2nd Green Revolution

Whether you love him, hate him, or are indifferent, Steve Jobs has major street cred. His company makes products that are elegant, well-designed, easy to use, and revolutionary. The hype and excitement that accompanies the lead up to and release of a major Apple product is second to none. Not only that, but the products go on to be wildly successful, while turning entire industries upside down. Think the Macintosh in the computer industry, the iPod in the music industry, the iPhone in the mobile device/phone industry, and now perhaps the iPad in the publishing industry. The presence of Apple has done wonders not only for Apple but for the entire electronics sector. People are excited about seeing the next useful technology and how it is integrated into a computer, phone, or GPS system. All this begs the question: Is there someone who can lead a company to develop breakthrough technologies and integrate them in products in the clean energy sector that consumers will get excited about? Is it even possible to have that in regards to green technology? Who would be a candidate for the role? Read the rest of this entry »

Yesterday KUNC, National Public Radio’s Northern Colorado affiliate reported that the clean energy economy had created 17,000 green jobs. According to GreenBiz.com

Venture capital is flowing into Colorado for green startups that see promise in the smart grid, energy storage and other clean tech technologies. “In 2008, we had $458 million of venture capital investments in Colorado. It’s just astounding,” Colorado Climate Change Coordinator Alice Madden said, noting that such investments have helped create 1,700 clean tech businesses in Colorado that provide 17,000 jobs.

The Colorado Governor’s Energy Office recently commissioned a green jobs report along with the Green Jobs Working Group (GJWG) and the American Solar Energy Society. The findings calculated that Read the rest of this entry »

As reported in a post last summer, Frito-Lay is set to unveil a 100% compostable bag for their Sunchips product on April 22nd for the 40th anniversary of Earth Day. It appears, however, that the bag is already in use (picture at right) and being sold at stores, specifically the Super Target at 4301 East Virginia Ave. in Denver, CO. The video/commercial below shows time-lapse disintegration of the bag.
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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 »

Green energy start-ups often promise revolutionary technology in going after the Holy Grail of clean, cheap, efficient, and abundant energy only to disappoint in the end. What makes Bloom Energy and the claims that they make any different? Well, perhaps nothing. But perhaps they will back up their talk when a mysterious countdown on their homepage is explained on Wednesday. Featured recently on 60 Minutes, the company is the product of a foray into business by former NASA engineer KR Sridhar. The origin of the technology goes back to a project to produce oxygen for astronauts on Mars. Once that program was scrapped by NASA, Sridhar reversed his design to make a fuel cell that uses oxygen and fuel to produce electricity. Read the rest of this entry »

Late last year Thomas Friedman was interviewed by Anne Strainchamps on Wisconsin Public Radio’s To The Best of Our Knowledge. The focus of the interview was the current green revolution, what we have taken to calling the second green revolution. He argues that everyone must participate if this is to be considered a true revolution.

In the interview, which can be heard here, Friedman claims that today’s measures fail to qualify as a revolution. He cites the general greenwashing of goods and services and argues that the day when every product achieves the highest energy efficiency will mark the next green revolution. What Friedman fails to acknowledge is that a revolution starts with a small force. However, his observation that “people actually have to change” is an important one. Behavioral changes represent the most daunting hurdle. Read the rest of this entry »

Chinese battery maker-turned-ambitious-automaker BYD (Build Your Dreams) made some noise recently at the Detroit Auto Show. Scheduled to arrive in the U.S. later this year, their E6 electric vehicle has been the target of much speculation. With an “Fe battery” that may be lithium ion phosphate instead of the usual lithium ion, the Discovery Channel reports that the automaker’s battery is fully recyclable, lasts 10 years, and can move the car 205 miles on a single charge. Pricing for the car may be announced later this spring. Read the rest of this entry »

Is LPD technology too good to be true?

In addition to all the hoopla at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas about 3D TV’s, there is word today about yet another new television screen technology. Add LPD to your list of abbreviations. Laser Phosphor Display (LPD) will now join LCD, DLP, OLED, and Plasma in the club of new television screen technologies. LDP is being officially unveiled today by Prysm, a four year old Silicon Valley start-up with around 100 employees. In not so modest language, the company states on its website that LPD displays offer energy efficiency, reliability, and large screens:

With its advanced design, the LPD display system presents a breakthrough in low power consumption. Large displays can consume relatively little power while still showing a bright and vivid image from any angle. Second, the freeform scalable freedom achieved is unmatched by any other display technology. The design of the Laser Engine has total flexibility without constraint in order to bring to market displays of any size, shape, curvature, brightness and resolution. Read the rest of this entry »

In yet another symbol of China’s rapid development and increasing technological prowess, a high-speed train called the Harmony express shortened a previously 11 hour trip across China to a mere 3 hours. The Harmony express raced along the 1,100km (684 mile) route from Guangzhou to the central city of Wuhan at an average speed of 350km per hour (218mph), reaching a top speed of 394km per hour (245mph). Japan’s “Shinkansen” bullet trains and France’s TGV service, two pioneers and models when it comes to high-speed rail, have maximum services speeds of 300km per hour (186mph). The U.S. has the so-called “Express” Acela service from Amtrak which takes 3.5 hours to trundle between New York and Boston, a distance of only 300km (186miles) or roughly 30% of the distance that the new Chinese route can cover in the same time. Here is a summary of the new rail line and China’s rail ambitions by the numbers: Read the rest of this entry »

A recent article from the Economist states that there are five billion power adapters that connect wall electrical sockets to people’s electronic devices and gadgets. Everything from TVs to cellphones, computers to radios, electric razors to clocks can be found in these simple devices that convert high-voltage alternating current from the grid into low-voltage direct current to power our modern lifestyle. The article states that “until recently the conversion was made using copper wire. Typically, half the power they drew from the wall, and sometimes as much as 80%, would be lost in conversion. As a result, electricity bills and carbon emissions were both higher than necessary.” The rationale for this was laid out as such: Read the rest of this entry »