City FlowAIR from ZPM Straight out of a science fiction screenplay comes the Air Powered Car from Zero Pollution Motors (ZPM). The Air Powered Car uses compressed air to propel the vehicle. The air compressor at the heart of this vehicle was developed by Motor Development International (MDI) Enterprises, a French company based in Luxembourg. [...]
Archive for the ‘Eric Wilson’ Category
Is the Inflection Point Near?
March 15th, 2009 
Eric Wilson Thomas Friedman posed the following question, “What if [the "Crisis of 2008] is telling us the whole growth model we created over the last 50 years is simply unsustainable economically and ecologically?” in a New York Times opinion piece late last week. In a recent post, “The Future of Capitalism”, 2nd Green Revolution makes the [...]
Rapid Bus Transit and Light Rail Systems
March 14th, 2009 Eric Wilson The New York Times’ Green Inc blog recently posted an article about the efficacy of rapid transit buses over light rail systems. The main issue is the significant cost of installing light rail infrastructure. The article states that “[c]apital costs for bus rapid transit can run far lower than those for light rail…in Montgomery County, [...]
Posted in Clean Technology, Eric Wilson, Transportation 
Tags: Bus, Cars, Los Angeles, Saint Louis Missouri, Trains 
No Comments »The Argument for Recycling
March 13th, 2009 Eric Wilson The New York Times online edition featured an article Wednesday evening titled “China’s Big Recycling Market Is Sagging”. As the world economy staggers, commodity prices have fallen precipitously. The drop has resulted in decreased demand for recycled materials abroad. One possible cause of the decline in recycling rates may be the falling prices of raw [...]
Moving from the First to the Second Green Revolution
March 12th, 2009 Eric Wilson Under the about page readers can find the inspiration and historical context for 2nd Green Revolution. As stated on that page, the first green revolution refers to the increase in agricultural yields largely brought about by the addition of petroleum derived chemical fertilizers referred to as NPK. NPK stands for Nitrogen, Phosphorous, and Potassium; three [...]
Future of American Transportation: High Speed Trains
March 10th, 2009 Eric Wilson In a previous post about Spanish high speed rail lines, Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle mentioned how he hoped to bring a regional network to the Madison-Milwaukee-Chicago area. The fact that the United States does not currently have an extensive high speed rail system in place should not deter the US from developing one. Prior to [...]
Posted in Clean Technology, Eric Wilson, Transportation Tags: High Speed Rail, Stimulus Bill, Trains No Comments »April 15th, The Tax Man Giveth
March 9th, 2009 Eric Wilson Benjamin Franklin has been famously quoted as saying there are only two certainties in life, “death and taxes”. April 15th, the traditional deadline for annual taxes in the United States, can be a stressful, expensive venture. For taxpayers, there are now incentives and rebates available for clean technology projects. The Energy Star website has provided [...]
$4.5 Billion in Stimulus Bill for Smart Grid Development
March 8th, 2009 Eric Wilson In the expansive $787 billion United States stimulus bill, $4.5 billion has been directed toward smart grid development. In Boulder, Colorado, Xcel Energy recently implemented the nation’s first smart grid system. Xcel Energy’s initiative, referred to as Smart Grid CityTM, has several key objectives: Transformation of existing metering infrastructure to a robust, dynamic communications network, [...]
Posted in Clean Technology, Eric Wilson, Smart Grid Tags: Colorado, Smart Meter, Stimulus Bill, Xcel Energy No Comments »Green Energy Projects in the Developing World
March 7th, 2009 Eric Wilson Yvo de Boer, also known as the “Flying Dutchman”, is the executive secretary of the United Nations framework convention on climate change. Last Thursday NPR ran a story spotlighting the challenges facing de Boer. His job entails navigating the delicate balance between lobbying developed nations like the United States for “deep and meaningful cuts in [...]
Posted in Clean Technology, Eric Wilson, Renewable Energy Tags: Clean Energy, Geothermal, Solar Energy, Wind Power No Comments »X Prize Foundation Takes on Energy and the Environment
March 6th, 2009 Eric Wilson As a follow up to the earlier post on the automotive X Prize, the foundation responsible for incentivizing innovation has thrown down the proverbial gauntlet. Last Fall the X PRIZE Foundation announced a staggering $100 million (USD) purse for what they are calling the “Energy and Environment X Prize Suite”. According to their website, “[f]ollowing [...]
Posted in Clean Technology, Energy Efficiency, Eric Wilson, Renewable Energy Tags: Energy, Environment, X-Prize No Comments »
