This is our first post from a contributor. CNStars17 sent this to us and asked if we would be interested in sharing this information with the public. We looked through it and were very impressed with not only his research but his content. Thank you CNStars, and we look forward to hearing more from you.
Have you heard the news out of Hawaii? Former NASA executive and physicist John Mankins captured solar energy from a mountain top in Maui and sent it wirelessly 92 miles to the main island of Hawaii. The team of researchers was only able to send around 20 watts, which is not even enough to power a fluorescent light bulb. Most of the power was lost in the transmission process.
Makins says that the project was limited by budget, and that with the proper equipment he could increase efficiency up to 64%.
Not impressed?
Did you know that 170 million gigawatts of solar energy hit the earth every second? That is more energy than the earth has used since the beginning of the industrial era. Now imagine being able to tap into that source on a large scale. With Mankins wireless energy transfer idea many satellites would be launched with high tech solar panels on them. Then the satellites would relay the energy to earth via harmless wireless energy transfer to receiving stations. Also, with the solar panels in space there is no loss in efficiency due to clouds or night. The energy would be available 24/7.
Mankins says he can get a demonstration system in orbit in around 6 years and have the full system up in around 15 years.
There are scientists in Japan that claim they could get the space-based solar power project started in less than 5 months with less than 1 million dollars. Their concept uses mirrors to focus as much solar power possible into the solar cells, and thus create 5 times more energy than conventional solar cells.
I am sitting in the Pheonix Airport working on our internet site, www.considertomorrow.com and I am listening to Obama talk about September 11th and the future of our country, and I see a commercial for Natural Gas. Changing our cars over to Natural Gas. It feels good to think that we as publishers are on the right track, by pushing these ideas we have. It is about time that we a society Take a STAND….
We started the blog writing in “we”, and have not distinguished between the two of us. Well, now we are ready for a little more personalization. We want the people that are coming to our site to feel like they have a connection with us. We reached our first goal with the blog a few days ago, and for that, we thank you, the readers. We thought that our first goal would take a few weeks, and it happened in less that two weeks. While we are being honest, that goal was 100 visits in a single day. That happened September 8th, and we hit 129. We have no one else to thank but you, so again…Thank You for your interest, and if you like what you see, please let us know, or give us ideas for improvements. Let’s get into the nuts and bolts:
L.J.
I am a California native, who currently resides in North Dakota, with a background in linguistics from the United States Air Force. I started off my college career to be an architect, but quickly learned that was not the path for me. I went back to school after the 6 years in the military and got my Business Management Degree. I plan on getting an M.B.A with a concentration in marketing. I love to think idealistic when it comes to Alternative Energy. I see a future filled with cars that are not constrained by the dirty word…”oil”. Not that I am against oil, but I am against the idea that a company has designed an infrustrucutre that makes us dependent on a commodity which continues to raise in price. I do understand that people need to make a living, but at what cost? Do they get to continue to receive a profit in the billions while you and I(the average American) pays the price. They say that supply and demand drives the cost up, but they continue to pad their wallets. This is the fundamental reason I am against oil and petroleum. To top it all off, we continue to ruin the place we live because…we are unsure of which alternative energy is going to take off? This is not the VCR and BETA race ladies and gentlemen, this is a race to find a solution to help the planet we live on.
Wind power in the U.S. is exploding, and we want to show you some of this country’s best resources. For this post we are going to take a snapshot of what’s happening in the state of Kansas (being that it is the state where I was born). First, take a look at these graphics showing the change in American wind production from ‘02 to ‘07.
Capacity 2002
Capacity 2007
That 5 year span saw a huge growth in our total installed megawatts (MW), and if you are keeping up with the topic of new wind projects, you’ll know that there is much more coming online in the near future. For a zoomed in view of what is going on in the sunflower state, check this file.
The maps above and this Kansas map are all from 2007, but they still underscore the seriousness with which the country is taking to harnessing the wind. On the Kansas map there are over 2000 MW in proposed projects, and it is easy to understand why considering Kansas is number three in the country for wind energy potential. The top 5 states are:
#1 North Dakota
#2 Texas
#3 Kansas
#4 South Dakota
#5 Montana
If you watched the PickensPlan video, then you’ll know that we are the world wind superpower. And with an estimated $65 billion flowing into wind capacity through 2015, states like Kansas need to step up and get these projects rolling. We have to get to producing 20% of our electricity from wind as soon as possible if we’re going to follow Pickens’ blueprint, which is no short order since we aren’t expected to be close to that mark by 2020. How do we get there? What are the strategies? Kansas, do you have the answer?
Not that kind. Let’s get an actual definition of Compressed Natural Gas. According to Wikipedia:
“Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) is a fossil fuel substitute for gasoline (petrol), diesel, or propane fuel. It is considered by some to be a more environmentally “clean” alternative to those fuels, although it produces greenhouse gases, and it is much safer than other motor fuels in the event of a fuel spill: natural gas is lighter than air, so it disperses quickly when leaked or spilled.
It is made by compressing natural gas (which is mainly composed of methane (CH4)), to less than 1% of its volume at standard atmospheric pressure. It is stored and distributed in hard containers, at a normal pressure of 200–220 bar (2900-3200 psi), usually in cylindrical or spherical shapes.
Compressed natural gas is used in traditional gasoline cars that are thus turned into bi-fuel (gasoline/CNG) cars. CNG/gasoline cars are increasingly used in Europe and South America due to rising gasoline prices.
In response to high fuel prices and environmental concerns, compressed natural gas is starting to be used also in light-duty passenger vehicles and pickup trucks, medium-duty delivery trucks, transit, school buses and trains.
It has a lower energy density compared to LNG (42%), because CNG is not liquified, and to diesel (25%) [1].”
Take a Stand
Do you know anyone with a CNG vehicle? We would like to know first hand of your accounts.
So, we have heard the buzz surrounding this car. 440 horsepower, twin turbo…sounds like your average sports car right? Well, sort of. It is a great looking sports car, here look for yourself.
But something is different about this car. It is completely run on Ethanol. Yes, that is right, E-100. Not anymore of this E-10 blend that you pay ten cents less and get less fuel efficiency. We know, you are looking at previous posts of ours and thinking, you said earlier you get less efficiency with Ethanol, but here is a quote that The Boston Globe got from SAAB; “One problem with cars fueled by ethanol is that they have a 25 to 35 percent shorter travel range than gas-powered ones, Bergstrom said. Saab and other automakers hope to close that gap by using ethanol in applications with cleaner diesel, hybrid gasoline/electric engines, and turbocharged smaller engines, which develop more power than even some of the V-8s and even V-6s so popular in the United States.” Sweden has the right idea. Why are we not propelling the same initiatives?
This may be an idea that is in left field, but we are going to throw it out there anyways, and see if we can get a response from it. What if we could only use power that we created? What if, we were completely free from a power plant, and we had to create our own power? Let’s say we each had a battery system stored away in the garage somewhere and you had to save up the energy created in order to do the things we love. You have a solar panel on the roof, perhaps a wind turbine in the backyard. One day there isn’t enough wind or sun to generate enough power for you to watch your favorite television show, LOST. What about self made energy?
One of those types would be pedal powered energy. A lot of people like to work out right? You are creating so much energy when you work out, why waste it? THIS guy has created a pedal powered generator. We think it is an awesome idea. People who work out, whether it be treadmills or stationary bikes or even stair steppers. We know, some of you have a Nordic Track stored under your bed that you got and forgot about. How awesome would it be to generate your own energy. Think about it.
HERE is a CNN article intended to make you think. Think about the things you do that use energy. Watching T.V., computer, xbox. It all uses electricity. Like CNN’s first line, what if you had to cycle for a specified time in order to do some of things that are mainly for entertainment. Are those things important enough for you now?
Lastly, we want to show you a video of what a simple pedal powered generator looks like.
We personally want to share this video with you again because this plan is phenomenal.
This gentleman has the same thoughts that we do. The main being collaboration. We as a society can do anything, if we were all on the same page. We want to personally thank Mitch Miller for the insight and reference for this video for a second post. Take the next 5 minutes and do yourself and our country a favor and watch the video.
