2nd Green Revolution

Bloom Energy had the official public unveiling of their solid oxide fuel cell technology today in Silicon Valley. After years of flying under the radar as a stealth start-up, the company made it’s debut on the world stage with a bang. California governor Arnold Swarzenegger was on hand as was former Secretary of State Colin Powell, Google co-founder Larry Page, venture capitalist John Doerr, and executives from eBay, Walmart, Coca-Cola, and FedEx. These companies have been generating energy from Bloom Boxes (units that contain stacks of these fuel cells) on a trial basis. According to TechCrunch, “Five Bloom energy boxes about the size of a parking space each now provide 15 percent of the power at eBay’s campus. Walmart is testing the boxes in two locations where [they are] carrying 60 to 80 percent of the energy load of an entire store.” A video describing the technology can be found here. Below is Bloom Energy’s explanation of how their technology is more flexible and better than “hydrogen” fuel cells. Read the rest of this entry »

With the proliferation of websites, weeding through the valuable and worthless can be all-consuming. Several sites contain worthwhile simulations and games that get people thinking about resource management. Today’s post details a few of those that do a particularly good job.

Chevron, the oil and gas megalith, teamed up with The Economic Group to develop Energyville. The goal of Energyville is to power a large city (with a population of nearly 6 million). Players must consider the economic, environmental, and security impacts associated with their choices. Read the rest of this entry »

We all want to believe in something (Santa Claus, the money tree, the fountain of youth). The following is something 2nd Green would like to believe in, but we maintain a skeptical stance.

I recently heard about this company, SOLCOA, on a sustainability listserve. Based in San Jose, California, SOLCOA provides companies with energy audits and upgrades. Their mission “is to be a vital resource to non-profits by providing energy efficiency upgrades and improvements to their buildings which may have not been previously possible.” Read the rest of this entry »

• Between 80 and 85 percent of the energy used to wash clothes comes from heating the water.                                                 –U.S. Department of Energy

• “Sleep” features that power down home office equipment and other electronic devices that are turned on but not in use can save households up to $70 annually.                                                                       –Alliance to Save Energy

• The United States consumes almost 9 million barrels of gasoline daily – 44 percent of total global daily gasoline consumption.                                         –Alliance to Save Energy

• Transportation accounts for more than 65 percent of the oil we consume in the United States and more than we produce. Today, our country imports more than 58 percent of its oil supply, and imports are expected to reach 70 percent over the next two decades.                                 –U.S. Department of Energy

• Many idle electronics – TVs, VCRs, DVD and CD players, cordless phones, microwaves – use energy even when switched off to keep display clocks lit and memory chips and remote controls working. Nationally, these energy “vampires” use 5 percent of our domestic energy and cost consumers more than $8 billion annually.                              –Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

Source: Marin Academy

The other day we had a post about the pros of geothermal energy along with some of the concerns that come with tapping the earth’s underground heat. Today, Samantha DeLair, a homeowner in upstate New York, shares her thoughts about geothermal as she and her husband take a major step toward going off the grid. We are excited to published her comments below.

We are very excited that we are able to install the geothermal system at our new house in upstate New York. We are well into the project now and haven’t had any worries – it is a relatively simple system and setting aside cost, an easy option for us to choose, particularly in the Northeast, where solar is a little less reliable. Read the rest of this entry »

While reading the New York Times online this morning, I came across an interesting ad for a noon webcast today sponsored by Shell energy company. “Energy Challenge: The Role of Government and Industry” will begin at 12pm EST. You can can up to watch the webcast at http://energychallengewebcast.com/signup.php. Here’s the description of the program from the website:

“The future of energy poses vast challenges to government and private industry, as world energy demand is expected to double by 2050 to improve living standards. Join us in this live debate on the roles played by the public and private sectors in addressing the challenges to energy in the 21st century.”

- Justin Manger

In what may turn out to be a stroke of genius (not unlike the solar roof on the 2010 Toyota Prius), Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut has installed recharging devices on elliptical machines and stationary bicycles used for exercising in the campus gym. The recharging devices, powered by the people using the machines, were the result of an undergraduate working with a faculty member in the electrical engineering department. (Click here for a brief video.) Read the rest of this entry »

The following are USGBC based statistics presented at the National Association for Independent School’s Institute for Leadership in Sustainability (http://nais.org/go/green).

Of U.S. Totals, Buildings require

• 37% of energy
• 68% of electricity
• 12% of fresh water
• 88% of potable water
• 40% of raw materials

Buildings Generate

• 33% of all municipal solid waste
• 36% of total carbon dioxide emissions
• 46% of sulfur dioxide emissions
• 19% of nitrous oxide emissions

Savings from Green Buildings (USGBC)

• 30-50% drop in energy use
• 35% reduced carbon emissions
• 40% less water use
• 70% reduction in solid waste

No Impact Man, a blog, a book, and now a movie about the year-long exercise to live lightly on the earth undertaken by Colin Beavan, his wife Michele and their young daughter Isabella, is playing across the country at select theaters. The project started as a result of Beavan’s desire to make a difference through his action. As an author, Beavan felt as though his books had no impact on society, so he embarked on what he perceived to be a more meaningful journey.

At a recent viewing, I came away wondering about the central tenet of the project, “How can we live more sustainably?” Read the rest of this entry »

The Sierra Club recently released their third annual “coolest” schools list. In order to determine the list, The Sierra Club “e-mailed a lengthy questionnaire to sustainability experts at hundreds of schools. The survey covered eight categories: efficiency, energy, food, academics, purchasing, transportation, waste management, and administration. Schools could earn up to ten points in each category, and up to five bonus points if they had additional green initiatives.”

The top 20 schools in order of ranking are: Read the rest of this entry »