Making a cellphone battery last ten times longer is a first target for a large research project that IBM, Infineon and a number of European universities unveiled on Wednesday. The new research project, called Steeper, also aims to decrease the energy needs of other electronic devices like TV sets or supercomputers by 10 times when active, and to virtually eliminate power consumption when they are in standby mode.

A new clean tech company called Totempower Energy Systems Ltd. has come up with an easy way to put wind power within the grasp of everyday homeowners. The company is developing new micro-wind turbines that are designed for close quarters and non-disruptive installation, but the real key to getting more micro-wind turbines into consumers’ hands is the company’s “ease of ownership” plan which provides a soup-to-nuts service including site selection and connecting the turbine to the home electrical system.

VietnamPlus and Siemens signed a partnership agreement in Hanoi on Oct. 21 whereby VietnamPlus will be the media sponsor for Siemens Green Technology Journalism Award 2010. This award is created for the first time in ASEAN in order to acknowledge and reward journalists for excellent reporting on energy efficiency, industrial productivity and sustainability issues. It is open to print and online media from Indonesia , Malaysia , the Philippines , Singapore , Thailand and Vietnam.

A New Zealand firm is hoping to beat rivals to Britain's lucrative boiler replacement market with its energy-efficient product and says an IPO (initial public offering) in Europe could be on the cards as it ramps up production. Whisper Tech, controlled by New Zealand state power group Meridian, expects to be profitable within a year and is examining its funding options over the next 12-18 months as it moves into mass production.

The Abu Dhabi Distribution Company (ADDC), which supplies electricity to the city and surrounding areas, will have installed digital electricity meters in all buildings by the end of this year, its deputy managing director Abdulrahman al Dhaheri said yesterday. The new meters not only calculate power usage, but also allow consumers to sell their own solar-generated electricity back to the grid.

This is the third day in a row that we are presenting the most efficient lighting systems invented recently. Now, it’s time for another invention from GE, who made a 1,500-lumen LED light bulb and cooled it through a technology used in aviation.

While Compact Fluorescent Bulbs have barely been seen in various parts of the world and incandescent lighting still rules in others, two Japanese companies already want to change them for LEDs – straight tube LED lamps, which, they say, are much more economical.

A few days ago, the Israel-based energy company ZenithSolar has officially unveiled its 3rd generation Solar Z20. Being installed in Kibbutz Yavne in central Israel, the solar energy generator is a combined heat and power system, able to deliver 72% efficiency.

According to Mazda Motor Corp, the new Mazda2 subcompact will have a fuel economy of 30 km/litre (70 mpg) and as the company said, it will become the world’s most fuel-efficient vehicle. Mazda2 is scheduled to be launched in Japan in the first half of 2011, being the first car fitted with SKYACTIV, a technology produced only by Mazda based on next-generation gasoline and diesel engines.

The project is following up on a pre-feasibility study conducted by the Clinton Climate Initiative. Fluor’s task is to develop a conceptual master plan to be unveiled at the South African Solar Park Investors Conference (Oct. 28 and 29), which will be held in the Northern Cape Province.

With the second largest tidal range in the world, about 50 feet, the Severn estuary has been eyed for years as a potential energy source, particularly as the appetite for sustainable energy sources has been growing over the last few years. The U.K. has pledged to have 40 percent of its electricity generated from renewable sources by 2020 to meet European Union requirements.

The ‘Global Wind Energy Outlook 2010’ (GWEO 2010) finds that wind power could play a key role in satisfying the world’s increasing power demand, while at the same time achieving major greenhouse gas emissions reductions. The 1,000 GW of wind power capacity projected to be installed by 2020 would save as much as 1.5 billion tonnes of CO2 every year.

A workshop was held recently by a gas engine research team of the Da Nang University with support of Toyota Motor Vietnam (TMV) through the Go Green Program to assess the results of the implementation of the second stage of the project titled “Small-scaled Electricity Production from Biogas” in some provinces of central Vietnam.

A Chevrolet Volt electric vehicle seen here October 7 charging at a solar-powered charging station in Detroit, Michigan. More than 5,300 charging stations will be installed in Michigan as the birthplace of the US auto industry prepares for the introduction of electric cars.

Municipal governments looking to tap into New Jersey’s cost-saving energy audit or “Direct Install” programs can get the assistance they need under a shared services program unveiled by the Burlington County Freeholders in cooperation with the county Bridge Commission.

The city may enter a three-year contract aimed at saving the city an estimated $3 million on electric power acquisition and distribution over 12 years for $1.8 million over three years. The proposed agreement would be made with non-profit American Municipal Power Inc. (AMP) to operate an energy efficiency program called Efficiency Smart Power Plant. Cuyahoga Falls has its own municipal electric system and purchases power through AMP.

South Yorkshire is the greenest part of Yorkshire, according to The Energy Saving Trust. The Trust says that since April people in South Yorkshire have installed more renewable energy systems than the rest of the region put together. There are now a total of 426 installations in the county - most of them in Sheffield, followed by Rotherham, Barnsley, and then Doncaster. That compares with 199 installations in West Yorkshire, 78 in North Yorkshire and 40 in the Humber.

Enbridge in partnership with First Solar have designed the most impressive and largest photovoltaic facility in the world, an 80-megawatt solar project and have recently presented it in Ontario, Canada.

October is National Energy Awareness Month, and to celebrate this joyous eco-occasion, we’ve compiled a list to help you reduce your energy consumption and shrink your footprint even more. Switching to fluorescent lighting and turning the thermostat down are great energy saving starters, but if you’re looking to go the extra mile to save energy in your home, these tips are for you.

Last week, Enbridge and First Solar announced that the Sarnia Solar Project, an 80-megawatt (MW) solar project in Ontario, Canada was fully installed and commercially operating. Sarnia Solar Project is now the largest operating photovoltaic facility in the world.