Using coronavirus as a restart button for living a sustainable lifestyle
The coronavirus has also had some positive effects. By forcing people to stay in their homes, there is less pollution. It’s been an effective way to let the world heal.
electricity
Solar project brings affordable energy to Palestinian homes
We don’t often hear good news coming from Palestine, but solar energy advances for Palestinian households are something to celebrate. The Dead Sea Photovoltaic Generating Plant offers drastically reduced prices for Palestinians struggling to pay their energy bills and its first phase is now open and underway. Traditionally Palestinians have had to rely on Israel […]
Nature solar shelters are hybrid acacia “trees” sprouting electricity and shade
No African tree is more recognizable than the Acacia with its prickly canopy that provides shade for wild animals across the savannah. Samuel Wilkinson has borrowed from this arboreal genius to design Nature – an attractive shelter that produces clean energy and an inspired rendevous spot for urban dwellers.
Iraq Puts Hope in Wind, Solar Power to Buttress Energy Sector
The Middle East is continuing to show itself capable of boosting alternative energy sources without facing political backlashes from opposing sides of the aisle. In Iraq, large multinational corporations are working with the country’s ministry of electricity to see clean and renewable resources become a reality in the post-war environment, where investment is expected to […]
Tunisian Water Distributor Puts People Ahead of Commerce Amid Shortages
A sweltering heat wave has swept through Tunisia, disrupting both electrical and water supplies just days before Ramadan begins. Extreme heat destabilizes electrical cables, with as many as three cables a day fraying under the pressure in some cities. Disruptions in the electricity supply in turn cause water pipes to malfunction, leaving many homes, businesses […]
Leap-second Bug Consumes Megawatts of Electricity
Was it the leap-second bug that pushed America’s power plants beyond their capacity? A 61 second minute was added to clocks around the world on June 30, 2012 at 23:59:60 UTC in order to compensate for slight variations in earth’s rotation speed. This triggered a number of software bugs one of which caused a spike […]
$109 Billion Solar Plan to Power a Third of Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia has finally noticed it has twenty centuries of solar reserves and has made plans to tap them. For its own use.The Kingdom has just announced a $109 billion plan to create a solar industry that generates a third of the nation’s electricity by 2032, according to Bloomberg Businessweek. Maher al- Odan, a consultant at the King […]
An Israel Alone, Dependant On Natural Gas
Shaul Zemach (left) shakes hands with Zvi Rome of Petco (right) at the Asia House in Tel Aviv this Tuesday morning With Israeli electricity prices set to rise nearly 9%, government officials are trying to plan for the long-term, at least until the next energy crisis. At a breakfast event this Tuesday in Tel Aviv […]
Setsuden Helped Japan Conserve 75 Nuclear Reactors Worth of Energy
The Middle East can learn about energy savings from the Japanese, and the Japanese concept of setsuden. Sometime during the mid 1990s a series of heat waves coincided with a refueling shut-down at one of my home state’s nuclear power plants. Citizens were asked to voluntarily cut usage. Somehow we managed to conserve the equivalent […]
12 Uber Simple Steps to Green Your Life in 2012
Step in for this wonderful list of 12 easy ways to green your 2012. image via maliny The folks over at Nourishing the Planet have come up with a stellar list of simple steps that every person can take to green their lives. Although it is written with an American audience in mind, each of […]
Moroccan Poor Leapfrog Fossil Fuels – Switch on the Sun
163,000 Moroccans who previously had no access to electricity are going solar, thanks to Tenesol. The world’s poorest two billion people have no access to any kind of electricity at all. Among them are people living in rural Morocco. These households are among the two billion that will greatly add to the world’s environmental problems over the next fifty years if […]
Landmark Wind Power Plant To Be Built In Pakistan
Amidst economical concerns and heavy reliance on fossil fuels, Pakistan's first private wind turbine gains $169 mil in international investment through Turkish company Zorlu Enerji.
Solar Bottle Lights a Bright Idea for the Developing World
This idea is so simple, yet so brilliant. Maybe it could help light up the Middle East? Filipinos living in simple corrugated metal homes have had problems lighting their homes for generations. Even since the invention of electricity, electric lighting has been used sparingly by certain communities due to its cost. It is frustrating that […]
UAE Stands By Its Nuclear Plans
Despite the Fukushima nuclear power disaster, the energy minister of the United Arab Emirates states that they will stick by their nuclear energy plans With Jordanians taking to the streets to protest the dangers of developing nuclear power and the recent nuclear accident in France following hot of the heels on the Fukushima disaster, you […]
IKEA Israel Stops Selling Incandescent Bulbs
There may be a lot of things that IKEA is doing wrong for the environment, but ceasing to sell incandescent bulbs isn’t one of them. Swedish furniture superstore IKEA has gotten into environmental trouble over lots of things, and at first some of the local Israeli population protested IKEA’s entrance into the market. The company […]
Renewable Energy Vital For Jordan & Lebanon’s Future
The European Commission has earmarked €71 million to support renewable energy projects in Jordan whilst a report highlights the importance of solar power for Lebanon’s future Whilst the Middle East may be known worldwide for its oil, many nations are now starting to look to renewables for a sustainable source of energy. Jordan, which ironically […]
InnoSave Greens Big Electric Motors to Save Energy Costs
Large public escalator systems, like this one, can operate “greener” by using InnoSave’s energy saving systems. Electric motors, running on both direct and alternating electrical current have made our lives much easier, ever since they were invented by such people as Thomas Edison and Nikola Tesla. The use of sophisticated electric motors are also being […]
Were Tesla’s Solar Innovations “Buried” by Big Oil?
Free electricity from lightning? Nikola Tesla thought so. Even though I grew up in America, where many of this man’s inventions were brainstormed, I must admit I never heard of Nikola Tesla until now. This man, born in Serbia in 1856, and who later immigrated to the USA in 1884, may have been the world’s […]
Do Creases Make You Cross? 10 Tips for Wrinkle-Free Clothes without Ironing
With planning and proper care you can cut back on your ironing for greener clothes. My friend finds ironing relaxing. I find it a chore, especially in the hot climate of the Middle East. And according to the Consumer Energy Center, operating an electric iron uses one kilowatt hour an hour, almost twice as much […]
Israeli Electric Cars on the Fast Track – Says Company’s Power Supplier
This guy (Maurice) will have to wait till 2012 to have an electric car Contrary to reservations being made about the Better Place electric car company being a monopoly in Israel’s upcoming electric car market, it now appears that the head of one of the country’s largest holding companies, the Israel Corporation, is very positive […]
Cell Phone Invention Could Save Gaza Residents From Fatal Explosions
Accounting student from Gaza University turns from numbers to chips, and hopes to save lives with his new invention. When a plant that requires sunlight to grow is stuck in the shade, it will adapt by bending in the direction of the sun. Likewise, Gaza’s residents are adapting to a period of energy depredation by […]
“The Story of Coal” a Wake-Up Call to Users (and Abusers) of Electricity
Before leaving that (non-CFL) light on after you leave the room, you might want to take a look at the Story of Coal. In the routine of our daily lives, it’s easy to forget about the ramifications of our actions. When stopping by the supermarket on your way home from work to pick up some […]
Solar Energy From Sahara Desert Could Power Europe – But At What Cost?
Since the first solar panel plant in Morocco 2010, over 200 solar sites have been built around the world. Now the Desertec Industrial Initiative wants to invest $560 billion in Sahara solar panels. Will it have international approval?
It Must be Peak Oil Driving Saudis to Solar
As oil supplies decline, Saudi Arabia’s own electricity is becoming expensive. By one estimate, it’s as much as 25 cents a kilowatt-hour, at wholesale. Saudi Arabia gets all of its electricity from the oil field. Flared gas provides 45%, heavy fuel oil provides 13%, diesel; 22% and crude provides the remaining 20%. So as oil […]
Researchers Get Potatoes Off The Couch And Powered Up
Cheap, and widely available in most countries of the world all year round, potatoes make an ideal source of power. Potatoes offer more than just a valuable source of nutrition, now they can also power your lights and computers, say Israeli researchers. The scientists from Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HUJ) have discovered that potatoes can […]