Two Americans Invented A Stove That Could Help Billions Of People

The Sad Story Of How Russia's Oil Industry Turned One Village Into A Living Hell

Kevin Costner Shows Machine that Extracts 97% of Oil From Water (Video)

Kevin Costner! The actor and environmental activist just demonstrated a machine that extracts 97% of the oil from water. Costner helped fund the development of this machine 15 years ago. The researchers were headed by Costner's brother, a scientist. Currently there are 5 different models of the extractor, from 5 gallons/minute to 200 gallons/minute.

Read the full story by Michael Graham Richard

In downturn, solar industry sees bright days ahead

SAN DIEGO--People in the solar industry are hopeful that the sun is a good place to put money these days.To be sure, the financial crunch is rippling through even the fast-growing solar business: With falling house prices and general belt-tightening, consumers may be more reluctant to purchase solar panels.

To be sure, the financial crunch is rippling through even the fast-growing solar business: With falling house prices and general belt-tightening, consumers may be more reluctant to purchase solar panels, even if they want renewable electricity. And less available capital makes it difficult to finance large-scale projects, like corporate rooftop arrays or solar power plants.

But even with the gloomy economic outlook, the mood at this week's Solar Power International 2008 conference was decidedly upbeat. The solar industry scored a major policy win, getting an eight-year extension to federal tax credits that tacked on more generous terms for homeowners.

And in a volatile investment environment, solar looks solid, purely from a financial point of view, many executives argued.
"I think there's a flight to quality and we believe there's a flight to solar because of that," said Tom Werner, the CEO of California-based solar panel manufacturer and installer SunPower. He noted that big solar projects over the past three or four years have created a track record of delivering expected financial returns.

read more | digg story