News Roundup - Micro Wind Turbines, Recycling, and Computer Networks

New Player Promises Big Gains in Home Wind Power

Totempower, a new company based if the UK, has a micro wind turbine that promises 20% efficiency gains in an unobtrusive, easier to install, and easy to maintain system. The basis of these gains are a patented design that allows operation at lower wind speeds than comparable products.

Read about their wind power solution on Clean Technica.

Lowes Builds CFL and Battery Recycling Awareness

Lowes has had a CFL recycling program for quite awhile now, and added a on cell phones and rechargeable batteries in the last year. Lowes has done an admirable job in promoting this effort, and recently updated their tracking page.

New IEEE Ethernet Standard Promises Reduced Energy Use

The IEEE recently ratified their new energy efficient Ethernet standard - 802.3az. 802.3az allows for a "low power idle" operation, saving a bit of power during idle times.

Most consumers use Ethernet in their homes, generally connecting a PC to a cable modem and/or router. At this low scale, consumers likely won't see more than a couple of dollars savings per year. However, businesses and enterprises may see substantial power savings.

There is an excellent article in the Kansas City Star covering this - quoting 5 terawatt-hours savings per year in the USA alone.