Green

Google’s Green Efforts Increasingly Homegrown

Internet search engine giant Google, has taken on the challenge to be greener and has started developing their own green technology. The reason behind this move is because Google could not find sufficient investment opportunities to achieve their goal of spending hundreds of millions of dollars on a technology to find a renewable energy source for electricity that is cheaper than coal. Therefore rather than waiting for better ideas to come along, the company has decided to find its own solutions such as better mirrors for solar thermal plants and solar powered turbines for generating electricity.

One of the major breakthroughs is that Google engineers have found a way to reduce the cost of heliostats, the mirrors used in solar thermal plants by making the mirrors and their mounts using unusual materials. “Typically, what we’re seeing is $2.50 to $4 a watt capital cost. So a 250-megawatt installation would be $600 million to a $1 billion,” said Bill Weihl, Google’s Green Energy Czar. “It’s a lot of money.” He also went on to state that the turbines that Google’s engineers are modifying are actually gas turbines that are being engineered to run on solar power instead of natural gas.

Solar Powered Skins for iPhone and iPod Touch

iPhone and iPod users will soon have a new way to charge their Apple gadgets and reduce their carbon footprint at the same time. This is will be possible thanks to the newest iPhone and iPod accessory by NovoThink. The company has released a skin with an integrated solar cell that is capable of charging a device using 100% solar power.

The company states that 2 hours of direct sunlight will give the device the capability to provide about 30 minutes of talk time over 3G network and about 60 minutes talk time over a 2G network. The device also comes with a solar planner in order to assess what your solar needs are in order to fully charge your gadget. This application eliminates having to guess how many hours of sunlight you need to fully charge your device. The device is set to cost around $70 and will be available in October. Although a little pricey, the device will protect your favorite device and also charge it for you off the grid, saving you money and keeping your footprint low. The other plus point is that since it is specifically made for Apple gadgets it will fit perfectly.

New Energy Star for TVs Calls for Better Efficiency, Smaller Sizes

On September 3, 2009 the Energy Star for TVs standards was released forcing manufacturers to up efficiency and keep sizes at high priority if they want the coveted label. In May 2010, the Version 4 sticker insists on a 40 percent increase in efficiency over TVs sold, while the Version 5 sticker due to come out in May 2012 requires a 65 percent increase. These new ratings reflect energy consumed when the TV is in ‘ON mode’ as well as in ‘OFF mode’ but downloading programming information.

The new ratings are detrimental to the sale of large TVs as it requires any TV over 50 inches to meet the same ‘ON mode’ requirements as a 50 inch TV, which is 108kW. The cover letter released with the Energy Star for TVs standards on technical specifications makes it clear that large TVs are not environmentally friendly.

A company source stated, “The issue in this case is what TV sizes can the federal government credibly designate as preferable from an energy and environmental perspective. This has become an important issue as the sizes of TVs and energy use continues to grow.”
The new Energy Star labels make it more difficult to qualify for it, aiming to up efficiency on all TV models. In the United States, televisions account for four percent of all household’s use of electricity. EPA statistics show that the there are 275 million TVs in use in the US which consume 50 billion kWh per year – which is enough to power all houses in New York for a year.

Electric Car-Charging Network Expands

Ecotality, a Scottsdale, Arizona firm has linked up with Nissan and BP America, securing a $108 million in federal and state grants this summer to build networks of electric car charge stations in major metropolitan markets. The State of California recently meted out $8 million to Ecotality to deploy its network in San Diego, which is one of five designated test regions. The others are Nashville, Phoenix/Tucson, Portland and Seattle.In early 2009, the company also announced a partnership with B.C. Hydro to develop planning guidelines for an electric vehicle infrastructure in British Columbia.

Starting in 2010, Ecotality plans to market 5,000 Nissan Leaf electric vehicles and install 12,750 charge stations in urban areas and at strategic locations on highways. The company will also assess local grid systems, building it network of charge stations in a variety of venues, including parking lots of malls and movie theatres, street locations and garages of large employers. The fast-charge stations will be deployed at 20-mile intervals on major highways around target markets to address ‘range anxiety’ that continues to threaten the electric vehicle market.

A company source stated that Nissan insisted that infrastructure be in place before it commences the selling of its electric hatchback in the same test markets.Other companies pursuing electric car-charging networks are also competing to line up international and domestic customers prior to the 2010 introduction of several commercial electric and plug-in hybrid electric models. The Frankfurt Motor Show 2009 held in September exhibited more electric car infrastructure venues as well as new electric vehicles.

Growing Green Curtains Reduces Energy Usage

A Japanese company, Kyocera, a ceramic manufacturer, has devised a new way of reducing their air-conditioning usage; draping their exterior walls and windows with vegetables and plants. Attached to a grille, they block direct sunlight to the factories and offices of the company. This ensures cooler temperatures within the organization reducing the usage of air conditioning even in summer months.

Kyocera has adopted this green technology in 12 of their factories across the country. Some of their factories have stopped using air conditioning during the morning hours altogether due to the coolness provided by the green curtains. However, the concept is not just about cutting energy bills. The greenery and plants provide a relaxing environment for the factories employees to work in. The concept has been so successful that many of the employees have adopted it in their own homes. The company’s employees also harvest the vegetables that grow on these vines and use them in special summer recipes prepared in the company’s cafeteria.

Kyocera’s employees take pride in their green, living curtains and enjoy the coolness that the plants bring. While the money spent on energy is being saved employees can make use of the organic and fresh vegetables as well as a comfortable and relaxing work environment. A win-win situation for all.

Solar Power from Space: Moving Beyond Science Fiction

The biggest issue with solar power is consistency. There is no part of the United States that is cloud free, providing a continuous stream of sunlight, 365 days a year. Thus the problem arises in storing the collected energy for those sunless periods, including night. The solution: Launch solar panels in to space and beam the power back to earth.

Although it sounds far-fetched and something out of a science fiction movie, the concept is more real than it seems. The National Security Space Office has issued recommendations that the US should begin a coordinated effort to develop space based solar power. A small experiment was carried out a year ago converting solar energy in to microwaves and beaming them 92 miles from Maui to Hawaii where it was converted in to 20 watts of electricity. Last Spring a California based company signed a contract with PG&E to provide 200 megawatts of power by 2016 using space based solar panels.

As with anything, the issue is price and beaming the solar power 22,000 miles back to earth. Although feasible the Pentagon estimates that it will cost roughly $10 billion to launch a satellite that would produce 10 megawatts of power. However, Solaren, the California based company claims it will cost far less for much more power. Research is still being carried out to find out ways of bringing down the cost and increasing the efficiency of the technology used. That being said, with government backing, we may start to use power from space within the next two decades.

Reasons for Going Green – Use Solar Power to Save the Environment

Solar energy and going green are constant topics of discussion. Trying to live in an environmentally friendly manner has now become an important matter. Being energy efficient is one way that you can help and can also help you save a lot of money.

– Save money – solar power will save money you normally spend on electricity.
– Increase in home value – an installed solar power system at home can increase the value of your home and save more than the cost of the system itself.
– An investment – a conservative investment such as this could provide higher returns than your other investments.
– Protect the environment – use of solar power cuts down on ‘brown power’ produced by companies, meaning fewer emissions, less pollution and a cleaner environment.
– Increase national security – the United States is increasingly more reliant on foreign energy sources. Use of solar power can reduce this dependency and costs as well.
– Money and jobs at home – support renewable energy in the US to improve the economy. A consulting firm states that almost half a million permanent jobs and $232 billion could be supported by the solar power industry alone.
– Reduce dependency on power grid – 67% of energy in fossil fuels is lost when converted to electricity, while 9-10% is lost as heat when transported to your home.
– Solar tax credits – state and federal solar tax credits can reduce the cost of solar power systems for homes considerably.
– Affordable and better technology – companies and governments are innovating new ways for homeowners to go solar. This includes solar loans, home solar services and solar leases.

Harness Home Solar Power for a Better Environment

More people are turning to solar energy due to the rising cost of oil in the world market, leading to gas heating becoming more and more expensive. Most people associate solar energy with harnessing power from the sun to generate electricity to run appliances. This is just one aspect of it. The concept of solar energy encompasses so much more. While it can product direct heat for homes, it can also provide natural light.

Global environmental issues such as carbon emissions and the fear of global warming have led to companies creating new solar technologies for home use. Solar panels are still the most common method for utilizing the sun’s energy. Composed of a number of smaller solar cells interconnected on a grid, they pull in power from the sun to create the necessary energy needed to provide the daily needs of a modern house.

Solar power at home can be used for a number of purposes like heating up you pool, domestic hot water, providing power and a few others that can save on significant expenses you would otherwise have to make. Remember to obtain professional advice.

” Domestic Water Heating: solar energy for providing domestic hot water is a cost effective way of using solar energy at home.
” Other options: solar energy can also be used to provide an electric current for a cattle fence or even a simple security system. These self contained systems keep the battery charged as well.

Solar energy has its advantages as well as disadvantages. However, keep in mind that the high costs will be one-time costs, and it is important to look ahead towards future savings.

The Environment – Thinking Globally and Acting Locally

“Think globally and act locally” urges individual to take think about the health of the entire planet and take action in their own communities. The thinking behind this is that if enough people do it, it will become a global phenomenon.

The WWF states that the world needs to apply six solutions when it comes to energy. These six elements include improving energy efficiency, developing alternative fuels, developing low emission technologies, replacing high carbon coal power, equipping fossil fuel plants with carbon capture and storage technologies and stopping forest loss. These are all global issues. Therefore for an example one could start planting more trees in order to reduce forest loss, start using alternative energy sources like solar power in their homes or community to improve energy efficiency, switching off appliances that are not being used also, to achieve more energy efficiency etc. By taking global concepts and implementing them at your own home, you are thinking globally and acting locally.

As suggested above, your own home is a great place to start. Some ways you can save energy include powering off all appliances such as your television, home theater system, phone charger, radio, microwave oven etc. It is said that appliances that are on standby can use 80% power. You could also collect and use rainwater, install solar panels to power items such as lights and fans. Besides using solar power will be cost effective to you in the long term.

Electric Bikes Help the Environment and Your Pocket

One of the primary sources of air pollution in the United States is gas-powered cars. China and Japan adopted the use of electric bicycles early on to counter such pollution, while Western markets were sceptical about such choices. However, it didn’t take that long for European nations to pick out these eco-friendly bikes, while the market in the US is now slowing improving.

With the increase of global oil prices, the choice of an electric bike is more cost effective. Besides the cost factor attributing to its popularity, these bikes offer reduced usage of gasoline, cheap purchase prices and faster riding speeds. Switching to an electric bicycle can help save costs, while riding an electric bike to work beats cycling twenty miles or so. Using a car for recurrent trips between home and office, to run errands, commute between your home and then town isn’t always possible if you are forced to be cost conscious, especially in present economic conditions. If you are environmentally conscious, then this is the perfect ‘painless’ purchase to make.

With the recent trend to ‘Go Green’, the electric bicycle could potentially be huge in the United States. if stores near you don’t offer electric bikes, they can be easily purchased online and shipped to your address. Offering eco friendliness and cost efficiency, the electric bike takes out the effort of pedalling mile after mile. Get yourself an electric bike, save up some money, save precious time spent on the road and most importantly help save the environment.

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