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.
So, I was flying from Seattle to California, and I picked up a Popular Science because it has a photograph on the cover of something myself and C.O. think is the future in Farming. Here is the Picture of something simiIar to what I saw:
Watch THIS video, it is worth your time. If you still have more questions, go HERE for the full article from Popular Science
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 video was featured on treehugger.com. It is short and relevant.
The term “green Google” is particularly interesting, and who is to say that YOU are not the person/group that is going make the difference–there is definitely opportunity out there. Listen, if we are on the eve of the energy technology revolution, it is going to take all of us working together to come out on the other side as winners. Get into the action in any way that you can. Here’s a question: Does drilling get us to the point where we will never have this sort of problem again?
Earning the ENERGY STAR means products meet strict energy efficiency guidelines set by the US Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Energy.
ENERGY STAR qualified geothermal heat pumps use about 30% less energy than a standard heat pump.
They are quieter than conventional systems.
Geothermal heat pumps (sometimes referred to as GeoExchange, earth-coupled, ground-source, or water-source heat pumps) have been in use since the late 1940s. Geothermal heat pumps (GHPs) use the constant temperature of the earth as the exchange medium instead of the outside air temperature. This allows the system to reach fairly high efficiencies (300%-600%) on the coldest of winter nights, compared to 175%-250% for air-source heat pumps on cool days.
As with any heat pump, geothermal and water-source heat pumps are able to heat, cool, and, if so equipped, supply the house with hot water. Some models of geothermal systems are available with two-speed compressors and variable fans for more comfort and energy savings. Relative to air-source heat pumps, they are quieter, last longer, need little maintenance, and do not depend on the temperature of the outside air.
A dual-source heat pump combines an air-source heat pump with a geothermal heat pump. These appliances combine the best of both systems. Dual-source heat pumps have higher efficiency ratings than air-source units, but are not as efficient as geothermal units. The main advantage of dual-source systems is that they cost much less to install than a single geothermal unit, and work almost as well.
Even though the installation price of a geothermal system can be several times that of an air-source system of the same heating and cooling capacity, the additional costs are returned to you in energy savings in 5–10 years. System life is estimated at 25 years for the inside components and 50+ years for the ground loop. There are approximately 50,000 geothermal heat pumps installed in the United States each year.
There are so many ways to recycle anymore, we think that at times people take it for granted. “I put the paper in the recycle bins” or “I put the cans in the right container”.
So, you do your part, right? Possibly, but paper and plastics are still the most thrown away item in the dumps. According to Wikianswers; “The packaging that you buy makes up 80 percent of most household trash.” Think about it for a second, when you buy a package of turkey at the store, do you take the plastic and the paper product and recycle it? Or, how about when you buy grabage bags, so you take the box that they come in and recycle it? We think that the majority of people don’t think about that stuff. That is why we are here, right? “Take a stand, make a difference” ring a bell?
So, let’s take a look at what you are all reading this post for….the $$$$
Instead of putting your cans and bottles at the curb(if your county has that option, save them. It takes a little extra time to take a gargabe bag or two full of cans and bottles down to the recycling company. They DO still pay. Boxes, boxes, boxes. Boxes are typically good strong cardboard. Why not take all the cardboard you get from packages, moving supplies, etc down and make a couple dollars. When you go shopping at your grocery store, ask them if they purchase bags back. If they do, you are going to the store anyways, why not make a little change while going. Toner cartridges…Staples if offering a “reward” for any information regarding the where-a-bouts of toner cartridges. What about your old jeans that don’t fit. You could sell them, or just donate them to a thrift shop. These are all forms of recyling. Now, you may not be the Bill Gates of the dumpsters but, you could make money AND feel good about what you are doing.
HERE is a post about making money off recycling newspaper.
O.K., so we started the blog for information. Let’s get down to the nitty gritty. All this information is wonderful to know, but what can “I” do? I don’t have the money for an electric car, what possibly can I do to help cut back on oil consumption. Where in our average day do we consume gas? Anyone?
drving… is of course the number one consumption.
What about those who can’t or don’t want to get out of the car they are currently in. Let’s look at something a little less thought about. Where else do you use gas? Look in your garage. Let’s see, I have a hammer, a junk car that I swear I am going to fix someday, a lawnmower, a ladder, a workbench, a weed eater, and some garden tools.
Have you looked into an electric powered lawnmower? What about an electric Weed Eater? Sure, all the pros and cons say that the portability isn’t there. We need “FREEDOM” when we cut our grass. We don’t like to be attached to cords. Do you know that now you can get a lawnmower that is electric and is cordless? Besides, is having a cordless lawnmower something that ,we as Americans, is more important than money in our pocket? What is more important to you?
Gas powered Lawn mower Some of the nicer lawn mowers are the same price as the electric powered ones.
Some people are saying, if we buy an electric lawn mower will it help THAT much? In the times we live in, every gallon of gas saved means less consumption, which means WE control the demand, which means WE set the price.
Week after week it seems like more projects to produce electricity via wind are popping up. It’s a new fad, and tons of companies want to get in on the fun. Take the already mentioned Pickens’ Plan. He proposes a huge farm in Texas that will produce thousands of megawatts of power. Pickens also wants to push the percentage of wind power generation into the twenties, which is a tall order considering it is currently at about one percent. That shouldn’t be much of a detterent though because we have the capability (money) and the geography (the U.S. is considered the Saudia Arabia of wind power).
The problem
There is, however, an issue. Despite the fact that an annual U.S. Department of Energy report shows a 46% growth in wind energy in 2007, the renewable energy production tax credit (PTC) is set to expire at the end of 2008. This legislation provides major support for building new, more responsible ways to produce energy in this country, and it needs to be, funny as it may sound, renewed. That 46% growth broke records and with incentives to keep growing the industry it will keep breaking records, but there is also the potential that it could come to a screeching halt.
What to do
What is the endgame to all of this: To have a more efficient and responsible way of life. We are not talking about giving up the creature comforts that Americans are used to, although we may have to rethink the way some things are done. The bottom line is that there are many benefits to renewable, and the biggest of them may be that it hits you directly in the pocketbook–favorably. What should you do now? Go over to this American Wind Energy Association webpage where you can send a message to Congress telling them to renew the renewable PTC.
Afterthoughts
I’m a huge proponent of electrifying the fleet. Wind power, along with other sources of renewable energy generation, can take us a step in the right direction. There are two pressing things to think about (and discuss in another post):
1. What if you never again had to pay for fuel for your automobile? (I know it’s crazy, but we’ll talk about it)
2. The grid as it is may not be ready for all of the power we can send to it. (A big issue that we all need to help change)
