Dedicated bus lanes, subway-like stations, intermodal terminals and infrastructure improvements to move buses more efficiently are all features you might see in one of the many Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) systems that are popping up in cities all over the world. After the success of the world’s first BRT in Curitiba, Brazil, planners
Electric cars are finally coming to market in the U.S., but what is the future potential for this much-touted technology? A good way to find out would be to launch demonstration projects in selected U.S. cities to determine if, given incentives and the proper infrastructure, the public will truly embrace plug-in vehicles.
For some time now, announcements have been coming out from the Ford Motor Company about their decision to hybridize various existing models while also presenting full electric and hydrogen vehicles as a part of a green lineup. However, last Thursday the attitude from Ford seemed to change a little bit when they announced that they didn’t believe that
Surprising and disturbing news coming out of China indicates that the nation is having difficulty feeding its growing population.
The news is surprising for several reasons. First, China has a one-child rule in place, so the population shouldn’t be rising that fast (or so one would think).
Second, China – at 9,326,410 square
The Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency (IREDA) will soon enter agreements with banks in Germany and Japan to access over $630 million to be used for the promotion of renewable energy projects in India.
IREDA is one of the nodal agencies that provides monetary help for setting up of
Since January 1st, the British Department of Transport started to issue grants of £5,000 (US$7,724) to purchase electric vehicles (EVs) as part of a larger, £400 million (US$618 million) drive to reduce emissions from road transport.
In response to the initiative, the Electrical Contractor’s Association (ECA) has issued
Ah, Hawaii. Often have I written about the renewable energy innovations they have underway across the island chain and the new projects they have in the works. This time, however, I get to write about what Hawaii plans to do to bring green transportation to their shores. A power utility company on the island of Oahu and General Motors are partnering up to create
If you’ve ridden a train any time recently in the United States, you’ve probably noticed that the nation’s passenger trains are, by and large, slow, loud and late. Sure, there are regional pockets of decency in the nation’s rail infrastructure, but the country’s only high-speed rail link, the Acela Express between Boston an Washington, D.C., is still not cheap — and when compared to
The Indian government is considering opening up densely forested areas of the country to increase supply of coal for its new thermal power plants.
The Indian government is in the process of establishing several Ultra Mega Power Projects (UMPP) which would be among the largest power generation units in the country. These power plants would operate
Decades ago the only type of car was the internal combustion (gasoline)type. Other varieties have arrived such as Hybrid and electric. With the new choices are other decisions such as which one reduces most the carbon footprint (or is the most green)and which one is the most cost effective. No more is “the miles per gallon” a standard that can be applied across the
Shai Agassi is not merely a prophet for the electric car industry. When the CEO and founder of Better Place describes the development of an ecosystem for the EV, he turns skeptics into believers.
Listening to Mr. Agassi speak in Santa Clara at an event sponsored by The Churchill Club, I was struck by his passion – his belief
From July 29th through July 31st, the EngEx conference will descend upon the San Diego Convention Center. The conference focuses on energy, water, infrastructure, and the environment. It will provide access to decision makers and offer C-suite insight and dialogue. Key government agencies will be participating in this year’s conference, including: The Environmental Protection Agency, The Department of Energy, The Department of Transportation, The Bureau of Land Management, The Department of Commerce, The Small Business Administration, and The US EXIM Bank.
The keynote speaker at the conference will be Mark Quartermain, President of Shell Energy North America. Other speakers include Will Coleman of Mohr Davidow Ventures, Theresa Harten from the EPA, and Lisa Bicker of CleanTECH San Diego.
“The momentum of the heating, and the momentum of the economy that powers it, can’t be turned off quickly enough to prevent hideous damage. But we will keep fighting, in the hope that we can limit that damage.”
Bill McKibben’s words occur on the final page of his newly published book Eaarth: Making a Life on a Tough New Planet. The misspelling indicates a planet still recognizable but fundamentally changed. A planet that he first warned about over twenty years ago in his earlier book, The End of Nature.
McKibben is an activist as well as a writer. He led the 350.org campaign last year. Three hundred fifty parts per million is the level James Hansen and other scientists consider the upper limit of a safe level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
(Reuters) – Europe took the first steps toward a massive roll-out of electric vehicles on Wednesday, backing up past rhetoric with plans for pan-European standards that the industry has cried out for.
“Without strong standardization work, I think it will be difficult to develop a market for electric cars,” European Union industry commissioner Antonio Tajani said as he launched his E.U. green vehicles strategy.
“This is not an abstract concept, it’s a set of 40 practical actions,” he added.
French carmaker Renault has joined forces with California’s Better Place in a project to put electric cars and their charging infrastructure on the roads of Denmark and Israel by 2011.
But critics question whether common standards will be ready in time, or whether investors risk laying down infrastructure that will later have to be torn up and replaced.