The Finance Innovation Lab - Incubating and accelerating new forms of prosperity. For people and planet. How A New Rhubarb-Based Battery Could Massively Increase Renewable Energy Use By Jeff Spross "How A New Rhubarb-Based Battery Could Massively Increase Renewable Energy Use" A group of Harvard scientists recently hit on a new form of battery that could massively expand the potential for renewable energy use. To explain: most of the batteries found in our cars, laptops, smartphones and whatnot rely on chemical solids. This comes with several advantages. Enter the Harvard team. The reason this could such a big deal for renewable energy is that, right now, renewable sources like solar and wind are mostly dependent on when the sun shines and when the wind blows to generate their power. But the scalability of the Harvard team’s flow battery means small versions could be built to service either an individual homeowner who has a rooftop solar array, or large versions for a utility’s entire wind farm. So far, the Harvard team has successfully run a small version of their battery through about one hundred cycles, while maintaining over 99 percent of the charge capacity.
Ecology Building Society - Ethical Savings & Mortgages Robin Murray - The Future of Co-operation Energy Program Going Green? 12 Ways to Reduce Your Impact on the Food, Water and Energy Nexus When going green, consider these actions which can help ease tensions within the food/water/energy nexus. Power Plants Kill Fish - Animation Many older thermoelectric power plants require tremendous amounts of water for cooling. Freeing the Grid: Foundations for the New Energy Economy In a new video produced by Brainvise for the Vote Solar Initiative, renewable energy policies that let you spin your electric meter backwards are explained in a simple, engaging manner through sharp animation. Water and Energy It takes a significant amount of water to create energy, and a significant amount of energy to move and treat water. All Pain, No Gain: New York Power Plants Kill Fish Even When Not in Use Many New York power plants are withdrawing cooling water - and injuring or killing aquatic life - even when they are not generating any electricity. Bloomberg to Cuomo: We Can Frack Safely
Is Triodos the ethical bank that could replace the Co-op? | Money Perhaps you are looking for a more ethical home for your current account cash. Or maybe you are a Co-operative Bank customer who is considering closing your account following its well-publicised troubles. If either of those sound like you – or perhaps you simply don’t want to give your money to one of the “big four” banks – then as of this week there’s a new option. The bank is allowing people to register their interest, and in June it will begin sending out invitations to those who have registered to apply for an account. Founded in the Netherlands in 1980, Triodos set up an office in the UK in 1995 and has been offering savings and investments here for some years. Triodos’s USP is that it only lends money to organisations and projects that are “making a positive difference to society”, whether’s that’s socially, culturally or environmentally. Triodos is entering a hugely competitive market. So what is Triodos offering? So how does Triodos justify that £3 monthly fee? Is Triodos safe?
peertopeer-lenders-get-a-boost-from-regulation-8393637 Alltmawr, Powys LD2 Chapel House is a former vicarage with nine bedrooms in the beautiful Upper Wye Valley Wandsworth, SW18 A three-bedroom house with private garden, close to Earlsfield station West Norwood, SE27 A beautifully presented two-bedroom house in pristine condition, £525,000 Rotherhithe, SE16 East Molesey, KT8 Repower America | Environment America With more wind and solar, we can move to 100% clean energy Too much of our energy comes from coal, oil and other dirty sources that wreak havoc on our environment. We are surrounded by clean energy options — the power of the sun, the movement of wind and waves, the heat of the earth, even the energy leaking from drafty windows in our homes and businesses. By using energy more efficiently and tapping our vast renewable energy resources, we can move to 100% clean energy that doesn’t pollute and never runs out. Efficient buildings will spur energy savings America’s homes are like cars that only get 10 miles to the gallon. Millions of Americans are already weather-stripping doors and windows, insulating attics and making their homes more energy efficient and thus healthier, more comfortable and less costly to heat and cool.