Cleantech news you might have missed: 9 Feb. 2009
Looking to catch up on cleantech developments now that the weekend’s past? Following are some stories you might have missed:
- Officials in Westchester County, New York, has begun collecting used cooking oil from the area’s 3,500 restaurants for conversion into fuel for its vehicle fleet, the New York Times reports. The county expects to save about $25,000 (US) in diesel expenses for every 10,000 gallons of used kitchen grease it refines;
- Sixty cities across India would be improved as green or solar cities, under a government programme aimed at reducing those communities’ energy demands by 10 percent over the next five years, according to Indopia;
- Colorado-based Proterra last week unveiled its EcoRide BE35, a zero-emission, battery-electric bus designed for commercial transit systems. Being launched first in San Jose, California, the EcoRide BE 35 will then go on for a California Clean Bus Tour with stops in Los Angeles, Sacramento and San Francisco;
- UK motorists might soon see a new type of speed bump on British roads in the form of energy-generating devices that go down and up, powering a motor, each time a car drives over them, according to a weekend article in The Observer;
- Cleantechnica reports that Surface Power, a firm based in Ireland, claims to have developed the most efficient solar hot water panel yet. According to the article, the company says its technology could cut hot water costs by up to 70 percent.
