One thing that’s known for sure about the future of renewable energy is that it will take all types to fulfill our energy needs.  The wind isn’t always blowing and the sun isn’t always shining, but if wind, solar, geothermal, wave/tidal and any other type of renewable energy generation are all utilized and all feeding the grid, then we’ll be more than covered.  But what about devices that can harness more than one of these renewable energy sources at once?

A new renewable energy generator developed by researchers at the University of Bolton in the UK is able to harness energy from not one, but three sources:  sunlight, wind and rain.  I’m sure you’re imagining one crazy-looking contraption, but this new technology actually uses ribbons of piezoelectric polymer that are coated with a thin, flexible solar PV film.

The ribbons generate electricity anytime they’re disturbed, whether by wind or rain drops, or when the sun is shining.  The more forcefully they’re moved, the greater the energy payoff.  The researchers imagine a pine cone shaped structure consisting of thousands of these ribbons.

The ribbons can only generate small amounts of electricity, so the researchers foresee them being used in low energy applications like powering gadgets.  Another possibility is applying the same techniques to nylon for use in energy-generating clothing.

via New Scientist

The merits of biodegradable plastics have been uncertain, but a new study that appears in the journal Environmental Science & Technology says that though these types of plastics aren’t littering the ocean or clogging landfills, they are contributing to climate change in the last phase of their life cycle.

When the biodegradable utensils and other plastics get to the landfill, microbes break them down and produce methane, a potent greenhouse gas.  While many other items in landfills create methane as well, these plastics are adding to the load.  Some landfills have systems that capture the methane and use it for energy, but most landfills don’t.

So while these plastics are free of petroleum and biodegrade instead of existing forever, their life-cycle impact isn’t negligible.  Is it still better than the regular plastic disposables?  Yes, but this just further illustrates that it’s best to skip disposable utensils and cups and go for the reusable stuff.

via Scientific American

It seems like China’s ambitious renewable energy goals just keep getting bigger.  The country is planning on doubling its solar energy target for 2015 from 5 GW to 10 GW, according to a new draft proposal that has been submitted to the State Council for approval.  If this plan is approved, it looks like the country’s 2020 target will more than double from 20 GW to 50 GW.

The main reason for this jump in solar energy goals is the falling cost of solar power recently.  According to research by the Shanghai Solar Energy Research Center, the cost of solar energy production has been dropping from 10 to 20 percent each year, with the predicted cost in 2015 to be equal to the current electicity fees in China.

That makes solar energy production even more attractive to the country which is facing power shortages.

via Cleantechnica

Ford Motor Company is going to increase the number of electrified vehicles it builds to more than 100,000 units annually in 2013; three times the current level of production.

Ford will be producing five different EVs in 2013, including the Transit Connect Electric van, the Focus Electric – which begins reaching customers later this year, plus the two new C-MAX vehicles (C-MAX Hybrid and C-MAX Energi plug-in hybrid), and a fifth, as-yet unnamed hybrid.

While this is still only a small part of Ford’s total production (Ford produced 1.9 million vehicles in 2010), it is becoming more than a fraction of a percent of the company’s effort. If Ford built the same number of vehicles overall in 2013, it would mean that more than 5% of its production would be electrified vehicles.

A high-speed rail line that takes passengers from Paris to Amsterdam has just gotten some solar bling. A two-mile portion of the track is now enclosed in a solar panel-covered tunnel.

The stretch of track is located near Antwerp, Belgium. A shelter was constructed around that piece of track to shield the trains from falling trees and debris while passing through a protected forest and then 16,000 solar panels were placed on top to make the most of the tunnel.

The solar array, installed by Belgium-based Enfinity, will help to power the Antwerp station. The panels will produce enough energy to power all the trains in Belgium for one day per year.

via The Guardian