I get excited about concepts that capture kinetic energy. Remember that leg brace that generates electricity? Yeah, I was SO ready to get one when I heard about it on NPR. How awesome is it to be able to power your iPod while you’re on your walk?
We’ve seen conversation on EcoGeek lately about tiny electric cars looking and running similar to enclosed motorcycles. Well, a team of high school students from Saint Thomas Academy decided that they might as well create that enclosed electric motorcycle for you all.
I live in a very windy area. Pretty much every afternoon as I ride my bike home directly into the full-force wind, I wonder how I could set up some sort of sail system so that I don’t have to pedal as hard as possible only to go about 2 miles an hour. I also think about how I can be capturing all this wind so I can power my home. In other words, because of where I live, wind is on my mind a lot. So, over the weekend I was glad to read about the WINDPOWER 2008 conference. It was the first time I’d heard about the annual conference and tradeshow and it sounded like something I’d love to attend. Well, clearly not knowing about it in the first place made attending a little difficult, but luckily the folks at Clean Tech were there and posted some video and interesting info on vertical wind turbines.
The story of offshore wind in America has been so far, pretty depressing. In general, wealthy people with otherwise green ideals have put a damper on offshore wind simply because they don’t want to look at them in the distance. But we’ve finally got an offshore wind project approved for the United States (lagging woefully behind Europe).
San Jose likes to be the center of innovation. You’d almost think the city craves it, considering the latest vision set forth by city officials. Last October, Mayor Chuck Reed announced San Jose’s Green Vision, a quest to be a sustainable city thriving on 100% renewable energy and clean living. And they’re looking to accomplish this through a set of 10 goals to be achieved by 2023.
The Atlantic City Convention Center is getting what it says is the country’s largest single-rooftop solar energy system. Comprised of 13,321 photovoltaic panels covering 290,000 square feet, or two thirds of the rooftop, the system will be able to generate 2.36 megawatts. Apparently it is important to their PR to be the biggest, but they’re only the biggest by the tiniest of margins. Toyota Motor Sales in Ontario, CA is constructing a 2.3 MW single-roof system…so I guess the .06 matters…
Did you know it is possible to run your car on water on a totally safe and simple way? This technology has been available for more than 100 years, but many times big oil companies and laboratories have tried to hide and make it seem impossible.
It is a brand name for a family of diesel engines developed by DaimlerChrysler, but BLUETEC [or bluetec] is now also being used by Volkswagen, AG as it, too, begins to market its all new diesel offerings. Why is this important? Because DaimlerChrysler realizes that the world can benefit much more if automakers market common technology instead of going it alone. Will you be one of those motorists to purchase a bluetec powered Volkswagen?
Alternative energy research has led to the development of state of the art alternative energy sources for the home. One of the advantages of using alternative energy is that it is a renewable resource whereas our supply of coal and other fossil fuels is depleting. This advantage of renewable energy and alternative energies has many companies and people looking for different ways to power up.
Hawaii seems to come up often in the thinking of people aware of peak oil. On one hand, it seems like an ideal place to relocate after peak oil - no need to worry about heating a house; clothing is mostly for protection from the sun; and crops can be grown year around. On the other hand, it produces no fossil fuel itself, and it is at the end of the supply line for both food and fuel. Hawaii’s biggest industry, tourism, is already declining, and with rising fuel costs, can only decline further.