renewable energy

The Magenn Power Air Rotor System (MARS) uses helium to float at 400-1000 feet altitude, where the winds have potential to produce double the electrical output over ground based systems. The MARS is portable and generates power as the stationary rotor spins facing the wind.

Prototypes have already flown and a 10-25 kW version is planned for production by 2010. Advantages of the MARS include competitive electricity prices at under 15 cents per kWh. The units are not a threat to birds or bats, and operate extremely quietly. Magenn plans to initially target markets where infrastructure

Envision Solar has developed the first-generation Solar Grove for use in parking lots. This "grove" of Solar Trees not only generates power, it transforms otherwise barren parking lots into modern-looking, shaded areas. Everyone knows how much time and gas it takes to cool down

your car when it's been sitting in the sun all day. Not only do the Kyocera-manufactured solar panels keep the sun off of cars parked underneath, they prevent the asphalt from absorbing and later releasing wasted heat energy. All this while generating enough electricity to pay for the investment

Solar Electric Vehicles (SEV) has developed a solar module for the 2004 - 2006 Toyota Prius that increases its already great fuel economy. Manufactured with mono-crystalline photovoltaic cells, the module is durable, has no moving parts and is basically maintenance free.

The SEV solar system generates 215 watts of renewable energy and uses a 3kW supplemental battery pack for additional energy storage and increased HV battery performance. The system is capable of adding up to 20 additional miles per day of electric mode driving, increasing the car's fuel economy by up

Indian plastics and textiles manufacturer, Sintex Industries is experimenting with human waste as a source of energy. Its new biogas digester may help satisfy two of India's major needs: energy and sanitation.

The biogas digester can turn human or cow (or any, really) excrement and kitchen garbage into fuel that can be used for cooking or generating electricity. The digester uses bacteria to break the waste down into sludge which can be used as fertilizer. In the process the bacteria emit methane that is stored in a canister rather than pumped into the atmosphere. A one cubic meter digester can convert the waste

Get your hands behind the controller of the latest H2Go fuel-cell electric vehicle. The solar panel generates electricity to recharge the controller and electrolyze water into hydrogen and oxygen at the refueling station. With a little sunlight and water, this car has a range of five minutes between fill-ups.

The manufacturer, Corgi International, won the 2008 ToyAward at the Nuremberg Toy Fair. The technology for this product and others is made by Singapore's Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies. Other hydrogen gadgets they have powered include

The Viridis Septage Bioreactor Landfill is proprietary technology that speeds up the decomposition of solid waste by combining it with sewage. The resulting methane gas can be used as fuel to generate electricity, or to enhance natural gas supplies.

The system makes available a constant supply of renewable energy, increases landfill space, and provides an opportunity for revenue from fuel sales. Other benefits include

The US Department of Energy has entered into a partnership with the state of Hawaii to reduce the state's heavy dependence on imported fossil fuels. The initiative sets a goal of 70 percent renewable energy by 2030, and would make Hawaii into a global model of clean and sustainable energy use.

The Clean Energy Initiative will generate electricity using wind, solar, wave, geothermal, and biofuel technologies. Goals of the project include integrating clean energy into existing infrastructure, designing renewable energy systems for islands, and developing regulations and policies that will encourage efficiency and sustainability.

The Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE will be presenting a door-sized prototype solar module at Tokyo's Nanotech 2008 conference. The new semi-transparent technology features nanoparticles and organic dye which are used to create colors, images, or text and generate electricity.

Potential applications include decorative building facades or placement in windows, where they also function as window shades, reducing glare.

This year's Superbowl in Phoenix, AZ is expected to draw upwards of 150,000 fans. Not only the game itself, but The NFL Experience (a fan-focused event)draw the crowds and the two events create an estimated 150 tons of greenhouse gases. On top of this, the NFL's fleet of 3,000 coach buses, 1,500

vans and limos, and 300 - 400 official staff cars produces an additional 350 tons of greenhouse gases. The director of the NFL's Environmental Program, Jack Groh has developed green initiatives to offset the