One Man’s Mission To Wean The World Off Oil

WKRG.com News

One of the 100 most influential people of 2009 by Time magazine is a 42 year old Israeli businessman, Shai Agassi. Whom happens to be developing a global network of charging spots and “battery switch stations,” which will effectively work as gas stations for electric cars. He is a man on a mission to wean the world off it’s oil addiction and turn everyone into electric car drivers. With his California-based company, Better Place, Agassi has partnered with car maker Renault-Nissan to produce the first generation of emission-free electric cars, the Renault Fluence ZE design delivers comfort, styling and flexibility. The world’s first switchable battery electric car will be available in early 2011, which Agassi says “will not be more expensive than your average Sedan.” (more…)

Coming to a Rooftop Near You: Maglev Wind Turbines

Vertical wind turbines put pressure on bearings, but one company, Enviro Energies, has a better idea: maglev or magnetic levitation of the turbine so that it will turn, not on bearings that need lubrication and servicing, but on a virtually frictionless force field of magnetism. In addition, Enviro sees its new vertical turbine as suitable for city rooftops, as its design takes even light wind currents from any direction and converts them to usable electrical power. See a Discovery Channel denmonstration of how the turbines work. Then jump over to their products page for more information and pricing.

… as the green future unfolds.

Seventy-six percent (76%) of all electricity generated by US power plants goes to
supply the Building Sector. Buildings are responsible for almost half (48%) of all
greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions annually.

With this in mind, Architecture 2030, a non-profit independent organization, was
established by architect Edward Mazria in 2002. 2030′s mission is to rapidly
transform the US and global Building Sector from the major contributor of GHG to a
central part of the solution to the global-warming crisis. (more…)

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…)

My friend, Jennifer Sinclair over at TheLuxurEco has been doing some
research on bamboo used for fabrics. This is her story.

There has been a lot of talk about the eco-friendly nature of bamboo fiber.  I’ve
told everyone who reads my blog about this incredible fabric. It has amazing characteristics,
like softness, absorbency, fast drying, and anti-bacterial.

These are all great things, right?

Well, I have to tell you that not all bamboo towels and robes are created equal. (more…)

If you do not think that there is a movement beginning, you are wrong!

A little town very close to me here in deep East Texas, Lindale, has decided
they need to develop some opportunities to grow the city.  They are now working
with Decker Energy International, Inc., a Florida based privately held company,
to assist them in building a 35-50 megawatt wood-fired biomass power plant.
This plant will have 25 full time jobs.  Along with more jobs to build it. Yeah!

The proposed site is 43 acres that is currently owned by the Lindale Economic
Development Corporation (LEDC) which will also be part of the Lindale
Industrial Park.  This project will cost the city about $130 million. (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…)