While South Africa introduced a generous feed-in tariff of ZAR1.25/kWh (EUR0.134/kWh) for wind power last year (Windpower Monthly, May 2009), the system is not yet in place for independent power producers to sign power purchase agreements with state utility Eskom.

The international drivers for energy efficiency are based in cost savings, suggesting that the sluggish economy could be a driver for companies to grab low-hanging fruit to help their bottom line. While energy management is important in every country, some emerging economies outstripped Europe and the U.S. when it came to how high they ranked.

Olympic Delivery Authority weighs up solar and biomass options after pulling plans for onsite wind turbine. The developer of London's Olympics Park has returned to the drawing board to find a suitable renewable energy system after this week scrapping high profile plans to install a wind turbine at the Stratford site.

Electricity is a powerful tool for building modern societies and plays a critical role in eradicating poverty and boosting economies. Yet, according to U.N. estimates, 1.5 billion people—nearly a quarter of the world's population—live without access to reliable power.

A team at Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, New Mexico, is developing a technique to create some of the ingredients for synthetic fuels from carbon-containing gases. Their cerium-oxide-based system can convert CO2 into carbon monoxide, and can also turn water into hydrogen.

Talk about natural resources—it turns out that just about any kind of plant or animal waste, and many kinds of garbage, can be turned into biofuels or other sources of clean energy for cars, trucks, or industry. Here are some of the least expected possibilities being tested.

The wind industry is trying to find a solution to the problem by working with environmental groups, federal regulators, and other interested parties. They are trying to develop methods of measuring and mitigating wind energy’s effect on birds. The Fuller Wind Turbine offers hope to bird lovers and environmentalists.

Under the leadership of Yiannis Levendis, distinguished professor of mechanical and industrial engineering, a team of undergraduate and graduate engineering students developed a waste combustor, which breaks down non-biodegradable plastics to create an alternative source of fuel.

EU’s ‘Clean Sky’ – the 1-6 billion euro research project – with 86 participating partners from 16 nations – has goals like developing unique application-specific technologies and evaluation and advancement of the entire aeronautic system.

The Japanese giant said it would invest seven billion yen (76 million dollars) by March 2012 in facilities in its domestic production centres to test how to maintain stable power from fluctuating renewable energies.

Earlier last year, there were news about scientists dreaming of space-based solar panels, which were to capture the Sun’s energy and bring it to the Earth through microwaves, or lasers, and to provide the ultimate energy source for us.

Legislators attending this year's Congressional Energy and Energy Efficiency Expo and Forum in Washington, DC, last week were quick to point out the problems with fossil fuel -- from cave-ins at coal mines to the oil spill in the Gulf.

They have been toting a 131-foot-long wind-turbine blade serving as a mobile petition to be signed by all supporters. This is to create awareness that promoting wind power industry will generate new jobs and make US self-sufficient in energy production. Their goal is the Wind-Power 2010 Convention at Dallas where the blade will be on display.

The renewable energy power producers would earn renewable energy certificates for every megawatt hour of electricity generated. A central authority would be established which would be responsible for distribution of these certificates. Any entity which has the obligation to purchase power generated from renewable energy sources can buy renewable energy certificates from these power producers to meet their targets.

But in the last decade, as the number of people employed in Cambodia’s garment sector has increased from about 25,000 in 2000 to around 300,000 today, he has noticed a steady increase in one particular type of vehicle entering Phnom Penh: heavy-load trucks carrying huge stacks of firewood.

India has expanded its grid-interactive renewable energy by about 2.3 gigawatts (GW) in the year ending 31 March 2010, with the biggest contribution coming from wind power. The total installed capacity for the financial year 2009/10 reached 16.8GW, according to a statement from the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy.

This month, Bruichladdich - one of eight distilleries to be found on the Scottish isle of Islay -- will take delivery of an anaerobic digester which will start turning their whisky waste into electricity.Mark Reynier, owner of Bruichladdich Distillery, hopes the digester will meet around 80 percent of its electricity needs and save the company up to £120,000 ($175,000) every year.

Point Source Power, a startup spun out of research conducted at Lawrence Berkeley National Labs, has devised an economical fuel cell for emerging markets. The one in the picture is built around a container that once held breath mints and will generate two to three watts of power.

Hydrophobic materials had been discovered, but their properties don’t last that long – not to mention as long as to be put on ships who cruise for weeks/months. The best such material only has a few hours of stability, after which it vanishes. The challenge is to make hydrophobic materials that last at least as water ferns do.

Lithium-oxygen (also known as lithium-air) batteries are similar in principle to the lithium-ion batteries that now dominate the field of portable electronics and are a leading contender for electric vehicles. But because lithium-air batteries replace the heavy conventional compounds in such batteries with a carbon-based air electrode and flow of air, the batteries themselves can be much lighter. That's why leading companies, including IBM and General Motors, have committed to major research initiatives on lithium-air technology.

“Consumers crave laptops that offer style and performance, and the new 2010 Intel® Core™ Ultra-Low Voltage processors for ultra-thin laptops delivers both, in one sleek design,” said Mooly Eden, vice president and general manager of the PC Client Group at Intel. “Intel’s leadership in 32nm high-k metal gate process technology, combined with breakthrough architecture and design has enabled thinner, lighter and faster notebooks than previous models, with terrific battery life. ”

The Southeast False Creek Neighborhood Energy Utility, or N.E.U., supplies space heating and domestic hot water to local buildings using heat recovered from wastewater and raw sewage. “This is a test case for Vancouver,” said Chris Baber, the N.E.U.’s manager. It is also the first “district” energy system in North America to draw heat from untreated wastewater. There are only three similar projects worldwide: two in Oslo and one in Tokyo.

In a market-friendly scenario, Nanosolar claims to be able to produce electricity at 5-6 cents/kilowatt hour almost as cheap as power from coal and at about one-third the cost of other solar power. Nanosolar claims: Nanosolar claims mass production of solar power will now become feasible with their differently manufactured solar panels.

Spanish wind turbine builder Gamesa and San Diego wind farm developer Cannon Power Group have teamed up to start building a wind farm South of the Border to supply clean power to a quarter of a million households in both California and Mexico from 500 MW of power by 2015. Cannon says the site’s potential capacity is ultimately 1,000 MW.

While they may sound nuts, these wild and innovative ideas could be the future of mobility. From electric cars that charge without wires to remote-controlled commuter convoys, plenty of far-fetched technologies are in the works that could green up the way we drive and make our roads do more than just lie there.

Two drawbacks to solar power were cost and the bulk of the panels, but newer panels, called thin-film solar panels are lowering the cost of solar and allowing new types of solar panels to be made. Some are flexible and can either be rolled up or formed into roof tiles, so it’s hardly noticeable that you’re powering your home with the sun!