The unfortunate natural calamities in past one decade have sufficiently hinted on the urgency of acting responsible towards nature by everybody, be it the United Nations, Groups of Countries, Corporate fraternity and even the laymen. Designers and tech giants have been busy rolling out energy efficient and eco-friendly products that will help users to reduce their carbon footprint. The Tendril In-Home Energy Display is one state-of-the-art device that has hatched from the need of educating users how positive changes in their energy consumption can bring out fruitful results, both for the environment and their household cash budget.

The revolutionary device is laced with technology to render real time information about energy usage and cost. With its focus on utility energy distribution and efficiency, it also offers opportunity to users to bring down their usage by around 10 to 15 percent. It believes in the principle of immediate communication with consumers to help them understand efficient energy consumption practices.

One doesn’t have to make top-notch tech update in house environment to have this one. It is installed in a home appliance just like another digital clock that will display real time upcoming events like an upcoming demand during morning hours and peak pricing period, so that users can schedule their running of washing machines or dishwashers later. There is also a web portal service that will allow one to check and plan their customized energy use plan. The device will be available for hands on first at DistribuTECH March 23rd to 25th, but no word on retail availability.

The state of Texas in the Unites States recorded its highest rate of power generation ever in a single day, amounting to a whopping 6,272-megawatt, that was calculated to be a total of 19% of the entire power generation on the state’s main grid. This massive power generation was recorded at 6:37 a.m and does not include all wind turbines in the state, as this region is on an entirely different grid altogether.

This enormous supply of power (19% ) from wind, which is generally considered to be one of most powerful renewable sources of energy is a feat in itself, due to fact that other high profile states, such as that of California have envisioned an accumulated power generation of 33% over the next ten years.

The wide open regions of Texas are one of the most important sources of wind energy, but the state itself is lacking the adequate infrastructure of transmission wires, that can move this energy from the wind turbines to the major cities of West Texas, such as Dallas and Houston, where the power demand is quite high. Because of the inadequacy, Texas has many times been forced to slow down or shut down many of its wind turbines, due to excessive power generation.

However, the state has now invested around $5 billion in effort to remedy the transmission concerns and wiith this effort, it aims at achieving its goals of providing the power hunger cities with much of the energy generated from turbine located in West Texas. If and when this overhaul is completed and Texas is able to take full advantage of the wind energy, then it could be seen as a role model for other states such as California, Michigan etc, who are planning to go green, or at least partially.

Via New York Times

In The Christian Science Monitor, Moises Velasquez-Manoff reviews the new book ‘The Medea Hypothesis’ that ‘looks at the opposite of the Gaia hypothesis and suggests that life on Earth is self-destructive.’

The Gaia hypothesis, first formulated in the 1960s by the British scientist James Lovelock as the “earth feedback hypothesis,” suggests that ‘every living thing on Earth worked in concert to keep conditions at a certain equilibrium, or homeostasis, that was optimum for life.’ The  “ecological hypothesis proposes that the biosphere and the physical components of the Earth (atmosphere, cryosphere, hydrosphere and lithosphere) are closely integrated to form a complex interacting system that maintains the climatic and biogeochemical conditions on Earth in a preferred homeostasis.” It views the Earth as a single organism.

Velasquez-Manoff describes what is now a theory, or one step above hypothesis, as organic life being some sort of unconscious geoengineering.

A counter-hypothesis has now sprung to debunk the Gaia theory. Peter Ward, a noted paleontologist at the University of Washington, Seattle, calls it the Medea hypothesis in his new book entitled Is Life on Earth Ultimately Self-Destructive?

Ward believes that ‘by its very nature, life on Earth will ultimately lead to a premature end to conditions favorable to life on Earth.’ Directly antithetical with the former thinking that influenced earth sciences and ecology much, Ward proposes that ‘life will cause its own end long before our sun, which will start expanding into a red giant in about 1 billion years, begins baking the biosphere away.’

For Ward, ‘the major long-term problem facing life on Earth is not global warming, but the gradual drawdown of carbon from the atmosphere by photosynthetic organisms.’ He paints a grimmer picture by saying that ‘in the future, life’s hunger for carbon will inevitably lead to a paucity of what’s a fundamental building block of life, adding that this is the single greatest challenge facing life on this planet.’

There is hope, of course, in stalling the inevitable. Foresight and planning, two things human beings can do, can extend their survival in the universe. The future is in their hands. The choice is theirs.

Photo: Wikipedia

Wind energy is one of the most popular of alternative energies because it is seen as renewable and, thus, sustainable. On the surface, energy generated from the wind seems to help delay the impending climate crisis. After all, records show that wind energy ‘saves the emission of nearly 68,000 tons of carbon dioxide, 600 tons of sulphur dioxide, and 200 tons of nitrogen oxides.’

But what happens when wind-energy generation is done on a massive scale as seen in wind turbine farms that blanket stretches of the oceans?

Andrew Levy in Mail Online says, “But, at the same time, these wind turbines are creating a new little climate of their own. The phenomenon is caused by the spinning 130ft blades which churn up the warm air at sea level and mix it with cooler air above at Scroby Sands, near Great Yarmouth in Norfolk. When this happens, the water begins condensing as droplets which become visible.”

Photographs captured from an airplane show that ‘the spinning blades whip moisture into the air like giant egg mixers,’ proving that ‘wind farms create their own micro-climate. It is the same as any geographical feature affecting the weather.’

The particular wind farm observed is composed of ‘30 turbines that has been generating up to 60 megawatts of power – enough for 30,000 homes – since it was built in 2004.’

The micro-climate produced by the churning wind turbines quickly dissipate on windy days. When this happens, no significant impact is felt on the nearby lands.

Via

Bill Gates is in touch with reality. He refuses to ride the global warming alarmist propaganda bandwagon. Bradford Plumer in The New Republic mentions the recent TED Conference in Long Beach where Gates ‘told the audience that climate change was the world’s most vexing problem, but that it would take “energy miracles” for the world to zero out its carbon emissions by mid-century.’

But Gates, being the renowned visionary that he has always been, wants to see ‘radical new technologies’ that are not even existent at the moment. One such “miracle” is a certain ‘“traveling wave reactor” that would turn spent uranium into electricity.’

The low-carbon technologies, touted as alternative sources of energy, such as solar, wind, nuclear, geothermal, hydropower, etc., whose resources may not necessarily be finite are, in the grand scheme of things, just enough to slow down greenhouse gas emissions by being alternatives. They cannot significantly reduce emissions in a way that emissions have to be drastically cut at some scientifically determined future date.

Gates is right in saying that technological breakthroughs are needed if the grand aim of CO2 emissions in the atmosphere, being reduced right now to avert a looming climate crisis, is to be met.

These next-generation technologies seem like miracles at this point in time. But there is nothing that research cannot uncover and discover. Investors just need a gigantic leap of faith in these imagined miracles. ‘Gates suggested that we should focus on spending the next 20 years inventing new tech and then spend the next 20 years implementing it.’

Gates had dared on paths men only feared to tread. His voluntary vision helped shape one of the biggest industries known to man today. If necessity is the mother of invention, there’s nothing Gates cannot achieve once he sets his eyes on something. Better an active imagination than a harried alarmist’s mind.

Via

While corn-based biofuel, particularly corn-based ethanol, has been touted to be the most viable alternative to petroleum and other fossil fuels, the production of such grain-based alternative has sparked many a debate as to its supposed environmental sustainability. Food crop displacement is just one of the trade-offs in the burgeoning ethanol industry.

Nowhere is the debate more raging than in the US where corn-based ethanol has become a huge industry. The federal government and Obama administration give full support to the industry as they regard it as ‘a low-carbon renewable fuel.’

On the other end of the debate spectrum is the state of California that issued a ‘declaration last summer that the biofuel’s carbon footprint was too big to help the state mitigate greenhouse gas emissions.’

Douglas Fischer in The Daily Climate writes that ‘regulators and policy experts insist there’s no conflict: Both rules match the science; it’s simply a matter of what year you start counting emissions. Indeed, timing is everything. California looked at current emissions associated with corn-based ethanol and concluded they were too steep.’ On the other hand, the White House, gearing ‘to triple annual production to 36 billion gallons a year in 12 years, based its decision on projections for 2022. It assumed higher crop yields, production efficiencies and other breakthroughs would mitigate emissions.’

However, researchers doubt the calculations made by the federal government as to ‘federal claims that ethanol’s advances would be sufficient enough to counter emissions associated with food-crop displacement.’

In the grand scheme of things, it’s not a matter of methodologies in producing ethanol or looking for carbon savings from corn ethanol. As with the mistakes in petroleum and all other energy sources, the crux of the problem is consumption. This is the part of human culture that has to be tamed with better methodologies, so to speak. Finding ways to trick the shortages brought about by unbridled and relentless consumption is simply a case of the blind leading the blind.
Environment

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Its internal 500mAh battery can apparently be charged at over 90% capacity in just four hours of average sunlight exposure and can detect a devices such as MP3 players and digital cameras to provide enough power. Its uniqueness is that it can be applied in countries with less sunny weather too. This in effect, means that it can bring down the need for multiple chargers that we depend our electronic gadget oriented lives on.

Officials at Intivation say the charger is meant mainly for the Western world where solar charges simply do not work with lower levels of sunlight, or where they charge so slowly that using them is not worth the money paid for. Solar Egg will be up for sale in select regions from March. A global roll out is due for later in the year.

Via: engadget

Ben Quinn, correspondent for The Christian Science Monitor, reports that Virgin owner and megawealthy Richard Branson supports the alarmist ‘warning of an impending peak oil crisis.’ Branson and some fellow British business leaders funded a recent study whose report supports the claim that peak oil will be real by 2015. The impending scenario where oil runs out will see oil shortages and hike in oil prices, affecting food prices among others. “The controversial idea that growing oil demand will soon outstrip more finds is capturing the attention of governments,” says Quinn.

The Branson-funded report adds that oil costs will rocket not only because of the consistent need in western countries but also because of the rising demand in the developing world that is equally headed towards industrialization. All these while oil production does not increase ‘above a current 85 million barrels per day.’ This information is not new. This analysis has long been confirmed by both the scientific and business worlds.

According to Branson, “Don’t let the oil crunch catch us out in the way that the credit crunch did.” Self-interest in the future of oil is understandably the reason for Branson backing the idea of oil drought. His Virgin Airlines and rail business will naturally be affected by hike in prices of crude oil. He, among others, believes that it is only the current recession which slows down oil usage and consumption that is delaying the looming possibility of peak oil.

However, the concept of peak oil lends more challenge for renewable energies. The world is realizing and acting on the awareness that there are other sources of energy besides petroleum. Natural gas has also been proving to be a viable alternative.

So, by and large, the idea of peak oil still remains an alarmist campaign, even if megabillionaires back the idea.

Photo Courtesy: Allen Fredrickson/Reuters

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Harvesting rainwater is the best way to conserve water as it can b e used as a standby support in times of need. However, making the so-called traditional cistern for this purpose is always a task for many people. This is when the Rainwater Pillow comes handy to all. Just in case you are wondering how this whole thing works. Here is what it actually does. It consists of an intake filter, which is connected to a flexible water storage bladder.

The outflow hose is powered by a small integrated pump. The good news is that the Rainwater Pillow can store water for up to five years, which is pretty long. The reinforced polymer material used is resistant to both UV rays and temperature extremes. When the water reaches its capacity, the redundant overflow pipes prevent the Pillow from bursting.

The standard 1,000 gallon Rainwater Pillow measures 9′ x 11′ x 2.5′ and you can position it to any convenient spot. If you prefer a bigger one, there are also custom designs available up to 40,000 gallon capacity. The Rainwater Pillow is available at a starting price for $2,500 for 1,000 gallon system. Indeed, this is a smart way of harvesting rainwater.

Via: MetaEfficient\RainWaterPillow

The Gyre is an inverted underwater skyscraper, from depth of 400 m. It would be as tall as  (1,312 ft) and would be about the same height as the Empire State Building in New York. Gyre is meant to be a research station and an off shore resort, replete with gardens, shops and restaurants. Its shape is what is touted to make it a sturdy structure that can withstand ocean winds. Four arms extend from the center spire (1.25 kilometers in diameter). They keep the structure afloat and create a harbor large enough to accommodate huge ships. The center tower starts off at 30,000 sq meters of space on top. With each passing floor downwards, it gets smaller, to 600 square meters. The total floor area of the entire structure is 212,000 square meters, approximately the size of 40 football fields.

Gyre’s power source is renewable energy, with zero emissions. It has vertical wind turbines on top of the radial arms. Semi-transparent solar windows glaze the entire structure. Solar panels also shade pedestrian walkways on top. Underwater turbines generate power from water currents when anchored. Rainwater gets collected in the central vortex into storage tanks at the spire’s bottom. It has been designed by Victoria BC based firm Zigloo. For a gigantic concept such as this, one only wonders about waste management if it gets functional.

Via: Zigloo