Pulse: Notes on Soft Energy Use

Almost as smart as termites

2011-11-24T10:00:00.001-05:00

We know that ground-nesting termites can build mounds where the temperature and humidity remain moderate year round (a concept that has drawn the attention of architects in recent years). But, for whatever reason, humans don't typically pay much attention to natural heating and cooling in their building design and construction—a fact that leads to an enormous amount of energy consumption so that

Inside the Evacuation Zone at Fukushima

2011-09-06T14:31:00.001-04:00

Former Shooto heavyweight champion Enson Inoue took a bold journey into the evacuation zone at Fukushima and offered some candid revelations on the state of affairs in and around the disabled nuclear plant. Anyone who thinks the situation is firmly under control should look and listen and perhaps reconsider the situation. MMA Fighting also interviewed Inoue, who offered additional details about

Irrational DIsdain for Electric Vehicles

2011-08-14T13:22:00.001-04:00

The mainstream media holds sway over much of public opinion and messages repeated over and over seem to become the reigning paradigm, engrained deeply into most everyone's consciousness. As Steve Harvey points out in The EV-haters guide to hating electric cars, the list of fallacies that are promoted in this way is long and continuous. An example Harvey provides is the typical EV-hater calling

Reflections of a Nuclear Power Engineer

2011-06-14T20:05:00.001-04:00

In this article, reposted on CommonDreams.org, a nuclear engineer talks about his disenchantment with nuclear power because of safety issues and offers an insider view of inherent problems. He offers an interesting assessment of the probability and risk associated with nuclear plant operation:He illustrates this by comparing driving on the Italian highway, the Autostrada, with running a nuclear

Solar-powered aircraft spends 12 hours aloft, consumes no fuel

2011-05-16T10:44:00.001-04:00

It only flies at 30 mph, but what it lacks in speed it makes up in efficiency. This aircraft from Solar Impulse, designed to demonstrate the potential of renewable energy, stayed aloft for 12 hours 59 minutes without consuming a single drop of avgas. This article by Gizmag notes: Solar Impulse is an astonishing feat of engineering. It has a wingspan of over 200 feet (61 m) yet it weighs only 1600

Three-wheeled ZAP Alias classified as a motorcycle

2011-05-04T07:21:00.001-04:00

Federal certification for the ZAP Alias was simplified by the three-wheel design, which means that it only had to meet certification standards for a motorcycle rather than more stringent automobile requirements. ZAP, headquartered in Santa Rosa, CA, recently acquired a majority share in Zhejiang Jonway Automobile Co. Ltd. in China, where the Alias will be manufactured. The first deliveries of the

Houston embraces renewable energy

2011-04-09T11:04:00.001-04:00

Houston serves as an excellent model for moving away from fossil fuels and nuclear power to a genuinely clean, infinitely renewable approach to meeting a major city's energy needs.

Designers find ways to tap wind power almost anywhere

2011-03-04T10:11:00.001-05:00

A gizmag post, Power Flowers to domesticate wind turbines, explores the potential of the product of a Dutch design house, Nl Architects, to tap wind power closer to where it is needed. While most of us will offer strong vocal backing for the construction of wind farms, that can soon change if someone suggests building one nearby. As a result, the tri-blade towers get exiled to the middle of

Smart meters encounter resistance in CA

2011-02-11T09:03:00.001-05:00

Smarten up, people, urges a post in The TerraPass Footprint. Numerous consumers are balking at the smart meter installations the California utility, PG&E, is rolling out across the state. Privacy and electromagnetic sensitivity are two of the issues being cited by consumers. If a significant proportion of utility customers choose to opt-out, the value of the entire program—which can provide

Why buy an electric vehicle? Consumers speak out . . .

2011-01-03T07:55:00.001-05:00

With a growing number of electric vehicles (EVs) reaching the market, consumer preferences are being scrutinized in a serious way. A recent Web survey conducted by ZPryme Research and Consulting—as discussed in a Gizmag article—revealed what it might take to lure a future car buyer away from a fossil-fueled macine to an EV. As might be expected, range and charging time were key concerns: Within

A city powered by waste

2010-12-11T10:36:00.001-05:00

Kristianstad, Sweden is setting an example for the rest of the world, as highlighted in this NY Times article, Using Waste, Swedish City Cuts Its Fossil Fuel Use. After a ten-year effort, the city of 80,000 has cut off the use of oil, natural gas, and coal for heating and now relies on waste products from farming and food processing to generate biogas. hulking 10-year-old plant on the

Triac is not Tesla, but it's not meant to be

2010-11-30T07:04:00.001-05:00

Tesla may have the celebrity cachet and media spotlight, but the humble, three-wheeled Triac is clearly the more practical choice for a "Green Core" consumer looking for a $25,000, all-electric vehicle with an honest 100-mile range. In a siliconvalley.com article, Mike Ryan, president of the firm based in Salinas, CA that produces the Triac, says that the car is aimed at people who have a more

Sahara Solar Breeder Project to turn sand to solar cells to electricity

2010-11-25T08:26:00.001-05:00

An ambitious project sponsored by universities in Janpan and Algeria seeks to accelerate the production of energy from solar cell technology using silica and sunlight from the Sahara Desert. The objective is to first extract silica from the sand to create solar panels and then combine the panels to make solar power plants in the same geographic area. The plants would be used to power additional

Climate change deniers take over the House

2010-11-17T06:32:00.001-05:00

Hopenhagen Originally uploaded by Bjørn GiesenbauerElizabeth Kolbert's Field Notes from a Catastrophe tackled the challenge of global warming as a first-person observer, traveling around the world to witness the changes in places where they are most severe. Now, writing for The New Yorker in Uncomfortable Climate, she takes a hard look at the current crop of deniers entering the US House of

Nicaragua adopts aggressive renewable energy targets

2010-11-07T14:20:00.001-05:00

La Vieja Managua (Nicaragua) Originally uploaded by denetsnuffNicaragua is setting aggressive targets to replace fossil fuel use with renewable fuels, as discussed in this Renewable Energy Magazine article. Under a plan announced by Emilio Rappaccioli, the Nicaraguan Minister of Energy and Mines, on October 29th, the goal is to increase the use of renewables to 94 percent by 2017 and to be at the

Solar power creates electric grid challenges in Germany

2010-10-21T11:56:00.001-04:00

The accelerating adoption of solar panels in Germany looks like a case of too much of a good thing. The antiquated power grid across the country is having trouble coping with the fluctuations resulting from feed-ins from photovoltaic systems and wind turbines.As reported in this UPI.com news story:Experts have long called for an overhaul of the European power grid to integrate the fluctuating

Mini Goes Electric

2010-09-23T16:59:00.001-04:00

Another automobile manufacturer, Mini, dips its cast aluminum toe into the electric vehicle market, but this type it's scooter prototypes that appeared at the Paris Motor Show, rather than cars, as profiled by Wired magazine. Details are scarce. It has an electric motor. You plug it in. But, the prototypes recall classic Italian scooters and Mods versus Rockers schtick. There are three “

Saab Goes Electric

2010-09-19T12:54:00.001-04:00

From borderline extinction to a surprising renaissance under the Dutch firm Spyker, Saab may still have some innovative ideas left in its automotive bag of tricks. The company has unveiled its first electric car, an introduction which should help keep alive its reputation as an idiosyncratic but forward-looking auto manufacturer, as reported by AllCarsElectric. Mats Fägerhag, Executive Director

Real-world road test: life with a plug-in Prius

2010-09-09T10:05:00.001-04:00

Adam Vaughan puts the new plug-in Prius through its paces in London and its outskirts and discovers that the vehicle is reasonably practical. But clearly more charging points are needed for this type of vehicle. Even in the mighty metropolis of London there are far too few. Plugged in via the leads in the boot, the electric battery was topped up for free in an hour and a half. While Westfield’s

Life Cycle Analysis: Electric Vehicles

2010-08-31T11:11:00.001-04:00

A recent Gizmag article summarized the findings of a life cycle assessment of the lithium-ion batteries often used in electric vehicles. Scientists from the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Testing and Research tracked the environmental footprint of Li-ion batteries, including the charging cycle when tied to a typical European electricity mix, with generally positive findings. The study

Kia set to introduce electric vehicle

2010-08-22T07:18:00.001-04:00

The Kia Electric POP (highlighted by Fast Company) hints at the future of electric vehicle design. The tiny three-seater will be on display in October at the Paris auto show. Bring sun glasses.

Let there be light (and heat)

2010-08-08T13:19:00.001-04:00

A new process developed by Stanford engineers--photon-enhanced thermionic emission (PETE, for short)--promises to boost solar power considerably, bringing it within a range to compete with oil. "This is really a conceptual breakthrough, a new energy conversion process, not just a new material or a slightly different tweak," said Nick Melosh, an assistant professor of materials science and

RMI's Reinventing Fire initiative launched

2010-06-15T11:13:00.001-04:00

If the catastrophe in the Gulf of Mexico makes you want to help move the U.S. to a more sane approach to meeting energy requirements, consider the path that the Rocky Mountain Institute has devised to reshape our thinking and our national priorities on energy issues.

String rail: a low-cost rail alternative?

2010-06-06T07:55:00.001-04:00

String rail, a promising, inexpensive alternative to conventional rail systems profiled by Gizmag, might be a genuine breakthrough in comparion with other forms of high-speed mass transit. With costs estimated to be anywhere from three to 10 less expensive than approaches such as railway or monorail, string rail—originally prototyped by Anatoly Unitsky in Russia—is projected to support top speeds

Reacting to the Gulf of Mexico Disaster

2010-05-27T15:54:00.001-04:00

Even the early NASA photos etched a chilling picture of the scope of the British Petroleum oil spill. The scale of environmental damage is incalculable and even though the outpouring of oil and gas appears to have been at least temporarily stopped, the true cost of this mega-accident won't be known for decades. The sane response, and the one presented by Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, is to