We are going South » Energy

Ford's Green Car

admin — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 05:21:38 +0000

Applause to the Ford Motor Company for continuing to research alternative fuels for our automobiles. They are exploring new technology where one would plug in their car into a normal 110 volt outlet and within 5 hours have their car charged up and ready to go. Its pleasant to know that even in these tough times, a company as large as Ford with so much to lose is moving forward with what we really need. Find the FordStory and you will see what I am talking about. They are taking the energy from the brakes, it kinetic energy and using that to charge the battery. How exciting! Of course the challenge it as we all know is the cost of the batteries and their lifespan. They were getting over 70 miles to the gallon. Its just unheard of. This is the kind of forward progress we need. We should rally everyone to be the first to put such a product on the market to the let the world know that the USA is still on the map. Just think of the friends we could earn with Green power and for others, let them eat crow when they see we are more than a defensive superpower. Instead, we are an educational superpower who knows how to put green technology in the hands of everyone!

Homes of the Future

admin — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 16:38:30 +0000

I realize that endorse the WSJ all the time, but who else in major media are endorsing renewable energy as they do or even at the extent they do. How about taking the majority of the back section of the paper? In today’s Journal Record, Alex Frangos reports how architects would create a green home with sustainable energy efficiency. Some are starting to use led tube light in new and remodels in order to gain better energy use.You absolutely must look at the Energy section to see the fantastic ideas that were created. Of course I am biased, but all three plans published in the paper make use of both wind and solar power. The argument that underlies their creativity is a challenge to all of us because we must redefine just what home is, what it looks like, how we live etc. We built major sub divided neighborhoods in the hey day for simple bedroom communities with little to no upkeep so we could focus on what is important; our careers. We drank from the trough of careerism and materialism, commuted back home slept and did some more. In fact, the suburb was just a bigger condo or apartment. Well, now that we realize that material growth cannot sustain itself and we still have those bills and mortgages its time to step up and create a house that makes sense for these times.

William McDonough created a home like a tree. What he has created is a new way of using solar. Instead of the panels, the PV would be woven into the fabric of the exterior. The article goes in more depth, but suffice it to say, Mr McDonough is meeting the challenge of the aesthetically poor solar power panels. They are ugly but they do not have to be. He goes on to show how better roof lines are in order, creating a habitat and garden plus using car batteries to capture solar energy which could also put power to the homes grid.

I thank the WSJ for again bringing to the forefront of what must be accepted; we are in new times and we must rethink the way we live and build a home!

Energy Stimulus

admin — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 17:15:01 +0000

Well, in our new economy running at least the government has set aside some money to further our energy policy. Just how that will shake out is any-one’s guess, but we will see. The WSJ showed a nice graph today outlining the money allocated for the policy. I appreciate the fact that 5.5 billion will be sued in Transmission infrastructure for renewable energy. This is critical if we are encourage municipalities to invest in wind or solar because this power will need somewhere to go and often they or the investor is on the hook to create sub stations where power generates say from wind turbines is then put onto the grid. Not cheap! One element that caught my eye in the articles was 2.3 billion in battery research. Now we are talking! Do you realize that the technology for most camcorders is still in play today but because we have smaller batteries, we can create smaller and more usable cameras. We could create more back up solar systems if we had the battery storage to keep all that power. The sun has not changed. The batteries have and that is where research needs to be. I like that number 2.3 billion. Finally,20 billion in tax credits. Ok, now we are talking real money and real initiative to give the end user/ buyer a reason to invest in solar and wind as well as for utility districts to get involved.

Ford's Solar Power

admin — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 05:51:30 +0000

Now I see that even car dealerships can get involved. The FordStory site explains how Sunrise Ford in Florida has put on over 100 solar cells on their roof to trap the suns energy and power the huge dealership. They have an ongoing monitor display to show just how much power they are producing. Even the cells themselves are from 75% recycled goods! Sometimes its hard to think a car dealer would ever have anything but sales on their mind. However, these guys have taken the initiative to show what they can do for the environment. The video clip goes on to show how the recycle the huge amounts of paper and the plastic cups everyday. Its stories like these that we need to here. We all need a break from the news and see that the world is still moving no matter how the Dow closed today or which bank failed. It is still up to each one of us to take the initiative to create work and to create a better more Green workplace. Wow, good for Ford. Not only are they not taking the stimulus money, they are also moving forward with technology that will truly separate them from all the other car makers that will soon mire in the mud!

Power Plants

admin — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 19:24:20 +0000

One must take into account when building a gas powered power plant, the amount of water needed to create and steam and for cooling. Rebecca Smith had another great article in the WSJ today. She discovered that a megawatt of power generated by wind turbines can save 200-600 gallons of water as compared to gas fired power. This can be huge for dry areas in Washington, Colorado, Nevada and the article goes into state line issues where one could be taking a resource from another state. So in the last post that discussed the fact that gas fired is cheaper than clean coal and nuclear, it is because the water is so cheap or is it? Don’t forget that Nuclear power does demand more water than the gas fired plant too. Wind turbines and solar is the future of our country and we need to take into account the whole picture and not just dollars and cents. Perhaps we need a balance approach where we use all resources. I guess that is why I do not make the big bucks at the DOE! Perhaps we could all use a little less in our natural resources going forward, perhaps we could all make a difference and take notice of the power and water we use at home.

Flying Car

admin — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 05:23:30 +0000

With all my reports on renewable energy, going green and finding new ways to do more with less, I now find a flying car report. Could it be? The Transition “roadible aircraft” seems like a very cool idea but how will help anyone out? Would you not still have to post a flight plan to the FFA? How could you still find convience or does that really matter. Is this is just a way to be cool? At the tune of around 195k, you will stand out. However that may be, I still applaud these guys for thinking outside of the box. Now we just need to know its safety and usefulness. I will have to ponder on this one for a few days.