1. Solar thermal power plants are a lot like conventional power plants - with one major difference
Solar thermal power plants, often also called Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) plants, produce electricity in much the same way as conventional power stations. The difference is that they obtain their energy input through concentrated solar radiation, rather than fossil fuels, and then convert it to high-temperature steam or gas to drive a turbine or motor engine. This difference means that no pollutants are emitted in producing the electricity.
2. A solar thermal power plant built on about 1% of the surface of the Sahara Desert would be sufficient to satisfy the entire world's electricity demand.
Solar energy arrives on the earth at a maximum power density of about 1 kilowatt per square meter. However, solar "productivity" is limited by certain geographical factors, including cloud cover and atmospheric humidity. In sunny, arid locations, one square kilometer of land can generate as much as 100 gigawatt hours (GWh) of electricity per year using solar thermal technology, enough power for 50,000 households..
3. Solar thermal power plants reduce air pollution: The solar energy falling on an area the size of a basketball court is equivalent to 650 barrels of oil a year
…or, in other words, each square meter of CSP concentrator surface is enough to reduce annual consumption of 200 to 300 kilograms (kg) of carbon dioxide. In addition, the "energy payback" time of CSP systems, taking into account the energy expended in their manufacture, is about five months, which compares well with their useful life of approximately 30 to 40 years. Most of the CSP solar field materials can be recycled.
4. Solar thermal power is reliable and available when needed most - during peak demand hours
In most developed countries, the peak demand period - during the hottest part of the day, when air conditioners are running in the office and home - coincides with the period of time when the solar thermal power plant is at peak production. In addition, solar thermal power, as predictable and reliable as the sun shining in the desert, is a renewable alternative to natural gas "peakers", as opposed to other forms of renewable energy, which are either baseload or intermittent.
5. Solar thermal power plants can be built (relatively) quickly
Solar power plants can generally be built in their entirety within a few years and can follow demand more closely than most conventional power projects. This is primarily because solar plants are built almost entirely with modular, commodity materials and thus have short development and construction times. In contrast, many types of conventional power projects, especially coal and nuclear plants, require long lead times, and this causes significant disparities between the demand and the supply.
6. Solar thermal power plants are big - but relative to other types of power plants - they're space efficient
CSP plants seem to use a lot of land, but when looking at electricity output versus total size, they use less land than hydroelectric dams (including the size of the lake behind the dam) or coal plants (including the amount of land required for mining and excavation of the coal). While all power plants require land and have an environmental impact, the best locations for solar power plants are on land, such as deserts, for which there might be few other uses.
7. Solar thermal power can be used with energy storage systems or combined with other energy sources to provide all day power
CSP plants can be designed for solar-only or for hybrid operation, as in California where gas-fired boilers provide steam to back-up solar-generated steam. Thermal energy storage systems, including molten salt, can extend the operational time of solar thermal power plants, sometimes with six to 12 hours of storage. In addition, solar thermal power can complement other renewable energy sources, such as wind, which are available during off-peak hours.
8. Solar thermal power plants create permanent jobs and are good for the local economy
There are two main reasons why solar thermal power plants offer an economic advantage: (1) they are labor intensive, so they generally create more jobs per dollar invested than conventional electricity generation technologies, and (2) they use primarily indigenous resources, such that most of the energy dollars can be kept at home. Most importantly, there is no need to import the energy source (i.e., sunshine) and spend local funds outside of the region.
9. Solar thermal plants produce electricity whose current and future costs are known with certainty
Electricity produced from solar thermal power plants is a fixed-cost generation resource, generally sold through long term (20 or 30 year) power purchase agreements in which the cost to the consumer is known in advance. Additionally, a diversified portfolio of energy sources, including solar thermal, decreases consumers' exposure to market fluctuations, including the volatile cost of natural gas (which solar thermal typically replaces in the portfolio). The reduced demand for natural gas itself will lead to lower prices.
10. Solar thermal power can be cheaper than power from fossil fuels when all cost externalities are considered (and even when they're not)
While many of the costs of fossil fuels are well known, others (pollution related health problems, environmental degradation, the impact on national security from relying on foreign energy sources) are indirect and difficult to calculate. These are traditionally external to the pricing system, and are thus often referred to as externalities. According to the Stern Review, published in October 2006 by H.M. Treasury, global warming is the result of colossal market failure, i.e., failure to price fossil fuel's externalities correctly. A corrective pricing mechanism, such as a carbon tax, could lead to renewable energy, such as solar thermal energy, becoming cheaper to the consumer than fossil fuel based energy.
Even without pricing cost externalities, the cost of solar thermal power is going down. Currently, the cost of solar thermal produced energy can be close to 12 cents (US) per k/Wh. However, many economists and investors predict that this price will continuously drop over the next ten years with increased installed capacity, to 6 cents per kW/h, as a result of technological improvements, economies of scale and volume production.
[source: http://www.solel.com/faq/]
Sunday, December 30, 2007
Ten facts about solar thermal power
HP invests in wind and solar technology
In an effort to reduce its carbon footprint globally, Hewlett-Packard is investing in wind and solar energy in the US and Ireland.
Hewlett-Packard signed a contract with SunPower to install 5,000 solar-power panels in its San Diego facility. The installations will cover 10% of the energy used by the facility and save HP $750,000 in power costs over 15 years, the company said in a news release. It also signed an agreement to buy wind energy from Airtricity, which has wind farms in the US and Europe. Airtricity will provide wind energy to HP’s Ireland facilities in 2008, an effort that will save the company $40,000 for fiscal 2008. The investment will reduce HP’s carbon-dioxide emissions by 40,000 tons, and make 90% of HP’s energy use in Ireland renewable, the company said.
Advanced Micro Devices already has a facility in Texas powered completely by renewable energy. In the face of increased power demand by hardware and data centers, many companies are focused on reducing power consumption and going green, Christopher Mines, analyst at Forrester Research, wrote in a May report. System builders like HP, IBM and Dell are pouring significant resources into building recyclable IT devices and energy-efficient manufacturing operations, according to Mines.
Companies are also developing calculators, benchmarks and techniques for customers to measure and reduce power consumption, Mines wrote. IBM recently announced the Systems Director Active Energy Manager, an energy management package that monitors power consumption, and makes adjustments in systems to improve energy efficiency and reduce power consumption costs. Last month, it announced a mainframe energy gauge to measure typical energy consumption data by its System z9 mainframe.
[source: http://www.bbj.hu/]
Subaru R1e electric vehicle ready for sale early
Thursday, December 27, 2007
Kyoto: 10 years later and we're still at square one
By Bill McKibben
I remember so well the final morning hours of the Kyoto conference. The negotiations had gone on long past their scheduled evening close, and the convention-center management was frantic -- a trade show for children's clothing was about to begin, and every corner of the vast hall still was littered with the carcasses of the sleeping diplomats who had gathered in Japan to draw up a first-ever global treaty to curb greenhouse-gas emissions. But when word finally came that an agreement had been reached, people roused themselves with real enthusiasm -- lots of backslapping and hugs.
A long decade after the first powerful warnings had sounded, it seemed that humans were finally rising to the greatest challenge we'd ever faced.
The only long face in the hall belonged to William O'Keefe, chairman of the Global Climate Coalition, otherwise known as the American coal, oil and car lobby. He'd spent the week coordinating the resistance -- working with Arab delegates and Russian industrialists to sabotage the emerging plan. And he'd failed. "It's in free fall now," he said, stricken. But then he straightened his shoulders and said, "I can't wait to get back to Washington where we can get things under control.
"I thought he was whistling past the graveyard. In fact, he knew far better than the rest of us what the future would hold. He knew it would be at least another decade before anything changed.
Ten years warmer
The important physical-world reality to know about the 10 years after Kyoto is that they included the warmest years on record.
All of the warmest years on record.In that span of time, we've come to understand that not only is the globe warming, but also that we'd dramatically underestimated the speed and the size of that warming. By now, the data from the planet outstrips the scientific prediction on an almost daily basis. Earlier this fall, for instance, the melt of Arctic sea ice beat the old record. Beat it in mid-August, and then the ice kept melting for six more weeks, losing an area the size of California every week. "Arctic Melt Unnerves the Experts," the headline in The New York Times reported. And they were shaken by rapid changes in tundra-permafrost systems, not to mention rain-forest systems, temperate-soil carbon-sequestration systems, oceanic-acidity systems.
We've gone from a problem for our children to a problem for right about now, as evidenced by, oh, Hurricane Katrina, California wildfires, epic droughts in the Southeast and Southwest. And that's just the continental United States. Go to Australia sometime: It's gotten so dry there that native Aussie Rupert Murdoch recently announced that his News Corp. empire was going carbon neutral.
The important political-world reality to know about the 10 years after Kyoto is that we haven't done anything.
Oh, we've passed all kinds of interesting state and local laws, wonderful experiments that have begun to show just how much progress is possible. But in Washington, D.C., nothing. No laws at all. Until last year, when the GOP surrendered control of Congress, even the hearings were a joke, with "witnesses" like novelist/skeptic Michael Crichton.
And as a result, our emissions have continued to increase. Worse, we've made not the slightest attempt to shift China and India away from using their coal. Instead of an all-out effort to provide the resources so they could go renewable, we've stood quietly by and watched from the sidelines as their energy trajectories shot out of control: The Chinese now are opening a new coal-fired plant every week. History will regard even the horror in Iraq as one more predictable folly next to this novel burst of irresponsibility.
A hint of a movement
If you're looking for good news, there is some.
For one thing, we understand the technologies and the changes in habit that can help. The last 10 years have seen the advent of hybrid cars and the widespread use of compact fluorescent light bulbs. Wind power has been the fastest-growing source of electric generation throughout the period. Japan and then Germany have pioneered with great success the subsidy scheme required to put millions of solar panels up on rooftops.
Even more important, a real movement has begun to emerge in this country. It began with Katrina, which opened eyes. Al Gore gave those eyes something to look at: His movie made millions realize just what a pickle we were in. Many of those, in turn, became political activists. Earlier this year, six college students and I launched stepitup07.org, which has organized almost 2,000 demonstrations in all 50 states. Last month, the student climate movement drew 7,000 hardworking kids from campuses all over the country for a huge conference. We've launched a new grassroots coalition, 1sky.org, that will push both Congress and the big Washington environmental groups.
All this work has tilted public opinion -- new polls actually show energy and climate change high on the list of issues that voters care about, which in turn has made the candidates take notice. All the Democrats are saying more or less the right things, though none of them, save John Edwards, is saying them with much volume.
The race of all time
Now it's a numbers game. Can we turn that political energy into change fast enough to matter? On the domestic front, the numbers look like this: We've got to commit to reductions in carbon emissions of 80 percent by 2050, and we've got to get those cuts underway fast -- 10 percent in just the next few years. Markets will help -- if we send them the information that carbon carries a cost. Only government can do that.
Two more numbers we're pushing for: zero, which is how many new coal-fired power plants we can afford to open in America, and 5 million, which is how many green jobs Congress needs to provide for the country's low-skilled workers. All that insulation isn't going to stuff itself inside our walls, and those solar panels won't crawl up on the roofs by themselves. You can't send the work to China, and you can't do it with a mouse: This is the last big chance to build an economy that works for most of us.
Internationally, the task is even steeper. The Kyoto Accord, which we ignored, expires in a couple of years. Negotiations began this month in Bali to strike a new deal, and it's likely to be the last bite at the apple we'll get -- miss this chance and the climate likely spirals out of control. We have a number here, too: 450, as in parts-per-million carbon dioxide. It's the absolute upper limit on what we can pour into the atmosphere, and it will take a heroic effort to keep from exceeding it. This is a big change -- even 10 years ago, we thought the safe level might be 550. But the data is so clear: The Earth is far more finely balanced than we thought, and our peril much greater. Our foremost climate scientist, NASA's James Hansen, testified under oath in a courtroom last year that if we didn't stop short of that 450 red line, we could see the sea level rise 20 feet before the century was out. That's civilization-challenging. That's a carbon summer to match any nuclear winter that anyone ever dreamed about.
It's a test, a kind of final exam for our political, economic and spiritual systems. And it's a fair test, nothing vague or fuzzy about it. Chemistry and physics don't bargain. They don't compromise. They don't meet us halfway. We'll do it or we won't. And 10 years from now, we'll know which path we chose.
url: http://www.athensnews.com/issue/article.php3?story_id=30198
2007: Top 10 space stories
Seething activity on the Sun, Martian caves and bizarre black holes were among the most clicked-on subjects of the year.
1. Dazzling new images reveal the 'impossible' on the Sun
Japan's Hinode telescope revealed the restless frothing of the Sun's surface in astonishing detail.
2. Strange Martian feature not a 'bottomless' cave after all
An extremely dark feature on Mars was found to be just a pit – not the entrance to a deep cavern that future astronauts could call home.
3. Could black holes be portals to other universes?
A study suggested that the objects thought to be black holes could instead be wormholes leading to exotic cosmic locales.
4. Mars probe may have spotted lost rover
In 1997, NASA lost contact with its Pathfinder lander and tiny Sojourner rover, but a decade later, the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter's eagle eyes spied them both.
5. Satellites solve mystery of low gravity over Canada
A satellite pair called GRACE answered a weighty question: why does Canada have such low gravity?
6. Do black holes really exist?
A controversial study suggested that matter may never collapse completely into a black hole, an idea that would solve a troubling quantum paradox.
7. Satellite snaps first images of mysterious glowing clouds
NASA's new AIM satellite took its first data on silvery blue 'noctilucent' clouds, which may be linked to global warming.
8. Strange alien world made of 'hot ice'
The smallest planet known to pass in front of its host star was found. Intriguingly, it may be made of exotic hot ice and shrouded in steam.
9. Satellite could see shadow of extra dimensions
Researchers calculated that if our 3D universe is floating in a higher dimensional space, the shape of those extra dimensions might be detectable by Europe's Planck satellite, set to launch in 2008.
10. Atom smasher may give birth to 'Black Saturns'
Physicists said tiny, ringed black holes resembling Saturn might be produced at the Large Hadron Collider, set to open in 2008.
source:http://space.newscientist.com/article/dn13118-2007-top-10-space-stories.html
Google Googles Green... Sometimes
Google is a leader in the IT industry, and garners the respect of millions of people around the globe for everything from its search platform to Google Earth. And like many companies recently, Google poses itself as a leader in its environmental practices as well. Does Google live up to its image and its purported environmental friendliness? Although Google has implemented some policies that go far in helping Mother Earth, the company does seem to have a split personality when it comes to being a role model for other industry leaders.
The Good
Google has a few high profile initiatives that are setting the bar high for environmental practices. Google offers its full-time staffers subsidies to purchase high-efficiency personal vehicles that achieve 45 miles per gallon or better. Google also offers its employees incentives for ridesharing, as well as a fleet of biodiesel shuttles that pick up Googlers at stops throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. In addition to the free transit to and from work, Google offers a car-sharing program that allows those employees that did not bring their own car to work the use of a car for errands during the day.
RechargeIT.org is the initiative under Google.org (Google's philanthropic foundation) that is overseeing Google's hybrid and experimental plug-in hybrid program. The foundation also just announced that it is seeking to invest a total of $10 million in non-profit groups that are working on hybrid technology.
Google has also recently installed what may be the largest corporate solar panel installation in the US. The new panels at the Mountain View campus will generate 1.6 megawatts of electricity to offset the campus' consumption. Google is also working on reducing the energy that it uses by tweaking every computer's energy management software to save the 50 to 60 percent of electricity that an idle computer wastes.
Furthermore, Google is working with Intel on a "Climate Savers Computing Initiative" to reduce energy consumption industry-wide, and Google has announced that it will be joining the Green Grid, another industry initiative to improve energy efficiency. Google is also building new server centers at locations where renewable energy is available. For example, a new center in The Dalles in Oregon will be close to a hydroelectric dam, and will also use water from the Columbia River to cool the server rooms, that will in turn reduce the need for air conditioning.Google announced this summer that in addition to reduced energy consumption and increased efficiency, Google will strive to become carbon neutral by the end of 2007. Whatever carbon emissions remain after energy efficiency measures are implemented will be taken care of by purchasing carbon offsets.
The Bad
The biggest issue with Google's environmental practices is that no matter how much the company claims to reduce its energy consumption, Google refuses to divulge how much energy the company uses, claiming it's a competitive business and that knowledge of its energy usage becoming public could be damaging. Essentially that means that we have to take Google at its word rather than have some numbers to evaluate and compare. With no clearly defined reductions, Google's pledge to become carbon neutral seems hollow and ambiguous. Furthermore, Google claims to be advocating for public policies to encourage green technology, but this move is also not backed up by any specific instances.Also, it is hard to take a company's environmental policies seriously when the top Google executives purchase a Boeing 767 and have it refurbished as a "party plane." A normal 767 can accommodate 180 passengers, but the Google Jet's new format can carry only 50 passengers, and instead has several suites in which the co-founders and the CEO have bedrooms with king-sized beds. Google has no formal relationship with the plane as it is owned through a third-party. The New York Times reported that the Google brass have recently purchased an additional 757.In addition to environmental issues, Google is also facing scrutiny over its labor practices in China, as well as censorship in China. Last year, Google agreed to filter searches that used words like democracy or Tibet, and Reporters Without Borders found that pro-Beijing sites would be offered if such a search were conducted. And yet, Google had no safeguards for distributing child pornography in Brazil last year, and faces possible criminal investigation for not revealing the source of the material. Google claims that it has no control over its social networking site, Orkut, which is where the pornography was found.
The Google
Google has some good ideas when it comes to reducing its carbon footprint, but most of those ideas are still just that -- ideas with no clearly defined goals. If Google wants to show that it is serious about reducing its energy consumption, it would be in its best interest to publicly state by how much Google will indeed reduce the amount of electricity it currently uses.
Also, though it's admirable that Google is using hydroelectric power from an Oregon dam, dams are usually destructive to the environment in their own way and using the river to cool server rooms will in turn heat the water that will be released back into the environment. In addition, Google does not delineate how other server centers to be built in North and South Carolina, Iowa and Oklahoma will be using renewable energy.
Furthermore, biodiesel has its own downside; fossil fuels are used in current farming practices and the carbon released usually outweighs the carbon saved. Producing crops for making biofuels requires the use of more and more green space. This pushes up the price of other crops. And no offense, Google, but carbon offsets are the easy way out for a company that has already made over $3 billion this year.
So though it may seem that Google is taking the lead in the race to become the IT company with the best environmental record, looking at the fine print shows that Google is putting more effort into its claims and public relations machine than into its actions.
Source: http://english.ohmynews.com/articleview/article_view.asp?at_code=432916&no=381278&rel_no=1
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
Can 'rectennas' provide energy from space?
BALI, Indonesia -- While great nations fretted over coal, oil and global warming, one of the smallest at the U.N. climate conference was looking toward the heavens for its energy.
The annual meeting's corridors can be a sounding board for unlikely "solutions" to climate change -- from filling the skies with soot to block the sun, to cultivating oceans of seaweed to absorb the atmosphere's heat-trapping carbon dioxide.
Unlike other ideas, however, one this year had an influential backer, the Pentagon, which is investigating whether space-based solar power -- beaming energy down from satellites -- will provide "affordable, clean, safe, reliable, sustainable and expandable energy for mankind."
Tommy Remengesau Jr. is interested, too. "We'd like to look at it," said the president of the tiny western Pacific nation of Palau.
The Defense Department this October quietly issued a 75-page study conducted for its National Security Space Office concluding that space power -- collection of energy by vast arrays of solar panels aboard mammoth satellites -- offers a potential energy source for global U.S. military operations.
It could be done with today's technology, experts say. But the prohibitive cost of lifting thousands of tons of equipment into space makes it uneconomical.
That's where Palau, a scattering of islands and 20,000 islanders, comes in.
In September, American entrepreneur Kevin Reed proposed at the 58th International Astronautical Congress in Hyderabad, India, that Palau's uninhabited Helen Island would be an ideal spot for a small demonstration project, a 260-foot-diameter "rectifying antenna," or rectenna, to take in 1 megawatt of power transmitted earthward by a satellite orbiting 300 miles above Earth.
That's enough electricity to power 1,000 homes, but on that empty island the project would "be intended to show its safety for everywhere else," Reed said in a telephone interview from California.
Reed said he expects his U.S.-Swiss-German consortium to begin manufacturing the necessary ultralight solar panels within two years, and to attract financial support from manufacturers wanting to show how their technology -- launch vehicles, satellites, transmission technology -- could make such a system work. He estimates project costs at $800 million and completion as early as 2012.
At the U.N. climate conference here this month, a Reed partner discussed the idea with the Palauans, who Reed said could benefit from beamed-down energy if the project is expanded to populated areas.
"We are keen on alternative energy," Palau's Remengesau said. "And if this is something that can benefit Palau, I'm sure we'd like to look at it."
Space power has been explored since the 1960s by NASA and the Japanese and European space agencies, based on the fundamental fact that solar energy is eight times more powerful in outer space than it is after passing through Earth's atmosphere.
The energy captured by space-based photovoltaic arrays would be converted into microwaves for transmission to Earth, where it would be transformed into direct-current electricity.
Low-orbiting satellites, as proposed for Palau, would pass over once every 90 minutes or so, transmitting power to a rectenna for perhaps five minutes, requiring long-term battery storage or immediate use -- for example, in recharging electric automobiles via built-in rectennas.
Most studies have focused instead on geostationary satellites, those whose orbit 22,300 miles above the Earth keeps them over a single location, to which they would transmit a continuous flow of power.
The scale of that vision is enormous: One NASA study visualized solar-panel arrays 3 by 6 miles in size, transmitting power to similarly sized rectennas on Earth.
Each such mega-orbiter might produce 5 gigawatts of power, more than twice the output of a Hoover Dam.
But how safe would those beams be?
Patrick Collins of Japan's Azabu University, who participated in Japanese government studies of space power, said a lower-power beam, because of its breadth, might be no more powerful than the energy emanating from a microwave oven's door. The beams from giant satellites would likely require precautionary no-go zones for aircraft and people on the ground, he said.
Rising oil costs and fears of global warming will lead more people to look seriously at space power, boosters believe.
"The climate change implications are pretty clear. You can get basically unlimited carbon-free power from this," said Mark Hopkins, senior vice president of the National Space Society in Washington.
"You just have to find a way to make it cost-effective."
Advocates say the U.S. and other governments must invest in developing lower-cost space-launch vehicles. "It is imperative that this work for `drilling up' vs. drilling down for energy security begins immediately," concludes October's Pentagon report.
Some seem to hear the call. The European Space Agency has scheduled a conference on space-based solar power for next Feb. 29. Space Island Group, another entrepreneurial U.S. endeavor, reports "very positive" discussions with a European utility and the Indian government about buying future power from satellite systems.
To Robert N. Schock, an expert on future energy with the U.N.'s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, space power doesn't look like science fiction.
The panel's 2007 reports didn't address space power's potential, Schock explained, because his team's time horizon didn't extend beyond 2030. But, he said, "I wouldn't be surprised at the beginning of the next century to see significant power utilized on Earth from space -- and maybe sooner."
The Associated Press
source:www.ctv.ca
Tuesday, December 25, 2007
Tallest wind turbine planned
Plans for a wind farm which includes the country's tallest turbine will be given the go-ahead in the New Year, it has been reported.
Councillors in Northumberland look set to give the green light to the seafront development at Blyth Harbour for seven huge turbines, with the largest one measuring 163 metres from base to tip - three times the height of Nelson's Column.
The development would replace the nine existing turbines which stand just 45 metres high and have been operating since 1993, but whose technology has become outdated.
The new, bigger turbines, most of which will stand 125 metres tall, will take the place of the existing windmills which are situated on a pier stretching into the North Sea.
The biggest would be placed near the village of Cambois - to the anger of some local residents.
The wind turbine plans were submitted to Wansbeck Council in July, and according to the Journal newspaper, planning officials are recommending councillors give their approval at a meeting next week.
Forecasts state the development will produce enough power for 11,600 homes, and will cover around 10% of Northumberland's renewable energy target.
source:http://ukpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5hkHcxnGF7yGwoclIfOf7GXx2gxpg
Nanosolar Update - First Panels Now Shipping for 90c/Watt
You may well have read a recent post we did on the breakthrough Nanosolar technology (a lot of people did!). Well, here’s a brief update. The Nanosolar blog has just made a rather special announcement:
After five years of product development – including aggressively pipelined science, research and development, manufacturing process development, product testing, manufacturing engineering and tool development, and factory construction – we now have shipped first product and received our first check of product revenue.
… Today we are announcing that we have begun shipping panels for freefield deployment in Eastern Germany and that the first Megawatt of our panels will go into a power plant installation there.
As far as the first three of our commercial panels are concerned:
Panel #1 will remain at Nanosolar for exhibit.
Panel #2 can be purchased by you in an auction on eBay starting today.
Panel #3 has been donated to the Tech Museum in San Jose. - Nanosolar
Trivia: When I first spotted this news a few days ago, the collectable second panel had attracted bids over $10,500. I checked again just now, to discover it had disappeared from Ebay. Nanosolar explains.
Auctioning aside, Nanosolar are selling their ultra-thin film solar panels for a mere 90 cents p/watt. Their production costs, said to be 30 cents p/watt, make this a very profitable enterprise, and one that begins to really compete with traditional dirty fossil fuel energy options:
Cost has always been the burdening factor weighing down the mass application of solar technology at nearly $3 per watt. In order to compete with the energy produced from coal solar has been in need of finding a way to shrink its costs down to $1 per watt. Nanosolar’s cells use absolutely no silicon as is the standard for current solar production and the efficiency of the PowerSheet cells are competitive with the traditional systems as well. The golden kicker, the cost to produce these solar coatings is a mere 30 cents per watt!! - ENN
There will be enormous demand, so don’t expect this price to come down much further in the short term. But, if Nanosolar can get these out the door for 90c p/watt, despite an oil-industry biased and uncooperative federal government, imagine where we could be if these guys were actually supported. If we can scale production of this system up, then covering our buildings and vehicles with a solar surface starts to become enonomically viable. Imagine turning our homes into energy generators rather than energy vacuums.
When we ran our last post on this, I tried to locate details for the sunlight-to-energy conversion efficiency. The best I could find were speculations and/or dated statements from a few years ago that pegged Nanosolar anywhere between 10-19% efficiency. The Nanosolar site is short on specifics - they are notoriously tight-lipped about the efficiency rating - but they state their panels have:
… the world’s highest-current thin-film solar panel – delivering five times the current of any other thin-film panel on the market today and thus simplifying system deployment… - Nanosolar
Wikipedia has an updated snippet that adds to the mystery:
The company uses Copper Indium Gallium Diselenide—which can achieve up to 19.5% efficiency—to build their thin film solar cells. - Wikipedia
Just because the material can achieve 19.5% efficiency, doesn’t necessarily mean that they are in practice. A little digging and I found a PDF in German (as, you’ll remember, Nanosolar’s first shipment of panels went to a power plant installation in Eastern Germany). My German is a bit rusty (actually, it’s totally corroded), but the document indicates they have an efficiency rating of 13.95%. This is pretty standard - but where the gains are made are in the ultra-thin construction and its ability to be printed like paper, fast and cheap. I’m no solar guru - so look forward to some of our readers sharing more info on this.
If you’re interested in who else is trying to drive down the clean energy road via solar thin film — check out this great list from Earth2Tech.
Source:http://www.celsias.com/2007/12/23/nanosolar-update-first-panels-now-shipping/
Sunday, December 23, 2007
Historic time: Solar panel offered for sale on eBay
To commemorate the sale of its first product, Nanosolar said it would keep one solar panel for historical purposes, donate a second to the Tech Museum of Innovation in San Jose and auction a third on eBay.
As of Friday afternoon, $13,100 was the highest bid of 95 offers so far for "Nanosolar Utility Panel #2." The bidding started at 99 cents on Dec. 17. The sale ends Thursday. Proceeds will be donated to an unnamed charity.
The product description said the winning bidder must sign an agreement forbidding "any reverse engineering of the solar panel or its components," and says the panel will be held in escrow until June 1, 2009.
Because this is the first time it has been on eBay, Nanosolar has a zero feedback score right now.
- Matt Nauman, Mercury News
Source: http://www.mercurynews.com/greenenergy/ci_7786517
Introducing the Solar Tree
by Jane Burgermeister, European Correspondent
The streets of Europe could soon be lit by solar energy due to the fact that a solar tree prototype recently passed a key test phase.
The solar trees went on display for four weeks in October on a busy street — the Ringstrasse — in Vienna, Austria. They were able to provide enough light during the night-time even when the sun did not show for as much as four days in a row.
"The solar cells on the tree were able to store enough electricity in spite of receiving no direct solar light for days at a time because of the clouds. They showed that solar trees really are a practical form of street lighting," Christina Werner from Cultural Project Management (Kulturelles Projektmanagement, Vienna) told RenewableEnergyAccess.com.
She said that the City of Vienna was now in the process of deciding whether to install more solar trees.
"We hope that not only the city of Vienna but other cities will see the merits of using renewable energy for street lighting to cut emissions," Christina Werner said. "Someday soon solar trees could well be the main form of street lighting in Europe."
Putting solar powered LED light systems on trees would cut down on the carbon emissions and also slash the bills of local authorities, she said.
Street lighting consumed 10 percent of all the electricity used in Europe in 2006 or 2,000 billion KWh, and resulted in carbon emissions of 2,900 million ton.
The use of more energy-efficient lighting in the Austrian city of Graz, with a population of almost 300,000 saved the city 524,000 KWh of electricity and 67,200 euros [US $96,800] in 2005.
"Not just trees but other objects could be decorated with solar cells and so keep streets well lit at night time," she said.
The branches of the solar tree were decorated with 10 solar lamps, each one comprising 36 solar cells; they also had rechargeable batteries and electronic systems.
A sensor was used to measure the amount of light in the atmosphere and trigger the solar lamps to go on automatically at sunset and off at sunrise.
The tree's lights went on for the first time in Vienna on October 8, 2007 at 11:00 pm. They are now on display outside the La Scala opera house in Milan.
The tree was designed by Ross Lovegrove, a British designer, who said that they are not only efficient but also attractive and bring "nature into a gray city environment".
An Italian company specializing in designer lighting systems, Artemide, as well as the world's largest producer of photovoltaic (PV) cells, the German company Sharp Solar, joined forces to turn the design into reality.
The idea came from Peter Noever, the Director of the Austrian Museum for Applied Arts in Vienna (Österreichisches Museum fuer angewandte Kunst).
Sharp solar had a production volume of 434 megawatts in 2006 and a world market share of 17 percent. It produces PV cells in a factory in Katsuragi, Japan.
Most of Sharp's modules are used for solar energy systems on roofs, but the company believes that solar cells could soon be used in all areas of everyday life from clothes to satellites - including Christmas trees.
"Jane Burgermeister is a RenewableEnergyAccess.com European Correspondent based in Vienna, Austria."
"source:http://www.renewableenergyaccess.com/rea/news/story;jsessionid=8592B297C0164E90CF06ABC2C064823D?id=50934"
At $1 per Watt, the iTunes of Solar Energy Has Arrived
“A Silicon Valley start-up called Nanosolar shipped its first solar panels — priced at $1 a watt. That’s the price at which solar energy gets cheaper than coal. Curious that this story is not on every front page.
Still, to commemorate the achievement, Nanosolar CEO Martin Roscheisen (pictured) is reserving the first three commercially-viable panels. One is staying on display at company HQ; one has been donated to San Jose’s Tech Museum of Innovation. And the other is on sale at ebay.
Starting price? 99 cents.”
(via SolveClimate)
Climate and Atmosphere: Country Profiles
Choose from the list below to view the country's 'Climate and Atmosphere' profile.
Afghanistan
Albania
Algeria
Angola
Antigua and Barbuda
Argentina
Armenia
Aruba
Australia
Austria
Azerbaijan
Bahamas
Bahrain
Bangladesh
Barbados
Belarus
Belgium
Belize
Benin
Bermuda
Bhutan
Bolivia
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Botswana
Brazil
Brunei Darussalam
Bulgaria
Burkina Faso
Burundi
Cambodia
Cameroon
Canada
Cape Verde
Côte d'Ivoire
Central African Rep
Chad
Chile
China
Colombia
Comoros
Congo
Congo, Dem Rep
Costa Rica
Croatia
Cuba
Cyprus
Czech Rep
Denmark
Djibouti
Dominica
Dominican Rep
Ecuador
Egypt
El Salvador
Equatorial Guinea
Eritrea
Estonia
Ethiopia
Fiji
Finland
France
French Guiana
French Polynesia
Gabon
Gambia
Georgia
Germany
Ghana
Greece
Grenada
Guadeloupe
Guatemala
Guinea
Guinea-Bissau
Guyana
Haiti
Honduras
Hong Kong
Hungary
Iceland
India
Indonesia
Iran, Islamic Rep
Iraq
Ireland
Israel
Italy
Jamaica
Japan
Jordan
Kazakhstan
Kenya
Kiribati
Korea, Dem People's Rep
Korea, Rep
Kuwait
Kyrgyzstan
Lao People's Dem Rep
Latvia
Lebanon
Lesotho
Liberia
Libyan Arab Jamahiriya
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Macau
Macedonia, FYR
Madagascar
Malawi
Malaysia
Maldives
Mali
Malta
Marshall Islands
Martinique
Mauritania
Mauritius
Mexico
Micronesia, Fed States
Moldova, Rep
Mongolia
Morocco
Mozambique
Myanmar
Namibia
Nepal
Netherlands
Netherlands Antilles
New Caledonia
New Zealand
Nicaragua
Niger
Nigeria
Norway
Oman
Pakistan
Panama
Papua New Guinea
Paraguay
Peru
Philippines
Poland
Portugal
Puerto Rico
Qatar
Réunion
Romania
Russian Federation
Rwanda
Samoa
Sao Tome & Principe
Saudi Arabia
Senegal
Serbia and Montenegro
Seychelles
Sierra Leone
Singapore
Slovakia
Slovenia
Solomon Islands
Somalia
South Africa
Spain
Sri Lanka
St. Lucia
St. Vincent & Grenadines
Sudan
Suriname
Swaziland
Sweden
Switzerland
Syrian Arab Rep
Taiwan
Tajikistan
Tanzania
Thailand
Togo
Tonga
Trinidad and Tobago
Tunisia
Turkey
Turkmenistan
Uganda
Ukraine
United Arab Emirates
United Kingdom
United States
Uruguay
Uzbekistan
Vanuatu
Venezuela
Viet Nam
Virgin Islands
Yemen
Zambia
Zimbabwe
source: http://earthtrends.wri.org/
Saturday, December 22, 2007
How Hydropower Works
Hydropower plants capture the energy of falling water to generate electricity. A turbine converts the kinetic energy of falling water into mechanical energy. Then a generator converts the mechanical energy from the turbine into electrical energy.
Hydroplants range in size from "micro-hydros" that power only a few homes to giant dams like Hoover Dam that provide electricity for millions of people.
source:http://www.wvic.com/hydro-works.htm
Solar Power Plants
Solar thermal energy is a technology for harnessing solar energy for heat. This article is devoted primarily to solar thermal electric power plants; that is, power plants that generate electricity by converting solar energy to heat, to drive a thermal power plant. This is very different from solar photovoltaics, which convert solar energy directly into electricity.
Other thermal energy (with no further discussion here), are Solar thermal collectors, such as solar hot water panels. They are commonly used to generate solar hot water for domestic and light industrial applications. They can be integrated in architecture and building design to control heating and ventilation in both active solar and passive solar designs.
Source http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_power_plants
China Shortens Report on Pollution Deaths
The Financial Times is reporting that the Chinese government edited down a World Bank study detailing the effects of pollution on the health of its people. The reasoning was that it could promote social unrest. Basically, they thought it might make some folks a little angry to learn why 750,000 people are dying prematurely each year. Gee, you think so?
According to the research group, as many as 400,000 people die annually from air pollution in cities, and 300,000 pass away from breathing bad air indoors. A draft version of the report is available here.—Gregory Mone
site:http://popsci.typepad.com/popsci/2007/07/china-shortens-.html
An Open Source Wind Generator
Wind power is abundant, clean, inexpensive and easy to do. It is our belief that anyone can be in control of where his or her electricity comes from. There is nothing more rewarding and empowering than making a wind powered generator from scrap materials. Most of the tools and materials in this manual can be found in your local hardware shop or junk pile. We highly recommend you search your local dump and/or junkyards for the materials required. If you live in a city, do a search on freecycle.org for salvaged parts.
http://www.instructables.com/id/Chispito-Wind-Generator/
http://www.velacreations.com/chispito.html
Fifty Ways to Help Save the Planet
The problem is so vast and the urgency so great that advice which suggests you turn off the tap while brushing your teeth or switch off lights and standbys when they are not needed or go vegetarian for one day a week seems, well, ridiculous. Global warming is probably the greatest threat our species has ever faced. The sheer scale of the processes under way in the atmosphere and the oceans makes it hard not to view anything an individual does to reduce emissions as being too little too late. Not true. The astonishing fact is that each of us can have an immediate impact on the production of greenhouse gases, and if enough of us act together in these minor ways, the cumulative effect will be dramatic. That's because so much of the way we live our lives is wasteful and, to put it bluntly, thoughtless. It takes nothing to switch off a lamp, unplug the phone charger, take a shorter shower, cook without pre-heating the oven, skip the pre-wash part of the dishwasher cycle, or, often, walk or bike instead of drive. And they all save money, which is one of the rather striking things about reducing your carbon footprint—the standard way of measuring the CO2 emissions each person is responsible for.
Some of the suggestions that follow may involve a little more effort—recycling, ditching plastic bags, and fixing leaky faucets and toilets; others require you to spend money—insulating your home, installing solar panels, or buying a fuel-efficient car. Even with these, however, there is almost always an eventual payback in terms of reduced bills.
The overwhelming and heartening point about the ideas here is that, if adopted by large numbers of people, they will have an immeasurable effect. When it comes down to it, the continued rise in carbon emissions is a matter of individual conscience: each of us can and should do something, however small. In 5 or 10 years' time that thought, together with everything written here, should be second nature to us. Ladies and gentlemen, this little booklet is the future—a more ingenious, more satisfying, and less wasteful future. Welcome to it. —HENRY PORTER
1. LIGHTBULBS MATTER Switch from traditional incandescent lightbulbs to compact fluorescent lightbulbs (C.F.L.). If every American household replaced one regular lightbulb with a C.F.L., the pollution reduction would be equivalent to removing one million cars from the road. A 30-watt C.F.L. produces about as much light as an ordinary 100-watt bulb. Although the initial price is higher, C.F.L.'s can last 12 times as long. C.F.L.'s are available at most home-improvement stores and at bulbs.com.
2. DITCH PLASTIC BAGS Californians Against Waste (cawrecycles.org), a nonprofit environmental advocacy group, estimates that Americans use 84 billion plastic bags annually, a considerable contribution to the 500 billion to one trillion used worldwide. Made from polyethylene, plastic bags are not biodegradable and are making their way into our oceans and waterways. According to recent studies, the oceans are full of tiny fragments of plastic that are beginning to work their way up the food chain. Invest in stronger, re-usable bags, and avoid plastic bags whenever possible.
3. RINSE NO MORE According to Consumer Reports, pre-rinsing dishes does not necessarily improve a dishwasher's ability to clean them. By skipping the wash before the wash, you can save up to 20 gallons of water per dishload. At one load a day, that's 7,300 gallons over the course of the year. Not to mention that you're saving time, dishwashing soap, and the energy used to heat the additional water.
4. FORGET PRE-HEATING Ignore cookbooks! It is usually unnecessary to pre-heat your oven before cooking, except when baking bread or pastries. Just turn on the oven at the same time you put the dish in. During cooking, rather than opening the oven door to check on your food, just look at it through the oven window. Why? Opening the oven door results in a significant loss of energy.
5. A GLASS ACT Recycle glass (think beer bottles, jars, juice containers) either through curbside programs or at community drop-off centers. Glass takes more than one million years to decompose; Americans generate almost 13 million tons of glass waste a year. Glass produced from recycled glass reduces related air pollution by 20 percent and related water pollution by 50 percent. Go to earth911.org for local recycling information.
6. BANKING ON THE ENVIRONMENT Want to have a more energy-efficient home or office? Save green by being green. Purchase appliances and electronics with the Energy Star certification. Begun in 1992 by the E.P.A. to rate energy-efficient computers, the Energy Star program today includes more than 40 product categories, and it also rates homes and workplaces for energy efficiency. Energy Star estimates that, with its help, Americans saved enough energy in 2004 to power 24 million homes, amounting to savings of $10 billion. To learn more about Energy Star, visit energystar.gov.
7. HANG UP YOUR DRYER It goes without saying—clothes dryers are huge energy gluttons. Hints to reduce energy use: Clean the lint filter after each load (improves air circulation). Use the cool-down cycle (allows clothes to finish drying from the residual heat inside). Better yet, abandon your dryer and buy some drying racks, if you don't have a clothesline. Generally, clothes dry overnight.
8. GET A GOLD LAUNDRY STAR An Energy Star-qualified washing machine uses 50 percent less energy and could reduce your utility bills by $110 annually. Standard machines use about 40 gallons of water per wash; most Energy Star machines use only 18 to 25 gallons, thus also saving water. Whenever possible, wash your clothes in cold water using cold-water detergents (designed to remove soils at low temperatures). And do your laundry only when you have a full load. If you must do a small load, adjust the water level accordingly.
9. GREEN PAINT Most paint is made from petrochemicals, and its manufacturing process can create 10 times its own weight in toxic waste. It also releases volatile organic compounds (V.O.C.'s) that threaten public health. (V.O.C.'s are solvents that rapidly evaporate, allowing paint to dry quickly.) They cause photochemical reactions in the atmosphere, leading to ground-level smog that can cause eye and skin irritation, lung and breathing problems, headaches, nausea, and nervous-system and kidney damage. The best alternative? Natural paints. Manufactured using plant oils, natural paints pose far fewer health risks, are breathable, and in some cases are 100 percent biodegradable. Remember: Never throw your paint away. Check out Earth 911's "Paint Wise" section for re-use programs in your community; earth911.org.
10. BUILD GREEN Before embarking on any home remodeling, make sure your architect has green credentials. Although there is no national organization of green architects in the U.S., that doesn't mean you can't get an architect who will build along sustainable lines. Ask where he or she sources materials, and request that energy-saving devices, such as solar paneling, be installed. Visit directory.greenbuilder.com or environmentalhomecenter.com for more green-building information.
11. GET A GREEN ROOF A green roof is more than simply a roof with plants growing on it. It functions like a "breathing wall," consuming carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and emitting oxygen. Green roofs generally use low-maintenance, drought-resistant plants. Vegetation is planted or laid down as pre-vegetated mats on a thin layer of soil. More intensive green-roof systems may contain trees and larger plants, but these require deeper soil and are more expensive. One of the biggest benefits of a green roof is water management: it can absorb more than 50 percent of rainwater, thereby reducing runoff, a major source of pollution in our waterways. Plus, it can help reduce air-conditioning costs during the hot summer months. The vegetation looks after itself through the seasons and creates a habitat for insects, which, in turn, provide food for birds. Green roofs can also last more than twice as long as conventional rooftops. They look better too. For more information, visit greenroofs.com.
12. PLAY IT COOL Avoid placing your air conditioner next to a TV, lamp, or other electrical appliance that generates heat. A heat source will confuse the unit's thermostat, causing it to misread how hot the room is and make the air conditioner run longer than it should. You can also program an air conditioner to start running 30 minutes before you arrive home (as with heating). There is no need to cool a home if no one is in it.
13. FOOD MILES MATTER Food is traveling farther than ever. Once upon a time people ate seasonally—artichokes in the winter, cherries in June. Now you can buy most fruits and vegetables practically year-round. The average American meal contains ingredients produced in at least five other countries. The transportation of food and agricultural products constitutes more than 20 percent of total commodity transport within the U.S. To help reduce CO2 emissions (released from trucks, airplanes, and cargo ships), it's best to buy food that's in season, organic, and grown locally. Go to ams.usda.gov/farmersmarkets to find the farmers' market nearest you.
14. GO VEGETARIAN ONE DAY A WEEK To produce one pound of beef requires 2,500 gallons of water—that's 40 times more water than is used to produce a pound of potatoes. Before buying beef, think about the immense cost of energy used to raise cattle and to transport meat to your supermarket shelf. Besides all this, cows consume enormous amounts of antibiotics and are a prodigious source of methane, which is the number-two greenhouse gas; livestock are responsible for almost 20 percent of the methane in the atmosphere.
15. BUY EGGS IN CARDBOARD CARTONS Cardboard egg cartons are normally made from recycled paper, which biodegrades relatively quickly, and are also again recyclable—Styrofoam or plastic cartons take a much longer time to biodegrade and their manufacture produces harmful by-products.
16. DRINK SHADE-GROWN COFFEE Shade-grown coffee is for the birds, literally. According to coffeeresearch.org, about 150 species of birds live on shade-grown-coffee farms, while only 20 to 50 inhabit full-sun farms. With increased demand for cheap coffee, many Latin American growers have moved toward full-sun plantations, clearing the habitat of numerous native birds and increasing the use of pesticides and fertilizers. By drinking shade-grown coffee, you can help bird habitats and reduce the need for farming chemicals. Shade-grown coffee beans can be purchased at many grocery stores. Starbucks offers shade-grown coffee as well.
17. SAVE WATER INDOORS A typical American household uses 350 gallons of water each day. About half that—175 gallons—is used indoors (toilets consume about 30 percent of the indoor total). Unnecessary water usage comes in the form of leaks. Fixing leaky faucets and toilets is a quick and easy way to conserve water. A steady faucet drip can waste 20 gallons of water a day. Leaky toilets are even worse, wasting upward of 100 gallons a day. Since toilet leaks are generally silent, check for them regularly by removing the tank cover and adding food coloring. If the toilet is leaking (and 20 percent of them usually are), color will appear in the bowl within 30 minutes.
18. TAKE SHOWERS, NOT BATHS The average American household consumes about 60 gallons of water a day from showers and baths. To reduce this number, take quick showers and install a low-flow showerhead that uses fewer than 2.5 gallons of water per minute, as compared to about 5 gallons with an older showerhead. Baths are relaxing, but it can take 50 gallons of water to fill a tub.
19. STOP THE WATER By leaving the water running while you brush your teeth, you can waste 150 gallons of water per month—that's 1,800 gallons a year! Turning the water off while you brush can save several gallons of water per minute. Also pay attention to this water-saving principle while shaving or washing your face.
20. INSULATE YOUR HOUSE Good insulation is one of the best ways to reduce your heating bills and cut your CO2 emissions. Heating and cooling make up 50 to 70 percent of energy use in the average American home. Also, replace old windows and be sure to seal holes and cracks in your house with weather stripping or caulk. A well-insulated house can prevent hundreds of pounds of CO2 emissions per year and can cut your heating and cooling bills by up to 20 percent. For more information, visit eere.energy.gov/consumer/tips/insulation.html.
21. TURN YOUR THERMOSTAT DOWN ONE DEGREE If you turn your thermostat down by one degree, your heating costs will decrease by about 3 percent. Turn it down five more degrees for four hours a day and reduce your heating bills by almost 6 percent. If you're going to be away for the weekend or out in the evening, turn your thermostat down. It's not true that reducing the temperature means it will take more heat to bring it back up to a warm level (unless you have a heat pump in your home). Also, turn the heat down if you are throwing a party—every guest will be the equivalent of a 100-watt heater.
22. DON'T BE A BUTT TOSSER About 4.5 trillion cigarette butts are littered worldwide each year—making them the most-littered item. The myth that cigarette filters are biodegradable is just that, a myth. Although the filters do eventually decompose, they release harmful chemicals that enter the earth's land and water during the decaying process. There is nothing earth-friendly about the breakdown. If you must smoke, carry a 35-mm. film canister to store your used butts in until you can properly discard them.
23. DON'T JUST DUMP Envelopes come in huge quantities for free every day. If you are careful when opening letters, you can use the envelopes again by simply putting a label over the original address. This saves money and trees, while reducing waste. Try to re-use jars and plastic containers—for example, when taking your lunch to work. (Doing so prevents waste, and making your food at home is less expensive than the alternative.) Ask your office manager to buy re-usable mesh coffee filters instead of bleached paper ones, which may contain dioxins. They are tree-free and should save your company money.
24. AVOID DISPOSABLE GOODS Institute a mug policy in your office. Americans throw away some 25 billion polystyrene cups every year, most of which end up in landfills. Refill your water bottles once or twice, and make your coffee in a ceramic mug. If you bring in cutlery from home, you will also cut down on those pesky plastic forks, knives, and spoons.
25. GROW YOUR OWN GARDEN In 1826, J. C. Loudon wrote in An Encyclopaedia of Gardening, "For all things produced in a garden, whether salads or fruits, a poor man that has one of his own will eat better than a rich man that has none." To start a vegetable garden costs nothing but a few packs of seeds and rudimentary garden implements, and it saves enormous amounts of money, to say nothing of the food miles and the packaging that go into supplying you with fresh fruits and vegetables. Of course, a vegetable garden is only productive for part of the year, but it is amazing how long that growing season lasts and how much you can produce from one small patch.
26. BUY RECYCLED PRODUCTS There has to be a market for products made with recycled goods. Support this movement by purchasing recycled goods—you will save virgin materials, conserve energy, and reduce landfill waste. Recycled paper products include toilet paper (which is no longer scratchy, like it used to be), copy paper, paper towels, and tissues. Look for garbage bags and bin liners labeled "recycled plastic," and buy recycled toner cartridges for your fax machines and printers.
27. PLANE BETTER Air travel is currently responsible for 3.5 percent of the global-warming gases from all human activity and is growing fast. Cargo transport by air is increasing by about 7 percent annually and passenger air travel is up in the last few years by between 4 and 7 percent. The impact of air travel is enormous; a round-trip between New York and Los Angeles emits one ton of CO2 per passenger. (To determine CO2 emissions for your next flight, go to co2.org.) Try to limit the number of flights you take. If you're traveling within a country, why not take a train? (Air travel releases at least three times more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere than rail travel does.) If you're planning a business trip, consider whether a video linkup or a conference call will suffice.
28. CARBON OFFSETTING Air traffic is the fastest-growing source of greenhouse-gas emissions, so when you do fly, consult a carbon-offsetting organization such as Climate Care to "carbon-offset" your journey. Climate Care determines your flight's emissions and the cost to offset the CO2. For example, to offset that round-trip flight between New York and Los Angeles, you would pay about $10 to Climate Care, which invests in forestry and energy-efficiency projects. For more information, visit climatecare.org.
29. SWITCH TO GREEN POWER The leading cause of industrial air pollution is electricity production. According to the American Lung Association, more than 50,000 Americans die each year from air-pollution-related causes. If available, get your electricity from renewable energy sources such as wind, sun, water, and biomass, all of which generate electricity with fewer environmental impacts. With utility companies in 35 states offering green-power pricing plans, around half of all electricity consumers could buy green, yet only half a million do. Does green power cost more? Yes, but barely. For example, New York's Con Edison charges an additional one-half cent per kilowatt-hour for its green-power products. To see if your energy provider offers green-power options, visit eere.energy.gov/greenpower.
30. STANDBY NO LONGER Electricity "leaks" are no laughing matter. Televisions, video and DVD players, cable boxes, and other electronic equipment found in nearly every American home are wasting huge amounts of energy. When these devices are left on standby (the equivalent of "sleep" mode for computers) they use about 40 percent of their full running power. Every year, the energy wasted in this way is the equivalent of the annual output of 26 power plants. To avoid the drain of these "energy vampires," plug them into a power strip and turn it off when they are not in use.
31. TURN OFF YOUR CHARGERS Most cell-phone chargers continue to draw electricity even when the phone isn't plugged into it. If your cell-phone charger averages five watts per hour and is plugged in all the time, that means a total of more than 40 kilowatt-hours every year, or about 93 pounds of CO2. The same problem applies to your other electronic equipment—your laptop, iPod, digital camera, and BlackBerry. Unplug all your chargers when they are not in use.
32. RECYCLE YOUR BATTERIES Although the number of electrical gadgets that use disposable batteries is on the decline, each person in the U.S. discards eight batteries per year. Overall, Americans purchase nearly three billion batteries annually, and about 179,000 tons of those end up in the garbage. Batteries have a high concentration of metals, which if not disposed of properly can seep into the ground when the casing erodes. Avoid disposable batteries by using your outlets whenever possible. If you can't do without batteries, use rechargeable and recycled ones. You should also have your batteries collected and recycled. Go to rebat.com for a list of companies that participate in battery reclamation.
33. TURN OFF YOUR COMPUTER WHEN YOU LEAVE AT NIGHT While computers do require a power surge when you first turn them on, they don't need enormous amounts of electricity to function for lengthy periods. Also, you can set your computer on "sleep" mode, which uses about three watts per hour, if you are going to be away from your desk for more than 15 minutes.
34. GET INVOLVED Recycling at home doesn't get you off the hook at work. If your office doesn't recycle, or recycles only paper, find out why. If you work in a small office, call your local authority to discover what recycling equipment and services are available. These may include storage containers and compacters as well as collection. If you work in a larger office, ask your building-services coordinator why there are no recycling facilities and whom you would need to speak to about starting a recycling program for paper, glass, metal, and plastic. For more information, visit earth911.org.
35. PRINT DOUBLE-SIDED American businesses throw away 21 million tons of paper every year, 175 pounds per office worker. For a quick and easy way to halve this, set your printer's default option to print double-sided (duplex printing). This has the added advantage of halving the paper pile on your desk. To further cut your paper wastage, make sure you always use "print preview" mode to check that there are no overhanging lines and that you print only the pages you need. Other ways to cut down on paper before you get to the printing stage include using single or 1.5 spacing instead of double spacing, and reducing your page margins.
36. CONSERVE WATER IN YOUR GARDEN Attach a barrel to your downspout that will collect rain from your roof's eaves. Your plants will thank you: rainwater is better for your garden, as the chlorine in tap water can inhibit plant growth. You can also save six gallons every minute of watering simply by attaching a trigger nozzle to your hose so that you use water only when it's needed. In addition, if you grow your grass a little longer, it will stay greener and require less water than a closely mowed lawn.
37. CREATE A LIVING FENCE When replacing yard fences, instead of building a wooden fence, opt for a living fence. A living fence is a hedge or row of trees, which can be groomed to maintain appearance. Not only is a living fence less expensive than a traditional fence, it also never needs to be painted. This saves you money and time and keeps harmful chemicals out of the environment. Try to use native flora and to avoid hedges comprised of only one species.
38. RECYCLE YOUR NEWSPAPER There are 63 million newspapers printed each day in the U.S.; 44 million, or about 69 percent, of these will be thrown away. Recycling just the Sunday papers would save more than half a million trees every week.
39. PLANT A TREE It's the simplest thing in the world to gather acorns, chestnuts, sweet chestnuts, and sycamore seeds in the autumn, plant them immediately, and forget them until the following spring. The success rate for acorns is not as high as for the other three, but in a good year about 40 percent germinate into oak trees. There's little that will stop the others from growing into healthy trees within the first year. Start saplings in Styrofoam coffee cups, which can be split with a knife so that the roots aren't disturbed when you plant them outdoors. Keep the saplings for four or five years, then plant them in your own garden, offer them to friends, or return them to nature. It may seem like a very small contribution, but if 5 percent of the U.S. population were to germinate one tree in one year, there would be almost 15 million extra trees absorbing carbon from the atmosphere. For more information, visit arborday.org.
40. AVOID PESTICIDES Use natural methods of pest control. Form a log pile—dead wood provides a habitat for many kinds of wildlife, such as snakes and ground beetles. Both are natural predators for snails and slugs. If you create a small pond to encourage frogs and toads, they will help mop up the rest of your slug life. In the short term you can get rid of slugs using beer traps (slugs are attracted to yeast). To get rid of whiteflies, buy Encarsia formosa, small parasitic wasps that eat whiteflies. Grow flowers such as marigolds to attract ladybugs, hoverflies, and lacewings, all of which protect against aphids.
41. BAT BOXES Want to reduce the number of mosquitoes in your backyard? Then invest in a bat box. One bat can eat up to 1,000 mosquitoes a night. You will also be making a contribution to our country's temperate biodiversity: bat populations in America and around the world are declining, especially in urban areas, where they have few roosting spaces. Ideally, group two or three boxes together, place them as high as possible, and face them so the sun directly heats them for six to seven hours each day. If you are making a bat box yourself, use untreated and unpainted wood. It is essential that bats not be disturbed, so make certain your bat boxes cannot be reached by any local cats. For more information, visit batconservation.org/content/Bathouseimportance.html.
42. WALK OR BIKE Always consider alternatives to driving, especially for journeys under two miles. It's better for the environment to walk, cycle, or even take the bus than to hop in your car. Currently, only 2 percent of employed adults walk to work in the U.S. Walking adds to life expectancy, is safe, helps with mental and physical health, and, best of all, is completely free. Cycling is another way to get around and has recently become more popular, what with more bike paths and cool new gadgets like L.E.D. lights for riding in the dark. New kinds of folding bikes have been specially developed for the commuter. Surprisingly, recent studies have shown that bicyclists in cities are less exposed to air pollution than people in cars and taxis.
43. BUY A HYBRID Hybrid cars, which run on a combination of a gasoline engine and an electric motor, are all the rage these days. They get up to 50 miles per gallon, while a typical S.U.V. might travel around 15 m.p.g. Hybrids can offer substantial savings, and you may qualify for a one-time tax credit of up to $3,400. For information on U.S hybrid-car incentives, go to hybridcars.com/tax-deductions-credits.html.
44. BIOFUELS 101, PART 1 Have you heard of biofuels? Biodiesel and bioethanol are alternative fuels derived from crops such as sugarcane, oilseed rape, and used cooking oil, which are generally blended with diesel fuel or gasoline. Biofuels are available in a range of different blends—for example, 30 percent biofuel and 70 percent gas or diesel. Biodiesel is generally appropriate for any diesel vehicle designed to run on low-sulphur diesel. Biodiesel blends are becoming more widely available in the U.S. Check biodiesel.org/buyingbiodiesel/distributors to find out about local availability.
45. BIOFUELS 101, PART 2 Bioethanol is an alcohol-based fuel. A 5 percent blend of bioethanol can be included in ordinary gas and used by any car in the U.S. that runs on unleaded gas. You may already be using bioethanol-blended gas, as the 5 percent version is now being sold in the U.S. through unmarked unleaded-gas pumps. Saab and Ford both have a flex-fuel model available, which can run on bioethanol-based fuel or on straight gasoline. If you drive an older model, you can still use biofuel if you are willing to have your car converted to flex-fuel.
46. DISCOVER YOUR CARBON FOOTPRINT If you think you're already pretty green, determine your carbon footprint: a measurement of how your lifestyle choices affect carbon emissions. Your footprint will take into account your habits, the food you eat, your gas and electricity usage, your car and air mileage. Your score will be compared to the average figures for your county. These online tests aim to help you estimate your own carbon emissions and calculate how much of the planet's resources are required to sustain your lifestyle. They may motivate you to make changes, helping you set simple goals to reduce your negative impact on the planet. To learn about your carbon footprint, go to carbonfootprint.com/calculator.html.
47. GET AN ELECTRIC LAWN MOWER Surrender your gas lawn mower. Gasoline lawn mowers are among the dirtiest of modern machines. A study funded by the Swedish E.P.A. found that using a four-horsepower lawn mower for an hour causes the same amount of pollution as driving a car 93 miles. The trouble with gas lawn mowers is that they not only emit a disproportionate amount of CO2, they are also responsible for releasing carcinogens such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons into the air. Retire the noisy monster and buy an electric or manual model. Better still, reduce the number of times you mow per season and let some of your lawn grow wild, which has added benefits for bugs, butterflies, and birds. For more information, visit greengrasscutters.com.
48. GREEN GRILLING If you have a charcoal barbecue grill, make sure your charcoal comes from a sustainable source. Enormous areas of tropical rainforest are destroyed every year to produce the 900,000 tons of charcoal burned annually in the U.S. Chimney starters are the most environmentally friendly solution to lighting charcoal. They use only a couple of pieces of newspaper, meaning you can avoid the gas-flavored meat that accompanies barbecues started with lighter fluid or fire starters. If you are replacing your grill, remember that using a gas, rather than charcoal, grill is the most environmentally friendly way to barbecue. It avoids forest destruction and doesn't add to local air pollution.
49. RE-GIFT GIFT WRAP Help cut down on the consumption of paper and plastic by re-using wrapping paper, ribbons, bows, and gift bags. These items should be good for at least one more wrapping. If you are feeling creative, use old calendars, pages from magazines, or even newspaper to wrap gifts.
50. A GREEN ENDING Green funerals don't just mean a woodland burial. Very few people actually know about the green alternatives to steel or hardwood coffins. Many private funeral homes present green alternatives to traditional coffins, including wicker caskets and shrouds. Currently, 89 percent of coffins sold are made of chipboard that is manufactured using formaldehyde. When chipboard coffins are cremated, they can release toxic gases. If buried, they disrupt local ecosystems; as the chipboard decays, the formaldehyde and glue leach into the soil and groundwater. Finally, most people opting for a green good-bye will choose a meadow or woodland burial, with only a memorial tree marking the grave.
http://www.stopglobalwarming.org/sgw_read.asp?id=121544172006
For more information, visit fullcirclecare.org/endoflife/funeral.htm. —DAISY PRINCE AND EMILY BUTSELAAR