Small wind turbine could enable buildings to live off the grid
Last week, we discussed Vortex Bladeless, a bladeless wind turbine with the potential to become the wind equivalent of rooftop solar panels. As it turns out, Vortex Bladeless is not the only invention out there seeking to rethink the design of traditional wind turbines. Enter Powerpod, a portable Read More...
Britain’s electricity grid sees greenest day ever over Easter
Sunshine, coupled with windy weather over the Easter bank holiday has seen Great Britain’s electricity grid record its greenest day ever, with carbon intensity dropping to the lowest it’s ever been. On Easter Monday, power plants in England, Scotland, and Wales emitted only 39g of CO2/kWh of Read More...
This portable wind turbine can power your electric camping equipment
Yesterday, we shared a story about a bladeless turbine that could revolutionize wind power. On a similar note, today we would like to introduce to you the Wind Catcher, a portable power-generating wind turbine designed to change the camping experience. Developed by Copenhagen-based startup KiteX, Read More...
These bladeless wind turbines could revolutionize the renewable sector
Bladeless wind turbines may sound counterintuitive, but a new startup aims to prove that these devices could reinvent the way we harness wind power to generate clean electricity. Called Vortex Bladeless, the technology is the brainchild of inventor David Yáñez. Together with his six-person team, Read More...
Empire State Realty Trust now powered entirely by wind energy
New York City’s iconic Empire State Building and its other affiliated buildings are all now powered entirely by wind, making it the country’s largest real estate user of 100 percent green energy. Empire State Realty Trust (ESRT) has recently signed a three-year contract with sustainable energy Read More...
New wind turbine blades can be recycled at the end of their life
With an eye to accelerating the rapid growth of both onshore and offshore wind power around the world, a team of researchers has recently developed a wind turbine blade that’s not only cheaper than conventional ones but also easier to recycle. According to researchers at the National Renewable Read More...
Innovative cargo ship uses wind power to cut emissions by 90%
With shipping responsible for around 2.2 percent of all emissions, there is a great need for more sustainable ships. The good news is that Swedish ship manufacturer Wallenius Marine has unveiled the OceanBird — a state-of-the-art vessel design that will be able to ship large, heavy cargos over Read More...
Wooden wind turbine makes Swedish renewable energy even greener
Sweden is celebrating the construction of the country’s first wooden wind turbine. Built from sustainably sourced materials, wooden turbines are a cheaper and greener source of renewable energy. The design for the tower is based on a similar turbine in Germany and was created by Swedish Read More...
Report: Clean energy now accounts for one-third of global power capacity
When the Optimist Daily was just getting started, powering the world via renewable energy was still somewhat of a pipe dream. In the last few years, we’ve witnessed rapid progress when it comes to renewables for a number of reasons. First, the cost of producing solar panels and wind turbines, as Read More...
General Motors will soon use wind power to build pickups and SUVs
General Motors' largest gasoline-burning vehicles — pickups and full-size SUVs — will soon be built, ironically, at plants powered by wind, not fuel. GM wants to power all its global facilities with 100-percent renewable energy by Read More...