New Hydroelectric Dam in Congo Could Double Africa's Electricity Capacity

Congo (TGW) – Several African governments and the world’s largest construction firms and banks met recently to discuss a proposed $80 billion hydroelectric dam that would double the amount of electricity available to the African continent.

Proponents hope the Grand Inga dam in the Democratic Republic of the Congo will jump start the continent’s economy, and say the dam will produce twice as much electricity as the world current largest dam, the Three Gorges in China.

Activists, however, believe the dam will ignore local peoples and leave the Congo with massive debts.

"The project would be a magnet for corruption in one of the world's least stable regions. Inga will centralize a vast store of the region's electric and financial power, a development model that can foster tensions and civil wars," said Terri Hathaway, Africa campaigner with International Rivers, a watchdog group monitoring the project.

Via :: Guardian

The First Carbon Neutral College Campus in U.S. Is...

Maine (TGW) – College of the Atlantic, all 300 students of it, became the first carbon neutral campus, school officials announced Monday.

The private college said it has offset emissions of 2,488 tons over the past 15 months by using power generated from a hydroelectric source and by investing a greenhouse gas reduction project in Oregon.

Also, the school has conducted an energy audit, replaced all incandescent lightbulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs (CFLs), and has promoted alternative means of transportation.

"We have much more to do to directly reduce our emissions, but it is satisfying to know that the last 15 months of College of the Atlantic's contribution to the increase of greenhouse gases in our atmosphere adds up to zero," President David Hales said.

Via :: CoA Press Release

Renewable Energy Investment to Top $100 Billion This Year

Bali, Indonesia (TGW) – Investments in renewable energy will top $100 billion this year, according to a report issued at the U.N. sponsored climate summit in Bali, Indonesia.

"Policies to promote renewable energy have mushroomed over the past few years," the Renewable Energy Policy Network, which links governments, industries and other groups, said in its study.

"In 2007, global annual investment in renewable energy will exceed $100 billion,” it said. "Wind power now receives the largest share of investment annually of any renewable technology, even more than large hydropower," it said.

Renewable energy capacity totaled 240 gigawatts in 2007, excluding large hydropower projects. One gigawatt could power a city about the size of San Francisco.

In 2006, investment totaled around $55 billion, and $39 billion in 2005.

Via :: Reuters

[POLL] What Alternative Energy Source Do You Find Most Promising?

What alternative energy source do you find most promising?
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	Hydro
	Geothermal
	Wave
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pollcode.com free polls

Renewable Energy Slogans

Reader question: Plz gimme slogans on hydropwer,wind power,solar energy,tidal energy & biomass energy.I want dese now?


Hydropower - Got Water?

Wind power - That was windy.

Solar power - The sunny side of life.

Tidal energy - Energy now knows no season.

Biomass energy - Not always so corny.

What's So Special About Hydropower and Hydroelectricity?

What is hydroelectricity? Hydroelectricity is electricity produced by hydropower. Hydropower is a very broad term; it can refer to using water for irrigation, milling, and even textiles. That is why hydroelectricity is the proper term when referring to the renewable energy resource, which we are.

Hydroelectricity is the world’s leading source of renewable energy, supplying 19% of the world’s electricity, and accounting for 63% of the total renewable energy electricity generated. Large hydroelectric and small hydroelectric are the common names for the two types of hydroelectric installations. As you probably could have guessed, small hydro is “the application of hydroelectric power on a commercial scale serving a small community or medium sized industry.” Meanwhile, large hydro is used on a large scale.

So what’s so special about hydroelectricity? The fact that it’s already being used. As mentioned previously, hydroelectricity provides 19% of the world’s energy. Commercial industry can already expand off of hydro; it’s low tech, it’s been in use for over a hundred years, and it works inexpensively.

Does hydroelectricity have any harmful side effects? Let’s see what Wikipedia says:

Hydroelectric projects can be disruptive to surrounding aquatic ecosystems. For instance, studies have shown that dams along the Atlantic and Pacific coasts of North America have reduced salmon populations by preventing access to spawning grounds upstream, even though most dams in salmon habitat have fish ladders installed.

As important as salmon is, this small disadvantage should not be a reason to not use hydro.
If hydroelectricity is expanded upon and used with other technologies, hydroelectricity could become even greater than it already is.

More Alternative Energy Series:

Why Corn Ethanol is Bad
The Temporary Solution: Coal
Nuclear Power: Energy of the Future or As Bad As Fossil Fuels
5 Reasons Solar Power Works
The Wind Power and Solar Power Combination
Another Look at Nuclear Power - Nuclear Waste
What's So Special About Hydropower and Hydroelectricity?
Top 5 Advantages of Geothermal Power

Alternative Energy Linkathon!

Enjoy!

Alternative Energy Mega Projects

I’m going to say it straight off the bat; I’m a greenie, I love my bike above all other modes of transport, our Earth is going to hell in a hand-basket, and it’s the rich and industrialized nations of the world that are doing it to us! My kids, and my kids' kids future may already be irrevocably screwed!.. That political statement out of the way though, I want to take a look at the latest alternative-energy projects , and how they can ensure our living on Earth without gills for as long as possible.

Ocean Waves Could Power the Entire Planet

The ocean occupies 70% of the earth’s surface and the waves that occur in them have the highest energy density. That means in a relative small area substantial energy can be generated making it the most viable and virtually inexhaustible energy source.

Alternative Energy - Things you didn't know

As our energy needs rise, as our supplies of fossil fuels run out and as the state of our planet become more precarious, we increasingly need to look at alternative energy sources to meet our requirements and to allow our modern lifestyles. Each of the methods below has been touted both a possible solution and as an environmentally friendly one

Jobs in Alternative Energy Industries are Taking Off

There has never been a better time for an alternative-energy-loving TreeHugger to get a job, according to a story at internet job-finder Monster.com. We've been asked about this before, and have touched on getting a good job that does good as well.

45 things we can do to save the environment

Here is a nice slideshow of 45 things that we can do to save the environment.

Global Warming Will Spark War

A number of recent studies have highlighted the danger that global warming could spark resource wars. One study, to be published in the August edition of Human Ecology, evaluated correlations between war and climate change between the years 1000AD and 1911AD. The study found that the occurrence of war was in sync with times of agricultural problems due to fluctuations in global temperature. With the UN warnings that desertification could displace up to 50 million does this mean war?

Solar Power from the Ocean, More Energy than We Would Ever Need.

The ocean holds 300 times the energy requirement of our population worldwide. The ocean stores 1,000 times more heat than the atmosphere. Most of this heat are contained in the upper layer of tropical oceans. OTEC uses this continuously renewing energy to generate electricity without oil, coal or natural gas. It only uses the temperature difference of the hot surface water and the cold deep water.