Austria’s transportation association, the Austrian Transport Club (VCÖ), has been counting the cyclists on the road daily between April and August since 2003. This year, they’ve got good news for Austrians and the rest of the world – more cyclists are on the road than ever before.

Bicycle Traffic Up an Average of 25%

Martin Blum of the VCÖ reports that cycle traffic is up all over town – nearly 5,000 cyclists daily go through the Opernring section of Vienna’s Ringstrasse, and well over 2,000 pass Vienna West Station each day. The Vienna Row saw nearly double its previous numbers of cyclists – just shy of 1,200 per day!

In addition to putting out traffic counters and recording the number of cyclists each day, the VCÖ also polled the city – 44% of the respondents reported they were cycling more often because of high gasoline prices, not to mention health or environmental concerns. Regardless of the reason to cycle, Blum strongly supports his fellow citizens: “Anyone on a bicycle not only saves money, but reduces traffic congestion, improves air quality, and reduces greenhouse gas emissions. The cyclists deserve our heartfelt thanks,” he said.

Vienna Responds to the Cycling Crowd

Vienna is responding to the rapid increase of cyclists; the cycling infrastructure is expanding to accommodate the new cycle traffic, and existing bottlenecks are being removed. Blum also advocates abolishing mandatory use of the bicycle lane. “If experienced cyclists are allowed to slip into normal traffic lanes, then the newer riders have more space in the bike lane,” he explains. “That’s where they’ll feel the safest.”

The VCÖ is promoting further infrastructure improvements, including opening one-way streets to two-way bike traffic. Belgium and the Canton of Bern have already adopted this practice, allowing cyclists to ride either way on all but the narrowest of streets. Another example the VCÖ would like to see followed is the Cycle Superhighway seen in London.

Traffic Increase By Location

The VCÖ compiled a list of the most popular cycling locations in Vienna and tracked the increase in cyclists for each of them between 2010 and 2011, summarized in the list below.

• Vienna Row: up 76%
• Vienna West Station: up 25%
• Argentinierstrasse: up 24%
• Opernring: up 22%
• Lasallestrasse: up 16%
• Donaukanal: up 13%

We know a lot of our readers are cyclists themselves, or interact with them on the road – any stories? Impressions? Tell us what you think of cycling in major cities in the comments, below.

Source: Oekonews.at | Image: Eurobike.

One of the best alternative fuels on this planet is human energy expended on bicycles. Many major cities are in the process of making their streets and their citizens bike-friendly, or at least bike aware. Most of these movements are led by grassroots groups like Bike SoMi and affect change at a local government level. Some serious citizens over in Copenhagen went private, and petitioned Norwegian energy company Statoil ASA to support the City of Cyclists.

In response, Statoil has turned a bare, unused wall in five of its gas stations into a sort of bike repair center for cyclists. Cyclists have access to free bike repair kits inside the gas station, a pull-down shelf to lift the bike for easy repairs, an air hose, gloves, and paper towels. It appears that there is no purchase necessary to enjoy these new amenities.

This is a simple and inexpensive way to benefit both the oil company and bike owners. Cyclists may spend some money on refreshments once they’ve finished using the facilities. I would imagine that those who own cars in addition to bikes would pump Statoil gas out of appreciation. And, in addition to benefiting from this free service, cyclists will also get to mingle with the larger vehicles that share the roads, expanding awareness that yes, they too exist. Maybe that’s not a huge deal in Copenhagen, where cyclists pretty much get respect and the right of way. But I can imagine that in cities like Miami, which is still somewhat bike unfriendly, drivers may see their neighbors or friends at their gas station and perhaps strike up a conversation.

This solution may represent little cost to the oil company for a huge gain in public perception, and it seems easy to do. What a great way to expand the existing bike infrastructure in major cities! Couple this with Bike Fixation kiosks and the ongoing local movements to create bike friendly paths, and cyclists might just yet become the kings and queens of the road.

Via Good.is Images: Mads Odgaard Copenhagenzie.com

Over on Gas 2′s sister site, Cleantechnica, Zachary Shahan has put together some hard-hitting comparative reporting that utterly busts the myth of a liberal media bias. In his report, Shahan shows nearly 200 major media outlet mentions of the Solyndra solar-energy “scandal”, and a whopping 0 (zero, “goose-egg”, nada, etc.) about the Canadian tar sand/Yukon XL pipeline – and the report covers all the major networks, not just Fox the usual suspects.

We’ve covered Canada’s tar sand problem before here on Gas 2 (more than once, in fact – as well as what Canada can do to help clean up the millions of gallons of fresh water contaminated every day in Canada’s forests, but Canada keeps pumping out the crude and pumping the waste back into the water table.

Bad news all around, in other words. Read up, write to representatives, and (if all else fails) stock up on fresh water, I guess (?).

Source: Cleantechnica.

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August has come and gone and the American Petroleum Institute (API) has released the U.S. gasoline demand for the month. For the month of August gasoline demand for the U.S. dropped 1.3% –a ten year low for the month of August.

API chief economist, John Felmy said,

“The U.S. economy is still struggling. Retail sales are weak, and we’re seeing a reflection of that in the gasoline demand numbers. The rise in distillate demand accords with data that suggest modest growth in manufacturing, but consumers remain cautious.”

Yes, it’s the economy and this is not great news. It is not as if Americans all ran out and bought a new plug in electric vehicle or hybrid car to replace their SUV. The reality is the economy in the United States is in such a slump and gas prices remain high, so people simply are not driving or filling up as much as they used to. Overall on a year to date basis, demand for gas is two percent lower than in 2010.

High gas prices cause other prices to increase and some that raise a few eyebrows. Compact, fuel efficient cars found on used car lots have all of a sudden seemingly increased in value. A three-year-old Honda Accord has soared in value by 24% since last September, as well as a used Civic and Sentra. Does this mean you can get a great deal on a used SUV—nope on many lots their prices have remained the same.

There is a silver lining however. Given the economic restraints it does seem that Americans are now trying to conserve gasoline. This not only helps environmentally but it is a paradigm shift away from America’s disposable minded society. In a way it has become “cool” to “go green”, just look at all of those movie stars driving a Prius.

Despite the dip in gas demand, U.S. refinery production of gasoline was up 0.6% over August 2010 and hit a record high for the first eight months of the year. Production of diesel fuel set a record for the month of August with industry demand for diesel fuel shooting up by 10.8%.

Interestingly, with the low demand of gasoline, total petroleum imports for the U.S. fell by 11% for the month of August. API sights that figure as a whopping 14-year low. So that is okay, less demand for foreign oil is good, but sadly the reason for the 14 year low is because Americans just cannot afford it.

Source: green.autoblog.com

Andrew Meggison was born in the state of Maine and educated in Massachusetts. Andrew earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Government and International Relations from Clark University and a Master’s Degree in Political Science from Northeastern University. Being an Eagle Scout, Andrew has a passion for all things environmental. In his free time Andrew enjoys writing, exploring the great outdoors, a good film, and a creative cocktail.

Two Australian professional hypermilers have broken the record for highest fuel economy in a cross country drive thought all 48 connected States– and they did it in a Chevy Cruze Eco, managing to get an average of 64.42 mpg.

Helen and John Taylor of Melbourne Australia are professional hypermilers, having 88 records already under their belts. Hypermiling is a unique style of driving to maximize fuel economy in the vehicle. The practice is common among drivers of electric cars and hybrid cars but this record was set in a Chevy Cruze Eco which is neither electric nor a hybrid. The team managed an average of 64.42 miles per gallon in a stock, unmodified 2012 Chevy Cruze Eco during the Shell Smarter Driving Tour over 22 days on the road and traveling 9,552 miles.

When Helen and John Taylor are not on the road, the couple lobbies governments to implement fuel saving driving techniques in driver education classes and, additionally, teaching those skills in clinics. “We’ve noticed many drivers in the States exceed the legal speed limit,” the couple wrote in an e-mail during their record attempt. “In fact, if this could be eradicated the States would save billions of gallons of fuel, having a positive effect on the economy.”

The Chevy Cruze Eco has a base sticker price of $19,000 and uses technology developed for the Chevy Volt such the aerodynamic design features and weight reductions that all aid in achieving a higher miles per gallon (mpg) score. The EPA puts an automatic Cruze Eco at 26 mpg city and 37 mpg highway and a manual at 28 mpg city and 42 mpg highway. At half the price for of the Volt and featuring aspects of the Volt design, the Cruze Eco makes fiscal sense and, when driven carefully, can apparently even set records.

While the Chevy Volt has hit a sales slump, and is even being beat out by the all electric Nissan Leaf in sales, the Cruze and Cruze Eco are, well, cruising in sales. One would imagine that news of a stock Cruze Eco breaking records will only boost those sales higher.

Source: wired.com

Image Source: Shell

Andrew Meggison was born in the state of Maine and educated in Massachusetts. Andrew earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Government and International Relations from Clark University and a Master’s Degree in Political Science from Northeastern University. Being an Eagle Scout, Andrew has a passion for all things environmental. In his free time Andrew enjoys writing, exploring the great outdoors, a good film, and a creative cocktail.

The state of Colorado is known for its mile-high city, majestic mountains, an occasionally decent NFL team, and excellent craft beers.  In a state like Colorado, the “beer flows like wine“, which is to say:  there’s a lot of beer.  Transporting all that carefully crafted beer – usually stored in large, heavy kegs – can get a bit tricky.  Transporting kegs can get trickier, still, if your artisan micro-brewery was built on a foundation of environmental consciousness and a desire to promote locally-produced products.  This is where Panda Bikes stepped in with a well-designed, human-powered solution.

To help keep local, sustainable breweries going in an environmentally conscious manner, Panda developed the the “Bootlegger” tricycle.  The Bootlegger is designed to allow a single person to transport a 160 pound (!) keg with ease, sitting the keg on a low platform positioned between the trike’s two front wheels.  The rider (engine?) of the trike sits way back, behind the keg, steering the Bootlegger by turning the two front wheels with connected handle bars. The rear third wheel, key to the bike’s excellent stability despite the forward weight bias, is a large 36 inch unicycle wheel.

Rider illustrates fwd. weight bias.

Shaking a keg during transportation can end badly, of course, and Panda’s Bootlegger deals with this issue by building the platform on which the keg sits over a sprung suspension system up front, isolating the keg from the blows from the road and also aiding in keg removal once the trike gets to the bar.  Additionally, the brake handle on the right side locks up the large rear tire with a spring loaded peg during keg removal – essentially creating a parking brake to ensure the tricycle doesn’t roll away.

The Bootlegger Tricycle is in action already delivering kegs of beer by Equinox Brewing in Fort Collins.  If you find yourself there, be sure to keep your eyes open for this uniquely designed service tricycle, which – hopefully – will be the first of many Panda bikes helping to clean up urban deliveries in the near future.

You can check out a full, 14-image gallery of high-resolution photos of Panda’s Bootlegger over at Inhabitat.com, where Colorado correspondent Andrew Michler was able to ride the bike for a few minutes and shares his first-hand riding impressions.

Source | Photos:  Inhabitat.com

Andrew Meggison was born in the state of Maine and educated in Massachusetts. Andrew earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Government and International Relations from Clark University and a Master’s Degree in Political Science from Northeastern University. Being an Eagle Scout, Andrew has a passion for all things environmental. In his free time Andrew enjoys writing, exploring the great outdoors, a good film, and a creative cocktail.

If you’re an architect with some hammer-and-nail skills, you pick up an old RV on Craigslist and turn it into a showcase of modern interior design. If you’re Cece Reinhardt and Brenda Daugherty, though, you turn your RV and tow-rig into the greenest, bio-fueled travelling companion you can build. Glenn Meyers, over on our sister site Cleantechnica, tells their story (below).

Despite being called “the world’s most destructive project“, the tar sand extraction fields in Alberta, Canada export over one million barrels of oil each day – mostly to the US.  Greenpeace, National Geographic, and Canada’s own governmental agencies consider Alberta’s tar sands to be serious environmental threats, and I think you’d be hard pressed to find a reasonable person (these guys don’t count) who has a lot of positive things to say about the tar sand oil’s overall impact on the environment … but that may be about to change.

A new technique being pioneered at Penn State University may serve to dramatically reduce the environmental impact of the oil extraction processes being used in Alberta.  Currently, separating the “usable” oil from the tar sands involves mixing them with warm water, then agitating the mixture until it separates.  This process requires literally tons of water, however, which is diverted from nearby rivers before being pumped into open-air “tailings ponds”, where the toxic sludge can leach its way back into the water table.

Instead of using warm water from diverted rivers and streams, the new method would make use of room temperature ionic liquids (ILs), which consist of salt in a liquid state.  When these ILs are introduced to a tar sand mixture and agitated, the resulting combination settles into three distinct layers (below).

Neat!

As you can see, the process leaves a top layer of bitumen (tar) can be easily removed and refined.

Once the process is complete and the tar is removed, the the ILs – unlike the water being used currently – can be reused, while the now tar-free sands can be returned to the environment.  The good news doesn’t end there, though:  because the process can make use of ILs at much lower temperatures, there are significant energy savings that come from not heating thousands of tons of water.

It will be interesting to see how many Albertan oil companies “pick up” on the idea, but it would certainly go a long way towards greening up the region’s care-free, “petro-dollar” image.

Sources:  Gizmag, One Blue Marble.

“A practical artificial leaf has been one of the Holy Grails of science for decades,” said Daniel Nocera, Ph.D., who led the research team. “We believe we have done it. The artificial leaf shows particular promise as an inexpensive source of electricity for homes of the poor in developing countries. Our goal is to make each home its own power station,” he said. “One can envision villages in India and Africa not long from now purchasing an affordable basic power system based on this technology.”

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The device bears no resemblance to Mother Nature’s counterparts on oaks, maples and other green plants, which scientists have used as the model for their efforts to develop this new genre of solar cells. About the shape of a poker card but thinner, the device is fashioned from silicon, electronics and catalysts, substances that accelerate chemical reactions that otherwise would not occur, or would run slowly. Placed in a single gallon of water in a bright sunlight, the device could produce enough electricity to supply a house in a developing country with electricity for a day, Nocera said. It does so by splitting water into its two components, hydrogen and oxygen.

The hydrogen and oxygen gases would be stored in a fuel cell, which uses those two materials to produce electricity, located either on top of the house or beside it.

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Nocera, who is with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, points out that the “artificial leaf” is not a new concept. The first artificial leaf was developed more than a decade ago by John Turner of the U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Boulder, Colorado. Although highly efficient at carrying out photosynthesis, Turner’s device was impractical for wider use, as it was composed of rare, expensive metals and was highly unstable — with a lifespan of barely one day.

Nocera’s new leaf overcomes these problems. It is made of inexpensive materials that are widely available, works under simple conditions and is highly stable. In laboratory studies, he showed that an artificial leaf prototype could operate continuously for at least 45 hours without a drop in activity.

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The key to this breakthrough is Nocera’s recent discovery of several powerful new, inexpensive catalysts, made of nickel and cobalt, that are capable of efficiently splitting water into its two components, hydrogen and oxygen, under simple conditions. Right now, Nocera’s leaf is about 10 times more efficient at carrying out photosynthesis than a natural leaf. However, he is optimistic that he can boost the efficiency of the artificial leaf much higher in the future.

“Nature is powered by photosynthesis, and I think that the future world will be powered by photosynthesis as well in the form of this artificial leaf,” said Nocera, a chemist at Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Mass.

Fiskers Karma sexy Euro edge!

“The Paris Motor Show is the perfect venue to unveil the striking images of the Karma shot by avant-garde photographer Miles Aldridge. The Karma proves environmentally responsible vehicles do not have to sacrifice design,” said CEO Henrik Fisker.

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The “Pure Driving Passion” campaign was born from the compelling Fisker design philosophy that the auto industry can only be elevated by refusing to compromise. Fisker Automotives unyielding pursuit of pure design has led to one of the most sustainable and accountable vehicles in automotive history and the campaign reflects these impassioned principles.

“Pure Driving Passion” is a celebration of how the Karma redefines the automotive industry through the seamless blend of eco-minded luxury, exhilarating performance, the sensuality of superior comforts and unparalleled sustainability.

Fiskers Karma sexy Euro edge!

A major objective of the campaign is to educate the public on how eco-consciousness can be sexy. To graphically communicate the sensuality of the Fisker Karma’s sustainable designs, world renowned photographer Miles Aldridge captured beautiful images that express the brand’s captivating, sexy essence. The campaign imagery reflects how Fisker Automotive is dramatically changing the industry with an unrestrained passion for pure design.

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Fiskers Karma sexy Euro edge!

“We wanted people to feel the emotion and sensuality of the Karma through the imagery while at the same time discovering the unique features such as the solar roof and plug-in technology that contribute to a design rooted in environmental consciousness,” said Marti Eulberg, Vice President of Global Sales and Marketing.

Fiskers Karma sexy Euro edge!

The website, www.FiskerAutomotive.com, includes all the images shot by Miles Aldridge and also a live action film, “Melting Ice,” shot by the Academy Award-nominated cinematographer of Inception, The Dark Knight and The Italian Job, Wally Pfister.

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The thrilling vignette showcases the sensuality and exhilaration of introducing the world to a pure driving experience with no inhibitions.

For developing the campaign and overall brand identity, Fisker sought the help of Southern California global branding experts Lambesis (Tacori, Gruppo Campari’s SKYY Vodka, LVMH’s Grand Marnier, Coca-Cola’s DASANI).

The station was donated by the Brooklyn-based Beautiful Earth Group and will operate completely autonomously as it is powered by solar panels which will produce 5.6 kilowatts of power – enough to charge five of Brooklyn Bridge Park’s service vehicles as well as an electric car and a small home. The station is expected to save the park approximately $200,000 in gasoline costs.

I suspect this station is rather early on the scene, an anomaly rather than accurate indicator of New York’s imminent future. The first lines of consumer EVs are only now starting to roll into showrooms, so it’s not like the demand is there yet. And it accordingly sounds like the station will be used far more to service park maintenance than the general public.

Building an actual EV infrastructure is by comparison a much longer way off, if we even choose to go that route at all. Still, the Brooklyn Park station works quite well on a symbolic level. If nothing else its high-profile location in a rapidly-improving park—located in one of America’s major cities to boot— is damn good publicity.

Besides, it makes sense that electric vehicles should catch on faster in government and commercial enterprises. Any large park or complex (let’s imagine a university) which utilizes small carts to move employees and equipment around could easily benefit from installing an EV station and throwing a few solar panels up on top of their many buildings. Their investment is a purely internal affair which doesn’t rely on outside variables like infrastructure or the market.

Actually getting public-use EV stations up and running for the consumer is a whole different matter. At the heart of the problem is the classic chicken-and-egg dichotomy: there can’t be EV stations until the cars to utilize them exist, and EV cars likely won’t catch on in a big way until the infrastructure to support them is adequately developed. My guess is we will be charging our electric cars at home for the foreseeable future, until enough of the public own EV cars to force the market’s hand.

Until then, let’s watch closely and see how well Beautiful Earth Group’s endeavor plays out in New York.

Source: inhabitat | Image Source: nytimes

Sources also reported that the Norwegian embassy was evacuating personnel as wind predictions put Tokyo downwind of radiation and rain contaminated with caesium and radioactive iodine were predicted to hit the metropolis, said a Norwegian diplomat. The embassy is moving its staff to Kobe, Japan, 500 kilometres west of Tokyo.

“Much remains to be done before we can breathe a sigh of relief,” said Bellona physicist Nils Bøhmer.

“To say how long crews will have to work very hard to regain control is terribly difficult. It may well take weeks,” he said

An ex-government official who spoke confidentially with Bellona Web from Tokyo reported that no warnings had been issued for the capital’s general population, pointing to yet another apparent disconnect between information possessed by higher echelons of government and what is being released to the Japanese people – despite promised from Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano and Prime Minister Naoto Kan that they would be more open as the crisis persists.

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Four reactors remained in a coolant crisis and their coolant systems may altogether be destroyed, and despite recent restorations of electricity at other reactors, it remained in question whether electrical power would operate the quake and explosion battered cooling systems of the remaining reactors at all.

Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) said it had briefly evacuated its workers after the smoke was spotted at the southeast of the No. 3 reactor building above a pool storing spent nuclear fuel, though a blast was not heard.

The Tokyo Fire Department, which has been called in for efforts to inundate possibly exposed fuel rods with water,  stopped spraying for the day after the smoke rose from the No. 3 reactor building, Kyodo said

It will suspend the operation until safety at the site is confirmed, Kyodo said, adding whether it will resume on Tuesday remains undecided at present.

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The government’s Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency said no injuries were confirmed in the incidents and that there have been no major changes in the radiation levels at the site.

Whether the reason for the smoke around reactor No. 3 were the reactor itself, from which TEPCO had planned a release of radioactive steam, or the fuel pond, remained unclear throughout the day in Japan, said the Russian environmental group Ecodefence in its ongoing blog on the crisis.

Hidehiko Nishiyama, a spokesman for the nuclear safety agency, confirmed this, telling Kyodo that the causes of the at reactors No. 2 and No. 3 remain unknown and that work to resuscitate power and cooling systems at the troubled reactors will be delayed by one day.

TEPCO said that some of the smoke was rising from a crack in roof of the building that houses reactor No 2, but believed it was steam rather than smoke arising from the spent fuel storage pond, though could not confirm that.

TEPCO reported that the smoke from reactor No 3 ceased at around 6 pm, but that the smoke from reactor No 2 was first noticed at 6:20 local time, Kyodo reported.

Dangers from the overheating spent nuclear fuel storage ponds – of which there are seven at Fukushima Daiichi, on for each reactor and a common pond – is as threatening if not more threatening than radioactivity emerging from the apparently ruptured cores of reactor Nos 1 and 3.

The primary danger is that spent nuclear fuel rods in the absence of cooling water would reach criticality – a chain reaction – in the open, a situation that occurs inside nuclear reactors that are shielded from spreading radioactivity. There are some 1760 tons of spent and fresh fuel filling the plant’s ponds in conditions of intentional overcrowding by TEPCO, as part of a plan to plan to transfer the fuel rods to interim storage offsite.

At present, coolant water is being pumped into the three reactors and the pools for spent nuclear fuel rods at reactors No 3 and No 4. The roofs and upper walls of the buildings that house the No. 1, No. 3 and No. 4 reactors have been blown off by hydrogen explosions, reported Kyodo.

Citing reports, Bellona’s Bøhmer said that reactor Nos 1,2,5 and 6 no longer seem to pose the threat they have in the past days, and that the most  critical issues remain at reactor Nos 3 and 4.

Bellona’s Bøhmer said there were two critical points remaining unresolved on Monday. The first is that reactor No 3, which has been extensively damaged, has to be stabilized.

Reactor No 3 operates on mixed uranium and plutonium oxide, or MOX fuel. Compared to uranium, which is the industry wide standard for power production reactors, plutonium poses far higher risks of harmful radioactive emissions.

The second critical point confronting Fukushima Daiichi as the day ended was the problem cooling the spent nuclear fuel storage ponds, and this will remain the case even if meltdowns are averted.

The work of replenishing the fuel ponds’ water supplies, noted Bøhmer, has been arduous, as workers have had to drop water, with questionable accuracy, from helicopters and douse them with fire hoses at ground level.

Manu reports have emerged about attempts to fill the ponds with water, but there has so far been no way to ascertain how much, if any, water the pools have taken on.

Bøhmer zeroed in on the particularly drastic situation with getting water into the spent fuel pond at reactor No 3.

“We know that the pond at the reactor No. 3 has little water, said Bøhmer.  He said he suspected that the pond must have a leak in it.

“I see simply no other reason why so much water should be lost,” said Bøhmer.

continued

“This project started last year and the current phase of research should be finished by the end of the year… We will (then) have clearer information about the feasibility of the project,” Landsvirkjun spokeswoman Ragna Sara Jonsdottir told AFP, adding that a final decision on the project would likely come within four to five years.

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After taking a hit when its Eyjafjoell volcano last year paralysed European skies for weeks with a massive cloud of volcanic ash, Iceland is seeking to instead draw benefits from its geology with the cable, which would allow it to sell energy extracted from geothermal sources like volcanoes and geysers.

“Among things being studied is the destination country. Potential countries include Britain, Norway, Holland and Germany,” Jonsdottir said.

Depending on the destination country, the cable would be between 1,200 and 1,900 kilometres (745-1,180 miles) long, making it “the longest sub-sea cable in the world.”

The project aims for the exportation of some five terawatt-hours (or five billion kilowatt-hours) each year, Jonsdottir said.

At current power prices in Europe, that corresponds to between 250 and 320 million euros ($350-448 million) in exports annually, and is enough to cover the average annual consumption of 1.25 million European households.

continued

BLACK DESIGN GEL CASE COVER FOR SAMSUNG GOOGLE NEXUS S

The process, deployed by CoolPlanetBiofuels, also produces a byproduct that can capture carbon and also be added to soil to improve crop yields, leading to what Google Ventures described as a “negative carbon fuel.”

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“While we have made significant progress over the past couple of years, this new infusion of capital, coupled with the expertise of the Google Ventures team, enables our team to scale even faster,” Mike Cheiky, chief executive of Camarillo, California-based CoolPlanet, said in a statement on Thursday.

continued