Louis Palmer’s Solar Taxi went around the world in 2007 Swiss inventor Louis Palmer had what many referred to as an impossible dream when he said that one day, many of the world’s cars would not only be electric but powered by the sun as well. Palmer’s dreams are now on their way to becoming […]
The 100-MW photovoltaic power station would be the first to harness Turkey’s remarkable solar resource. Turkey has a lot of catching up to do when it comes to solar power. At more than 1 million terawatt-hours (twH) of solar radiation each year, it receives more sunlight than most countries in Europe — for comparison, Spain […]
As a new political order struggles to assert itself in the autocratic states of the Middle East novel challenges – and possibilities – emerge. In looking toward the future, social Greens throughout the region would do well to coordinate an agenda geared toward a sustainable tomorrow.
Some very good news from Egypt. The very progressive renewable energy policy spearheaded by Hassan Younis, the pre-revolution Minister of Electricity and Renewable Energy will continue, post-revolution. He is one of four ministers who will stay on in the new government and will continue their good work for the new Egypt. One of the projects […]
Qatar scientists have invented the portable cloud, to hover over a football game in 2022 I have long covered wonderful, innovative and sometimes wacky inventions to reduce our use of fossil fuels, in order to prevent climate change. There’s no shortage of the genius needed. But, unfortunately, preventing climate change takes political commitment as well, […]
Every barrel of oil co-produces 10 barrels of waste fluids hot enough to make energy Towards the end of the life of an oil field or a natural gas field, the operating cost of managing the waste water is the main reason why fields are shut down, wells are plugged and abandoned. Oil and gas […]
Lithium-iron-phosphate batteries being built in Israel by the two year-old battery start-up EVida will power small but practical and freeway-capable electric cars built in China by the French-German EV manufacturer Mia Electric for sale in Europe, a competitive market for electric vehicles. The order represents a triumph for Terra Venture Partners, one of Israel’s leading […]
It’s still just where the oil fix is dispensed. But greener. Dubai’s first green gas station, that we covered here in January is not a glamorous architectural extravaganza, but it is one of the first new buildings in Dubai to meet its new zero energy building codes. The many sustainable features of the new Enoc/EPPCO […]
Israel powers up a new round of EUREKA grants – two make electricity from municipal water supplies A €33 million fund to help fuel the development of 25 projects in renewable energy, biotechnology and clean-tech industrial manufacturing across Europe was announced by the EUREKA network at a meeting in Israel Sunday. Since Israel’s chairmanship that […]
Sustainable air conditioning made locally from the heat of the sun is perfect for Dubai.
At a time of uncertainty in world VC funding, Israeli cleantech VC stays focused on renewable energy Israel Cleantech Ventures, the tiny but talented nation’s first cleantech-focused fund, is now more than halfway to raising a $100 million fund, according to a filing this week. Some of Israel’s more interesting clean energy start ups that […]
Out of the frying pan…are uranium reserves to run out in a decade? In its haste to free itself from oil-powered electricity, during the Arab oil shocks of the ”70s, France switched to nuclear energy. It had been vulnerable in its dependence on the Middle East, and moved to nuclear to free itself of the […]
The Sequel: A hydrogen-electric hybrid who’s time may soon come General Motors, whose Chevrolet Volt electric hybrid is now beginning to roll into Chevy dealerships across America, is also in involved in innovating some very interesting transportation concepts. Two of these concepts involve using hydrogen powered fuel cells to provide electricity for one or more […]
A banal for-profit product for the Third World may revolutionize the treatment of human waste In the Middle East and other regions with increasing water stress, using clean water to whisk excreta out of sight is increasingly wasteful. For the more than 40% of the world’s population that don’t have private toilets with running water, […]
You wouldn’t want to be responsible for keeping the lights on in buildings like these! In an attempt to reign in Dubai’s profligate fossil energy use, Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) has sharply raised rates for business customers who have failed to reduce their electricity consumption since 2008, Utilities-ME is reporting. Starting in January […]
Is the UK’s Tax Man still short-sighted in giving incentives for electric cars? The British government is not doing enough to give consumers enough incentives to purchase electric cars, says Better Place LLC CEO Shai Agassi in an interview with the UK newspaper The Guardian. The interview quotes Agassi as saying that other countries including […]
VW’s XL1 looks great and saves fuel. But is it affordable? Although the much written about Better Place electric car concept is a favorite on Green Prophet; and is even criticized as being an electric car monopoly in its origin country Israel, the cars themselves have yet to hit the streets on a commercial basis. […]
Under new sophisticated new renewable energy policy in Uganda and a recent World Bank grid expansion connecting to Africa, soon it could be Uganda keeping the lights on in Egypt and the UAE Feed-in Tariffs (FIT) are increasingly being offered by governments and utilities worldwide, because they simply are the fastest, most efficient way to […]
Enlightening! If you bought Enlight stock a year ago, your portfolio would be dazzling. Though it might be frigid in many parts of the world, it has been a sunny January for Israel-based Enlight Renewable Energy Solutions. So far this month, the photovoltaic (PV) solar power integrator has announced deals to install 13-16 small PV […]
Jeddah, the “ancestor of women”, hosts breakthrough food production technology AeroFarms, a company whose vertical skyscraper farming idea we have covered before, is now beginning to introduce a new way of farming to the Middle East that could have as radical an effect on the future of our food supply, as when we switched to […]
Greece has been no Sweden, Germany, Finland, Denmark or Portugal, when it comes to the new cleantech economy. That is changing fast. Look who’s applying for deployment. As an EU member, Greece has come up against its deadline to start to comply with the EU directive to get 20-30% renewable energy on the grid by […]
Abu Dhabi is to green up desert oil fields using composting of waste products, including those from the oil industry itself. The French start-up company Microhumus Analysis & Engineering made the announcement that this year it will begin field trials in Abu Dhabi of a novel technology to compost oil-contaminated desert land, at this week’s […]
Minneapolis Rollerblade Inventor Wants Masdar Biking Monorail Skyways Why can’t getting around be as safe and comfortable as sitting in a car, and yet be something of a workout too? Scott Olson, the athletic Minnesota inventor of Rollerblades and the Rowbike, has come up with yet another way to do just that, and his company […]
The Zayed Future Energy Prize is like the Nobel Prize for solutions to climate change. An extremely select jury of international experts in climate change solutions, headed up by IPPC chairman, Nobel prizewinner Dr Pachauri, decided that the Danish wind giant Vestas should be the winner of this year’s Zayed Future Energy Prize, which honors […]
Dubai has hardly been noted for its energy-saving green buildings. But new regulations are about to change that. Dubai’s Energy Council has just announced the passage of new green building regulations that were initially proposed a year ago. These tough new building codes could reduce energy consumption by almost a fifth, according to Amal Koshak, […]