Difference between revisions of "Energie rinnovabili"

<a href="http://www.formazione.ilsole24ore.com/annual-eventi/AZ4460--italian-energy-summit.php">10° Italian Energy Summit</a>

10° Italian Energy Summit

Decima edizione dell'appuntamento autunnale dedicato al mondo dell'Energia. Evento internazionale realizzato in collaborazione con IBC Global Conference dedicato agli scenari del mercato sui temi dello sviluppo di infrastrutture elettriche e del gas, del nucleare e delle fonti rinnovabili. Oltre 300 partecipanti e 21 aziende partner nell'edizione del 2009. Guarda il sito dell'edizione precedente Ingresso a pagamento Per informazioni sui contenuti dell'evento, scrivere a: chiara.mangiarotti@ilsole24ore.comPer informazioni sulle modalità di sponsorizzazione, scrivere a: mirella.gottini@ilsole24ore.com.

<a href="http://www.formazione.ilsole24ore.com/annual-eventi/AZ4460--italian-energy-summit.php">10° Italian Energy Summit</a>

10° Italian Energy Summit

Decima edizione dell'appuntamento autunnale dedicato al mondo dell'Energia. Evento internazionale realizzato in collaborazione con IBC Global Conference dedicato agli scenari del mercato sui temi dello sviluppo di infrastrutture elettriche e del gas, del nucleare e delle fonti rinnovabili. Oltre 300 partecipanti e 21 aziende partner nell'edizione del 2009. Guarda il sito dell'edizione precedente Ingresso a pagamento Per informazioni sui contenuti dell'evento, scrivere a: chiara.mangiarotti@ilsole24ore.comPer informazioni sulle modalità di sponsorizzazione, scrivere a: mirella.gottini@ilsole24ore.com.

<a href="http://www.formazione.ilsole24ore.com/annual-eventi/AZ4460--italian-energy-summit.php">10° Italian Energy Summit</a>

10° Italian Energy Summit

Decima edizione dell'appuntamento autunnale dedicato al mondo dell'Energia. Evento internazionale realizzato in collaborazione con IBC Global Conference dedicato agli scenari del mercato sui temi dello sviluppo di infrastrutture elettriche e del gas, del nucleare e delle fonti rinnovabili. Oltre 300 partecipanti e 21 aziende partner nell'edizione del 2009. Guarda il sito dell'edizione precedente Ingresso a pagamento Per informazioni sui contenuti dell'evento, scrivere a: chiara.mangiarotti@ilsole24ore.comPer informazioni sulle modalità di sponsorizzazione, scrivere a: mirella.gottini@ilsole24ore.com.

<a href="http://www.formazione.ilsole24ore.com/annual-eventi/AZ4460--italian-energy-summit.php">10° Italian Energy Summit</a>

10° Italian Energy Summit

Decima edizione dell'appuntamento autunnale dedicato al mondo dell'Energia. Evento internazionale realizzato in collaborazione con IBC Global Conference dedicato agli scenari del mercato sui temi dello sviluppo di infrastrutture elettriche e del gas, del nucleare e delle fonti rinnovabili. Oltre 300 partecipanti e 21 aziende partner nell'edizione del 2009. Guarda il sito dell'edizione precedente Ingresso a pagamento Per informazioni sui contenuti dell'evento, scrivere a: chiara.mangiarotti@ilsole24ore.comPer informazioni sulle modalità di sponsorizzazione, scrivere a: mirella.gottini@ilsole24ore.com.

<a href="http://www.formazione.ilsole24ore.com/annual-eventi/AZ4460--italian-energy-summit.php">10° Italian Energy Summit</a>

10° Italian Energy Summit

Decima edizione dell'appuntamento autunnale dedicato al mondo dell'Energia. Evento internazionale realizzato in collaborazione con IBC Global Conference dedicato agli scenari del mercato sui temi dello sviluppo di infrastrutture elettriche e del gas, del nucleare e delle fonti rinnovabili. Oltre 300 partecipanti e 21 aziende partner nell'edizione del 2009. Guarda il sito dell'edizione precedente Ingresso a pagamento Per informazioni sui contenuti dell'evento, scrivere a: chiara.mangiarotti@ilsole24ore.comPer informazioni sulle modalità di sponsorizzazione, scrivere a: mirella.gottini@ilsole24ore.com.

<a href="http://www.formazione.ilsole24ore.com/annual-eventi/AZ4460--italian-energy-summit.php">10° Italian Energy Summit</a>

10° Italian Energy Summit

Decima edizione dell'appuntamento autunnale dedicato al mondo dell'Energia. Evento internazionale realizzato in collaborazione con IBC Global Conference dedicato agli scenari del mercato sui temi dello sviluppo di infrastrutture elettriche e del gas, del nucleare e delle fonti rinnovabili. Oltre 300 partecipanti e 21 aziende partner nell'edizione del 2009. Guarda il sito dell'edizione precedente Ingresso a pagamento Per informazioni sui contenuti dell'evento, scrivere a: chiara.mangiarotti@ilsole24ore.comPer informazioni sulle modalità di sponsorizzazione, scrivere a: mirella.gottini@ilsole24ore.com.

<a href="http://www.formazione.ilsole24ore.com/annual-eventi/AZ4460--italian-energy-summit.php">10° Italian Energy Summit</a>

10° Italian Energy Summit

Decima edizione dell'appuntamento autunnale dedicato al mondo dell'Energia. Evento internazionale realizzato in collaborazione con IBC Global Conference dedicato agli scenari del mercato sui temi dello sviluppo di infrastrutture elettriche e del gas, del nucleare e delle fonti rinnovabili. Oltre 300 partecipanti e 21 aziende partner nell'edizione del 2009. Guarda il sito dell'edizione precedente Ingresso a pagamento Per informazioni sui contenuti dell'evento, scrivere a: chiara.mangiarotti@ilsole24ore.comPer informazioni sulle modalità di sponsorizzazione, scrivere a: mirella.gottini@ilsole24ore.com.

<a href="http://www.formazione.ilsole24ore.com/annual-eventi/AZ4460--italian-energy-summit.php">10° Italian Energy Summit</a>

10° Italian Energy Summit

Decima edizione dell'appuntamento autunnale dedicato al mondo dell'Energia. Evento internazionale realizzato in collaborazione con IBC Global Conference dedicato agli scenari del mercato sui temi dello sviluppo di infrastrutture elettriche e del gas, del nucleare e delle fonti rinnovabili. Oltre 300 partecipanti e 21 aziende partner nell'edizione del 2009. Guarda il sito dell'edizione precedente Ingresso a pagamento Per informazioni sui contenuti dell'evento, scrivere a: chiara.mangiarotti@ilsole24ore.comPer informazioni sulle modalità di sponsorizzazione, scrivere a: mirella.gottini@ilsole24ore.com.

<a href="http://www.formazione.ilsole24ore.com/annual-eventi/AZ4460--italian-energy-summit.php">10° Italian Energy Summit</a>

10° Italian Energy Summit

Decima edizione dell'appuntamento autunnale dedicato al mondo dell'Energia. Evento internazionale realizzato in collaborazione con IBC Global Conference dedicato agli scenari del mercato sui temi dello sviluppo di infrastrutture elettriche e del gas, del nucleare e delle fonti rinnovabili. Oltre 300 partecipanti e 21 aziende partner nell'edizione del 2009. Guarda il sito dell'edizione precedente Ingresso a pagamento Per informazioni sui contenuti dell'evento, scrivere a: chiara.mangiarotti@ilsole24ore.comPer informazioni sulle modalità di sponsorizzazione, scrivere a: mirella.gottini@ilsole24ore.com.

<a href="http://www.formazione.ilsole24ore.com/annual-eventi/AZ4460--italian-energy-summit.php">10° Italian Energy Summit</a>

10° Italian Energy Summit

Decima edizione dell'appuntamento autunnale dedicato al mondo dell'Energia. Evento internazionale realizzato in collaborazione con IBC Global Conference dedicato agli scenari del mercato sui temi dello sviluppo di infrastrutture elettriche e del gas, del nucleare e delle fonti rinnovabili. Oltre 300 partecipanti e 21 aziende partner nell'edizione del 2009. Guarda il sito dell'edizione precedente Ingresso a pagamento Per informazioni sui contenuti dell'evento, scrivere a: chiara.mangiarotti@ilsole24ore.comPer informazioni sulle modalità di sponsorizzazione, scrivere a: mirella.gottini@ilsole24ore.com.

<a href="http://www.formazione.ilsole24ore.com/annual-eventi/AZ4460--italian-energy-summit.php">10° Italian Energy Summit</a>

10° Italian Energy Summit

Decima edizione dell'appuntamento autunnale dedicato al mondo dell'Energia. Evento internazionale realizzato in collaborazione con IBC Global Conference dedicato agli scenari del mercato sui temi dello sviluppo di infrastrutture elettriche e del gas, del nucleare e delle fonti rinnovabili. Oltre 300 partecipanti e 21 aziende partner nell'edizione del 2009. Guarda il sito dell'edizione precedente Ingresso a pagamento Per informazioni sui contenuti dell'evento, scrivere a: chiara.mangiarotti@ilsole24ore.comPer informazioni sulle modalità di sponsorizzazione, scrivere a: mirella.gottini@ilsole24ore.com.

<a href="http://www.formazione.ilsole24ore.com/annual-eventi/AZ4460--italian-energy-summit.php">10° Italian Energy Summit</a>

10° Italian Energy Summit

Decima edizione dell'appuntamento autunnale dedicato al mondo dell'Energia. Evento internazionale realizzato in collaborazione con IBC Global Conference dedicato agli scenari del mercato sui temi dello sviluppo di infrastrutture elettriche e del gas, del nucleare e delle fonti rinnovabili. Oltre 300 partecipanti e 21 aziende partner nell'edizione del 2009. Guarda il sito dell'edizione precedente Ingresso a pagamento Per informazioni sui contenuti dell'evento, scrivere a: chiara.mangiarotti@ilsole24ore.comPer informazioni sulle modalità di sponsorizzazione, scrivere a: mirella.gottini@ilsole24ore.com.

<a href="http://feeds.newscientist.com/c/749/f/424050/s/5876e1e/l/0L0Snewscientist0N0Carticle0Cmg20A3271910B20A0A0Einterview0Eamerica0Eturns0Ered0Ewhite0Eand0Egreen0Bhtml0DDCMP0FOTC0Erss0Gnsref0Fscience0Ein0Esociety/story01.htm">Interview: America turns red, white and green</a>

President Obama's science advisor John Holdren tells New Scientist why the US will lead the world's fight against climate change<img width="1" height="1" src="http://feeds.newscientist.com/c/749/f/424050/s/5876e1e/mf.gif" border="0">

<a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/46728437144/u/31/f/424050/c/749/s/92761630/a2.htm"><img src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/46728437144/u/31/f/424050/c/749/s/92761630/a2.img" border="0"></a>

<a href="http://www.istat.it/dati/dataset/20090630_00">Indici dei prezzi alla produzione dei prodotti energetici</a>

Maggio 2009

<a href="http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ScienceblogsChannelEducation/~3/uxZ4RuEHvDs/mario_j_molina_talk_about_clim.php">Mario J. Molina: talk about Climate Change [A Blog Around The Clock]</a>

<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mario_J._Molina" title="">Mario J. Molina</a>:

<img alt="Molina talk 001.jpg" src="http://scienceblogs.com/clock/Molina%20talk%20001.jpg" width="448" height="336">
<img alt="Molina talk 002.jpg" src="http://scienceblogs.com/clock/Molina%20talk%20002.jpg" width="448" height="336">

<a href="http://scienceblogs.com/clock/2009/06/mario_j_molina_talk_about_clim.php#commentsArea">Read the comments on this post...</a><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/ScienceblogsChannelEducation/~4/uxZ4RuEHvDs" height="1" width="1">

<a href="http://feeds.newscientist.com/c/749/f/10897/s/50f6176/l/0L0Snewscientist0N0Carticle0Cdn1740A10Erecordbreaking0Esolar0Ecells0Eare0Etailored0Eto0Etheir0Elocation0Bhtml0DDCMP0FOTC0Erss0Gnsref0Fonline0Enews/story01.htm">Record-breaking solar cells are tailored to their location</a>

Solar cells tuned to particular wavelengths make the most of the light at different places on Earth, boosting efficiency to record levels<img width="1" height="1" src="http://feeds.newscientist.com/c/749/f/10897/s/50f6176/mf.gif" border="0">

<a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/42086313527/u/31/f/10897/c/749/s/84894070/kg/25/a2.htm"><img src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/42086313527/u/31/f/10897/c/749/s/84894070/kg/25/a2.img" border="0"></a>

<a href="http://cordis.europa.eu/fetch?CALLER=EN_NEWS&ACTION=D&SESSION=&RCN=30968">JRC report highlights the need for increased investment in renewables</a>

<img src="http://cordis.europa.eu/news/images/20090630_2.jpg" alt="">
Europe can meet its ambitious renewable energy targets, but only if governments increase their financial and regulatory support for the new technologies, concludes a new report from the European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC).

The EU has set itself the target of increasing the share of renewable energies in its total energy consumption to 20% by 2020. This target is part of the EU's wider efforts to tackle climate change.

The JRC's 'Renewable Energy Snapshots' offer an overview of the development of the EU's renewable electricity-generation sector and analyse the chances of the 2020 target being reached.

The report notes that as the transport sector is only obliged to obtain 10% of its energy from renewable sources, the electricity sector will have to make up for this. The authors estimate that 35% to 40% of the electricity used in 2020 will have to come from renewable sources. For comparison, in 2005 just 14% of electricity was generated via renewable sources, mostly hydropower, biomass and wind.

The report does not foresee a major increase in electricity from hydropower, as most large hydro resources are already being exploited today. Furthermore, changing weather patterns and increasing demand for water mean these resources may not always be available in the future.

Electricity generation from biomass could reach 200 terawatt hours (TWh) in 2020, up from 90 TWh in 2006. However, this figure could change as it depends on how much biomass is allocated to other energy uses such as heating and transport.

On the solar energy front, concentrated solar power is still a small sector but thanks to successful demonstration projects in Spain, it is likely to grow rapidly in the coming years. Solar photovoltaic electricity is also growing fast, and the industry has now set itself the target of generating 12% of all electricity with solar photovoltaic technology.

Wind energy already accounts for more newly installed power-generation capacity than any other technology; of the 24 gigawatts (GW) of new capacity installed in 2008, 35% came from wind power, 29% from gas-fired power stations and 19% from photovoltaics.

The wind-energy industry hopes to increase its total installed capacity from 65 GW in 2008 to 230 GW by 2020.

'It can be concluded that if the current growth rates of the above-mentioned renewable electricity generation sources can be maintained, up to 1,600 TWh [45% to 50%] of renewable electricity could be generated in 2020,' the report reads.

However, it goes on to warn that, 'without increased political support, especially in the field of fair grid access, and regulatory measures to ensure that the current electricity system is transformed to be capable to absorb these amounts of renewable electricity, these predictions will not come about'.

The report adds that further research funding is also needed to enlarge the markets for these technologies, 'as cost reduction and accelerated implementation will depend on the production volume and not on time!'
Quality validation date:

2009-06-30

<a href="http://feeds.ilsole24ore.com/c/32276/f/438665/s/48b4d36/l/0L0Silsole24ore0N0Cart0CSoleOnLine40Cdossier0CEconomia0J20Ae0J20ALavoro0Crisparmio0Eenergetico0Cbusiness0Cfotovoltaico0Econcentrazione0Ebeghelli0Bshtml0Duuid0Ffce30A8ce0E51f30E11de0Eb0A580E2b0A8ce28b1b80GDocRulesView0FLibero/story01.htm">Beghelli lancia il fotovoltaico a concentrazione domestico</a>

Entro fine anno la commercializzazione. La tecnologia di base è firmata dal Nobel russo Zhores Alferov. Costi ammortizzabili in 10 anni ... <img width="1" height="1" src="http://feeds.ilsole24ore.com/c/32276/f/438665/s/48b4d36/mf.gif" border="0">

<a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/40960769755/u/31/f/438665/c/32276/s/76238134/a2.htm"><img src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/40960769755/u/31/f/438665/c/32276/s/76238134/a2.img" border="0"></a>

<a href="http://cordis.europa.eu/search/index.cfm?fuseaction=proj.document&PJ_LANG=EN&PJ_RCN=9626309">Facilitating innovation in renewable energies</a>

Quality validation date:

2009-06-05

<a href="http://www.eea.europa.eu/publications/europes-onshore-and-offshore-wind-energy-potential?utm_source=EEASubscriptions&utm_medium=RSSFeeds&utm_campaign=Generic?utm_source=EEASubscriptions&utm_medium=RSSFeeds&utm_campaign=Generic">Europe's onshore and offshore wind energy potential</a>

This report provides a Europe-wide resource assessment of onshore and offshore wind potential in a geographically explicit manner. In addition to calculating raw wind resource potential, this study also introduces and quantitatively analyses the environmental and social constraints on wind sector development. Concerns addressed include the noise and visual impact of wind power, as well as the deaths of birds and bats that fly into rotor blades. The report also evaluates the future costs of wind energy production across Europe in order to gauge the potential output at competitive rates.

<a href="http://cordis.europa.eu/fetch?CALLER=EN_NEWS&ACTION=D&SESSION=&RCN=30860">Renewable energy will boost economy and create jobs, study finds</a>

<img src="http://cordis.europa.eu/news/images/20090603_1.jpg" alt="">
A study on the impacts of supporting renewable energy sources (RES) on the EU's economy has shown that increased support for RES will have a positive effect on the economy and will create a significant number of jobs. The study, carried out on behalf of the European Commission's Directorate-General for Energy and Transport, is the first to assess the economic effects of supporting RES in detail.

At the end of 2008, the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union agreed on the Renewable Energy Directive, which commits EU Member States to achieving the ambitious target of a 20% share of renewable energy in Europe's final energy consumption by 2020. Understanding the impact of existing RES policies is crucial to ensuring these targets are possible.

The researchers used several economic models to establish how RES policies currently affect the EU's economy and job market, how they did so in the past, and how their effects might change in the future. They looked not only at the RES sector itself, but also at its impact on all sectors of the economy including the 'conventional' energy market, households and the hospitality industry, to name a few. The findings bridge substantial gaps in our knowledge of the economic implications of RES policies in Europe.

Specifically, the study used an output model called Multireg to assess the effect of developments in the RES sector on other economic sectors in the past. To forecast future developments, the researchers used a model called Green-X, which was designed to simulate the effect of RES support policies up until the year 2030. Based on this, future economic effects were calculated using two independent macro-economic models: Nemesis and Astra. Two models were used so that the results could be compared and validated. The results of the study have also been peer reviewed.

According to the researchers, 'the RES sector is already a very important one in terms of employment and value added. New industries with a strong lead market potential have been created, which contribute about 0.6% to total GDP [gross domestic product] and employment in Europe. This development is likely to be accelerated if current policies are improved in order to reach the agreed target of 20% RES in Europe by 2020'.

To project the future impact of RES policies, three scenarios were compared: one in which all RES support policies were abandoned, a second 'business as usual' scenario, and one in which RES policies were considerably strengthened. The results clearly showed that stronger policies are needed if Europe is to reap maximum economic benefits from RES.

'Recent strong growth in comparably low-cost biomass and onshore wind projects needs to be sustained, as these technologies are expected to generate most of the near-term future RES production, employment and economic growth,' the study reads. 'More innovative technologies such as photovoltaic, offshore wind, solar thermal electricity and second-generation biofuels require more financial support in the short term, but it is precisely these technologies that are key to achieving the EU's 2020 RES target and higher shares in the future, to maintain the EU's current competitive position in the global market for RES technologies and to increase employment and GDP in the midterm.'

According to the report, 'policies promoting technological innovation in RES are therefore essential to strengthen the first-mover advantage of Europe's RES industries. If successful, these technologies can help the EU maintain a higher world market share of RES and the net GDP advantage is expected to be about 10% higher than [business-as-usual figures] for 2020'.

Importantly, the study found that while the 'increased support' scenario achieves 20% RES in final consumption by 2020 and 30% by 2030, the EU targets are not achieved in the business-as-usual model (14% by 2020 and 17% by 2030). 'Besides proactive RES support and framework conditions,' the researchers state, 'vigorous energy efficiency measures appear to be beneficial in achieving the EU's RES commitment at low-to-moderate cost.'

The gross figures for GDP and job increases due to increased RES support are rather impressive, but the study was careful to offset these with expected losses, such as replaced investments in conventional energy technologies.

The net findings were that current RES policies in EU Member States will result in an increase of GDP by 0.11% to 0.14% by 2020 and by 0.15% to 0.30% by 2030. In the more ambitious policy scenario, the net result would be a much stronger increase in GDP (by 0.23% to 0.25% in 2020, and 0.36% to 0.40% in 2030). The results for Astra and Nemesis were consistent, but there were some differences.

In terms of net employment gain, business-as-usual RES policies in EU Member States combined with moderate export expectations will result in a gain of between 115,000 and 201,000 employees in 2020 and between 188,000 and 300,000 employees in 2030. But the stronger-policy scenario will lead to a higher increase in jobs, by between 396,000 and 417,000 employees by 2020 and between 59,000 and 545,000 employees in the last years before 2030. This large spread is due to a difference in the way the models factor in rising energy costs.

Energy Commissioner Andris Piebalgs said, 'This shows that benefits of renewables in terms of security of supply and fighting climate change can go hand in hand with economic benefits.'

The study was carried out by Employ-RES, a consortium including companies from Germany, Austria, France, Lithuania and Switzerland.
Quality validation date:

2009-06-03

<a href="http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TEDTalks_audio/~3/84wmHGBzpbo/512">TEDTalks : A bold plan for mass adoption of electric cars - Shai Agassi (2009)</a>

Forget about the hybrid auto -- Shai Agassi says it's electric cars or bust if we want to impact emissions. His company, Better Place, has a radical plan to take entire countries oil-free by 2020.<img src="http://feeds2.feedburner.com/~r/TEDTalks_audio/~4/84wmHGBzpbo" height="1" width="1">

<a href="http://cordis.europa.eu/search/index.cfm?fuseaction=proj.document&PJ_LANG=EN&PJ_RCN=7957047">Innovative Energy Research</a>

Quality validation date:

2009-05-05

<a href="http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/newsroom/cf/itemshortdetail.cfm?item_id=3089&lang=en">Intelligent Energy 2009 call for proposals – online application system now open</a>

published: Mon, 04 May 2009 16:52 CET:

Are you planning to submit a project proposal and apply for IEE funding before the 25 June deadline?

The online submission tool, including a guide for proposers and all application forms, are now available on the programme website.

<a href="http://cordis.europa.eu/search/index.cfm?fuseaction=events.document&EV_LANG=EN&EV_RCN=30709">Joint Research Centre open day, Ispra, Italy</a>

Event date: 2009-05-16 The European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC) is organising an open day on 16 May in Ispra, Italy.

The first JRC open day in 2007 attracted nearly 8,000 visitors. However, the organisers are expecting the open day 2009 to be even bigger and better. The day's programme will give exposure to interesting laboratories with interactive experiments as well as lively presentations, shows and entertainment for all age groups. Again, a special programme with scientific games and quizzes will be prepared for kids.

In more detail, the agenda includes activities revolving around the following topics: - Biological diversity in Africa: wealth of a continent; - Floods, forest fires, drought, scary creatures that live in the soil - do you dare risk it? - Be prepared for the next flood! - What lives beneath our feet? - How dry is it going to be? - When things get too hot - predicting forest fires; - VELA - Vehicle Emissions Laboratories; - Atmospheric research; - Water sampling and other experiments and explanation; - The science of the future or the future of science? One day in the molecular ecology laboratory for young scientists; - Geographic information in Europe; - Wood's eyes; - The ecosystems' breath.
Quality validation date:

2009-04-21

<a href="http://springwise.com/eco_sustainability/galpshare/">Oil company builds carpooling platform</a>

<a href="http://springwise.com/eco_sustainability/galpshare/"><img src="http://www.springwise.com/pix/spotlight/galpshare.jpg"></a>

Carsharing and carpooling are gaining ground across the world, mainly through the efforts of non-profit organisations and for-profit startups like <a href="http://springwise.com/automotive/zipcarzimride/">Zipcar and Zimride</a>. An unexpected new member of the movement is <a href="http://www.galpenergia.com">Galp Energia</a>, Portugal’s largest oil and gas company.

In March 2009, Galp Energia launched <a href="http://www.energiapositiva.pt">Galpshare</a>, a carpooling platform where commuters can create a profile, specify their daily route and find others heading the same way. Users can also list their musical preferences and interests (politics, sport, business, etc.), helping them find people they’d enjoy sharing a ride with.

Galpshare was created by Galp Energia as a way to promote energy efficiency, helping consumers to save money and decrease their carbon footprint. Which isn’t as counterproductive for a gas company as it may seem; most petrochemical behemoths are actively branching out into renewable energy sources and sustainable energy consumption. Galpshare’s launch was widely promoted to commuters through an ad campaign, and the service is available throughout Portugal. Big brands looking to reap the rewards of eco-bounty: have you already figured out how to help your customers be green(er)? (Related: <a href="http://springwise.com/eco_sustainability/nuride/">Rewarding consumers who drive less</a>.)

Website: <a href="http://www.energiapositiva.pt">www.energiapositiva.pt</a>