Australia’s Urban ATV 100% Electric Quad Bike

For those of you who have ATV (all terrain vehicles), why not check this one out. I mean, if you want to utilize atvs for your enjoyment, why not do it environmentally sound. Not only does it run on batteries but is silent enough to not have the gas guzzler, smoke generating and noisy machines you own today.

It is powerful and silent, climbs hills with ease and works exceptionally well around warehouse complexes, farms, outlets, hotels/motels and anywhere else you may need a quiet workhorse. It is also outfitted with a hitch that can tow either a two or four wheel trailer behind it.

Urban ATV also have other atvs that are much cheaper than the ATVs that are being sold here in the states.

Pretty cool, right? Would you like to own one? I think I would. I know it would be very beneficial around the farm.

Atvs …. as the green future unfolds.

Native American Proverb – We Do Not Inherit The Earth From Our Ancestors, We Borrow It From Our Children. – This, We Finally Seem To Understand, Now Let’s Keep Up The Good Work.

NASA.gov

At a press conference on February 24, 2010, Bloom Energy’s founder and CEO announced an amazing new fuel cell. Utilizing a certain type of plentiful sand baked into ceramic membranes instead of precious metals like platinum or corrosive materials like acids, oxygen is pumped in one side and fuel on the other to create a chemical reaction that produces electricity at nearly twice the rate of some legacy technologies. Not only was this announcement exciting in the genre of fuel cells, the impressive fact was it was already quietly tested, up, and running very successfully at several locations including Google! Read more in the Forced Green post: A Green Energy Sand Box

On March 29, 2010, Ocean Renewable Power Company (ORPC), based out of Portland, Maine, launched the Energy Tide 2 (ET2), its Turbine Generator Unit (TGU), the largest ocean energy device deployed in U.S. waters. Designed to harness 60 kilowatts of tidal power (enough electricity to power 20 homes), in Cobscook Bay near Eastport, Maine. It is generating green, renewable energy used at Coast Guard Station Eastport. Read more: Tapping The Green Power of Earth’s Oceans.

In the spring, the PB40 PowerBuoy anchored off the shores of Oahu, Hawaii, started generating 40 kilowatts of clean tidal energy back on shore to Kaneohe Marine Corps Base. Read more: The Color Of Wave Power Is Marine Green

Four purpose-built electric trucks, the first all-electric FedEx parcel delivery trucks in the United States, hit the road in the Los Angeles area in June 2010, joining more than 1,800 alternative-energy (hybrid) vehicles already in service for FedEx around the world. Read more: An Electrifying Road Trip Along Route 66

In early fall London launched the world’s first Wireless EV Charger. The company HaloIPT, is planning to stage units along parts of England’s M25 motorway. Read more in the Forced Green post: No Greener Than Wireless on this company and it’s ingenious green charging system.

On September 23, 2010, off the coast of Kent in the UK, the world’s largest offshore wind farm went online. Thanet Offshore Wind Farm generates 300 megawatts (MW) and pushes the UK’s installed wind power capacity above the 5 GW (Giga Watts) mark, enough electricity to power all the homes in Scotland. Read more: World’s Largest Wind Farm – ONLINE

The Nissan LEAF hit the highways in December with an overwhelming positive response that even startled Nissan. Such that Nissan announced they will be launching 3 more electric vehicle models: an electric Infiniti, a two-seat urban car, and a small cargo van (due out in 2013). Read about the LEAF: Build It Green And They Will Buy and the MPG equivalent: Nissan Leaf: 99 MPG Equivalent .

Right on the LEAF’s bumper, the hybrid Chevy VOLT hit the road in December. For MPG equivalents and a video, see Forced Green’s post: And Now For The Hybrid VOLT

A new McDonald’s restaurant has opened in Huntington, West Virginia. Teaming up with American Electric Power they have installed two Level 2 (240 volt) EV (Electric Vehicle) charging stations in their parking lot.

Cracker Barrel is jumping feet first into the 21st century by installing EV charging stations at 24 locations (half of them with ultra-fast 480-volt DC) in a Tennessee triangle that includes Nashville, Knoxville and Chattanooga. The company installing the EV Charging stations is ECOtality, the fascinating subject of Forced Green’s article: This Year Of Green Despite BP .

It was tough, disastrous year in many respects, like the Gulf oil spill that’s still lurking around, waiting for a big, strong hurricane so it can rebound and sucker punch us again – right BP? All in all though, I believe green did prevail, against all odds, and I believe we are in for some good green happenings in 2011 …

If you know any that I have missed, inquiring minds want to know!

… as the green future unfolds.

The French Saw A Problem Needing A Green Solution. The Result – No Fuss, No Muss, They’ve Left The Green Driving To Us.

yelomobile.fr

In 1999 the port city of La Rochelle, France initiated a car sharing program called the Liselec initiative. With an objective to provide, on a self-service basis, a fleet of 50 electric vehicles available 24/7 from 7 pick-up points chosen based on the amount of traffic, located in and around La Rochelle.

By the end of April 2002, the service had 485 users, with an average of 6 new subscriptions per week. They’ve been growing ever since, enough to warrant three new locations coming online in January.

Customers are issued a proximity card after purchasing either a monthly subscription of 5.5 euros ($ 7.39) or a combined hourly/mileage rate (0.18 € per km / 0.09 € per minute) ( $ 0.24 per km / $ 0.12 per minute).

The vehicles in this all electric fleet are converted Peugeot 106 and Citroën Saxo models. Available 24 hours a day, the proximity card unlocks the vehicle’s doors, the driver enters his/her personal code on a keypad fitted in the dashboard and the vehicle is ready to go. The vehicles are returned to one of the seven pick-up points. Each of the pickup/dropoff points has dedicated parking and charging facilities.

Vehicles are always available and free parking anywhere in La Rochelle area is a nice perk. The direct savings for the users is enormous by avoiding vehicle purchase, service, and insurance costs as well as gas, maintenance, parking and garage charges.

If ever you fly to France, don’t rent a normal car, take care of your carbon jet guilt, and rent one of these for a green piece of mind.

Now, don’t that sound like a big ol’ win – win ….

… as the green future unfolds.

The Ability of Light to Produce Electrons, and Thus Electricity, Has Been Known For Over 100 Years.

At the Albuquerque, New Mexico’s Sandia National Laboratories, scientists have developed tiny glitter-sized photovoltaic cells that could revolutionize the way solar energy is collected and used. (more…)

How many remote controls do you have? 4 or 6 or maybe 8? How many times have you grabbed a remote control for the TV and got the DVD one?

That means you have to supply batteries to all of those remotes. Unless you have a re-charger, those batteries that are dead go into the trash and then onto the landfills.

Well, Yamaha Electronics has come up with an answer called the new Yamaha neoHD. This baby will connect all of your entertainment system together and shoves all of the remotes to one side. A device that simplifies your entire entertainment system. One remote, one on-screen interface, complete control.

With only 1 remote control to handle all of the devices you have, saves the landfills from tons of toxic battery waste (you should be recycling them anyway, but we know not all batteries make it).

No rush to go out and buy one of these when you could enter for a chance to win your own neoHD by;

- Tweeting: “I just entered to win a #neoHD b/c I have too many remotes, visit (blog.izea.com) to enter”

- enter via blog.izea.com, leave a comment on why you desperately need the new neoHD..

- find neoHD on facebook.

Be sure to check out the rules of the Yamaha neoHD Sweepstakes

I am sure you are going to go right over and enter.   Should you win one of these, please let us know how it works out for ya!

Smart Water

A standalone desalinator needs 17 gallons of diesel fuel and 66.5 kilowatts of
electricity to make 1,000 gallons of freshwater, but now, the Solar Cube, (made
by Spectra Watermakers in California), churns out 1,500 gallons of drinking water
on just 22 kilowatts of its own solar and wind power. The innovation is a pump
that triples efficiency by recapturing hydraulic pressure during the filtering
process. Solar Cubes are now bringing freshwater to remote regions and places
short on infrastructure and electricity without paying the CO2 price – way cool. (more…)

Now here is something that can be used today and not spend a kaboodle of
money to get it implemented!

GreenSmith launches Backup Battery for Grid

December 5, 2008 – Exclusive By Emma Ritch, Cleantech Group
Washington D.C.-based GreenSmith Energy Management Systems unveiled technology it says
can solve the peak demand problems of U.S. utilities.

CEO Rodney Smith said the company has designed a battery control and management system
that, when paired with lithium ion battery GreenSmith acquired from a manufacturer
overseas, can store 20 kilowatt-hours at a time and provide between 3,000 and 4,000
full-discharge cycles.

The idea is that utilities could charge the battery when it’s cheaper to produce energy,
such as in the middle of the night, and could discharge that energy onto the grid when
it’s most expensive to produce power. (more…)