CarbonGage.org

Nissan Carwings

2008-06-23T22:27:00.004-04:00

The idea behind CarbonGage for Auto has taken hold in Japan. The Japanese government has awarded Nissan's Carwings Eco-drive navigation system program its Energy Conservation Prize. Eco-drive tracks fuel efficiency and charts personal performance, ranks the driver's performance against other Carwings members, gives tips on how to cut fuel consumption and then calculates how much money has been saved on gasoline over time. The system is currently offered only in Japan where it has been available since 2007. Carwings has an advantage in Japan due to the ability to use a nationwide database of real-time traffic conditions operated by the Japanese Transportation Ministry and police, however it can be reproduced here in the Americas, you just wait...

One Century Down, One to Go?

2008-03-28T00:09:00.007-04:00

John Hofmeister, President of Houston based Shell Oil Company, was featured on the Charlie Rose show two nights ago. With current gasoline prices reaching $4/gallon in the US, it was fascinating to hear his thoughts on the future for energy consumption.

At the current rate, the United States consumes roughly a "swimming pool" amount of oil every second. Furthermore, Mr. Hofmeister estimated that the natural global petroleum reserves will be depleted in less than a century. With the acceleration of growth in emerging countries (China, India, etc), this may even be a conservative estimate.

With Ford and GM celebrating 100 year anniversaries in the last several years, what does this say for their future?

Is the internal combustion engine over the hill? Will it be able to make the switch to efficient alternative energy? Moreover, what is the source? Hydrogen? Celluosic Ethanol? Ambient Energy?

How will automotive design change to meet the energy crisis needs of tomorrow? If you have a suggestion, you may want to sketch it out and post it on the updated Local Motors website.

On another note, MIT has an interesting article on a new chip co-developed by Texas Instruments that's power consumption is so low that devices may even be able to be recharged using the owner's body heat!

Detroit Electric

2008-03-17T16:29:00.005-04:00

Yesterday, I visited the observation deck of Rockefeller Center for the first time after living in NYC for six months. I was fascinated to learn about about John D. Rockefeller Jr. - his actions to erect the building during the depression, his teetotaler lifestyle, and his "Detroit Electric" car.

It appears that history is repeating itself - our economy is experiencing a recession and the "Detroit Electric" name and century-old design is now resurfacing. Although the Anderson Electric Car Company is extinct, the rights were purchased by a joint venture between Zap and China's Youngman Automotive Group. I am sure the new design will get more than 65 miles at 6-25 mph on a single charge as it did in 1917, however, I doubt it will be produced in Detroit this time.

Zap is based in Santa Rosa, California - a state that pushing stringent emissions regulations, has a booming local economy, and now holds a record number of startup car companies. Most of these startups are for specialty vehicles (Zap&Youngman - carriage car, Tesla - sports car, Fisker - sports car) , but as they capture traditionally unattractive portions of the market they will move upstream and may disrupt the larger automakers.

So what about Detroit? Their response? The companies? The economy? The future?

Are they too distracted with their own problems to respond? Will they cede their share to the new entrants? Will the electric motor disrupt the internal combustion engine? More to come...

A123

2008-03-07T18:08:00.007-05:00

It wasn't that long ago that I was exposed to the amazing potential of electric vehicles at Wrightspeed and Tesla - not just horsepower, but also energy efficiency. If you look at the internal combustion automobile as a system, the energy input is gas and the output is primarily kinetic energy (motion, friction, heat, sound). The loss is large, but in the past is was easier to tap and refine the source, oil.

In the next decade, I believe that electric vehicles will play a larger role in the automotive industry than they do today. The reality is that if you exclude the source of the electricity, the total loss in the electric automotive system is diminutive.

As companies (e.g. A123 systems) continue to improve their cell capacity, the rise of electric vehicles is increasing faster than we may expect. Companies that don't plan accordingly for these advanced powertrains may be lost in the dust. More importantly, regulation may force their hand into conformity or extinction.

Rain Power

2008-02-09T10:13:00.000-05:00

In posts last year, I detailed how solar energy is becoming more efficient and how an independent researcher is gathering energy from the wind in tiny increments for individual power sources. Now researchers at the CEA Leti-Minatec in Grenoble, France, have been able to capture energy from rain!

If used in conjunction with solar energy, rain energy can smooth out power generation in rainy/sunny regions. According to Discovery News, "as the drops hit the material, they create vibrations, which creates a charge. The electrodes recover the charge for use as power. Not surprisingly, the largest drops cause the biggest vibrations. The researchers found the system could scavenge 12 milliwatts from the largest drops and generate at least 1 microwatt of continuous power. "

If these systems are refined, rain energy can act as another method to remove our dependence from non-renewable sources.

Fuel Wars: E85 vs. Clean Diesel

2008-01-20T22:15:00.000-05:00

Believe it or not, at this stage E85 fuel (85% Ethanol) adoption for vehicles in the United States is a bit less promising than one may expect, whereas clean diesel is showing some serious promise. Not that the goal of complete energy independence isn't noble (at present the United States is importing around 70%), it may take a bit longer than we expect. One way to help, is to purchase vehicles that run on energy-efficient technologies - including the energy used in downstream growing and processing of the fuel (complete value chain).

Some of the challenges to E85 adoption include:
1.) Lower Fuel Efficiency - 20-25% less efficient on a per mile basis than gasoline
2.) Price Volatility - price would need to be below the price of gas and stable
3.) Infrastructure - less than 1% of gas stations carry E85
4.) Customer Concern - do you really want to fill up your vehicle with more fuel?
5.) Technology - investment in R&D for cellulosic ethanol is needed to ensure effective supply

Some of the advantages of Clean Diesel include:
1.) Higher Fuel Efficiency - 25-30% more efficient than gasoline
2.) Refines Easier - Requires less energy to process than gasoline
3.) Engine - Higher Compression Ratio, Unthrottled Lean-Burn Operation, Torque
4.) Emissions - 20-25% Less CO2 emissions than gasoline
5.) Infrastructure - Although the network is not as robust gas, 42% of the stations carry diesel

So before you make your next vehicle purchase, don't forget to consider clean diesel - the vehicle may be more expensive at the outset, but should pay off in four to five years. Until cellulosic ethanol technology matures, clean diesel may be the better choice. Just remember that it needs to be "clean" - many of the current diesels don't have after-treatment systems to also reduce Nitrogen Oxides (NOx) and Particulate Matter (PM).

Fuel Prices and Energy Use

2008-01-13T22:47:00.000-05:00

This week at CES, Ford unveiled a new feature in its navigation system on the upcoming Lincoln MKS. Using a downstream data path from Sirius, the unit will place current gas prices on the map display. Neat idea, but does it encourage more or less consumption of fuel?

In an earlier post, I mentioned our goal to tap the real-time fuel use data from the vehicle (through Onstar/SYNC) and pipe it into CarbonGage's online energy tracking system. Recently I have been working on a few ways to also display part of this data to the driver to affect behavior when he or she is behind the wheel. Most hybrid systems have a "current usage" display, but this system will go a step further by showing the monetary and environmental impact to the driver in real-time.

Carbon "Gauges" may take a few forms, but they should be easy to use and seamless to drivers.

1.) E-ink based stick on LCDs that refresh via Bluetooth/WiFi
2.) Existing vehicle display integration (use a return path)
3.) Other mobile devices (cell phones, etc.)

If you have any thoughts on modifying driving habits in real time, please respond in the comments sections below.

Is a Green Times Square Ball Enough?

2007-12-31T22:33:00.000-05:00

The new ball that will drop tonight in Times Square will be lit by 9,576 tiny LEDs and will only draw 10kW of energy (roughly the same as 10 toasters) when lit. Unfortunately, the remaining advertisements in Times Square are not yet that Green, and collectively they draw enough energy to power hundreds of homes.

When thinking about forming your New Year's resolutions for 2008, please don't forget about setting personal goals for energy reduction. Don't forget about using less gasoline, electricity and water - you can make a difference!

Happy New Year and may 2008 be a fantastic year!

Carbon is Posioning our Coral Reefs

2007-12-28T15:48:00.000-05:00

For those of you who have read my bio, you may already know that one of my catalysts to start CarbonGage was the destruction of our oceanic coral reefs. Ironically, as I was working for a global automotive company who's product mix primarily consisted of gas hogs (inefficient Trucks and SUVs), I moonlighted as an coral reef aquarist in my free time. Unfortunately, my custom three-room two-floor aquarium system was not very efficient with regard to electricity usage, however, it did provide an artificial replacement for many endangered species that are currently dwindling away in our coral reefs. Soon coral will only grow in artificial "labs" like these.

Earlier this month there was a study published in the Journal of Science that warned that our Coral Reefs will be extinct in less than fifty years! Our oceans are increasing in pH (acidity), linked to an increase in carbon emissions, a third of which is absorbed by water. Thus, global warming is not the only cause of coral death, as shown on the cover of Science (left), wherein coral polyps with exquisite coral pigments (pocilloporin) remain after bleaching of the southern Great Barrier Reef around Great Keppel Island (Wappaburra), a result of elevated sea temperatures in January 2006. During heat stress, the symbiosis between corals and dinoflagellates fails, leading to mass exodus of the brown plant-like symbionts from the tissues of the coral host.

The acidic damage will have dire socio–economic impacts, particularly in the Caribbean, where dive tourism alone is estimated to generate more than $100 billion a year. It doesn't help when people stress and touch the coral (primarily tourists on vacation and in local fisheries). At the end of this summer I got a chance to visit Saona Island in Dominica, and I was appalled by snorkelers touching the fragile coral and locals illegally "trapping" the reef fish.

According to the report, “Under–resourced and developing countries have the lowest capacity to respond to climate change, but many have tourism as their sole income earner and thus are at risk economically if their coral reefs deteriorate. For instance, tourism is a major foreign exchange earner in the Caribbean basin and in some countries accounts for up to half of the gross domestic product.”

It is time for us to make a difference by using less energy and focusing on reducing "dirty" fuel usage.

Green Holidays Are Happier Holidays!

2007-12-28T10:50:00.000-05:00

So what did you do with all that used wrapping paper from the holidays? Did you ball it up and throw it into a large trash bag? Did you give out those cookies on a disposable plastic tray?

I hope not!

First of all, when thinking about what to do with all of the used wrapping paper, follow these steps to recycle it:

Check that your local authority can accept wrapping paper (website, phone). Some organizations accept it as is, other communities will want it placed with the cardboard containers. The glossy materials that go into making certain types of wrapping paper result in it not always being accepted for recycling. I have personally observed shiny, reflective paper that is laminated over a silver surface, which was a clear indicator to place it in the non-recycled trash area.

Buy recycled wrapping paper - this paper is usually of a thickness and consistency which is perfect for further recycling after use. It can be found in many stores and the following online retailers:

Recycled Paper Supplies sell recycled wrapping paper
Recycled Products Gui de is a searchable directory of products made from recycled materials and contains over 1,000 products

Secondly, think twice about using disposable dishes for those holiday cookies. Reusable, ceramic or glass plates can make an excellent gift in addition to the cookies. Furthermore, they don't fill up our trash landfills!

Have a safe and happy holiday season!

GreenOrder and The Climate Group

2007-12-23T09:30:00.000-05:00

I met with representatives from GreenOrder and The Climate Group in the last two weeks. It was fascinating to hear about their business models and the services that they are providing to those residing in the city of New York and beyond.

What was more amazing was the sense of empowerment and appreciation that their employees feel about their work. They work hard because they are making a difference in our world, and it shows by the organizations and individuals they touch to help improve our environment.

As we begin to discuss ways to work together, I wanted to point out the importance of the rapidly growing green sector - not just for monetary gain - but for personal empowerment: Make a Difference!

When Mass Trans Fails to Reduce Energy

2007-12-13T18:49:00.000-05:00

First off, let me apologize for the delay in posting - I have been traveling a bit and bogged down with some extra work.

Actually, in my travels, I decided to use mass transportation to keep my carbon footprint down. I decided a low budget bus line that leaves New York City from Chinatown every hour - it is convenient and inexpensive. However, after four trips on this bus line in the last week, I have determined it is not at all "green." Part of that is due to a nearby rival, which has buses that leave at an identical schedule to the same city, and in certain hours they are grossly underutilized. Because they have a set schedule and usually at least one passenger shows up, they have to make the trip (even if they do lose money) to stay in business.

For example on my 4PM trip back to NYC, I found that I was only one of four people on the bus (excluding the driver)! If you assume that the bus holds fifty people, that means that it was 92% under capacity - as was the competing bus line beside it. Because bus emissions in peak traffic periods are much worse than a personal vehicle, I actually increased my carbon footprint and by giving money to the bus lines, encouraged their behavior.

According to a report by the Tyndall Centre, simply switching to using our current bus lines (mostly non-green versions) does not make a significant impact on our environment:

"Under current conditions the average emissions per bus passenger are not markedly better than those for car. This partly explains the small impact on emissions 2.9% for a 10.6% reduction in car use. Under scenario one most of the switching from car is to other modes including cycle and the resulting changes in emissions are greater, car use has now fallen by 19.2% and emissions by 16.4%. None of the households reach their targets under current or improved scenarios. Once efficiency and technological gains reduce emissions by 30% targets become more achievable."

So what can be done?
-Discourage use of underutilized bus lines, through regulation? That doesn't sound very capitalistic, but green tariffs are coming.
-Self-select to use mass transportation that is better utilized? -Read the report.
-Buy a bike? -Yes, biking is still a lot of fun!
-Walk. Yes, even if it is cold out - it takes a lot of energy to heat that car, just to drive you down the street to a mailbox.
-Fill up that car with people -you can then even split the gas costs.

Green Challenges and More Tips!

2007-12-06T15:20:00.000-05:00

So when I initially envisioned CarbonGage.org, I thought it would be great for its users to challenge one another by sharing their usage towards “green” competitions. Well, now it makes more sense to partner with a startup called CarbonRally. According to the site, “CarbonRally offers a series of carbon reducing challenges, such as not drinking bottled water, dumping shopping bags and leaving your car at home, whereby users can compete against others to become the most carbon friendly participant. Current users include Google’s offices in Boston and Pittsburgh who are openly aiming to beat one and other.” It is definitely worth checking out!

Have you ever wondered: is it out of convenience or habit that the styrofoam and paper cups that are used to hold our many drinks continue to dominate outside the home? Why don’t people simply bring a mug along with them?

According to True Green @ Work: 100 Ways You Can Make the Environment Your Business, “life cycle analysis shows that, over a mug's average service of 3,000 uses, the energy it takes to scrub it is the cause of 30 times less solid waste and 60 times less air pollution than the equivalent number of drinks from disposable paper or foam.” Just remember that those paper cups are using precious natural resources as well!

You may want to also use these tips (also provided by the book):

1.) Re-use paper - Recycled paper uses 90% less water and about half the energy needed to make paper from virgin timber. But since paper makes up about 70% of the waste in a typical office, you can also cut your purchasing costs and waste removal expenses while fighting pollution if you make a habit of using less and using it more than once.

2.) Whenever possible, use both sides - Keep a tray on your desk to collect any single-side printed scrap paper that comes your way and use it for taking notes or for making copies and sending faxes.
Before hitting the "print" button on your computer, proofread carefully to avoid having to print a document more than once.

3.) Sleep more - On any given workday, what with meetings, coffee breaks, lunch, and phone calls, there's probably at least one hour when you aren't looking at your computer screen, so why not let it take a little nap? Switching a computer to "sleep" mode cuts its energy consumption by 95%

4.) Shut it off - "The idea that leaving a computer on is more efficient than turning it off has become something of an urban myth," says True Green @ Work. The fact is, left on 24 hours a day every day, a computer uses nearly 1,000 kilowatts of electricity in a year, resulting in more than a ton of carbon emissions (not to mention an unnecessarily high bill from the power company).

5.) Buy a plant (or two) - A pot of live greenery (maybe a begonia, or a ficus tree) not only looks good, it acts as a natural air filter, absorbing airborne pollutants and computer radiation while replenishing oxygen levels and reducing stress (somehow).

6.) Telecommute - If your boss still balks at letting you work from home or keep flexible hours, you might mention this: U.S. drivers waste nearly 6 billion gallons of fuel each year sitting in rush-hour traffic jams, which accounts for nearly 60 million tons of greenhouse gases added to the atmosphere.

Paper or Plastic? Neither

2007-12-04T12:21:00.000-05:00

Two months ago, I purchased a small cart to help transport groceries home from the store. The cart is a fine enough mesh so I instantly stopped bothering with bags. For many of you who are rattled with the paper versus plastic decision now is your time to think outside the box!

The Natural Resources Defense Council recommends neither paper nor plastic. Plastic pollutes and floats toward the nearest tree branch, but 10 billion paper bags each year use about 14 million trees. The council suggests that if you can’t bring your own bag, the best choice is one you will, for sure, either reuse or recycle.

Plastic bags are far more trouble than you may think. Right now, up to 100 billion are used each year in this country, and they make bringing groceries home (especially in the rain) extremely easy. But they also choke wildlife, create litter and produce a large amount of waste for generations to come. It also takes 12 million barrels of oil to make a year’s supply!

The plastic bag, like the plastic water bottle, has plagued environmentalists for years but has only recently worried consumers. The way to correct the problem is to bring your own bag (or cart) with you!

When Higher Fuel Standards Aren't Enough

2007-12-01T10:39:00.000-05:00

Today Democrats in the House finally agreed on a bill to raise the fuel efficiency standards by 40% by 2020. High crude prices over the holiday helped spur the action, but in reality it was a deal with my hometown senator, John Dingell, that was the straw that broke the camels back. You have to understand that life around Detroit is in a perpetual state of retrogression - auto manufacturing is moving to the south and offshore, domestic sales are dropping due to poor customer perception, and new entrants are putting pressure of the existing paradigm with new technologies and improved business models (Local Motors). So John's history of fighting for Ford, General Motors, and Chrysler is starting to look like a losing battle if he doesn't side with reality - the D3 (aka dinosaur 3) is becoming extinct. As much as this pains me to say it, Detroit has imploded - consolidation is inevitable and will happen in my lifetime. As much as I would like to swoop in and save the economy, it is a battle I may not be able to win.

So why not create a JFK-like goal to shoot for the moon for fuel efficiency? Cannibalization of the existing paradigm. Hence the real reason we have separate standards for Trucks and Cars and the push towards fuels like ethanol - they are slower disruptors - saving local jobs and retaining the balance of power. Toyota is on board, as is Nissan and Honda - they are the winners at present. Unfortunately, new entrants are tearing up the mix, and they have states with deeper pockets to back them up in Congress. It is only a matter of time before the entire industry changes completely. While I applaud the incremental measure, I laugh at the magnitude - it is only raising the bar slightly.

In the long term, I am a firm believer that betting on green will only produce more green.

Efficient Glass

2007-11-28T00:39:00.000-05:00

Have you ever wondered what low-E glass can do for your home? Save a lot of energy by trapping heat for one. According to Wikipedia, Low-emissivity (Low-E) coatings are microscopically thin, virtually invisible, metal or metallic oxide layers deposited on a window or skylight glazing surface primarily to reduce the U-factor by suppressing radiative heat flow. Coating a glass surface with a low-emittance material reflects a significant amount of this radiant heat, thus lowering the total heat flow through the window.

I was digging though some photos this evening and realized that a year ago I stumbled into a natural greenhouse. This photo was taken near the headquarters of the Rocky Mountain Institute in Colorado, and I was amazed to see the effectiveness of the glass in person. When I entered the greenhouse the plants were doing quite well and the air was warm (although it was cold outside) - little did I know that the heat was turned off and the house was specially designed to save energy. It was a masterpiece and a true example of what can be attained with advances in sustainable design. Just remember to consider using low-e glass with windows that are facing the sun.

Reducing Carbon in Automotive Emissions

2007-11-26T23:34:00.000-05:00

I was struck this evening by a mysterious homemade filter used to reduce carbon emissions in automotive applications. The mysterious C.arbon R.educing E.xhaust A.paratus box uses standard 110V alternating current of electricity to reduce the carbon output (and hopefully NOx) by one-third. The prototype still has a long way to go in terms of durability, but it seems to validate the concept on an idling vehicle. More information should come soon, but in the meantime check out the following video:

Water Saving Tips

2007-11-24T23:19:00.000-05:00

Water conservation has become extremely important for world energy savings, even when living in areas where clean water seems abundant. Here are some quick tips to help you save water:

Never put water down the drain when there may be another use for it such as watering a plant or garden, or cleaning.
Verify that your home is leak-free, because many homes have hidden water leaks. Read your water meter before and after a two-hour period when no water is being used. If the meter does not read exactly the same, there is a leak.
Repair dripping faucets by replacing washers. If your faucet is dripping at the rate of one drop per second, you can expect to waste 2,700 gallons per year which will add to the cost of water and sewer utilities, or strain your septic system.
Check for toilet tank leaks by adding food coloring to the tank. If the toilet is leaking, color will appear within 30 minutes. Check the toilet for worn out, corroded or bent parts. Most replacement parts are inexpensive, readily available and easily installed. (Flush as soon as test is done, since food coloring may stain tank.)
Avoid flushing the toilet unnecessarily. Dispose of tissues, insects and other such waste in the trash rather than the toilet.
Take shorter showers. Replace you showerhead with an ultra-low-flow version. Some units are available that allow you to cut off the flow without adjusting the water temperature knobs.
Use the minimum amount of water needed for a bath by closing the drain first and filling the tub only 1/3 full. Stopper tub before turning water. The initial burst of cold water can be warmed by adding hot water later.
Don't let water run while shaving or washing your face. Brush your teeth first while waiting for water to get hot, then wash or shave after filling the basin.
Retrofit all wasteful household faucets by installing aerators with flow restrictors.
Operate automatic dishwashers and clothes washers only when they are fully loaded or properly set the water level for the size of load you are using.
When washing dishes by hand, fill one sink or basin with soapy water. Quickly rinse under a slow-moving stream from the faucet.
Store drinking water in the refrigerator rather than letting the tap run every time you want a cool glass of water.
Do not use running water to thaw meat or other frozen foods. Defrost food overnight in the refrigerator or by using the defrost setting on your microwave.
Kitchen sink disposals require lots of water to operate properly. Start a compost pile as an alternate method of disposing food waste instead of using a garbage disposal. Garbage disposals also can add 50% to the volume of solids in a septic tank which can lead to malfunctions and maintenance problems.
Consider installing an instant water heater on your kitchen sink so you don't have to let the water run while it heats up. This will reduce heating costs for your household.
Insulate your water pipes. You'll get hot water faster plus avoid wasting water while it heats up.
Never install a water-to-air heat pump or air-conditioning system. Air-to-air models are just as efficient and do not waste water.
Install water softening systems only when necessary. Save water and salt by running the minimum amount of regenerations necessary to maintain water softness. Turn softeners off while on vacation.
When adjusting water temperatures, instead of turning water flow up, try turning it down. If the water is too hot or cold, turn the offender down rather than increasing water flow to balance the temperatures.
If the toilet flush handle frequently sticks in the flush position, letting water run constantly, replace or adjust it.
Use a broom to clean off the sidewalk and driveway rather than using water from a garden hose.

Green Guzzlers and BioGasoline

2007-11-23T22:45:00.000-05:00

Recently the 2008 Chevy Hybrid-Tahoe won the Green Car of the Year Award, which is a bit ironic because: 1.) the model is actually an SUV and 2.) its fuel efficiency is estimated at 14mpg city and 20mpg highway! You wouldn’t think that this boat would get an award, but its two-mode hybrid system will make a dent on our nation’s carbon footprint. Almost a third of the cars sold are still large SUVs, and car companies are still lobbying for separate standards (fuel efficiency and emissions) for cars and SUVs. As long as these targets continue to put pressure on carmakers, you will see innovations with regard to alternative fuels (even diesel) and multi-mode hybrid technology.

Soon there will also be a new alternative to ethanol from Virent which takes biomass and converts it gasoline - biogasoline. Unlike ethanol though, biogasoline has the same energy content as gasoline. Virent produces water using a bioforming process, rather than consuming valuable water like cellulosic ethanol. Although biogasoline will be its initial focus, Its technology can also be used to produce biodiesel and bio jet fuel.

Turning that Turkey into Elecricity!

2007-11-22T15:45:00.000-05:00

For all of you who may want to work off that excess turkey you will be eating this evening, soon there will be a better way to turn that exercise into usable electricity! Although kinetic energy solutions have been created in the past, a company called Motion 2 Energy (M2E) has patented innovations that deliver 5-8x more power. Therefore, you can use channel the kinetic energy your body creates into electricity to power pretty powerful portable devices.

According to CleanTech.com, the system uses the Faraday Principle, where energy is produced by the motion of a magnet through a wire coil, such as in those flashlights that you shake to light up. The problem with those flashlights is that although you can generate electricity, you can't generate a lot of it. M2E says its system takes the Faraday Principle to the next level. "The materials are the same, it's a change in the magnets' orientations to each other, and that's what creates a shift in the lines of flux," said Rowe.

M2E is currently being developed to provide U.S. soldiers on the battlefield with continuously self-recharging power for mission-critical electronics. Future applications will include everything from cell phones to large-scale wind and ocean wave power generators, but are at least 24 to 36 months out.

Offset Your Flight

2007-11-21T17:37:00.000-05:00

Recently, I was asked to calculate the amount of jet fuel used on a 747 flight from NY to London to estimate its financial impact on revenue. The answer was that it was not cheap – an airline can spend upwards of $200,000 to fill up a tank with 57,285 gallons of fuel.

What does that mean for the environment? A lot of noise pollution and hydrocarbon emissions. So the logical solution would be to limit airline travel, right? But for many people, they view this as not being practical, so airlines have capitulated.

A friend recently sent me this blub about Virgin Alantic’s new marketing strategy:
“Virgin Atlantic Airways is launching a carbon-offset program, allowing passengers to pay a calculated amount toward renewable-energy and energy-efficient projects. The airline has calculated how much carbon dioxide is produced by each of its flights and how much is produced per passenger, taking into account factors such as the heavier seats in premium cabins. So a coach traveler flying from London to New York, for example, would pay £11.98 ($24.57), while one in "premium economy" would pay £13.41.”

When you pay a premium, the actual goes to renewable-energy projects in India and in Indonesia through the Swiss charity: MyClimate. I suppose it is better than nothing, but I would prefer a mechanical and chemical solution to minimize emissions (the equivalent to a catalytic converter in an automobile). Furthermore, the need for stricter standards for airlines is critical to forcing a difference in design (look at what California has done for automobiles).

Monitoring Ocean Obliteration

2007-11-20T20:22:00.000-05:00

My last time visiting the Florida Keys was approximately four years ago this week – a time I will never forget. I witnessed firsthand the near obliteration of the coral reefs surrounding the keys and the destruction of mangroves around most of the state. For those of you that know me well, also know how much this breaks my heart.

Our oceans are in trouble - the sea level is increasing, the ambient temperature is increasing, the salinity and acidity is changing, they are overfished, and ultimately, their ability to act as massive carbon sinks is vanishing. If only there was real-time accurate data on the state of our oceans, save for the pioneering work of researchers and activists, we may be able to pinpoint problem areas before they die completely off.

Rejoice! A fundamental shift in data collection is about to occur - the Argo Program has just completed laying out their network of 3,000 robotic sensors! The robotic floats are dispersed internationally in the oceans and will drift over a period of 10 days, submerging themselves at a depth of 1000m and finally to 2000m before they ascend and transmit their data to a satellite, after which they will repeat the process. It reminds me a bit of the GPS sensors that were attached to real white sharks by Microwave Telemetry to provide real-time data for the Discovery Channel’s SharkRunners game. Ultimately, the program hopes to gather over 100,000 data transmissions annually and report on the climate state of the oceans!

While these robots won’t directly fix the problems our oceans are facing, they should help to kickstart diagnosis and raise public awareness. One potential fix is the establishment of comprehensive marine reserves all over the world, protecting vulnerable species and habitats, enhancing fisheries beyond the reserve boundaries, and buffering the worst impacts of climate change. Marine reserves are the single most powerful tool available for arresting and reversing the decline of our oceans and are equally applicable to the high seas as they are to coastal waters. The oceans have immense powers of regeneration and wherever in the world marine reserves have been established marine life is flourishing.

To educate yourself on the species footprint of the oceans, please take the following quiz by worldwatch.org.

Water & Hydroelectric Power

2007-11-19T17:22:00.000-05:00

Growing up near the Great Lakes, it is hard for me to picture water as one of the scarcest natural resources. The reality is that many experts predict that there will be a world water crisis before we reach our limits with energy use. More than one billion people still lack access to clean water and this figure is increasing! In the map on the left, areas are shaded according to the local population's access to clean water.

I can remember grumbling of those opposed to creating a pipeline to divert fresh water from the Great Lakes to those in need, and although that didn’t happen, many corporations decided to bottle it instead. With Michigan in a poor economic condition, I wouldn’t be surprised if more of the fresh water was packaged and sold to those in need, but unfortunately that won’t correct the problem. According to the Pacific Institute for Studies in Development, Environment and Security, in Africa and the Middle East there are several nations where less than 25% of the population has access to clean water.

Why is water in such short supply? Population density certainly causes complications, but in many cases issues are related to scant natural resources – water takes energy to processed, whether that is through desalination or special treatment, and many countries are too poor to meet that need for everyone. When more efficient power and treatment technologies are developed, people will be able to increase access. One example is solar powered water desalinization mini-plants another is the human powered ground water pumps that were mentioned in a previous post. A technology that usually doesn't exist near areas where there is a shortage is hydroelectric power.

I went to school on the grounds of Henry Ford’s old estate, Fairlane, and it always fascinated me to see Thomas Edison’s custom built hydroelectric power plant for the home. Running off turbines pushed by the Rouge River, the system generated enough electricity to power the entire village of Dearborn. The promise of cheap power encouraged Ford to build a plant on the Mississippi River (Twin-Cities) in 1917, and the technology is gaining in popularity for powering sever farms (data centers).

What I missed from yesterdays entry is that datacenters are increasingly placed in areas of Oregon to make use of cheap, renewable hydroelectric power.

Data Centers and Solar Power

2007-11-18T15:21:00.000-05:00

I can remember building my first water-cooled computer prototype – I coiled excess copper tubing through two processors and poured in ice water through a funnel. I had my custom video editing workstation in my room and I couldn't stand the noise and inefficiency of air cooling. After twenty revisions and at least one major flood, I finally got a system that was quiet, efficient, and cost-effective. Water cooling is both more efficient than air cooling and can handle higher heat loads, simply because water is far more conductive of heat and has much higher thermal mass than air. It's been slow to catch on because administrators are paranoid about leaks (as I have learned the hard way, water and electronics certainly don't mix well), but systems are available now that have been proven reliable.

When you think about the larger server farms (data centers) at companies like Amazon and Google, you are talking about distributed computing on a massive scale. In the world's most power-hungry server farms, each square meter of electronics can consume as much electricity as six medium-sized homes, and keeping it all at optimum temperature can add up to more than 60% of the bill.

It's estimated that server farms consume 1.5% of all the energy in the U.S., that's 1.5 quadrillion BTUs every year, or the equivalent of 268 million barrels of oil or $26.8B annually. One of the best ways to save money in the IT department is to invest in efficient greener technology (virtualization, water cooling, adaptive processors, etc), which runs cooler and consumes less power. Note that the key word here is efficient! As a parallel stop-gap measure, many corporations have decided to invest in renewable energy sources to help with power generation. For example, Google’s commitment to solar energy is demonstrated by its dedicated panels for its server farms and investment in Nanosolar. Nanosolar’s cells use no silicon, and the company’s printing press-like manufacturing process allows it to create cells that are as efficient as most commercial cells for as little as 30 cents a watt!

According to an article at WorldChanging, Dave Ohara, writing for Microsoft TechNet, lists ten qualities of efficient data centers:

Meters are used to break down energy usage to the level of components (such as a 2U server, a 4U server, a switch, a SAN, and a UPS) and which business units are charged for the power being used by those components.
Energy usage is continuously monitored to determine peak and low energy demands
Energy capacities are monitored on a total datacenter level all the way down to circuits to make sure all circuits are within acceptable limits.
The energy savings plan is documented and rewarded.
The energy savings plan is reviewed regularly and corrective action is taken to address failures.
Determining how costs are charged back to business units is used to shape behavior, encouraging energy savings among independent business units. This point must be driven at the executive level.
CPU throttling is enabled on the servers, and the performance lab measures the range of power consumed under a variety of loads.
Thermal profiling is used to identify hot spots and overcooling.
IT performance engineering includes energy efficiency measurements.
Feedback of live data is available to individual organizations, allowing them to react appropriately.

He also points out that newer server software often has power-throttling capability, which alone can provide significant benefits: "Windows Server [2008] with default energy savings enabled could reduce consumption by up to 20 percent" in some systems, he claims."

Holiday Lights: from Hell?

2007-11-17T19:06:00.000-05:00

I have so much to share; it is difficult to know just where to start. When I miss a day of blogging, it knocks me off balance so I have to make up for it with two entries. The first will focus on a holiday trend that is usually abused: decorative holiday lights. As I was running this morning I couldn't help but notice new holiday lights that are being put up as Christmas decorations along the Hudson River. Soon, many communities will be having “lighting ceremonies” for community decorations and you will see multicolored lights on every street (on houses, in the window, on poles, in trees, etc) . There is always one person that goes a bit overboard to show off their "holiday spirit." But before custom programming your 35,000 holiday lights to synchronize with David Hasselhoff's The Night Before Christmas album, think about moderation.

Before putting up your decorations this year, just remember these tips:

1.) LED lights use less than 1/2W per bulb - up to 10 times less than traditional incandescent bulbs. When possible, make sure your lights are these new kind.

2.) Rope lights use up a lot of energy, typically 5.5W per foot, this is equivalent to the use of up to 25 feet of typical mini-lights.

3.) Make the lights dance or blink, the oscillation helps reduce the total energy use.

4.) USE A TIMER!!! Your lights don't need to be on all night, nor do they need to function during the day. You will be just as popular if your lights turn off at 10PM, versus leaving them on all night (the skunks don't usually stop to admire the lights at 4am).