Since I've gotten myself on the subject of Solar Power (thanks to Superman's Selfish concealment of his powers) I'm pleased that everyone with an Internet connection how has access to this 45 minute video from the President and Chief Technology Officer of Sunpower, Dr. Richard Swanson. 

What Superman won't tell us, we're figuring out on our own.  Sunpower makes the most efficient solar cells on earth and their doing it cheaper every year.  While a lot of research has gone into alternative methods for creating solar cells (concentrators and thin films particularly) traditional silicon wafer cells have gotten much cheaper and are completely in control of the solar power market.

Next year, Dr. Swanson proudly proclaims, the solar industry will consume more tons of silicon than the electronics industry.  Considering that creating silicon wafers is a ridiculously dirty process requiring enormous refineries, he probably shouldn't be so proud.  But it's good to see the industry in such good health and growing. 

 

No matter what he says, though, I'm still voting for thin films and concentrators, just because they use less silicon (or none at all.)  The video is a great history of silicon solar power and also gives a good account of where the industry is headed (though possibly somewhat biased, as the guy is the president of the second leading producer of solar cells in the world.)

 

Via TreeHugger

 

OK, I just got home from Superman Returns and I think Lex Luthor was right.  I mean...Superman, sure he saves a lot of people, but usually small groups of individuals in straightforward ways.  What he doesn't do is use the combined knowledge of the 28 known galaxies stored in his crystalline supercomputer to serve the interests of Mankind.  

Let's just take one example: Superman is solar powered.  He gets all of his amazing strength and energy from our yellow sun, but you've never seen him go to a laboratory and try to figure out how exactly that energy conversion takes place.  

 

Instead of taking the easy way out, I guess we'll have to just labor through the next 20 or 30 years of solar power breakthroughs before we can truly rely on it as an economically viable source of power.  

No thanks to Superman...

Markus Antonietti of the Max Planck Institute for Colloids and Interfaces (whatever that means) in Germany has pretty much figured out how to convert plant matter into coal without all of the millions of years of waiting inherent in the traditional methods. 

Basically, Antonietti sticks plant matter, water and citric acid into an autoclave (pressure cooker) and then cooks the mixture at a few hundred degrees for about 12 hours.  The result is coal, well…wet coal, which can be filtered and dried until it’s ready to burn.   

The amazing thing is, the process produces no excess CO2, and all of the CO2 produced when the mixture is burned was recently fixed by modern plants (so there’s no net CO2 increase.) Maybe not as impressive as The Doc's Mr Fusion home fusion generator, but a step in the right direction. 

Antionietti says that there’s nothing standing in the way of industrializing this process and creating a mine-free, carbon-neutral form of coal.  Of course, he also says, as he rubs his faux coal between his fingers, that it has a strong masculine scent.  The look in his eyes… is one of love.

  Full article and Video available at DW-World

Continuing the pattern of making electric cars tiny and peculiar, DaimlerChrysler just released their plans to sell an all-electric version of the Fortwo Smart Car.   The EV version actually performs better than its gasoline brother.  The rather lame standard measure of 0 to 30 mph was brought down to 6.5 seconds, no word on how fast it gets up to 60.  The good news is, it does indeed get to 60, and a bit beyond. 

The EV Fortwo Smart Car is slated for release in the EU in 2007 and a year later in the US. 

Via Left Lane News

The direct conversion of sunlight to electricity is looking to become economically competitive with traditional burning-hot-stuff electricity within the next ten or fifteen years.  Every time something happens to shorten that period of time, we do a little dance here at EcoGeek.  No, we aren’t going to tell you about the dance…we’re going to tell you about Holographic Solar photovoltaics.  

It’s actually kinda difficult to get a photovoltaic cell to absorb a wide wavelength of light.  While some work is being done to increase the spectrum of light PVs can absorb (even into the infrared range) Prism Solar Technologies is splitting sunlight and concentrating specific wavelengths onto a variety of cells designed to collect those specific wavelengths.  

In their most recent trial, the holographic concentrators boosted the efficiency per square inch of photo-cell by 25%.  Excellent because the concentrators are cheaper than the silicon solar cells, and also because they’re less environmentally costly to create.  If the cost of the concetrators drops enough, we could see economicall competitive solar panels (that you can see through most of) even sooner.) 

Via TreeHugger

 

"If you want to start a revolution, don't pick up a gun. Do it with science and technology." So says Stanford R. Ovshinsky Chairman and CEO of United Solar Ovonic and President and Chief Technology Officer of Energy Conversion Devices, Inc. We couldn't agree more.

 

Stan is a feature character in the recent movie "Who Killed the Electic Car" which EcoGeek has been entirely lax in promoting. We're not overly fond of battery-powered transit, batteries are heavy, toxic, hot and expensive, but who are we to deride any alternative to gasoline. A slew of other idealistic EcoGeeks are featured in the movie including Alan Cocconi, designer of the GM EV1 and the GM SunRaycer, Consumer Advocate Ralph Nader and the former CIA director R. James. Woolsey. 

The real star of "Who Killed the Electric Car" however, is General Motors' EV1. The celebrated electric car was developed in reaction to California's Zero Emissions Mandate (ZEV) issued in 1990 by CARB (California Air Resource Board). In many ways the EV1 was revolutionary; quiet, non-polluting and fast yet requiring no gas or oil changes and a very simple maintenance routine. But before it really caught on, it all but disappeared… As the facts unfold the movie makes the case that it was a carefully planned and executed murder.

Who is guilty? Big Auto, Big Oil, Fickle Consumers, CARB, The US Government, Wimpy Batteries, Fuel Cell Technology? The creators of the film certainly have their opinions, but we at EcoGeek are firm believers in the theory of all-of-the-above. Whether you see the movie or not, whether you buy their case or not, the website is packed full of facts and definitely worth a look.

 

Converting our world's cars to hybrids, electrics and hydrogen powered may turn out to be a far more simple task than reducing the amount of fossil fuel burned by flight. But we're not gonna stop flying just because it's bad for the planet. Packages need to be shipped. Bombs need to be dropped. EcoGeeks need to visit their moms.

So today we're looking at the future of fuel-efficient flight. From just-around-the-corner to the far-fetched ridiculous possibilities....and we'll hit them in that order.

 

We're glad whenever we can praise GM, a company that we believe is suffering due to non-environmental reasons (though you wouldn't know it listening to some hype that's being passed around).  But GM has a future...and here it is. 

 

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They Hy-Wire is revolutionary for two reasons (three, if you include the 10 million dollars that went into developing it).  First, you have the Hy...a hydrogen fuel-cell engine with a tank big enough to carry the car fast and long.  Or, if you so choose, it could just power your house for a couple of days.  

Then there's the Wire.  The fuel-cell, the hydrogen tanks, and all the motors are all housed in a six inch tall 'skateboard' configuration at the bottom of the car.  We've been hearing about the skateboard car a lot in the last few years, but it's nice to see prototypes rolling of at a pretty good rate now (see the Pivo a couple of posts down for another skateboard car.)  The vehicle's controls actually plug into the chassis via a single data wire (in the case of the Pivo, this linkage is actually wireless (scary)).

The Hi-Wire also beats its coolness into us with a revolutionary new control scheme.   No pedals, just a 'steering thingy' which you twist to accelerate and squeeze to break.  Also on the steering thingy you'll find a display showing you your rear-view, and two side view cameras take the place of external mirrors, minimizing wind resistance.  

 

So, next time you hear someone badmouth GM, tell them about the Hy-Wire.  We all see the future, and GM getting ready.

 

Thanks to the anonymous Aussie tipster who sent me to techeblog.  And to CarShark for the YouTube post.  And of course to Top Gear for filming the segment in the first place.

 

Doesn't it seem wrong to you that your laptop uses less power than a light bub?  I mean, a computer has the power to change your world AND cast an eerie glow in my cave-like office.  

Well, thanks to the compact fluorescent light bulb (CFLs,) light bulbs no longer have to be electron-sucking bulbous space-heaters.  In fact, according to a report just published by the International Energy Agency swapping all of the world's tungsten bulbs with CFL's would cut the world's energy use by 10%, far more than is planned to be saved by solar and wind power in all but the most progressive nations.  

And the CFL's last for years, AND they produce a very pleasant light AND they're getting to be darned cheap.  That's the power of technology, save the world by making it an easier place to live in.  

 

Via TreeHugger

 

The Pivo is a concept electric car from Nissan.  It's lithium ion batteries power two motors, one one in front, one in back.  The weird part is that the controls are wirelessly connected to the motors so there is no need for the, I dunno...cockpit? to be connected to the rest of the car. 

The advantage of this is that the, yeah, cockpit can swivel, eliminating the need for the driver to ever actually turn the car around.  No more 3 point turns and, yes, you could conceivably spin the cockpit 180 degrees while travelling at the Pivo's maximum speed of 60 mph.

As a zero-emission concept car for city driving, the Pivo is very weird but pretty cool.  Recently an annoying Australian guy got to ride around in a Pivo at a Nissan test facility.  The video after the jump is worth a watch.

 

Via Hugg