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Written by Hank Green on 04/08/06
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There's talk about GM...ok...we've said some nasty things. But we've
said some nice things too. And today, we'll be saying something nice
again. In 2007, GMC will be releasing the first hybrid electric
trucks. Now, some people may see a hybrid Sierra as greenwashing, but
I'm having none of it. I honestly believe that trucks are one of the
most important kinds of vehicles to go hybrid.
Improving the gas mileage of a car from 60 to 70 mpg saves about 2
gallons of gas per 1000 miles. Increasing the mileage of a truck like
the Sierra from 15 to 25 mpg, as GMC has, saves ten times that. And,
quite frankly, I think we need trucks just as much as we need passenger
cars.
This is a big deal. A lot of people need trucks, especially out here
in the hinterlands, and I'm not about to criticize them. But right now
people who neeed 350 horsepower and a flatbed don't have any options
above 20 mpg. And the hybrid Sierra (greenwashed or not) gives people
that option.
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Written by Hank Green on 04/08/06
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For every action there is an equal and oppostite
reaction. Well...there are a lot of actions in the world...why not
hook some of those reactions to a generator. Decentralized passive
power production...I think that's what it should be called. J.R. East
(the biggest railway company in Japan who we've already heralded for
their hydrogen hybrid trains) hooked up a generator to the turnstiles
of their railway stations and I call that awesome. I mean, why not
capture energy wherever we can.
Now, I can't imagine it will add up to much, but if everything we do,
from clacking a key to tapping a foot generated power, we might need a
few less solar panels on the roof.
The concept is currently being tested at their office, where you
apparently have to walk through a turnstile to approach the
receptionist. Railway office...turnstile...ahh Japan...so cute...
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Written by Philip Proefrock on 03/08/06
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We've heard about this concept before, but it looks like an Australian group
is going ahead with their plan to build a large-scale
solar power tower capable of providing power to 100,000 homes.
The concept is to enclose the area around the base of the tower in a glass
greenhouse that captures solar energy. The superheated air rises through a
central chimney with turbines to generate electricity. Furthermore, by using
heat retaining materials on the ground which release heat during the night, the
developers believe that they will be able to generate electricity 24 hours a
day.
The company has a great animated
diagram that illustrates how the system works. It requires a sizable area
and consistent sunshine, which is why this first installation is being set in
the Australian Outback.
If you're looking for something a bit more pretty, this 3D video of the the Solar Power Tower gives you a full on walkthrough of the technological marvel, though I suggest turning the sound off to avoid the cheesy music. The tower will be over 1000 feet tall and, according to the rendering, there will be an observation deck at the top of it. Oh, and if you keep watching 'till the end, you'll see that the Australian outback may someday be dotted with these humongous installations.
The system has few of the drawbacks which some opponents of wind farms find
objectionable. For example, there are no external blades which would pose a threat to
birds. People may, however, consider them to be ugly. But I don't think it's uglier than a world of submerged coastal cities.
via Ecofriend
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Written by Hank Green on 01/08/06
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 AMD has taken over 26% of the server market, up 10% from last year, based almost entirely on the success of their low-power Opteron chips. After AMD
decided to focus less on the absolute power of its chips, and more on
the performance per watt of power, data centers began flocking to AMD devices.
Intel has countered with it's own high performance per watt chip and has begun a huge advertising campaign. Intel
founder Gordon Moore's prediction that processor speeds would double
regularly turned out to be amazingly accurate. Maybe, now that Intel
and AMD know how much efficiency matters, Moore's law will apply to performance per watt as well.
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Written by Philip Proefrock on 01/08/06
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 The days of the lamp are coming to an end. LEDs are beginning their march to turn regular things into sources of light. And the next step in that march of lite up generally dark stuff is the brick!
Sun Bricks are the size of standard modular paver bricks, and can be placed in a
walkway alongside ordinary pavers to provide walkway illumination. The brick
includes a solar cell to charge two AAA batteries which then provide power to two LEDs
for up to 8 hours of nighttime lighting. They are completely
self-contained and need no external wiring, so it's a simple fix to add in some solar-powered lighting to any walkway. Of course, at $59 a piece it's not as cheap a fix as we might hope for.
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Written by Hank Green on 31/07/06
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EV Rental Cars, as yet, doesn't actually rent any pure electric
vehicles, but you can certainly get your hands on a hybrid with no
problem. The company currently only rents three cars, the Prius, the
Civic Hybrid and the Highlander Hybrid. What they won't rent is
anything else. They rent low emissions vehicles only, though, the highlander is
stretching things.
Anyhow, it's an interesting idea.
For now, it's an idea that only
seems to work in California (Los Angeles, Orange County, San Diego, San
Francisco, Oakland and San Jose) though they've got one in Pheonix now,
and soon to be in Las Vegas. It's also a good place to pick up used
hybrids if you're in the market (and in California.) They've got a
fleet of over 350 cars now, so they've gotta have quite a few up for
sale.
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Written by Philip Proefrock on 31/07/06
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The trend is upward elsewhere, too. Utilities in 36 states offer
some form of green pricing, and last year 430,000 households bought green power
_ up 20 percent from a year earlier, the U.S. Energy Department
reported.
Hopefully, this trend will continue, and power companies will continue to find
increasing demand for green power and lower equipment costs as the technology
continues to improve and develop.
via Treehugger
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Written by Gavin D.J. Harper on 31/07/06
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Sustainable, solar-powered, glass-reinforced fiber treehouse? Does it come with a T1 line? Well, maybe not, but it does come with "undulating kinetic baffles" which apparently generate electric power from the movement of the house in the wind.
The treehouse was conceived by the U.K company Sybarite, who want to encourage a more organic approach to country living.
The materials used in construction are both lightweight and recyclable - the company claims to be able to supply houses of up to five bedrooms. Whilst I am pleased that the materials being used are recyclable, it would be nice to hear some more details about the materials being used. If creating the 'glass-reinforced fiber' takes more energy than powering a house for five years, then it's not going to be all that sustainable.
The makers are advertising their "undulating kinetic baffles." These baffles will oscillate in the wind and charge a series of batteries which can be used to supply power to the home. Power from the batteries is augmented by power from P.V. cells that surround the perimeter of the roof of the dwelling.
The concept also employs passive ventilation, doing away with the need for any air conditioning, furthermore, greywater from the roof is recycled to meet the water needs of the dwelling.
The design also features some of that smart photochromic glass featured in "Introducing Electrochromic Skylights"
This retro futuristic eco dwelling I feel will certaily win the hearts and minds of many EcoGeeks... all I wanna know is the price tag!
via Gizmag and TreeHugger
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{mosimage} Art students everywhere can now get sketch, drawing, and bristol paper that is made by 100% windpower. The company behind the Windpower series is Strathmore, and they've beat everyone to the punch by creating the first line of paper in the U.S. that uses windpower exclusively. Even better, the price (which my art student friends will argue is high enough) is not affected, nor is functionality or quality of the paper. And the payoff is huge for the environment -- the windpower efforts have resulted in 13 million lbs of toxic air emissions not generated and 94,500 trees not cut down.
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Written by Philip Proefrock on 31/07/06
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 The Eurpoean Union is considering a mandate to require smart energy meters for homes. "A smart energy meter enables consumers to
check how much energy they are using and how much it will cost." The idea is that more informed power consumers will pay more attention to efficiency. Just like in-car efficiency meters effect driving styles, Smart Meters should effect living styles.
This is reminiscent of a competition
for a similar idea organized by Viridian Design back in 2000, for an
internal whole-house meter that would display how much power the house was using
at any given time. Viridian's intent was to have a display that would become
more interesting and beautiful as the house became increasingly efficient.
Along the same lines, there are also currently available websites for buildings with
photovoltaic arrays that display the net metering effects of the building. You
can see both the production of the solar panels and the demand from the
building, so you can see when the building is consuming more power than it
produces, and when it is "running the meter backwards" and producing more than
it consumes.
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There's a lot of discussion about the $100 laptop these days. I hate
to be a party pooper, but I'll sell you any number of laptops for
$100. No, they won't be multi-colored or extra-durable or have hand
cranks and I can't guarantee that the battery will function, but the
garages and store-rooms of America are littered with laptops that have
double digit price tags. The question is, what do we do with them?
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