Our Changing Globe

Archive for the ‘environment’ Category

Denmark tops first-of-its-kind Global Cleantech Innovation Index …

greennewshourly.com3/1/12

Denmark, followed by Israel, Sweden, Finland and the US provide the best conditions today for clean technology start-up creation, with companies in the Asia.

Finland ranks fourth in Global Cleantech Index – Good News from …

www.goodnewsfinland.com2/28/12

Finland has ranked fourth in The Cleantech Global Innovation Index produced by WWF and the Cleantech Group. The report praised Finland's supportive environment and high concentration of new cleantech companies, …

"Coming Clean: The Global Cleantech Innovation Index 2012", is a first-of-its-kind ranking, complied by the CleanTech Group and the World Wildlife Fund.

It listed the top thirty eight countries worldwide that offer the best conditions for clean technology start-up creation

Denmark, Israel and Sweden took the top-three slots followed by Finland and the United States.

The evaluation was based on a 15-indicators scale, which reviewed the creation and commercialization of cleantech start-ups according their potential in relation to their economic size, and innovation projections for the next ten years.

Israel leads the pack in its capacity to produce new innovative cleantech companies per capita, the report said, and only two factors prevented it from gaining the top spot.

Its small domestic market, and the lack of government support for cleantech development.

In 2011, Israel was ranked the world’s fourth-leading nation in cleantech investments.

Richard Youngman, of the Cleantech Group said.

"The global macro-economic landscape is shifting; fostering entrepreneurial start-ups and growth companies with clean technology solutions will be an increasingly important part of countries’ competitiveness on the world stage".

Samantha Smith of the WWF’s Global Climate and Energy Initiative, said.

"This index shows that several countries are on the right track, but clearly much more needs to be done if we are to properly address climate change and achieve a transition towards a global 100% renewable future".

Google reportedly spending $120M to beef up Googleplex, 'Google …

9to5google.com2/12/12

based Company reportedly plans to spend $120 million to add new advancements to its sprawling headquarters, from a new museum to new testing labs for the secret Google X projects. Google plans to open a new …

Google said building huge facilities for secret projects | Electronista

www.electronista.com2/12/12

Secret projects would reportedly play a part, including for the Android@Home wireless audio device and Google's well-known but still secretive Project X labs. The highlight would be a 120000 square foot Experience Center.

Google just unveiled a new project dedicated to tackling some of the world’s biggest problems.

It’s called, "Solve for X",

It’s a TED -like think tank that will encourage problem solving and teamwork to come up with "radical" ideas that might help solve the world from its increasing and perhaps catastrophic problems.

The website says that it’s place where the curious and motivated will be able go to hear and discuss radical technology ideas for solving global problems.

“Radical in the sense that the solutions could help billions of people".

"Radical in the sense that the audaciousness of the proposals makes them sound like science fiction".

"And radical in the sense that there is some real technology breakthrough on the horizon to give us all hope that these ideas could really be brought to life".

The project is said to be looking for "moonshot" ideas and thinking, and the fruits of some of these labors, belive it or not, are already on the horizon.

One of Google chief scientists, Richard DeVaul announced that the Solve for X YouTube page and website will be updated to include video’s of the presentations for all to see.

Top Secret Google X

The project is believed to be linked to Google X which is the company’s top-secret lab that is dedicated to "shoot-for-the-stars" type ideas, such as driverless cars, web-connected appliances and even space elevators.

The Google X labs are reportedly run, "as mysteriously as the C.I.A." and our housed in two unnamed facilities, one in California at the company’s headquarters and one in an undisclosed location elsewhere in the country.

Rodney Brooks, who is a professor emeritus at M.I.T.’s computer science and artificial intelligence lab and founder of Heartland Robotics says:

“They’re pretty far out in front right now. But Google’s not an ordinary company, so almost nothing applies".