Renewables good, fossil fuels bad... unless, of course, renewables begin to take up more and more land in order to meet our energy needs. Paul Kingsnorth adds fuel to a tricky debate.
It has taken just one year for the land-based biofuels (agrofuels) bubble to inflate and burst. In February 2007, the Ecologist was almost alone in pointing out that growing energy crops for car fuel was ecological nonsense; now the tide of academic studies showing that agrofuels are neither energy - nor carbon-efficient seems unstoppable.
Green energy is coming under pressure to clean up its act after severe criticism of the Government’s attempts to change the rules on how renewable energy is calculated and further condemnation of the ‘splash and dash’ trading scam in biofuels.
Two firms in the wind power sector illustrate how companies in the developing world can take advantage of increasing access to technological know-how, while staying within the bounds of intellectual property law, says Joanna Lewis.
Two firms in the wind power sector illustrate how companies in the developing world can take advantage of increasing access to technological know-how, while staying within the bounds of intellectual property law, says Joanna Lewis.
Last night British nuclear assets went on sale to the private sector to help the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority raise cash to help pay for its £72bn nuclear waste clean up bill.
Last night British nuclear assets went on sale to the private sector to help the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority raise cash to help pay for its £72bn nuclear waste clean up bill.
Lobbying by WWF UK to protect Arctic wilderness from a £11bn ($22bn) oil and gas project that threatened the Western Gray Whale with extinction has been successful after the UK and US governments withdrew backing.
Lobbying by WWF UK to protect Arctic wilderness from a £11bn ($22bn) oil and gas project that threatened the Western Gray Whale with extinction has been successful after the UK and US governments withdrew backing.
A year ago, my brother, who is probably a better gardener than me (even though he does insist on giving half his land over to mangel-wurzels, whatever they are) gave me a book called "Gardening and Planting by the Moon"
The American Wind Energy Association has announced that 2007 US wind power generation made up 30 per cent of all new power generation in 2007 with 5,244 megawatts of new wind turbines installed in 2007 can power about 1.5 million U.S. homes.
Over 50 coal-fired power stations were cancelled or delayed in the US during 2007 according to Global Energy Decision, a consulting firm employed by the Department of Energy.
Britain has the lowest share of renewable energy of any major EU country: only Malta and Luxemburg have less. The EU is set to change this next week when it delivers a country by country breakdown of its green energy plan.
This month shops in the UK will begin to phase out traditional tungsten bulbs as part of a government plan to replace them completely by 2011 and save 5m tonnes of carbon emissions a year. However the current crop of low energy light bulbs are coming under criticism for causing skin complaints and migraines, releasing Mercury into the environment on disposal and not being as energy efficient as new LED equivalents.
