hỗ trợ rõ ràng, Steve Sawyer, Tổng thư ký Ủy ban năng lượng gió toàn cầu (Global Wind Energy Council - GWEC) cho biết.Theo bản báo cáo mới nhất của GWEC, năm 2009, Trung Quốc xếp thứ hai trong việc phát triển nguồn phong điện và là nhà khách hàng mua công nghệ gió lớn nhất thế giới.

The management of the exploration and exploitation of natural resources should be strengthened to preserve valuable assets for younger generations, according to attendants of a conference in Ha Noi last week. This idea was put forth by experts from several sectors to discuss the draft of the amended law on mineral resources exploitation.

Vietnam ’s first wind power turbine production factory was inaugurated at the Nomura industrial zone in the northern port city of Hai Phong on October 15. The 61 million USD project, invested by the US-based GE group, rolled out over 200 turbines for export in the past five months of test run.

Solar panels are usually mounted in series, to sum up their voltages, and the resulting power is sent to a large inverter, which transforms the DC voltage into AC. One big issue with this scheme is that if shade falls on one panel, or it gets dirty, the inverter lowers the current of all the other panels, and causing power losses through inefficiency.

West Virginia has recently discovered, though a project funded by Google, that it is lying on top of a major resource: geothermal power. The finding is even more significant taking in consideration the state’s high dependence on fossil fuels.

Solar panels, throughout their entire existence, have had the same issue over and over again: once the Sun’s light began to hit them with an angle, they became inefficient, so fixed solar panels were only great at noon. Soon after people realized that, they began constructing all sorts of contraptions that would modify the panels’ position so to face the Sun directly.

The University of Malta Junior College recently concluded a two-year project entitled ‘Saving energy… Saving our future’, in which 21 Maltese students and teachers made use of Comenius EU funds made available by the European Commission through the local agency EUPA.

U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced the release of a new proposed energy efficiency standard for residential refrigerators, refrigerator-freezers, and freezers. The standard, as proposed, could save consumers as much as $18.6 billion over thirty years. The Obama Administration has made efficiency standards a major priority as a way to save energy and money for American families and businesses.

The U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) approved on October 5 the first large-scale solar energy plants ever to be built on U.S. public lands. The approval of two developments in California grants the U.S.-based companies behind the projects access to almost 6,800 acres of public lands for 30 years to build and operate solar plants. The approved plants could produce up to 754 megawatts (MW) of renewable energy, or enough to power 226,000–566,000 typical U.S. homes. The projects will generate almost 1,000 new jobs.

It seems that we are finding a new use for solar power everyday. Whether its grid-tie applications, lighting, or backup power, solar is rapidly becoming our green energy alternative of choice. Solar is rapidly evolving as the technology and applications for it are changing daily. In this light, here are 3 great contests that are stretching the limits of what solar can be used for and may just change the way we use energy in our everyday lives.

Dong Nai is a province which has rapid economic growth with over 10 thousand enterprises in operation. Not only energy consumption but also the risk of environmental pollution is significantly high. Therefore, the goal of cleaner production, energy efficiency and conservation in production and consumption has been seriously implemented and brought positive results.

According to architect Pham Minh Hieu of Song Da Thang Long Joint Stock Company, the design of window for any architectural space needs to focus on the air convection. The sizes of window can be various, depending on the structure of the house and hobbies of the owner.

According to the latest data from the Bundesnetzagentur, Germany's solar industry added another 1,000 MW during July and August. This brings the total for the eight-month period from January through August to 4,900 MW from nearly 175,000 solar installations.

The cells that power the bicycle use sodium silicide, a powder similar to sand. In combination with water, the substance “instantly creates hydrogen gas”, that is further on used to generate energy. Moreover, excess electricity is stored in batteries that are safe and fully recyclable.

The International Energy Agency (IEA) joined China, France, Germany, Japan, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, and the United States in launching the Electric Vehicles Initiative (EVI) on October 1 at the Paris Motor Show in France. The new initiative will provide a platform for global cooperation on the development and deployment of electric vehicles.

Tocco is a remarkable Italian town, not only for its ancient heritage, but also for its futuristic projects that concern the implementation of renewable energy installations. The town benefits four wind turbines that are more than enough to meet the needs of its 2,700 inhabitants.

Enbridge Inc. and First Solar, Inc. have achieved commercial operation of the 80 MW Sarnia Solar Project, making it the largest operating photovoltaic facility in the world. First Solar, a manufacturer of PV solar panels and provider of solar solutions, will operate and maintain the Sarnia Solar Project for Enbridge under a long-term contract. First Solar developed, engineered, and constructed the facility, using its advanced thin film solar panels.

Beacon Power Corp., a provider of energy storage systems has established a partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency to produce parts of a flywheel energy storage over a period of two years.

In fact, Phu Tho Province has implemented 30 models of cleaner production. However, these programs have not attracted participation of industrial and craft production cooperatives and craft villages which have made important contribution to local industrial development and created jobs for local people. Because there is a lack of policies on application of cleaner production in craft villages and cooperatives, therefore, information on cleaner production still remain insufficient.