Are Revolving Doors More Energy Efficient?

Interesting question.... after all there have been people saying that revolving doors actually save more energy by preventing loss of heat (since most buildings are air conditioned) then regular doors.

Well a bunch of MIT grad students did the research. The answer can be found HERE

Eco-Disco

On a lighter note of things, we do take time off from talking about Solar... Wind... Biofuels... we do have some interesting news about Discos/Night Clubs going green.

Looks like in London, a club called Surya claims to be Eco-Friendly. In fact the way it is going to generate its power is pretty unique. It seems that the dance floor is made of materials that can generate electricity when other materials rub on it, so the more dancing the more electricity. Looks like the DJ will be responsible for creating loads of electricity :)

The world's first eco-disco, Surya, opens for business [source: Times online]

Sounding like something Arthur C Clarke might have come up with if he had scripted Saturday Night Fever, a London club launches tonight that claims it will be powered by clubbers shaking their stuff on its dance floor.

Named Surya, the King's Cross nightclub is billing itself as the world's first eco-disco. It is the baby of Dr Earth aka property developer Andrew Charalambous. Worth an estimated £100 million, Charalambous, who in the past stood as a Conservative parliamentary candidate, has invested £1 million in the project and claims the aim of the venture “is to go beyond the concept of sustainability and into the realm of ecology, generating surplus energy to power not only the club but also neighbouring properties.” [Full Story]

Zero Carbon Homes?

Another victory for energy efficiency? Unfortunately it seems that right now homes that can be seen as really zero carbon are too highly priced for most people to afford it. But the most important thing is to reduce our energy usage and improving efficiency. Every little bit counts, not just to the environment but also to your electrical bill :)

7,000 SF Home Has Zero Carbon Footprint

The Eco House in Spain aims to be the first zero carbon footprint home in Andalusia and it sure looks damn pretty. The most apparent feature of the house is the roofline that sits wing-like above the building line. The shape of the roof and its distance from the building is key. The position of the angle holds the solar panels in the right position to maximize energy capture while also hiding them from view.... [Full Story]

Source: Ecogeek

Making Greener Plastics... potentially good idea?

Really interesting article here, it seems that there might be a way to make plastics slightly more environmentally friendly (and if this idea does work, our entire petrochemical industry might be shakened up) It seems this company is able to incorporate 50% CO2 (Carbon dioxide) to make plastics. Right now plastics are made from various petrochemicals like ethylene, propylene etc etc So there is actually no CO2 involved (until you burn the plastic that is).

While nothing too fancy or too large scale, this seems to be a critical step in the right direction. However we must also take note about how energy intensive such processes are, might not be good if as huge amount of energy is required to make this greener plastic.


Check it out here (Source: sciencentral.com):

Whether concerned about global warming or not, many of us are trying to reduce our fossil fuel consumption thanks to the high price of gasoline. Now, Cornell University chemist Geoffrey Coates is trying to do the same for the plastics industry. He developed a way to replace up to 50 percent of the petroleum-based ingredients in plastics with recycled carbon dioxide—making them not only greener, but also potentially cheaper.... [full story]

The Gold Rush Series: A Wind-Wind Situation

"Numbers released by the US DOE (Dept of Energy) indicate that, although the current wind energy contribution in the Energy sector is only 1%, it could go up to 20% by 2030. This 1% requires over $ 25 bn which is meager compared to the $ 500 bn needed for the 2030 target. "

This piece of information (from Jeff Siegel, Green Chip) itself suggests that investment opportunities and growth in the Wind energy sector are guaranteed. But investing in wind energy is not a breeze.

Most of the smaller companies (in the US, at least) that deal with wind energy belong to the private sector. Wind is only one of many activities of these companies. So, investing in these companies doesn't mean that your money is necessarily on Wind! And in the case of companies such as 'Florida Power and Light', those other activities consist of production of energy using nuclear power and natural gas. Social entrepreneurs and investors tend to stay away from such companies, even though their wind energy operations have been impressive.

With the on again-off again progress of Enron Wind acquired GE (General Electric), being another disappointment, investors should look across the Atlantic for better opportunities.

Foreign investments can be quite troublesome; many of the thriving European companies aren't listed on the national stock exchange. Some of the most promising companies include : Vestas and NEG Micon (Denmark) & Nercon and Nordex (Germany).

Finally, try digesting THIS : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bq-QUkE1DGM

That's the scoop for this week! Catch The Gold Rush series next week to learn more about the new economy powered by clean energy sources.

Weeds.... harm or help us in Climate Change?

Weeds are often seen as a farmer's or gardener's worst enemy, that's why we have herbicides or spend time trying to get rid of weeds. According to the NYTimes, it seems that some scientist did a study and realise that with climate change, weeds actually will grow stronger, faster and bigger. It seems an increase in temperature and CO2 content encourages this.

While this seems to spell doom for all farmers and our ability for feed the world, it is good to note that this could provide a solution as well.... the article did point out that often then not mankind turn to weeds and found ways to domesticate them into food crops. Surprisingly rice was actually a weed previously. But what will truly be the effect, or will there be any at all, this is really something we can only wait and see....

Can Weeds Help Solve the Climate Crisis?

Source [NYTimes]

Lewis Ziska, a lanky, sandy-haired weed ecologist with the Agriculture Research Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, matches a dry sense of humor with tired eyes. The humor is essential to Ziska’s exploration of what global climate change could do to mankind’s relationship with weeds; there are many days, he confesses, when his goal becomes nothing more than not ending up in a fetal position beneath his battleship gray, government-issue desk. Yet he speaks of weeds with admiration as well as apprehension, and even with hope. [Full Story here]

The Gold Rush Series: A Random Beginning

\\\The Gold Rush Series will focus on economic and political standpoints on the Clean Energy sector///

300,000.....New jobs in US by 2012 in the Clean Energy Sector
158%...........Increase in private investment over the last 3 years
100.............$ billion Investment in the Clean energy sector in 2008
35................million homes across Europe use renewable energy
2...................% of current market share held by clean energy companies

Not bad at all for an industry accused of volatile performances, huh?

The inevitability surrounding the death of conventional fuels and birth of clean energy is responsible for these staggering numbers and all the hype surrounding the latest gold rush.

The hype is justified ; Climatic changes, soaring oil prices and political support are pushing the energy industry stakeholders towards a new economy fueled by renewable sources.

Speaking of political support, take a look at former democrat candidate favorite, Mrs Clinton's support and approval of the growing Clean energy industry in the US. Who ever wrote that speech, knew what he/she was talking about. It's an extremely informative piece themed on new possibilities.

Here it is - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nofcC2ecHJ8

Although slightly off-topic, I'll wrap up this week's blog post with a list of top 4 clean energy articles that are amusing and yet so-very-true :

4. A bunch of smart people from Georgia Tech have integrated nano-technology and piezo-electricity to power mobile phones, iPods, etc using the user's t-shirt.

3. Portland drag racing news- The White Zombie, shocked everyone by taking out hot import drag racers and other muscle cars. Whats so special? The White Zombie is a beat-up old Sedan which runs on electricity.

2. The American Senate has voted 'Not to begin debate on the Renewable Energy and Job Creation Act'. Republican Senators refuse to move the bill forward because of differences with Democratic Senators over how to pay for the bill.

1. http://youtube.com/watch?v=2mTLO2F_ERY