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Data centers fail to become greener, studies say

Despite high-profile pledges by major tech companies to green the grid, efforts to improve efficiency in data centers remain stunted, according to two recent studies.

Fifty-one percent of companies have a solid plan to green their IT operations, down from 55 percent in 2007, according to a study released Monday by Digital Realty Trust. The company owns and manages corporate data centers.

But highly publicized efforts to improve data center performance and design include those of the Green Grid consortium of tech bigwigs such as Microsoft and Advanced Micro Devices. The Climate Savers initiative, backed by Google, the World Wildlife … Read more

Sorry, but I'm sitting out Earth Day--and the next one and the one after that

I know I'm supposed to be celebrating Earth Day and all the good vibes, but I'm sitting this one out.

Not that I'm against the spirit of the event. I'm all for saving the environment. I take quick showers, I recycle, and I drive a small energy-efficient automobile. But after the feel-good speeches finish and the politicians move on to their next smiling photo-ops, maybe we can get real for a moment.

Fact is that things are bad and getting worse. Some of the best brains are working hard at finding a tech solution to contain … Read more

Where we can't wait till the year 20X6

EPISODE 83

On today's show we easily solve the Earth's environmental problems. Then we'll talk about what it must be like to get trapped in an elevator for 41 hours and figure out the proper way to say "Mario." It's a Jersey thing. Plus we'll tell you our idea for the ultimate action movie, all on today's 404.

Listen now: Download today's podcast

MIT says it wants a solar 'revolution'

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology on Tuesday announced a $10 million grant to develop technology to make solar power mainstream.

The Chesonis Foundation donated the money for research in three areas: materials to improve conversion of light to electricity; storage; and hydrogen production from solar energy and water.

Called the Solar Revolution Project, it will provide funding for 30 five-year fellowships in solar energy.

The idea is to pursue "blue sky" research, in an effort to fill the void between corporate-funded applied research and the limited amount of federal money dedicated to basic science research in solar, said … Read more

Hot kilowatts: Infinia, Stirling Energy Systems, eSolar get money

Three solar-thermal companies have raised money in the past week in a sector that's showing life, despite a choppy investment environment.

Infinia on Tuesday said it has taken $7 million from Asian contract manufacturer Foxconn Technology Group, part of a total of $57 million in a Series B round first announced in February.

The company uses a dish to concentrate sunlight onto a Stirling engine, which makes electricity. It intends to sell its 3-kilowatt devices to small-scale utility plants.

On Monday, eSolar said it has raised $130 million from Idealab and Google.org. Its solar-thermal systems, designed for utility-scale … Read more

Plastic made from pig urine

Denmark-based Agroplast wants to transform pig urine into plastic dinnerware and household items.

We all have to have dreams, I suppose.

The company has essentially devised a way to better commercialize urea, a compound of carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, and hydrogen, found in urine.

Other animal waste products like manure can be inserted into the system, but pig urine is particularly interesting because it is an environmental hazard, says Peter Tøttrup, a partner at Seed Capital, a Danish venture firm that also helps the government incubate start-ups. We ran into Tøttrup at the coffee urn at the … Read more

Green companies to watch: Renewable energy

Which are the companies to watch in clean tech? Most are definitely not household names but they are having an impact.

Below the photo is a list of some of the newsmakers in the renewable energy business, with a focus on start-ups. Along the way, you'll get a feel for the technology categories that define this corner of green tech.

1. Ausra: Originally from Australia, Ausra is one of the movers and shakers in solar thermal, a technology that is already competitive with utility-scale fossil fuel power generation.

Mirrors reflect light onto a liquid that makes steam, which drives … Read more

Ceiva tries on a new look for Mom

Mother's Day is only a couple of weeks away, and that can mean only one thing: The floodgates are about to unleash a torrent of digital photo frames.

While we've never understood the attraction of this wildly overproduced product category--especially those that are larger than life--we've long acknowledged the usefulness of Ceiva's networked variety to keep in touch with long-distance loved ones. And this year it's offering versions with customizable frame designs, at least for those offspring consumers who don't wait till the last minute.

It does seem a bit of a ripoff (… Read more

'Robomow' celebrates St. George's Day

If BattleBots were mashed up with Roombas and rumbled in the backyard, it might resemble the hotly competitive landscape of today's robotic lawnmowers. Robo-mowers like the LawnBott and Auto Mower are always searching for new gimmicks to distinguish themselves, such as going hybrid with solar energy.

But the "Robomow" is taking a different tack altogether, introducing a limited edition that celebrates England's St. George's Day. The custom mower, which bears the St. George's Day cross on its hull, has been named "Sir Cut Alot, Mower of the Roundtable," according to U.K.… Read more