This weekend I visited the RIT/NASA AstroZone exhibit in St. Louis. The free exhibit was offered in conjunction with the 212th meeting of the American Astronomical Society and it offered all kinds of fascinating scientific demonstrations: from seeing yourself in infrared to star-gazing in a portable planetarium to being enveloped in Cosmic Collisions while watching a video a portable dome. …
Ethanol Hybrid Chopper
Now that’s a mouthful. But that’s also pretty cool. The chopper pictured isn’t the ethanol hybrid, though it is a Cadillac. But, the e-magazine Winding Road reports that Cadillac boss Jim Taylor says an ethanol hybrid version is being built. A motorcycle enthusiast himself, Taylor commissioned the Cadillac chopper in the photo above from Great American Chopper of Clawson, Michigan. …
Solar Power in Spain
Another 8.7 megawatts of solar energy is now available in Spain. SunPower Corp. has opened two new solar-electric power plants in Llerena and Lebrija. The solar power plant constructed by SunPower in Llerena is 4.8 megawatts; the plant in Lebrija is 3.9 megawatts. In Spain, SunPower has completed or has signed contracts to deliver solar power plants totaling more than …
World’s First Renewable Gasoline
Sapphire Energy says renewable technology is not just for alternative fuels. The San Diego-based company says it can produce gasoline from sunlight, CO2 and microorganisms, such as algae. Not biodiesel, not ethanol. And no crops or farm land required. Company scientists have built a platform that uses sunlight, CO2, photosynthetic microorganisms and non-arable land to produce carbon-neutral alternatives to petrochemical-based …
Biodiesel Works Like Gas
A newly developed “bio-gasoline” product from XcelPlus enables internal combustion gasoline engines to run on natural oils like soybean and vegetable oil. XcelPlus is offering a “Biolene” additive that enables producers and consumers of biodiesel to convert the biofuel so it’s suitable for use in any gasoline powered engines. The company says the new product means home blenders can expect …
New CFO for BioFuel Energy Corp.
There’s new financial leadership at BioFuel Energy Corp. The company has named Kelly G. Maguire its new Vice President-Finance and Chief Financial Officer. Maquire is replacing David J.Kornder who is resigning “to pursue an opportunity to become the Chief Executive of an oil and gas company.” Mr. Maguire is currently the Executive Vice President of Pendum, Inc., a privately held …
AT&T Green Fleet
More than 100 new alternative-fuel vehicles will be on the road for AT&T. The nationwide communications company is launching a new fleet of Compressed Natural Gas vans, 65 electric hybrid cars and 15 electric hybrid conversion work trucks in 30 cities across the U.S. Start looking for them in June. The vehicles will be embedded into AT&T’s workforce as operational …
UT Galveston Applauds Ocean Wave Energy Technology
Renewable energy doesn’t stop with earth, sun and wind. Now water is becoming a viable source for alternative power. Texas A&M has put Renewable Energy Oceanwave Technology from Indpendent Natural Resources to the test for three months in the Gulf of Mexico. The university says the SEADOG Pump is a preliminary success. Researchers praised the pump’s design features for good …
DTE Challenges Michagan Students to Bring Clean Tech from Lab to Consumer
DTE Energy and the University of Michigan are sponsoring an annual entrepreneurship competition. The DTE Clean Energy Prize is meant to encourage teams form Michigan colleges and universities to develop the best way for offering new clean-energy technologies commercially. “Our goal is to drive promising clean energy ideas and technologies from the research lab to commercialization,” Earley said. “To do …
LifeLine’s Vision for Corn and Ethanol
LifeLine Foods sells ethanol, but ethanol is just one of many products the company produces. The St. Joseph, MO-based corn milling plant started off as a manufacturer of snack foods in 2001. Today, LifeLine’s identity is continually evolving. The 51 percent farmer-owned company is committed to innovation and is now partnered with ICM, Inc, a world leader in ethanol facility …