| F R E E A I R E a "cool" nobrainer energysaver! |
[Oct. 25th, 2007|07:30 am] |
Free Commercial Refrigeration From Now Until March!!
[yah it’s a rehash, but then again its getting on that time of year]
Today, in 21+ States and all across Canada there are two things you can be certain of; one, no matter how tasty it looks, do not lick any metal outside! And two, across these 21 states 9 provinces and two territories, there are countless walk-in refrigerators (corner stores, beer stores, restaurants, butcher shops, grocery stores…) and no matter that it’s colder outside than a witches… almost each and every one of these walk-ins is using an insane amount of energy (2-3KwH to ‘frigerate’ the air and keep everything cool & fresh. I say ‘almost’ because there are some—the few, the brave in Vermont, Ontario, Mass, NH and TX(!) who have already gotten hooked up with the BRILLIANT FreeAire. And this one is really a no-brainer.
See, as the tradition goes, walk-in fridges are built inside the buildings, which are heated all winter long. So the temperature inside the walk in has to be cooled down around 21°c. So what Richard Travis invented in Vermont years ago, is a series of ducts and sensors that allow the air conditioning to stop the moment the temperature outside dips below a preset minimum, and instead intakes cool outdoor air. I mean seriously, how much of a no-brainer is this one? Here, let’s look at the AC costs for a small Mom & Pop shop in New England:
…and this is what it costs after installing FreeAire:
And look at that payback! Its not too tough to sell an innovation when it amortizes in 1.5 Years. And if it’s truly 1.5 lbs of CO2 for every KWh we generate, then the little unit illustrated above will save roughly 20 Tons of CO2 from being emitted each year (and imagine just how many walk-ins there are)! This is what some would call a triple win win win (and yes I have mentioned this before and I thought others would have blabbed about it, but I figure its cold outside, the silliness is still going on, and plus I’m stoked that someone in my own hometown is now selling them, woo hoo! |
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| don't shoot the messenger |
[Apr. 28th, 2006|05:45 am] |
I know there's a love-in going on right now with every planet conscious person (or planetary-waking anyway) and the C.F.L. And sure, they use less energy than incandescents and are more efficient on a day-to-day basis. But I have a few questions, and only because I see CFLs becoming the panacea that paper recycling was just a few years ago. And it makes me wonder two things 1) has anyone seen a life-cycle analysis for CFLs? I mean how much energy it takes to make one, and of course how much energy is required to treat them once they have burnt out? And 2) has anyone considered what we will do with all that mercury? I mean if there are say, 1.5 Bn tungsten incandescents in North America right now, and we replace 1/2 with CFLs, so in 8 years what are we going to do with 750 Million mercury bulbs? I heard that only 13% of fluorescent bulbs get recycled and out of that something like 4% are CFL. Now surely, in the next few years we will figure out what to do with them. Right? Are we forcing GEcommage to deal with it? Osram Sylvania? What will this look like in a few years??
That's why I like LEDs! |
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| Story du Jour |
[Apr. 21st, 2006|04:16 am] |
microreactors make biodiesel on the fly...
This creditcard-sized microreactor, invented by OSU's Goran Jovanovic, will one day be making biodiesel as easily as milking a cow. In the world of Biodiesel, they have taken portability, speed, and efficiency to a new zenith. Like going from the ENIAC to an AlienWare. And it being EarthDay/Week/Month (really what day of the year isn't Earth day??), and what with Eco-info being the hot info of the moment (hopefully something that can sustain), and everybody* having a love-in with BioDiesel, you can see why this story, which actually broke a week ago in Oregon, has been spreading like wildfire lately.
I *asterixed "everybody loves biodiesel" up there because that's a little over the top, not "everybody loves biodiesel" (and I'm not even talking about Lee "What's for Dessert" Raymond here), we think it's clean. And if we make the biodiesel out of a new crop, like hemp grown on the side of highways, it can cycle it's carbon. But the reality is that BioDiesel emits carbon dioxide just like regular-unleaded, or nonbiodiesel. It also emits Nitrous Oxide (and that's no laughing matter. well it is, it's a gas really, but not when emmitted into the atmosphere). There's other particulates it emits. Its cleaner than DinoDiesel, that's for sure, but panacea? Nyet. I guess in some ways, it's the best that we can get at the moment. I mean you can convert a car to 100% electric and use it as a city car only. But for the open road, unless you wanna be a wayhardcore rebel and DIY maniac (and take your sweet time electrolyzing on the road), this is it.
And in that respect these microreactors are pretty cool. Also cool is the whole concept. Each card only processes a small amount of BioDiesel. But you can stack them so you would have something the size of a PC tower with thousands of them and that way, one can process a substantial amount of veggie-fuel! Dr. Jovanovic says that in the future we will be using these micro reactors for a variety of different purposes, so expect to be seeing a lot more of these gold cards around in the future. The good clean positive evolved future! |
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| fuck fuel cells.... |
[Apr. 15th, 2006|12:46 pm] |
Seriously, why wait forever for a fuel cell, when there are
Hydrogen I.C.E. vehicles running fine, working fine and rocking it out??
 
ok that's a MiniCooper Internal Hydrogen Combustion Vehicle, and that's a
straight Hydrogen filling station. Notice no mushroom clouds?
OK, check out this article from Canadian Driver, from 18 months ago(!!) where they talk about BMW's Hydrogen-ICE cars (been running for half a decade, no hindenburgs), now that hot MiniCooper, and even about how they have been filling up at the Munich Airport for years no (again, with no hindenbergs). In fact they say; " Any gasoline engine can theoretically be adapted to use hydrogen fuel and provide the various benefits offered by the gas in the type of vehicles we're already driving." And it's true. It's about as easy to convert your car to run on hydrogen as it is to turn a diesel into a biodiesel (which is WAY easy). So what are we waiting for? There are solar powered electroliyzers EVERYWHERE! And it's just that easy. We could all be driving on a brew we make in our basements, who's exhaust is water. So maybe instead of swapping one hundred year old system (ICE Engines) for another hundred year old system (fuel cells, i mean you didn't think they were new, did you?) instead of that overhaul, why not just upgrade??. Fuel Cell Vehicles and their drive trains will take a lot longer to implement than converting all of our vehicles (yes even those stupid SUVs --which wouldn't be that bad if they burnt water...) So seriously, what do we have to do to get people to wake up and smell the hydrogen? |
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| invert this! |
[Mar. 30th, 2006|01:23 pm] |
shooting down the white elephants one at a time...
OK so you wanna go solar, and you already understand that solar panels are more expensive than batteries. But the bitter surprise may be that the Inverter will cost you about as much as your panels(!) That has traditionally been the case... but now, according to PhysOrg Magazine, Cuauhtemoc Rodriguez, a PhD student at the University of Cambridge, has come up with a new generation of cheaper and smaller inverters for solar panels which can be plugged into standard electricity sockets. No wonder he's the Millennium Prize winner! He deserves two for that! |
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| ExPan's unnoficial eco film festival #8 |
[Feb. 24th, 2006|08:39 pm] |
Dennis' GoogleEarth tutorial movie
...in keeping with the theme, here's something both interactive and edutaining! Web guru and DIY self-helper Dennis Daniels has a quick and easy GoogleEarth tutorial for y'all. Sure you've heard all about it, but do you use it yet? If not, no longer any need to be afraid, just click and learn.... |
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| Hat Trick! |
[Feb. 13th, 2006|07:52 pm] |
Millennium Cell scores a triple crown!
Wow! Things change fast, but not usually as fast as they have been lately over at Millennium Cell. They've had quite the month! It all began a few weeks ago when they got $1.7M from the 2006 Defense Appropriations Bill for their Protonex 30-watt portable soldier power systems (P2), and their now famous Hydrogen on Demand® systems.
Then late last week Millennium entered into a strategic development and licensing agreement with Jadoo Power Systems Inc (you may remember I was gushing about Jadoo's new camera Fuel Cells just before the CES show in Las Vegas). Focused primarily on the professional broadcast and law enforcement markets* for the past two years, Jadoo recently announced a move into such new markets as first responders and portable office users. The agreement will grant Jadoo the rights to design, manufacture and sell products using Millennium Cell's technology for their targeted markets. The Millennium Cell Hydrogen on Demand® technology will provide Jadoo with a high energy density, safe and cost-effective fuel cartridge to complement their existing fuel cell power units. "We have been selling one of the lowest cost fuel cell solutions in the market - around $1000 - for over two years now," said Larry Bawden, President and CEO, Jadoo Power. "Millennium Cell's technology will allow us to provide a lighter, longer runtime option for our current products and will allow us to continue to pursue and dominate new markets".
Then to make matters better, they made another announcement today! It turns out that Protonex Technology Corporation, a fuel cell supplier and existing licensee in the military market, has exercised its option to license Millennium Cell's Hydrogen on Demand® technology for industrial and medical markets. Protonex was involved with the P2, and again in a Swords to Plowshares move they are forging ahead in more civilian arenas. As Scott Pearson, Protonex CEO said; "We are pleased to now be able to offer industrial and medical customers the same innovative power system technology that can deliver more power in a smaller, lighter package than many batteries in use today for those markets."
It certainly looks like Millennium Cells will be a major player in the hydrogen economy!
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*it should be no surprise that Jadoo is involved with both TV production and Law Enforcement, seeing how Jadoo is financed by Mohr Davidow Ventures, Venrock Associates and Sinclair Ventures, a wholly owned subsidiary of Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc |
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| hot tip for me to follow... |
[Jan. 11th, 2006|09:31 am] |
...speaking of that beer waste technology
...going to have to do a lot more research on this one.... but i can smell it a mile away... Dr. Ozeki's Beer waste plastic is now being used for DoCoMo phones (seriously if you never been to asia DoCoMo phones make a Razor look like boring crap!) Here's the quote: "NTT DoCoMo and NEC developed a mobile phone using an environmentally friendly bioplastic material (called polylactide) for 75% of the surface of the 3G phone (announced December 13, 2005)." It's from Pamela Gordon, at EMSnow. I know Shuimadzu, they kick butt (especially when it comes to the beer-waste plastic)! How much you wanna bet that these DoCoMo's ain't Cargil NatureworksPLZZzzz? |
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| The Power Pipe! |
[Jan. 6th, 2006|09:31 am] |
eco-gestalt; when things make sense instantly!
Ok, there's the eco-side to why this is great. And then there's the other reason why... and let's start with that one: Anyone who's grown up in a house with 4+ people knows what it's like to be the last one taking a shower. Mmmmmmm! Nothing like getting 5 minutes into a good lather and then pooof! All the hot water is gone and you get an involuntary cold shower. Pretty much everyone has experienced that. And cold showers may be fun in the dog days of summer, or when you are a little overheated, but not fun at all when it's 7:30 am and you, half asleep, have to get ready to start the day... So here's the power-pipe! This ingenious little gizmo will ensure that there's a near-endless supply of hot water (like one of those tankless heaters, only much smarter)! Oh, and of course saves money, energy and greenhouse gas emissions!
( Read more... ) |
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| next week @ the C.E.S. (part 3) |
[Jan. 4th, 2006|08:46 am] |
I saved the best for last!! FreePlay's brand new toy
Freeplay will be introducing their new gizmo, the foot-powered FreeCharge Weza at CES. And this one is a winner fo' sho.... You can use it as a traditional battery pack (plug solar or wind into this baby and keep for a rainy day....). But using FreePlay's patented dynamo system, they have taken it a step further.. say for example you have a band practise in the woods, and there you are with a 40 Watt amp and a guitar, but no where to plug in. Well, fret no more, just use the foot pedal,pump away and voila! 40W at your command! This is a very versatile contraption, you can put AC or DC into it (DC from soalr, wind.. nd/or AC from a 120 or 240 wall outlet... you can even plug it into your car lighter for 'in' or 'out' power (so if you need some juice for the woods, or say your car battery is dead), it goes either way. I like!! |
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| next week @ the C.E.S. (part 2) |
[Jan. 4th, 2006|08:34 am] |
Ok it's still for a car, which imnsho is not nearly as cool as a bike, but i still can't resist: Solar-powered LEDs are cool, no matter what they're stuck on.
Another group of excited booth bunnies will be busy at the CES hawking this cute little gizmo. Ok, so it's not going to reduce emissions, but it will probably lead to a few less car accidents (so there will be a reduction in car-footprint because of reductions in spare parts, dents, smashed cars....). So at CES lookout for AutoCare's TurnSmart Mirror-mods made to fit every car-mirror, they do two things: 1) have a convex mirror that lets the driver see what were previously the "blind spots" and 2) use LEDs to signal lane changes (visible to motorists who have already past the tail of the vehicle...). Why do I like them? Well they have little solar cells on top of the LEDs, that's how they get their juice (daytime anyway). It may not reduce emissions, but it doesn't suck more gas from the tank, and besides, the more people see solar working for them, the more they will want them on their roofs. It won't be alien, it will be something associated with security and safety (which it has always really been, but now the mainstream is getting in on it!!) |
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| next week @ the C.E.S. (part 1) |
[Jan. 4th, 2006|08:12 am] |
Folsom California's niche fuel cell maker JABOO will be pleased as punch next week-- premiering its line of fuel cell products for prosumers at next week's ShowStoppers event at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2006 in Las Vegas.
They'll be introducing their NABII power unit(pictured), the N-Stor(TM) fuel canister, and FillPoint(TM) refill station for a variety of new applications, including field-ready laptops, emergency response radios and other equipment used in "off-grid" power situations, as well as professional broadcast cameras. The NABII is being hyped as a way for camera-people to never have to shut down the camera... keep it rolling forever, if they want, and it fits all standard camera battery mounts! They also offer unique ways to refill the spent fuel cells and something called "hot swap capability" which allows you to switch fuel cells while everything is still running. No downtime at all.... |
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