Clipmarks | rmowery's AlternativeEnergy collection

Local Principals Hoping To Teach "Green

Tue, 13 May 2008 16:33:04 GMT

clipped by: rmowery
clipper's remarks: See their website at http://www.principalsforchange.org

They are really pushing forward with this project and I want to help them get word out across the nation and world. Great concept and something we need to be teaching in all the schools.

Clip Source: www.wjactv.com

Local Principals Hoping To Teach "Green"

Tags: alternative energy, high schools, teaching, education, students

Forget Iraq: Pentagon Mulls Drilling on Bases

Wed, 19 Mar 2008 16:23:54 GMT

clipped by: rmowery

Clip Source: blogs.wsj.com

Forget Iraq: Pentagon Mulls Drilling on Bases

The U.S. Department of Defense is like a lot of other big energy consumers: over-budget and under the gun. Energy prices are so high, the DoD is mulling opening up some U.S. military installations to outside exploration for traditional energy sources like oil and natural gas as way to install even more renewable energy, reports EnergyWashington (sub reqd.)

At the House Armed Services Readiness Subcommittee hearings last week, a Pentagon official said the DoD wants to broaden existing law to allow more than just geothermal energy to be tapped on U.S. military bases. From EW:

Tags: military bases, renewable, energy

Even at $100 a barrel, oil is still cheaper than a Starbucks latte.

Wed, 19 Mar 2008 06:29:32 GMT

clipped by: rmowery

Clip Source: www.newsweek.com

THE FUTURE OF ENERGY

Why We Can’t Quit

Even at $100 a barrel, oil is still cheaper than a Starbucks latte.

At the age of 7, when most kids are climbing trees, John Hess was surveying foreign oilfields. The son of Leon Hess, a forceful entrepreneur who built a small home-heating business in New Jersey into a global oil company, the younger Hess immersed himself in the oil world from an early age, studying Arabic and Farsi to better connect with Middle Eastern oil executives. Now the CEO of Hess Corp., he's become an advocate for energy conservation and investment in alternative fuels. NEWSWEEK'S Fareed Zakaria spoke to him about the new world of $100-a-barrel oil, and the likelihood of an energy crisis. Excerpts:

Tags: oil, dependence, alternative energy

Troubles getting deeper for U.S., its fresh water supply

Mon, 17 Mar 2008 01:55:33 GMT

clipped by: rmowery

Clip Source: www.freep.com

Troubles getting deeper for U.S., its fresh water supply

WASHINGTON -- Like the old song, "Love and marriage, love and marriage ... you can't have one without the other," so it goes with energy and water.

It takes a lot of water to produce energy. It takes a lot of energy to provide water. The two are inextricably linked, and claims on each are rising.

"The water supply is as critical as oil," said Charles Groat of the University of Texas in Austin, a geologist and expert on the problem.

In return, "water use requires a tremendous amount of energy," said Peter Gleick, president of the Pacific Institute for Studies in Development, Environment and Security in Oakland, Calif.

Tags: water, economy, energy, power

Bush almost kills himself, Cheney and CEO of Ford

Sun, 08 Apr 2007 16:11:06 GMT

clipped by: rmowery

Clip Source: www.detnews.com

Ford President Alan Mulally, right, had to be quick on his feet to make sure President Bush plugged a power cord into the right socket on a Ford hydrogen-electric plug-in hybrid.

Plug it in, fire it up, Mr. President

Credit Ford Motor Co. CEO Alan Mulally with saving the leader of the free world from self-immolation.

Mulally told journalists at the New York auto show that he intervened to prevent President Bush from plugging an electrical cord into the hydrogen tank of Ford's hydrogen-electric plug-in hybrid at the White House last week. Ford wanted to give the Commander-in-Chief an actual demonstration of the innovative vehicle, so the automaker arranged for an electrical outlet to be installed on the South Lawn and ran a charging cord to the hybrid. However, as Mulally followed Bush out to the car, he noticed someone had left the cord lying at the rear of the vehicle, near the fuel tank.

Tags: ford, hybrid, bush, alternative energy

Car that runs on air

Sat, 24 Feb 2007 03:38:57 GMT

clipped by: rmowery
clipper's remarks: Nice! Good-bye Oil companies

Clip Source: www.celsias.com

A French designer of engines for Formula One racing cars has turned his attention to creating an engine that runs on, and emits, only air! By all accounts, this is no pie-in-the-sky dream invention either - as the vehicle’s release is slated for later this year.

With a top speed of 110kph (68mph) and a range of about 200kms (125miles), it looks to be an entirely useable commuter, and more. In fact, once the initial model is on the market, there are plans for a hybrid version - a car that will use a small amount of fuel to generate the compressed air required for the main engine - resulting in a 4,500km range (2,800 miles) from just one tank of fuel!

Tags: air, compressed air, alternative energy

Google co-founder: Science needs entrepreneurs

Tue, 20 Feb 2007 21:19:56 GMT

clipped by: rmowery
clipper's remarks: I think he has some great ideas for the energy market.

Clip Source: www.cnn.com

Google co-founder: Science needs entrepreneurs

POSTED: 11:03 a.m. EST, February 19, 2007

Story Highlights

• Google co-founder addresses scientists at annual meeting
• Larry Page: Scientists need to promote solutions to problems
• Page proposes giving computers control over cars

Larry Page, the co-founder of Google, offered a variety of proposals to raise the profile of scientists in society.

SAN FRANCISCO, California (Reuters) -- Scientists need more entrepreneurial drive and could benefit by doing more to promote solutions to big human problems, Google Inc. co-founder Larry Page told a meeting of academic researchers.

"There are lots of people who specialize in marketing, but as far as I can tell, none of them work for you," Page told researchers at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science late on Friday.

"Let's talk about solving some worldwide problems. Let's get people really motivated," he said.

Page, a 33-year-old billionaire who remains co-president of Mountain View, California-based Google, said he took inspiration from the history of Silicon Valley, with its frequent cycles of innovation.

As a computer science graduate student 11 years ago at Stanford University, Page said he came up the with idea of "page rank" -- weighing the relative importance of hyperlinks to improve the relevancy of Web searches -- completely randomly.

Page rank remains at the heart of the world's most popular search system.

"It is not hard to do this," Page told hundreds of scientists, meeting in San Francisco. "You need to think that business and entrepreneurship is a good thing."

Tags: page, larry page, google, billionaire, energy, alternative energy

The cost of leaving your PC on

Sun, 18 Feb 2007 04:47:20 GMT

clipped by: rmowery

Clip Source: www.codinghorror.com

The cost of leaving your PC on

Between my server and my Windows Media Center home theater PC, I have at least two PCs on all the time at home. Have you ever wondered how much it's costing you to leave a computer on 24 hours a day, 7 days a week?

The first thing you need to know is how much power your computer draws. The best way is to measure the actual power consumption. You'll need a $30 device like the Kill-a-Watt or Seasonic PowerAngel to do this accurately. Once you get one, you'll inevitably go through a phase where you run around your home, measuring the power draw of everything you can plug into a wall socket. For example, I learned this weekend that our 42" plasma television draws between 90 watts (totally black screen) and 270 watts (totally white screen). Based on a little ad-hoc channel surfing with an eye on the Kill-a-Watt's LCD display, the average appears to be around 150 watts for a typical television show or movie.

But I digress. Once you've measured the power draw in watts (or guesstimated the power draw), you'll need to convert that to kilowatt-hours. Here's the kilowatt-hour calculation for my server, which draws ~160 watts:

160 watts * (8,760 hours per year) / 1000 = 1401.6 kilowatt-hours

The other thing you'll need to know is how much you're paying for power in your area. Power here in California is rather expensive and calculated using a byzantine rate structure. According to this recent Mercury News article, the household average for our area is 14.28 cents per kilowatt-hour.

1401.6 kilowatt-hours * 14.28 cents / 100 = $200.15

So leaving my server on is costing me $200 / year, or $16.68 per month. My home theater PC is a bit more frugal at 65 watts. Using the same formulas, that costs me $81 / year or $6.75 per month.

So, how can you reduce the power draw of the PCs you leave on 24/7?

Tags: energy, power, expenses, pc power, alternative energy

Taking Control of Electric Bill, Hour by Hour

Tue, 09 Jan 2007 12:59:16 GMT

clipped by: rmowery

Clip Source: www.nytimes.com

Taking Control of Electric Bill, Hour by Hour

Ten times last year, Judi Kinch, a geologist, got e-mail messages telling her that the next afternoon any electricity used at her Chicago apartment would be particularly expensive because hot, steamy weather was increasing demand for power.

Each time, she and her husband would turn down the air-conditioners — sometimes shutting one of them off — and let the dinner dishes sit in the washer until prices fell back late at night.

Tags: alternative energy, electric, green, savings, money, power

Rolamite - Frictionless Machines from Rollers and Bands

Fri, 08 Dec 2006 04:07:15 GMT

clipped by: rmowery

Clip Source: www.rexresearch.com

Donald F. Wilkes: Rolamite

The first (or second, after Bellocq's wave-pump) new mechanical principle discovered in the 20th century

Contents ~

"Frictionless Machines from Rollers & Bands"
by Harry Walton

As basic as the lever or pulley, the simple concept called "Rolamite" promises a revolution in mechanical design.

Popular Science (March 1966)

What's a Rolamite? It looks like a simple gadget made with two rollers and a steel band, but it's much more. As basic as the wheel, the lever, or the hinge, it is the only elementary machine discovered this century. Its use will be widespread --- in everything from switches, thermostats, and valves to pumps and clutches, and as almost frictionless bearings.

The Rolamite concept is the invention of Donald F. Wilkes, a Sandia Corp. engineer who was studying a suspensions system made with a bent elastic band fastened to opposing surfaces in an S shape. He found that the center of the loop could be moved horizontally with amazingly little resistance (To try it, clamp one end of a steel tape to a table and another section to a ruler held horizontally above it).

But the band can provide no positive mechanical action. In a flash of genius, Wilkes inserted two rollers, large enough to overlap and so key themselves in, and the Rolamite principle was born. The rollers may move in a fixed frame or one of the horizontal frame members may move on the rollers, travel being limited by the length of the band.

Tags: rolamite, energy, mechanical design, wilkes, sandia corp

Glow in the Dark Pebbles

Wed, 27 Sep 2006 22:32:44 GMT

clipped by: rmowery

Clip Source: www.collectionsetc.com

Glow In The Dark Pebbles - 54045

Add a magical nighttime glow to your patio or backyard with these decorative moonlight stones. With 350 glow-in-the-dark pebbles, the options are endless. Pebbles glow for six hours when fully charged by the sun. Includes 350 pieces. Pebbles measure approx. 1"L.

Price: $9.99

Availability: In Stock.

4 Pc Glowing Stair Treads

Solar Light- 7 Color Changing

Tags: pebbles, alternative energy, decoration, glow in the dark

T-Rex 3 wheel car

Thu, 21 Sep 2006 15:29:38 GMT

clipped by: rmowery

Clip Source: t-rexusa.com

Tags: alternative energy, trex, car mods, speed

Backyard Solar Cooker

Tue, 19 Sep 2006 18:35:13 GMT

clipped by: rmowery

Clip Source: www.harborfreight.com

SOLAR COOKER

SAVE MONEY AND THE ENVIRONMENT!

One of our adventurous buyers traveled all the way to Tibet to find this powerful earth friendly cooker. Requires no electricity to run. Great for camping and back yard cooking. Pot sold separately.

Quickly reaches temperatures from 360° to 400° F

Uses the sun's heat to cook naturally all day

Captures the natural flavors of foods which can get baked out in a conventional ovens

Self standing, includes tripod stand

Overall dimensions: 46-3/8'' L x 62-5/8'' W x 40'' H, Cooker weight: 55.20 lbs., Shipping weight: 86 lbs.

Tags: solar power, solar cooking, backyard cooking, alternative energy

Harvest Rain Water

Mon, 18 Sep 2006 04:15:43 GMT

clipped by: rmowery

Clip Source: www.motherearthnews.com

Harvest the Rain

Wrangle water from the sky for watering, washing and even drinking, no matter where you live.

Adapted from Environmental Building News

Rainwater harvesting systems can be as simple as directing gutters to a lidded garbage can or as complex as a concrete cistern, roof washer and filtration system. But whatever your application, rest assured that you'll be getting some of the purest - and cheapest - water around.

Why Rainwater?
Rainwater can be used for potable water (drinking, cooking, bathing) or nonpotable uses such as landscape irrigation, livestock watering and washing. Collecting and using rainwater has numerous benefits, ranging from improved water quality to reduced stress on underground aquifers.

Tags: rain water, harvest rain water, environment, alternative energy

Ultimate Pedal Powered Television

Mon, 18 Sep 2006 03:11:52 GMT

clipped by: rmowery
clipper's remarks: If you must watch TV, then power it yourself - least keep your body in shape if your mind is being drained by TV

Clip Source: www.los-gatos.ca.us

Ultimate Pedal Powered Television

The Pedal Generator (in reality the Pedal Powered Prime Mover - "PPPM" - with the Generator attachment) is tested and working well. I have been charging batteries for six months by working out every morning. I have also tested powering various appliances by plugging them in to the Pedal Generator. 110 Volt AC appliance can be run through an inverter, and 12 Volt DC appliances can be run directly.

Why run devices directly from the PPPM? Because it is the most efficient way to power them. However, there are two problems with running devices directly from electricity produced by the PPPM:

There is no natural voltage regulation, forcing you to carefully control your pedaling speed

The power stops when the pedaling stops

Pedaling to charge batteries solves this problem, but it introduces additional problems:

Batteries wear out after a relatively small number of charge/discharge cycles

Small batteries cannot take or make large currents, even for short periods

Charging voltage must be regulated, especially for small batteries

Some batteries require maintenance

Most batteries are temperature sensitive (some can even freeze!)

Batteries are not very efficient - you get less power out of them than you put in - sometimes a LOT less

Tags: pedal power, alternative energy, pedal tv, create energy, excercise