A few days ago, the Israel-based energy company ZenithSolar has officially unveiled its 3rd generation Solar Z20. Being installed in Kibbutz Yavne in central Israel, the solar energy generator is a combined heat and power system, able to deliver 72% efficiency.

According to Mazda Motor Corp, the new Mazda2 subcompact will have a fuel economy of 30 km/litre (70 mpg) and as the company said, it will become the world’s most fuel-efficient vehicle. Mazda2 is scheduled to be launched in Japan in the first half of 2011, being the first car fitted with SKYACTIV, a technology produced only by Mazda based on next-generation gasoline and diesel engines.

Thien Thanh company is a private enterprise (Phung Xa, My Duc, Ha Noi) with the main products of textile, dye and exported towel; annual energy cost is over VND 4 billion. Engaging in energy audit program, this business has found out eight solutions to use energy and coal effectively.

In a first-of-its-kind melding of solar technology with high speed rail facilities, the clean energy company Enfinity will install 16,000 solar panels on the two-mile long roof of a rail tunnel in Belgium. If the name Enfinity doesn’t ring a bell it soon will. The Belgium-based company has trained its sights on the U.S. energy market and is poised to step up commercial and utility scale solar installations here, from coast to coast. New green jobs, much?

The consortium, which includes Oak Ridge National Lab, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the University of California-Davis, The Dow Chemical Company, Honeywell and General Electric, will receive $12.5 million from the US Government, matched by at least $12.5 million from the partners, and $25 million from Chinese counterparts over the next five years.

Hanoi Rubber Joint Stock Company - HARCO (Cau Dien town, Tu Liem district) is an enterprise specialized in manufacturing fabric shoe products and exported floor pads. The technological line system of the company has been put into use for over 30 years, so the productivity as well as energy consumption is quite large.

On October 18th, Phu Tho Department of Investment and Planning anounced that provincial People's Committee of Phu Tho granted the certificate of investment for the Construction project of Biomass bio-power plant at Rung Xanh area, Phong Chau town, Phu Ninh district. The unit implementing this project is Vietnam Hi-tech Bio-renewable Energy Joint Stock Company.

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.