Does our breathing contribute to global warming?
Category: Basic, Climate Change, LifestyleAuthor : Admin October 30, 2016
Sometimes, those who decide to seriously think about CO2 and global warming end up with an interesting question: Hey, don’t we humans breathe out CO2 as well? So aren’t we, just by being ...Read more
How can cloud computing contribute to cleantech?
Category: Advanced, Lifestyle, Materials, ProfessionAuthor : Admin September 18, 2016
Cloud computing, in which a number of data as well as processing are done in the “cloud” rather than at the client, is usually thought of as being in the realm of computer technology. The ...Read more
How did we live before plastics were invented?
Category: Biopolymers, Lifestyle, Lifestyle, Materials, Moderate, Solid WasteAuthor : Admin September 15, 2016
It was not long back that a person asked me at a conference: How did we live before plastics? Or perhaps the person meant “How could we have lived before plastics?”. Either way, I liked th...Read more
How can Internet of Things contribute to cleantech?
Category: Advanced, Efficiency, Lifestyle, Lifestyle, ProfessionAuthor : Admin September 15, 2016
We are a jerk generation. Oh yeah? Yeah! Don’t agree? Then just how do you explain the following? We forget to switch things off. We run things at a maximum or a minimum, rarely at an optimum W...Read more
How can mobile technologies contribute to cleantech?
Category: Advanced, Lifestyle, Profession, TransportAuthor : Admin September 12, 2016
Mobile technology is everywhere. Our future generations will wonder how the world had been able to ever live without it. Beyond the obvious benefits mobile technologies provide for our life, mobile te...Read more
How exactly do wave energy systems work?
Category: Advanced, Profession, Wave EnergyAuthor : Admin September 10, 2016
You might have heard of wave power or wave energy systems. These are renewable energy systems that generate energy (electricity, to be precise) from waves. While wave energy is nowhere near as popular...Read more
How best can schools teach cleantech for primary grades?
Category: Education, Lifestyle, Moderate, ProfessionAuthor : Admin September 4, 2016
In my opinion, most adults are are really spoilt and are almost irreparable in the context of making a change to sustainable habits! Small children, they are different. They could be taught the rig...Read more
Can waste plastic be converted to oil?
Category: Moderate, Profession, Solid WasteAuthor : Admin September 3, 2016
While plastic pollution can, to a certain extent, be taken care of through reduced plastic usage and through recycling, it still leaves out a good amount of plastic waste to be taken care of. What ca...Read more
Can biomass be used for captive power generation for industries?
Category: Bio, Biomass Heating, Biomass Power, Moderate, ProfessionAuthor : Admin September 3, 2016
Biomass (see What is Biomass?) is available in most parts of the world in plenty. And a good amount of it, in the form of crop waste and forest residues, is available at low costs for use for heat...Read more
Are there effective ways to capture and store CO2?
Category: Basic, Climate Change, ProfessionAuthor : Admin September 3, 2016
Given the significant concerns centering around the CO2 emissions worldwide, it is not surprising that folks are considering all possible ways to reduce the CO2 in the atmosphere. One obvious way is ...Read more
Is it true that sewage water can be converted into drinking water?
Category: Basic, Lifestyle, WaterAuthor : Admin September 3, 2016
Have you ever thought about where the water you drink originated? I never had, until I read a news item. A couple of years back in Australia, when a utility company offered the residents drinking wat...Read more
What are micro-grids and what are their benefits?
Category: Advanced, Profession, RenewableAuthor : Admin September 3, 2016
For many city dwellers in developed or even developing countries, it is rare to be without electricity for a long time. Most of us are used to 24×7 power. This is possible mainly because of the e...Read more
What are the best ways to turn fruit & vegetable waste into value?
Category: Bio, Biofuels, Lifestyle, Moderate, Profession, Solid WasteAuthor : Admin September 3, 2016
That rotting fruit in your kitchen bin – did you know that you could convert it into stuff of value? Something on the lines of fuel or fertilizers? Households, industries and commercial estab...Read more
What eco-friendly products can I start using without altering my lifestyle?
Category: Basic, Green Buildings, LED, Lifestyle, LifestyleAuthor : Admin September 3, 2016
Who doesn’t wish to be environment friendly? Well, there indeed might be a few jerks who don’t, but you get the drift. In spite of intentions, few of us actually end up being eco-friendly...Read more
What’s the biggest challenge facing renewable energy sources?
Category: Basic, Profession, Renewable, Solar, Storage, WindAuthor : Admin September 3, 2016
Until a few years back, one of the biggest challenges facing renewable energy sources was their cost of generation. Now, however, with the cost of solar power dropping fast, and the cost of fossil bas...Read more
How can advanced materials lead to energy efficient cars?
Category: Moderate, Profession, TransportAuthor : Admin September 3, 2016
The car as a mode of transportation is one of the most inefficient. That must sound like blasphemy to most people who consider the car as the anchor of the modern civilization. But it’s true. H...Read more
How do I know how much energy I can save in my building?
Category: Basic, Efficiency, Energy Audit, Green Buildings, Lifestyle, ProfessionAuthor : Admin September 3, 2016
Buildings consume almost 40% of the total electricity generated worldwide. Now, that’s a massive portion. Naturally hence, building energy conservation can take us a long way towards building a...Read more
How difficult is it to do composting at home?
Category: Basic, Lifestyle, Lifestyle, Management, Organic Farming, Solid WasteAuthor : Admin September 3, 2016
Many folks who care about the environment love to do composting. Gardeners love it too. They all just like the satisfaction of doing growing their own fertilizer and the feeling that they are sparing...Read more
Can all plastics be recycled?
Category: Management, Materials, Moderate, ProfessionAuthor : Admin September 3, 2016
With plastics, specifically disposable plastics, creating significant harm to the environment the world over, a number of measures are being attempted to mitigate such pollution. One of these measures...Read more
What is a smart grid? So, is there a dumb grid too?
Category: Moderate, Profession, Smart GridAuthor : Admin September 2, 2016
We all depend on our electricity grid for power. But, have you ever thought much about the grid? Frankly, I had not, until I entered the field of cleantech. In fact, the only times I ever thought abou...Read more
Can someone tell me what is biomass? Is it just plants?
Category: Agriculture, Basic, Bio, ProfessionAuthor : Admin September 2, 2016
Until I entered the field of cleantech, I had not heard of the term biomass. Wood, yes, plants, yes, crops, yes, even crop waste, yes, but biomass? Nopes, hadn’t heard of it. The first time I he...Read more
I heard we can get oil from algae. Is it snake oil or is it legit?
Category: Advanced, Biofuels, ProfessionAuthor : Admin September 2, 2016
This is an interesting story you might want to listen to: Many millions of years back, diverse biomass, a large portion of which were algae, got buried deep inside earth. Over millennia, under extreme...Read more
What the heck are biomass pellets, and how are they different from briquettes?
Category: Advanced, Biomass Heating, ProfessionAuthor : Admin September 2, 2016
Biomass can be used in a variety of forms. (For those who wish to know what biomass is, here is my post on what it is). While some sectors use biomass in its natural form (stalks, saw dust, ground nut...Read more
How much can rooftop solar panels contribute to my building’s energy consumption?
Category: Lifestyle, Moderate, Profession, PVAuthor : Admin September 2, 2016
Having solar panels on your rooftop enables you to generate power in a distributed manner, right from your residential of factory premises! With the world seeing a significant acceleration in the use...Read more
So, are energy audits really useful?
Category: Efficiency, Energy Audit, Green Buildings, Moderate, ProfessionAuthor : Admin September 1, 2016
Most of us have heard about energy audits – a process in which your building’s energy consumption pattern in analysed to identify improvements. At the same time, only a few appear to take ...Read more
Is it efficient to store power in batteries?
Category: Basic, Lifestyle, Profession, StorageAuthor : Admin September 1, 2016
Pretty much everyone around the world stores power in batteries. The battery industry is a large and growing industry. So, the batteries must have evolved so well that they are super efficient at stor...Read more
Can any agricultural waste be used to generate power?
Category: Agro Waste, Biomass Power, Moderate, ProfessionAuthor : Admin September 1, 2016
The world generates millions of tons of agricultural waste every DAY! A good portion of this waste is just…wasted. Left to rot, or worse, burnt! Instead, can all these agri and crop waste be put...Read more
Why is large hydro power not considered an alternative energy source?
Category: Advanced, Hydro, Profession, RenewableAuthor : Admin August 31, 2016
Large hydro refers to the conventional hydro power plant you and I have heard about – those large power plants with huge dams. Some of the large hydro projects are really massive – the w...Read more
How best can I power my house with renewable energy?
Category: Basic, Green Buildings, Lifestyle, PV, Renewable, WindAuthor : Admin August 31, 2016
Having renewable energy generated right at your home is all the rage today. Well, while you might be reading some fancy ideas about some exotic renewable energy sources you can use to power your home,...Read more
Is geothermal energy the same as geothermal power?
Category: Advanced, Geothermal, Geothermal Heating, Geothermal Power, ProfessionAuthor : Admin August 31, 2016
Outside of the professional industry circles, only a few people actually know what geothermal energy is all about. As a result, there is significant confusion, leading people to think that geotherma...Read more
Why are companies taking the trouble of putting up wind turbines in the ocean?
Category: Advanced, Offshore, Profession, WindAuthor : Admin August 31, 2016
You would have surely seen wind turbines on land. Did you know that we have not stopped with land? Some countries have started putting massive wind turbines in the ocean, sometimes as much a 20 miles ...Read more
Why isn’t geothermal power not popular worldwide?
Category: Advanced, Geothermal, Geothermal Power, ProfessionAuthor : Admin August 31, 2016
If you have not heard the term Geothermal Power before, don’t blame yourself. You are in the majority. Geothermal power refers to power generation using naturally occurring hot springs or geyser...Read more
How did we come to rely so heavily on fossil fuels?
Category: Basic, Climate Change, Energy, LifestyleAuthor : Admin August 30, 2016
Just in case you did not know, the world runs on coal and oil. Yes, even today. Yes, even when there is so much din about solar power, wind power and biofuels all around. Fossil fuels account for alm...Read more
Can you explain in simple English what’s being done to combat climate change?
Category: Basic, Climate Change, ProfessionAuthor : Admin August 30, 2016
Everyone seems to be talking about Climate Change, but the average Joe on the Road is left confused because nobody is telling him what’s being done in simple English. I will…try. You see, ...Read more
Are biofuels really good for the environment?
Category: Agriculture, Biofuels, Climate Change, Moderate, ProfessionAuthor : Admin August 30, 2016
Biofuels are fuels we get from plants. Thus they are fuels derived from renewable sources. They can replace the polluting diesel (through biodiesel) and gasoline (through ethanol) and play a signific...Read more
Can I burn plastics to generate energy? Is this an eco-friendly idea?
Category: Advanced, Management, Profession, WasteAuthor : Admin August 29, 2016
Plastics are everywhere. Plastics are useful. We cannot imagine our modern, comfortable life without plastics. But plastics are also a pain. Once disposed, they just don’t subtly slink away like...Read more
Do bioplastics really work as a substitute for conventional plastics?
Category: Advanced, Biopolymers, Lifestyle, MaterialsAuthor : Admin August 29, 2016
What are Bioplastics? Bioplastics, which refer to plastics manufactured from plant sources, present a feasible alternative to petroleum-based, conventional plastics. Status of Bioplastics The biopl...Read more
Can we use plant material to make plastics?
Category: Agriculture, Basic, Biopolymers, ProfessionAuthor : Admin August 28, 2016
Most (almost all, actually) conventional plastics are made from petroleum – here’s a nice video on oil to plastics. With petroleum being a perishable resource, a question that arises is: ...Read more
What are the most practical avenues to decrease plastic pollution?
Category: Basic, Biopolymers, Lifestyle, ManagementAuthor : Admin August 28, 2016
Plastic is everywhere. A good number of disposable plastic items pollute our land and water, and we all wish to something about this. But what? While you will hear numerous ideas of how to decrease p...Read more
How is charcoal made from biomass?
Category: Agro Waste, Bio, Biomass Heating, Moderate, ProfessionAuthor : Admin August 28, 2016
When you burn wood incompletely, you would have seen the black residue left behind. This is charcoal. So, that kind of explains how you make charcoal: Incomplete combustion of biomass! Technically, ch...Read more
Give me a simple answer: Where does my household waste go?
Category: Basic, Lifestyle, Management, Solid Waste, Waste, Waste to EnergyAuthor : Admin August 28, 2016
You asked for a simple answer to the question “Where does my household waste go?”. I give you a simple answer. Once you dispose waste our of your house, this is what happens to it: Made i...Read more
Does natural gas emit lesser CO2 than coal?
Category: Advanced, Climate Change, ProfessionAuthor : Admin August 28, 2016
A large percentage of thermal power plants that generate our electricity run on coal. Another prominent fuel used in these thermal power plants is natural gas. Besides some operational advantages th...Read more
I smell some gas near a landfill. What gas is it? Why is it coming out of the landfill?
Category: Bio, Biomass Heating, Biomass Power, Lifestyle, Moderate, Profession, Solid Waste, Waste to EnergyAuthor : Admin August 28, 2016
So you live very close to a landfill and you smell a rotten-smelling gas occasionally? You don’t need to be a Sherlock Holmes to guess what this gas could be. Ten to one, what you are getting is...Read more
How can biotech students contribute to cleantech?
Category: Bio, Biofuels, Biomass Heating, Biomass Power, Biomass to Liquids, Biopolymers, Education, Moderate, ProfessionAuthor : Admin August 28, 2016
While to many, the subject of cleantech appears to be something esoteric, in reality, cleantech touches every aspect of our lives that science and technology touches. See this post and this for some d...Read more
Does using smartphones drain us of our energy resources?
Category: Basic, Efficiency, Lifestyle, LifestyleAuthor : Admin August 28, 2016
With over a billion people using smartphones worldwide, one gets concerned if smartphones are draining the world of precious energy resources. Let’s do some math to check out if you should inde...Read more
What types of solid waste pose significant disposal challenges?
Category: Advanced, Management, Profession, Solid WasteAuthor : Admin August 28, 2016
It is fairly obvious that most urban centers are drowning in garbage and struggling to find ways to get over the solid waste disposal problem. We can say that there are two specific types of challeng...Read more
What types of liquid waste pose significant disposal challenges?
Category: Advanced, Liquid Waste, ProfessionAuthor : Admin August 28, 2016
Have you wondered how all the waste water and fluids generated from our homes, offices, factories and other places are treated? Also, which of these liquid wastes pose serious challenges in treatment ...Read more
What is concentrating solar power? Why is it not as popular as solar photovoltaic (PV)?
Category: Advanced, CPV, Profession, PV, ThermalAuthor : Admin August 28, 2016
We all have heard about solar power. And now comes concentrating solar power. What exactly is concentrating solar power? Concentrating solar power is just that – it concentrates sunlight onto a...Read more
What types of waste can be recycled?
Category: Basic, Lifestyle, Management, Profession, Solid WasteAuthor : Admin August 28, 2016
Recycling of waste is a sustainable and smart way to deal with the ever growing problem of waste management, especially solid waste management. But it is not as if all waste can be recycled. So, what...Read more
How can agricultural waste provide sustainable materials and energy?
Category: Agriculture, Agro Waste, Biopolymers, Materials, Moderate, ProfessionAuthor : Admin August 27, 2016
The world generates millions of tons of agricultural waste every day. A country like India alone generates over a million tons of agricultural waste a day. A large portion of the agricultural waste ...Read more
What tech breakthrough will make electric vehicles affordable to all?
Category: Advanced, EV, Lifestyle, Profession, StorageAuthor : Admin August 27, 2016
Who would not wish the entire world to run on electric vehicles? These have the potential to significantly reduce the CO2 emissions from one of the main sources of emission – transportation. B...Read more
How did the cost of solar power decrease so rapidly?
Category: Basic, PVAuthor : Admin August 27, 2016
From a high of about $30/W in the early 1980s, solar power plants (ground mounted solar farms) in most parts of the world cost much less than $2/W in 2016! Even as recent as 2010, a similar solar P...Read more
Should I use a normal bicycle or an electric bicycle?
Category: Basic, EV, Lifestyle, TransportAuthor : Admin August 27, 2016
One of the not-so-common questions was once asked was: Should I use an electric bicycle or a normal one? Well, that’s an interesting question, isn’t it? Many of you would have seen, and ...Read more
How is sewage waste water purified and used?
Category: Basic, Lifestyle, Liquid Waste, Profession, WaterAuthor : Admin August 27, 2016
Some of you might have wondered what indeed happens to the sewage that leaves our homes. Just read on. The sewage from tens of thousands of homes passes through the sewers, and reach what are called S...Read more
How are hazardous waste materials disposed currently?
Category: Advanced, Industrial Waste, Management, Profession, Solid Waste, Waste, Waste to EnergyAuthor : Admin August 27, 2016
The waste that our houses generate are fairly harmless. But there are places that generate waste that are far more hazardous. Hazardous waste are produced from various sources. The main two types of ...Read more
Can all waste be made into compost?
Category: Green Buildings, Lifestyle, Moderate, Organic Farming, Solid WasteAuthor : Admin August 27, 2016
Making compost from waste is indeed a cool thing. It is indeed a nice feeling to see waste that would otherwise be polluting some garbage dump get converted into something that you can use in your gar...Read more
Electric cars are cool, why isn’t everyone using them?
Category: Basic, EV, Lifestyle, Profession, TransportAuthor : Admin August 27, 2016
Electric cars are non-polluting. They do not even have the problem of sound pollution. And they are way cool. So, why isn’t everyone using electric cars instead of the super polluting petrol a...Read more
Other than through batteries, how else can electricity be stored?
Category: Moderate, Profession, StorageAuthor : Admin August 27, 2016
So many of us are used to storing electricity in batteries, that one might be led to think that this is perhaps the only way to store electricity. Not exactly. Batteries are of course the most obvious...Read more
Why isn’t everyone using energy efficient equipment and machinery?
Category: Basic, Efficiency, LED, ProfessionAuthor : Admin August 27, 2016
If only the world were super rational. Even the common bloke on the road knows that using energy efficiency equipment in our homes and factories could cut down energy costs by as much as 50%. But yet,...Read more
How can there be zero energy buildings?
Category: Advanced, Energy, Green Buildings, Lifestyle, Profession, RenewableAuthor : Admin August 26, 2016
Buildings consume almost 40% of all electricity generated. That’s a lot. At the same time, there are many buildings worldwide that claim to be zero energy buildings. But such claims to zero ener...Read more
Are large hydro power projects environment friendly?
Category: Advanced, Hydro, Profession, RenewableAuthor : Admin August 26, 2016
Large hydro projects represent an important source of renewable energy. Some of the large hydro projects are in excess of 500 MW capacity and with very good capacity utilization factors, providing a ...Read more
Can the entire world run on solar power alone?
Category: Basic, Profession, Renewable, Solar, StorageAuthor : Admin August 25, 2016
Image credit: Inhabitat Half the news reports we read today seem to be about solar power. It is as if the entire world will soon be running on solar power. Well, that kind of pops up the question: Ca...Read more
What technology is needed to make the entire world run on renewable energy?
Category: Lifestyle, Moderate, Profession, Renewable, StorageAuthor : Admin August 25, 2016
Renewable energy is hot news today. In the past few years, investments in renewable energy are actually outpacing investments into conventional and fossil fuel sectors. With such tremendous momentum...Read more
Is CO2 the only greenhouse gas?
Category: Climate Change, Moderate, ProfessionAuthor : Admin August 25, 2016
Greenhouse gases are the gases that are responsible for global warming & climate change. By absorbing the heat radiating from the earth and transmitting it back to earth, these gases heat up the ...Read more
How can design students and professionals contribute to cleantech?
Category: Lifestyle, Moderate, ProfessionAuthor : Admin August 25, 2016
What has design profession got to do with cleantech? A lot, in my opinion. Other than engineers, design professionals perhaps represent the top most segment when it comes to making a difference to cle...Read more
What are the best avenues to conserve energy for residences?
Category: Basic, Efficiency, Green Buildings, LED, LifestyleAuthor : Admin August 25, 2016
As the cost of energy shoots up, so will your energy bills. It is hence no wonder that hundreds of millions of residences worldwide are keen to know how to conserve energy without compromising on com...Read more
Doesn’t use of biomass for heating or power generation release CO2?
Category: Advanced, Bio, Biomass Power, Profession, RenewableAuthor : Admin August 23, 2016
We all have heard that use of biomass – instead of coal – for heating or power generation is a sustainable option. But use of biomass for heating/power generation also releases CO2. So, ho...Read more
Why can’t we simply desalinate sea water to overcome water scarcity?
Category: Lifestyle, Moderate, Profession, WaterAuthor : Admin August 23, 2016
OK, so we all have heard that many parts of the world are facing, or will soon be facing, serious water scarcity. At the same time, over 70% of our earth is covered by water. Why can’t we simply...Read more
Is it possible to have solar panels on the sides and walls of a building?
Category: Advanced, Lifestyle, PVAuthor : Admin August 22, 2016
Image Source: US Dept of Energy The whole world seems to be going solar! While having solar panels on rooftops is becoming less strange every passing year, some folks are keen to have solar panels co...Read more
Why is the world going ga-ga about LED?
Category: Basic, Efficiency, Green Buildings, LED, Lifestyle, ProfessionAuthor : Admin August 22, 2016
From being seen as a high-cost, niche lighting technology, LEDs are suddenly springing up everywhere. The LED concept indeed is very simple – it provides the same amount of light as a convention...Read more
How is small hydro power different from large hydro power?
Category: Advanced, Hydro, ProfessionAuthor : Admin August 21, 2016
Most people think hydro power projects are all the same. When they hear hydro power, they think of massive dams and a massive power generation capacity. Hydro power need not always mean large hydro p...Read more
Can concentrating solar PV be combined with solar thermal?
Category: Advanced, Profession, PV, Solar, ThermalAuthor : Admin August 20, 2016
For those new to solar, here’s what concentrating solar PV means: It refers to a way of generating solar power in which, through the use of lenses, concentrated sunlight falls on the solar pa...Read more
Why aren’t millions of homes having small wind turbines, just as they have solar panels?
Category: Lifestyle, Moderate, Solar, WindAuthor : Admin August 20, 2016
You would have seen solar panels on quite a few rooftops. Some of you might have also seen small wind turbines on rooftops or right next to homes. These are just indications of a larger shift that is...Read more
Can biomass be used for small scale power plants?
Category: Advanced, Agro Waste, Biomass Power, ProfessionAuthor : Admin August 16, 2016
If you had seen conventional power plants, you will know that they are large. Typical coal-based or natural gas based power plants are 100 MW or above in size – many of them over 500 MW. Nuclear...Read more
What is CHP (combined heat and power) in the context of sustainable energy?
Category: Advanced, CHP, Efficiency, ProfessionAuthor : Admin August 15, 2016
If you were working anywhere close to industrial boilers, you would have surely heard the term CHP , especially if you had been in the process industries that use both extensive amounts of heat and p...Read more
Is it true concentrating solar PV can reach 40% efficiency?
Category: Advanced, Profession, PVAuthor : Admin August 14, 2016
In concentrating solar PV, much higher efficiencies than those for conventional PV are achieved by concentrating sunlight on solar panels. In this technology, sunlight is concentrated on solar panels...Read more
What are energy plantations and why are they needed?
Category: Advanced, Agriculture, Agro Waste, Bio, Biomass Heating, Biomass Power, ProfessionAuthor : Admin August 14, 2016
You would have heard about coconut plantations, palm plantations, rubber plantations and the like. But – energy plantations? Well, ugh, are these some super natural plantations that guzzle out ...Read more
Thin Film Solar Panels
Category: PVAuthor : Admin August 9, 2016
What are thin film solar panels?...Read more
What are carbon credits and how do they help fight climate change?
Category: Climate Change, Moderate, ProfessionAuthor : Admin August 7, 2016
It is widely agreed that climate change is caused owing to the emission of greenhouse gases, the chief among them being CO2. So, if we reduce CO2 emissions, we start fighting climate change and reduce...Read more
What role can computer scientists and software professionals play in cleantech?
Category: Agriculture, Basic, Buildings, Efficiency, ProfessionAuthor : Admin August 6, 2016
Cleantech and Infotech are coming together. Now, computer & IT professionals can contribute significantly to cleantech. Who doesn’t want to have a hand in saving the world? Fairly regularly...Read more
Can I get temperatures above 100 degrees C with solar water heaters?
Category: Moderate, Profession, Solar, ThermalAuthor : Admin August 5, 2016
If you have used solar water heaters, you will know that you can at best get about 70 deg C (about 160 deg F) from it. However, some simple innovations and tweaks made to the traditional solar water ...Read more
How are computer technology and Internet enabling sustainable transportation?
Category: Lifestyle, Moderate, Profession, TransportAuthor : Admin August 5, 2016
The Internet and computer technologies are playing significant roles to make transportation more sustainable and energy efficient. As it does in other industries, the critical component that informati...Read more
What are the main avenues to generate power from biomass?
Category: Bio, Biomass Power, Moderate, Profession, RenewableAuthor : Admin August 1, 2016
In the last few years, biomass (If you are asking: What the heck is biomass? See here) based power generation has been seeing an increase the world over, as such generation is a carbon-neutral method ...Read more
If I use a laptop, do I consume less energy than when I use a desktop?
Category: Basic, Efficiency, LifestyleAuthor : Admin August 1, 2016
For those who have used both a laptop and a desktop computer, there will be that intuitive feeling that a laptop consumes lesser amount of energy than does a desktop. The intuition is indeed correct. ...Read more
Is biodiesel and biofuel one and the same?
Category: Biofuels, Moderate, ProfessionAuthor : Admin July 28, 2016
I answered a similar question for ethanol, and the answer for this is the same as well. Biodiesel is a bio-based fuel that is usually derived from vegetable oils such as palm oil, soybean oil, canola ...Read more
Is ethanol and biofuel one and the same?
Category: Biofuels, Moderate, ProfessionAuthor : Admin July 28, 2016
Biofuel, ethanol…you have heard these multiple times and got confused. Are these one and the same? Not really. Ethanol is a bio-based fuel that is usually derived from carbohydrate/sugar-based s...Read more
Is nuclear energy a clean source of energy?
Category: Management, Moderate, ProfessionAuthor : Admin July 28, 2016
Nuclear energy. Some love it. Many more don’t seem to. Love it, hate it, but let us ask ourselves a different question: Is nuclear energy a clean source of energy? Yes. Yes? Yes. If “cl...Read more
Is the ethanol used for fuel the same as one used in alcohol consumed by us?
Category: Advanced, Biofuels, ProfessionAuthor : Admin July 25, 2016
Ethanol (ethyl alcohol) is the most common alcohol found in many of the alcohol beverages. Yep, the booze you slurped last night most likely had ethanol in it. Ethanol is also a biofuel that can be u...Read more
Can I make biofuels from agricultural waste?
Category: Agriculture, Biofuels, Biomass to Liquids, Moderate, ProfessionAuthor : Admin July 15, 2016
With the world generating millions of agricultural waste every DAY, a logical question that arises is: How best can we turn this waste into value? A related question is: If biofuels are produced fro...Read more
Is battery storage really becoming very inexpensive?
Category: Basic, Lifestyle, Profession, StorageAuthor : Admin July 15, 2016
Batteries are everywhere. It seems we cannot live without them. It also seems they cost really little, and are really economical. So, is the cost of battery storage come down such that such storage i...Read more
What are the best avenues to conserve energy for factories?
Category: Basic, Efficiency, ProfessionAuthor : Admin July 10, 2016
As governments and factory owners worldwide race to reduce their energy consumption and energy bills, it is becoming obvious that the change is not happening fast enough, for a variety of reasons. Unl...Read more
What is a Back Pressure Steam Turbine and what is its role in energy efficiency?
Category: Advanced, CHP, ProfessionAuthor : Admin July 8, 2016
Firstly: A steam based power generation unit is a combination of boiler and turbine. The boiler generates steam using coal, natural gas or other fuels such as biomass, and the super-hot, high pressure...Read more
What are the best avenues to conserve energy for small office buildings?
Category: Basic, Efficiency, Green Buildings, LED, ProfessionAuthor : Admin July 7, 2016
Buildings consume almost 40% of all electricity generated worldwide. Of this, office buildings comprise a significant portion of the consumption. The average commercial building (be it a large or smal...Read more
Isn’t the cleantech thing complex?
Category: BasicAuthor : Admin July 2, 2016
Some of you might ask: OK, so this cleantech thing does sound like a useful thing to know. But isn’t it all complex science and engineering and stuff of that sort? Will I be able to understand a...Read more
Why should I know about cleantech? It’s about YOUR life and work!
Category: BasicAuthor : Admin July 1, 2016
Until now, only folks who are in the energy and environment industries (and of course, Greenpeace-niks kind of chaps) had heard of cleantech, or at least had bothered about it. If you have nothing to ...Read more
Why is not all waste worldwide turned into energy?
Category: Agro Waste, Moderate, Profession, Waste to EnergyAuthor : Admin June 28, 2016
Municipal authorities in many countries incinerate and convert into energy a part of the solid waste that you throw from your house, or waste generated from industries. But not all waste generated fro...Read more
I came across the term Clean Coal. I mean, how can coal power be clean?
Category: Advanced, Climate Change, ProfessionAuthor : Admin June 20, 2016
Talk to any eco-activist, and you will soon know who their #1 villain is: Coal. OK, the world has heard them, and the power plant owners have responded by saying they will try to make coal clean. Ugh....Read more
What exactly are you trying to do over here?
Category: BasicAuthor : Admin June 17, 2016
“What exactly are you trying to do over here?” – some blokes have put this bluntly to me. Translated: “Why are you wasting your – and our – time by working on th...Read more
I have nothing to do with cleantech! Or…do I?
Category: BasicAuthor : Admin June 17, 2016
“I have nothing to do with cleantech! Or…do I” Well, you almost certainly do. Almost every human being does. (OK, really little babies excluded) As I have mentioned in my answer to t...Read more
What the heck is cleantech?
Category: BasicAuthor : Admin June 13, 2016
Image credit: Vortechs Most people understand the term renewable energy, a good number of them have at least heard of sustainability. But cleantech? That’s a term that’s relatively new &#...Read more
How can we reduce the CO2 emissions from existing thermal power plants?
Category: Climate Change, Moderate, ProfessionAuthor : Admin June 10, 2016
Thermal power plants usually refer to those large power plants that typically use coal, and in some cases natural gas. A nuclear power plant is also a thermal power plant (and so is a solar thermal p...Read more
How can human waste be used to generate power?
Category: Basic, Lifestyle, Profession, Solid Waste, Waste to EnergyAuthor : Admin June 4, 2016
Before I entered the field of cleantech, I rarely thought of human waste. Like most civilized folks, I just avoided thinking about it! But in the past few years, I have seen how human waste management...Read more
Making cleantech as part of our lifestyle
Category: Basic, UncategorizedAuthor : Admin May 25, 2016
Let’s say I have convinced you that clean technologies can indeed be a key ingredient in making the world more sustainable, without making our lives miserable… But is it easy to adopt the...Read more
Making cleantech part of business
Category: Basic, UncategorizedAuthor : Admin May 23, 2016
In another post, I had given my thoughts on how easy it is to integrate cleantech solutions as a part of our lifestyle. Similar is the case with the adoption of cleantech solutions in business. If y...Read more
Can I construct a green building at a low cost?
Category: Basic, Efficiency, Green Buildings, Lifestyle, WaterAuthor : Admin May 22, 2016
World over, a good percentage of folks constructing new buildings aspire their buildings to be as green as possible. At the same time, there is a general opinion that a green building costs lot more ...Read more
How do we get the world back to good? – We could use cleantech for help
Category: BasicAuthor : Admin May 20, 2016
In another post, I made a point that expecting 7+ billion humans to change their lifestyles to save the world is plain unrealistic. So, if we are not going to change our lifestyles dramatically, we n...Read more
Making cleantech a part of your career or business
Category: BasicAuthor : Admin May 15, 2016
While I did not exactly count, I can make a fairly educated guess that over 2 billion folks worldwide are involved in sort of a profession or another – I mean, these many folks do some work f...Read more
How do we get the world back to good? – We could change the way we live…
Category: Basic, LifestyleAuthor : Admin May 13, 2016
So, the world is full of environmental problems – Climate change, pollution, resource scarcity and our own poor lifestyle habits. Most of us feel guilty about not doing something about it. And...Read more
How do we get the world back to good? – Well, broadly…
Category: BasicAuthor : Admin May 11, 2016
So, the world seems to be screwed (this is why – climate change, pollution, resource scarcity, poor lifestyle choices). Some think it is beyond repair. The more optimistic think something can be...Read more
What’s Wrong with the World? Land, Water & Air Pollution
Category: BasicAuthor : Admin May 10, 2016
Who isn’t familiar with pollution? But there are many aspects of these that we do not know. I am providing a short primer here. Land Pollution When we think of land pollution, we usually visual...Read more
What’s Wrong with the World? – Poor Lifestyle Choices
Category: BasicAuthor : Admin May 5, 2016
Sometime back, I heard that one of my distant relatives was celebrating his dad’s hundredth birthday. His dad was now a centenarian. A hundred years of life. Unimaginable to most of us, but he...Read more
What’s Wrong with the World? – Climate Change & Global Warming
Category: Basic, Climate ChangeAuthor : Admin May 3, 2016
(Updated Aug 2016) There is every chance that you have heard about climate change and global warming, and some of you would have also likely read something about it. All the same, let me give you my t...Read more
What’s Wrong with the World? – Resource Scarcity
Category: Basic, Lifestyle, MaterialsAuthor : Admin May 3, 2016
Image source: Forbes There were just 4 million people roaming our earth in 10,000 BCE. This rose to about 265 million in about 1000 BCE. That might sound like a super dramatic increase, but actually r...Read more
What’s Wrong with the World – Well, Broadly…
Category: BasicAuthor : Admin May 1, 2016
What’s wrong with the world? Too many things are, aren’t they? Poverty, terrorism, arrogance, stupidity… I am sure you have a much longer list than the one above. But I am not here t...Read more
What is pyrolysis and what are its benefits?
Category: Advanced, Agriculture, Biomass Heating, Biomass to Liquids, ProfessionAuthor : Admin April 12, 2016
Those working in the field of bio-energy regularly come across the term Pyrolysis. What does it mean, and what are its benefits? Pyrolysis refers to heating of biomass to a high temperature, but with ...Read more