A nanoengineered graphene coating could make it possible to generate hydroelectric power without disrupting river ecosystems.

Humans have been harvesting the power of moving water for centuries, from waterwheel’s to hydroelectric dams. The only problem with most of (more…)

Nautricity is a UK company that develops tidal energy technology. Its CoRMaT tidal turbine, a 500kw device in its largest form, will be installed and tested in the Thames River alongside a former Royal Navy sloop called the HQS Wellington (see Clean Technica article).

The CoRMaT turbine is the subject of at least one (more…)

China’s omnivorous energy requirements have been attracting increasing attention as of late, as Beijing attempts to secure any and all sources of power for its growing industrial base.

Nowhere is this more noticeable than Beijing’s policies in the South China Sea, where Chinese (more…)

A surge in hydroelectric power caused by a heavy spring flow in the Columbia River in the U.S. Northwest has forced authorities to shut down nearby wind energy operations for several hours a day to ease the stress on regional electric grid, triggering conflict between the two renewable energy sectors. (more…)

After years of fierce opposition and heated debates, the Brazilian government won the arm wrestling contest and is pushing ahead with the building of the Belo Monte Dam. The dam is expected to generate 11,200 MW of hydroelectric power when it’s completed in 2019 and will cost US$11 billion. (more…)

The U.S. Interior Department is reviewing a proposal from a Florida university to launch an experimental project to generate electricity using the power of the Gulf Stream, the warm-water current that flows along the eastern U.S. and the North Atlantic.

In the first application to test an ocean current (more…)

The Chinese government has issued a statement admitting that the controversial Three Gorges Dam, the world’s largest hydropower plant and a centerpiece engineering project for the nation, has numerous problems that are “urgently in need of resolution.” (more…)

Having arrived in Toronto on a rainy Saturday afternoon, slightly dazzled by the five hour jetlag, I woke up today to find an even rainier – and colder – day.

It seems to suit the motive of the trip which is the Ontario Global Water Leadership Summit taking place on Tuesday and Wednesday and bringing (more…)

In another twist of the Belo Monte Dam saga, a Brazilian judge has ordered that work be suspended on the massive construction project. About one month ago, construction of the dam had been approved by the Brazilian environmental agency, IBAMA. The federal judge, Ronaldo Desterro, said that IBAMA had granted approval for the Belo Monte project (more…)

Belo Monte, the $10bn mega dam the Brazilian government wants to build in the Amazon, continues on its controversial path, including legal suits and protests against it.

The idea for Belo Monte goes back 30 years when the country was still under a military dictatorship, but local resistance so (more…)