2nd Green Revolution

Roughly half the electricity produced in this country comes from coal (EIA). In order to reduce consumption and residential lower our energy bills, it is imperative to scour one’s home for so-called energy vampires – items that draw electricity from the outlet even when they are seemingly not in use. Also referred to as the “phantom load”, these may be as simple as phone chargers remaining plugged in, or even as innocuous as a toaster oven that draws power to run one of three or four clocks in the kitchen or electric toothbrushes that remain plugged in despite being fully charged. Read the rest of this entry »

Despite announcing his intention not to seek a second term as governor of Colorado, Governor Bill Ritter has continued to pursue a clean energy future for the state. While many states have mandates of 20% or 25% electricity generation from renewable energy sources by 2020, Ritter is pushing ahead toward 30%. Ritter’s goal is one of the most ambitious, ranking in the top three states as measured by a percentage of electricity production.  Read the rest of this entry »

As a science teacher I can tell you that people find science scary. Perhaps you already knew that. They think it is something they “can’t do” or “don’t get.” They may say they do not have a scientific brain. I can also tell you that these are entirely untrue. Real world, personally accessible examples, instead of theoretical situations, help make the connection to the here and now. For instance, the title of this post “Inefficient Devices and the Laws of Thermodynamics” would probably be enough to scare off most readers. However, by thinking about your own home, this scientific concept comes to life. Read the rest of this entry »

A few months ago Solar Roadways was the recipient of extra attention in the blogosphere. 2nd Green Revolution did its part and brought you news of this company as well. All of the attention resulted in a redesigned website with flash animation. The older version of the site (one of which can be seen here) lacked the “Wow” factor that is now a part of the new site.

While the revamped site contains a wealth of information on the benefits of solar roadways in an attractive, easy to access format, there does not seem to be much movement on the development and implementation side. Read the rest of this entry »

Yesterday’s post about fake and real Christmas trees and menorahs developed out of several conversations during the holidays, but was precipitated by an article in The New York Times about the use of so-called rare earth elements in the manufacture of clean energy components. Cradle to cradle design would suggest that all materials used in consumer products ought to be capable of serving some function once the original purpose of the object has long passed. This design philosophy necessitates making components for consumer goods out of materials that can return to the ecosystem with toxification of the soils, water, or atmosphere. Read the rest of this entry »

Over the past few days we have featured a couple of different stories about geothermal energy. The first recapped two of the main sources (deep well drilling for electricity generation and ground source for home heating and cooling). The second gave you a homeowner’s perspective. Today we bring you another take on geothermal. Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana (alma mater of David Letterman) has implemented a plan to power the school with geothermal. Read the rest of this entry »

Public Radio International’s program “The World” reported on solar thermal electricity generation’s long trip across the globe last week. Originally invented in the United States, solar thermal (also known as concentrating solar power), was developed in the 1970s by Arnold Goldman. Designed as a disruptive technology, concentrated solar power uses the same general principle as nuclear power plants and coal fired electricity: steam is used to spin a turbine which generates electricity. In concentrated solar power’s case, long concave mirrors focus the sun’s thermal energy on a single tube filled with a liquid, usually oil. As the oil heats up, the energy is transferred to water which boils, becomes steam, and causes the turbine to spin.

Goldman built nine power plants in the California desert using this technology by the end of the 1980s. According to “The World”, the end of the energy crisis led to decreased interest. Currently, Spain is the leader in this technology, thanks in part to subsidies from the Spanish government. Read the rest of this entry »

• The five “greenest” cities in the U.S., according to Popular Science: 1) Portland, OR 2) San Francisco, CA 3) Boston, MA 4) Oakland, CA 5) Eugene, OR
• Americans buy 28 billion single-serving plastic water bottles every year, and 80% of those end up in landfills, according to the Container Recycling Institute.
• Recycling one ton (2000 pounds) of paper can save 17 trees, 380 gallons of oil, three cubic yards of landfill space, 4000 kilowatts of energy, and 7000 gallons of water.
• The U.S. is home to less than 5% of the world’s population, yet consumes 26% of the world’s energy. (SolarEnergy.org via American Almanac)
• Even with the recent increase in producing energy coal has been the fastest growing fuel in the world for the six consecutive years. (BP’s Statistical Review of World Energy 2009)

- Justin Manger

As reported on American Public Radio’s Marketplace, China hopes to drive down the price of wind turbines through mass production and cheap labor. The goal is to bring economies of scale to wind turbine production, thereby reducing costs and making wind generated electricity competitive with coal-fired electricity. (For more information on electricity generated via coal-fired power plants see this earlier post). China’s massive work force and cheap labor may enable it to apply a similar model to wind power as the Chinese have used on mass-produced consumer goods. This approach could result in wind turbines that are fraction of current costs.
Read the rest of this entry »

Marc Spitzer, head of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), is quoted in a New York Times article today as saying that “Vehicle-to-grid is . . . the salvation of the automotive industry in the United States”. While this statement represents Commissioner Spitzer’s opinion, the opportunity for electric cars to store excess electricity, potentially generated by renewable, intermittent sources, could help supply the necessary energy needed to supplement the grid. Base load power remains a major concern, leading to support for coal, natural gas, petroleum and nuclear energy which supply a combined 92.5% of America’s electricity Read the rest of this entry »