You are eligible to receiving a $1,500 rebate when buying certain electric motorcycles. California has ambitious plans for reducing its greenhouse gas emissions, specifically 25% by 2020. This program is aimed at fostering more sustainable transportation.

The first electric bikes to have qualified for the rebate are Zero Motorcycles, which Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger helped promote.

He said: “I love the financial side of these motorcycles because they cost less then one cent per mile to operate and you get a 10% federal tax credit plus a California rebate of $1,500. That equates to a 25 percent price reduction making these electric motorcycles affordable for anybody.”

I’m interested in your opinion. Do you think this rebate system will encourage the buying of electric bikes? Do people trust them enough?

VIA: Inhabitat

Biking information for 150 cities in the United States is now offered.

Some of the criteria considered while designing the routes include avoiding freeways and high-traffic areas, as well as giving preference to gentle terrain. Ideally, hills are avoided.

Plus, Google is developing a mobile version.

There is also information about bike trails, lanes and recommended roads. You can customize your journey, including places you want to visit along the way to your final destination.

Basically, you just need to insert your starting place and where you’re headed and the software will do the rest.

There are three types of lines, with different colors.

-Dark green stands for dedicated bike-only trails

-Light green indicates a dedicated bike lane along a road

-Dashed green indicates roads designated as preferred for bicycling, but without dedicated lanes

Hopefully, Google will take this to other countries, helping bicycles grow as a sustainable transport alternative.

To start using it, click here

For more information, click here

This is how Hans defines the race: “Propelled by the spirit of friendly competition, the World Solar Challenge rewards creative integration of technology and scientific knowledge in a wide range of disciplines, providing a common focus for young and brilliant minds.”

The challenge consists of the following: Construct a car fueled exclusively by solar power and drive it 3010 kilometers from Darwin to Adelaide, in Australia.

The three basic rules are:

1. The car should be fueled exclusively by solar power.
2. The size of the vehicle is limited. It may be a maximum of 5 meters long, 1.8 meters wide, and less than 1.6 meters tall. Since 2007, the surface of the solar panels has also been limited to 6m². The driver must be seated in an upright position.
3. It is driven exclusively from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The driver spends the night under the stars in the exact spot where the car stopped at 5:00 p.m.

Aside from driving the 3010 km as fast as possible, the race’s other objective is to encourage development of sustainable automobile technology.

One of the favorite teams is the one from the University of Twente, which recently revealed its car, called 21Revolution. The vehicle was created by 18 ingenious minds and is designed with a flexible body that has a solar wind made from a thermoplastic elastomer. The selection of this material makes it ultra-light and improves its aerodynamics. The team maintains that this model is 25% more aerodynamic than their previous version. Another fundamental characteristic is that the wings can be oriented in such a way that they are always perpendicular to the sun’s rays, maximizing their energy capture. As if that weren’t enough, it is covered with a patented lense system that works as a magnifying glass to make even better use of solar energy.

Teamwork: This is a challenge. The team works completely independently. The 18 members are rigorously selected according to their technical abilities, knowledge, and also personality. The members of the team design, construct, and test the car and will seek independent opportunities to cooperate with businesses, educational institutions, and the media.

Congratulations to all of the participants in this race. Hopefully they’ll make great discoveries that reduce the use of fossil fuels so that in the future our children can travel in a clean way and climate change will be just a memory.

Today we will analyze the case of the Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), which was awarded $16.8 billion for its programs and projects.

The funds are being allocated into either energy efficiency projects or renewable energy ones.

We’ll start with energy efficiency. There are several projects in this area.

1) Solid-state lighting

$37 million have been awarded to more than 15 projects. Some of them will research, others will manufacture, and develop this type of lighting which includes LEDs (light-emitting diodes) and OLEDs (organic light-emitting diodes). This solid-state lighting system has the “potential to be 10 times more energy-efficient than traditional incandescent lighting”, according to the EERE. Besides, lighting consumes around 24% of the electricity generated in the US.

2) Industrial technologies

In this area, projects will work on the application of energy efficiency to industries, and information technology (IT) sectors. The funding they have received amounts to more than $200 million. The information technology sector is growing very much, hence the importance of it to consume energy efficiently. Funds are going to projects that research, develop and demonstrate equipment and software that optimize energy use, as well as investigate ways in which to minimize the amount of power lost and the heat generated during the power supply chain. And lastly, projects will explore and analyze how to cool IT equipment using the least amount of power possible. IT and telecommunications facilities use up 3% of the energy in the US.

Regarding the greening of industries, projects include the development of industrial combined heat and power systems, and district energy systems for industrial facilities. Industries as a whole use more than 30% of US energy, and emit around 30% of US greenhouse gases.

3) State and local energy program

This area receives around $6 billion in funding. On the one hand, we have the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG), which provides funds to “US states, territories, local governments and Indian tribes that develop and implement projects to improve energy efficiency and reduce energy use and fossil fuel emissions in their communities”.

On the other hand, there is the State Energy Program (SEP), which funds US states in their quest for adopting renewable energy and energy efficient technologies.

4) Weatherization Assistance

In this area, the Recovery Act works with the Weatherization Assistance Program, which seeks to lower energy spending for low-income families by increasing home energy efficiency. The total funding available is $5 billion, and it is distributed in all US states.

5) Vehicle technologies

Funding is around $3 billion. Projects include improving efficiency in trucks and passenger vehicles, as well as investigating alternative fuels and transportation electrification, among others.

In the next article, we will address funding for renewable energy projects.

VIA: Scientific American

For more: US Department of Energy EERE

Global shipping generates between 3 and 4% of all greenhouse gas emissions. It is fantastic that innovations are being made in cargo ships, to reduce their carbon footprint. One impressive case is the B9 cargo ship, which will be powered 60% by the wind, and 40% by engines that run on liquefied methane. It is being developed by a clean energy company called B9 Energy.

The ship will set sail in 2012. It will weigh 3,000 tons, much smaller than the ordinary cargo ships, which weigh between 15,000 and 30,000 tons.

The engines will run on methane, which will come from the anaerobic digestion of food waste.

The B9 will be able to transport 3,000 tons of weight, and will travel 1,000 miles maximum.

The prototype ship will cost around $24.4 million, and if it works out, 50 more will be built, at a lower price. The vessels will be used to transport bio material from the Baltic States. Their competitiveness lies in the fact that they can transport biomass in a carbon neutral way. It would make no sense to use biomass energy, if transporting its inputs would eliminate its environmental benefits, due to the contamination generated by fossil fuels of regular transportation.

Also, around 2012, biomass power stations will be inaugurated in the UK. So, when the demand for biomass increases, B9 plans to have its ship ready to transport the required products.

VIA: Ecogeek

One of the latter is Malmo, a city located in the south of Sweden, with a population of about 280,000 people. Malmo has set itself the target of reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 25% between 2008 and 2012. By 2030, the city plans to run entirely on renewable energies. To achieve this, different measures are being applied.

To start with, sustainable transport is being promoted. Public transportation is being fostered, as well as car-pooling, a more eco-friendly way of driving, and more sustainable cars and buses. Regarding buses, these are connected to traffic lights, so as to get green lights faster than cars, and they have separate lanes. 42% of them run on biogas created from the city’s waste.

Eco-driving is taught to municipal employees; it is also offered in several driving schools, and it has been spread to some of the largest truck companies.

Besides, the city encourages the use of bicycles; it has more than 410 km of cycle ways, and in 2004 it was named Bicycle City of the year in Sweden. So far, one fourth of the city’s daily trips are made by bike!

Renewable sources of energy are being developed in Malmo. Among them, solar energy, specifically photovoltaic panels are being deployed all over the city. Malmo has the largest area of PV installations in Sweden, around 3400 m2. The city is investing a lot in solar energy. Also, the Swedish government funds PV technology, so the conditions are quite optimal. Other renewable sources of energy being developed in Malmo include wind energy, and bioenergy. About 25% of the heat energy comes from the city’s incinerator which transforms waste to energy. And 16% of the city’s heating comes from water warmed by the excess heat released from industrial plants in the area.

Attention is also being paid to energy efficiency. An interesting example is Sadelmakarbyn’s preschool, which is the municipality’s first low-energy preschool. Its walls are a half meter thick, to help insulate, and reduce the energy consumed for heating and cooling. Plus, in this preschool, lights are controlled by sensors. On the whole, since 2001, energy consumption has been reduced 20% in municipal properties.

Another interesting initiative is that schools will increasingly be offering healthier, greener food to its students. Nowadays, 50% of the food offered in schools is ecological, and the aim is to reach 100%.

Concerning recycling, 96% of household waste is collected. Whatever can be recycled, is in fact recycled. The rest is used to generate biogas, including food waste.

There are three main neighborhoods that are specifically being led to greater sustainability. These are Western Harbor, Sege Park, and Augustenborg.

Western Harbor runs exclusively on renewable energy, produced locally. Its main sources of energy are the sun, the wind, the water and organic waste. With the organic waste, biogas is produced, and with it some buses are powered.

Augustenborg is well-known for its green roofs. These reduce water runoff, help insulate buildings, and add vegetation to the area. The district also has photovoltaic panels, some of them used for shading. Besides, the world’s first emissions-free electric street trains were created there.

Way to go Malmo! A truly inspiring initiative.

VIA: HowStuffWorks (PDF)

Malmo