Solar Surges Ahead

This blog entry on Grist Environmental News and Commentary points out that Nanosolar has shipped its first panels, and that the company means business. Its new factory in San Jose will be producing more panels than all other companies in the US combined. These panels are printed thin-film cells. Significantly, the commentator points out that the price of these panels will undercut the price of new coal production. Read about it here.

Transportation Developments

Here's a fun article about a guy who's a motorhead with a talent for hotrodding big vehicles to be both more powerful and more efficient--often with the ability to run on a variety of fuels. For example, he's modified a Hummer to get twice the mileage with twice the power using a diesel motor which can run on grease as well. He's cut CO2 emissions, too, by as much as 80% in some of the cars he's messed with. In many cases he uses 90% factory parts, and he wonders why the big boys can't do this stuff themselves. The article suggests they're starting to take notice. Read all about the Motorhead Messiah here.

Then, this story reports on a company that's promoting the use of giant parachute kites for reducing energy needs in ocean shipping. Computer chips are used to measure winds and maximize efficiency of these systems. The company aims to equip 1500 ships by 2015. Read about the Football field-sized kites for ships here.

Being Green Can Produce Jobs

With the US economy on the rocks or near to it, some look to the green business sector for hope. In the book Natural Capitalism (which I couldn't recommend more highly) Hunter and Amory Lovins and Paul Hawken argue--for one thing--that there's huge money to be made and limitless work available in the field of fixing the planet.

Here's a story from Time Magazine which makes the same point. Van Jones (pictured above) is promoting programs that "Give the work that most needs to be done to the people who most need the work." The article says his message is to "solve two pressing problems--pollution and poverty--at once."

Other pertinent ideas:

"For the environmental movement, embracing Jones' message means recasting global warming not just as an existential threat but as an enormous economic opportunity."

"A study by the Cleantech Network, which tracks green investment, found that for every $100 million in green venture capital, 250,000 new jobs could be created."

By my math, that's just $400 per job. Hmmm...

It's a short article. Go read it all.

Wind Energy Plus (in Minnesota)

While this article is specific to Minnesota, where it is believed that wind in particular holds some of the best promise for meeting renewable energy mandates, it also covers a range of other technologies that are being tried, and it highlights some of the challenges of introducing new methods of energy production, one of them being not enough transmission lines to carry electricity from wind turbines.

Some of the other alternative energy methods mentioned are converting coal to oil, burning turkey litter to generate electricity, converting grass seed waste into an energy source, and using electricity derived from wind to produce hydrogen.

Read the story here.

Power to the People

Well, I don't think it is going to change the way big energy produces power. But on the other hand, it is an indication of what is possible, and it sounds like fun.

David Butcher's Pedal Powered Generator advertises $50 plans to build your own bike powered generator. If you buy the parts new, they cost about $230. If you recycle an old bike, you can do better.

There are videos and other information if you click the links on the left side tab. I was struck by this note under one of the videos:

At the Green House event in San Francisco, the PPPM simultaneously powers: Cell Phone charger, Desktop Fan, DVD Player, 2 LED and 2 Compact Fluorescent Lights and a Laptop (battery charging). Burners were interested to hear that a single 60 Watt incandescent light required more power than everything listed above combined.

Waste Heat to Energy

Here's a fascinating story about how waste heat going up the smokestack can be turned into a profitable commodity with waste heat electrical generators. According the article there's a huge potential for overall energy savings. I wonder if it's something utilities might offer as a service to customers.

There's an interesting twist in the article. It cites a recent situation in Massachusetts where this type of energy production was not included in a clean energy bill because solar and wind advocates feared losing government money. The article cites people saying that one energy conserving initiative should not preclude another -- we need to do all these things. Still, that the issue came up at all is an indication that even among those advocating alternative energy production there will be political differences.

Read the story here.

Cobb House and Lifestyle Change

Here's an interesting example of a woman who left a high paying career to live more simply. She built her own small "cob" cottage. Since her cob house -- made of mud, essentially -- is placed in a residential community outside Seattle, it is interesting to see how she worked to make her house acceptable to the neighbors and building inspector, alike. It is also indicative and reflective of a new way of thinking about how a growing number of people want to relate to the world.

Read the article here.