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Showing posts with label Energy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Energy. Show all posts
Thursday, October 31, 2013
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Friday, October 26, 2012
Great piece on the reality of wind as a source for energy.
Fantastic piece on wind energy and the reality of what it can do. To generate 1/2 of the worlds
power needs (half because wind cannot be depended on to flow at all times) we'd need 4 million 5 megawatt windmills that would cover 1% of the land that we have. Seems like a lot but 1% of usable land, and 4 million windmills (there are generally 50 million cars built per year) doesn't seem like much for clean renewable sustainable energy does is? Check it out here.
Thursday, May 31, 2012
Germany Sets Record Generating Half of The Countries Power with Solar
For those of you who still say solar can't cut it, think again. Last weekend, Germany generated a whopping 22 gigawatts of power, half the national need! Now for those of you counting beans, the reality is it was only at midday hours and not for the entire 48 hours. But the point is, this is where they are, and where they are going is to be fully renewable. Something like this shows that, with a greater quantity of panels, and advanced storage facilities, coupled with energy reducing technology, and most importantly a change in how we use(waste) energy, this is doable! Very cool stuff.
Sunday, May 20, 2012
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Thursday, July 21, 2011
MIT Students Create Printable Solar Panels
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Friday, May 6, 2011
Can white roofs save the world?
According to the site permanently changing the worlds rooftops would have the same effect as cutting out a full year of man made CO2 (in decreased cooling and heating costs). Cool.
Check it out.
Dave
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Crude: Texaco and Ecuador Contamination
This is a clip from the film Crude about what Texaco left behind in Ecuador after they pulled out. Harrowing stuff.
Dave
Monday, January 11, 2010
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Oil Rigs in The Heart of LA? You Bet.
Found this on LA Green Girls Blog. Oil Derricks in Beverly Hills? Wild.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Friday, October 2, 2009
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Blind Spot
Check out this preview from the web site that sells this film about the perils of peak oil. It's a bit of a depressing film but an important one nonetheless, and, most importantly, very accessible.
Dave
Walmart going renewable
I'm not a fan of Walmarts for a lot of reasons, but I think credit needs to be given where it's due. Check out this story about their stated goal to use only renewable energy in all of their stores. Of course it may just be hype, but seeing as they are already among the top 50 green power purchases in the US, there may be something to this. Hopefully other corps will take note.
Dave
Monday, July 20, 2009
Carbon Offset Guide
For anyone interested, Greenopia has put together a list of their top ten Carbon Offset Companies. Carbon Offsets are a way of taking responsibility for your footprint. They have caused a lot of controversy because many people feel that they are being used by rich people to buy their way out of changing their habits, and the truth is, in some instances, they have.
Having said that, if you have changed what you can and are struggling with the next steps to take, CO's offer a chance to make things a little better. By using their calculator you can figure out what your offset needs to be and give them some money to help offset the cost of renewable energy, plant a tree, or invest in renewable energy technology. Bottom line is it's a way of doing a little more than you already are, if you have the funds. I dn't think it means you have any less responsibility to change than anyone else, but it does help speed the process and may make you feel a little better at the same time.
Dave
Friday, June 5, 2009
Port of Long Beach goes electric!
According To PaulIt's been a long time coming, but we have finally achieved the first "cold ironing" of a tanker in the Port of Long Beach. Cold Ironing is the term for plugging a ship's electrical system into the on-shore grid to supply power so that the ship's giant diesel engine can be turned off while it's docked. Normally, these engines crank out massive amounts of pollution, equal to "a day's worth of driving by 187,000 cars", according to estimates by the Port of Long Beach.The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) initiated suits against the ports over 7 years ago to make this happen, and it was a long difficult fight, but the NRDC's attorneys persevered and eventually won. This event marks the first of what we hope will be the electrification of all the tanker and cargo ships while docked in the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. For too long, the people living downwind of the ports have suffered the ill effects of this pollution with heart and lung disease, cancers and asthma rates that are significantly higher than average.An earlier post of mine highlighted the hybridization of the tugboats that guide these massive ships into berth, further extending the benefits of electrifying what had been exclusively internal combustion-powered vehicles. Every kilowatt hour used to replace the burning of petroleum helps us to clean our environment, saves us money and reduces the need to fight wars over oil.Paul*******
Port of Long Beach takes 'giant step' toward pollution reduction
Port officials unveil what is billed as the world's first electrical shore-side power system for tankers, which are notorious fuel guzzlers and air polluters.
Docked in Long Beach on Wednesday with a fresh load of oil from Valdez, the Alaskan Navigator didn't look like much of a trailblazer.
The massive tanker sat silently, with a few thin cables draping down to some gray metal boxes. Missing was the incessant rumble of diesel engines, which on an average cargo ship would be running constantly to keep electrical systems going -- burning quite a bit of diesel fuel and generating a significant amount of pollution.
But the 941-foot Navigator, anchored at the BP oil terminal's Pier T on the Long Beach port's main channel, isn't average. The vessel, owned by Alaska Tanker Co. of Portland, Ore., was plugged into what is billed as the world's first shore-side electrical grid.
The massive tanker sat silently, with a few thin cables draping down to some gray metal boxes. Missing was the incessant rumble of diesel engines, which on an average cargo ship would be running constantly to keep electrical systems going -- burning quite a bit of diesel fuel and generating a significant amount of pollution.
But the 941-foot Navigator, anchored at the BP oil terminal's Pier T on the Long Beach port's main channel, isn't average. The vessel, owned by Alaska Tanker Co. of Portland, Ore., was plugged into what is billed as the world's first shore-side electrical grid.
Only the Navigator's sister ship, the Frontier, is similarly equipped. Oil tankers are notorious fuel guzzlers and air polluters because of the power that's needed to pump vast amounts of crude out of a ship. It's the rough energy equivalent of a day's worth of driving by 187,000 cars, according to the Port of Long Beach.
At a ceremony formally unveiling the port's dockside power system, port Executive Director Dick Steinke described it as "another giant step" toward cleaning up the air.
The project cost $23.7 million and took three years to complete, port officials said. The port contributed about $17.5 million to the project and BP paid the rest.
Roger Brown, regional vice president of BP, said the emissions reductions amounted to 50% even when factoring in pollution created by power plants in generating the electricity.
ron.white@latimes.com
Roger Brown, regional vice president of BP, said the emissions reductions amounted to 50% even when factoring in pollution created by power plants in generating the electricity.
ron.white@latimes.com
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Lighting Up the Darkness in Rural Africa
Check out this very cool article from the NY Times about a solar powered LED lantern that Phillips is using to change lives in Ghana.
Dave
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