How to live on solar! I love this video. There is nothing to instal. Build your home to take advantage of the solar energy without any additional means.
By Cam Jensen
Welcome to EcoLife! This blog, which is hosted by Portland State University students, aims to motivate, inform, and inspire change. We want you to learn about the complicated issues surrounding homelessness, while going beyond the tip of the iceberg. We hope to establish a connection with you through our posts regarding the lives and experiences of homeless individuals, expressed in these numerous stories and articles. We hope you enjoy our blog!
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Surface Mining and it's effects on the environment.
I found this video showing the attempts made by this coal company in Virginia to restore the area to its natural state.
This is the angle that they do not show you.
Corporations Offer Greener Products
Ford's New Solar DealFord announced they are partnering with SunPower to create an option that includes home solar panels and installation along with the purchase of an electric car. The panels are said to offset up to 1,000 miles of driving per day.
Although it’s a somewhat costly investment, it’s been heralded as a smart marketing decision by the two companies. Consumers who wouldn’t normally have bought solar panels might invest in them once they see how it can further reduce the dependence on fossil fuels, since many are burned to maintain the power grid.
Ikea to Sell Solar Panels As usual, the Swedish furniture wunderkind Ikea feels the need to outdo the Americans, by making a push to retail solar panels in their vertigo-inducing mega-stores. Ikea has poured money into various starts-ups to develop a product ready for mass production. Once they hit the shelves, I’m sure it will bring solar panels to millions of homes across the US, because they will probably be adorable and cost less than ten dollars. I love Ikea.
In an effort to further outdo and embarrass American companies, Ikea has furthered their commitment to using 100% sustainable energy. They’re looking to install nearly 40,000 solar panels across the roofs of their UK stores. They’re also looking to take ownership of a large wind farm off the coast of Scotland. Steps like these not only make people like me fall in love with Ikea even more, they’re also smart business solutions. Owning the means to power your operation could mean a lot of savings in the long term. Read about it here.
Although I can’t afford a new car right now, I can afford one dollar dish towels and 4 dollar meatballs. I’m going to go to Ikea and vote with my dollars. Sorry Ford, your head’s in the right place. Better luck next year.
You can read about more solar innovations, and about all the harmful effects of coal power, at our EcoPol Project Website.
By Jeff Kelsay
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Bloom Energy's Secret Weapon
You are probably thinking Bloom Energy is another fossil fueled company trying to make a buck, but it's quite the opposite.
Bloom Energy began its humble beginnings with the University of Arizona as part of the NASA Mars space program. Dr. KR Sridhar and his team were in charge with creating a technology that could sustain life on Mars. They built a device capable of producing air and fuel from electricity, and/or electricity from air and fuel. They soon discovered this could be implemented here on earth as well. So what is a fuel cell and what does it exactly do?
Fuel cells were invented over a century ago and have been used in practically every NASA mission since the 1960's, but until now, they have not gained widespread adoption because of their inherently high costs.
Legacy fuel cell technologies like proton exchange membranes (PEMs), phosphoric acid fuel cells (PAFCs), and molten carbonate fuel cells (MCFCs), have all required expensive precious metals, corrosive acids, or hard to contain molten materials. Combined with performance that has been only marginally better than alternatives, they have not been able to deliver a strong enough economic value proposition to overcome the status quo.
Some makers of legacy fuel cell technologies have tried to overcome these limitations by offering combined heat and power (CHP) schemes to take advantage of their wasted heat. While CHP does improve the economic value proposition, it only really does so in environments with exactly the right ratios of heat and power requirements on a 24/7/365 basis. Everywhere else the cost, complexity, and customization of CHP tends to outweigh the benefits.
For decades, experts have agreed that solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) hold the greatest potential of any fuel cell technology. With low cost ceramic materials, and extremely high electrical efficiencies, SOFCs can deliver attractive economics without relying on CHP. But until now, there were significant technical challenges inhibiting the commercialization of this promising new technology. SOFCs operate at extremely high temperature (typically above 800°C). This high temperature gives them extremely high electrical efficiencies, and fuel flexibility, both of which contribute to better economics, but it also creates engineering challenges.
Bloom has solved these engineering challenges. With breakthroughs in materials science, and revolutionary new design, Bloom's SOFC technology is a cost effective, all-electric solution.
Over a century in the making, fuel cells are finally clean, reliable, and most importantly, affordable.
*Information attained from the Bloom Energy website: http://bloomenergy.com/
In a nutshell here’s what Sridhar’s invention does…it utilizes a clean electrochemical process (rather than dirty combustion) to convert air and a fuel source into electricity. Virtually any fuel source ranging from natural gas to a wide variety of biogases can be utilized. If the Bloom Energy Server is powered by a renewable fuel it can be 100% cleaner than a coal-fired power plant.
Could there any drawbacks to the the use of this new technology? In other reviews, there has been indication of how this technology might be utilized in the automotive industry and its pursuit of an efficient source of clean omissions.
Customers of the “Bloom Box” are some of the largest and most influential companies in America. Coca-Cola, eBay, Google, Staples and FedEx believe enough in this technology to become customers.This is fascinating times for us and could be one of many new solutions for our future in the hope to slowly divert away from fossil fuels to a alternative and cleaner energy source.
By Cathlean Ravinski
*Information attained from the following website: http://energyoffuture.com/2010/04/energy-technology-is-%E2%80%9Cbloom%E2%80%9Ding-these-days/
Bloom Energy began its humble beginnings with the University of Arizona as part of the NASA Mars space program. Dr. KR Sridhar and his team were in charge with creating a technology that could sustain life on Mars. They built a device capable of producing air and fuel from electricity, and/or electricity from air and fuel. They soon discovered this could be implemented here on earth as well. So what is a fuel cell and what does it exactly do?
Fuel cells were invented over a century ago and have been used in practically every NASA mission since the 1960's, but until now, they have not gained widespread adoption because of their inherently high costs.
Legacy fuel cell technologies like proton exchange membranes (PEMs), phosphoric acid fuel cells (PAFCs), and molten carbonate fuel cells (MCFCs), have all required expensive precious metals, corrosive acids, or hard to contain molten materials. Combined with performance that has been only marginally better than alternatives, they have not been able to deliver a strong enough economic value proposition to overcome the status quo.
Some makers of legacy fuel cell technologies have tried to overcome these limitations by offering combined heat and power (CHP) schemes to take advantage of their wasted heat. While CHP does improve the economic value proposition, it only really does so in environments with exactly the right ratios of heat and power requirements on a 24/7/365 basis. Everywhere else the cost, complexity, and customization of CHP tends to outweigh the benefits.
For decades, experts have agreed that solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) hold the greatest potential of any fuel cell technology. With low cost ceramic materials, and extremely high electrical efficiencies, SOFCs can deliver attractive economics without relying on CHP. But until now, there were significant technical challenges inhibiting the commercialization of this promising new technology. SOFCs operate at extremely high temperature (typically above 800°C). This high temperature gives them extremely high electrical efficiencies, and fuel flexibility, both of which contribute to better economics, but it also creates engineering challenges.
Bloom has solved these engineering challenges. With breakthroughs in materials science, and revolutionary new design, Bloom's SOFC technology is a cost effective, all-electric solution.
Over a century in the making, fuel cells are finally clean, reliable, and most importantly, affordable.
*Information attained from the Bloom Energy website: http://bloomenergy.com/
In a nutshell here’s what Sridhar’s invention does…it utilizes a clean electrochemical process (rather than dirty combustion) to convert air and a fuel source into electricity. Virtually any fuel source ranging from natural gas to a wide variety of biogases can be utilized. If the Bloom Energy Server is powered by a renewable fuel it can be 100% cleaner than a coal-fired power plant.
Could there any drawbacks to the the use of this new technology? In other reviews, there has been indication of how this technology might be utilized in the automotive industry and its pursuit of an efficient source of clean omissions.
Customers of the “Bloom Box” are some of the largest and most influential companies in America. Coca-Cola, eBay, Google, Staples and FedEx believe enough in this technology to become customers.This is fascinating times for us and could be one of many new solutions for our future in the hope to slowly divert away from fossil fuels to a alternative and cleaner energy source.
By Cathlean Ravinski
*Information attained from the following website: http://energyoffuture.com/2010/04/energy-technology-is-%E2%80%9Cbloom%E2%80%9Ding-these-days/
Monday, August 8, 2011
Calling All Global World Citizen Bloggers
As a global world
citizen blogger I see all global world
citizen bloggers as equal neighbors who are doing the best they can to share
information across some of the most pressing issues that our planet earth is
facing. Furthermore, bloggers have goals such as promoting
sustainability by providing information on sustainable practices and
environmental conservation. I like to think of myself as an in-between person
who doesn’t take sides, or shuts away one blogger from the other.
As for future
bloggers, I would like to see information universal; a website where cities,
states, countries combine their knowledge at the same time in regards to the
air, water, wildlife, energy ad sustainability. This website would allow people
to communicate with one another about similar subjects; it would also open more
doors for funding and grants, so others could get recognition for commenting,
participating and being involved regardless of where they live.This
blog is about sharing, opening doors, taking action against coal and
most importantly bringing awareness of cleaner, greener sustainability
to everyone
By Rebeca Petean
Consumer Consequences
Consumer Consequences
Here’s
something to think about! Take the Consumer Consequences Quiz to find out your
living lifestyle, how it impacts the world and what would happen if everyone lived the way you?
This quiz
brings inspiration, innovation and realistic facts in the way we live our
lives, whether we continue to contribute to coal fired plants that cause
pollution, or whether we bring change to the earth around us for an alternative
green, cleaner lifestyle.
Link for the
Consumer Consequences Quiz: http://sustainability.publicradio.org/consumerconsequences/
While
taking the Consumer Consequences quiz I learned that it takes 3.4 Earths to
support a planet living my lifestyle! While, answering the questions for this
quiz I was assuming that my final score would aim towards a more utilitarian
and eco-friendly approach. After completing the quiz I had the chance to
reflect on how I could improve my own individual actions to reduce the impact I
create on forests and undeveloped lands just by cutting back on products that are produced by coal fired power plants. By simply eating organic and local
foods, waking up earlier and riding my bike to school instead of taking my car
and even making a committed effort to conserve energy at home.
For more information please view the following URL: http://sustainability.publicradio.org/consumerconsequences/
By Rebeca Petean
What Impacts Does Coal Energy Have for US!!
Coal could be cheaper in use, but the money that we are saving using coal will result in losing the
money that we tried to save in the health care industry.
The video below shows a debate between Gas energy and Coal energy, and what could result from using
any kinds of the energy. There are a lot of interesting facts and information in this video.
Hope that you learn from it, and to find answers to your questions.
Enjoy & the link for the video:
http://vimeo.com/26974092
By: Malik Falatah
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