micro-hydroelectric-power / Green Building & Sustainable Home Renovation Information & Advice

There are a lot of options to consider when shopping for appliances, designing home lighting, and heating your home. These pages outline some things you can do that will help reduce your consumption, and despite what is sometimes a higher sticker price, usually save you money. Home lighting There are many factors that ...

Hydroelectric power generation is definitely renewable but not always 'green' when you consider all the side effects, especially when it comes to large hydroelectric dams. In the quest to find alternative power sources to replace fossil fuels, the energy that can be harnessed from moving water is leading to some impres...

One of the biggest drawbacks to renewable energies like wind and solar, is that it is unpredictable. This presents a challenge to grid operators, as they struggle to meet demand while compensating for calm winds or clouds. One method of balancing supply and demand that is garnering some attention lately, is pumped stor...

A project started in 2002 by Verdant Power Inc. saw tidal turbines placed 10 metres deep in the East River of New York, taking advantage of the reliable tidal surge of Long Island Sound.  Spinning silently at 35-40 rpms for 18 hours a day in a 4 knot current, tidal turbines eliminate two of the more common complaints a...

Bullfrog’s green electricity comes exclusively from wind and hydro facilities that have been certified as low impact by Environment Canada under its EcoLogoM program. Their natural gas is presently sourced in Quebec by collecting methane escaping from a landfill site. A common question seems to be "How do they ensure t...

Home Energy Generation, which option is best? How the electrical grid is fed near you will be a huge factor in determining the carbon footprint of your home, with or without your own renewable power generation such as having solar panels on your roof. If you live near a windfarm, that's where most of your power comes f...

A typical washing machine can use up to 87 litres of water per load, not to mention its ability to eat up electricity. An efficient Energy Star machine can cut water usage to about 49 litres per load and significantly cut energy usage, but this, the Drumi, will not only wash your clothes without using electricty, it al...

There is no question that the best way to lower emissions as we scurry about a city is to travel by foot, bike or public transportation, yet it’s unlikely we will see the end of the personal vehicle anytime soon. Transit would need to become much more extensive and gas much more costly for us to see any significant red...

When considering solar cells as thin as laminate and completely transparent, the possibilities seem endless. Imagine every glass or laminant surface in our built environment and all of our devices, large and small, harvesting solar energy. In a world of passive, self-sustaining mini-power stations, would the need for f...

We saw this on Off Grid Quest and found it was begging to be shared... If your fantasy is to live totally off the grid anywhere around the world, that dream just got one step closer to reality. Nice Architects just unveiled the first photos of their incredible egg-shaped Ecocapsule home - and the tiny solar and wind-po...

Representatives from 18 communities across Canada attended three week-long intensive sessions last summer as part of the clean energy capacity-building 20/20 Catalysts Program, sharing knowledge and experience in the development of clean energy infrastructure. Riding on that success, this summer the focus will be on en...