Green Investing News

November 2011 News Archives

SolarCity revives military homes solar project - 2011-11-30
Solar power developer SolarCity and Bank of America Merrill Lynch will go ahead with a plan to build more than $1 billion in new solar projects on military housing, despite their failure to win a U.S. loan guarantee.

Wind Power on the Rise - 2011-11-29
The resource-rich region of Inner Mongolia is China's powerhouse and produces more electricity than it can consume. This vast region is famous for its abundant resources: It is the country's largest producer of coal and is home to the world's largest rare-earth mine.

Japan's Kansai Electric to build 2 solar plants - 2011-11-28
Japanese utility Kansai Electric Power Co said it has decided to build two solar power plants in Fukui prefecture in western Japan, with total capacity of 1 megawatt, by March 2015.

Vattenfall Plans Yet Another Winds Farm in the North Sea - 2011-11-28
Vattenfall is planning to build an offshore wind farm off the island of Sylt in the North Sea, potentially providing half a million or more German households with electricity. The project is initially for some 576 MW but it can be further expanded. Construction is planned to start in 2014.

Renewable Power Trumps Fossils for First Time - 2011-11-25
Renewable energy is surpassing fossil fuels for the first time in new power-plant investments, shaking off setbacks from the financial crisis and an impasse at the United Nations global warming talks.

Renewable Power Trumps Fossils for First Time - 2011-11-25
Renewable energy is surpassing fossil fuels for the first time in new power-plant investments, shaking off setbacks from the financial crisis and an impasse at the United Nations global warming talks.

Renewable energy becoming cost competitive, IEA says - 2011-11-23
Renewable energy technology is becoming increasingly cost competitive and growth rates are in line to meet levels required of a sustainable energy future, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said in a report on Wednesday.

Colorado PUC green lights Xcel contract for more wind power - 2011-11-23
The Colorado Public Utilities Commission on Monday approved a contract for Xcel Energy​ to buy 200 megawatts of wind power from a new wind farm in Limon.

Going green, big business hires auditors for proof - 2011-11-23
After Office Depot was picketed over its environmental practices in 2003, the big-box retailer made big changes. It cut off a paper supplier accused of illegal logging. It started tracking its carbon emissions.

Nebraska governor signs bills to reroute Keystone pipeline - 2011-11-22
Nebraska governor Dave Heineman signed into law on Tuesday bills to reroute the Keystone XL pipeline away from the ecologically sensitive Sandhills region.

German shale gas searches meet with skepticism - 2011-11-21
Unconventional gas exploration in Germany must not clash with the need to safeguard drinking water and coal mine safety, the country's energy and water industry association BDEW said on Monday.

Jay Leno Drives his Chevy Volt 11,000 Miles on 4.6 Gallons of Gas - 2011-11-18
To date, Leno's Volt has clocked more than 10,000 miles using grid energy and is still on the same tank of gas that it had when Leno took delivery of his Volt on December 12, 2010.

Nebraska lawmakers vote to reroute oil pipeline - 2011-11-16
The Nebraska legislature on Wednesday voted 45-0 to advance a proposed law that would reroute the $7 billion TransCanada Keystone XL pipeline, avoiding the SandHills and Ogallala aquifer that environmental groups and many residents fear could be polluted by a spill.

Electric Cars Easier In Smaller Places: Ireland Outpaces U.S. - 2011-11-14
The spread of electric cars and public charging stations for them across the United States will be uneven for many years to come.

Bangladesh to build its first waste-fuelled power plants - 2011-11-14
Bangladesh plans to build its first ever waste-fueled power plants to ease electricity shortages and manage garbage properly, a government official said on Monday.

New Studies Dispel Myth of Organic ‘Elitism’ - 2011-11-10
Two new studies released last week add further proof that the popularity of organic food is not just an elitist trend.

2012 Design of the Year: Fisker Karma - 2011-11-09
So now it's real: series production is underway and the first Fisker Karma sedans -- five as of the Frankfurt show in September -- are in the hands of private individuals, much to the surprise of the naysayers who've insisted it's all scam and vaporware.

Thrift, innovation to win from U.S.-China solar row - 2011-11-04
A row between China and the United States over imports of cheaper solar products won't be the sector's death-knell but will ultimately speed innovation and cut costs, a top U.S. renewable energy official said.

W. Virginia Wind Farm Proves It Can Store Energy - 2011-11-02
Wind farms have been experimenting with using batteries to store energy, but this large one - online in West Virginia - proves it can be done ... demonstrating that wind farms can produce electricity like traditional power plants.