Waste Management Inc., a U.S.-based garbage and recycling company, recently announced that it has been using “green” fuel for around 500 trucks in their California fleet. The environmentally-friendly alternative is much cleaner than standard diesel — and is actually made using old, rotting trash from a 240-acre landfill in the San Fransisco and Oakland area. In November, the company began sending the refuse out to a facility that purifies the waste and converts it into liquefied natural gas. “We’ve built the largest landfill-to-LNG…

Arboform, an innovative liquid wood material invented by a German scientist, may completely eliminate the need for energy-intensive plastic products in the future. The ground-breaking invention uses an otherwise useless element of actual wood, lignin, which is then combined with natural resins, flax and fibers. The end product can be infused into molds to form intricate, precision-shaped objects usually made with environmentally hazardous petroleum-based plastics. Arboform, just like…

Through an arrangement with the Indian Parliament, the Punjab Energy Development Agency has invited bids for installing an 80 kW solar PV system. The solar array would provide battery backup for the Parliament building in the off-chance of a blackout, however over 50 percent of the generated power would be fed back into the grid. The project would help promote the use of solar PV systems which remain unpopular due to the high costs and lower efficiency when compared to other…

On top of the dangers of fighting a war against a terrorist-ridden nation, a huge challenge for the soldiers in Afghanistan is obtaining power, diesel fuel and clean water for military bases around the rural countryside. Soldiers sent out to refuel and gather clean water are put at major risk of attack. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has been working in Afghanistan to uncover other sources of power and diminish the necessity of such trips — which are costly, dangerous…

CleanTech Biofuels – an early-stage provider of cellulosic biomass feedstock derived from municipal solid waste (MSW) for renewable power and biofuel production – recently announced an agreement with Fiberight LLC to install its demonstration vessel at Fiberight’s cellulosic ethanol pilot plant in Lawrenceville, VA. CleanTech’s patented Biomass Recovery Process, combined with Fiberight’s Targeted Fuel Extraction system, will create a fully…