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…)

Okay, so I thought I would never be writing on a 60 minutes segment, but Leslie
Stahl had one last night that you might be a little interested in, it deals with
electric and electric/hybrids Forced Green has posted on before, so here we go:

One of the reasons electric cars have never taken off has been battery technology.
A few years ago, someone wondered: why not use the batteries they put in laptop
computers called lithium-ion batteries? That’s when the environmentally-conscious
hi-tech industry in California jumped in.

The first all-electric sports car is called the “Roadster” and is made by Tesla
Motors, a small start-up in Northern California. (more…)

The U.S. Department of Energy says you are paying about $100.00 a year for nothing and the EPA estimates that this nothing consumes $4 billion worth of power each year. Equivalent to the power generated by 12 power plants.

This energy Black Hole is the total of all those appliances that still draw power even when the power buttons are switched “off”. The average house hold has between 20-25 of these appliances that have electronic controls or smart features that still pull energy while “playing possum.” (more…)

A new going green product to reduce your electric bill. Even when powered down, all of your
computer desk equipment, your pc, printer, modem, etc., are consuming power. All of
the little LED lights that are on means you are sucking approximately 100
watts of energy. So why not put in a switch that will turn off these items when you
are done for the evening or during the day.

The GreenSwitch™ system was originally developed to control energy consumption in the
hospitality/hotel industry. (more…)

This is a definition of “Necessity is the mother of invention”

With gasoline prices continuing to soar and no apparent relief in the future, one
Texas man has come up with his own solution. He built his own electric car. (more…)

Remember that trash composter mentioned a couple of blogs ago? Well, here is
is the scoop.

I found it at Greenfeet, a great site! They sell all kinds of green products.

Anyway, back to the composter: Nature Mill Plus Composter – $299.00
Fully automatic and odor free. The perfect solution for those who want to compost
but don’t have outdoor space for a pile.

It produces a batch (about 10 lbs/4.5 kg) of rich organic fertilizer every 2 weeks.
A red light will tell you when to empty it. Just open the door and remove the
compost. You can add waste items at any time up to 120 lbs (55 kb) a month. Talk
about recycling!

Waste items are processed continuously. Every 4 hours, a small electric motor mixes
the compost, which breaks into clumps, compacts the waste and improves the air flow.
The computer controller determines the frequency and duration of mixing. The internal
reactor chamber maintains a true “hot composting” temperature of 140 F (60C) for
several days. The heat neutralizes pathogens such a e.coli and prevents seed
germination. It exceeds US EPA PART 503 guidelines for compost safety. It is
believed to be the only compost machine, tumbler, or other home use device which
complies with the EPA rules. The cure tray is no more than 100 degrees F (38C) about
body temperature when you empty it.

The unit runs on either 110 or220 volts, plugs into a standard wall outlet, and it UL
and CE compliant. It draws about 5 kwh per month, which costs approximately $0.50
a month. About as much energy as a night light. In comparison to what the diesel
truck uses hauling the same amount of waster to a landfill —- PLEASE!