These Bacteria Can Cook Up Propane From Scratch. Barbecues may one day be fueled by propane renewably generated by microbes. That's because scientists have for the first time genetically engineered E. coli, a bacterium commonly found in the human gut, to make propane. If scientists can develop a way for photosynthetic bacteria to produce this gas the same way, then solar-powered generation of this biofuel could become a reality. Renewable fuels made by microbes are typically liquids. This is a problem for two reasons. One, the liquids might poison the microbes generating them. Two, separating and purifying the fuel from the solution that the microbes are growing in can be complex and costly. One alternative might be the commonplace fuel propane, which microbes could, in theory, generate as a gas for easy and immediate extraction, reducing any toxic effects it could have on the microorganisms. This E. coli advance, outlined in the journal Nature Communications, involved engineering a metabolic pathway to generate the gas from scratch.
Rice unveils super-efficient solar-energy technology - don.skipton - Gmail. Average Solar module prices at 64 cents per watt and will be at 55 cents per watt in 2013. Passive Solar Tracking and Solar Trackers on sale from altE Store. How Valuable Is Your Roof? Put It Up For Solar Auction. Your most overlooked piece asset, your roof, is now a hot market. A new firm launching this month, Gridbid, allows homeowners to auction the solar installation rights to their roofs online. The company says solar installers can save as much as 80% of what what they normally spend to find roof-top space, while the average residential utility bill drops between 10 to 35%. Just because you want solar power (and you probably do, it’s starting to become the cheapest option in many states) doesn’t mean it’s easy to find a company to put panels on your roof.
On the other side of the coin, there has been a proliferation of solar installers, companies that will pay for your solar installation in exchange for a cut of the money you make selling your extra solar power back to the grid. But these companies need lots of roofs to put their panels on, in order to scale their business. Globally, there’s no shortage of demand. How crowdfunding could revolutionize solar — Cleantech News and Analysis.
Morgan Stanley Backs $300 Million Fund To Install Residential Solar.