Category Archives: Energy Tough Love Blog

Energy Tough Love Blog – A weblog from Community Energy Systems

The Orion Project – Brilliant or silly?

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What does it matter? At least they are trying.

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http://www.theorionproject.org/en/index.html

lead_nebula.jpg

Our Vision and Purpose

The Orion Project is a non-profit foundation created to transform the current energy, environmental and social crisis into a world of sustainability and Enlightened Abundance.

Technological progress in the areas of advanced physics and electromagnetic systems, if appropriately supported, will enable humanity to live on the Earth with a minimal footprint with genuine long-term sustainability.

For over 100 years, these advanced concepts in energy generation have either been ignored or actively suppressed due to the power of fossil-fuel based economic and industrial interests.

Imagine a world where every home and village has its own clean source of electrical energy, free from the cost of fossil fuels, nuclear power or a centralized electric grid.

Imagine every means of transportation running off of clean power plants, using no source of fuel and creating no pollution.

Imagine the developing world blossoming with these new technologies and the equatorial rain forests protected from slash and burn subsistence farming and logging.

Imagine all inter-city transportation above the ground and the millions of acres paved over with highways freed for productive agriculture and recreation.

Imagine all manufacturing being clean-fuel sourced, using no-cost or low-cost energy.

Imagine the possibility of 100% recycling because the energy cost of transporting recycled materials, processing them and scrubbing pollution out of the air and water approaches zero.

Imagine…

This is no mere pipe-dream, but a world that is well within our grasp to create- in our lifetimes. Imagine… and see that it is a reality.

The Orion Project is dedicated to:

  • Supporting the world’s most accomplished engineers, physicists, and inventors who have developed innovative solutions to energy generation.
  • Cleaning up the fossil fuel power sources currently in use.

How You Can Help:

The Orion Project urgently needs your help. Nothing short of a global, peaceful Manhattan Project can reverse the growing crisis of energy resource depletion, environmental collapse, global warming and geo-political conflict created by our current dependence on oil, gas and nuclear technology.

The technologies outlined on our website – in addition to solar and wind – provide our best hope for attaining true sustainability, peace and Enlightened Abundance for all of humanity.

Please make a donation to The Orion Project to support our Technology Development Program and to see that these emerging sciences are disclosed and implemented globally as soon as possible.

Our immediate goal is to raise a minimum of $3 million from individuals like you and from foundations and corporations concerned about the looming environmental and energy crisis. This sum will enable us to substantially support the research and development of the technologies outlined on our site through our Breakthrough Campaign.

Volunteer your skills to help The Orion Project meet its goals. We have a need for volunteers with a variety of skillsets, and this list will continue to grow as the project gathers momentum.

The future of our planet and of human civilization depends on wise, courageous and bold leadership and innovation. Will you join us?

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They got cool pictures too and you know how we like that.

San Antonio Makes Money Off Human Waste – That’s right TX city makes cash off doodoo

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http://cleantechnica.com/2008/09/11/san-antonio-generating-gas-from-sewage/

 San Antonio Generating Gas from Sewage

Written by Ariel Schwartz

Published on September 11th, 2008


san antonio

San Antonio, Texas is making use of its 140,000 tons of sewage generated each year to capture methane gas. The city’s utility board of trustees approved a contract this week to sell 900,000 cubic feet of natural gas derived from the sewage each day to Ameresco, a Massachusetts energy services company.

Though methane is a potent greenhouse gas, it has a variety of uses. The substance can be used for fuel in gas turbines or steam boilers, and it is also used as vehicle fuel in the form of compressed natural gas. Additionally, NASA is researching methane as a potential rocket fuel.

According to Steve Claus, the chief operating officer of the water system, San Antonio’s sewage generates 1.5 million cubic feet of gas each day—enough to fill seven commercial blimps or 1,250 tanker trucks. The facilities needed for the project will be ready in about two years.

San Antonio will get $250,000 a year for the methane—a sum that I hope will go towards more renewable energy efforts in the area.

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 http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSN0937395520080909

San Antonio residents produce about 140,000 tons a year of a substance gently referred to as “biosolids,” which can be reprocessed into natural gas, said Steve Clouse, chief operating officer of the city’s water system.

“You may call it something else,” Clouse said, but for area utilities, the main byproduct of human waste – methane gas – will soon be converted into natural gas to burn in their power plants.

 The private vendor will come onto the facility, construct some gas cleaning systems, remove the moisture, remove the carbon dioxide content, and then sell that gas on the open market,” Clouse said.

The gas will be sold to power generators, he said.

Some communities are using methane gas harvested from solid waste to power smaller facilities like sewage treatment plants, but San Antonio is the first to see large-scale conversion of methane gas from sewage into fuel for power generation, he said.

Following the agreement, more than 90 percent of materials flushed down the toilets and sinks of San Antonio will be recycled, he said. Liquid is now used for irrigation, many of the solids are made into compost, and now the methane gas will be recycled for power generation.

(Reporting by Jim Forsyth, Editing by Chris Baltimore and Lisa Shumaker)

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 http://www.star-telegram.com/state_news/story/900732.html

The utility already sells for reuse a portion of the water that’s cleaned up at its wastewater treatment plants. It also has contracts to turn up to 80 percent of biosolids into compost that’s sold for use in yards and gardens.

“As far as we know, SAWS is the only city in the United States that has completed the renewable recyclable trifecta,” Clouse”.

Clouse said it will take 18 to 24 months for construction of facilities needed for the contract.

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Not so delicate post

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http://sustainablog.org/2008/09/12/in-praise-of-poop-3-san-antonio-harnesses-power-from-sewage-methane/

For this the third entry in the annals of excellent excrement (after cow and E. coli poop), we will have to travel deep down into the heart of Texas…and then even farther down into the sewers of San Antonio. So don your rubber body suit, gas mask, and sense of humor, for sewage is no longer just stuff to be dumped and forgotten.

No, San Antonio is out to prove that sewage, and specifically the methane that it gives off oh so (i.e., too) naturally without any bother or cost to us, can be used as a source of alternative fuel…I mean it is natural gas, after all.

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Houses That Heat Themselves – I had to stop with the surface transportation stuff – if we were smart we would all use horses

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http://www.helsinkitimes.fi/htimes/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3098:new-experimental-homes-will-heat-themselves&catid=919:housing&Itemid=233

New experimental homes will heat themselves      
Friday, 12 September 2008 10:20
“We’ve learnt the lessons of the 1970s,” construction officials insist. DENSITY, compactness and insulation are the current focus of architects and planners. New housing in Finland is being built more compactly than previously so that heating is more energy- and cost-efficient. Constructed in the right way, advocates maintain, compacter housing does not even require a heating system.This sort of design is being experimented north of Helsinki in Tikkurila, Vantaa, where semi-detached houses are being built without a separate heating system.

The house will draw its heat primarily from the people, household appliances and lamps it contains. Jorma Vuoritsalo realises that, for many people, it’s hard to believe that a house’s contents alone could provide adequate heat, but he remains convinced that he won’t need to freeze in his new home.

Quite the opposite, according to Pekka Haikonen, director of development at Paroc, a company specialising in building insulation. He argues that, when built correctly, self-heating homes are perfectly pleasant since the internal temperature is self-regulating and heat is naturally distributed evenly. Paroc, along with the Technical Research Centre of Finland (VTT), is responsible for the design and execution of the Tikkurila development.

According to Paroc’s estimates, residents of the planned homes will face heating expenses of some 350 euros per year, whereas the annual bill incurred in heating the current average single-family house is closer to 1,200 euros. Even more strikingly, the energy consumed annually by one of the new experimental houses will be less than a sixth of that currently swallowed by a more conventional model.

An unpleasant flashback?

Compacter housing models are not an easy idea to market to Finns since they often provoke fears of poor air circulation and mould. Many have unpleasant memories of the houses built in response to the energy crisis of the 1970s, which were soon riddled with damp and mould-related damage.

But the lessons of the 1970s have been learnt, Helena Säteri reassures people. The director general of Finland’s environmental administration explains that the key is to ensure that air circulation in densely-built housing is both thorough and effective.

Pekka Rönkkö is also quick to calm fears of stuffy interiors. A product manager at Paroc, Rönkkö’s role as a technical expert on the Vantaa project has left him confident that every room in the new houses will contain fresh, well-circulated air.

Circulation won’t come in the form of an unpleasant draught, however, since air coming into the building will first be heated. Normally, this process will not require any power, since it will utilise the heat already inside the house.

When required, though, air entering the house can also be heated electrically. This may be necessary during winter following a period when the house has been empty and the internal temperature has fallen, when the family has returned from a winter holiday, for example.

Improving older buildings

Older houses are not easily modified in order to make them dense enough to go without a separate heating system, but they can certainly be made more energy-efficient, Rönkkö says. The key is to insulate them properly.

In particular, he encourages people to concentrate on insulating the building’s foundations, calling it a small but lucrative investment which fundamentally improves a house’s energy-efficiency and dramatically reduces annual electricity expenses.

Double glazing for the windows is slower to pay for itself long-term, he concedes, but remains a worth-while investment. Moreover, better-insulated windows reduce unwanted draught, which makes a house a much more pleasant place to live in.

Rönkkö also has a message for the housing cooperatives of apartment buildings: when renovating the building’s facade, it makes sense to improve insulation at the same time.

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At Least Buy A Scooter If Nothing Else – Stop burning up the world

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http://greenlivingideas.com/scooters/electric-scooters-personal-eco-transports.html

Electric Scooters, Personal Eco Transports

If you live in just about anywhere in Europe or Asia, it’s unlikely that you’d need to be sold on the merits of motor scooters (also known by the eponym Vespas)—those fun, economical, and stylish two-wheel vehicles that are simply perfect for driving—and parking—in crowded cities. 

But keep reading—you just might be surprised by some of the scooter’s environmental implications.  On the other hand, if you live in the U.S., you might want to start thinking about this admittedly unconventional alternate form of transportation.

Green Scooters

Okay, so they’re comfortable, cheap, small and therefore convenient—they’re even cute and fun.  But if I make it my primary mode of transport, what am I really doing for (and not doing “to”) Mother Nature?  The answer is:  it depends.  (Doesn’t it always?).  Scooters are known for their incredible fuel efficiency, just like motorcycles.  Gas-powered scooters can easily attain 60-80 mpg, music to the ears of anyone who last calculated the mileage of his SUV, sedan, or even compact car.  Scooters might use less gas than a conventional car, but they still require it, and by now, we must all be familiar with the intricate politics of gasoline usage—foreign oil dependency, global warming, unsustainable fossil fuel, and the list goes on.  

AND nothing can beat the electric scooter, greenest of the green.  Practically silent with no emissions, an electric scooter is a stalking panther through the urban jungle, leaving not a trace behind.  With electricity costing only one-tenth that of gas, you might be wondering why you ever thought the marvel of scooter fuel efficiency was even relevant (don’t get me wrong, efficiency is important as energy consumption is still energy consumption).  As a bonus, electric scooters require significantly less maintenance because they have fewer moving parts and don’t need endless amounts of lubricant, oil, and other engine fluids.  So what’s the catch?  Well, there are a few you should be aware of:

  • The upfront cost of an electric scooter is higher, just like you suspected it might be, but that little green motorbike is probably going to pay for itself through energy cost savings.
  • Unfortunately, the battery pack isn’t going to have anything on a fuel tank, and that’s the truth.  A 30-mile range seems about average, with 50 miles on the high end.  You’ll probably be fine running errands and commuting to work (unless your bedroom community is 20 exits away from the corporate office park where you work), but anything long-distance will call for something more substantial.
  • Recharging your battery also takes time—if you’ve ever recharged a cell phone or laptop at a public outlet, you’ll know how maddeningly slow that recharging can be.  However, if you plug in your electric scooter every time you come home, you shouldn’t have a problem keeping your battery charged up.  On that note, wouldn’t it be convenient if there outlets wherever there were parking spots? Well, maybe one day.

Companies like Vespa-producing Piaggio are continuing to set the curve in this industry—they’re in the prototype phases of developing a combination gas/electric scooter , the HyS, that boasts a hybrid drivetrain said to up power by 25% and cut gas guzzling by 20%.  They’ve also announced the Piaggio MP3, a leaning three-wheeled scooter that bolsters speed, stability (with a tilt angle of about 40 degrees), and traction, especially on slippery terrain.  And it just keeps getting better—this model is a plug-in hybrid that fully charges in three hours and gets about 170 miles to the gasoline gallon.  No word on pricing or release dates yet, but these annoucements should open up the market a bit and rev-up the speed on other projects.

To sum up: Electric scooters definitely hold the title of being the greenest scooters around.  But if you can’t find, afford, or use one for whatever reason, a propane-fueled scooter with a four-stroke engine that uses direct injection is the next best thing.  If you’re still not having any luck, just try to get your hands on a four-stroke.  Happy scootering!

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http://www.ozscootersdirect.com.au/
Having a reliable vehicle ready for daily riding or just a weekend thrill is an important choice. Only a well designed machine that is built to last and can adapt to all applications is the right choice. A scooter from OzScootersDirect is that dependable working vehicle that delivers power, reliability and performance.

OzScootersDirect’s range of scooters are engineered and built to maintain the thrill over a longer lifetime. From the Powersport 50cc powerplant to the renowned Executive maxi-style scooter and Outlaw commuter both with 150cc engines designed from the Honda GY6 engine. We even stock a 1500w electric scooter, the greenest scooter around! It’s your pick for the one that best fits your hearts desire.

So, if riding is your desired transport, and budget is a factor, the range from OzScootersDirect is your best proposition.

We sell wholesale to the public!

OzScootersDirect imports these range of scooters and offers them to the public at wholesale prices. This gives you the ability to own a reliable scoot without paying over-the-top prices.

Delivery is available to almost all parts of Australia with minor assembly required before riding. Visit our Gallery for more detailed photos of the requirements.

Email us at sales@ozscootersdirect.com.au for any further information.

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http://www.looad.com/article.cfm/id/227510

Vectrix Fully Electric Scooter,

The Greenest Ride in the World:

 Totally Electric Transportation

in California 

San Francisco, CA (Vocus) October 15, 2007 — In a land characterized by its freedom, Americans have become slaves to rising fuel prices and limited options. With a much needed change on the horizon, a new solution has arrived. The solution is the Vectrix ZEV (zero-emissions vehicle), the only highway legal, fully electric, zero-emissions vehicle for sale in the USA.

The Vectrix ZEV resembles a motorcycle more than a scooter; however the similarities end there. The Vectrix Fully Electric Scooter, a new take on the classic scooter, is a revolutionary new form of personal transportation. Changing the standard for electric travel, the Vectrix ZEV is a highway legal, zero-emissions luxury vehicle with a built-in rechargeable battery. Through the scooter’s sleek, sporty design, it will prove to not only be attractive to the green set, but to individuals seeking a practical, fuel efficient way to zip around town.

Among the Vectrix ZEV’s many strengths are its unmatched technical capabilities. The Vectrix electric scooter features a patented regenerative deceleration system, called DAaRT. This innovation enables acceleration and braking to be controlled by one hand using the bidirectional throttle, resulting in recovered energy and extended battery life. This also means that the electric scooter has no gears, no clutch, and unlike the competition, can go in reverse from a standing start. Further advantages include the high quality, Brembo disk brakes, allowing for quick stops in emergency situations. However, what is perhaps one of the Vectrix ZEV’s most attractive features is its onboard charging capability. This allows the scooter to charge with ease on any 110 volt plug, providing up to 68 miles of travel. This combination of cutting edge developments makes the Vectrix ZEV the simplest scooter to ride in the world..

If speed is what a driver is looking for, the Vectrix ZEV offers premium results. The scooter accelerates from 0 to 50 in 6.8 seconds, while only making a whisper of noise.

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Green Transportation Conference – Who knew?

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Actually todays post is the result of the Feeling Lucky button  at Google. Even though this conference happened in the Bay Area on the Left Coast over 4 months ago. It still qualifies as a real cool site and a real cool idea.

http://greentransportation2008.com/

Green Transportation 2008

Choices for The Future

 Click here to see photos of the April 12, 2008 event!

Want to see the latest alternatives for getting around? Join us Saturday, April 12 for a day of education and entertainment. Featuring major manufacturers, innovators and nonprofits, all on one site.

Hosted by the Green Building Exchange in collaboration with Green Seed Radio (KTRB AM860).

Hosted by the Green Building Exchange in collaboration with Green Seed Radio (KTRB AM860).

www.greenbuildingexchange.com
Operating in Redwood City, the Green Building Exchange was created as a one-stop green business marketplace by founder Michael Schaeffer, who wanted to make the information and the process for sustainable building as accessible and affordable to consumers as conventional building. The Green Building Exchange facility offers products, services, education, networking and media, though a permanent tradeshow exhibit, a retail store for green design products, on-going classes and symposia, and state-of-the-art office and conference spaces. 

 Green Transportation 2008: Choices for the Future
Saturday, April 12th
9AM-5PM
Free tickets

Located at:
Green Building Exchange
305 Main Street
Redwood City, CA 94063

Green Transportation 2008: Choices for the Future is the first show of its kind in San Mateo County. Dedicated to accelerating the transition to a sustainable transportation.

 April 11th
Horizons in Transportation 10AM-2PM
Policymakers, fleet managers, transportation and planning experts and advocates, are invited to attend an educational event and show preview. Please contact Lindsay Germain for details.

April 17th
Vehicle Retrofit Workshop 7-8:30PM
Learn about high-efficiency plug-in hybrids and what it takes to convert your vehicle to plug-in electric. In this workshop, you will compare vehicle options and learn the basics of plug-in conversion. The workshop also outlines financial incentives and other alternative vehicle options. Co-instructed by the Electric Auto Association of Silicon Valley. For details and to register, visit http://plugIn.eventbrite.com.

Come learn what it takes to convert your vehicle. This multimedia workshop overviews the process of converting a gasoline car to an electric vehicle. You will hear tips on selecting a conversion-ready vehicle, compare many of the trade-offs of different conversion options, and receive links to resources and information. The workshop also outlines financial incentives and other alternative vehicle options.

Instructors:

Jerry Pohorsky is a Test Engineer at General Electric and President of the Silicon Valley Chapter of the Electric Auto Association.

Jerry found a shortcut and saved money by buying a used electric vehicle that needed new batteries. You can see the car here: http://www.evalbum.com/692. He now drives a factory built Toyota RAV 4 electric vehicle that is “head and shoulders” above most home conversions, though more expensive.

Doug Brentlinger is a retired machinist, formerly of Electro Automotive, a company that sells kits and parts for electric conversion projects. Doug also worked in the Quality Assurance department of Network General (now McAfee).

Doug has converted a small Dodge Rampage pickup truck from gasoline to electric power using readily available components.

His converted pickup is freeway-ready and the low-cost batteries can be recharged from any 120 volt outlet.

April 15th 

Vehicle Retrofit Workshop 

Learn what it takes to convert your vehicle to biofuel or electric. In this workshop, you will compare conversion options and learn the basics of vehicle conversion. The workshop also outlines financial incentives and other alternative vehicle options. For details and to register, visit www.greenbuildingexchange.com or RSVP to Lindsay Germain. 

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Sounds like a great time was had by all. I wonder if they will do it again in 2009? But when I click the Green Building Exchange I got this:  

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The Green Building Exchange is proud to announce that we are opening 2 new locations on the San Francisco Peninsula. We are opening a new massive facility in South San Francisco which will be our new headquarters. Our Redwood City location is moving down the street.

1 Chestnut Street
South San Francisco, CA 94080		 936 Main Street
Redwood City, CA 94063
Opening September 15th Opening October 6th

You can still contact us during this transition period by phone or email:

Main Office: 650-369-6200

Eco Design Resources: 650-369-5001

info@greenbuildingexchange.com

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So guess I’ll email to find out. I’ll will let you know if they tell me. 

Run Your Car On Propane? – T. Boone Pickens must have read Mother Earth News

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This article is from 1972:

http://www.motherearthnews.com/Green-Transportation/1972-05-01/Convert-Your-Car-To-Propane.aspx

Convert Your Car to Propane

A tried and tested low-emission fuel, liquid propane, and the easy-to-install system results in lower operation and maintenance costs, much longer engine life and 70% less air pollution

May/June 1972

The Mother Earth News editors 

It works. New York, Maine, Tennessee, Florida, Arkansas, Texas, Utah, California . . . I’ve traveled miles and miles and miles in a VW bus converted to run on LP (liquid propane) and the easy-to-install system really does result in lower operating and maintenance costs, much longer engine life AND 70% less air pollution.Unlike gasoline, LP (and from here on, whenever I say LP you can take it to mean liquid propane, homemade methane or natural gas . . . the system will work on any of these) enters your engine as a completely vaporized fuel that’s free from lead, carbon, gum, sulfur and most pollutants. LP won’t foul your car’s plugs, ruin its valves, contaminate its oil, wash down its cylinder walls and rings, burn out its muffler . . . OR destroy the air we all breathe. And while mileage and performance are about the same as with gasoline, cost per gallon of LP generally runs about 15% less than you’ve probably been paying for fuel.

levers | levers@motherearthnews.com | motherearthnews.com | IP: 24.249.117.142

Thank you for the attention to our Web site, but the information you have posted is protected under copyright. Instead of posting the entire article, feel free to post the first paragraph and then a link to the article on our Web site. We have a contractual obligation to our writers to protect their copyrights. We truly appreciate the attention you’re providing the piece, but ask that you please link to the article and post no more than the first paragraph of its text.

Thank you for your understanding and attention to this matter.

Laura Evers
Mother Earth News

MEN (that’s right folks that the acronym for this magazine) sent me this after we posted it here. Let me point out for the record that I was simply making the subtle point that the article was written in 1972. This to point out that Picken’s idea was not new and NEVER acted. I only ran the part of the article that talked the ease of conversion. Because we switched from carboretors to fuel injectors, if you tried to do what they describe in the article, your car will blow up. I did not want any of that liability, but apparently they do.

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We all have fuel injecters now so it must be a whole lot more complicated to do.
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Electric Powered Aircraft – Think that you can’t fly with an electric motor?

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Think we can’t fly without fossil fuels? You would be wrong!

 Scott Troehler

Director of Production and Local Programming   & Senior Producer

stroehler@wsec.tv

WSEC/WQEC/WMEC-TV  PBS for Springfield , Quincy , Macomb

 and West Central Illinois

www.wsec.tv

217-483-7887,  x251

217-483-1112 fax

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Steve sent this article to me.  Since I was writing about alternative forms of transportation, I thought what the heck? 

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http://www.dancewithshadows.com/aviation/electraflyer-c-electric-mini-plane-makes-flying-cheaper-than-driving/

ElectraFlyer-C electric mini plane makes flying cheaper than  driving

electraflyer-c-electric-photo.jpg

I don’t know about you, but for me, this does it. The ElectraFlyer C, an electric ultralight plane available now if you want to plonk down 21000 $ max, bang it all up together, and take it on a relatively silent 2 hour flight.

Environment-friendly? Sure. If you can manage to get the power from solar or wind energy, you are St. Environment with this plane. Don’t forget you are going to see fumes and pollution say goodbye and walk over the horizon.

The ElectraFlyerC is a kit plane from Electric Aircraft Corporation. The little plane debuted to much appreciation at the recently conluded EAA AirVenture at Oshkosh.

The most remarkable things about the ElectraFlyer C are the flying cost – so low it’s absurd – and ultra quiet electric motor. Hand over the cash, and take home a kit which consists of a moni motoglider, choose from one of the three battery packs, bang it all up together – not a very easy job if you have zero DIY skills – and take to the skies.

The ElectraFlyer C complies with FAA regulations. You can opt to buy a ballistic parachute for an extra cost for coming down safely in an emergency.

Most notable benefits, apart from the low flying cost, are the reliable electric motor which requires very little maintenance compared to a typical lightweight gasoline engine, less mess, less noise and therefore and no earbuds for the pilot and no pissed off neighbors.

A direct drive 5 KWh electric motor carbon fiber lightweight 45 inch propeller gets the little airplane climbing at 500-600 feet per minute. The ElectraFlyer-C has a cruisng speed of 70 mph (112 kmph), a top speed of 144 kmph, and your flight time would be 1.5 to 2 hours. That is with the top end battery pack, of course. With others, your flight time would be a lesser. yes, you can carry that 110 W charger when flying cross-country. The ElectraFlyer weighs around 250 pounds.

Charging time? For that 2 hour flight, you can recharge the ElectraFlyer’s battery pack in 6 hours from a 110W  electric power socket, or in 2 hours from a 220 W socket. Neat.

Costs? A full charge will cost you around 60 cents depending on where your power comes from. The battery pack can last 1000 cycles (charging and depleting) and then you would need to buy another lithium ion battery pack. The top end battery pack costs 8,500 $. So that is 1000 cycles = 1500 flying hours at a cost of 6.2 $ per hour! (cost of battery replacement divided by flying hours plus 60 cents per charging cycle).

Boy, you are flying a lot cheaper than driving

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If you think that this is a lonely individual,  Again Wrong! 

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http://www.cafefoundation.org/v2/pav_eas_2008.php

The 2008 CAFE Foundation
Electric Aircraft Symposium
San Francisco, California April 26, 2008

The CAFE Foundation’s 2nd Annual Electric Aircraft Symposium saw presentations that justify the rapidly increasing interest in Green personal air travel. Sponsored by Foundation Capital, the April 26, 2008 meeting assembled an outstanding faculty to discuss the many aspects of electric-powered flight. It included an remarkable announcement by the Experimental Aircraft Association that it has filed a request for the FAA to allow electric propulsion in low cost aircraft.
The event was well-attended by members of the science and technology media. Updates on the Aviation’s Green Prize will be posted soon on the CAFE website. In all, the 2008 EAS made the dream of a 100 MPG PAV look a lot closer than most thought.

Electric Aircraft Symposium 2008 Program:

  • Supporting Converging Technologies: Adam Grosser, Foundation Capital
  • How Do We Know That Human Activities Have Influenced Global Climate?: Dr. Ben Santer, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
  • Origins of Electric Flight: Power and Structures: Dr. Morton Grosser, Gossamer Albatross Team
  • Quest for Lossless, Massless Motors: Wally Rippel, AC Propulsion
  • Optimized Electric Drive Systems: Alan Cocconi, AC Propulsion
  • Selecting Brushless Motors and Controllers for UAV’s: David Palombo, AVEOX
  • Design Space For Efficient Aircraft: Professor cp van Dam, Chair, aeronautical engineering UC Davis
  • An Ideal Electric Aircraft: Greg Cole, designer eSparrowhawk, Lancair Legacy and Evolution
  • The Green Prize: Technology Prize for 100 MPG Aircraft: Brien Seeley, CAFE Foundation President
  • Taurus Electro – The Future Now: Ivo Boscarol & Tine Tomazic, Pipistrel Aircraft, Slovenia
  • Advanced Navigation: Enabling a Path to Enhancing Safety While Saving Energy: Paul Siegmund, Director, Aircraft Programs, Naverus Inc
  • Next Generation of Li-ion Batteries with Nanowires: Yi Cui, Assistant Professor, Stanford Nanomaterials Science and Engineering
  • Electric Propulsion-Enabled Advanced Air Vehicles: Mark Moore: NASA Langley
  • Multi-Fuel Propulsion Technologies: Greg Stevenson, GSE
  • Hybrid Drives in UAVs: Sam B. Wilson AVID LLC:
  • Fuels in our future: Jay Keller/Neil Rossmeissl, Sandia Lab/DOE Biomass Program
  • Hybridizing Light Aircraft: Ron Gremban, CalCars
  • Personal Transportation Systems Technologies: Richard Jones, Boeing Phantom Works, Seattle
  • Low Noise Propeller Design: Jack Norris, Voyager Mission Director
  • The Future of Personal Aviation: Announcement: Craig Willan, Experimental Aircraft Association, Oshkosh, WI.

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Build An Electric Car – Skip natural gas and go directly to the future

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Many people are building their own electric cars because they are tired of waiting for Detroit, Japan or Germany to build them.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4JoUJ7yiTIE

video

gas car to all electric power. Instructor Michael Yonan gives it a test drive. Video/editing: Tara Cuslidge Recordnet.com …  

Views: 2,019

5.0

02:13

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RK_6JFay5TI

 

video

Rising gas prices have some Nebraska students looking at the next big wave in travel. … gas electric car …

 http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=build+electric+car&search_type=&aq=1&oq=build+electric+

video

How to Build an Electric Car … electric car diy hot to renewable energy green power …

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2eul229WFug

video

Build Your Own Electric Car and Save Money on Gas

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You get the general idea save the drive trane and the chassey/frame and put in batteries and an electric motor. WOW now that is simple and cheap. 2 things auto makers and energy companies don’t get. But what if you really wanted to live in the future with a solar powered car. What would you do? I know, added solar panels to an electric car. Easy enough right? Well actually it is. 

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 http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=build+electric+car&search_type=&aq=1&oq=build+electric+

video

 

 Infinity Miles Per Gallon: Art Haines and the Solar Car

Want a solar Car? Mechanical designer Art Haines, of Maine, built one from scratch with the help of high school students.

Weird Bird Friday – Don’t know why this week seemed so long

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Oh I know the Republican Convention was on. It was so small and so dare I say it Conventional that I had to watch all 5 Dirty Harry movies. What a drain. 

So I found this really beautiful and really weird looking bird for today.

TGI(WB)F:

http://www.pbase.com/dkord

wtfbird.jpg

Anybody know what kinda bird this is?

Oh dedicated to Susan and John who blog all over Denver at:

http://www.thedrunkablog.blogspot.com/

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Natural Gas Powered Cars Come To Springfield – Well not exactly..but T. Bone Picken’s commercials have.

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Iran is currently converting its entire surface transportation fleet to natural Gas so it can sell its oil and gasoline to the rest of the world. In a Theocracy and in an authoritarian country like Iran it is pretty easy to do. About half of Brazil’s much vaunted enthanol economy is actually run by natural gas as well. The stuff is cheap (in some parts of the world free) and relatively clean. Is Pickens trying to get richer. Heck yah. Anyway if they were serious about the idea they would quit jawin and make it happen. They would:

1. Put a natural gas dispenser in at least one gas station in everytown in America that has one.

2. Offer conversion kits for cars at a reasonable price, at a location with installation included. They could even offer your first tank of natural gas for free.

3. Begin the phase out of gasoline despensers at gas stations one at a time and replace them with natural gas dispensers until they are gone.

4. They damn well better recycle all the gasoline pump parts and plan on the removal of the gasoline storage tanks.

There would still be a small gasoline market and some people would refuse to convert. There would be some explosions and other mishaps along the way. Humans are primates after all. But as long as everyone looks at the ground and rubs their big toe in the dirt…Well lawdedah.

If they were really serious they would come to your house, install a fueling station and leave. Something akin to, “Go ahead, I dare you to use natural gas”!

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/ngv.htm

How Natural-gas Vehicles Work

by William Harris

Kermit the Frog once said, “It’s not that easy bein’ green.” Although he wasn’t referring to cars, his observation seems particularly appropriate for the auto industry today: Designing, developing and marketing “green” cars has not been an easy task, which is why gasoline-powered vehicles still rule the road and fossil fuels still account for almost 75 percent of the world’s energy consumption. As gasoline prices soar and concern over harmful emission mounts, however, cars that run on alternate fuel sources will become increasingly important. A natural-gas vehicle, or NGV, is the perfect example of such a car — it’s fuel-efficient, environmentally friendly and offers a relatively low cost of ownership.

ORIGINS OF NATURAL GAS 

Most modern wells extract both crude oil and natural gas at the same time. Some natural gas can be used as it comes from the well without any refining, but most requires processing. Natural gas processing consists of separating all the various hydrocarbons and fluids from the “wet” natural gas until it is “dry.” Dry natural gas is pure methane, which is the fuel of choice for many consumer applications, including natural-gas vehicles

Natural gas is not the only source of methane. Methane can also be obtained by fermenting organic matter, such as manure, in low levels of oxygen. In such conditions, bacteria will use the nutrients in manure as a food source and will release methane and carbon dioxide as waste products. This methane, known as bio-gas, can be collected and used as a fuel source.

The oil shortages of the late 1960s and early 1970s brought renewed interest in natural gas as a fuel source, especially for automobiles.

Today, owners of natural-gas vehicles can fill up their cars at one of 1,300 fueling stations located in the United States. Honda also offers a personal natural gas pump to people who purchase its natural-gas-powered Civic. The pump uses a home’s existing natural gas lines and can be installed for $500 to $1500.

In the next section we’ll discuss how natural-gas vehicles are designed.

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While there are differences in the fuel tank (hint: you get rid of the old one and put in three natural gas tanks), and the chassey with a natural gas vehicle, the biggest difference is at the engine.

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Engine Modifications
When the engine in an NGV is started, natural gas flows from the storage cylinders into a fuel line. Near the engine, the natural gas enters a regulator to reduce the pressure. Then the gas feeds through a multipoint gaseous fuel-injection system, which introduces the fuel into the cylinders. Sensors and computers adjust the fuel-air mixture so that when a spark plug ignites the gas, it burns efficiently. A natural-gas engine also includes forged aluminum, high-compression pistons, hardened nickel-tungsten exhaust valve seats and a methane-specific catalytic converter.

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Are they popular? Well it depends on who you listen too. 

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http://www.sltrib.com/opinion/ci_10379094

Article Last Updated: 09/04/2008 07:20:35 AM MDT

State and federal tax credits. Cheap fuel. Free parking at meters in Salt Lake City. A ticket to the high­occupancy- vehicle lane, even if you’re driving solo.
    Plus that warm, smug feeling that comes from knowing that you’re polluting less than the other guy.
    It’s no wonder that more and more Utahns – the nonprofit Utah Clean Cities Coalition, using statistics from fueling sta­tions, estimates 20,000 – are driving vehicles powered by clean-burning compressed natural gas. Considering that it costs a mere 87 cents for enough CNG to equal the energy in a $4 gallon of gasoline, what’s surprising is that even more mo­torists have not made the switch.
    Some CNG converts are piloting the Honda Civic GX NGV, the only compressed natural gas production vehicle cur­rently on the market. Others have bought used cars that were either built or professionally converted to use CNG. Still more are taking their gasoline-powered cars to certified me­chanics and having them rigged to run exclusively on CNG, or to burn both natural gas and gasoline. Kudos. The environ­ment thanks you. Future generations will thank you. And your wallet thanks you.

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Here is a couple of places you can buy natural gas automotive products.
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 http://www.google.com/products?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&rls=RNWE,RNWE:2006-03,RNWE:en&q=natural+gas+cars&um=1&sa=X&oi=product_result_group&resnum=1&ct=title

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2329287,00.asp

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