Last week at the Geneva motor show, VW announced plans to break into the expanding electric vehicle market. The German carmaker attended the auto show along with every other major industry player, each of which were showcasing a new hybrid or electric model. Chief executive for the new project, Martin Winterkorn, said that the automaker was hoping the car would expand from zero to three percent in the cars' share portfolio by the year 2018. Along with the electric vehicle announcement, VW also used the show to exhibit several new models including the Seat brand's sporty, all-electric model, the IBE. Other carmakers ... Full Story

Aggreko, a Scottish based supplier for emergency power equipment, was able to avoid the economic downturn and is now reporting a staggering 28.7% rise in profits as demand for electrical equipment surges in the developing world. Chief executive for the company, Rupert Soames also announced that the Glasgow-based company saw an increase in capital expenditure guidance from £20 million to £200m for 2010. This new capital will be used to build a multi-million pound facility in Dumbarton. The new plant will help bring 113 jobs to the region as well as be a major expansion for the Clydeside town branch of the ... Full Story

American biofuel innovators, Solena and British Airways will be teaming up to construct a biofuel plant in the UK which will convert up to 500,000 tonnes of waste. The plans call for Solena to build a plant which will utilise BA waste materials to convert them into upwards of 16,000,000 gallons in biofuel, which the company will then use to fuel their aircraft. The construction of the plant is expected to take place over the next two years, after the plans for it have been approved by the appropriate governing bodies. The new plant will create an additional new 1,200 jobs for ... Full Story

In the quest to build new and cleaner energy plants there have been many roadblocks along the way.  Many countries like the United Kingdom and United States have had to completely rethink their infrastructure, which has made for a lot of construction projects.  New plants are being built all over the United States and in some cases the difficulties are very serious and even deadly.  Recently a plant that was still under construction exploded while workers were conducting tests.   Many lives were lost in the tragedy and the body count is expected to rise over the next few days as ... Full Story

Countries around the world are looking for new and innovative ways to create energy in a clean way.  Technology like solar and wind power, although expensive to set up, offer cheap and clean fuel once they are functioning. People around the world have finally accepted the fact that traditional fuels like oil and coal are not viable options for the future.  Not only do fossil fuels create most of the carbon emissions that lead to climate change, the supply is not infinite.  This has led energy companies to start to look for new ways to generate energy that do not ... Full Story

One of the biggest environmental issues facing the world today is how to create energy without polluting the environment.  Although energy from waste plants are becoming more common there is still a lack of these types of facilities which means that countries continue to rely heavily on fossil fuels for heat and electricity even though supplies are dwindling and become increasingly more expensive.  Some experts predict that if energy continues to increase in price at the current rate that the average person in the United Kingdom will soon not be able to afford to heat their home.  A recent study ... Full Story

This winter the United Kingdom has faced some of the nastiest weather in recent history.  Nearly the entire country was pummeled by heavy snow fall and sub zero temperatures that caused everything from road blockages to school closings.  Airports and trains were also stopped due to the weather and many people missed work or school because of roads that were impassable due to the large amounts of snow and ice.  Now that the weather has passed in most parts of the United Kingdom people are now assessing the various damage done by the bad weather.  Not only work have to ... Full Story

In the effort to get people to create less waste and recycle more governments and local councils around the world are leaving no stone unturned.  Many countries have started to use behavior science, in particular behavioral economics to try and understand ways to get humans to recycle more.  Behavioral economics deals with the ways in which human behavior affects economic issues.  This can certainly be applied to recycling as governments around the world are starting to understand the different things that motivate people to recycle.  Studies have shown that people are far more likely to recycle if there is some ... Full Story

One of the newest and most exciting developments in the waste management industry is energy from waste technology, which can take things that we would normally throw away and convert them into valuable fuel.  Not only does this keep waste from reaching landfills but it also offers an alternative to fossil fuels which will not create nearly the amount of carbon emissions. The idea of being able to take rubbish and turn it into valuable fuel seems like something out of a science fiction movie, but according to a recent report more than sixty percent of the homes in London ... Full Story

If you asked most people if they wanted to live near a volcano the answer would be a resounding no.  This is not the case for people who live in Stockton on Tees which is located in the northeast of the United Kingdom, who are looking forward to a volcano being built on the edge of their town.  That is because this volcano is not the kind that spews out molten lava, but instead pumps out enough energy and heat to power the entire town.  In an effort to get more energy from waste these types of facilities are going ... Full Story

One of the most innovative advances in green technology is the ability to turn waste into energy.  This is a great way to not only keep waste from landfill, but as an alternative to traditional fossil fuels which are very bad for the environment. An Israeli waste management company recently announced that is has made exciting technological advances in the field of waste management.  The company claims that is has developed what is known as Plasma Gasification, a technology which can help reduce the amount of municipal solid waste.  In addition to eliminating large amounts of waste, the technology also ... Full Story

The recent cold weather in the United Kingdom has caused a lot of problems.  Not only have many services been slowed or shut down, schools and businesses had to be closed, and sporting events were cancelled or rescheduled.  All of this added up to a lot of lost money for the United Kingdom, as businesses were unable to deliver goods, and some stores were completely cut off from supplies.  The biggest disruption came in transportation, as many trains were unable to move or come on time, and many airports were forced to close for a short period of time.  Now ... Full Story