No Tech Magazine

The Folly of Building-Integrated Wind

"The study found that predicted performance exceeded actual performance by a factor of 15 to 17. With the worst-performing systems, the electricity required to run the electronics exceeded the electricity production, so the wind turbines were net consumers of electricity". Read.

Thanks, Brent Eubanks. Related: Small windmills put to the test / Urban Windmills harm the environment.

Miracle biofuels

"If you grow jatropha in marginal conditions, you can expect marginal yields" & "The best outcome might be to slow down the jatropha steamroller and let science sort out whether it can be grown on a mass scale in ways that make it preferable to food-based biofuels". Read. Related: Leave the algae alone.

High speed trains

"We would be so much better off simply fixing up and reactivating the normal-speed track system that is sitting out there rusting in the rain -- and save our more grandiose visions for a later time". Read.

Previously: How eco-friendly is a high speed train? / The age of speed / Only idiots travel by train.

Reserve base / Annual global consumption

How many years left if the world consumes at today's rate? Via Reddit.

See also: Materials = Energy / Historical statistics for mineral and material commodities.

Ecotech fantasies

15 unconventional wind turbine designs that will never work.

Cleantech

An overview of hazardous materials used in solar PV cell production. Via Treehugger.