Green Daily

EFuel100: Make your own Ethanol and fill up your car at home

Brad Linder — 2008-05-09T18:33:00 00:00

Filed under: Cars and Transportation, Gadgets and Tech, Alternative Energy

The jury may still be out on whether Ethanol and biodiesel are the solution to the world's oil addiction. There's some evidence that diverting food crops to fuel production is raising the prices of food, and it's questionable whether you could grow enough fuel crops to power all the vehicles currently relying on gasoline. But what if you could fill up your car with Ethanol produced in your backyard, not in a field in Iowa?

The EFuel100 Micro Fueler is a contraption that will let you do just that. Basically, you add some water, sugar, and yeast, let it sit for a few days and you've got ethanol that you can use to power your car. The Micro Fueler can also take alcohol, and co-founder Thomas Quinn says he sometimes makes ethanol from discarded alcohol picked up from bars and restaurants.

Between supplies and electricity, it costs about $1 to produce a gallon of ethanol. But the up front costs are a bit higher than that. A Micro Fueler will set you back about $10,000, although with government subsidies, you can probably chop a few thousand dollars off that price.

[via Gizmodo]

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Is sustainability killing creativity?

Shawn Schuster — 2008-05-09T18:04:00 00:00

Filed under: Movies, TV and Books, Alternative Energy

Austin Williams, the author of the new book "The Enemies of Progress" is convinced that our current global push for sustainability is a deterrent for creativity. He thinks that sustainability, being fundamentally against human activity and progression, makes it actually stunt the growth of innovation. I tend to strongly disagree.

To me, the exact opposite is true. When you don't have much to work with -- which is becoming the case in this decaying economy of ours -- you have no choice but to make due with what you have. As the saying goes: Necessity is the mother of invention. Our necessities include, most importantly, food and shelter. When the cost and availability of these staples extend beyond the grasp of the common working family, they are forced to turn to alternatives. These alternatives include growing their own food and building their own homes, independent of utilities in some cases. Sorry Mr. Williams, but this is the definition of sustainability.

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Swift: the quiet little wind turbine that could

Josh Loposer — 2008-05-09T11:00:00 00:00

Filed under: Alternative Energy

Think that you might want to tap into wind energy for your home, but you're worried about subjecting your family to the unwanted noise of a conventional turbine? Starting in July, a quieter and, in my opinion, more aesthetically pleasing option will be come onto the micro-wind scene. The Swift rooftop turbine is a small-scale wind system that has a cool updated windmill design and -- under good wind conditions -- it's expected to provide at least 20% of your home's energy needs.

Gallery: Swift Rooftop Turbine

The Swift is designed to run at under 35 decibels at any wind speed, keeping it quiet enough to meet the zoning requirements of most fussy communities. For a point of reference, whispering is measured at 40dB. The Swift system only needs 2 ft. of clearance from the top of your roof, so it also eliminates some of the need for giant poles. Still, as with most turbines -- the higher the better.

As we've mentioned before, micro-wind systems don't work everywhere. In fact, in many places they're actually not worth their weight in carbon. That said, Swift claims that their turbine is "harm neutral," which mean that it creates more energy than was used in the manufacture or installation of the product. I'm assuming they can guarantee that based on the fact that they survey the wind situation in your area before they install the turbine.

The Swift system was designed by a team in Scotland, but its US production will be undertaken by Cascade Engineering out of Grand Rapids, MI. So, at least the equipment doesn't have to be shipped across an ocean. The price is set at between $10,000 and $12,000.

[via Inhabitat]

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Wind power update: 2008 is getting windy

Josh Loposer — 2008-05-08T13:30:00 00:00

Filed under: News, Alternative Energy

2008 is on pace to be the windiest year ever for the US. That is, in terms of energy production. It's not a huge surprise to learn that wind turbines are selling like hotcakes compared to other years on record, especially with oil going for over $120 a barrel. In the first 3 months of this year, 1,400 MW of wind generating capacity had already already been installed -- that's enough to power 400,000 homes.

Gallery: Wind Farms

In total, 5,600MW worth of wind turbines will be cranking by the end of 2008, edging out the current record of 5,300MW set in 2007. One of the forces driving the wind boom -- aside from a public outcry for renewable energy like we've never seen -- is that developers are in a race to finish their projects by the 4th quarter this year -- just in case congress doesn't extend production tax credits that are now in place. It's hard to imagine lawmakers pulling the tax credits though, when there's $11.5B of wind energy investment capital at stake.

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Cleantech looking better and better to investors

Patrick Metzger — 2008-05-08T11:32:00 00:00

Filed under: GreenFinance, Alternative Energy, Climate Change

Global warming and peak oil might sound nasty to you, but for some folks working on green technologies it sounds like "Ka-ching." With growing concern about CO2 from fossil fuels that may or may not be running out anyway, venture capitalists pumped a record $2.2 billion into cleantech last year, says a report from PriceWaterhouseCoopers entitled "Cleantech Comes of Age."

Much of the boom is focused on alternative energy sources such as wind, solar, and biofuels with total investment in that area reaching $1.1 billion. However, pollution mitigation and recycling also attracted funding, with 29 recorded deals totalling over $202 million.

It'd be nice to think that the surge in interest in eco-friendly tech has to do with our collective consciences driving us to better stewardship of the planet, but we all know it's because oil is at $123 a barrel and rising, making alternative energy and straight-up conservation look a lot more attractive. But whatever the reason, it's all a step in the right direction.

via [Green Tech Blog]

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GreenTech: Who needs solar power when you've got pedal power?

Brad Linder — 2008-05-07T18:31:00 00:00

Filed under: Gadgets and Tech, GreenTech, Alternative Energy

Solar powered gadget chargers may be all the rage these days, but what do you do if your iPod runs out of juice while you're spelunking? Well, I certainly hope your solution isn't to pull a pedal powered generator out of your pocket, because that just seems kind of dangerous if you're in a cave. But if you're sitting at home and trying to think of ways to get a bit of exercise while keeping your phone or MP3 player charged, this Chinese pedal powered doohickey could be just what you're looking for.

This little charger packs what looks like a pretty hefty battery, and it even has an LED flashlight on the front in case the power goes out. I wouldn't normally bother to point that out, but there's a big shiny picture on the product homepage showing off the flashlight, so I guess it must be important.

If you get tired of pedaling with your feet, you can also place the charger on a table or desk and use it as a hand crank. This ¥14,800 ($141 US) generator isn't the only pedal powered gadget charger we've seen. But it's certainly the blue-est. That's got to count for something, right?

[via EcoFriend and TFTS]

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China's green screen

Rebecca Onion — 2008-05-07T13:15:00 00:00

Filed under: Alternative Energy

So the air won't be fit to breathe, and the Tibetans are oppressed, but at least the Chinese Olympics will feature one thing that's totally and completely cool: a giant LED screen on the side of an entertainment complex in Beijing, designed by Simone Giostra & Partners Architects. (Full name: The GreenPix Zero Energy Media Wall.) This will be the largest color LED screen ever. The wall will be used to project digital media artworks, including ones by Chinese artists.

The screen is integrated with photovoltaic arrays, so that all of the energy needed to power it is generated during the day (that is, so long as the sun manages to break through the smog, heh heh). Apparently, the wall also enhances the building's overall performance by minimizing heat absorption.

Bonus for media nerds: the GreenPix website includes a tool with which you can import your own Apple QuickTime films and see how they'd look on the big screen.

Via ENN

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Germany says biofuels aren't to blame for food prices

Josh Loposer — 2008-05-07T13:00:00 00:00

Filed under: News, Polit-eco, Alternative Energy

As the debate about biofuels rages on, German ministers are sticking to their guns when it comes to renewable energy targets. Despite pressure from the UN to cut back on crop fuels, Germany's environmental minister Sigmar Gabriel says that Germany should go ahead with its plans to use 10% biofuels by 2020.

According to Gabriel, the spike in food prices is coming from a variety of sources like poor harvests, increased global demand, and huge growth in commodities investment. The real culprit in the global food crunch isn't the growing market for biofuels, he says. Instead, it's speculators that have driven commodity prices to astronomical levels, breaking down the normal relationship between supply and demand. Of course, the same can be said about the price of oil.

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The $350 electric commuter bicycle

Shawn Schuster — 2008-05-06T14:04:00 00:00

Filed under: Cars and Transportation, Alternative Energy, Fitness

You really can't beat $350 for an electric commuter bike. You could hardly even build yourself an electric kit-bike for that cheap. This is certainly a positive step in the right direction for pollution-free commuting. Or is it?

When deciding on a daily commuting vehicle, there are many factors besides its impact on the environment. You want something that will last, have fairly low maintenance and not cost an arm and a leg. Well, this bike lets you keep your limbs, but how reliable is something that inexpensive? More importantly, wouldn't actually riding a pedal-bike be better for your health anyway? And speaking of impact on the environment, this bike's motor uses lead-acid batteries that are said to only last a year. I think I may just stick with my trusty, rusty (literally) Schwinn.

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Renewable energy to quadruple in 10 years, maybe

Josh Loposer — 2008-05-01T13:03:00 00:00

Filed under: News, Alternative Energy, Climate Change

According to the head of GE's renewable energy group, US renewable energy could quadruple -- or at least double -- in the next 10 years, from where we currently sit at 2.5%. This is the kind of news that it's hard to know how to take. Quadrupling the amount of renewable energy over the course of a decade seems a little bit behind schedule -- doubling today's puny levels seems downright pathetic.

In 5 to 10 years, renewable energy will make up about half of GE portfolio -- they're currently pouring $6B into renewable energy. While that's an impressive corporate transformation, it also highlights the cost effectiveness of renewable energy at the point in time -- not so good. Companies like Google are pouring hundreds of millions into green technology, vowing to bring prices down. In the meantime, progress is discouragingly slow.

If we're looking at 10% in 10 years, at best, that probably means that some kind of stop gap measure will be necessary, rather than just wait around for renewable energy to reach critical mass. Maybe that means Geldof and the nuke people are right, although the thought of nuclear reactors everywhere might not sit well with all of us.

Whatever the case, it seems obvious that 10% isn't going to cut it. Personally, I don't think anything less than 25% is going to feel very substantial. It's going to take much more ambitious goals in order to spark the kind of effort that will bring clean energy into the dominant position.

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Nuclear power: Now with greenhouse gases!

Patrick Metzger — 2008-05-01T09:30:00 00:00

Filed under: Polit-eco, Alternative Energy, Climate Change

For all the obvious ecological downsides of nuclear power - catastrophic meltdowns, waste that will be toxifying our water table until the sun explodes, giant mutant swamp monsters etc. - it's always had at least one thing going for it. Unlike coal, gas, or oil power stations, nuclear plants don't produce planet-warming greenhouse gases.

Now a new study published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology says nukes may lose even that advantage. A group of Australian researchers have calculated that the greenhouse gases emitted from the nuclear power process will rise substantially in the future.

Nuclear power, of course, requires uranium as fuel. As high-grade uranium gets scarcer, locating and mining it will become more energy intensive, with companies digging deeper to find the metal, refining more ore in order to produce it, and producing more pollution in the process.

As with gas and oil, we'll also eventually run out of uranium, although estimates of when that will happen vary widely. Really, who thought this was a good idea in the first place?

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Drive 70mph for 2 cents a mile

Josh Loposer — 2008-04-29T15:00:00 00:00

Filed under: Cars and Transportation, Alternative Energy, Climate Change

A company called Myers Motors has a funky 1-seater that can allow you to literally dump the pump. The electric car company -- based out of Tallmadge, OH -- has developed a eye-catching roadster called the NmG that can get up to speeds of 76mph and has a range of 30 miles on an 8 hr charge. According to founder Dana Myers, the average daily commute is 12 miles, so the 3-wheeler is more than capable of getting the job done. NmG stands for 'no more gas' -- by the way.

Gallery: Myers Motors' NmG

The NmG is based on the Corbin Sparrow, built by the now defunct Corbin Motors. Myers bought the struggling car company and moved it to Ohio in 2004 partly based on his religious view that he has been called to help promote better stewardship of the planet. He believes the glorified motorcycle will allow people to maintain their standard of mobility while cutting their fuel costs and CO2 emissions. The only bummer is that the NmG's sticker price is around $36,000 -- not exactly a minor investment. On the other hand, ¢2 per mile is a pretty nice equation, and you still get power windows.

[via Inhabitat]

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The greenest colleges in America

Shawn Schuster — 2008-04-29T14:34:00 00:00

Filed under: Activism, Alternative Energy

College campuses have always been havens for progressive thought, especially when it comes to environmental concerns and global change. It seems simple recycling programs just aren't enough anymore; college students and faculty are doing more than ever to promote green living.

You can review the list of the Top 12 Greenest Colleges in America to see if your school, or a school near you is featured. Some highlights of this list include the pioneer of carbon-neutral colleges, one with its own 13-acre organic farm used to fund student projects, the increased use of alternative-energy campus vehicles, motion-detectors on classroom lights, solar panels installed on campus buildings, hydropower and windpower.

I hope with the inclusion of such high-profile Ivy League schools as Harvard and Yale on this list, it will inspire many other college campuses to go green.

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Norway moves toward giant floating turbines

Josh Loposer — 2008-04-29T13:00:00 00:00

Filed under: GreenTech, Alternative Energy, Climate Change

When you're setting up a wind turbine, it's crucial that you go where the wind blows -- otherwise it will be a sad waste of time and money. It's a principle that hasn't been lost on Norwegian wind developers, and they think they've found the mother lode.

They say there's no place for wind like the surface of the North Sea, where sustained high winds blow nearly 365 days a year. That's why a Norwegian oil company called StatoilHydro is gearing up to build an experimental floating wind farm off the coast of Norway's island of Utsira.

These enormous floating turbines are the size of jumbo jets, and they can be anchored to the sea floor in places that are too soft to build a stationary platform. This technology could open the door to an offshore wind bonanza. One advantage to offshore turbines is that power companies can use a more efficient turbine, since they're not worried about noise pollution. Offshore turbines can be twice as effective as their landlocked counterparts.

Still, as effective as they may be, the energy they produce won't be as cheap as petroleum energy -- at least not for a few years -- and they will have to be heavily subsidized. The other big downside is the unknown expense of repairing a damaged floating turbine. Can you imagine the difficulty of working on a turbine that size as it bobs up and down? One or two repairs could throw off the cost/benefits equation for years.

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Chernobyl gets a facelift

Josh Loposer — 2008-04-29T08:30:00 00:00

Filed under: Health, News, Alternative Energy

The meltdown at Chernobyl destroyed much of the world's confidence in nuclear energy and sent up a clouds of poisonous dust that have been blamed for thousands of deaths. After 22 years of crumbling and leaking radioactive materials, the site of the world's wost nuclear accident is about to get a new steel cover. Originally, it was sealed off with a hastily-built steel and concrete "sarcophagus" that has been quickly eroding on account of the intense radiation. If the structure were to collapse, it would send up a huge radioactive dust cloud -- a whole new disaster.

It's hard to imagine how the USSR, and now the Ukrainian governments have procrastinated this long over putting up a better protective shell. Even now, the project is being financed in part by a group of international donors who are footing the bill for the new construction and monitoring of the site. A giant 20,000-ton steel cover -- big enough to house the Statue of Liberty -- will be constructed next to the reactor and then transported on top of it using train tracks.

The fact that the Chernobyl disaster almost stopped the growth of the nuclear power industry in its tracks, makes it extremely relevant to our energy situation today. Had Chernobyl and Three Mile Island not happened as they did, we might be less dependent on oil today. Ironically, many nuke-proponents like Bob Geldof are proposing a nuclear renaissance to combat global warming that's partly a result of jumping off the nuclear bandwagon decades ago.

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Don't take a cab, rent a bike in DC

Sea Stachura — 2008-04-28T17:44:00 00:00

Filed under: Cars and Transportation, News, Tips, Alternative Energy

I was in DC for a business trip last week. Every time I'm there I get a little giddy about the subway. I happen to love people watching and subways. The trouble, however, was that a number of times I needed to make it to a meeting fast. I didn't have time to walk ten blocks to the nearest Metro stop, then wait for a train. If only I'd had a bike to ride to the subway , instead of cabbing it all the way.

Next time I'm there, Smartbike Washington might be my solution. It's a bike rental program sponsored by Clear Channel. The district has paired up with Clear Channel to rent 120 bikes at 10 locations. The idea is pretty simple: A subscriber pays $40 a year for access to a bike for three hours at a time.

Let's say I want to get from Gallery Place to a meeting just beyond the Convention Center but I'm already running late. I would just swipe my Smartbike card, grab a bike, and head over. I can return the bike to any other Smartbike rental location.If I'm late returning the bike, I do incur a fee, and if I steal it I'm charged for a replacement. The technology needed to keep track of the bikes and the users isn't cheap. That's why the program is sponsored by Clear Channel. In exchange Clear Channel receives free advertising at the city's bus shelters.

I wondered, after reading about this program, if a three hour rental would be useful. I think it would. My average meeting lasts an hour or an hour and a half. Travel time to and from my base is never more than 20 or 30 minutes each way. Bikes can be taken on the subway and the bus. Frequently, walking and biking in DC is faster than a cab. If I were a college student, I'd grab the bike for class, or for a trip to the grocery store, and be back in three hours.

Barcelona and Spain have similar, more expansive programs. This program starts next month. I wonder how L.A. feels about this.

[via New York Times]

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Earthrace biodiesel boat tries for record, again

Josh Loposer — 2008-04-28T16:08:00 00:00

Filed under: Cars and Transportation, News, Alternative Energy

For most of history, circumnavigating the globe was the highest nautical achievement imaginable -- now, it's a race. After last year's failed attempt at making the big loop, the biodiesel-powered Earthrace boat is ready to try for the record again. Yesterday, Earthrace and her crew set out from Spain for take 2 of their biofuel mission, hoping to beat the current record of 75 days -- set by a British vessel called the Cable and Wireless (what a terrible name) in 1998.

Last year's voyage ended after a string of setbacks, including a collision with small fishing boat off the coast of Guatemala that left one fisherman dead. One year later, the crew is just as dedicated -- if not more so. Back in December, the captain actually had his body fat liposuctioned and blended into the biodiesel. Now that's dedication.

I'll say this much: it looks like the fastest boat that ever tried to circumnavigate the earth. I'm not too keen on the name Earthrace, but it's soo much better than Cable and Wireless, that I hope the biodiesel cruiser wins just based on the name alone. The fact that it's running on biodiesel is kind of a bonus.

[via Autobloggreen]

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MicroFueler: brew your own moonshine biofuel

Josh Loposer — 2008-04-28T13:00:00 00:00

Filed under: Cars and Transportation, Food, Gadgets and Tech, Home, Alternative Energy

As you may have noticed, we're all about DIY home brewing here at Green Daily. But, up until now, it never occurred to us that brewing our own biofuel would be a workable option for the hobbyist. With the help of a new piece of equipment from a start-up called E-Fuel, ethanol enthusiasts will soon be able to become the proud owners of a backyard fuel refinery. The MicroFueler is an ethanol distillery about the size of a stackable washer-dryer that offers DIY types the opportunity to produce fuel at $1 per gallon.
The cost of the ethanol still will be about $10,000, but according to the NYT article, the cost could be almost halved when tax credits and government incentives are taken into account. According to E-Fuels, users will simply add sugar or feedstock into the MicroFueler along with a proprietary yeast formula that E-Fuel has come up with and watch it do its thing. Sounds easy enough, but will these stills really start popping up in backyards across the land?

There are plenty of obstacles and criticisms for a product like the MicroFueler to overcome. First and foremost is the fact that it's illegal to drive a car on 100% ethanol. It is possible for property owners to get a permit to produce their own ethanol, but that doesn't mean it will necessarily be cheaper than buying it at the pump -- on account of the high cost of sugar and electricity. Each brewer will have to crunch their own numbers to find out if it's worth it.
Nevertheless, I say that homebrew biofuel sounds like a DIYer's dream come true. My concern is that the potential of DIY ethanol will be crushed by regulations. Will ethanol be the moonshine of the 21st century?

[via Earth2Tech]

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Egypt's poor revolutionize recycling

Ellen Slattery — 2008-04-28T09:06:00 00:00

Filed under: News, Activism, Alternative Energy

In Cairo, there is a group of people known as the Zabaleen. The term means "garbage collectors," and for years, they have collected and recycled huge bundles of trash that come in from the richer areas of Cairo. About 80 percent of the city's trash is recycled in the slums, where the Zabaleen reside.

The Zabaleen sort through the trash - by hand - and feed any organic waste that can't be resold to pigs.

Egypt is already seeing the effects of environmental degradation, as reported by NPR. But certain companies are trying to help the community how to improve their way of life and their jobs, like installing solar hot water heaters on the rooftops of buildings within the city's poorest areas.

And Procter and Gamble, producers of everything from Charmin to Tide, are helping, too.
A few years ago, the company started a "recycling school" to teach the community's citizens about how to recycle plastic shampoo bottles. Students learn how to shred the bottles in machines, wash them using solar power, and bag it up to be melted down and reused. They are also schooled in the business behind recycling using Excel spreadsheets.

It's truly amazing that communities like this one, who, due to staggering poverty, barely produce a carbon footprint, are pulling more than their weight to improve the environment. And in richer countries, many of us are living day to day with nary a second thought as to how our habits are affecting the world around us. (You can see photos of the Zabaleen and their recycling process here).

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Chevy Volt will be ready in 2010, probably

Josh Loposer — 2008-04-21T12:00:00 00:00

Filed under: Cars and Transportation, News, Alternative Energy

GM has been working on a consumer-ready electric vehicle for decades now, but so far, the fruit of their labor has only been the controversially scrapped EV1. Now in 2008, GM's is still trying to reassure us that the electric car is on the way. According to GM higher-ups, their latest electric vehicle -- the sporty looking Chevy Volt -- is on track to be released in 2010 -- but just barely. While critics and conspiracy theorists have slammed the automaker for its procrastination to adopt the electric car, GM's top dogs still seem less than confident in their latest eco-friendly technology.

Aside from the criticism of skeptics who believe the technology is being held back by oil interests and other corporate pressures, the best evidence we have seems to be to the contrary: no other manufacturer is turning out a practical, affordable, full-range electric car. That will change. Toyota is reported to be working on a very similar technology, and may be in a dead heat with GM to see who can finish 1st.

For once Chevrolet, might actually have the edge -- the Volt looks really cool. It's main power source will be a 400lb Lithium-ion battery, which is where the bulk of the uncertainty lies. Execs want a battery that can last 10 years, drive at least 150,000 miles, and can accelerate to 60mph in 9 seconds are less. Their top two choices are batteries made by Korean-based LG and German-based Continental AG, but it seems that they've decided to play wait and see -- hoping that there will be some kind of breakthrough. Don't be surprised if they wait until the last minute to make their pick.

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