For six decades, the Watkins Glen racetrack has been a home to motorsports in upstate New York. For many years it was the home of the US Grand Prix until the F1 circus decided they were too good to trek up to the Finger Lakes every October. In recent years, the Glen has played host to NASCAR and IndyCars as well as sports cars of various types. While the cars on the track use a variety of liquid fuels for motivation, lots of electricity is required as well. So the Glen is teaming up with Juice Energy Inc to provide electricity from renewable sources like solar and wind. For the next three years, Watkins Glen will buy wind powered electricity equivalent to all its electrical use through Juice. The Watkins Glen press release is after the jump.

[Source: Watkins Glen]

Click above for more shots of the Nereus concept

The idea of using wind power on the water is anything but new. These days, though, sails have taken a back seat to kites as the primary method of capturing the wind. Here is a new concept, though, that we've yet to see: a kite-powered submersible water craft. Called the Nereus, this concept is meant for adrenaline junkies, not really as a primary source of transportation. Still, it sure does look like fun. Steering is accomplished with the footrests, which are attached to the rear rudder. The vehicle is intended to run both on top of the water and submersed in it. Once a good head of steam is generated, the rider pushes down on the handles which are attached to front-mounted fins, which force the machine underwater. No action is needed to ascend back to the surface, as the combined pull of the kite and the design of the vessel itself take care of that little problem for you.


[Source: Behance Network via Gizmodo]

One of the things you'll hear critics of renewable energy often say is that the sun doesn't always shine and the wind doesn't always blow. But of course we know that isn't the case. If you go high enough from the earth's surface, the sun never stops shining and though no one has seen it, the wind is always blowing. We've talked about beaming the solar energy to earth before and we have even shown you this particular wind-powered energy producer before. At the time, some commented it would never fly but the maker of the Magenn Air Rotor System (MARS) has survived long enough to see it happen.

The blimp, technically called an aerostat, recently underwent its initial inflation trials at the facilities of premiere airship builder, TCOM, and was then taken to Virginia to be demonstrated for the CIA a customer. Magenn believes their balloon will be perfect for remote electricity generation at a competitive price and have plans to sail their device at four different locations in the next year.

[Source: The Daily Advance]

Chrysler may be slow to the party in introducing production hybrids and electric vehicles, but that doesn't mean they haven't been working on cleaner energy. The company has been cooperating with university researchers on growing biofuel feed stocks on brownfield sites, for example. They have also been growing potential biofuel crops at their Chelsea, MI proving ground as an alternative to grass. The company's latest effort is a wind power project, also at the Chelsea track.

The first stage of the project will take place over the next year and a half at Chelsea with the construction of a 264ft tall test tower. The tower will be used to collect meteorological data that will be analyzed in conjunction with the University of Michigan, North Coast Wind and Power and Washtenaw county. Most wind power projects are built near coastal areas or large flat regions in order capture the most undisturbed winds. This project will look at the viability of wind power at higher altitudes. If the data proves favorable, Chrysler will consider construction of wind turbines on the property while the county will look at adding more capacity in the surrounding area. The Chrysler press release is after the jump.

One problem with wind power is that you can never be sure when the wind will be blowing. If you rely on wind power, you've got problems when the weather chooses not to cooperate, which is like... always! One obvious way to collect the excess electricity to be used later would be with big batteries, but there are other ideas regarding the best way to store the power. Take for instance this scheduled power plant in Dallas Center, Iowa. In lieu of storing the power as electricity, the plan for this group is to store the energy in a giant underground "balloon". Well, not exactly a balloon, but a cavern of porous sandstone layers 3,000 feet under the ground. We've never seen balloons made of rock, but if that's what it takes to make green energy available to the masses... well then, rock balloons it is!

[Source: Ecotality via Engadget]

Yesterday, we ran a little story on a new project in Japan to beam laser power down to earth. The laser is actually powered by solar rays and could be used to capture electricity. Thanks to Domenick, one of our readers, we can show you another possible way to generate electricity remotely, pretty much anywhere, and without needing much of an infrastructure. Magenn Power's MARS Wind Power Anywhere™ solution "is a lighter-than-air tethered wind turbine" which can be deployed anywhere that wind is present. The generator looks kind of like a big weather balloon and is filled with helium. As the device spins, electricity is generated and sent down a cable which tethers the machine to the ground, where the power can then be stored. I would expect that this technology will be ready for public consumption way before any lasers of energy are beamed down to earth.

Related:

• Beam down the solar power, Scotty!

[Source: Magenn, thanks Domenick]

I'm sure that you've seen those old weathervanes that people put up on top of their farmhouses, right? I seem to recall a certain copper rooster that my family had in our possession at one time or another. In this day of super-modern-style homes, how much cooler would it be to proudly display a Loopwing Wind Power Generator Set instead. It would look so much cooler if it was positioned near some roof-top solar cells too.

The Loopwing product was made in collaboration with Tamiya, who makes many toys and radio-control model kits. This particular toy does not appear to be controllable, just turn it on and let it go. Apparently, the power provided goes into a capacitor which will allow the car to operate for a full 3.5 hours, assuming there is enough wind, of course. I like this so much more than the hydrogen fuel cell cars that we've shown you in the past, and this one only costs thirty bucks.

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• Have some fun in the sun with solar powered toys
• Batteries seriously not included: are fuel cells just another child's toy?

[Source: Tokyomango via Engadget]

A new 130MW wind farm is being installed in Bahce, Turkey that will add to the 84MW of wind power in place in the country at the beginning of this year. General Electric Energy will be supplying 52 of their latest 2.5MW wind turbines for the project. The new turbines have a rotor diameter of 328 ft and have twelve percent more annual energy yield than GE's previous model. The new turbine also has the ability to operate at average wind speeds as low as 19mph. Turkey has been moving aggressively on installing wind power, going from 19MW at the start of 2006 to 84M this year and now on to 214MW with this project.

[Source: GE Energy]

We are big proponents of the electric car, and for good reason. The majority of Americans could use one for their daily commute without making any concessions at all, even if they don't know it. There are some stumbling blocks for sure, public perception being one of them. Available charging stations being another one. While this invention won't necessarily help with public perception, it might just take a chunk out of the charging problem.

What you are viewing in the video above is the work of Graeme Attey, and is "a modular wind turbine system that sits neatly on a roof to generate power for a home." The idea seems obvious enough, use the power that is already available in the wind to charge up batteries which can then be discharged back into your electric car. According to the source article, five of them could provide enough energy for your entire home, but I am instead choosing to focus on charging just your automobile. Would you put something like this on your garage roof? How about in conjunction with solar panels?

[Source: Engadget and Meta Efficient]

Who woulda thunk that the first hydrogen-powered community would be Vestenskov, Denmark? In the next couple years, that will be a reality, as the Lolland Hydrogen Community will be installing Micro Combined Heat and Power stations in 35 homes.

In Nakskov, an island of Lolland, their main power source is generated by wind power, and using that renewable source of energy, they generate 50 percent more power than they use. The excess power is going to be routed into electrolysis to make hydrogen fuel cells. While electrolysis is a very inefficient energy conversion method, using a renewable energy source negates the issue. To make the process more efficient, the oxygen split off from the hydrogen in the electrolysis process will be sent to the municipal water treatment facility to speed up their biological processes.

This project is made possible by a joint partnership between IRD Fuel Cells, Baltic Sea Solutions, the Municipality of Lolland, and funding from the Danish Energy Authority. So how does it feel to be shown up by the little guys?

[Source: Baltic Sea Solutions via RenewableEnergyAccess.com]

Group Lotus, the British Company that comprises Lotus Cars and Lotus Engineering, is now trying to go green for their operations at their Hethel headquarters. The company has been working with numerous car-makers on electric and hybrid vehicle technologies such as Tesla, ZAP and Proton. Today they announced that they would be working Ecotricity to build a wind park at their factory/test track in Hethel. The wind turbines could provide all the electricity the facilities need and excess energy would be fed back to the grid.

Lotus has been doing analysis of the conditions at the track and wants to install three turbines on the inside of the track. They are currently requesting approval from local authorities, and other government agencies. The Lotus press release is after the jump.

[Source: Lotus]

I have got to tell you that the article linked to here is very long and takes a good while to get through. Then, after you have read the whole thing, you still need time to meditate on all of the points. But, after doing that, feel free to comment on some of the ideas that Vinod Khosla outlines and the points that he makes. I believe that some of what he has to say is true and has merit, but can't quite agree with everything. Here is a good point: "every coal-fired power plant is a ticking slow bomb. Knowing this, we need solutions that work - now." Another: "Finally, I am a big believer in a very diverse set of technology bets." But, is clean coal, nuclear energy and solar thermal power really the best answer for the long-term good of the world, as he appears to suggest? I think that what he is trying to say is that they make the most sense economically at this time, and that we need to focus on what the economy of the world is capable of... and he suggests that what works in Germany and America won't necessarily work in India and China. Makes sense, right? But, what are the chances that nuclear power or clean coal will be what India or China ends up with? Not real high, right? And, what works there is not necessarily what is going to work in America either. Do I have a better solution? Ummm... no, not just one. As he said, we need many. But, I can't see the collective world's governments all agreeing on one technology for the future, either. Oh, yeah, I'm not holding my breath for cold fusion, either.

Wind power where that's plentiful, solar where there is lots of sun, wave power where there is lots of water, biodiesel where there is good soil, the list goes on. Anybody else have any comments?

[Source: Huffington Post]

We ran a story a little while ago that talked about a thin-film solar covering that is transparent and can be applied to windows. I thought that perhaps it was possible to use them on the large automotive sunroofs that are popular these days to charge the normal 12-volt battery of the vehicle. But, after I saw this website, I started thinking, why not have a garage with these wind turbines covering the roof and the thin-film solar covering on the windows too? The electricity generated should probably be used to charge batteries that could be used to charge your electric car. If you were to do something like this, the electric vehicle's batteries could be charged quite quickly, depending on the batteries in the car. Many of the newest electric cars, like the Phoenix SUT, the Tesla Roadster and the not-yet-available ZENN car using the EEStor system offer the capability to charge very fast, making the limiting factor the power-source you are charging from. Direct battery to battery charging would be one solution to the problem, and using solar and wind-power would take your car completely off the grid. Any thoughts?

Of course, alternatively, you could do the same thing with solar cells on the roof of the garage. Depending on where you live, one may work better than the other.

Related:

• Could the windows of your car charge the battery?

[Source: Human Shelter via Hugg]

Here is some shocking news: The Government plans to make nearly half of the electricity consumed using wind, wave and solar power! Oh wait... that's the government of Portugal. Well, still, it is great news. The old goal was 39 percent in 3 years, it was recently upped to 45 percent by Prime Minister Jose Socrates.

"This new goal will place Portugal in the frontline of renewable energy and make it, along with Austria and Sweden, one of the three nations that most invest in this sector. Portugal is one of the nations in the world with the most hydroelectric potential still left to explore. Biofuels are going to be one of our main energy bets," said Socrates.

Last year, Portugal built 36 new wind parks and the world's largest solar power plant, and next year, the world's first commercial wave power station is planned for the country's northern Atlantic coast, according to this article on Yahoo news.

Related:

• Sweden plans to abandon fossil fuels completely by the year 2020
• Yahoo: President Bush to call for 20 percent reduction in gasoline consumption by 2017

[Source: Yahoo]

According to Brian Schweitzer, Democratic governor of Montana, President Bush is missing the boat on alternative fuels and energy sources here in the States. He also claims that we should not be fighting wars in the Middle East.

Some of this political views do not lend themselves to an article here on our site, but here is one that does: "We have enough energy resources and green technology in the United States to enable us to stop relying on foreign dictators to supply us with fuel. Along with a smart strategy in Iraq, our energy independence can make us stronger and safer."

The governor calls for cutting our petroleum demands by 1 billion barrels through conservation, produce another 1 billion barrels of biofuels, and 2 billion barrels from turning coal into liquid fuel.

"We can achieve energy independence in 10 years, create a whole new industry with hundreds of thousands of high-paying jobs, and you'll never have to send children and grandchildren to war in the Middle East again. Mr. President, let's create hundreds of thousands of jobs in America by producing our own clean fuels -- bring our men and women home -- and stop spending money in Iraq," said Schweitzer.

Montana has increased wind power electric generation since Schweitzer became the governor of Montana. Some of his ideas on "energy dependence" may be good choices, but he missed a few, solar and wave generation among them. There are many promising technologies to be considered in the U.S. effort to become "energy independent" which could create jobs here in the States.

Related:

• There will be no "historic shift" in the State of the Union speech from President Bush