This month we learnt that incandescent light bulbs can no longer be legally manufactured nor imported into the European Union for domestic use, similar to the ban already in place in Australia.

Today, 14% of the electricity used in Europe is spent on lighting and European Governments and the lighting industry are working together to change-over to lighting alternatives such as compact fluorescent lamps (CFL’s) which preserve energy and reduce CO2 emissions.

In Germany, people were unconvinced about the new CFL’s and have been stockpiling the old-style light bulbs. Their resistance to the more efficient lamps resulted in sales of incandescent bulbs increasing by 34% in Germany during the first half of this year.

However Australians have been much more accepting of compact fluorescent lamps since import restrictions on incandescent globes took effect in February this year and, a sales ban begins in November 2009 when we will no longer be able to buy the inefficient globes.

The European switch is a timely prompt to us all to ‘Change the Globe’ and switch to CFL’s which use around one fifth of the electricity needed to produce the same light and can last up to 10 times longer as an incandescent globe.

In this edition of Sustainable Energy Matters engineers in the UK have created artificial trees to remove carbon dioxide from our atmosphere.

The Climate Institute reveals clean technology stocks have outperformed the S&P/ASX 200 demonstrating that companies focused on climate change solutions are capable of earning superior returns.

Chemists with the United States Navy are now experimenting with making jet fuel from seawater and the Australian Geothermal Energy Association (AGEA) presented an overview of potential electricity generation in WA to the recent 9th Energy in Western Australia Conference in Perth.

And, University Researchers have developed an affordable bio-mass burning stove which also converts heat into acoustic energy and then into electricity to address the energy needs of rural communities in underdeveloped countries.

Best wishes for another sustainable read.

Executive Director
Michael Kerr

Using fake trees to reduce CO2

In an effort to address climate change the Institution of Mechanical Engineers in the United Kingdom recently developed a range of potential geo-engineering options under its ‘Cooling the Planet’ program. One of those options was the creation of artificial trees to remove CO2 from our atmosphere.  More info...

Big money to be made in clean green stocks

A recent study by Australia’s Climate Institute revealed that clean technology stocks have outperformed the S&P/ASX 200 by 7.6 per cent in the first half of this year.  More info...

Turning seawater into jet fuel

Global warming and potential oil shortages are providing the catalysts for innovating thinking. Chemists with the United States Navy are now experimenting with making jet fuel from seawater.  More info...

Potential of geothermal energy is hotting up

In a presentation to the 9th Energy in WA Conference in Perth last month, Australian Geothermal Energy Association (AGEA) Chief Executive Susan Jeanes announced that Australia has the chance to be a world leader in geothermal technology.  More info...

The top Score stove … cooking with sound

The University of Nottingham has developed a bio-mass burning cooking stove which also converts heat into acoustic energy and then into electricity, all in one unit. This low-cost generator has the potential to transform lives in the world’s poorest communities and is currently being tested across the United Kingdom and in Nepal.  More info...
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