Clipmarks | rmowery's AlternativeEnergy collection

Car that runs on air

Sat, 24 Feb 2007 03:38:57 GMT

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

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

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

Ice-powered air conditioner could cut costs

Wed, 02 Aug 2006 18:17:56 GMT

clipped by: rmowery

Clip Source: news.com.com

Ice-powered air conditioner could cut costs

By Martin LaMonica
Staff Writer, CNET News.com

TalkBack E-mail Print del.icio.us Digg this

Can an ice-powered air conditioner take the edge off scorching summer electrical bills?

A young company called Ice Energy has developed an energy-storage system that uses a tank of water to cut down on the power required for air conditioning by 30 percent.

The company's Ice Bear units, roughly the size and shape of a squat refrigerator, are an adjunct to standard centralized air-conditioning units.

Rather than run AC compressors during the hottest time of the day, the Ice Bear cools water during the night, turning it to ice. During the day, the ice cools the refrigerant as it passes through the tank, lowering the temperature inside.

Tags: alternative energy, ice air conditioning, ice power

Nikola Tesla Built an Electric Car in 1931

Thu, 03 Aug 2006 18:59:21 GMT

clipped by: adamc
clipper's remarks: Tesla is one of my biggest heroes. In 1900 he understood the concepts behind what finally became the "web" and would have built it given the right support. He also had plans to distribute electricity wirelessly around the world for free. I truly believe he would have accomplished that too.

Clip Source: www.keelynet.com

Supported by the Pierce-Arrow Co. and General Electric in 1931, he took the gasoline engine from a new Pierce-Arrow and replaced it with an 80-horsepower alternating-current electric motor with no external power source.

At a local radio shop he bought 12 vacuum tubes, some wires and assorted resistors, and assembled them in a circuit box 24 inches long, 12 inches wide and 6 inches high, with a pair of 3-inch rods sticking out. Getting into the car with the circuit box in the front seat beside him, he pushed the rods in, announced, "We now have power," and proceeded to test drive the car for a week, often at speeds of up to 90 mph.

As it was an alternating-current motor and there were no batteries involved, where did the power come from?

Popular responses included charges of "black magic," and the sensitive genius didn't like the skeptical comments of the press. He removed his mysterious box, returned to his laboratory in New York - and the secret of his power source died with him.

Tags: nikola tesla, electric car, car, automobile, 1931, inventor, invention, science, electricity

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

Ford Hybrid to be 300% more effiecient then Toyota Prius

Tue, 14 Feb 2006 04:52:45 GMT

clipped by: rmowery

Clip Source: www.newtechspy.com

Home

2.13.06

---Ford is developing a new form of automotive propulsion, and the implications for the American Auto Industry are huge. The Hydraulic Hybrid could be the greatest innovation since the internal combustion engine itself, and Ford is on the inside track with its F-150 Hybrid. New Tech Spy Has learned details about the system that are simply amazing and could put Ford in a commanding position in the fiercely competitive full size pickup market.
---The Idea behind the current crop of Hybrid cars is well known; the cars main energy comes from gasoline which recharges batteries that move the car at low speeds. Hydraulic Hybrids work in the same manner, only instead of batteries, excess energy is stored in hydraulic cylinders.That in itself is not revolutionary, except for the fact that Nickel Metal Hydride batteries used today are not an efficient way to store energy, and hydraulic storage blows them away with 3X the efficiency. Even next generation Lithium Ion batteries do not come close to Hydraulic Energy Storage.
---The standard F-150 has a curb weight of about 4800 lbs., which is 65% greater than theToyota Prius, yet incredibly the Hydraulic F-150 with a continuously variable transmission matches the Prius with 60mpg city rating, that’s an amazing 400% increase over its gasoline version.
---The F-150 makes for a perfect host for Hydraulic Hybrid technology because of its height and body on frame construction, adding this system to smaller vehicles will be challenging, but with those kind of numbers small vehicles as we know them may become obsolete...The Hydraulic F-150 is currently scheduled for launch in August of 2008, can Ford work out all the bugs by then? The people are waiting for Ford to come through in the clutch.

Ford Invents Hybrid that is *300% more efficient* than Toyota Prius

Tags: energy, alternative energy, power, vehicles, hybrid, battery power

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

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

Solar Powered Sun Brick

Wed, 02 Aug 2006 02:51:17 GMT

clipped by: pianoomann88

Clip Source: blogofwishes.com

Solar-Powered Sun Bricks

The Solar-Powered Sun Bricks use solar panels to charge during the day, when the night comes they turn on automatically a LED array to make the place they are put an easier to follow path even in complete darkness.

The best of all is that there are no external power requirements or wires whatsoever, you can’t find a simpler or more inexpensive way to illuminate dark walkways around your home or in your garden. Just replace a few of the standard bricks or pavers with those completely self-contained Sun Bricks.

Flush-to-the-ground, integral solar panels generate up to 8 hours of light each night. So guests can follow a cheerfully illuminated path to your door. Amber LED’s provide a warm, welcoming glow, consume little power, and can’t burn out.

Sun Bricks come on automatically when darkness falls, and incur no operating costs. Just recess them in your walkway, and forget them!

The price for a pair of Sun Bricks is $59.95.

- If you are interested in the Solar-Powered Sun Bricks…

Posted by Anton on Tuesday, August 1st, 2006 at 6:06 pm.

Tags: solar power, sun, brick

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

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

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

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

Workout and charge your cell at once

Thu, 14 Sep 2006 19:29:56 GMT

clipped by: rmowery

Clip Source: www.ibnlive.com

Workout and charge your cell at once

Posted Friday , July 28, 2006 at 18:05

Himachal Pradesh: A 19-year-old has come up with a pair of shoes and an apparatus housed in them, which lets you charge your cellphone while you are on the move - quite literally.

Air units for optimum cushioning, shock absorbers ensuring a bump free sprint, and micro chips which gauge your running style - these are space age shoes, which have tons of cash and years of R&D tucked under their evolution.

Nineteen-year-old Pankaj Sharma from Kullu thought out of the box and came up with a pair of shoes, which would put these technological marvels to shame.

After five years of hard work, Pankaj has come up with energiser shoes that do require a makeover on the cosmetic front but boast of charging your cell while you are on the move.

Tags: cell phone, alternative energy, mechnical design, walking and charging

Plug-In Hybrids Aren't Coming — They're Here

Mon, 06 Oct 2008 14:10:55 GMT

clipped by: rmowery

Clip Source: blog.wired.com

Plug-In Hybrids Aren't Coming — They're Here

Everything about Alison Gannett is green, from her straw-bale house to her solar-powered appliances. But when you're as serious about curbing carbon as she is, a mere hybrid won't do. That's why she spent $35,000 to install an extension cord on her Ford Escape Hybrid.

She is among a small but vocal — and growing — number of people who aren't waiting for automakers to deliver plug-in hybrids. These early adopters are shelling out big money to have already thrifty cars like the Toyota Prius and Ford Escape Hybrid converted into full-on plug-in hybrids capable of triple-digit fuel economy. "I love watching the mileage go up," says Gannett, a world champion extreme skier and dedicated eco-evangelist. "The highest I have gotten is 232 mpg. I average around 80-100 mpg."

Tags: fuel, energy, hybrids, green, ecology, environment