Both political candidates mentioned exploring so-called clean coal technologies; that is to say, the capturing of the pollution as coal is being burned. Those of us in the environmentalist world always laugh when this term "clean coal" is used.
It is Orwellian and oxymoronic at the same time as there is no such thing as clean coal. There is no technology for it. It simply doesn't exist any more than a hydrogen fuel cell exists. The idea is a good one, but the only people pushing for it are the coal and gas industry.
The oil, gas and coal industries want to keep us dependent on their fuels. If they can stall another decade or three, all the better.
Are these the people we should help shape our future energy policy?
Check out this: This is Reality this is a funny and short video about clean coal that really captures the issue.
This story on carbon offsets is a great intro into understanding something I find myseterious.
Corporations spent more than $54 million last year on carbon credits toward tree planting, wind farms, solar plants and other projects to balance the emissions created by their work.
Greenpeace has launched a new book, Photoclima, in which images of some of Spain's most emblematic places have been altered to show what they could look like if action is not taken to tackle climate change.
This story about the carbon footprint of wine contains an interesting map at the bottom.
Essentially it cuts the US into two. West of this line it's more carbon efficient to drink Napa Valley wines. East of the line it's more carbon efficient to drink French wines. Carbon efficiency refers to the energy and pollution creted from shipping this wine from it's source.
This "grape divide" must also have other implications. Think of all of the technology from California, or the films for that matter. Does it take less energy to watch French films on the East Coast than it does to watch Hollywood films?
For those of you that might not have heard of it, the Solar Decathalon is a competition for college students to design, build, and operate the most attractive and energy-efficient solar-powered home. It is so competitive and such hard work that it's only offered every two years.
This year, I was one of the advisors to Santa Clara University. Countless hours, debates, discussions and meetings later, and I am proud to announce the results. After two years of preparation and a week of competition, the final scores and standings are in for the 2007 competition.
Third Place: Santa Clara University This team wanted to build a sustainable solar house that is functional, elegant, and innovative—and they did just that. The Communications Jury lauded their friendly, enthusiastic house tour, which was informative, entertaining, and very much "on target" for public audiences. They were one of five teams to score a perfect 100 points in the Hot Water contest and one of seven teams to score a perfect 100 points in the Energy Balance contest. Their house almost didn't make it to the Solar Decathlon, because their transport truck broke an axle and delayed them by three days.
Congratulations to the students! They were a fun group and they deserve it!
A NOTE TO OTHER ARCHITECTURE PROGRAMS: If you're looking to enter the 2009 competition, contact me and invite me to be an advisor. I seem to have a track record of helping you place at least third! ;)
Sara Holt from the Urban Alliance for Sustainability interviewed me with Diane Loviglio, of the SPUR Green Roof Task Force, about heading toward Zero Waste.
The most interesting part of the story are the comments at the bottom of the page. There seems to be some confusion about LED bulbs. In reality: LEDs consume less energy than incandescents but still more than a compact fluorescent (CFL Bulb). CFL bulbs are still the most energy efficient when you compare it to an equal amount of light given off. This will change soon, I'm sure, but for right now, the LED bulbs still use slightly more energy than a CFL.
This is a sign of the times. If the people will not do something good voluntarily, force it on them. I have to say I agree.
Ontario will ban the sale of inefficient incandescent light bulbs by 2012, a move that follows in the footsteps of Australia, the province said Wednesday.
The government estimates that replacing the 87 million incandescent bulbs in use across Ontario with more efficient bulbs would save six million megawatt hours every year — enough to power 600,000 homes.
This is the exact kind of intervention needed to overcome the economic stranglehold most corporations have over our society. Imagine if local governments banned other things for the good of their people: * plastic bags * VOC paint * toxic household cleaners
or thinking bigger: * chain stores (ie: Wal-Mart) * non-hybrid or biodiesel cars
The biggest impact comes from the plastic bottle. Since plastic is made from oil, it requires energy (oil) to produce it. Since our water standards are so high in this country, the quality of these bottled waters is not much better than what comes out of our tap.
Q: If I want to get involved in Green Building, where is a good place to start? What business opportunities are there? Where can I do the most good?
A: I cannot tell you how many versions of this question I receive. The popularity of the question indicates a growing desire by people to get involved in something larger than themselves. It is also a sign of real changes being made...
Al Gore returned to Capitol Hill to urge Congress to act now to combat Global Warming. He found a heated debate from several dubious Republicans.
Al Gore, at the House hearing: "I promise you, a day will come when our children and grandchildren will ask: What in God's name were they doing? Didn't they see the evidence?"
Although this should not be a partisan issue, several seem set on making it one. This politicizing of the issue might be why some feel Gore might be the wrong spokesman for Global Warming.
As Rep. Joe Barton (R-Texas) said at the hearing: "You're not just off a little. You're totally wrong."
Gore's Response: "The planet has a fever. If your baby has a fever, you go to the doctor. If the doctor says you need to intervene here, you don't say, 'Well, I read a science fiction novel that tells me it's not a problem.'"
Barton added that Gore's proposed freeze on carbon emissions would mean "no new industry, no new people and no new cars."
Senator James Inhofe (R-Oklahoma) was also a skeptic, debating Gore on the soundness of Global Warming. He cited some dubious reports while ignoring the Peer Reviewed Scientific Report that announced they have "removed the question mark on whether Global Warming is man-made."
Inhofe was the one who famously called global warming the "greatest hoax ever perpetrated on the American people."
Many Republicans did turn their opinion. Former House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill. surprised fellow lawmakers by agreeing with Gore's assessment that climate change is a real threat.
It is hard to not politicize Global Warming when so many politicians are being paid to ensure nothing will ever change.
According to the National Priorities Project, the COST OF IRAQ WAR is: $11 million per hour, $275 million per day, TOTAL: $406,592,561,811 and counting
According to The Census Bureau there are 111,162,000 households in the US.
If the average energy efficiency upgrade for a home is $10,000, then we could insulate EVERY HOME in the US in just 10 hours...
...with just the money we spend each day on the war.
We import 13.15 million barrels of oil per day. By doing these energy efficiency upgrades, we could save 15% of that, or some 2 million barrels a day.
That is more oil than we import from Saudi Arabia (about 1.5 million barrels/day).
From TreeHugger, comes the Stormblade: a true personal wind turbine for residential use. The Stormblade Turbine can convert up to 70% of wind power into electricity, double the current average.
In the personal wind turbine market, I also am interested in: Sunforce Wind Generator Use the wind to generate power and run your appliances and electronics. Great for cabins, 12V battery charging, remote power, backup power and hobbyists. Delivers up to 400 Watts.
Sunforce 400-Watt Wind Generator Lightweight, weatherproof cast aluminum wind generator for powering buildings or pumps, or charging batteries for large power demands
*WASHINGTON, DC* – U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Alexander Karsner today announced that with DOE funding, a concentrator solar cell produced by Boeing-Spectrolab has recently achieved a world-record conversion efficiency of 40.7 percent, establishing a new milestone in sunlight-to-electricity performance. This breakthrough may lead to systems with an installation cost of only $3 per watt, producing electricity at a cost of 8-10 cents per kilowatt/hour, making solar electricity a more cost-competitive and integral part of our nation's energy mix.
That example of how a huge multinational corporation SHOULD be run, Google, is beginning installation of 1.6 megawatt solar photovoltaic system at their Mountain View campus.
This project will be the largest solar installation on any corporate campus in the U.S., if not the world. The panels will cover the roofs of the main buildings of the Googleplex.
The amount of electricity that will be generated is equivalent to powering about 1,000 average California homes, offsetting approximately 30% of their electricity consumption.
Home builders switch on the 'invisible' solar panels Now that solar panels aren't the ugly ducklings of architecture, home developers are touting solar energy as the latest feature in new homes.
Prism Solar Technologies in New York has developed a proof-of-concept solar module that uses holograms to concentrate light, possibly cutting the cost of solar modules by as much as 75 percent, making them competitive with electricity generated from fossil fuels. Currently, the approach to overcoming this cost factor of silicon-based solar panels is to concentrate light from the sun using mirrors or lenses, thereby reducing the total area of silicon needed to produce a given amount of electricity. But traditional light concentrators are bulky and unattractive -- less than ideal for use on suburban rooftops.
Prism's solar concentration is achieved using a hologram sealed between two pieces of glass. Very clever idea and it creates a beautiful rainbow pattern...
Here is the latest model of one of our current projects. it is an addition to a very small existing house. The walls are made from ICF's and have a super high insulation value of R-34. The building is oriented to the sun, not the street. The windows frame views. Of course, non-toxic finishes, paints and adhesives used throughout. The screen on the west side is a sun shade made of bamboo. Solar panels and a water catchment system are also included. Although it is not even started construction, it is already being featured in Innovative Home Magazine. Our client refers to it as a jellyfish (sometimes octapus) based on the shape of the floor plan.
