Từ kinh nghiệm trong việc tham gia các tổ chức môi trường, phát triển bền vững tại Úc, Trường Đại Học Quốc Tế RMIT đã đưa ra các nguyên tắc trong xây dựng và phát triển tòa nhà bao gồm: Sử dụng tiết kiệm năng lượng, tài nguyên, sử dụng vật liệu có khả năng tái chế, tận dụng tối đa yếu tố tự nhiên như ánh sáng, gió theo hướng bền vững, giảm thiểu tác hại môi trường.

“Chiếc lá đặc biệt” của MIT có kích thước chỉ bằng một quân bài (nhưng mỏng hơn) và được làm bằng silicon, điện tử kèm chất xúc tác niken và cobalt – vốn là những vật liệu rẻ tiền và dễ kiếm. Khi được đặt trong một gallon (3,78 lít) nước dưới ánh sáng mặt trời, thiết bị có thể sản xuất ra nguồn điện đủ để một hộ gia đình ở một nước đang phát triển dùng trong một ngày. Thậm chí, chúng có thể dự trữ năng lượng ngay khi không được mặt trời chiếu sáng.

A planned fund to channel hundreds of billions of dollars to poor countries exposed to climate change has overcome an early obstacle, the UN said on Friday. Members of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change have agreed on the make-up of a 40-seat transitional committee to design the Green Climate Fund (GCF), an issue that had been debated for weeks, the UNFCCC said.

Only the very poorest countries would be eligible to receive funds for building new coal-fired power stations under proposed new rules. The World Bank is planning to restrict the money it gives to coal -fired power stations, bowing to pressure from green campaigners to radically revise its funding rules.

Clearing up the regulatory hurdles that are slowing development of electricity transmission lines would provide a significant boost to U.S. wind power development, industry officials said Wednesday. The American Wind Energy Association is holding a two-day workshop in Omaha focused on the challenges of transmitting power to places that need it. The biggest regulatory barriers have to do with who pays for high-voltage transmission lines and who decides where the lines will go.

Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai has directed the MOIT to soon complete and submit to the Government the mechanism issuing regulations to support, facilitate and encourage wind power projects in Vietnam.

Một công ty xi măng ở Tuy-ni-di mới đây đã ký một hợp đồng thỏa thuận với Clean Development Projects Limited, một công ty có trụ sở ở Luân Đôn chuyên về xúc tiến và tạo điều kiện thuận lợi cho sự bền vững về năng lượng, để trồng một đồn điền cây năng lượng sinh học rộng 500.000ha ở Tuy-ni-di.

The European Summit dedicated to energy and innovation has emphasised the importance of energy savings for the climate, as well as for competitiveness, jobs and energy security. The cross-sectoral Coalition for Energy Savings welcomes European leaders’ focus on energy efficiency, but warns that there is not enough being done to get us on track to meet the 20% energy efficiency target by 2020.

Sản phẩm đèn Led (viết tắt của Light emitting diode tức đi-ốt phát quang) ngày càng được tiêu thụ mạnh tại Mỹ, Nhật, Trung Quốc, Hàn Quốc nhờ ưu điểm tiết kiệm năng lượng, ánh sáng mạnh và tuổi thọ cao, lại có nhiều ứng dụng như làm đèn xe, đèn đường, màn hình điện thoại di động.Nếu sử dụng đèn Led để chiếu sáng thay các bóng đèn compact, huỳnh quang... Việt Nam có thể tiết kiệm được ít nhất 40% điện tiêu thụ cho toàn hệ thống đèn chiếu sáng.

Trang trại mặt trời đầu tiên của Anh sẽ được xây dựng tại Cornwall. Trang trại vừa được hội đồng Cornwall cấp phép xây dựng trên diện tích 10 mẫu. Điều đó đồng nghĩa với việc trang trại này sẽ có thể cung cấp năng lượng xanh cho 800 hộ gia đình. Các nhà tư vấn năng lượng tái tạo của Silicon Valley Limited - những người đã nhận được giấp phép xây dựng dự án này cho biết dự án sẽ khởi công vào tháng 1.

Benbole Energy Farm, between St Kew and St Mabyn near Bodmin in North Cornwall, has been granted permission by Cornwall councillors following an application to develop the 10-acre site. It means the farm will provide up to 800 homes with green energy. Renewable energy consultants Silicon Valley Limited, who successfully applied for planning permission, say construction work will begin in January.

In conventional photoelectrochemical cells, sunlight is converted into electricity and an electrolyte is used to move electrons which creates a current. The problem is that these cells have chromophores, which are light-absorbing dyes that degrade after being exposed to sunlight. But with self-repairing solar cells, this would no longer be an issue. To create these new solar cells, the Purdue research team utilized two crucial elements needed to make this technology imitate nature, which was molecular recognition and thermodynamic metastability. This allows the system to be dissolved and reassembled on a regular basis, replacing photo-damaged dyes continuously.

Energy will be at the top of the agenda at the first EU summit chaired by Hungary on 4 February. Officials will push for negotiation between leaders to focus on controversial EU energy market reform and measures to prevent Europe losing its lead as a clean energy hub to China and other emerging economies.

According to the company’s statements, the tall building will have a wind tunnel in the middle . The air will be converted to electricity as soon as it gets down to a series of turbines. The Betz limit value theory says that the maximum harvestable energy from the wind is 59.3% but the company claims that the system is not constrained by it.

On December 15th, in Hanoi, the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MOIT) held a ceremony reviewing the energy efficiency program in the 2006-2010 period and the implementation of Directive No. 19/2005/CT-TTg on energy conservation in production and consumption . After 5 years of nationwide deployment, with the coordination between the MOIT and the People's Committees of provinces and cities under the Central Government, the program has obtained encouraging achievements.

Research by energy management specialist AlertMe, which monitored an office of 50 staff over two weekends, found that leaving just one desktop PC and monitor on standby for the extended 10-day Christmas period emits 4kg of CO2 - 200 times more than 100 fairy lights.

Tax credits for ethanol and other biofuels were among issues under debate for a sweeping tax bill, Democratic senators said on Tuesday, with ethanol subsidies due to expire in three weeks. "There are provisions not yet included which I think are important" said Max Baucus, chairman of the Senate's tax-writing committee. Asked about a possible 36-cent a gallon tax credit for ethanol, Baucus said, "I don't know yet."

The Ho Chi Minh City Power Corporation (EVN HCMC) said that in the past five years, they launched many campaigns to promote efficient use of electricity. As a result, the families of all EVN HCMC staff members have been committed to saving 10 percent of power consumption at home. In response to the appeal of the Ho Chi Minh City Women’s Union, 100,000 households have been committed to saving power.

Adding 265 gigawatts of wind-sourced electricity into the European grids by 2020 is expected to save 41.7 billion euros in electricity costs annually. Market trends and limited infrastructure stand in the way of wind power growth in Europe, stopping the inflow of billions of euros in power savings, according to a new report by the European Wind Energy Association.

The report calls for a permitting process that's friendlier to offshore wind power, establishment of priority zones for offshore wind, more research on offshore wind technologies, and efforts to promote quality jobs, especially in manufacturing, that would result from that industry.