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A recent study was published yesterday by researchers at the Virginia Polytechnic Institute quantifying a bunch of different factors in water use in the energy industry. Some of the figures are staggering. Using America's current power mix, it takes up to 6,000 gallons of fresh water to keep a 60 watt light bulb lit for 12 hours a day for a year. Most of this energy is consumed as a cooling fluid at power plants.

In their prototype production line, scientists at the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (Fraunhofer ISE) have successfully completed a multi-crystalline solar cell with rear side contacts. The Freiburg, Germany-based researchers will be presenting their findings in September at the 22nd European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference and Exhibition, September 3-7, in Milan, Italy.

A rare report on long-term performance.

With an investment of US $10 billion dollars in energy efficiency improvements, India's economy would benefit from its potentially vast annual energy savings of 183.5 billion kilowatt hours, according to a new report from the World Resources Institute (WRI). "India's energy demand is expected to more than double by 2030. There is a dramatic need for domestic and international energy efficiency technology providers, service providers, and equipment manufacturers to develop innovative ways to conserve energy," said Robin Murphy, WRI vice president of external relations.

I have a story today on Enbridge Gas Distribution and its early investigation of biogas-injection into its natural gas pipelines. It's already being done in several European countries and some U.S. states, and is even mandated in countries such as Germany. Enbridge, and Terasen Gas in British Columbia, are among a number of gas utilities in North America that are trying to prepare themselves for the day when "bio-methane" will become a common component of natural gas pipeline infrastructure. Will the biogas quality affect the pipeline? Can it be used in all natural gas appliances without problem? How much does it cost to scrub out impurities? What's the best source: landfills, sewage treatment plants, biodigesters? All questions that are being asked and answered. Indeed, the Gas Technology Institute is in the middle of a $1.6 million (U.S.) study aimed as answering these questions.

Many modern manufacturing methods use an 'alarming' amount of energy, according to a study by researchers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). The study reveals that new manufacturing methods consume, per pound of output, anywhere from 1000 to one million times more energy than traditional industrial processes. The research team looked at 20 different processes from heavy duty traditional industries such as cast iron to the high-tech manufacture of solar panels.