Bigger is Not Always Better

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My gentle snowflakes, I think, and I have written in the past that we need to think smaller in order to think even bigger. Now, the forecast for green power is just that: Smaller.

Each house/home/building should be a source of electrical generation. Instead of investing HUGE amounts of money in large wind farms or big mirror arrays that tend to be far removed from the need for the electricity generated, the government money could go into retro-fitting every building with a combination of solar and wind generators--small units. Check here and here and here and here and here.

Perhaps the best part of this idea is that it could put thousands of people to work fairly quickly.

The Vocational-Technical schools could be subsidized to train citizens locally to do installation and maintenance. Many of those no longer working in home construction because of the downturn in the housing market could be cross-trained, with pay, for solar and wind systems. The newly trained could then be paid from a government fund (think the WPA) while all this retro-fitting is going on.

But this will take time, you say. Well, that is true.

But U.S. manufacturers will need that time to gear up their assembly lines to meet the demand for their products. Manufacturers would also require additional employees to make the systems. And since there are only a few manufacturers, the trucking industry will need more drivers and more rigs to move the newly produced systems around the country. We are really getting folks back to work now.

As an added benefit, as more and more units are installed the prices should plummet. With more and more units in operation, R&D would learn more and more about functionality and improved efficiency.

Finally, with all those systems pouring energy into the grid, black-outs (or even worse, the dreaded, rolling brown-outs) should be greatly reduced. The energy is largely consumed exactly where it is created. Any "left-over" is put out on the grid. Areas in greatest need at any time will be supplemented by those areas with less need.

As a recovery takes place and new houses are starting to be built again, the installations can be mandated to be incorporated into any new construction.

Next, we can get busy figuring out what to do about vehicle emissions.

God Bless the University of Southhampton

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Imagine: Your clothing could generate more power than your gadgets need!

Every physical movement we undertake expels some energy, so wouldn’t it be awesome if we could capture all of that ambient force and turn it into power with some practical value? The scientists at the University of Southampton may have figured out a way to do just that. Steve Beeby and his brilliant team at the university’s School of Electronics and Computer Science are developing an energy harvesting film that can be screened directly onto any piece of clothing. This innovative film will use a combination of printing processes and active-printed inks to create garments able to capture up to 67 watts with each step! Barely detectable, this little innovation could soon be clearing the path for low-cost and flexible energy harvesting textiles.

I am in awe, truly: Science and research are amazing.
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Solar Trees

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There is an old joke in Oklahoma, that in the summer time, you can tell the best parking place not by which one is closest to the door, bu which one has the best all day shade!

Envision Solar makes a solar array mounted on a central pole. On the top of the canopy is mounted the solar and under the canopy is SHADE! In addition, the central pole can be equipped with Envision Solar's CleanCharge solar charging stations using the Coulomb ChargePoint for both electric and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles.

Every parking lot in the sunbelt could use these to great advantage. In fact, Dell headquarters in Round Rock, Texas (north of Austin on IH 35) installed enough to provide 50 covered parking slots. And provide 130 kW of energy. Pretty neat.


Seems to me, my gentle snowflakes, that if I ran the Sonic Corp, since I already have the covered parking slots, I would look into this application pretty quick. Cheaper energy, government tax credits (both Federal and state), impress my customers with my "green" efforts, what's not to like? I don't know the franchise structure, but if each Sonic is individually owned, and if I were one of the owners, I would look into this for my local franchise.
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Heartland Flyer

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Oh, my gentle snowflakes, the next time I climb onto the train for my trek to Texas, I will be participating in a grand experiment.

The Heartland Flyer will begin testing a renewable biodiesel blend to run the train. photo:Bill Accord

The important thing here is that the biodiesel does not involve the use of food crops. This biodiesel will come from beef byproducts! (Something we have plenty of in Oklahoma.)


Two, count 'em, 2 of my favorite things:
1) alternative energy (reduction of the use of fossil fuels, especially foreign crude oil) and
2) riding the train.

I ask you, how happy can an old girl get?
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A Solution for 2 Problems

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"Never lose battery power again! With the nPower™ PEG (Personal Energy Generator), you can recharge your handheld electronic devices while you walk, run, or bike. Simply plug your nPower™ PEG into your cell phone or MP3 player, carry it [the PEG device] vertically, and go."

(Scheduled to cost $149.00)

Now you can recharge your cell phone and get your daily physical activity (save yourself a visit to the gym) at the same time!

The rules are simple:

1. Buy Tremont Electricity's PEG
2. Throw your cell phone charger away.
3. Walk at least an hour a day so you can recharge your cell phone.
4. Get the exercise and energy life you need!

It just gets better & better. I am amazed by this device.
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More Wind Power

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And, now, my gentle snowflakes, if you need less urban and more rural appearance to your wind turbine, and if you still want really high efficiency, then try the RSI turbines. They look just like old-time, in your grand-dad's pasture, windmills.

Isn't that great?

You watch it turn, not hear it turn!
Power blade speeds mean much lower noise (one of the leading complaints of three-blade systems). Also, higher speed means higher friction (and therefore higher wear and maintenance concerns). The WindGen's lower rotation speed means a unit that is more dependable with much lower maintenance and one that is actually pleasing to live with!

Dependable and Reliable
The WindGen’s use of induction generators is well proven worldwide to be more dependable and reliable. In fact this technology is well-established and is commonly used in most of the larger wind farm turbines. Other small turbines use Permanent Magnets and small inverters.

“ON the Grid”, or “Off the Grid” WindGen is both!
The standard unit connects directly to the power grid, but the owner has many options. The WindGen inverter is oversized to handle large wind change events, which are common. Other small turbines that are grid-tie only, have a very small inverters. With WindGen the user can also add battery banks for going “off the grid” or just for more backup power (this option is built into the standard unit so you can add later). Also, the WindGen can be used with other forms of backup power, like Solar or any type of gen/set.

High Wind? No problem!
All other wind units have to shut down to protect their rotor glass blades and gear boxes from runaway(which in high winds can result in thrown blades or falling towers). The WindGen system has been thoroughly tested, and we stand behind our units. We know that rotor runaway is not an option. The WindGen uses proven “windmill design” but still keeps producing power, even in high wind when others have to shut down.

And another really, great thing about RSI? It is an an American company located in the "heartland"--south central Kansas.

It just doesn't get much more American than that.

Rooftop Wind Turbines

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Oh, boy, advances in rooftop wind turbines. I just had a steel roof installed with a vented ridge. This should be very easy to retro-fit when it becomes financially reasonable.

I wrote about using something like this back in February 2009. I can't tell you how encouraged I am to see that advances are continuing to be made!

>Posted at Inhabitat by Ariel Schwartz, 10/26/09

Rooftop solar panels are unlikely to elicit complaints from neighbors–they’re silent and relatively unobtrusive. But loud rooftop wind turbines? That’s where the virtually NIMBY-proof Ridgeblade turbine comes in. The turbine, designed by a former Rolls Royce turbine engineer at UK-based The Power Collective, boasts a sleek profile that is both powerful and visually pleasing.

Instead of creating a free-standing turbine that sticks out for all the neighbors to see, The Power Collective designed its long-bladed turbine to fit in along the ridge of a roof, where wind currents are strongest. The Ridgeblade packs a powerful punch, too — it has the wind-capturing potential of a medium sized turbine.

The turbine isn’t yet on the market. . . No word on how much the turbine will cost when it is finally released, but your neighbors’ peace of mind might just be worth the extra cost!

Via Cleantechnica

Hang in there, my gentle snowflakes, it will all yet come together.

Clean Energy

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OK, I've been listening to the National Governor's Association conference meeting about energy -- you know, T. Boone Pickens and John W. Rowe of Exelon Energy, both speaking to his own self-interest. I do agree that the main thing to do very, very soon is get off our dependence of foreign (read Arabian Gulf produced) oil.

Ole' T. Boone waxed poetic as always. "Natural gas is the answer." No matter what the question, "Natural Gas is the answer." Of course, T, Boone owns the rights to a REALLY big chunk natural of gas properties and stands to make another couple or 3 billion if he can convince the powers that be that he is right.

But maybe we should look past that. T. Boone has spent his whole life making money and shows no signs of not wanting to make even more. But maybe he really does have the interest of the country at heart. Maybe.

Now, I tend to agree that natural gas can certainly be part of the solution. But my agreement is more in line with Mr. Rowe than ole' T. Boone. I think more electricity should be generated using natural gas as the fuel of choice. And, I don't believe that we will ever be able to burn coal in a clean fashion.

Most of all, though, I think both those gentlemen are missing the boat because they are both "big solution" kind of guys.

I think we need to think smaller in order to think even bigger.

Each house/home/building should be a source of electrical generation. Instead of investing HUGE amounts of money in large wind farms or big mirror arrays that tend to be far removed from the need for the electricity generated, the government money could go into retro-fitting every building with a combination of solar and wind generators--small units. Check here and here and here and here and here.

Perhaps the best part of this idea is that it could put thousands of people to work fairly quickly.

The Vocational-Technical schools could be subsidized to train citizens locally to do installation and maintenance. Many of those no longer working in home construction because of the downturn in the housing market could be cross-trained, with pay, for solar and wind systems. The newly trained could then be paid from a government fund (think the WPA) while all this retro-fitting is going on.

But this will take time, you say. Well, that is true.

But U.S. manufacturers will need that time to gear up their assembly lines to meet the demand for their products. Manufacturers would also require additional employees to make the systems. And since there are only a few manufacturers, the trucking industry will need more drivers and more rigs to move the newly produced systems around the country. We are really getting folks back to work now.

As an added benefit, as more and more units are installed the prices should plummet. With more and more units in operation, R&D would learn more and more about functionality and improved efficiency.

Finally, with all those systems pouring energy into the grid, black-outs (or even worse, the dreaded brown-outs) should be greatly reduced. The energy is largely consumed exactly where it is created. Any "left-over" is put out on the grid. Areas in greatest need at any time will be supplemented by those areas with less need.

As recovery takes place and new houses are starting to be built again, the installations can be mandated to be incorporated into the new construction.

Next, we can get busy figuring out what to do about vehicle emissions.
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