Energy Planet

Central Florida Homebuilder Goes Solar

admin — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 23:33:45 +0000

Sebring Builders, a privately owned Builder/Developer is hoping to become a “trendsetter”. In 2006, Sebring Builders started planning to build Stone Ridge, a private, gated community in the small central Florida town of Sebring. With single family homes starting just under $200,000, they thought this development had everything to offer, great location, clubhouse with many amenities, maintenance fee that included lawn care, wireless internet and cable TV, etc. Then, in early 2007, Florida Solar Innovators contacted owners, Rick Bennett and Randy Bean, about using one of the model homes in Stone Ridge to install a Photovoltaic System and possibly offering this as an option to home buyers. (more…)

Natural Gas: The answer to our Energy problems?

admin — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 01:11:41 +0000

At the mention of the term natural gas, most of us come to think of it as a gas that, as the name might suggest occurs naturally. Right to an extent, but quite vague in the true sense of it, actually natural gas is a mixture of about eight gases, mainly methane, ethane, butane, propane, carbon dioxide, oxygen, nitrogen and hydrogen sulphide all in the order of proportion in which they make up natural gas. The gas is normally colorless and odorless but for safety reasons odorants, small insignificant chemicals which have the property of adding odors, are added to give it a distinct smell. (more…)

Ecotality Life - Review

admin — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 14:10:05 +0000

ECOtality has announced a clever new contest aimed at promoting their fresh new blog. It’s been awhile since we’ve published a review anyways, so this is a welcome challenge. Ecotality Life is a beautiful website. I love the how the images add meaningful impact and color to the articles, which are further emphasized by the subtle mixture of blue and green. The combination is brilliant for clean energy topics - very nicely done! We’ve added them to our blog directory and energy news, and we challenge all of our readers to do the same - promote Ecotality Life wherever you can! (more…)

Green FeedBurner Networks!

admin — Fri, 28 Sep 2007 16:42:08 +0000

FeedBurner is a popular online service that gives website owners the ability to enhance and promote their blog and news feeds. Recently the company began introducing their long-anticipated networking service, which gives users the ability to create and manage feed networks based on a topic or theme. These feeds can then be combined and displayed across the web using their numerous feed tools and widgets. Obviously we’re most excited about the new Alternative Energy Network and Sustainability Network as we’ve been invited to join both! (more…)

High Gas Prices are Good!

admin — Sat, 08 Sep 2007 23:54:55 +0000

I hope the price of gasoline and oil doubles in the next year. Actually, I hope it increases 1000%. Why? Because super-inflated gas prices may be the only thing that wakes North America up to the need for change. Public awareness about global warming and climate change has been numbed by increasing media saturation of the issue. Sure we are all ‘aware’ of the problem, but aren’t we still just sitting around eating popcorn watching movies like An Inconvenient Truth and The 11th Hour. Is watching videos really a solution? (more…)

Leonardo DiCaprio - The 11th Hour

admin — Sun, 19 Aug 2007 11:24:44 +0000

Leonardo DiCaprio is best known as a gifted Hollywood actor, but he is also a major spokesperson for the growing environmental movement. For some time now he has also been busy inspiring people to take action to prevent global catastrophe in the face of global warming and climate change. His latest effort is the production and narration of a documentary film called The 11th Hour. Take a look this preview… the clips of energy production and design concepts are my favorite! (more…)

EV1 Commercial

admin — Wed, 15 Aug 2007 09:17:54 +0000

This car commercial features a GM EV1 and a hummer. The purpose of this video was to document the car’s existence, as GM has claims they do not have any footage of the car. Those cars were so cool… I’m deeply appalled that they aren’t being produced anymore. Regardless, it was nice to see the car portrayed in such an uplifting way… a great watch! (more…)

AboutMyPlanet - Review

admin — Sat, 11 Aug 2007 06:50:52 +0000

A beautiful, well-designed and frequently updated website community focusing on sustainable living tips and green energy technologies. The daily green tips section includes valuable eco-fashion designs and how-to resources for green outdoor enthusiasts. The forums provide a convenient place for visitors to discuss everything from pollution and climate change to solutions like volunteering and events. (more…)

I Conserve Challenge Cards

admin — Thu, 09 Aug 2007 17:30:57 +0000

Rate your conservation efforts with “I Conserve!” challenge cards - the Conservation Council of Ontario distributes cards through The Beer Store’s 441 retail stores across Ontario. By 2009, the Conservation Council of Ontario wants everyone in Ontario to say “I conserve.” The goal is not to become perfect overnight, just better. To make it easy, The Council has developed a simple 10-point self assessment card people can use to rate their conservation efforts and set a personal or family target (see sample card below). (more…)

Energy Bill Promotes Clean Energy

admin — Wed, 08 Aug 2007 18:07:28 +0000

SmartPower Urges President Bush to Sign Energy Bill

SmartPower, in a clarion call to the President today strongly urged President Bush to put aside partisan politics and to sign the recently passed Energy Bill. Both the House and the Senate have passed slightly differing versions of this comprehensive energy bill. A compromise bill is expected to arrive on the president’s desk this fall after a projected September conference committee. The White House has intimated that the President may veto this legislation because neither of these bills “reduced oil imports, strengthened national security, lowered energy prices or addressed global warming.” (more…)

Search for Alternative Energy!

admin — Wed, 08 Aug 2007 01:07:14 +0000

As part of our ongoing commitment to bring you the best renewable energy resources, we’ve now launched the AEoogle search engine. Our newest tool combines the power of Google^TM’s algorithm with the comprehensive resources you’ll find in the renewable energy directory. This fruitful combination provides a more accurate and relevant search result when you search for green energy topics… try searching for “videos” and see what you get! The searchbox code allows webmasters to easily integrate our search results in their energy related websites. (more…)

Vertical Farming Concept

admin — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 00:53:59 +0000

Scientists at Columbia University are proposing a revolutionary new agricultural technology that would bring food supplies closer to the end-user. After studying modern greenhouse techniques they have come up with a new concept to build 30-storey skyscrapers to grow food and raise small livestock, effectively eliminating the shipping and pollution expenses associated with urban living. The controlled environment would include a sophisticated irrigation system and would be powered by a large rooftop solar system. (more…)

Neo-Aerodynamic Device

admin — Wed, 06 Jun 2007 07:38:04 +0000

Phi Tran submitted this link to me by email. According to Phi, Neo-Aerodynamic introduces a new, history making technology to extract kinetic energy from a flowing fluid, providing “unheard-of” amounts of electricity as the final result; this “rate has not been seen before”. During the development of this technology we have gone from one surprising result to the other. At times we could not believe our eyes when we read the measurements; in the end we had to settle for what the equipment tells us. (more…)

Global Warming Lawsuit against Canada

admin — Wed, 06 Jun 2007 07:15:49 +0000

This was emailed to me for immediate release. Friends of the Earth Canada has launched a landmark lawsuit today against the Government of Canada for abandoning its international commitments under the Kyoto Protocol. Filed in Federal Court in Ottawa by Canada’s foremost environmental law organization, Sierra Legal, the lawsuit alleges that the federal government is violating Canadian law by failing to meet its binding international commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. (more…)

The Ethanol Myth

admin — Sun, 13 May 2007 18:20:10 +0000

This video raises some serious questions about the perceived advantages of ethanol and the current political hype surrounding its production. Politicians throughout the United States are promoting increased production and subsidies for the so-called ‘green fuel’, but as this video clearly points out, there may actually be zero environmental or economic benefits. Simply put, ethanol is an over-hyped waste of time that only really benefits producers and government officials who are using the fuel to make themselves appear to be doing something to save the environment. (more…)

X1 Electric Race Car

admin — Wed, 09 May 2007 07:46:47 +0000

In this video a Wrightspeed X1 electric car out-performs both a Ferrari and Porche! What is stunning about this race is just how well the electric car performs. It shoots off the starting line and very quickly races ahead of the other two cars in both races. I’m very impressed! It’s just too bad that this isn’t a production model. Wrightspeed: “The X1 prototype is a concept car, and a test platform. It is not a production car, and never will be. It’s a proof-of-concept vehicle that will lead to a production car in the future.” (more…)

Solar Power Tower

admin — Sun, 06 May 2007 16:55:17 +0000

This solar power tower in Spain acts as a powerful electricity generator and graceful work of landscape art. The 40-story high concrete tower is bathed in powerful rays of bright sunlight and it can be seen for miles. This effect is created by 600 large and intensely powerful mirrors which are used to concentrate the solar light and generate an astounding 11 Megawatts of Electricity! The plant generates enough energy to power the city of Seville and its population of 600,000! (more…)

Innovative Wind Power Technologies

admin — Wed, 02 May 2007 00:24:52 +0000

These last few stories blew my mind (thanks to the EcoGeek I have hope). It’s great to see wind energy technologies evolving, and the concepts sure are attractive. Here we have a beautiful new loopwing tip-less blade design, a collaborative design by students of Archinect that can harness the wind energy of highways, and the massive Enercon E-112 wind generator that is capable of powering 4,000 homes! (more…)

Solar Energy from Carbon Dioxide?

admin — Sun, 29 Apr 2007 22:57:49 +0000

According to Dave White of Mobile Magazine there may be a way to convert carbon dioxide emissions into electricity using Solar Power! This amazing new potential technology is being developed by a group of scientists at the University of California in San Diego. Apparently they already have a working prototype of the technology, which would effectively split CO2 emissions into CO and O. The CO could then be used as a fuel source!

Here’s another article about this topic: Semiconductor Device Splits Carbon Dioxide

Segway Centaur Concept

admin — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 23:45:49 +0000

Being the bicycle enthusiast that I am I can’t help but notice this cool new toy from Segway. It’s great how it can maneuver in tight spaces and stay on two wheels at high speed. The possibilities for this technology seem very promising (as long as it isn’t used for military purposes). I bet it is going to be VERY expensive if it comes to market. Check out the official Centaur Concept website or read on for a short prototype video from YouTube. (more…)

Build It Solar - Review

admin — Wed, 25 Apr 2007 21:25:33 +0000

Retired Airplane Product Development Engineer Gary Reysa has compiled the most comprehensive do-it-yourself solar website online. His non-commercial website, Build It Solar, contains plans, photos and links to over 500 DIY solar and renewable energy projects. “While trying to find good solar heating ideas for my house, I noted that there is not much on the web for people who have some build-it skills, and would like to tackle a solar project — thus came the idea for this web site.” Well Gary, you have done a most excellent job! This is by far the best DIY resource on the web! (more…)

Amazing Wind Powered Vehicle by Theo Jansen

admin — Mon, 09 Apr 2007 22:22:33 +0000

Artist and Engineer Theo Jansen has been designing and creating these wonderful wind powered vehicles for over 10 years. He uses lightweight plastic yellow tubing to construct the vehicle’s skeleton. I realize these projects do not produce energy, but they are so beautiful that I just had to share them. Also featured in wind power. (more…)

Other Power - Review

admin — Sat, 07 Apr 2007 21:16:45 +0000

The folks at otherpower.com are extremely busy building new wind energy projects, as is evident by the massive amount of information available on their website. Even the most novice do-it-yourselfer could find enough information there to construct a fully functioning wind energy system for their house. There are do-it-yourself instructions, forums, and they even host conferences and workshops to showcase the latest ideas and projects. You can browse the classified ads or shop in their store for hard-to-find parts and accessories. (more…)

Energy Forums - Update

admin — Sat, 07 Apr 2007 00:44:14 +0000

Yet another update: We decided to move the energy forums in order to better integrate them with our main site structure. The old forums are still online but are closed for new registrations and posts. Please feel free to register an account and help us get these conversations going!

Alternative Energy - Site Update

admin — Fri, 06 Apr 2007 23:44:25 +0000

For over a year I’ve been trying to figure out a way to display the latest alternative energy news headlines in a timely fashion. It has been very difficult. We’ve gone from manual daily updates to daily feed updates via a sub blog. This past month I’ve been setting up and testing a new system which aggregates blog and news feeds every time the page is refreshed. It works! Visit the following page for the latest alternative energy headlines! (more…)

EcoPhotos.com - Review

admin — Thu, 29 Mar 2007 01:54:48 +0000

EcoPhotos.com is a stock photo agency specialized in nature, environmental protection, and sustainability related topics. Images illustrate what needs to be protected, threats to people and to the environment, and a wide range of more sustainable alternatives. (more…)

Biodiesel Man

admin — Thu, 29 Mar 2007 01:16:12 +0000

A user submitted video from the Discovery Channel. A very detailed and informative introduction to processing biodiesel as a fuel source. The host tours a biodiesel processing plant and gets an explanation of how the process works, as well as how to convert a regular diesel engine to run off of biofuels. Also featured in biodiesel fuel. (more…)

Meet the Greens - Review

admin — Tue, 27 Mar 2007 18:00:48 +0000

What an exciting and fun website! Designed with kids in mind, Meet the Greens uses flash media to present information about climate change and environmental issues. There are games and videos for kids (and adults) to play and watch. I found myself spending quite a bit of time on this site, it is quality educational entertainment… way to go Greens! (more…)

Sustainable Energy in Europe

admin — Tue, 27 Mar 2007 05:30:10 +0000

This excellent eye-opening video compares the energy crisis in North America with the sustainable energy models that have been developed in Europe over the past 50 years. (more…)

Solar Tower Pilot Plant

admin — Tue, 27 Mar 2007 03:45:56 +0000

This video gives a detailed overview of an amazing Spanish tower that generates power by collecting heat at its base and forcing the air up through a small chimney. Electricity is produced using a power generator located at the top of the chimney. Also featured in solar power. (more…)