Liquid Air Could Be The Fuel Of The Future

By Admin

Imagine owning a car that runs on air. Impossible, you reckon? Think again. The car in the video below does exactly this.

Scientists in Britain are developing a new technology that uses normal air to store energy by reducing its temperature to as low as minus 190 degrees Celsius turning it into liquid air. 

This is definitely good news especially with the ever increasing costs of fuel and environmental pollution issues associated with fossil fuels.

Sources: YouTube, Sky News

Chanel Invokes Green Energy of Fashion

By 'Lanre Okanlawon

Echoes of renewable energy were constantly heard earlier today in Grand Palais, Paris as Chanel sent her gorgeous fashion models on a blue solar panel pattern runway surrounded by towering white wind turbines at its new spring-summer look. 

Chanel Spring/Summer 2013

Karl Lagerfeld welcomed fashion enthusiasts, including Jennifer Lopez and her daughter, Emme to the grand show. “Energy is the most important thing in life”, he said enthusiastically, commenting about solar panels and wind turbines. If I had to build a house, I would put them in the garden,” he concluded.

How to Go Green

By Jacob Gordon

The cost of electricity is going up (both in dollars and in environmental and health impacts) and it doesn't show any signs of doing otherwise. About half of the energy in the American grid is coal generated. We won't bore you with what you already know: coal is a really stinky, dangerous, nasty, unsustainable, and silly way to make power. 

By using less energy, and greening the electricity that we do use, we can lighten our footprint immensely. The subject of electricity and its environmental impacts is a massive one and we can't cover every corner of it here; hopefully, this brief guide can offer some solid suggestions for greening your electricity and use thereof.

Audit yourself

A home energy audit is a way to inventory your home's energy use, where energy is lost, and where it can be saved. You can do an energy audit yourself or get a pro. Many utilities also offer home and business energy audits for free.

Reduce your use 

The lowest hanging fruit just begging to be picked are simple energy-saving practices. They're also the most cost effective. Top tasks include:

a. Replace your light bulbs with compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) or even cutting-edge light emitting diodes (LEDs).

b. Turn off lights and other devises when they're not needed.

Eliminating electronics that sleep on a standby setting; they continue to pull a current even when "turned off."

"Wall warts," those clunky AC adaptors on many power cables, pull current, too, so those should be taken out of the wall when not in use -- this is also known as phantom power. Your best bet is a "smart" power strip, or a power strip that can be turned off at night.

Clothes driers gobble up a lot of power, so line drying can be a great energy saver.

Put your house on a diet 

Homes consume an enormous amount of energy, especially in heating and cooling, and American homes consume around six times the world average. Once you've audited your home for energy use (even if you haven't) some simple moves can cut your electricity bill. Keep your house cool with natural ventilation instead of air conditioning as much as possible. Use in-room, ceiling, or whole-house fans to move air throughout the house. Blocking sunlight during hot hours of the day can help lower your cooling load. If your house uses electricity for water heating, wrapping your water tank in an insulating blanket can save on power. Also, if your house is heated with electricity, see How to Go Green: Heating for more in-depth advice.

The Heat Revolution

By `Lanre Okanlawon

It’s nearly here. The much awaited Renewable Heat Incentive!

After so many months of speculations, official papers have been released for the cash incentive scheme to “reward” households who key into the use of eligible “green technologies” for heating. The RHI will be in place to reward households who meet their space heating and/or hot water needs by using new and renewable energy technologies such as heat pumps (air source and ground source), biomass and solar thermal panels. At the moment, more than 1.5 million UK households use boilers and a recent poll suggests that at least one in every five household plans to replace their existing boiler.

The latest Government announcement indicates that the scheme will commence in summer 2013 and the subsidy payments will be paid over a period of 7 years. The rates are 6.9p-11.5p for air source heat pumps, 12.5p-17.3p for ground source heat pumps, 5.2p-8.7p for biomass boilers and 17.3p for solar thermal panels. These will be paid per estimated units of power generation in kilowatt hours (kWh).

For a house that has an air source heat pump (9kW) that costs about £8,000 to install, the owner will receive roughly £880 yearly in RHI payments for seven years, in addition to a continuous annual savings of about £390. This means the initial installation costs will be realized in about ten years!

Picture of the Week

A New Twist in the Energy Efficiency Story

By Elisa Wood

Blend a little new energy tech with a pinch of behavioral psychology and you’re bound to get something unexpected.

Consider what happened when New York City-based ThinkEco recently lead a four-month energy challenge for international industrial packaging company Greif.

The goal, of course, was to save energy. And that they achieved. Sixty employees in two Greif buildings cut their energy use 2,400 kWh over 10 weeks. But it was something else that made the challenge interesting, especially for businesses.

The story begins with the Ohio-based Greif already high on the sustainability charts.  The manufacturer, which had $4.2 billion in sales last year, reduced its energy use company-wide 10 percent between 2007 and 2010.

Further, Greif plans to achieve a 15 percent cut in energy use by 2015 and 20 percent by 2020 (measured by per unit of production with 2008 as a base year). The company also has aggressive goals to reduce greenhouse gases and landfill waste.

Having done the obvious to save energy, Greif was in search of the innovative. Enter The Modlet, developed by energy efficiency tech company ThinkEco (Thank you, ThinkEco, for not calling it a plug-load demand-side management optimization solution.)

The modlet is a small box that you plug into an electrical outlet. It comes with a USB port that goes into your computer. This sets up a wireless signal that allows the modlet to talk to your computer.  You plug an appliance into the modlet, and then your computer screen shows the energy use of the appliance.

Most interesting, from your computer you can control the power flow into the appliance, and even schedule shut offs in advance. For example, you might set up a schedule to turn off power to devices not in use on nights and weekends.

Using the modlet, ThinkEco arranged a competition between two Greif buildings, with a team of 30 employees in each. The project stems from behavioral research that indicates people are more apt to save energy when comparing their performance against others – one of several ideas emerging in the study of how and why we use energy.

Energy Saving Light Bulbs Taking Over

By `Lanre Okanlawon
The last few years have witnessed a gradual phasing out of inefficient light bulbs and the emergence of new and improved energy efficient light bulbs. This has been a worldwide trend and proven to be very worthwhile and practical as its positive impacts have been recorded globally. The gesture has been highly appreciated due to its tremendous impacts on numerous pockets, energy consumption and the environment. In other words, they can help you save money, energy and the environment.

Governments all over the world have realized the extent to which these new products of technological evolution can benefit their economy and the environment. In fact, many have taken practical steps to phase out traditional bulbs for general lighting purposes. Brazil and Venezuela initiated this in 2005. Australia, Switzerland and the European Union started the phase-out in 2009. Similarly, other countries already have future phase-out plans; Argentina, Canada and Russia in 2012 and Malaysia in 2014.  

Along the way, several myths have been shattered establishing the fact that energy saving light bulbs actually do us and the environment a lot of good. These new breeds of bulbs, by contrast, use the same efficient technology as fluorescent lights but are more compact and use far more less energy to light up an area. Voluntary initiatives have been on course in different parts of the world to phase out traditional light bulbs where there is a suitable low energy replacement. Advantages such as better quality of light, longer durability (they last 12 times longer than traditional light bulbs), more energy savings, cost effectiveness, recyclability and their brilliant aesthetic designs justify the switch.

In terms of quantifiable attributes these new class of light bulbs use up to 70% less electricity than traditional light bulbs but emit the same amount of energy. This means that you get to pay 70% less than you are currently paying for your light bulbs electricity bills if you use them. Good news, isn’t it?

But the news gets even better! Over the years, there have been tremendous improvements since energy saving light bulbs were commercially introduced, so has the way they look. As a matter of fact, there are varieties of stylish designs available to suit your aesthetic demands.

Energy saving light bulbs- these cleverly modified light sources may be rather modest, everyday objects, but there’s certainly more to them that meet the eye!

What a bright idea!!! J

More Efficient, Cheaper Solar Panels on the Way

By `Lanre Okanlawon

 The past two decades witnessed improvements to conventional processes of manufacturing photovoltaic (PV) cells which translated to increased working efficiencies and significant cuts in production costs. Such changes have made the solar energy technologies more attractive to energy users and competitive with more widely used sources of energy. On the average, solar panels are currently selling for $0.70c per watt- a dramatic decline from 1998 costs of about $10.80 per watt.

More good news- earlier this week, it was announced that a fundamentally new kind of solar cells have been discovered by Professor Michael Strano and his team at MIT and this poses to “re-revolutionalise” the solar energy industry yet again. This peculiar breed of PV cells are made up carbon nanotubes that are able to capture energy from sunlight in the near-infrared region of the spectrum- a feat which cannot be achieved by conventional silicon PV cells. This means that more solar energy will be available to be converted into power- invariably increasing solar cell efficiency. Professor Strano and his team.

Another interesting thing is that the solar cells are entirely made up of carbon atoms that are stable in air. Previous attempts to achieve this proved futile. In Professor Strano’s new discovery, the new all-carbon cells are very stable in air and do not require a layer of polymer to hold the carbon nanotubes into position. This makes the cell structure less complex and easier to attain.

Professor Strano and his team

 A paper written by Professor Michael Strano describing these achievements was recently published in Advanced Material Journal.

 Sources: MIT, Strano Research Group

Are You a Fan of Wind Energy?

Five Interesting Stuff About Wind Energy

1. Asians used wind mills to pump large amounts of water and grind grains as early as 200 B.C.

2. The first modern wind turbine was built in Vermont, U.S.A in the early 1940s.

3. Wind farms currently produce enough electricity to meet the energy needs of more than 10 million families worldwide.

4. An average wind speed of 14 miles per hour is needed to convert wind energy to electricity.

5. A group of wind turbines generating electricity together is called a wind farm. The world's largest wind farm is located, off the coast of Cumbria, United Kingdom.It is made up of 102 turbines and has a total capacity of 367.2MW enough to power 320,000 households.  

Solar Plane Completes Spain-Morocco Flight

By Greenicles Admin

"I can tell you that it was one of the most beautiful flights of my life. I have been dreaming for 10 years of travelling from one continent to another without a drop of fuel."

Above are the words of Bertrand Piccard, the Swiss pilot who completed a 19-hour flight from Spain to Morocco yesterday in a solar energy-powered airplane. This experimental 1,554 mile journey from Europe to Africa was made possible by 12,000 solar cells integrated unto the plane which powered the engines and charged all batteries on-board!

Greenicles: Wow, 10,000 Visitors. Thank You!

By `Lanre Okanlawon

Just a very special note of thanks- our Greenicles blog has just crossed over the major milestone of 10,000 visitors! This week marks a milestone for us. When I first started this blog, I did not imagine this would generate such widespread interest from visitors from over 40 countries worldwide. This is a very BIG thank you for all your interests and kind comments.

Today, there are 10,000 more educated individuals due to this blog. 10,000 visitors that have read for themselves and formulated for themselves their own opinions about this discourse. 10,000 visitors that today have been enlightened as to how new and renewable energy resources can ultimately power our world in an efficient, environmentally friendly and sustainable way.

10,000 Visitors, 10,000 Thank Yous with great pleasure and satisfaction that we have just recently realized this feat.

This is just the beginning!

Biogas Power Plant: A Virtual Tour

By Greenicles Admin

The race is still on- the search for that ultimate energy source that will power the whole world. Everyone is looking for the next big thing. One of the alternatives that are getting some huge publicity and installations globally is the power of Biogas which has been greatly underestimated previously. Biogas is mainly made from organic waste. It refers to gas produced by the biological breakdown of materials such as dead plants, animal faeces, kitchen waste  and even those that pile up in landfills. This seems a bit disgusting and outrageous, however it is not by any means a new discovery. 

Here's a quick video to show that Biogas is a credible source of energy and a strong contender to become the ultimate source of power worldwide!

Video Source: Youtube

Look What we Found...

By Greenicles Admin

Image: SolarCentury

The picture above is a computer-generated image of Blackfriars Railway Station, London across river Thames covered by 4,400 solar panels. Work is still in progress at this momentous London site which is undergoing major refurbishments to become the world's largest solar bridge and London's largest solar array. At the end of the project the solar panels are expected to generate 900,000 kWh of electricity annually providing more than 50% of the station’s power needs. With this, the station's yearly CO2 emissions will be reduced by about 511 tonnes. There are also plans to integrate rain harvesting systems and sun pipes for lighting. 

The major managing companies, Panasonic and SolarCentury, expect the project to be completed in July 2012. 

This a major milestone in our journey to become the number one green innovation company in the world by 2018. - Laurent Abadi, CEO Panasonic Europe.

Donald Trump’s Wind Farm Fiasco

By Greenicles Admin

There is a very interesting public ”fight” over the construction of wind farms in Scotland’s capital, Aberdeen. Scotland is currently known as a world leader in oil and gas exploration and production. At the moment, the country is making conscious efforts in becoming a world leader in not just oil and gas but in renewables energy also.  In doing this, all green sources of energy including wind, solar, biomass and tidal energy are to be employed to meet its ambitious targets. Recent polls show that more than more than 70% of Aberdeen 's residents are happy with this but US billionaire, Donald Trump isn't. Do I hear you ask why? Well, he says the proposed plan to erect eleven wind turbines seven miles away from his £1billion golf course in Scotland will spell doom for the country’s tourism industry.

Wind power alone is projected to generate half of the city’s energy needs but Mr Trump feels this is insignificant. He described wind turbines as ‘Ugly monstrosities’ and ‘horrendous machines’. The outspoken American business tycoon made his views known at the Scottish paliarment yesterday. He said, “This is a very, very serious problem that we are addressing. In my opinion, it is one of the most serious problems that Scotland will have or has had… Wind turbines made in China are going to be the destruction – almost a total destruction- of your tourism industry.” Yesterday, VisitScotland (a leading tourism body) published its latest survey which revealed that four out of five people said wind farms do not influence their decisions over where to holiday in the UK .

Quote of the Week!

"The public has given a clear vote of confidence to clean British energy from our wind, sun and sea – it makes no sense for the government to pursue an unwanted, costly dash for gas that's causing our fuel bills to rocket"


 - Craig Bennett (Friends of the Earth's director of policy and campaigns), reacting to the new poll results showing overwhelming support for clean and renewable energy. 2,844 people across the UK were questioned and only 2% backed an increase in the use of energy from fossil fuels.

Africa: Five Renewable Sources of Energy for Farmers in Developing Countries

By Isaac Hopkins and Jenny Beth Dyess

According to the United Nations, access to reliable and sufficient sources of energy will be critical to meeting the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) of reducing poverty and hunger by 2015. Many of the world's poorest people are rural farmers with no connections to power grids or large-scale energy sources. Most of their day-to-day energy currently comes from the burning of wood and charcoal, practices that contribute to air pollution, deforestation, and the loss of precious time and energy collecting firewood.

Today, Nourishing the Planet introduces five sources of renewable energy that are meeting the demands of poor farmers and allowing them to improve their harvests and their lives.

1. Solar Energy: Solar energy is widely harvested in two basic ways. The first is the use of solar panels, which use photovoltaic cells to convert solar radiation directly into electrical current. Such installations are efficient and versatile but have high start-up costs. The second is solar heating, which harnesses the heat of direct sunlight to boil water and cook food, activities which often constitute more than 25 percent of a household's energy use.

Solar Energy in Action: The Solar Electric Light Fund (SELF) is a non-profit organization that is working in more than 20 countries to install solar energy systems in rural and poor areas. One of their projects is an innovative drip-irrigation system in Benin that is powered by photovoltaics. Farmers are able to grow crops throughout the long dry season, greatly improving their food security, and SELF hopes to provide solar-powered water and lighting for all 44 villages in the district. Solar Household Energy, Inc. (SHE) provides rural farmers, often women, with solar cookers, called HotPots, and the training to use them effectively. These cookers are less expensive than photovoltaic arrays, and can heat to 250 degrees Fahrenheit, enough to boil beans. Nearly all of Africa, and much of southern Asia and Latin America, are considered prime locations for using the ovens, with plenty of sunshine. One project in Chad decreased household wood usage by up to 40 percent in only two months.

Iceland's Volcanoes to Power UK

By Greenicles Admin

UK’s Energy minister, Charles Hendry, is to visit Iceland next month to discuss the prospects of connecting homes, businesses and industries in the UK to power produced from the vast geothermal energy resources in Iceland. He will also be signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to commence feasibility studies.

Due to its peculiar geographical location and the abundance of volcanoes, Iceland has the most abundant underground heat resources in the world. Geothermal energy and hydropower provides over 80% of the country’s energy. All of the geothermal heat is obtained from meters beneath the earth’s surface. It is this same resource that politicians and engineers in the UK are hoping to import to their shores. Iceland has five major geothermal plants that produce heat for about 87% of its buildings. In 2004, the total amount of geothermal energy in Iceland was approximately 79.7 petajoules (PJ), about 54% of the total national energy consumption. Only 0.1% of the country’s electricity is produced from fossil fuels. It is argued that UK electricity bills are among the highest in Europe and its government says it is making a conscious effort to reverse this.

Morocco: Gradually Getting the Energy Supply Mix

By Greenicles Admin

Morocco is making proactive moves in ensuring energy security for its people. The country is one of many countries in the world that are very dependent on energy imports. In its new ambition, Morocco is capitalizing on its vast wind resources and sunlight. Morocco has the second highest wind capacity in Africa after Egypt. The government there is looking to exploit plausible renewable energy options to power parts of the country.

Details of a sealed deal with EDF Energy confirm that 50 wind turbines will be constructed in the Northern region to generate 150MW. The long term plan is to be able to produce 4000MW of electricity by 2020. This will meet nearly half of the nation's total energy consumption. It has also been agreed that 30% of the construction work will be subcontracted to indigenous companies. The next phase will commence later in the year with the commissioning of another set of wind turbines to generate 850MW of power.

Also on the radar are 5 phases of a mega-solar energy project in Morocco's southern province of Ouartzazate which will cost about $9 billon to be commissioned by 2020. 

The Best pro-Solar Energy Billboard you've Ever Seen!

I just saw this wonderful giant bill board on facebook and thought I should share. Apparently, it's been around for sometime now courtesy of Vote Solar. It's a simple, yet important point expressed in an ingenious way. I found it hilarious but the message is very much on point.

But seriously, what happens when there's a solar energy spill?

In Case you Missed Them- Some stories that made the news...

By Greenicles Admin

UK Government Loses Bid to Cut Solar Subsidies

The last week in March was a very good one for businesses and home owners in the UK who generate power from solar panels as the government lost its third and final legal battle at the courts regarding the feed-in-tariff (FiT) incentives scheme. The Supreme Court rejected the government’s bid to cut the pay outs by half. This means that many thousands of people will receive higher payments for generating their energy using solar panels. The FiT scheme pays out 43p per kWh generated by home owners and businesses for 25 years. The government’s botched plan was to reduce this to 21p per kWh. This landmark ruling has been welcomed by top industry players who hold the government accountable for the chaos the sector has been in recent months.
The government has since accepted the verdict and is committed to restore confidence in the rich solar energy sector. It has also announced its ambition to provide enough electricity for 4 million homes using solar energy by 2020.


Nigeria Signs New pro-Renewable Energy Regulations

After decades of ineffective policies and large-scale neglect, the power sector in Africa’s second largest economy has received a major boost. A few weeks ago, the Nigerian Electricity Regulation Commission signed 2 landmark regulations; the Independent Electricity Distribution Network (IEDN) and Embedded Generation 2012. This, according to a government whitepaper, is to encourage investment and efficiency in the country’s starving power sector. These new policies will now enable local and state governments as well as private investors to generate and distribute electricity without recourse to the national grid. This definitely opens up Nigeria’s electricity market to small, medium and large scale renewable energy technology options.




Denmark Targets 100% Renewable Energy by 2050

The legislative arm of Denmark’s government has passed the most ambitious renewable energy plan ever; a legally binding commitment to generate 100% of the country’s energy needs from renewable energy sources by 2050. The plan is to realise 50% by 2020 and all of its total energy needs, including electricity, heating, transport and industry, by 2050. The predicted rise in fossil fuel prices and unstable and wobbly crude oil market is the main reason for this. With this, the Danish government believes its people will be insulated from the adverse effects of being dependent on expensive, imported and highly polluting fossil oil and gas.




Chile’s Steaming up with Geothermal

Presently, Chile is one of the most booming countries in electricity generation from geothermal resources. Its position in the Pacific Ring of Fire makes it a hot cake for development of underground heat resources. In the past few weeks, three new exploration concessions have been awarded to Enel Green Power; the pioneering company in geothermal exploration in Chile. The project includes a geothermal power plant of 50MW capacity to generate 375GWh electricity per annum.

EARTH HOUR 2012

By Lanre Okanlawon

Celebrate your action for the planet with the people of the world!

We only have one planet.  You can help protect it. Participate in the world’s largest single campaign for the planet: Earth Hour. It starts by turning off your lights for an hour at 8:30 pm  in a collective display of commitment to a better future for the planet. 

Participating... 135 countries, 5251 cities, "I WILL IF YOU WILL!"

This is Earth Hour

Date: Saturday, 31 March 2012
Time: 8.30pm (local time)

5 Things you should Know about Biomass

By Lanre Okanlawon

Biomass Fuel Cycle

One. Extracting energy from biomass is an ancient practice dating back to centuries ago where people first burnt wood to provide light and heat. Modern biomass is utilised to produce power for large scale facilities from solid biomass, biofuel or biogas.

Two. Biomass is all plant and animal matter on the surface of the earth. It is also anything that was alive a short time ago. All biomass get its energy from the sun. Plants store energy from the sun through a process called photosynthesis while animals eat plants and also store this natural energy.

Three. Biomass is a renewable source of energy. The use of biomass as an energy source means the carbon dioxide absorbed from the air while the plant was growing is released back into the atmosphere when the fuel is burned. Therefore this process is said to be carbon neutral. It is a sustainable and potentially environmentally-friendly energy source.

Four. Similar to petrochemical refining, plant biomass can be fractionated into several component parts which can be used to produce several varieties of fuels and chemical resources. Biomass currently supplies more than 14% of the world’s primary energy consumption.

Biomass Plant in Minnesota. Source: Raptor Tech

Five. Biomass can be applied for domestic, commercial and industrial purposes. All biomass power plants work proficiently. The efficiency rate is reported to about 70%; that’s higher than coal or gas fired stations. Like some other clean energy sources. There are presently various incentive schemes in different countries that give financial benefits for biomass energy production.

International Energy Agency

By Greenicles Admin

The development of affordable, inexhaustible and clean solar energy technologies will have huge longer-term benefits. It will increase countries’ energy security through reliance on an indigenous, inexhaustible and mostly import-independent resource, enhance sustainability, reduce pollution, lower the costs of mitigating climate change, and keep fossil fuel prices lower than otherwise. These advantages are global. Hence the additional costs of the incentives for early deployment should be considered learning investments; they must be wisely spent and need to be widely shared. - International Energy Agency

In Case you Missed Them- Some stories that made the news...

By Greenicles Admin

So, you want to know some of the week’s most fascinating stories in the green energy sphere, eh? Spot on! I have compiled some interesting ones in no particular order. Enjoy!

UK wants 2030 Renewable Energy Target Scrapped
This one made hit headlines on 6 major newspapers in London accusing the UK government of wanting downgrade its projected investments and targets in the renewable energy sector. By legislation, the UK is committed to generating 20% of its power from alternative energy resources by 2020. The Guardian implies that the David Cameron led government has, in a secret paper to the EU, advocated for diversification of energy sourcing, giving nuclear power and other low carbon sources equal considerations with renewable in the years to come. UK Energy secretary Ed Davey quickly responded categorically stating that the UK does not want to scrap its 2020 renewable energy target.

26MW Solar Project Launched in Arizona
First Solar, in collaboration with NRG, will commence the construction of a 26MW solar project to be completed before the end of 2012. The project will consist of thin film solar modules mounted on single axis tracker systems. The project is projected to create 200 jobs and will boost Arizona’s drive to meet its RE targets. The power will be sold to the Tucson Electric Power under a 20-year power purchase agreement.

Railways to run on Wind and Solar Energy
In a bid to becoming more environmentally friendly, the Indian Railways have initiated plans to generate power for its own use through wind and solar energy technologies. The plans include setting up 72MW wind power plants in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal. 200 railway stations and 1000 manned, level-crossings will also be run on solar energy. These were confirmed in a budget speech made by India’s transport minister Dinesh Trivedi on Wednesday. According to India’s ministry of New and Renewable Energy, India is one of the world’s top 5 Green energy countries with a production capacity of 20,000MW and and additional 2,500MW added annually.

Obama Advocates for more Renewable Energy
On Thursday, President Obama compared his energy critics to people of yesteryears who insisted the earth was flat! Strongly defending his policies on low carbon green sources of energy, he made his viewpoint clear insisting that his government’s decisions on the subject is the right path to energy security and prosperity.

Nigerian Hospital to Benefit from Solar Energy
Members of the Minnesota Renewable Energy Society (MRES), a non-profit organization, have concluded plans to be in Nigeria next week for a solar energy project. One of its international goals is to provide on-the-ground support to green energy projects in developing countries. A government hospital in northern Nigeria will be its first beneficiary in Africa. The society will be donating solar equipment and providing technical support for the project.

"Greenest Ever" Olympics

By Ajeet Khurana

"Go green," the latest mantra for an eco friendly planet no longer remains the sole prerogative of environment activists and scientists alone with the 2012 Olympic Committee members putting on their thinking caps, all set to win the "green medal."

After six long decades, once again London is the venue for 2012 Olympics and the stage is being set for the mega event. The best shot of the host so far has been regenerating the Lower Lea valley in East London in an effort to spread a very meaningful message across the globe and champion the "greenest ever" Olympic Games.

In order to maintain ecological balance, it is extremely important for any country to protect its rivers, creeks and banks. Lea in London was in grave danger with proliferating number of industrial sites along the banks spitting wastes and effluents all over indiscriminately.

ODA (Olympic Delivery Authority), however, partnered with a private agency and initiated a massive clean-up operation. Cleaning such mess is usually a humungous task which calls for robust planning, laborious execution and above all honest intent. The soil along the banks of river Lea was deeply contaminated with arsenic, cyanide and hydrocarbons. At first the litter was removed manually and then the soil was passed through huge soil washers. These giant machines purged two million tones of soil and the clean scum were utilized to build the site.

As far as the river is concerned, it’s sure to meander in full glory for quite some time now. Albeit this is one good example of recycling, instances of intelligent, environment friendly measures to spur the event are galore.

Instead of confining the natural flow of water by building steep concrete banks to prevent flood, engineers have adopted a brilliant new scheme. River Lea has been widened and given a new shape so that at times of flood the water gets distributed in a stretch. Copious planting has been done all around so that the flood water is naturally hemmed by robust trees.

Despite all these measures to orchestrate a completely pollution free oxygen rich Olympics, would it really be possible to dream green with thousands of participants, attendants, officials and airlines bee lining for the show from every corner of the world?

Only time could answer this riddle. Nevertheless whether or not Carbon dioxide level rises in the air, it could be vouched for sure without any second thought, that adrenaline is definitely going to be soaring sky high in the 2012 Olympics.

Nigeria, Energy Poverty and Renewable Energy

By `Lanre Okanlawon

Nigeria’s decision to attain 7% renewable energy use by 2025 has been tagged to be a very proactive commitment. An important fact to note is that more than 60% of the nation’s population is not connected to the national grid and the remaining population can only boast of epileptic power supply.

Apart from the ill state of the existing generation, distribution and supply network, decades of ineffective institutional framework and appropriate policies have been responsible for the increasing levels of energy poverty in Africa’s most populous country and second largest economy. So many questions remain unanswered as it becomes clearer day by day that Nigeria is under-performing in terms of the provision of power security to its 160 million people. To further unlock the nation’s economical and industrial potentials and attract more foreign investments, new scientific breakthroughs in efficiency and delivery of alternative energy technologies have to be taken advantage of.

The country’s present over-dependence on gas fired generation plants has resulted in supply disruptions in times of gas shortages which are very common occurrences. The need for alternative power generation options cannot be overstated considering the country’s current demand for power. In 2011, Nigeria emerged as the country with the largest gap between demand and supply of electricity in the world according to a progress report submitted by the country’s presidential task force committee on power reforms. This is definitely inadequate to stimulate economic growth.

Renewables Helped France Avoid Freezing in the Dark

By Paul Gipe

In a startling development widely reported across Europe in the English-, French-, and German-language press, France imported electricity to meet peak demand during a brutal cold snap February 7, 2012. And one of the countries France imported electricity from was Germany.

Post Fukushima, Germany closed two-fifths of its nuclear reactors and there were fears that Germany would not be able to meet its own demand let alone export electricity.

Nuclear reactors provided one-fourth of Germany's electricity before Fukushima.

Available French nuclear capacity was operating flat-out with three reactors off line. However, France's famed nuclear fleet delivered only 60 percent of the 100,000 MW of peak load experienced at 7:00 p.m. (19:00 hours) as millions of French homeowners switched on their electric heaters.

Solar Panel Price Crash Could Spark Solar Revolution

By Michael Marshall (NewScientist Magazine)

SOLAR power has always had a reputation for being expensive, but not for much longer. In India, electricity from solar is now cheaper than that from diesel generators. The news - which will boost India's "Solar Mission" to install 20,000 megawatts of solar power by 2022 - could have implications for other developing nations too.

Recent figures from market analysts Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF)show that the price of solar panels fell by almost 50 per cent in 2011. They are now just one-quarter of what they were in 2008. That makes them a cost-effective option for many people in developing countries.

A quarter of people in India do not have access to electricity, according to the International Energy Agency's 2011 World Energy Outlook report. Those who are connected to the national grid experience frequent blackouts. To cope, many homes and factories install diesel generators. But this comes at a cost. Not only does burning diesel produce carbon dioxide, contributing to climate change, the fumes produced have been linked to health problems from respiratory and heart disease to cancer.

Energy, Environment, Our Actions

By Greenicles Admin

Nice video, great music! A one minute animation about energy, our environment and actions.

Source: YouTube

A HAPPY CUSTOMER: Dr. Dot Loves her Solar Shed Light!

By Lanre Okanlawon

“I LOVE my solar shed light - It has been working really fine since I purchased it in June last year. Incredibly easy to install. Definitely much easier and cheaper to install than getting technicians. I will be buying another one pretty soon for the back of my house. Now I don't have to rely on the power from PHCN. Cool stuff :)- Dr. Dot”.

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It's 2012... Happy New Year!!!

It's been an exciting 12 months for Greenicles and it would have not been possible without YOU. Thank you for your support and we hope 2012 will be a more successful year for everyone. This is wishing you a happy, green new year.