In yet another indication that the days of king coal are numbered, another coal-fired power plant in the U.S. is converting to biomass.  Michigan’s L’Anse Warden Electric Company purchased an existing coal, oil, and natural gas power plant and promptly made the switch in order to engage in some sustainable synergy with a nearby manufacturing operation of the CertainTeed Corporation.

The CertainTeed facility will get the benefit of using electricity with a lower carbon footprint than coal.  It will also give something back.  The factory will recycle its formerly landfilled scrap by sending it to the Warden power plant for fuel, and that’s just the tip of the sustainable iceberg.

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Four Canadian Pacific Railway locomotives will test a B5 biodiesel blend this winter on services between Edmonton and Calgary. The Canadian government will spend $750,000 on the trial, which will run from November to March. The national government’s test comes as Canada begins preparation for a switch to B2-blended biodiesel in all transportation diesel fuels [...]

When it comes to fuel efficiency, financial savings are higher on the list than environmental benefits, results of a Public Opinion Research: Purchasing
Fuel-efficient Vehicles in Canada survey show.  (CNW News Release, 27.11.09)

Sandia National Laboratories in the U.S. tests a prototype cylindrical CO2 reformer machine.  The machine uses the sun’s energy to convert CO2 power plant waste into carbon monoxide that can then be chemically combined with hydrogen to make synthetic gas (syngas) as gasoline, diesel and jet fuel substitutes).  (GreenMuze article, 27.11.09)

The U.S. and India sign a wide-ranging partnership agreement on energy security, and clean tech R&D. The nations agreed to launch a Clean Energy and Climate Change Initiative which will include cooperation in wind and solar energy, second generation bio-fuels, unconventional gas, energy efficiency, and clean coal technologies including carbon capture and storage.  (The White House, Press [...]

The University of Illinois researchers improve solar cells’ ability to capture light and develop self-assembling spherical solar cells capable of capturing more sunlight than flat ones.  (Technology Review article, 25.11.09)

The Federal Trade Commission in the U.S. has proposed new labels for light bulbs that are based on light output rather than energy consumption. The Notice of Proposed Rulemaking seeks public comments on new labels that emphasize lumens, not watts, as the measure of bulb brightness. This information, along with estimated energy cost information, would appear on [...]

According to a report released by McKinsey & Company, Charting our water future: Economic frameworks to inform decision-making , governments must address booming water demand or face grave human, environmental and economic consequences. The report predicts that in 20 years, water demand will be 40 per cent higher than it is today, and more than 50 per cent [...]

The City of Saskatchewan officials recommend in a report to the administration and finance committee a 22.5 per cent water rate increase over three years under a plan that rewards conservation rather than consumption. (The StarPhoenix article, 24.11.09)

Three groups provide insights on Alberta water allocation management.  The Minister’s Advisory Group on Water Management and Allocation’s report Recommendations for Improving Alberta’s Water Management and Allocation, provides recommendations in five areas: protected water, reallocation of water, a systems approach, governance and future studies.  Alberta Water Council’s  report, Recommendations for Improving Alberta’s Water Allocation Transfer System, identifies areas [...]