Midtown Manhattan and New Jersey from Empire State Building

The proposals are expected to slash energy usage and costs, to  improve air quality, to cut emissions of greenhouse-gases, and to create around 1,000 new jobs over the next 18 months.

The three utilities involved in the energy-efficiency proposals are the New Jersey Resources Corporation’s New Jersey Natural Gas (costing $18.3 million), the South Jersey Industries’ South Jersey Gas (costing $17.12 million), and the Public Service Enterprise Group’s PSE&G (costing $190 million).

The proposals follow the economic stimulus plan announced by Jon Corzine, Governor of New Jersey, in the autumn of 2008. The plan calls for speeding up infrastructure and spending on energy-efficiency schemes.  All of the major utilities of the state of New Jersey had already presented their plans earlier in 2009.

[via Reuters]

Image courtesy of stephenhanafin

NASA created the Global Digital Elevation Model using around 1.3 million images collected by a Japanese camera aboard its spacecraft – Terra.

The map is made up of a huge grid of as many as 23,000 tiles, with each height point spaced 98 feet apart.
The colorized version of the Global Digital Elevation Model shows a detailed representation of the Earth’s landmass – with low elevations in purple; medium elevations in greens and yellows; and high elevations in orange, red and white.

In the breakthrough map, England and most of Ireland have been shown as low-lying and sharing a similar elevation to Denmark, Poland and northern Russia in Europe; Mauritania and Somalia in Africa; Brazil and Argentina in South America; Florida in the United States; and parts of Australia.

According to Woody Turner, a scientist at NASA, the unique and vital data on elevation that the map provides will benefit both users and researchers from a wide range of disciplines that need information on elevation and terrain.  NASA has 15 satellites in orbit, sending to the Earth high-resolution data on how the Earth is changing.

[via DailyMail]

Ford Mustangs ... waiting to be electrified

And, with a view to convincing drivers on the benefits of electrified vehicles, Ford is working with utilities across the United States to collect data on driver-behavior vis-à-vis plug-ins, especially regarding the Ford Escape plug-in hybrid.  Ford Motor Company is taking a $5.9-billion loan from the United States Department of Energy (DOE) and President Barack Obama is in favor of making one million plug-in vehicles by 2015.

The company says that the loan from the Department of Energy will be utilized to improve the fuel efficiency of 13 Ford models and to get them on roads as soon as possible.

Image courtesy of DeusXFlorida

[via AutoBlogGreen]

Most bicyclists have a dream place in mind when it comes to enjoying their rides. What about an open (dug) plain-where you can try all possible antics that come to mind whilst riding a bicycle For the ones who’ve always wanted an opportunity such as this, the Slovenian Hydro Pumped Storage Power Plant is an ideal place. But only when it is empty, of course!

The bikers will think of it as heaven but paradise is not the real purpose behind the empty hydro pumped storage power plant. In reality it acts like a giant capacitor to which the water can be pumped when there is a surplus of energy elsewhere.

One example, say for instance this power plant was connected to a wind power unit. In such a situation it will store energy when there is a surplus of wind power from blowing at its peak. However, when the wind is not blowing, energy could be produced using the stored water. This process will eventually reduce the impact of the wind’s non availability at times.

A definite green option but we for one are more inclined towards the favor to cyclists.

[via Treehugger]

The trailer is still good enough for a family tour as blogger Marcos Morales is using it for a family vacation through Spain. Waskman Design Studio constructed it with white polyethylene panels and transparent polycarbonate.

The structure has two floors and measures 6m in length, 2.5m in width and 3.85m in height. The design chooses a loft format with a second floor bedroom and office and kitchen space on the first floor. To power the doodads-it is quite obvious that the solar panels atop furnish the energy.

The problem with the apparent form is the openness of the exposed space. For a longer term it is advisable to choose some other material to entertain more privacy.

[via Inhabitat]

New Energy Bill

The vote was mostly partisan, with just 8 Republicans joining the Democrats in favor of the Bill and 44 Democrats voting against it. The climate change Bill will now go to the Senate.

President Barak Obama, for whom the climate change Bill was a top priority, praised the House of Representatives for taking  “historic action” and requested the Senate to act likewise. The Bill, the President asserted, was “a bold and necessary step” in order to create new industries and millions of new jobs as well as to reduce the nation’s “dangerous dependence” on foreign oil.

The climate change Bill stipulates that large companies based in the United States – including utilities, oil refiners, manufacturers and others – cut emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse-gases 17% by 2020 and 83% by 2050, from the 2005 levels. These companies are required to do so by using, in phases, cleaner alternative energy instead of the highly polluting oil and coal.

The Bill has at its core a “cap and trade” program designed to achieve the emissions-reductions by industry. According to this plan, the government will reduce the number of pollution permits being issued to companies. The companies can sell those permits to each other as needed.

“We have so suddenly lost,” Tippi Hedren was quoted as saying, “one of the most beautiful and enchanting entertainers on our planet.”

According to Tippi, Michael Jackson was not only loved by the people of the world for his incomparable talent but was also loved by the wild animals. At the Neverland Ranch, she added, Jackson provided the most beautiful home for those magnificent wild creatures.

Tippi Hedren is set to take care of Michael Jackson’s much-loved tigers, Thriller and Sabu.

Green Sears Tower

American Landmark Properties, which owns Sears Tower, expects to cut the building’s electricity consumption by 80% and water consumption by 40%. Sears Tower, built in 1973, will be renamed Willis Tower later in the summer of 2009.

The 9-point “green” plan for Sears Tower includes the following measures:

1. Replacing the tower’s 16,000 tinted single-pane windows and creating a ‘thermal break’ between Chicago’s chilly winters and hot summers and the interior.
2. Installing gas boilers equipped with fuel cells, which generate electricity, heat and cooling.
3. Revamping the tower’s 104 elevators and 15 escalators to reduce their usage of electricity by 40%.
4. Conserving 24 million gallons of water with new restroom fixtures and ‘condensation capture.’
5. ‘Harvesting daylight’ by installing systems that automatically dim lighting based on available natural light.
6. Installing solar panels to heat water.
7. Erecting wind-turbines, if possible.
8. Planting green roofs in order to reduce storm runoff and the urban heat island effect.
9. Replacing granite plazas and walls surrounding Sears Tower with trees, terraced park space, glass storefronts, and an interactive digital display.

Obama on Oil Cuts

However, figures given out by the federal government do not go well with Obama’s stand, raising doubts on whether he might be exaggerating or not.  Figures initially provided by the White House revealed that the reduction in oil imports claimed by Obama would come to a decrease of around 10% in 2030.

According to Heather Zichal, deputy assistant to the President for energy and climate change, the legislation will reduce the United States’ overall oil consumption by 700 million barrels in 2030. Later, the White House revised that figure, citing a report by the Environmental Protection Agency, to 245 million barrels a year by 2030.

The legislation proposed by the Democratic Party is designed to cut emissions of greenhouse gases drastically by 2050. And the plan is one of President Obama’s most ambitious legislative priorities.

Electricity-powered BMW Halbo motorcycle

Halbo which was an entrant at the BMW Motarrard Innovation Contest 2009 is a front wheel driven electric bike that uses a small rear wheel only to ensure balancing. The ball joint affixed to the rear helps the bike make turns with ease where leaning does not become a risk.

According to the designer, the Halbo is specifically designed for the vibrant youth of highly populated cities. It will complement the greener modes of mass transportation by making sure that even the individual commuters maintain an ecological balance.

With concept designs like the Halbo bearing a promise of a greener future, the onus now lies on the German moniker to ensure that such machines do make it to the production facilities.

[via Ecofriend]