Make your own electricity-generating sneakers
We often write about technologies that harness energy from your steps. Here's how you can make your own piezoelectric sneakers at home.
Wearable electronics could be powered by body heat
A new technology developed by Korean researchers uses ultra-thin, flexible materials to generate electricity from body heat.
Nanogenerator could charge your phone from the vibration of your moving car
Just keeping your phone in your car's console during a drive could charge the battery with this novel tiny generator.
Merry-go-round turns play into clean power for students in Ghana
A piece of classic playground equipment gets a clean tech makeover.
Make a hand-crank rechargeable flash light
Sure, you can buy one or you could put your DIY skills to the test and make one with materials you have on hand.
British scientists power cell phones with urine
The researchers have developed a fuel cell that creates electricity from urine and could be used to power our gadgets.
Power-generating insole lets you charge your gadgets with your steps
The removable insole that's now on Kickstarter can fit into almost any kind of shoe.
Electrostatic film harvests energy, makes you better at sports
A new wearable sensor technology that measures things like stance and force for sports also has the potential to harvest energy from waves, machinery or human movement.
Students Build Bike-Powered Charging Station from Scratch
Northern Arizona University student from a range of departments built the charging station piece-by-piece to educate fellow students on the energy used by their gadgets.
Ear Implant Powered by the Ear's "Natural Battery"
Researchers have developed a chip that can run off the low voltage deep within the inner ear.
Mobile Fruit Stands Fight Unemployment and Food Deserts in Chicago
Innovative model brings fresh produce and jobs to areas and people in Chicago that need it most
EcoXPower Kit Charges a Smartphone and LED Bicycle Lights with Pedal Power
The kit includes an LED headlight and tail light and a rugged case that attaches a smartphone to the handlebars.
Oil company claims "net zero' emissions goal
And yet it still plans to sell more oil...
Why you need to look out for fake olive oil
When the harvest has been poor, rates of adulteration rise.
Get ready for pushback in the war on plastic
Petrochemicals are becoming increasingly important to the oil industry as cars go electric.
The sheer joy (and simplicity) of not buying gas
Drivers of traditional "ICE" cars often underestimate the convenience of going electric.
As emissions spike, VW announces an end to oil-powered cars
The timeline needs some work. But this is a start...
There's an orangutan wandering around London
It's searching for a place to live because its home has been destroyed by our addiction to palm oil.
Big Oil's death by a thousand small cuts
Sure, we'll be using oil for a while. But where, exactly, is demand growth going to come from?
Will cleaner fuel for ships wreck the economy and worsen global warming?
That's what a lot of people are saying as new pollution rules for 2020 get closer.
What happens if oil goes to $400 a barrel?
Current events could lead to another oil embargo by Saudi Arabia, and it could be 1973 all over again
Why all is lost: increasing demand for jet fuel will be bigger than savings from electric cars
We are all cutting back in the West, but more flying in developing countries overwhelms the savings.
This family home is two tiny houses connected by a sunroom
When one tiny home isn't quite enough, how about adding another?
Montalba Architects' Bex & Arts pavilion is an evocative little box
This portable pavilion has a clever lightweight structure where the bookshelves hold up the roof.
The phonebooth is back
This time it is for open offices, when you need a bit of peace and quiet.
Netherlands to ban natural gas by 2050
It's part of a much bigger energy transition, and sounds a lot like wishful thinking.
Church of England fleshes out plans for fossil fuel divestment
Oil and gas companies have until 2023 to make 'Paris compatible' plans, or face divestment.
I just switched to "green" gas from Bullfrog Power
We used to be able to justify burning a bit of fossil gas, but we cannot anymore.
UK energy company offering 'poop gas' for heating/cooking
UK households can now buy 15 percent green gas and 100 percent green electricity with one easy tariff.
Despite Trump, US coal and gas generation down—renewables up
The war on coal, it seems, may be ongoing, no matter who's in charge in Washington.
Ecotricity proposes "green gas mills" at every UK fracking site
Income for farmers, or fracked natural gas—will communities be allowed to decide?
10 incredible churches consumed by water
What to do when a church gets in the way of your water plans? Drown it.
Portable hydroelectric generator lets you take your power station with you
Take one Estream and add moving water for clean, quiet, offgrid energy.
Homemade hydroelectric generator uses plastic bottles as water wheel
Lost in the woods near a stream, with some empty water bottles, wire, plastic plates, and a stepper motor, *and* you need to charge your smartphone? Try this.
Chile's new hydropower project will be in the world's most arid desert, but it actually makes sense
The project will take advantage of the sun, mountains and sea.
Stanford study says world could be fully powered by renewables by 2050
A mix of wind, solar and hydro power could replace fossil fuels in every country in the world.
Mini-sized hydropower plant charges your devices on the go
For backpackers wanting something other than solar power.
Could toilet flushes help power our homes?
A new technology developed by Korean researchers could generate electricity from the the motion of water in our toilets as well as rivers and streams, even rain drops.
Iceland's pristine habitats threatened by hydropower plans
A travel writer captures the beauty of Iceland's wilderness, but will these natural wonders exists for much longer?
Man powers his home from local stream with DIY micro-hydro plant
A man named Manfred Mornhinweg found the modern world too "noisy and hectic", so he decided to build himself a house on a quiet 40 hectare piece of land in Chile.
HydroBee charges your gadgets with hydropower
Just float the device in a river or stream and soon enough you'll have enough juice to charge a smartphone, GPS or other device.
Worldwide renewable energy capacity in 2012 equalled China's electricity demand (4,860TWh)!
According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), by 2018 renewable should overtake natural gas to become the world's second-largest source of energy (oil is #1).
Fewer trees mean less rain, decreased hydropower
A new study published by The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences serves as a great example of the interconnectedness of nature and how human activity can disrupt life-sustaining systems.
Ontario might get a 400MW pumped storage station five times the height of Niagara Falls
While grid-scale liquid metal batteries might be a more exciting technology, good old pumped hydro storage is one of the ways we can store power from intermittent sources (like solar & wind) or shift supply around (from the night to peak use).
Hydropower Continues Steady Growth
World hydroelectric power generation has risen steadily by an average 3 percent annually over the past four decades.
Turbine Taps Irrigation Canals for Power
A new type of hydrokinetic turbine sits within irrigation canals and could power several homes from the flow of water.
Microgenerators Inside Water Pipes to Power Smart Water Sensors
Using the flow of water inside the pipes to power the water network's own monitoring devices could eliminate the need for batteries in those systems.
Emissions From Hydropower in Brazil Grossly Underestimated
Emissions from tropical hydropower dams in Brazil are up to four times higher than often assumed, new research shows.
Build a Micro-Hydropower Generator from CDs and Repurposed Printer Parts
Think you need to be an engineer and spend a bundle to create a mini-hydropower generator? Think again.
Home Lighting Concept Powered by Plumbing
Hydroelectric power is an easy choice to make if you have access to a stream or river, but this concept takes advantage of the streams running through our walls: our plumbing.