There Are Pros and Cons About Clean Energy.

Below is an infographic of the differences of good energy and not so good energy.

As you can see, the biggest problem is the entrenched money, old thinking, and the words of clean coal people thinking that we will believe them.

Politics aside, if we could do the pros, we could be an independent nation. There would be jobs, almost free energy to the masses and the air would be a lot cleaner. So what is the hangup? Mostly money. However, should corporations decide to come over to the green side, their money would be making interest and making their pockets bigger in a couple of years of roi.

….. as the green future unfolds.

The Canary Islands Has A Restaurant That Takes Cooking To A Whole New Level.

The El Diablo chefs have decided to go outside of the box and cook their culinary dishes utilizing earth’s natural heat.

They created El Diablo restaurant in 1970 in the Timanfaya National Park on a summit in the Fire Mountains located on the island of Lanzarote.

The Timanfaya Volcano, which is still active, is the base for this BBQ pit. In order to build the restaurant in the park, which is entirely made up of volcanic soil, they had to add nine layers of basalt rock to create the base.

The volcano has not erupted since 1824 and the designers had to come up with something different as to not destroy the beauty of the park. They are not utilizing fire, electricity and/or natural gas.

They left part of it open to utilize the heat.

The restaurant has a circular floor with glass walls that illuminate the interior and act as a kind of viewpoint looking out over the volcanic landscape.

Now you can watch as the semi-dormant volcano’s internal heat chars your meaty kebabs on a grill laid flat across a cavernous black pit that reaches into the ground.

Looks like a trip over to the Canary Islands is a must to see this sustainable BBQ pit. Let us know if you have visited El Diablo and how the food was.

….. as the green future unfolds.

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Does Google have the smarts enough to ensure our safety, too?

Well, that is the $64 question is it not? Last year, Google was awarded a patent on December 15, 2011 for the transitioning of a mixed mode vehicle to an autonomous mode vehicle. It will have 2 sensors. One for a landing strip for the vehicle to stop which enables the second sensor to decide the position and where to go.

What Can Google Teach Us About Driving?

They currently have been awarded a self driven license in the state of Nevada. It will be the color red to ensure that it stands out. They are also thinking that a driverless car will be an excellent way to view the main strip in Las Vegas.

Google has tested their model in San Francisco which included crossing the Golden Gate Bridge. They report that the car was driven 140,000 miles with a driver (just in case) and not one accident. I can tell you that I have driven that much without an accident as well. But I digress.

Through the use of computers, sensors and other systems, an autonomous vehicle is capable of analyzing the driving environment more quickly and operating the vehicle more safely than a human can. Why, well not only are there sensors but cameras as well. They are placed all around the vehicle to ensure that the blind spot a driver may have will be eliminated and be able to react to any event that may occur.

Now, we all know that a computer, sensor or camera is only as smart as we make them. So, does the Google team have enough folks to work on getting this artificial intelligence off the ground and running? Yes, so far.

However, the big question will be, will you, the consumer, be interested in getting one of these for yourself or better yet, ride in one?

Driverless Cars …. as the green future unfolds.

The Heat In The Summer Causes A Money Pit

If you live in any part of the world that has a bunch of sunlight, especially during the summer, then this is for you!

Many homes have air conditioning in this day and age. But does it really do the job of cooling your home?

I have a really good friend, Theresa, that lives in Nevada who decided to do an experiment to reduce the heat in their home.  Her family lives in a split level home. The top level is like an oven starting in spring and continues through to late fall.

They started by taking the temperature of the top level and comparing it to the lower level.  The top level read 151 degrees and the lower level read 140 degrees on a day that was crystal blue sky, dry air and about 80 degrees.

Her husband went to the local hardware box store and purchased two gallons of Elastahyde made by Western Colloid.

ElastaHyde is manufactured from premium resins, pigments and components producing an acrylic coating of the highest quality. ElastaHyde is a durable coating that will resist rigorous weather conditions while protecting roof surfaces and contributing to substantial energy savings.

He used one gallon to cover the upper level roof, applied it liberally and let it dry.  Then they took new temperature readings. The lower level roof read 155 degrees on another crystal blue sky day with the ambient temperature sitting around 81 degrees. The upper roof now read 94 degrees. WOW! a difference of 51 degrees!

Imagine the savings on their electric bill with that type of temperature difference. Now their summer will be hitting the triple digits here pretty soon. So, I can assure you that Theresa is pushing him to do the lower part of the roof pretty fast. LOL.

This paint is good for approx. 3 to 5 years. It reflects 84 percent of the sun’s rays. It meets the requirements of a “Cool Roof” and is listed by the Cool Roof Rating Council as required by California Title 24 and USGBC LEED Requirements. So, can you say eco-friendly?

A cost savings that could be as much as 50 percent is in the works for them.

I will let you know what their bill turns out to be. Are you going to give it a try. I would if I could.

ElastaHyde … as the green future unfolds.