Scientists from Germany and India say they have developed a new polymer that reduces the amount of radioactive waste produced during routine operation of nuclear reactors. The approach uses small beads of the material to "fish" out radioactivity from water pumped through the reactor’s core.

The new EZ Grout Hog Crusher Job Site Material Recycler from Multiquip is easily attached to a skid steer loader or forklift and can recycle most materials — brick, block, stone, rock, asphalt, non-reinforced concrete, and more — on the job site. The Hog Crusher is able to scoop up and pulverize recyclable material in […]

Seiffert Industrial’s new laser pulley alignment tool, Pulley PRO, uses a green laser beam for maximum angular resolution and for reliable and accurate readings. The lightweight and compact units magnetically attach to the inside or outside face of any pulley or sprocket and have no small parts or targets that can get lost. A laser […]

Sherwin-Williams introduced the Tile-Clad High Solids Mildew Resistant epoxy, an industrial coating that protects against mildew growth on exterior surfaces where dampness and humidity are of concern. The epoxy is well-suited for areas where mildew growth must be guarded against in order to maintain operations, such as water tank exteriors, structural and support steel, power […]

One of the world’s first osmotic power plants started operation at Tofte on the Oslo fjord in Norway last November, producing 2 kW to 4 kW after more than a decade of collaborative research and development by the Norwegian University of Science and Technology and Norwegian state-owned utility Statkraft (Figure 1).

Acknowledging that ANSI centrifugal pumps often need to be installed in areas where space is at a premium, Griswold Pump Co. has developed the 811CC (Close Coupled) ANSI centrifugal pump. This pump offers the features and flexibility of standard Griswold 811 ANSI pumps but with a smaller electrical motor encased in a compact package. Despite […]

In order to operate aging nuclear power plant instrumentation and control systems for up to 60 more years or longer, there must be a smooth transition from existing analog technologies to advanced digital platforms. For this to occur, electromagnetic compatibility concerns related to both qualification testing and the electromagnetic environment must be addressed to ensure safe and reliable operation of these systems within the plant’s electromagnetic and radio frequency interference environment. By understanding the regulatory requirements and sharing implementation experience, digital system upgrades can be installed successfully.

CHLOR*RID International launched the Chlor*Ion Meter, a handheld digital testing device that electronically measures chloride on surfaces with an internal ion-specific electrode. Most surface chloride testing devices offer an external electrode on a cord, but these could be damaged in the field, CHLOR*RID says. Because it digitally measures chloride on surfaces, the Chlor*Ion Meter’s ion […]

By Kennedy Maize This is so California. The all-powerful California Air Resources Board, which drives regulations affecting cars, power plants, and virtually anything with moving parts in the state, has ordered a new study of the health effects of diesel engine emissions,  after it turned out that a staff member who did the analysis leading […]

Westar Energy has agreed to spend approximately $500 million to significantly reduce air pollution from a Kansas power plant and pay a $3 million civil penalty under a Clean Air Act settlement with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Justice Department. The company has also agreed to spend $6 million on environmental mitigation projects.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Monday set the new one-hour standard for nitrogen dioxide (NO2)—formed from vehicle and power plant and other industrial emissions—at a level of 100 parts per billion (ppb). The agency said it would also retain the existing annual standard of 53 ppb.

The Southern California Public Power Authority (SCPPA), which represents 11 municipal utilities, today announced it would undertake what it called the “nation’s first cost-effective, utility-scale distributed energy storage project.” The 53-MW project will use several rooftop ice-storage units from Ice Energy to reduce the state’s peak electrical demand by shifting as much as 64 GWh of on-peak electrical consumption to off-peak periods every year.

Instead of just forgetting about their trash when they leave it at the curb, people increasingly are recognizing that municipal solid waste is a valuable resource. For more than 25 years, Covanta Energy has viewed waste as an important resource not to be thrown away. Waste materials have a tremendous amount of potential energy. Waste materials in landfills release significant amounts of methane, a potent greenhouse gas. Recycling and Energy-from-Waste (EfW) together, as part of an integrated waste management approach, make the best use of this resource, reducing our greenhouse gas emissions while turning waste into steam to heat our homes and businesses and electricity to power our cities and towns.

With everything from baby food to SUVs (hybrids of course!) competing for “green mindshare,” audiences are inundated with a barrage of green claims. Although environmental awareness is at an all-time high, a growing sense of skepticism has crept into the conversation. Whereas even a couple of years ago audiences eagerly gobbled up green claims, people today are more uncertain and retain a higher degree of doubt when confronted with messages of sustainability and environmental stewardship.

Biofuels projects present a variety of risks in today’s business climate that must be mitigated or hedged in order for project financing to proceed. With the contraction in the capital markets, credit quality has become increasingly important.

The Supreme Court last week refused to review a February 2009 ruling by a federal court that blocked the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) from asserting its power to override transmission decisions made by states.

A technical study released by the Energy Department’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) last week shows that shifting 20% or more of the Eastern Interconnection’s electrical load to wind energy by 2024 is technically feasible, but it would require significant expansion of the transmission system and system operational changes.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) last week said it would take a fresh look at regulatory policies to integrate variable renewable energy resources such as wind, solar, or non-storage hydro generating plants into the nation’s power grid while maintaining power system reliability.

Over the past three decades, the Brazilian sugarcane industry has experienced major and continuous technological improvement. Today, sugarcane is the basic input for an extraordinarily diverse range of value-added products including food, animal feed, chemicals, biofuels and electricity coming from modern, integrated biorefineries that produce sugar, ethanol, bioelectricity and bioplastics in Brazil.

The support of energy savings performance contracts helps customers achieve goals.

The federal government is the largest single user of energy in the United States. Energy efficiency is the cleanest, cheapest and fastest source of energy. Put the two together and you have the Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP).

Renewable and reliable alternative energy is a critical need as the world’s oil supplies are depleted. Using its globally renowned expertise in engineering and systems integration, Lockheed Martin is successfully pioneering new ways to leverage solar, wind, and wave energy as alternatives to fossil fuels.

District heating in Denmark was developing in the same manner as in other countries before the energy crisis hit the western countries in 1973/74. However, by the beginning of the 21st century, the Danish energy consumption per capita for space heating had dropped more than 50% compared to 1973.

Owing to visionary environmental and energy policies combined with coherent public planning, Denmark has developed the most efficient waste management system in Europe.

Many representatives and advisors of renewable energy businesses believe (or at least hope) that 2010 will witness a significant “uptick” in merger and acquisition (M&A) activity across all renewable energy industries. As renewable energy businesses continue to attract funding and benefit from favorable governmental policies (or, conversely, as funding slows down or governmental policies change), such businesses should be in a position to attract suitors and/or explore growth opportunities. To the extent you are looking for or experience M&A opportunities, below are a few “M&A Truths.”

ACORE is pleased to partner with EarthEra to balance the carbon emissions of this year’s conference. EarthEra is an innovative new program from NextEra Energy Resources, North America’s largest producer of wind and solar power. The EarthEra program provides a powerful new way for everyone, from large organizations to individual consumers to reduce their carbon footprint and help build a clean energy future. 100% of revenue received by EarthEra is directed to the EarthEra Renewable Energy Trust and used to build new renewable energy facilities.

U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced last week that the DOE’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) will invest up to $12 million in total funding ($10 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act) in four companies to support the development of early-stage solar energy technologies and help them advance to full commercial scale. The goal of this effort is to help further expand a clean energy economy and make solar energy more cost-competitive with conventional forms of electricity.

Efficient transport plays a crucial role in the development of society and its economy and, in many respects, commercial transport solutions are the lifeblood of the economy. At the same time, transportation has a negative impact on society, not least in the form of emissions and congestion. "The key is to strengthen the positive aspects of the transport system while working to combat the negative ones," says Stefan Lorentzson, President of Volvo Group North America. "The Volvo Group is continually developing new engine technologies which reduce emissions and increase fuel efficiency."

The RES Alliance for Jobs is a coalition of businesses and organizations that support Congressional enactment of a strong federal renewable energy standard (RES). The group’s members include companies and associations representing the wind, solar, biomass, waste-to-energy and hydro power business lines. The Alliance seeks to demonstrate that a strong RES would create sustainable growth in the renewable energy industries, enabling manufacturers to invest billions of dollars in the U.S. economy and create hundreds of thousands of high-quality American jobs that cannot be outsourced.

One day before the Copenhagen climate change summit was scheduled to end, negotiations had deadlocked. Developing nations led by China were demanding that rich countries pledge as much as $200 billion a year to help them cope with drought, rising sea levels and other ravages of global warming already afflicting some of the poorest countries on Earth. For its part, the United States was insisting on international verification of carbon emission reductions, a condition anathema to China but viewed as essential to gain Congress’ approval.

By Kennedy Maize Is Jeff Immelt, General Electric CEO, headed out the door at the enormous conglomerate he took over from “Neutron” Jack Welch in 2001? As GE continues to deliver lackluster business performance, and as Immelt continues to focus on what appear to me to be peripheral business targets, I’d suggest his days are […]