Here are two clean energy ideas that deal with bringing power to cell towers in off-grid locations, where diesel generators are the norm. Before I present them, let’s think about the obvious drawbacks of diesel:

• Needs to be trucked in

• Can be stolen (very common problem in the (more…)

For much of renewable energy’s history, consumers adopting renewable energy systems faced have two very different options when it came to solar power. They could remain tied to the power grid and use their renewable energy source to offset their electricity use. Or, if they were brave enough, could take the plunge and try going completely off-grid. (more…)

We have seen several initiatives regarding the use of solar power to help people who live in off-grid regions to have access to modern electricity services. LuminAID, Solar Pebble, and the amazing work that SELF does to bring solar power to emergency areas.

Now, Olafur Eliasson, an Icelandic artist known for his (more…)

For nearly as long as people have harnessed wind to perform work, it has been used to move water from one place to another. Whether used for agricultural irrigation, wetlands drainage or pumping water from wells, wind machines have long been a relatively cheap and easy way to pump water, particularly in off-grid applications where electric alternatives are (more…)

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…)

Microgrids may be a hot topic among those forecasting key future trends shaping the world’s energy infrastructure, but few significant state-of-the-art commercial microgrids are actually up and running in North America, the world’s leading market for microgrids. One (more…)

The “locavore” movement is big, especially in California. With the bounty of food found locally in the Bay Area, living off the land — and sea — is not only possible, but also a delicious exercise.

But there’s another, less obvious, revolution brewing here in the Bay Area: the “locavolt” movement. In response to high gasoline and natural gas prices, global warming and an increasingly unstable, scary world, people are looking to generate power right in their own homes and neighborhoods with free energy from nature.

Technology advances in computers, telecommunications, generators, inverters, and even cars, are all giving the locavolt new tools to harness renewable energy and lead a fairly normal life.

Within the next few years, plug-in hybrid cars in California will be able to serve as a mini-power generator for your home and store renewable energy from your solar photovoltaics system or your small wind turbine. Plug-in hybrids may also help balance out a smarter electricity grid capable of easily sending power back and forth between generators and consumers, much like we send and receive e-mails on the Internet today.

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An Earthship is a type of passive solar home made of natural and recycled materials. Designed and marketed by Earthship Biotecture of Taos, NM. Earthships are a type of off-grid home, which minimizes their reliance on public utilities and fossil fuels. Passive solar home made of natural and recycled materials, thermal mass construction for temperature stabilization and renewable energy & integrated water systems make the Earthship an off-grid home with little to no utility bills. Watch the video after the jump.

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