Floating Wind Turbines

While our oceans house an eco-system, they also house a massive store of WIND ENERGY for us. The sea is becoming the prime real estate for generating renewable energy. Wind Turbines can be placed in sea where the large amount of alternate energy can be tapped. This energy will be cheaper and eco-friendly, as usual.

North Sea is first place where this is being carried out. Each turbine can be generating 5 MW energy to power atleast 3000 homes.

The technology used is deep water technology, where the system holds a 200 meter tall steel tube with an attached turbine and three 60-meter-long blade. The tube is 50-70 meter deep in water, rest above sea level. The turbine is tied to sea bed to keep it in place. Being far from sea shore there is less disturbance and disruptions, hence generating more power than surface turbines. Also the WIND is stronger at the mid of sea.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2007/oct/14/windfarms

Google is promoting research to generate Energy from beneath...

The energy from the heat beneath the earth's surface is essentially an unlimited resource. What if it could be developed to help solve our energy challenges and fight global warming? Enhanced Geothermal Systems, or EGS, attempts to do just that. EGS produces heat and electricity by harnessing the energy from hot rock deep below the earth's surface, expanding the potential of traditional geothermal energy by orders of magnitude. EGS is a big challenge, but with the potential to power the world many times over, it demands our immediate attention.

http://google.org/egs/index.html

http://www.rediff.com/money/2008/aug/22forbes.htm

Environment Services - New Wave of upcoming opportunity

Environmental services is becoming one India's the fastest-growing services sector, as an increasingly industrialised economy and wealthy population elevates the need for clean air and water and the recycling of scarce natural resources.
The Indian government is looking to the private sector to build and manage numerous aspects of environmental services to include waste-water treatment, hazardous waste disposal and air-quality control systems.
There are lots of foreign funds looking to invest in this sector.

Considering that approximately 70 per cent of India's cities do not have adequate waste-water treatment, the financial opportunities in this area alone are significant.

i have found a good paper on Environment Services, link to which is given below.
http://ideas.repec.org/p/ind/icrier/102.html

Thermocole Sheet for Heat Insulation in Rooms

The thermocole sheet is a good insulaion material, used for trapping the air, which will insulate the room from tempreature variations and save on power consumption.

There are ready made insulation tiles suitable for homes, showrooms, office, hospitals, IT buildings, banks and hotels. Thermocole (EPS) sheets are available in snow-white color, which can be easily painted in any color by brush or spray only with water based paints and emulsion. EPS sheets are lightweight product, rigid containing 98% by volume still air entrapped in its millions of minute closed cells. EPS false ceiling and under ceiling facilitate to avoid external radiation flowing directly into the room, either air-conditioned or non air-conditioned. If it is non-airconditioned room then these sheets help in keeping the room cool, and if it is air-conditioned room then these help in reducing the power consumption.

A related article which describes certain ways by which the power consumption can be reduced, is shared below.
http://www.rediff.com/money/2008/jun/23infla6.htm

Centre for Environment Education (CEE)

I have found an NGO, Centre for Environment Education (CEE), which is doing a march ahead in the direction of educating the people on how to protect its environment.
Today, CEE works for a wide range of sectors, target groups and geographical areas. CEE sees a major opportunity in the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (2005-14) to further contribute towards sustainable development.

They have a grants program ie Small Grants Programme (SGP), funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF), seeks to support initiatives, which demonstrate community-based innovative, gender sensitive approaches and lessons learned from other development projects in order to reduce threats to the local and global environment.
SGP is administered by the UNDP and the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MOEF), Government of India. It is being implemented by Centre for Environment Education (CEE) as the National Host Institution (NHI) since September 2000.

The areas in which the work by local/global bodies is supported :
Biodiversity conservation
Climate Change Mitigation
Protection of International Waters
Prevention of Land Degradation
Phasing out Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs)

Under the SGP program the financial support is also provided, depending on the project report.
more details are available at below link:

http://www.ceeindia.org/cee/partners_sgp.html

one can also participate in this:

http://www.ceeindia.org/cee/pr/campaign.asp#vote

Tips to use AC efficiently

When buying an Air Conditioner consider an ENERGY STAR qualified model. They use at least 10 percent less energy than standard models.
Be sure to insulate room air conditioners from the outside with a tight-fitting a/c unit cover, available at your local home improvement center or hardware store. This keeps heated/cool air from escaping outside. Alternately, you can remove the window unit in the winter months to prevent energy losses. Be sure the window unit fits tightly in the window so outdoor air is not getting in. Large window a/c units should have their own separate electrical circuit so the system is not over-loaded.

A proper sizing and quality installation are critical to your home's energy efficiency and comfort. Remember: Bigger doesn't always mean better. Oversized equipment can cause reduced comfort and excessive noise. Oversizing also can shorten the life of the equipment by causing it to cycle on and off more frequently than a properly sized unit. However, undersized equipment can reduce the efficiency and accelerate wear on system components, leading to early failure.

Move the AC thermostat up and save energy

Move the thermostat of the room AC to 25 C and save about 900 kg of CO2 per year. Cleaning your A/C filters each month can save 150 kg of carbon dioxide per year. These simple adjustments can be a big saving for you.

Correct room temperature and regular cleaning of air filter will increase cooling and energy effeciency.