Solar thermal

Michigan's third peak oil conference of 2008 focuses on the specific challenges and solutions for Michigan and features 45 speakers including Richard Heinberg, Albert Bates, Michael Brownlee, Ellen Hodgeson Brown, Richard Gilbert, Stephanie Mills, Kurt Cobb, and Aaron Wissner. The event is schedule for the November 14 weekend.

Cooling applications use about 30% of power usage in US households and are a significant cause of peak demand. Replacing these systems with solar thermal powered A/C systems could save energy for other uses.

New rays of hope for solar power’s future
Will US solar businesses weather the coming storm?
Gail the Actuary: Biofuel conference call including a new biodiesel from algae

The waste-pickers of Delhi
Junk raft raises awareness of plastics despite adversity, challenges
Recyclers are cashing in on the fortune in your bin
Largest water solar heater with PET bottles installed in Parana, Brazil
A tall, cool drink of ... sewage?

MIT student project aims to develop cost-efficient solar power. For a project that could be on the very cutting edge of renewable energy, this one is actually decidedly low tech--and that's the point.

X Prize: $100 million for clean fuels
Feed-in tariffs to encourage renewable energy
TOD: the energy return of (industrial) solar
Under-road radiators may beat the ice

Solar thermal power - Big Gav's info round-up
Put oil companies to work on geothermal
Businesses to spend $600 billion on ‘green accounting’

CERA's Yergin says renewables get competitive
Turning glare into watts (solar thermal)

Australia: Coalition goes cool on nuclear
Wind is not the enemy of nuclear
Wave-power proposals alarm locals
From geeks to greens

Wind, sun, storage, and efficiency

Scientists say energy crisis can be solved by desert sun

Spain requires new buildings use solar power

China plans world's largest solar power plant

Green energy in the North SF Bay

Khosla stumps for solar, California ballot initiative /
Ethanol: blessing or bane? /

Wind: discussion of the EROI research /

Outsourcing solar roofs /
Power lunch: Bacteria turn leftovers to energy