Who says that a home with cutting-edge energy efficiency has to look like an ultra-modern pod? This recently completed Wisconsin home packs so much energy tech that it makes money by selling electricity back to the grid, and it still keeps a low neighborhood profile.

The proposed changes will phase out the least efficient outdoor lighting products by the end of 2012, transitioning to new lighting products that are better for the environment and less costly to run. For example, new outdoor lights will be required to have a sensor that will turn them off during daylight hours, putting an end to wasteful streetlight operation during the day. New parking lot lights must be capable of being dimmed, which can cut their energy use in half.

The agreement also directs the US Department of Energy (DOE) to develop even better standards by 2013.

Chris Bennett, a senior electrical engineer at Ratcliffe, said: "It is always surprising to people who visit the site that we are so efficiency conscious, but they're often even more surprised that we have to pay for the power we use during the generation process so it's essential we don't use more energy than we actually need. Even more important is minimising the environmental impact of the power station and ensuring the reliability of the plant; outages have to be avoided where possible so critical equipment such as the motors have to be reliable."

An ambitious project called Desertec plans to build huge solar power plants in the Sahara desert to feed clean energy to Europe. Political opposition aside, the scheme's backers also face technical hurdles and must decide which of the solar technologies below can deliver on such a scale.

Ocean Treader is a floating device. It will be tied up 1 – 2 miles offshore in ocean wave systems. It will not pose any obstruction on the shoreline. The theory has been put to test in wave tank. Now the company is producing a full size machine for offshore testing.

Wave Treader has grown out of our work with Ocean Treader. Wave Treader uses its Sponsons and Arms and are mounted on the base of a static offshore structure. That structure can be a Wind Turbine or Tidal Turbine. By sharing the high infrastructure costs with another device, such as the foundation costs, cabling costs, etc., the economics of both devices are enhanced and the energy yield for a given sea area greatly improved.