Biofuels even worse than fossil fuels: new study

JAKARTA ~ Wind power, solar power and even hydropower are infinitely preferable to biofuels and fossil fuels, according to a study just published by Stanford University.
The best ways to improve energy security, mitigate global warming and reduce the number of deaths caused by air pollution are to adopt energy produced by wind, sun and water; [...]

Clean technology down but not out, say experts

From The Economist print edition
SINGAPORE ~ Earlier this year, with the oil price at record heights, T. Boone Pickens, a celebrated Texas oilman, seemed to confirm the unstoppable growth of the clean-technology industry when he announced plans not only to build the world’s biggest wind farm, but also to spend US$58m of his personal fortune [...]

Cheaper solar energy units coming soon

CANBERRA ~ Genuinely affordable solar power units could soon grace rooftops from Mumbai to Shanghai thanks to a new partnership between Australian, American and Chinese researchers.
Scientists from the Australian National University (ANU), Tianjin University in China and a US company called Chromasun, are joining forces to create roof-mounted solar systems that are more cost-effective than [...]

Activists taking Wal-Mart to court in landmark action

USA ~ An American environmental group is taking the world’s largest retailer to court.
The Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) is taking the massive Wal-Mart corporation to court for its failure to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions generated by new proposed Wal-Mart Supercenters.
In a landmark case that will be watched by major worldwide retailers such as [...]

Deserts can supply 50% of world energy needs, say experts

BANGKOK ~ The solar power industry is capable of deploying enough solar power plants in the deserts of the world to provide about 50 percent of global energy needs, according to experts.
“Based on our present knowledge and available technologies, we are convinced that concentrating solar thermal collectors (CSP) of about 10,000 GW, as necessary [...]