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Long-Distance Demo Of Solar-Powered Wireless Power Transmission Technology Illustration only. Washington DC (SPX) Sep 11, 2008 Space solar power could be a clean, renewable solution to America's long-term energy needs. John C. Mankins, former manager of NASA's Exploration Systems Research and Technology Program, and one of the foremost experts on space solar power, will announce a milestone demonstration of the critical technology enabling SSP: long-distance, solar-powered wireless power transmission.

Six more senators on Tuesday joined a bipartisan group of 10 senators backing a bill they say will break the stalemate over offshore drilling in Congress. Three Democrats and three Republicans joined the so-called Gang of 10, making it the Gang of 16. The group supports a bill that would lift a ban on oil and natural gas drilling in the eastern Gulf of Mexico and off the southeastern U.S. coast, invest $20 billion in the development of petroleum-free motor vehicles and extend tax credits for renewable energy.

Berlin, Germany (AHN) - A report presented Wednesday by oil giant BP said Germany reduced its energy consumption in 2007 by 5.6 percent. The reduction of use of primary sources of energy such as oil, gas, coal, nuclear and hydro resources was equivalent to 18.5 million tons of oil equivalent. Aside from Germany, two other European nations claimed large cuts in energy consumption at levels even higher than Berlin's. These were Denmark and Azerbaijan. On a global scale, primary energy consumption to increase by 2.4 percent in 2007. The two red-hot Asian economies of China and India accounted for the...

A 'sun tower' is one of the concepts being considered by researchers Scientists are assessing the possibility of embarking on a space engineering project that would eclipse the effort to construct the International Space Station. Researchers from Europe, Japan and the US are considering the viability of building giant solar panels in a low earth orbit that would supply cheap, inexhaustible energy to industry and homes. Building a huge array outside the Earth's atmosphere would have the advantage of having no clouds to interrupt the flow of solar energy to the arrays. Yet the sizeable downside would be the...

It's like another gold rush, but is the race to grow crops for bio fuels such a field of dreams? In the flatlands of the American interior, grain is flying off the fields. Corn, wheat and barley are thrashing through combines. And to watch the farmers behind the harvest, you would think you were on Wall Street instead of Green Acres. Members of the boots-and-baseball hat crowd sound more like tassel-loafed brokers on a binge, spinning straw into gold. And in a sense, they are. Welcome to the latest field of dreams. Farm prices have not been so high in...

HUMANS are just one of the millions of species on Earth, but we use up almost a quarter of the sun's energy captured by plants - the most of any species. The human dominance of this natural resource is affecting other species, reducing the amount of energy available to them by almost 10 per cent, scientists report. Researchers said the findings showed humans were using "a remarkable share" of the earth's plant productivity "to meet the needs and wants of one species". They also warned that the increased use of biofuels - such as ethanol and canola - should be...

Tower of light traps Sun's energy

The wires have been overflowing lately with news of plant expansions, companies scrambling to tie up silicon supply, and sales successes for equipment suppliers — all within the solar market. Solarbuzz recently reported that the photovoltaic market grew by 19% last year, which is not expected to slow down this year, despite continuing polysilicon supply issues. Check out the items below for just a sampling of the latest news in this red hot market. To keep up with all the latest, check in regularly at our Emerging Tech Info Channel: www.semiconductor.net/emerging

Thousands of protesters greeted Mr Bush's arrival US President George Bush has met his Uruguayan counterpart, Tabare Vazquez, as part of his five-nation Latin American tour to promote trade.Mr Bush arrived in Montevideo from Brazil - where he signed a deal to develop alternative fuel sources. Uruguay is keen to sign free trade deals with the US, even if it means leaving the Mercosur trade bloc. The tour attracted protests in Brazil and about 5,000 protesters gathered in Uruguay for Mr Bush's visit. Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is conducting his own tour of the region and addressed 40,000 anti-Bush...

House Democrats in the first weeks of the new Congress plan to establish a dedicated fund to promote renewable energy and conservation, using money from oil companies. That's only one legislative hit the oil industry is expected to take next year as a Congress run by Democrats is likely to show little sympathy to the cash-rich, high-profile business. Whether the issue is rolling tax breaks - some approved by Congress only 18 months ago - pushing for more use of ethanol and other biofuels instead of gasoline, or investigations into shortfalls in royalty payments to the government, oil industry lobbyists...

Facing new regulations intended to limit greenhouse-gas emissions by the electricity industry, California utilities are using their clout as big power buyers to snub "dirty" resources outside the state and push forward development of renewable resources in and around California. At a meeting next month, California utility regulators are expected to approve a measure that will prohibit utilities from entering into contracts to buy electricity from resources that emit substantial greenhouse gases, such as coal. The policy, believed a first among states, implements a new state law that takes aim at global warming. (See related article.) Utilities in the state...

Tony Blair is believed to be convinced over the need for nuclear power to tackle the UK energy crisis.The government is to announce a review of energy policy, including nuclear power, after being urged by business leaders to tackle the UK energy crisis. Concerns have been growing over future power supplies and rising gas costs. The BBC's Nick Robinson said despite the prime minister's support, no decision has yet been made on Britain's nuclear future. Tony Blair's spokesman said: "The prime minister's view is that we need to look at all the options and everybody knows that is what we...

Say it isn’t so Department : Renewable Fuels and Hillary Clinton Pro-environment groups have touted the value of ethanol and bio-diesel fuels for at least a generation. (I can remember reading “Gee whiz !” articles about these fuels in” Mother Earth News “ way back when Jimmy Carter was President, and we had long lines at gas stations for rationed fuel. ) Over the years, these “infinitely renewable replacements “ for fossil fuels have received taxpayer subsidies estimated at 3 Billion dollars : subsidies which have, for the most part, simply masked their true costs. Now comes a study ,conducted...

Texas utilities will likely meet a 2009 mandate to generate 2,000 megawatts of renewable energy three years early. In fact, according to the Public Utility Commission of Texas, the 2009 requirement may be reached in Texas this year. The Texas electric restructuring law of 1999 required utilities to generate an additional 2,000 megawatts of renewable generating capacity in Texas by 2009. Developers have added 1,190 megawatts since the law was passed, and projects adding 486 megawatts are either under construction or have been officially announced, according to the PUC.

Leading environmental advocates in Maryland today called for the immediate resignation of Sierra Club's most powerful official in Maryland, citing the official's blatant suppression of scientific data that likely shows a wind farm in western Maryland poses no threat whatsoever to migratory bird populations. Dan Boone, Conservation Chair of the Maryland Sierra Club, has repeatedly refused to release the results of a bird study conducted in Garrett County, Maryland by a team of noted ornithology experts that Boone picked himself. The study data has been available since last spring, but Boone has rebuffed repeated requests by bird advocates and other...

The Royal Society are the most distinguished scientists of the British establishment, so when they demand that the government show "political courage" and build a new generation of nuclear power stations, it carries a lot of weight. The problem is that it this advice is completely wrong, and demonstrates how out of touch scientists are with the real world, and how careless they are about the future of Britain and the planet. In fact, it is worse than that. They out of touch with modern science, living in a sort of time warp, where nuclear power is the answer to...

<p>Gov. Gray Davis' recent call for a big increase in the state's use of renewable energy has become mired in a morass of competing political and economic agendas that threatens to sink the ambitious initiative before it gets off the ground.</p>

Wind. Sun. Hydrogen. They are odorless, tasteless, invisible and abundant. And they can be harnessed to generate electricity, power cars and heat homes. So, hey, let's stop dallying! Replace those shameful fossil fuels with clean renewables. What is taking so long? That was the gist of a series of passionate editorials in The Dallas Morning News during the past several weeks. Read them, and you might wonder what is wrong with those blockhead politicians and energy executives.But there is a reason that renewables, despite a history of generous government subsidies stretching back to 1982, haven't made a dent in the...