A Prairie Home Companion – This farm family is energy secure

Bob is part of a large family of farmers in Mason County and he has always had an interest in getting energy from his environment rather than from the utility company. I should say that the idea for this post is 2 fold. I recently posted another personal story when I was talking about water conservation. These stories I think are helpful. It makes it clear that people could live utility free if they only put out the effort. It is also the case that I have listed his property several times in the Catalog of Energy Efforts in Central Illinois thread on CES’ Bulletin Board “Refrigerator Magnets”. (Click on our home page, click on Refrigerator Magnets on the menu on the upper left hand corner, click on the general Board and then click on that thread to see the list.)

 

I first reported their property after being chastised by a Board Member for ignoring my home county of Mason for energy related things going on in Central Illinois. Bob had one of the first sophisticated solar applications I have ever seen. He used a 2 story tall plexiglas faced solar scoop to heat water and thus heat his huge hog enclosure. Not only that but they have a rammed earth house which is pretty cool in and of itself.

 

Recently as I was driving by Bob’s property I saw that they were tearing down the hog enclosure. So I posted an update that the property had lost some of its solar potential, but I added that that happens because things change. If they quit farming hogs then the solar system would no longer be functional. I guess I thought in my head that I hoped the solar system would find a new home or a new use.

 

Imagine my surprise when I drove by this spring and saw 36 solar photovoltaic Panels had been erected behind the hog house. They looked operational. Wow, Bob had gone from pioneer to not and back to pioneer again! Understand, that Bob’s property is on one of the main routes to my parent’s house in Mason City so imagine my surprise on my next trip when I saw that a wind turbine had been erected as well. I was so excited that I stopped and left a business card. Bob called me back and I tell you what, I have a huge amount of respect for this guy.

 

Now I am not going to get all this right, and I am not going to cover everything, But lets start with the 10Kw. Bergey Wind Turbine:

http://www.kansaswindpower.net/bergey_wind_generators.htm

http://www.genproenergy.com/bergey_wind_generators.html

excel.jpg

 Actually it looks more like this coming from Riverton:

xl1proto.jpg

 

The system also uses 36 Sharp 208 Solar Photovoltaic Panels:

http://www.solarelectricsupply.com/Solar_Panels/Sharp/sharp_SH-208.html

 sharp_sh-208.jpg

 In what probably is a 20 ft x 40 ft. array. This array and the turbine are protected by Delta Surge Protectors:

 

 http://www.deltasurgeprotectors.com/

 

 Tied into a  DC disconnect and an inverter system:

 

http://www.sma-america.com/en_US.html

 

Then run through an AC disconnect where it is finally “married to” the Utility Company’s power source (boo) in an integrated panel that has a meter that runs both ways:

 

 http://store.altenergystore.com/Power-Panels/Solectria-Power-Panels/Solectria-PVI-5300-Assembled-Power-Panel/p6701/?source=froogle

 

 This is not the exact one he used, but it is a good example. Finally it is circulated throughout his house and his farm. He is not offline. He has to run a grain drier in his storage bins. There are other big ticket items on farms that requires high power consumption like welders and vapor mercury lamps. But he said on a good day when his usage is low he loves to watch the meter run backwards. This is all made possible by a dealer/installer that Bob refers to as a lifesaver:

 

http://www.midstatepower.com/

Back to the rammed earth house, he says that they do not fear Tornadoes. They are surrounded by concrete walls. His daughter has a window, and they tell her if a storm gets bad to just come in and sleep with them (aaaahhh)…That’s amazing because almost everyone is afraid of tornadoes.

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Power Shift 09 And The Climate Change March In Washington – I hope this all goes well

I am not sure how many youth focused websites have gotten the word however. More on the Youth Environmentalist Movement and their medium:

http://www.futuremajority.com/

“The Republican party isn’t exactly Internet savvy”

Bloguette Meghan McCain had an interesting article in the Daily Beast yesterday that addresses the techless nature of the GOP.

During the campaign season the only youth outreach I could find coming out of the McCain campaign was Meghan and her friends that traveled with the campaign and reported on the goings on.

Since this seems to be the week of children of the GOP coming out to tell all it is fitting Meghan wanted to talk about her experience as well. She says that the whole idea of the blog and project about being on the trail “was met with confusion and resistance” to begin with. “A few people even asked me what’s a blog.”

For the record, what you’re reading right now…. is a blog.

She also said that she got the idea that people thought she was wasting her time, “The Republican party isn’t exactly Internet savvy,” she says.

I would argue that there are many people in the GOP that are very tech savvy. The College Republicans developed a nice little social network site that no one really uses, if you’re a frequent reader of FM you know we know all about that site. And there are a hand full of remarkable tech savvy guys (sadly they’re all men) who do some good work for a party that has little to no support for them. Meghan’s lament isn’t an isolated one.

“Unless the GOP evolves as the party that can successfully utilize the Web, we’ll continue to lose influence. I think nothing confirms this fact to be more true than this recent election. I don’t claim to be an expert on mobilizing voters, but a significant number of the readers on mccainblogette.com, my blog, were between the ages of 18 and 30, a key demographic that either party would want. Many of the established Republican strategists told me that young people would not visit my web site.”

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Though I am not sure that the Hip Hoppers are on board either:

http://hiphopcaucus.org/

Full Events Calendar »

 

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It kills me to point out that the Illinois Math and Science Academy page hasn’t been updated since September 2008. What? Did school start or something?:

http://lorax.wordpress.com/

McCain and Obama: Energy Voting History

Posted by syntaxflute on Friday, September 26, 2008

 Watching the presidential debate has pulled my vote in different directions – but I am weary of falling victim to the theatrical allure of words and public speaking when the position comes down to action.  If you are interested in the green words the candidates have buzzed about in oration, have a bit of fun.

Past Action predicts present – 50 McCain No votes for energy policies and Obama’s short voting term as Senator. 

the significance in voting

the significance in voting

But when it comes down to it, policy and action are the skeleton of a candidate.  Each offers an Energy Plan – Obama’s ‘New Energy for America’ vs. McCain’s Lexington Project.  Obama’s backbone policy: eliminate foreign oil, 1 million hybrid cars by 2015, and a cap and trade program cutting CO2 emissions by 2050.  McCain in short: increase off-shore drilling, open domestic natural gas, cap and trade system, construct nuclear plants, a clean car challenge. Refer to the policies and note the time lines and numerical promise as measure of policy strength. 

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You would think Solve Climate would be on board with it too. Well not exactly:

 http://solveclimate.com/

February 20, 2009

Reid Plans Climate Change Legislation by End of Summer (AP)

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid says the energy legislation expected to be taken up in the coming weeks will be limited largely to promoting renewable energy and energy efficiency.

Transportation Secretary Eyes Taxing Miles Driven (AP)

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood says he is considering taxing motorists based on how many miles they drive rather than how much gasoline they burn. A few governors are also floating the idea.

Scientists Map CO2 Emissions with Google Earth (AFP)

A team of U.S. scientists unveils an interactive Google Earth map showing carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels across the United States.

Cost of Solar Fell 27% in Past Decade (San Francisco Chronicle)

The cost of installing solar panels on homes and businesses fell 27.6 percent from 1998 to 2008, according to a new study from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory that questions some of the conventional wisdom about solar’s price.

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These folks basically live in Washington. You would think they would be excited:

http://theusconstitution.org/blog.warming/

Oh Boy Oh Boy Oh Boy

Last night, the NY Times offered hope that the long-awaited endangerment for CO2 finding may soon be near:

Lisa P. Jackson, the new E.P.A. administrator, said in an interview that she had asked her staff to review the latest scientific evidence and prepare the documentation for a so-called endangerment finding. Ms. Jackson said she had not decided to issue such a finding but she pointedly noted that the second anniversary of the Supreme Court decision, Massachusetts v. E.P.A., is April 2, and there is the wide expectation that she will act by then.

The article also notes that the endangerment finding “would set off one of the most extensive regulatory rule makings in history,” which may in turn “accelerate the progress of energy and climate change legislation in Congress.” This, of course, is exactly what we have argued should happen, if the Obama Administration is to succeed in bringing about its desired cap-and-trade bill in the near future.

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These folks can be forgiven for not attending. They are in India attending there own conference:

http://www.whatswiththeclimate.org/

Gayatari Pariwar offer full-fledged support to IYCN

Shirdi/ Kabir Arora

The Divine India Youth Association, working under the leadership of Gayatari Pariwar (a Spiritual Organization), offered support to the Indian Youth Climate Network, at a recent conference in Shirdi. Members of the organization pledged to promote eco-friendliness at all of their religious gatherings. Proposals included the use of paper-bags instead of plastic ones, investment in solar powered energy systems, the replacement of plastic cups with traditional clay cups, and the promotion of organic farming as not only an ecological solution but a spiritual pathway as well.

At their gathering at Shirdi, two IYCN members displayed many of the small changes we can all make. People showed keen interest in the IYCN campaign.

Gayatari Pariwar was founded by Shri Ram Sharma Acharya and is now based in Shanti Kunj, Haridwar.

Yes, They Could. So They Did.

February 15, 2009

Climate Solutions Road Tour Launch, Chennai, January 3, 2009

Thomas Friedman, New York Times:  http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/15/opinion/15friedman.html

So I am attending the Energy and Resources Institute climate conference in New Delhi, and during the afternoon session two young American women — along with one of their mothers — proposition me.

“Hey, Mr. Friedman,” they say, “would you like to take a little spin around New Delhi in our car?”

Oh, I say, I’ve heard that line before. Ah, they say, but you haven’t seen this car before. It’s a plug-in electric car that is also powered by rooftop solar panels — and the two young women, recent Yale grads, had just driven it all over India in a “climate caravan” to highlight the solutions to global warming being developed by Indian companies, communities, campuses and innovators, as well as to inspire others to take action. (more…)

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They publish Hansen and he doesn’t even mention it. Whoa:

http://www.worldchanging.com/archives/009432.html

Climate Change Demands a Transformative Change in Direction

Over a year ago I wrote to Prime Minister Brown asking him to place a moratorium on new coal-fired power plants in Britain. I have asked the same of Angela Merkel, Barack Obama, Kevin Rudd and other world leaders. The reason is this – coal is the single greatest threat to civilization and all life on our planet.

Our global climate is nearing tipping points. Changes are beginning to appear, and there is a potential for explosive changes with effects that would be irreversible – if we do not rapidly slow fossil fuel emissions over the next few decades.

Tipping points are fed by amplifying feedbacks. As Arctic sea ice melts, the darker ocean absorbs more sunlight and speeds melting. As tundra melts, methane a strong greenhouse gas, is released, causing more warming. As species are pressured and exterminated by shifting climate zones, ecosystems can collapse, destroying more species. The public, buffeted by day-to-day weather fluctuations and economic turmoil, has little time or training to analyze decadal changes. How can they be expected to evaluate and filter out advice emanating from special economic interests? How can they distinguish top-notch science and pseudoscience – the words sound the same?

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I Just Love These People – There are so many generational stereotypes out there

But these young folks are so cool:

http://itsgettinghotinhere.org/

Musings on CGI-U vs. Power Shift ‘09

CLINTON CGI-ULast weekend, 1000 students convened in Austin Texas for the Clinton Global Initiative University for a conference geared towards solving the world’s big problems and empowering students to take action.

In 8 days, 10,000 young people will be in DC for Power Shift 2009 for a conference to demand action on climate change from our leaders and empowering students to push for change.

There is a fundamental difference between these two events:

At Power Shift we will hold our elected officials accountable to do their part in solving climate change. We know that we are all working together to solve one really big (and multi-faceted) problem. And we’re not leaving until they listen to us.

Clinton Global Initiative inspires individuals and small groups to solve a wide range of problems, and highlight the projects that are closest to a set of ideals: Do what you can to make the world a better place, and make this part of your life.’ CGI-U is top down, and Power Shift is bottom up.

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They run around with some cool folks:

http://blogs.williams.edu/sustainability/

January 20, 2009

On December 24th, the College began the experiment of setting back temperatures and turning off equipment in many buildings until just before the beginning of Winter Study on January 5th. This effort appears to have saved nearly $90,000 and reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 287 metric tonnes, over 1 % of our annual total.

The financial savings were split evenly between electricity and heating oil. Fifty-five percent of the energy savings came from heating. We often think of electricity as having the most utilities impact, due to the visible lighting and plug load in a building. However, in colder climates like ours, heat energy accounts for a larger portion of both emissions and spending on energy.

We can’t report on heating savings per building due to a current lack of steam metering, but we do have real-time metering of electricity by building. From those meters, we learned, not surprisingly, that large, energy-intensive buildings saved the most electricity: Paresky (34,500 kWh), Sawyer (26,874 kWh), Chandler (20,274 kWh), Bronfman (15,124 kWh), Greylock Dining (15,124 kWh), and Jesup (14,202 kWh). On average building electricity use was down 40%; electricity use in dorms was down 47%.

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http://climatedenial.org/

Guest blogger Roman Krznaric argues for a revolution in empathy to tackle climate change.

‘We seem to be suffering from an empathy deficit – our ability to put ourselves in someone else’s shoes, to see the world through those who are different from us.’Barack Obama

Occasionally – just occasionally – a mainstream politician says something that is both original and useful. This is the case with Barack Obama’s views on empathy. In a thousand speeches, and in his book The Audacity of Hope, he has put cultivating empathy – learning to see the world from the perspective of others – at the centre of his moral and political vision.

I am inclined to praise him because I believe we should view the problem of tackling climate change not as an environmental issue, or one concerning technology or social justice or markets, but primarily as a problem of empathy. We must learn to see the individuals behind the newspaper headlines about climate change, and imagine ourselves into the uniqueness of their lives, developing an understanding of their most important experiences, beliefs, fears and hopes.Sound far-fetched, wishy-washy or a little too sandals-and-carrot-juice for your liking? Let me explain myself.

The big question facing us is this: How can we close the gap between knowledge and action on climate change? Millions of people in rich countries know about the damaging effects of climate change and their own greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, yet relatively few are willing to make substantive changes to how they live. They might change a few light bulbs but they do not cut back on flying abroad for their holidays nor do they want to pay higher taxes to confront global warming.

So far economic, moral or other arguments have not been enough to spur sufficient action. This is because a fundamental approach has been missing: empathy.

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 http://www.coal-is-dirty.com/

Dr. James Hansen Calls for Civil Disobedience at Capitol Coal Plant on March 2

New Video of Noted Scientist Call for Join Capitol Climate Action

18 Feb 09

 

hansen image.jpg

Dr. James Hansen, the internationally recoginized climatologist has released a public service announcment, calling on all of us to join the Capitol Climate Action, the largest civil disobedience against global warming in U.S. history.

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http://www.desmogblog.com/

Obama, Canada’s government

not worth its salt on global warming [pic]

Tags: , , , , , , ,

This full page ad by the grassroots group Avaaz appeared on page A3 of the Washington Post today in advance of Obama’s trip to Canada scheduled for tomorrow. (click to enlarge)

obama-canada-global-warming-avaaz

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Our Energy Future – What does the omniscient Web say

The Web, like the Great Oz himself, knows all and sees all. He can give the Scarecrow a brain:

 http://www.economist.com/opinion/displaystory.cfm?story_id=11580723

Energy

The future of energy

Jun 19th 2008
From The Economist print edition

A fundamental change is coming sooner than you might think

Instead of bullying and scaring people, the prophets of energy technology are attempting to seduce them. They promise a world where, at one level, things will have changed beyond recognition, but at another will have stayed comfortably the same, and may even have got better.

This time it’s serious

Alternative energy sounds like a cop-out. Windmills and solar cells hardly seem like ways of producing enough electricity to power a busy, self-interested world, as furnaces and steam-turbines now do. Battery-powered cars, meanwhile, are slightly comic: more like milk-floats than Maseratis. But the proponents of the new alternatives are serious. Though many are interested in environmental benefits, their main motive is money. They are investing their cash in ideas that they think will make them large amounts more. And for the alternatives to do that, they need to be both as cheap as (or cheaper than) and as easy to use as (or easier than) what they are replacing.

For oil replacements, cheap suddenly looks less of a problem. The biofuels or batteries that will power cars in the alternative future should beat petrol at today’s prices. Of course, today’s prices are not tomorrow’s. The price of oil may fall; but so will the price of biofuels, as innovation improves crops, manufacturing processes and fuels.

Electrical energy, meanwhile, will remain cheaper than petrol energy in almost any foreseeable future, and tomorrow’s electric cars will be as easy to fill with juice from a socket as today’s are with petrol from a pump. Unlike cars powered by hydrogen fuel cells, of the sort launched by Honda this week, battery cars do not need new pipes to deliver their energy. The existing grid, tweaked and smartened to make better use of its power stations, should be infrastructure enough. What matters is the nature of those power stations.

The price is right

They, too, are more and more likely to be alternative. Wind power is taking on natural gas, which has risen in price in sympathy with oil. Wind is closing in on the price of coal, as well. Solar energy is a few years behind, but the most modern systems already promise wind-like prices. Indeed, both industries are so successful that manufacturers cannot keep up, and supply bottlenecks are forcing prices higher than they otherwise would be. It would help if coal—the cheapest fuel for making electricity—were taxed to pay for the climate-changing effects of the carbon dioxide produced when it burns, but even without such a tax, some ambitious entrepreneurs are already talking of alternatives that are cheaper than coal.

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Please read the rest of the article for the pessimism that I cut out. He can also give the Lion courage:

http://www.energyfuturecoalition.org/editorsblog/Coalition-and-Partners-Launch-Rebuilding-America

Coalition and Partners Launch Rebuilding America

The Energy Future Coalition, in concert with a diverse cross-section of partners, recently submitted a plan to Congress to use building retrofit programs to put people back to work while reducing the U.S.’s energy footprint.  The building sector consumes 70% of electricity and emits 40% of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions.  Implementing energy efficiency retrofits presents an opportunity to create good jobs that not only reduce our environmental impact, but also create long-term energy savings for schools, homes, and businesses.

The plan would target retrofitting 4 million homes over the next two years.  Over the long-term, the plan recommends improving the efficiency of 50 million existing structures by 2020, creating 200,000 jobs. Energy efficiency is much cheaper than building new power plants and should be the first option for meeting energy demand.

Learn more >non

News Clip: Efficiency in Troubled Waters, Grist Magazine

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Please visit their amazing website. I couldn’t post it all. He can give the Tin Man lubricants that do not contain fossil fuels and a big old thumpin heart:

http://www.alternative-energy-news.info/technology/future-energy/

Free Energy Forums

Post New Topic

 

16Feb

Solar Energy “Power Towers” for California

Solar Power Towers California We mostly talk about solar panels that convert sunlight into electricity. But we can utilize sunlight by using another technology known as concentrating solar technology. In this technology reflective mirrors are used to concentrate light onto a liquid to make steam. This steam then converts energy into electricity with the help of conventional turbines. Deserts are best places to avail this technology. One important aspect is, its air-cooling process conserves water, an important consideration for desert projects. Concentrating solar technology is to be utilized in California which has a directive to generate 33 percent of their electricity from renewable sources by 2020. 8 Comments

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But can he get Dorothy home to Kansas? I think the answer is yes:

http://www.whitehouse.gov/agenda/energy_and_environment/

ENERGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT

The energy challenges our country faces are severe and have gone unaddressed for far too long. Our addiction to foreign oil doesn’t just undermine our national security and wreak havoc on our environment — it cripples our economy and strains the budgets of working families all across America. President Obama and Vice President Biden have a comprehensive plan to invest in alternative and renewable energy, end our addiction to foreign oil, address the global climate crisis and create millions of new jobs.

The Obama-Biden comprehensive New Energy for America plan will:

  • Help create five million new jobs by strategically investing $150 billion over the next ten years to catalyze private efforts to build a clean energy future.
  • Within 10 years save more oil than we currently import from the Middle East and Venezuela combined.
  • Put 1 million Plug-In Hybrid cars — cars that can get up to 150 miles per gallon — on the road by 2015, cars that we will work to make sure are built here in America.
  • Ensure 10 percent of our electricity comes from renewable sources by 2012, and 25 percent by 2025.
  • Implement an economy-wide cap-and-trade program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 80 percent by 2050.

Energy Plan Overview

Provide Short-term Relief to American Families

  • Crack Down on Excessive Energy Speculation.
  • Swap Oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to Cut Prices.

Eliminate Our Current Imports from the Middle East and Venezuela within 10 Years

  • Increase Fuel Economy Standards.
  • Get 1 Million Plug-In Hybrid Cars on the Road by 2015.
  • Create a New $7,000 Tax Credit for Purchasing Advanced Vehicles.
  • Establish a National Low Carbon Fuel Standard.
  • A “Use it or Lose It” Approach to Existing Oil and Gas Leases.
  • Promote the Responsible Domestic Production of Oil and Natural Gas.

Create Millions of New Green Jobs

  • Ensure 10 percent of Our Electricity Comes from Renewable Sources by 2012, and 25 percent by 2025.
  • Deploy the Cheapest, Cleanest, Fastest Energy Source – Energy Efficiency.
  • Weatherize One Million Homes Annually.
  • Develop and Deploy Clean Coal Technology.
  • Prioritize the Construction of the Alaska Natural Gas Pipeline.

Reduce our Greenhouse Gas Emissions 80 Percent by 2050

  • Implement an economy-wide cap-and-trade program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 80 percent by 2050.
  • Make the U.S. a Leader on Climate Change.

itsgettinghotinhere.org

kansas.jpg

Actually Kansas…..

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Valentine’s Day Energy Blogs – Those that talk of the energy of love

Yes youall know that I am a google whore, but heh this year is on a roll. Martin Luther King’s Birthday in the same week that an African American is sworn in as President. Lincoln’s 200th Birthday in the same week as Valentine’s Days 600th Birthday. It’s true Valentine’s Day was invented by Gregory Chaucer 8 years after his likely death. Your first Romantic Blog is all about financial love. Ignore the buff guys name:

http://www.billgross.com/

 

How Electricity Should Be Priced – Proportional to Use

Here’s a very bold idea on how electricity should be priced that I believe could completely change the world in several positive ways.

It would be the first, global, progressive pricing scheme that would give “life-line” like service to all in need of the freedom and convenience of basic electricity.  Second, it would, at the same time, provide the incentive for renewable energy to blossom, in an extremely fair and global way.

The idea is this – take the lowest possible electricity price anywhere on the planet, about $0.03 per kilolwatt hour, and offer that rate to everyone on the planet, for their first kilowatt hour (per month, per person).  For each doubling of usage, increase the rate $0.01.  So if you use 2 kilowatt hours per month, your rate is $0.04.  For 4 kilowatt hours per month, per person, your rate is $0.05.

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This collection of “alternative energy” was a lot like love, starting fast and quickly dieing down:

 http://www.bioeconomyblog.blogspot.com/

Thursday, May 31, 2007

Launch of the AlternativeEnergyBlogs

AlternativeEnergyBlogs is a gateway to the following Alternative Energy Blogs:

The Bioeconomy Blog
The Bioeconomy Blog is devoted to the promotion of all key literature relating to biorenewable fuels, most notably bioethanol and biodiesel. It will focus on the economic, environmental, medical, political, and social aspects of bioeconomy initiatives. The Bioeconomy Blog is a companion to the The Bioenergy Blog, which is devoted to the technical aspects and technologies associated with production.
[http://www.bioeconomyblog.blogspot.com/]
Facebook Group
[http://iastate.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2350983131]

The Bioenergy Blog
is devoted to the documentation of key literature relating to biorenewable fuels, most notably bioethanol and biodiesel. It is focused on the technical aspects and technologies associated with the production of these fuels. The Bioenergy Blog is a companion blog to The Bioeconomy Blog, which is focused on the non-technical aspects of bio-based fuels.
[http://thebioenergyblog.blogspot.com/]
Facebook Group
[http://iastate.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2363348674]

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This Blog reminds me of the J. Geils Band’s take on love…but is that Love Stinks or Whammer Jammer baby!

http://enviropundit.blogspot.com/

Bà R?a-V?ng Tàu: ?? lén 20 t?n ch?t th?i nguy h?i ra ??ng ru?ng

L??ng ch?t th?i này d?ng b?t có nhi?u màu xanh, vàng, ??, ?en… khác nhau ???c ?óng trong thùng phuy. Ông Tr?n Ti?n D?ng, chuyên viên Chi c?c B?o v? môi tr??ng t?nh BR-VT, cho bi?t ?ây là lo?i ch?t th?i nguy h?i, có kh? n?ng gây nguy hi?m cho môi tr??ng n??c và không khí xung quanh. Hi?n ??n v? này ?ã l?y m?u g?i xét nghi?m.

Ng??i dân t?i ?ây cho bi?t kho?ng 20 gi? ngày 7-11, có b?n xe ?ông l?nh và m?t ôtô mang bi?n s? TP.HCM ch?y ??n khu v?c này, ?? l?i các thùng phuy này r?i b? ?i. Trên thân nhi?u thùng phuy v?n còn ghi Nhà máy d?t Th?ng L?i TP.HCM. Phòng C?nh sát môi tr??ng Công an t?nh BR-VT ?ã vào cu?c ?? ?i?u tra v? vi?c.

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As if you could tell right? Love can be all over the map. Sunny, rainy, warm and cold on the same day. Much like this last Blog for the day:

 http://entropyproduction.blogspot.com/

Misplaced Priorities

So the Securities Exchange Commission is said to be probing Apple over accusations that they may have misled the public over the state of Steve Jobs’ health.

Let’s play a word association game:

Pancreatic cancer
+
Corporate executive
=
?Healthy?

One can imagine that if Jobs had cancer in the Islets of Langerhans, the portion of the pancreas responsible for insulin regulation, that yes, he might have some diabetic-like health issues associated with that. Doesn’t the SEC have something better to do? E.g. meanwhile we learn that Merrill-Lynch maneuvered to deliver $3 billion inbonuses before being bought-out by Bank of America. Merrill-Lynch lost over $20 billion in that quarter, and BoA is demanding that it be bailed out by the US taxpayer now for the same amount. This idea that financial companies need to pay out bonuses to retain “top talent” during a period when the financial sector is undergoing a severe contraction is a canard. Where are they going to go work, the construction industry?

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Abraham Lincoln’s Favorite Energy And Green Blogs – Imagine things like “mulepoop.com”,

maybe “waterwheelsforprofit.net”, or “womensworkisneverdone.org”. So today we look at more blogs present and not that talk about energy and the environment. Here is one that has not been updated since 2006, but I like the phrase “After the Goo”.

http://postpetroleum.blogspot.com/

to oil.

Tuesday, May 02, 2006

After the Goo

It is now imperative that we move to new sources of transportion fuels.

Even George Bush admits that we are addicted to oil.

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This one is cute, funny and current:

 

7 Megawatts, Not for the Faint of HAWT

WRI (World Resources Institute) estimates that there would be 30,100 jobs and $450 million/yr energy savings created with every $1billion invested in green recovery. And, even the U.S. Department of Energy during the WPE error conducted a study that has recommended that a major source of investment in the near term be wind power.

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This one is also cute, funny and up-to-date. Tyler Hamilton is a hunk too.

http://tyler.blogware.com/

LNG lobby’s “truth” about CO2 emissions smells fishy

February 11th, 2009 So, a Washington-based lobby group called the Center for Liquefied Natural Gas has come out with a study that analyses the lifecycle emissions of LNG versus coal. The aim of the study is to make sure U.S. legislators “know the truth” about clean-burning LNG as they consider climate-change legislation. Their conclusion — surprise, surprise – is that LNG for power generation contributes, on an apples-to-apples basis, about 70 per cent less greenhouse-gas emissions compared to even the cleanest coal technologies. Put another way, they say that an existing coal power plant in the United States produces two and a half times more greenhouse gas emissions than a comparable LNG power plant.

That sounds, well…. completely unbelievable. Read the rest of this entry »

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But that is nothing compared to what the typical nasty industry player spends on the web. Just look at this disgusting site. You would think that the Canadians would be smarter than that:

http://www.coal.ca/content/

Home
We wish to acknowledge the generous support of our 2008 Canadian Conference on Coal Sponsors:


Headquartered in Calgary, Alberta, The Coal Association of Canada represents companies engaged in the exploration, development, use and transportation of coal. Its members include major coal producers and coal-using utilities, the railroads and ports that ship coal, industry suppliers of goods and services, and municipalities that have an interest in furthering the objectives of the Coal Association.

 

47th Canadian Conference on Coal
coal_assoc._47th_logo_final_ol The Coal Association of Canada would like to thank sponsors, delegates, guests and all others involved in making the 47th Canadian Conference on Coal, ‘Coal Renaissance: Affirming its Role Today, Determining it for the Future’, our most successful conference to date. 

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So to end on a less odious note, here is a practical, nonstudly, inyourownhome site:

http://www.energyboomer.typepad.com/

HOW TO ADD WINDOW INSULATION TO SAVE MONEY

 

Winter Window Here are some inexpensive ways for you to add insulation to you existing windows that will save you money on your next heating or air conditioning bill.

 

Add clear shrink wrap on the inside

You can add a layer of clear plastic to the inside of the window. This seals off any air leaks and traps a layer of insulating air at the window. Being clear it still lets in light and lets you see out. I highly recommend the 3M Scotch Brand materials for cutting the energy waste at your windows.

It is easy. First sit down and read everything printed on the box. Remember, “if all else fails, read the directions.” The directions are an easy read and the illustrations are very helpful.

The first step of the job is to put their special two-sided sticky tape all around the window frame. What is special is that it sticks good, but you can peel it off easily too. If you put it on crooked, like I do, you can fix it without throwing it away and starting over.

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Alternative Energy Blogs And Green Blogs – As we slide towards the softer side of Sears

No offense meant but anybody including yours truely can have a blog. This first Blog was kind of interesting but apparently it died in 2005. What was it about 2005? Everyone thought, “Heh i could have had a Blog”? Then it turned out to be tougher than they thought. People died? What?

http://www.thebrigg.net/

The Greenhouse Effect

Filed under: Energy and Science — Administrator @ 10:14 am

There is a tremendous amount of misinformation about the greenhouse being spread, in large part by PACs (Political Action COmmittees) funded by the oil, coal, and gas industries, such as the “Greening Earth Society” . So, what’s the reality? First, it’s important to understand how it relates to something of increasing concern – hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico. The increasing frequency of strong hurricanes is also giving yet another conformation of the models. (more…)

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This Blog is current and while listed as a Green Blog it deals with Energy quite a bit:

http://www.greenr.com/blog/

Google Gets Behind Smart Meters & Monitoring

Posted by davidwfox on 10 Feb 2009 | Tagged as: energy efficiency, my-new-house

Smart meters and energy monitors have been around for years, but Google wants to bring this empowering technology to a much larger audience. Count me in!

Google’s mission is to “organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful,” and we believe consumers have a right to detailed information about their home electricity use. We’re tackling the challenge on several fronts, from policy advocacy to developing consumer tools, and even investing in smart grid companies.

Continued at The Official Google Blog…

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I guess quitting a Blog and giving it up is not as bad as what happened to this blog…Hope it doesn’t happen to CES.

 http://alteng.blogspot.com/

 

Blog has been removed

Sorry, the blog at alteng.blogspot.com has been removed. This address is not available for new blogs.

Did you expect to see your blog here? See: ‘I can’t find my blog on the Web, where is it?

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owch…In the same vane, it’s hard to tell whether this site is alive or dead. The last post on the home page is December 2008.

http://www.thewatt.com/

Recent Podcast

 theWatt Podcast 79

in

 download:

tWP79: Building a Wind Farm (11MB, 28min)

Mike Jablonicky from Canadian Hydro Developers is on the show giving us the inside scoop on building a $410 million, 198MW wind farm.

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There is even a fasinating look at “Conservation Psychology” on their BB..

http://www.thewatt.com/node/191

Conservation psychology – What’s it gonna take?

On the recent Watt podcast panel discussion the group touched on conservation psychology a couple of times. Here is a paper I’m working on relating to conservation psychology and off grid RE systems.

The convergence of peak oil, topsoil depletion, freshwater shortages, and climate change require massive societal change in a short time. Can we make the necessary adjustments to our lifestyles in advance in order to learn to thrive with less but also possibly head off the worst effects of these converging challenges? If we accept that these threats are real then we have less than a decade to drastically cut levels of greenhouse gas emissions.

“…… the global output per head should be reduced to 0.537t by 2050. The UK currently produces 9.6 tonnes per head and the US 23.6t. Reducing these figures to 0.537t means a 94.4% cut in the UK and a 97.7% cut in the US. But the world population will rise in the same period. If we assume a population of 9bn in 2050, the cuts rise to 95.9% in the UK and 98.3% in the US.” (Monbiot 04/12/2007)

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But it is 24 weeks and 5 days (days?) old. It looks like they veered off into Twitter and Podcasts. Maybe the Cutting Edge got them.

http://twitter.com/benkenney

http://www.thewatt.com/node/195

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But I am too old for such things so if a Commenter could explain this that would be great. Finally, you could be like this Blogger and post every 6 months or so….what a luxury:

http://www.energyhack.com/

Recycle water from your morning shower

I just came across this Canadian invention that lets you reuse the thermal energy from your shower. The great thing about is that is so simple and it is has no moving parts meaning no energy consumption. The downside is that it has to be build in with your drain. This is on my list for my future house. Check it out at http://www.ecodrain.ca/

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Energy Blogs – The lighter greener side of things

OK so it is only fitting that I start this post with a site that isn’t a blog but well it is so warm and fuzzy:

http://www.globalgiving.com/

 

 

 

Spread the Love And You Could Win A Free Bouquet

Send a GlobalGiving Valentine With Any Donation Make a donation to any project and after you check out, spread the love with a GlobalGiving Valentine eCard. Enter yourself and your friends and family in a raffle to win one of five bouquets from Organic Bouquet. question mark

give now

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This Blog is pretty cool and very topical:

http://www.energyrefuge.com/blog/

Renewable energy sector feels impact of economic downturn

February 6th, 2009 · No Comments

Two recent articles say that the renewable energy sector has been suffering from the effects of the credit crisis. The International Herald Tribune announced that “installation of wind and solar power is plummeting. Factories building parts for these industries have announced a wave of layoffs in recent weeks, and trade groups are projecting 30 to 50 percent declines this year in installation of new equipment, barring more help from the government. Prices for turbines and solar panels, which soared when the boom began a few years ago, are falling.”
[Read more ?]

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This Blog ranges all over the place from serious to soft. It is generally accurate though, where some are not:

http://curtrosengren.typepad.com/alternative_energy/

Wind power forecasting in the US

As the prevalance of wind power increases, so does the importance of being able to answer the question, “Is the wind going to blow?” As this article on wind power forecasting points out:

An unexpected lack of wind in the US can cause blackouts. This is one problem that many regions in the United States of America may face on the short and medium term as a consequence of the country’s growing dependence on renewable energies, particularly wind power.

With that in mind, a project is underway to make wind power forecasting more accurate.

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This Blog tends towards the financial, but has some real life applications as well:

http://www.alternat1ve.com/

Metrobank and Sumitomo-Mitsui Bank sign deal for carbon credit sourcingPublicly listed Metrobank had partnered up with the Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp (SMBC) of Japan for the development of a Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) project in the Philippines. Based from our understanding of the deal, SMBC will tap Metrobank’s extensive client base in the Philippines for subscription into the Carbon Credit Market.

Both banks are looking to tap into the Renewable Energy sector that was recently spurred by the passage and signing of the Philippine’s Renewable Energy Bill that seeks to give incentives to businesses that will put up renewable energy projects in the country. These businesses therefore make money, not just from their regular business model, but from the trading of their excess carbon units.
Read the rest of this entry »

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This Blog is Corporate I believe and very terse. It has useful articles though:

http://home.comcast.net/~energy-blog/home.htm

Alternative Energy Blog

Thursday, October 20, 2005
There looks like there’s been a breakthrough in the production of Solar Cells.  At UCLA, Engineers have developed a method of making solar energy cells out of everyday plastic.  The cells can be produced for 10-20% less than current cells and the engineering team at UCLA hopes to have the cell’s efficiency up to around 15-20%.  These cells could be commercially available in just a few years.It seems that UCLA is in a race with New Mexico State University and Wake Forest University to create affordable solar cells using plastic.  Using nanotechnology, NMSU and WFU have already achieved an efficiency level of 5.2 percent.

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We end on this funny note…it hasn’t been updated since 2005! Apparently it’s just a “Google Scoop” to get Ad dollars with very little effort.

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Energy And Environmental Blog’s – What my competito….friends have been up to lately

This site is not for the average reader or for the weak at heart. This is hard core energy news with BLOGS by people who DO, teach not…. as Yoda might say:

http://www.energyblogs.com

Interesting ideas and viewpoints are constantly emerging on EnergyBlogs.com.  We have enhanced the topics available for categorizing blogs so that you can easily reflect the dynamic conversations taking place within the global power industry.

To assist in this transition, existing blogs have been recategorized into the appropriate topics.  We encourage you to review the recategorization to make sure the topics best reflect the content of your blog and update the categories if appropriate.

As always, we encourage you to start a new blog on one of the engaging new topics!  If you have any questions, please contact service@energycentral.com.

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Blogger Photos

To Dr. Chu: Align Stimulus to Clean Energy Reform

02/08/2009 at 08:22 PM   |   Jose Antonio Vanderhorst-Silverio – Electricity Without Price Controls Blog

A system architect should lead a high leverage clean energy reform transformation of the power industry for DOE to distribute as soon as possible the …


Blogger Photos

Bacteria to Power Up the Carwash? – By Lance Winslow

02/06/2009 at 08:29 PM   |   Lance Winslow – Lance Winslow’s Online Energy Think Tank Blog – Articles by Lance Winslow Blog

By Lance Winslow   Alternative energy is bolder rage and it makes sense to take this technology and apply it to his many possible industries …


Blogger Photos

VENDORS UPBEAT – Really!!! – Distributech Musings

02/06/2009 at 01:00 AM   |   Martin Rosenberg – From the Editor’s Desk Blog

Before we get to the meat of this posting, I offer a snippet from a conversation I snagged early this week with Neal Schmale, president and chief oper..

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When this guy is on he is really on, but again this site is only for the hard core wonk:

http://thefraserdomain.typepad.com/

December 01, 2008

EPA Raises Raises Requirements for Renewable Fuels

An item of interest to ethanol producers and other supporters of ethanol is this announcement by EPA, as further clarified by this announcement by EERE:

Epaseal1

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced on November 17 that the 2009 renewable fuel standard (RFS) will require most refiners, importers, and non-oxygenate blenders of gasoline to displace 10.21% of their gasoline with renewable fuels such as ethanol. That requirement aims to ensure that at least 11.1 billion gallons of fuels will be sold in 2009.  . . . While the RFS requirement is increasing by about 23%—from 9 billion gallons in 2008 to 11.1 billion gallons in 2009—the percentage requirement is increasing by nearly one third, from 7.76% in 2008 to 10.21% in 2009.

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He also only posts when he feels like it. The last post was in December. Did the Obama Election scare you away?

Then there is the worldwide wonks. Don’t look if you do not really really care.

http://peakenergy.blogspot.com/

Monday, February 09, 2009

Let engineers make Britain great again

The Guardian has a fairly technocractic article on the low value accorded to engineers in Britain and the value of implementing some large scale and tecnically complex infrastructure to rebuild the economy on “solid foundations” – Let engineers make Britain great again.
Orson Welles said film-making was the biggest electric train set a boy ever had. He was wrong. A new high-speed train line would be, if the boy or girl grew up to engineer it.

But in Britain, the train set is broken and has been packed away in the attic. We’re not proud of industry and we certainly don’t want our kids to grow up to be engineers. It’s a tragedy. It never used to be this way. We need to rediscover the power of engineering, its impact and contribution. It can stimulate young minds and it can stimulate the economy. …

So the young are innately curious about how and why things work. Yet what happens between childhood and adulthood? We stamp it out of them. Engineering gets stigmatised and we encourage our kids to become “professionals” – lawyers, accountants, doctors. Unlike in France or Germany, engineers are a bit of a nonentity here. Engineering is almost a dirty word. We’re told it’s “old industry” and that we are a “post-industrial nation”.

Part of the problem is that engineers are not accorded the status they deserve. We celebrate designers and architects, but forget the clever people who turn the theory into reality. The Millau bridge in France was designed by Norman Foster, but it was French engineer Michel Virlogeux who made it work. A magnificent achievement, but whose name do people remember? In 2005, Ellen MacArthur became the fastest person to sail round the globe, but little was made of Nigel Irens, who engineered her trimaran. …
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Damn it man…Engineers are important…but so are their mothers and they never mention them.

So YOU think YOU are into renewable energy, huh. Better eat your Wheaties for this one.

http://renewenergy.wordpress.com

 

CPUC Says CSI Doubled Installations in 2008

 

The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) issued a quarterly staff progress report on the California Solar Initiative, showing that in 2008 Californians installed twice as many megawatts (MW) of solar power than the year before, and that demand for new solar projects continues to hit record levels.

Read Full Story

 Fraunhofer Sets CPV Efficiency Record of 41.1%

 

Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (ISE) have achieved a record efficiency of 41.1% for the conversion of sunlight into electricity using a concentrating solar PV system.

Read Full Story

 

Texas Approves US $5B for Transmission

 

In 2006 Texas overtook California to lead the nation in installed wind power generating capcity. Now, just three years later, wind turbines generating 8005-megawatts (MW), more than all the turbines spinning in California, Iowa and Minnesota, have outstripped the capacity of the high-voltage grid to move the power from windy west Texas to major cities where it’s needed.

Read Full Story

Crude Reality: Oil Bulls See Hope in Stimulus Package

Crude oil futures in New York are still climbing Monday, jumping more than 5% in early trading before settling down to a more modest 1.5% increase.

What’s driving the uptick? There are theories for all tastes.

On the supply side, OPEC now says it is doing better at sticking to reduced production targets than most outside analysts give the cartel credit for. OPEC’s secretary general said today the cartel has already cut 80% of the 4.2 million barrels it’s meant to take off the market, and the cartel is ready to cut again at its March meeting.

On the demand side, President Obama’s cheerleading for the $800-odd billion stimulus package and signs the Senate could pass its version tomorrow are giving bulls hope there’s a quick fix in store for the battered U.S. economy that will rekindle demand for oil. Given that natural-gas futures are also up on Monday—the first four-day winning streak for gas since last autumn—there’s something to be said for the idea of a light at the end of the tunnel for the U.S. economy.

But the imminent passage of the stimulus package could be bullish for oil prices—without ever stimulating a lick of oil demand in the U.S.

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Fun stuff huh? Then there is the LONGEST running serious Energy Bog oh blog started in 2005

http://www.leonardo-energy.org/drupal/seblog

Sustainable Energy Blog

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Insuring electric cars

Submitted by Bruno De Wachter on Thu, 2009-02-05 06:30.

 

Cheaper or more expensive than conventional cars?

When the cost of a plug-in vehicle is mentioned, it mostly refers to the purchasing and maintenance expenses. Sometimes, tax reductions given to electric vehicles (EVs) are taken into account, but the insurance cost is rarely discussed. This is somewhat strange, since the insurance on a conventionally fuelled car accounts for roughly one quarter of its fixed cost of ownership. So, what happens to this cost when switching from a conventional car to an EV?

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Tomorrow I will try my hand at Alternative Energy Blog sites. They are funner.

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Cisterns, Another Personal Story – A house that was meant to recycle water

I was reminiscing with a Guy who grew up in a rural Sangamon County household whose house was built to recycle water. I was telling him about my daily bucket brigade duty when I was staying at my great grandparents house. His name is David. He said, “OH yah well I had to do that everyday for almost 15 years”. He said that he grew up next to his grandmother’s house and she already had a well. It was hand dug by his dad and his grandfather. There was no way his dad was going to dig another well. So when they build his families house they put in a huge tile lined cistern feed from all of the downspouts off the roof. That was fed into  a tank inside the house by an electric pump which pressurized the whole system. The holding tank fed a hot water heater and a cold water line. The rest of the house was plumbed like a regular house.

The reader is probably thinking that what we are describing is a classic quaint little farmhouse setting with the large kitchen with the little bedroom off the kitchen for the married couple. They had a slightly larger “sitting room” that had a couch, some over stuffed chairs, a desk and some pictures on the wall for more formal entertaining and the children lived in the cramped attic. Where they sweltered  in the summer and froze in the winter. These house were usually all porch because folks spent most of their time outside. Well yes I am talking about those houses BUT these people have a cistern too:

 

http://www.phys.ufl.edu/~liz/home.html

 house_dec03.jpg

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That’s right please also note that there is a solar water preheat system (not shown) on the garage. This is a house in Floirda that is totally disconnected from any centralized distribution system, and they use a chemical composting toilet.

They did not drink cistern water mainly because of taste. Dave said the well water from his grandmothers house was so sweet it was like drinking candy. So that was his job as the little man in the house, he went to the well and filled up a 2 gallon porcelain bucket twice a day everyday until he went off to college. He noted that the job changed as he got older and so did his grandmother. He first started checking on her to see if she needed anything. Pretty soon he was getting water for her too. He said she had a reservoir on the back of her cob cook stove (which I had forgot about – my grannies did too). Eventually he was taking her ashes out for her too. The advantage was he got one breakfast from mom and then another from his grandma. 2 Breakfasts in one day. What a treat.

But the funniest stories were the ones about water conservation. He said repeatedly, “We were taught water was precious”.  Those lessons have not changed:

 http://www.charlottesville.org/Index.aspx?page=1681

He said, “You got whatever it was wet (teeth, body, dishes) and then you did whatever you needed to do. Then you turned the water back on BRIEFLY.” He said,”When you were in the shower if you heard the pump come on you knew it was time to get out of the shower no mater what because it was about to get real cold.” Laundry day was the toughest because his mother had a wood rod that she could stick in the cistern to measure its level. She knew that she could only use so much water washing clothes because they needed it for other things..the nearest water was 10 miles away.

Finally he said, “This was rammed home to us every couple of years because when it got really dry in some summers and falls we had to buy 500 gallons of water at a time. This guy from Sherman had a water truck and he would fill it up. He run a hose to your well or wherever you wanted it and dumped away.” It was kind of exciting when you were a kid. But, as he got older he realized that those gallons of water meant fewer new clothes for the school year, or that his shoes would have to last longer, or that maybe his sister couldn’t go to the Prom at school.” Then he said it again, “You know water is precious.”

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These people think so too:

 http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/01/30/MNC615JNHB.DTL

Severe drought expected after mild January

Friday, January 30, 2009

 

California teeters on the edge of the worst drought in the state’s history, officials said Thursday after reporting that the Sierra Nevada snowpack – the backbone of the state’s water supply – is only 61 percent of normal.

January usually douses California with about 20 percent of the state’s annual precipitation, but instead it delivered a string of dry, sunny days this year, almost certainly pushing the state into a third year of drought.

The arid weather is occurring as the state’s water system is under pressure from a growing population, an aging infrastructure and court-ordered reductions in water pumped through the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta – problems that didn’t exist or were less severe during similar dry spells in the late 1970s and late 1980s.

“We’re definitely in really bad shape,” said Elissa Lynn, chief meteorologist with the state Department of Water Resources. “People can expect to pay higher prices for produce … and more agencies may be rationing … some raising fees. We just don’t have enough water.”

In Sonoma County, water managers are expected to take a bold step Monday – telling residents to prepare for severe rationing within weeks.

“We have entered uncharted territory,” said Pam Jeane, deputy chief engineer of operations at the Sonoma County Water Agency. “A 30 percent mandatory rationing order is just the beginning. Further decline in reservoir levels could necessitate 50 percent cutbacks.”

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