Toyota Motor Corp officials have recently announced that the company plans to introduce two new versions of its Prius Hybrid into the auto market. The vehicles will be unveiled at the Detroit Auto Show, scheduled for Jan 2011. This way, Toyota hopes to bolster their dominance of the electric and hybrid vehicle market in the U.S.

Eurostar has today announced a planned £700m investment in its rolling stock that will result in the rail operator running some of the greenest trains on the planet from 2014. The company revealed it is to buy 10 new trains and refurbish its existing 28-strong fleet as it looks to further build on its position as a low-carbon alternative to short haul flights.

A British business offering turnkey solutions for micro wind power is aiming to become one of the top five producers in the world by 2016. Its innovative new design will provide a fully installed wind turbine for as little as $7000, according to the company’s CEO.

Ceatec Japan 2010 hosted Rohm’s new dye-sensitized solar cells that we were talking about a few months ago. Now, the Japanese company applied their plans to TV remotes, mice and sensors. The solar cell that the company presented is highly optimized for low room, fluorescent light, having a wavelength of 400 to 800 nm. The interesting fact is that the efficiency of the exhibited cells is 30%, a year after the company showed off with their latest 20% samples.

SunHydro, a hydrogen refueling company is launching their first hydrogen station that will be open to the public. The refueling point will be made available starting Friday in Connecticut, USA, in an attempt of the firm to create a chain of hydrogen refueling stations from Maine to Florida.

The Ford Motor Company is taking a new step forward in the process of researching new possibilities of producing biofuels. The company’s scientists are currently studying algae as a feasible automotive biofuel, as part of a plan aimed at reducing the dependence on oil and pollution.

According to Can Tho Energy Conservation Center, with only three energy efficiency solutions, it has been estimated that each year, Meko Garment Joint Stock Company has the opportunity to save over VND 417 million, equivalent to reducing the consumption of about 338 Kwh and 2800 liters of DO oil. Implementing energy saving solutions, the company will also reduce 219 tons of carbon emissions annually.

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.

As one of three companies of which products are labeled as “Vietnam Energy Star”, the Rang Dong Light Source And Vacuum Flask Joint Stock Company proves its leading position in producing lighting equipment which has high quality, save energy and does less harms to the environment.

On September 26th, Thai An Hydropower Joint Stock Company inaugurated Thai An Hydropower Plant - one of 15 key projects to celebrate the 15th Party Congress of Ha Giang province. Thai An Hydropower Plant is built in Thai An commune (Quan Ba district) and Thuan Hoa commune (Vi Xuyen district). The plant has the capacity of 82MW, with the total investment of more than VND2,000 billion, According to Mr. Nguyen Quang Dao, Chairman of the Board, General Director of Thai An Hydropower JSC.

Last year, the Ocean Power Technologies (OPT) company has developed a tidal power generator that has now been connected to the energy grid at the Marine Corps Base Hawaii as part of the firm’s program with the US Navy to test wave energy technology, giving the US their the first-ever grid connection for a wave energy device.

If, in common sense, a buck saved is a buck earned, this proves all the more significant in energy savings, when a sum invested may result in higher profits and higher benefits. If, for an individual, energy saving merely means to avoid money burning big holes in his or her pocket, then for a company, it means better returns and better business efficiency, and for an economy, there are even greater dimensions of cost-effectiveness.

Apart from awareness in all the company, LaVie has also decided to invest in new technology as a way to reduce energy consumption. The deputy general director reveals that her company will replace all energy-consuming air compressors by smaller ones that fit the capacities of the current production lines. In addition, it has changed its lighting systems to LED lamps, and reduced water use as a way to cut energy consumption as well.

The UK environmental group Carbon Trust and Cambridge University’s Cavendish Laboratory have jointly formed a new company called Eight19 concentrating on the development of new organic photovoltaic (PV) technology that could make the installation of solar cells cheaper and easier.

As part of the National program on energy efficiency and conservation, Energy Efficiency Office has collaborated with the German Energy Agency, ALTUS AG Company of German and Hanoi University of Science and Technology’s Center of New Energy to start the project "Installation of grid-connected solar system at the headquarters of MOIT to save energy and protect the environment".

On September 17, the Thien Tan Joint Stock Company was successful in connecting electricity sources from the Ha Nang Hydroelectric Plant with the national electricity network. The plant has been constructed in Tra Thuy Commune, Tra Bong District, Quang Ngai Province. The plant has capacity of 11MW and totally costs more than VND300 billion. The plant supplies 76 million of KW annually.

Nowadays, batteries are hardly meeting the normal consumer’s demand regarding their capacity and lifetime. Complaints about laptops whose charge lasts too little, or about electric cars not being able to charge as quick and last as long as gasoline are frequent. Amprius, a US-based company, addresses these issues and develops abattery that they say it can hold double the charge of regular lithium ion batteries.

A new directly solar powered air conditioning system has been unveiled in China that has the potential to not only make cooling a home green, but also save homeowners a huge amount of money at the same time. The machine is made by a company called Vicot.

This technique has an enormous potential. Only in the United States, for instance, the total surface of roads, highways and open parking lots is estimated in over 100,000 square kilometres. The proposal comes from an American company which, using funds granted by the US Federal Highway Administration, is designing resistant photovoltaic panels on which cars can drive, with tiny prisms built into the surface in order for tyres to grip.

The Swiss manufacturer Trunz Water Systems and a California-based reverse osmosis company, Spectra Watermakers have developed a new eco-friendly water purifier designed for use in disaster stricken areas where conventional energy sources are unavailable or too expensive. The new system, called the Solar Container, is capable of generating more than 8,000 gallons of potable water per day and is powered by renewable wind and solar energy.