Oddly enough, compressed air powered vehicles have been around for a very long time. The first mechanically powered submarine, the 1863 Plongeur, used a compressed-air engine. The Victor Tatin airplane of 1879 also used a compressed-air engine for propulsion. Compressed air even used to be the standard for naval torpedoes. But an air powered (more…)

Japan’s struggle over its energy future was on display over the last two days as the government okayed restarting operations at two nuclear power plants while also approving an ambitious renewable energy feed-in tariff in which utilities will pay a premium for electricity generated by solar, wind, and geothermal power. (more…)

In previous posts (here, here and here), I discussed the IP litigation in China between American Superconductor (AMSC) and Chinese wind energy system maker Sinovel.

Recharge reports that China’s Supreme People’s Court recently agreed to hear AMSC’s appeal in one (more…)

Australia has announced that it will create the world’s largest marine reserve, a network of protected areas that will cover 1.2 million square miles, more than one-third of the country’s waters.

Environment Minister Tony Burke, making the announcement in advance of the Rio+20 sustainability (more…)

Japanese officials say they may have to scrap long-term targets for carbon emissions reductions as a consequence of moving away from nuclear power in the aftermath of last year’s Fukushima disaster.

According to the Japan Times, government officials this week conceded that goals to cut carbon (more…)

On the heels of a decision that imposed a tariff of up to 35 percent on some Chinese solar panel manufacturers, the U.S. Department of Commerce has now ruled that wind turbine towers made in China also benefited from unfair subsidies and has imposed duties ranging from 13.7 to 26 percent on those towers. (more…)

The traffic lights are still blinking in Odaka town, north-western Japan, but few cars pass through these deserted intersections. Frozen in time after being hit by the triple disaster of earthquake, tsunami and meltdowns in the nearby Fukushima Dai’ichi nuclear plant, tables are still laid in partially-collapsed restaurants and (more…)

Debris from last year’s tsunami in Japan, including some potentially toxic materials, is increasingly being discovered along the Alaska coastline.

Since January, millions of pieces of debris have washed ashore along the Alaska coast, from soccer balls and buoys to motorcycles and large drums (more…)

Japan shut down its last working nuclear power station last weekend, culminating — at least for now — a national shift away from nuclear energy in the aftermath of last year’s Fukushima disaster.

The shutdown of the No. 3 Tomari reactor in Hokkaido will leave the country without nuclear power (more…)

As readers of this blog know, the Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO) offers a “super speed” fast track program for patent applications directed to green technology inventions.

However, to qualify for this program the invention must have received funding or a green certification (more…)