Sapphire Energy: An overview

In April 2011, Sapphire Energy was featured in the PBS Special, Planet Forward. This program presented the most promising new companies and technologies in alternative energy. The film crew visited Sapphires labs in San Diego and the R&D Facility in Las Cruces, New Mexico.

Sapphire Energy is targeting commercial production in 2012.

Topics: Algae Fuels

ToughStuff in 60 Seconds

Millions of impoverished people in some of the world’s poorest countries will soon have access to low-cost solar power after a deal was struck between solar provider ToughStuff and the Business Call to Action (BCtA) network. The deal will see up to 33 million people living in poverty in Africa and Asia supplied with low-cost solar panels and solar battery packs.

With headquarters in Mauritius and offices across Africa, ToughStuff is hoping to capitalise on potential market for off-grid solar power in developing countries; nations with disrupted national grids, such as Cote d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, South Sudan, Zambia and Zimbabwe in Africa and four Southeast Asian countries – Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Nepal.

The company will introduce a range of solar-powered products including solar lights, mobile phones and radios, directly to low-income communities including its “Business in a Box” model, which relies on a network of village-level entrepreneurs who are provided with training on how to sell, rent or provide access to affordable solar energy services and products.

ToughStuff says by substituting kerosene or biomass fuel with solar power, it could save the region a combined total of US$520 million in energy costs while reducing carbon emissions by up to 1.2 million tonnes by 2016.

Topics: Solar PV

500 watt vertical axis wind turbine

The vertically oriented wind turbines sold by PacWind are said to be friendly to birds and also appropriate for use in urban areas. PacWind turbines are silent and compatible with solar power and grid-tied systems.

The smallest unit offered by PacWind is the Seahawk. It is 30 inches wide and 48 inches tall, costs about $3,000 and can be used for homes, boats, buildings, lighting, emergency power and remote power, such as an automatic gate at the end of a long driveway. The SeaHawk, the first turbine in a series has a power output of 1 Kilowatt and a maximum power output of 3.4 Kilowatts. The SeaHawk measures 55 inches High by 30 inches in diameter. The PacWind VAWT is scaleable to Megawatt class turbines.

The PacWind VAWTs are architecturally and aesthetically pleasing in stand alone fashion or installed in VAWT towers of up to five turbines high. The PacWind VAWT towers allow for extremely compact utilization of the wind’s energy in urban as well as rural areas, while at the same time allowing the turbines to simply blend into their architectural surroundings.

Topics: Vertical Axis Wind Turbines

Energy Dynamics Laboratory's algae pond at USU Uintah basin

Algae offer a unique synergy in the unconventional fuels arena, offering to turn waste streams from other industries, such as reclaimed water and CO2, into valuable fuels. To move the promise of algae in the production of unconventional fuels to reality, there is a need for research and development and large scale deployment studies.

The mission of EDLs Algae-to-Fuels program is to perform this research and development and then demonstrate low cost (less than $2.00/gallon), large scale and commercially viable fuels from algae. On the path to obtaining this goal is to have more than 1,000 acres of algae ponds under cultivation at an oil production rate of 1,400 gallons per acre per year, or 1.4 million gallons per year. EDL’s team foresees that the algae-to-fuels operation would be profitable, competitive in the marketplace, and unique. EDL plans to start full-scale, 1,000 acre, algae-to-fuels commercial production by October, 2012.

To support this mission, USU Research Foundation (USURF) has created a wholly-owned, for-profit subsidiary called Energy Algal Systems (ALG-EN). ALG-EN is in the process of evaluating four 10+ acre sites for a commercial, pilot scale, demonstration project in 2012. They have also started discussion with several large industrial users of algal oil and algae derived biofuels. Finally, ALG-EN completed its first external consulting project for Phyco2.

Topics: Algae Fuels

"I AM" Campaign

Global Green has unveiled a new, celebrity-packed video urging us all to fight global warming- which includes Mark Ruffalo, Adrian Grenier, Orlando Bloom, Serena Williams, James Cameron, Billy Morrison, Mark McGrath, Kevin Bacon, Kyra Sedgwick, and Al Bundy. The video does a great job of pointing out a few key things:

• WE are the ones threatened by global warming.
• Climate change is happening NOW and we will see some of its tremendous impacts in our lifetime if we don’t act now.
• We need to join the political effort to stop climate change now.

Topics: Global Warming and Climate Change

Nokia: Recycle and save the environment

Nokia’s products are designed to last and with a global Nokia service network to look after them, they keep working. But a lot of mobile phones are no longer used due to fast-changing trends. Nokia’s global consumer survey reveals that 44% of old mobile phones are lying in drawers at home and not being recycled and only 3% of people recycle their mobile phones globally.

Topics: eWaste Management ,Recycling

Nokia- Recycling advert

Series of awareness videos that emphasize the importance of recycling electronic mobile phones rather than throw them away.

Topics: eWaste Management ,Recycling

Nokia- Recycling advert

Series of awareness videos that emphasize the importance of recycling electronic mobile phones rather than throw them away.

Topics: eWaste Management ,Recycling

Nokia- Recycling advert

Series of awareness videos that emphasize the importance of recycling electronic mobile phones rather than throw them away.

Topics: eWaste Management ,Recycling

Growing mushrooms from used coffee grounds

Two college students ditched plans to enter the consulting and banking fields when they discovered they could grow mushrooms using coffee grounds. The Back to the Roots founders say they diverted 1 million pounds of coffee grounds from the landfill in 2011.

Topics: Sustainable Agriculture and Forestry ,Organic Farming