Walmart sprinkler controls

Orlando walmart, startscto rain and sprinklers go off. I guess there is to much water here.

Green Promise Seen in Switch to LED Lighting

Green Promise Seen in Switch to LED Lighting from the NY Times.

Good article, but it did not mention the LED equivalent of Moore's Law, haitz law. Each decade, LED prices have fallen by a factor of 10 while performance has grown by a factor of 20. It sounds like LED prices are falling even quicker than this, doubling about every 18 months instead of 24 months.

My translation the $35 bulb this year in 18 months will be $18, and in 3 years $9. At $9 it becomes much more attractive.

Oil Price Forcast

Oil prices could shoot beyond 2008 peak by 2012: Saudi Arabia - Interesting. So many arguments for and against it. I am surprised that oil has kept as high as it has, which is actually good for alternative energy since those that could survive at $50 a barrel oil have continued. A crash to $20 would have devastated the industry.

Mandatory use of solar heating system in India

Mandatory use of solar heating system in India.

Exciting news! From reading the article I would guess this is Solar Water Heating, but it's referring to solar PV.

Ethanol and Corn Prices

Kristof: Hidden Hunger - NY Times.

The general rise in food prices (in part because of American use of corn for ethanol) is leading to more micronutrient deficiencies.

I am not sure of this, increases in corn prices mean more corn will be planted that makes for an oversupply of corn, plus the decrease in gas has led to big financial challenges for ethanol firms.

Good article to read for the other 99% of it. Sad article.

Future Proofed Prius?

It seems since the Prius has a larger electric motor in the new version, it may be easily converted to a plug in if battery technology can be improved... Which translates as switch out the battery charger and batteries, software update, and I would guess you are set!

Prius with Solar

I view this as Toyota just adding extra junk to the Prius that is more luxury, than necessary or really adding value.

Kyocera To Supply Solar Modules for Toyota Prius

Reuters - ‎May 20, 2009‎

We've Seen the Bottom in Solar?

We've Seen the Bottom in Solar - Motley Fool

Assuming the Economy keeps on improving, credit markets unfreeze, and technology keeps improving...

Auto Emission Changes

Auto emissions deal: behind the scenes - LA Times.

Interesting the politics behind the deal. On the added cost, may be. But if it's added to all cars that may decrease the cost due to increase the efficiency. The more you make, the less the cost. That has been the problem with the SUV hybrids, they have not got the economy of scale. There is also a lot of new technology that looks like it will make this easier than it would first seem.

What I find exciting is the impact on fuel efficiency this will have, I realize this is a byproduct of the focus on green house gases...

25% growth in Autos in China

Interesting what impact this will have on the environment and how quickly as China's auto industry domestically will continue to grow.

As Detroit Crumbles, China Emerges - Washington Post

Burning Trash - Good or Bad?

POWER SHIFT - WSJ seems to indicated that Burning Trash is being seen as a way to reduce landfills, green house gas, and produce some power.

Of course reusing would be the best way. The headache is the labor cost of sorting garbage as a way to reduce the amount sent to the dump. Burning does reduce the size, but may produce ash and smoke that then needs to be disposed of safely.

Camarillo-area greenhouses produce 21st century crops

Camarillo-area greenhouses produce 21st century crops - LA Times.

Interesting...

• X20 Tomatoes per acre
• $1 Million capital cost per acre
• Uses 20% of water of convention farm.
• Uses 50% of fertilizer

I am curious if there is also a labor savings?

Carter Influence

Former President Jimmy Carter was before congress today. When he was President, he had some great ideas on energy, his 10 Principles on Energy were brilliant .

Unfortunately, he had no idea how to work with Congress and was ineffective as a President. And then along came the hostage crises. On the Solar Water heater, great idea, but it did not work very well. He was doing excellent work in the non-profit area as a post President, then wrote a book that touched one of those third rails in politics - Jimmy Carter: Israel's 'apartheid' policies worse than South Africa. If you see a picture of former President's together, look at how close they are standing to Mr. Carter (it's as if he has cooties).

Dark Times for Solar

Dark Times for Solar - WSJ

Solar megawatts installed this year will be less than last, but prices have dropped 50%. Translation - there will be a lot of consolidation as weaker firms fail. My opinion is a good foundation for the future as cost cutting becomes more important as a competitive advantage.

VC Investments in Green Companies

Shifting Their Energies - NY Times.

There is a lot of green investment that is not capitol intensive - nice to have this area covered. The control systems, software, etc. are all opportunities that the article hints at for investment.

Prius - 2010 Model Next Month?

I am curious what will be in the 2010 Prius Model. Supposedly it will be out the end of next month. Lithium batteries may be (sounds like later)? Plug in from what I have read will be limited, not as suggested here.

This is worrying - Toyota's January-March Global Loss Beats GM - Motor Trend

Solar Growth only 40% in 2009?

Last year it was 60% growth, this year estimated is 40%. Still a huge amount of growth in my opinion, but it has a long ways to go. Global solar capacity forecast to add 5.5 GW in 09 - Reuters.

Why is this a little, because it's still less than 1% of all electricity generated. 21 Trillion Kilowatt Hours. Depressing reading - EIA - International Energy Outlook 2008-Electricity

China's Solar Subsidary

China Combats Solar Downturn With Subsidy - Environemental Leader.

Same thing the US is doing, China is also working to build their own solar industry...

I don't understand the worry about this - nothing new!

Skyline Solar mixes old technology with new

Skyline Solar mixes old technology with new - SF Gate.

Smart, they are looking at ways around the Silicon to increase efficiency and decrease costs. The Silicon is only part of the cost of a solar install. I wonder if they are also looking into methods for cooling the silicon. I like the idea of combining solar water along with solar cells.

Walnut Valley Water District - Aargh!

Huge water shortages in So. CA. So what does http://www.wvwd.com/ do? Replace the rebate system with one that has a limited amount of rebates per month, so only May 3rd and they have already been issued for the entire month.

So CA Water Smart nice page on this.

And in the requirements, you are supposed to only buy the item after you got a rebate number.

Aargh!!!

Oh, the real reason for this I am sure is funding...

Solar Powered Donuts?

3 Dunkin' shops get solar power - Boston Globe. My guess is solar arrays and batteries for at night. Article does not state how much of the power actually comes from solar..

Green, Green, and Green

There is a neat iPhone app that can help you find Green stuff at the store, I need to take a look at it. Sounds interesting. Frustration is getting past the green wash.

Green Inc.: Making Efficiency Affordable

Green Inc.: Making Efficiency Affordable - NY Times.

What's interesting is the green improvements basically raise the price of a house by 10%. What was not mentioned was the payback time.

Japanese hurdles with LED lighting

ANALYSIS-Japanese firms face hurdles in bet on LED lighting - Alibaba News.

My thoughts:

1. Price, price, and price are what matters for most light bulbs for consumer.
   
2. For industrial components Japanese firms have the channels.
3. I agree, it's hard to figure out quality difference of light bulbs such as CFL's, not to mention LED's, and there are some significant ones. I find it very frustrating as a consumer since the quality of light, actual reliability, and noise all vary.
   

Thomas Friedman - Green President

Friedman: First Green President - NY Times.

My 2 cents - Carbon Tax, no matter how much it makes sense, is political suicide in this economy.

Ocean's PH

I find it amazing that in the huge Ocean's of the world, that the PH has risen by .1 since the industrial revolution. Was 8.2 for 600,000 years, now it's 8.1, and by 2100 may be 7.8.

A Look Into Future Oceans for Shellfish Reasons - WSJ.

Green Manufacters will be?

The Green Economy is mentioned as the way to help the US economy rebuild. For example, this is why lots of projects should be done to help get solar past the early development stages and lower the cost.

But, what happens when other nations are going after the same goal? Such as China in alternative energy and electric cards (China Outlines Plans for Making Electric Cars). If China is being used today for manufacturing due to supposedly lower costs, why would this not also happen in so called green manufacturing?

Just a thought!

Oil Prices

It actually helps environmentally that Oil Prices have stayed around $50 per barrel. If they had collapsed to $20, there would be even more of a rush for SUV's and exit from investment in alternate fuels. Oil Prices Resist the World’s Recession Trend - NY Times

Trains - The improvement headache

Trains are a hobby of mine and my Father used to take me on lots of them growing up. On the passenger side they have become a bit pricey. And on the freight side there are a lot of headaches for improving them, such as who pays the bill, the noise of trains, etc. Los Angeles has been funding the Alameda corridor as a way to reduce truck traffic from the Los Angeles harbors through more underpasses and such, to improve the speed of trains. As a resident who has spent to much time waiting for trains in the Rowland Heights area, the underpasses are great.

Now if they could only get the trolly lines interconnected, but unfortunately there are 3 different systems...

Food Safety in US - 3000 Departments?

Ill From Food? Ability to Investigate Outbreaks Varies by State - NY Times.

I would like a separate department of food.

LED Power Supply

They got rid of the capacitor, which increases the reliability of the LED Power Supply. And potted it so you can't tell what's inside. A capacitor is a storage device that is one of the challenging areas of power supply design for reliability. Basically two metal plates with an insulator between them with a liquid. And they can pop!

Bury C02 under the Ocean

A Plan for U.S. Emissions to Be Buried Under Sea - NY Times.

Hope it gets approval, sounds more cost effective than many other proposals... And good to try out and see if it works or not.

500th Post

So how much change since I started this blog over a year ago. New US President! Solar is falling in prices and the economy is pretty bad. Credit crunch is having an impact on solar, but may also be helping businesses be more efficient which as WalMart has shown, helps the bottom line. LED's are now in Costco, which still surprises me. Dimmable CFL's are now widely available. The price of gas surged, and now has fallen that has made hybrids stack up at dealers.

And I am a bit more educated about the environment and the various technologies that are advancing.

Coral Fossils Suggest That Sea Level Can Rise Rapidly?

Coral Fossils Suggest That Sea Level Can Rise Rapidly New York Times

A bit scary...

I am glad I don't live next to the Ocean!

LED Usage

The first major usage of LED's outside of electronic panels was in street lights for Red. When the cost dropped enough came the green and yellow. Now there is starting to be some street light LED's, LED's for lights in Cars, and LED's for household usage. The question is how fast will the price drop making them more competitive with the less costly products that have the dominant market share. It seems to be going faster on the drop in prices than I expected, since I saw LED lights for sale in Costco.

Oil Industry Braces for Drop in Gas Demand

Oil Industry Braces for Drop in Gas Demand - WSJ.

Many oil companies believe due to higher efficiency cars as well as alternate fuels that gas demand in the US has peaked.

I hope so! Any way to make this happpen faster without a negative economic impact?

Costa Rica - Sustainable Development

Thomas L. Friedman: Costa Rica sets a standard for sustainable growth - NY Times.

Per Mr. Friedman Costa Rica has set up a sustainable growth economy that deals with the hidden charges of pollution and usage that are usually ignored. Very interesting.

Algae to Oil Update

Good news, even with lower oil prices, is research into Algae into oil is continuing:

Pond Scum Gets Limelight Moment

Jerry Brand has been tending the world's largest pond scum collection for 10 years. The quest for renewable energy has made him and his algae hot commodities.

From the WSJ.

Cheaper White LED's

New, cheaper white light LEDs are created - United Press International.

The new White LED has twice the light of current LED's and has a simpler structure (less cost). Done by Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry within the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

More Efficient CFL

I am curious on what the new circuit for a dimmable CFL looks like that has less components. Article is not clear about overall is the ability to dim what is making them more efficient, or is there more... Most houses don't have dimmers installed.

Solar & Applied Materials

Per the WSJ on Applied Materials, the larger players are still able to get deals, but the smaller ones who buy their fab from Applied Materials are hurting. Interesting prospective.

Green Energy True Cost - Economist

The grass is always greener -Saving the planet and creating jobs may be incompatibleApr 2nd 2009 from the Economist.

The article questions if money spent on green projects is the most productive use of capital. Good read, it would be nice to read a longer version that went into more detail including the balance of trade issue and how the spending helps innovation that will reduce the future cost of green technology (theoretically).

Applied Materials Solar Bet II

Applied Materials says value of solar order slashed - Reuters. Looks like they are waiting for credit to unfreeze, estimates are another year.

The Greening of Pittsburgh

The Greening of Pittsburgh - NY Times. Translation is Pittsburgh has a lot of LEED certified buildings.

NPR Interview on Detroit

I did not catch the name, but it was a person who writes some well read newsletter in the Auto Industry. His comment was Detroit made the cars Americans wanted to buy. And now with Gas cheap, the small cars are piling up again.

So what did the Japanese make for the US Market?

The best analysis I have read so far is Paul Ingrassia: Wagoner Had to Go explaining the why behind the move.

Solar in Singapore - Waiting for Parity

Solar panels wait for sunny outlook in Singapore - Reuters.

They believe that parity will happen within a decade, and then the government will back Solar.

Interesting...

Carter Era White House Solar Water Heater

President Reagan had it removed, which I thought was not a great idea.

But this has some interesting information I did not know.

It's time to green this old (White) House - again The Associated Press

In the late 1970s, President Jimmy Carter installed a $30,000 solar water-heating system designed to save $1,000 a year in heating costs. It didn't really work.

"Talk to anyone who worked in the West Wing then, and they would say they washed their hands with cool water," said former chief usher Gary Walters, who spent 37 years at the White House before retiring two years ago.

At 50 mpg, the 2010 Toyota Prius is a game changer - LA Times.

Interesting idea of just buying a bunch of Prius as a way to reduce our dependence on foreign oil.

Of course what would this do to Detroit right now? Especially GM that does not have a high mileage hybrid yet?

The increase in the EPA mileage requirements will help, but slowly.

It would be nice if there was more of an incentive when the price of gas is low to buy high mileage vehicles, be they a Prius, or something else such as the Yarus that also has good mileage, but is not a hybrid.

Do New Bulbs Save Energy if They Don’t Work?

Do New Bulbs Save Energy if They Don’t Work? - NY Times

Dimmable CFL's are a special design that are finally more widely available so they can actually be used the regular dimmable fixture, that just reduces the voltage.

CFL's it is hard to figure out how they are made. Are they magnetic resonant with the annoying humm, or solid state.

Color - Big issue.

Heat - yes, because your burning out the electronics inside of it if you have it in an enclosed area.

Good news that 11% of all fixtures are using CFL's, I did not expect that high!

LED in SF

Let there be light-emitting diodes - San Francisco Chronicle

SF is putting in LED's for street lights. $700 each, vs. $150 for the old fashioned type, but 50% more efficient and last 4X as long.

Pacific Sea of Plastic

What to do about the huge island of plastic in the Pacific?

My guess is once it becomes economical, it will get mined.

When will that be? May be in 50 years? Some type of automated system with that is very low cost. Also requires price of oil to increase and lower cost way of recycling plastics.

Limit Solar in US Deserts

Feinstein wants desert swath off-limits to solar, wind projects - LA Times.

Interesting, I don't understand the politics behind this.

Hyundai Hybrid

Hyundai Cost Cuts Spare R&D in Push to Match Toyota
Bloomberg - ‎3 hours ago‎

More competition the better!

Good LED Article

Economist had one of the best LED articles I have read yet!

A brilliant new approach Light-emitting diodes will transform the business of illumination, especially with new production breakthroughs

More on this later...

Solar in the US - Up 17%

US installed solar capacity up 17 percent in 2008 - Reuters.

US - 8775 megawatts overall solar. Claims Texas has more Solar than California.

From another report (claims California is leading the way on solar):
Germany - 3,830 megawatts PV Solar, #1 in the world.

Another report - http://www.worldwatch.org/node/5449

And another reference: U.S. Is Virtually A Non-Player In The Solar Power Production Business

I need to figure out what this really means

Natural Gas Oversupply

Natural Gas, Suddenly Abundant, Is Cheaper - NY Times.

This is actually good for the environment. The reason is with Liquefied Natural Gas, there is now the ability to export gas from overseas.

Solar System, DNA science toys pulled for excessive lead Sun-Sentinel.com - ‎12 hours ago‎

Solar System, DNA science toys pulled for excessive lead - -Sun-Sentinel

Another Lead scare in a toy. Made in the US and China.

Hybrid Price War?

Hybrid price war coming? Toyota may cut cost of Prius - OC Register.

Competition is good...

Solar Grew 110% in 08

Photovoltaic global solar grew 110 percent in '08 - Reuters

Exciting, I hope there is the same amount of growth in 09.

New hybrids roll out to widespread indifference

New hybrids roll out to widespread indifference - LA Times.

Sad how people are not buying hybrids right now, not even the Tahoe one that makes such sense to me. There is a price difference on hybrids, which brings up the question what is the best way to push higher fuel efficiency if people are not going to voluntarily pay a premium for more fuel efficient vehicles.

May be plug ins will solve this?

Fusion?

Thomas Friedman wrote about some progress on Fusion. Interesting.

Harnessing the Sun, With Help From Cities

Harnessing the Sun, With Help From Cities - NY Times.

Not a very positive article.

Solar's prospects dim, at least for near term

Solar's prospects dim, at least for near term - Mercury News.
Statewide, the three big investor-owned utilities, including PG&E, received about half the applications in January and February that they had in each of the last four months of 2008.

Translation - economy, credit freeze, and decrease in rebates are taking their toll.

Honda's Hybrid Pricing

Honda's hybrid pricing gambit: the sub-$20,000 Insight - LA Times.

Nice to have some competition for the Prius!

China’s Big Recycling Market Is Sagging

China’s Big Recycling Market Is Sagging - NY Times.

China’s export downturn means a lesser need for recycled waste from the US, and trash is piling up.

Nothing new, a former company I worked with shut down in December because of this.

China’s Big Recycling Market Is Sagging

China’s export downturn means a lesser need for recycled waste from the US, and trash is piling up, and were having issues over 18 months ago.

Hybrid Delivery Trucks

I have been surprised that the USPS, FedEx, and UPS have not been pushing something like this - Azure Dynamics Hybrid Delivery-Truck Test Drive: Gas/Electric Hybrid Offers 30 Percent MPG Improvement

Some Press Releases:

Hydraulic Hybrid Vehicles - UPS - Uses Hydraulic Technology.
Green Car Congress: USPS Introduces Diesel-Electric Parallel
FedEx Hybrid-Electric Fleet Surpasses Two-Million-Mile Mark

Which translates as very slow implementation IMHO.

Good Description of Smart Grid

Smartening Up the Power Grid - Washington Post

Good description of the smart grid. All a smart grid is the ability to regulate power to increase the efficiency of the overall system, instead of going to unplanned peaks that have a huge cost.

LA Prop B Seems defeated?

LA solar plan measure continues to trail - Los Angeles Times - ‎Mar 4, 2009‎

Unofficial results show 50.3% opposing it and 49.7% in favor. Coalition of politicians, labor leaders and environmentalists hopes 46000 uncounted ballots

My guess is when the absentee ballots are counted it will trail even more, usually absentee ballots are pretty conservative.

The question is why did it go down to defeat?

E-Commerce is Green

The Green Side of Online Shopping - WSJ

Data was gathered from Buy.com and used by a study by Carnegie Mellon. The study found for buy.com which outsources everything (they are virtual and just do the web stuff), that compared to the energy needed by a consumer to drive to a store, it took less to have it delivered.

This makes me feel better with my two E-Commerce sites :-)

www.childbook.com - Learning Chinese Materials for kids
www.elitedresses.com - Girl's Dresses at affordable prices

Gas usage up

Americans hit the road again as gas prices fall - Reuters

Up 2% from last year.

Lots of human interest, but not many facts. 2% was the only fact I really saw in there.

LED's Getting More Publicity

LEDs Light Times Square, But Can They Light Your Office? Discover Magazine - ‎Feb 24, 2009‎ is an example of this, unfortunately it's a bit of a press release it looks like.

Banning Fridges and Coffee Pots

Glendale schools ban teachers' personal coffeepots and fridges - LA Times.

As a way to save energy, but the missed the point of how much time this saves teachers whom then use it in the class room.

LED Street Lights

More cities tap stimulus package for LED streetlights - USA Today.

I did not realize the LED's were powerful enough yet for street lights.

Advantages are 50% savings in energy and last much longer than regular bulbs, cutting maintenance costs substantially. The headache is they currently cost 4X as much as a regular one.

The question is what is the payback period? Per this article 12-15 years, but per this article other studies have claimed 2-3 years. Another study 7 years.

The good news is LED prices are dropping every year.

Solar Supply and Demand

Solar Panel Drops to $1 per Watt: Is this a Milestone or the Bottom for Silicon-Based Panels? - Popular Mechanics.

Argh!!! Very basic idea of supply and demand. If the demand increases without an increase in supply, there will be a price increase. And then the supply will increase due to the higher margins that will increase the supply. Basic law of economics. The article seems to worry if the price of solar goes too low, the supply won't be enough.

Volt vs. Prius

Interesting...

GM Volt may be less-effective green car than Prius, study finds

Solar Over Expansion?

German solar company to build $1B plant in Tenn. The Associated Press - ‎Feb 26, 2009‎. The plant is making hyperpure polycrystalline silicon.

Yellow Is the New Green

Yellow Is the New Green - NY Times. Great article talking about the issue of what to do with human waste, and a possible solution. The challenge of using it widespread in the US is infrastructure. It's just not there, unfortunately.

Preparing for a Flood of Energy Efficiency Spending

Preparing for a Flood of Energy Efficiency Spending - NY Times.

Good idea, but the challenge is in the details. Energy efficiency as such a great payoff, but there are implementation issues unfortunately.

One way to fund this would have been indirectly through tax savings, faster write offs, or something for businesses. It seems the direct funding model was used.

Plastic Bags - NIMBY

Many Plans to Curtail Use of Plastic Bags, but Not Much Action - NY Times. All sorts of interest in banning them til the question of cost came up. Interesting.

Water and Salt - A+ Cleanser

I hope this is true, it solves many problems. Cleaning chemicals are pretty nasty.

Simple elixir called a 'miracle liquid' - LA Times.

Cleanup at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach begins to pay off

Cleanup at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach begins to pay off - LA Times

• 50% reduction in Diesel particles already.
• Self funded through higher fees for older trucks.
• Will also soon force ships to plug into electric grid, instead of using their own diesel engines!

The article did not mention the work that has been done on the Alameda Corridor to make it easier to use rail for moving cargo from the ports with under and over passes to increase the trains speed.

Silicon Valley Network lays out green vision for region

Silicon Valley Network lays out green vision for region - Mercury News.Silicon Valley is an interesting place. On one hand the products associated with it (the process of making chips, which gave the valley it's name is pretty dirty, and don't even get me started on E-Waste) and even as it's moved to more of a web focus (Google currently, Yahoo, Netscape historically), there is still the computer hardware connection. And now pushing the future is VC backing (VC is concentrated in Silicon Valley) of alternate energy.From what I read of the press release was great press release!

The ideas are good, the challenge is implementation. What Silicon Valley is king of is innovation through the ability to bring together all the needed resources (people, money, connections) to rapidly grow a company in a new niche with the goal of making money. Companies are easily formed, and disolved in Silicon Valley and failure is seen as a learning experience. I read some place it take about 3 start ups experience to make on work. Historically Silicon Valley has been poor at the political way of pushing progress, where this document is pushing a private/public partnership.

Cost of solar installation has fallen in decade

Cost of solar installation has fallen in decade - SF Chronicle. 28% from 1997 to 2007. Average price right in California is $8.10 per kilowatt, and per another study needs to fall below $5 to be economical.

Another report mentioned prices will fall another 10-20% this year due to decreased demand hitting prices due to the credit crunch. Estimate $7.30 to $6.50. Now, is electricity going to stay around $5 per kilowatt? Will there be increased efficiencies in manufacturing? New processes? New installation processes to cut costs? Economies of scale? Hmm... The fun of forecasting!

Lead wipes

I just read about wipes that could actually remove lead from the skin. One use mentioned was by battery workers - very dirty industry. Great idea!

Yes on solar, no on this solar program

Yes on solar, no on this solar program - LA Times.

Opponents of a measure on the LA city ballot to increase solar usage.

LED Lights at Costco!

I was pleasantly surprised to find LED lights at Costco. Even flood lights, even if only 45W equivalent. Price was very reasonable. They also had dimmable CFL's.

Major Solar Price Descreases

GOOD NEWS: Solar Photovoltaic Prices Seen Falling - via Instapundit.

Already a 25% drop in the last 6 months, and another 10% expected by the end of the year.

Very exciting.

Oil Sand Update

Canadian oil-sand mines hit by price drop - UK Times.

It seems the magic number is $70 per barrel, and right now oil is around $40.

Nice to have basically what is an upper limit on the price of oil if I am understanding this correctly.

Going Green to cut bills

This makes so much sense - Homebuyers Go Green to Cut Bills . It's a shame that builders marked it up for a stiff premium for so long. Of course if it was required by building codes, that would eliminate the premium. The problem is the technology for a green building is still developing. Some people put in using renewable and recycled materials as part of having a green building. My thought is reducing the immediate energy costs, but then the argument is you need to look at the total life time energy usage.

Crude Investment Dilemma

Crude Awakening: Saudi Oil Minister Warns Against Renewable Exuberance - WSJ.

Basically oil costs money to get out of the ground, and with less investment and problems (corruption, rebels, lack of investment, etc.) in Nigeria, Venezuela, Russia, and Mexico that will lead to less oil in the future before alternate energy sources are available.

Of course, the question is why do the Saudi's care if the US wastes it money? But they do have a nightmare that alternate energy and increased efficiency will reduce the need for their oil. And they need a high price of oil to keep their rulers in power.

Ethanol is Struggling

Ethanol, Just Recently a Savior, Is Struggling - NY Times.

Interesting comment about advanced bio fuels always being 5 years away. Sounds like what is talked about with Fusion always being 20 years away.

ANALYSIS-Solar shakeout less likely to hit wafers, silicons

ANALYSIS-Solar shakeout less likely to hit wafers, silicons - Reuters.

Translation - because they have longer contracts they should be OK, where B2C and B2B (selling to end users) don't have this luxury.

$100 Billion for a Smart Grid

Smart Grids are basically about making the distribution of power smarter through improving the transmission system. Think of driving when traffic signals are synchronized, verses not for movement of traffic. The current transmission infrastructure has challenges and is in the wrong place for carrying alternate energy. The windy areas that are prime for wind farms, don't have the transmission lines needed to send the power to the area that needs the power. My thought is a DC Power System. The key issue, as this article mentions, Can the DOE stimulate the smart grid? , is the incentives that utilities are given. If the improvement of transmissions lines are not given the right incentive they will be starved for capital. And with the US having a very decentralized power production system, it makes it even more challenging.

An energy boomtown goes bust

An energy boomtown goes bust - LA Times. About a town in Colorado that was booming due to the high price of Natural Gas, but now Natural Gas is at 40 from $140, is suffering with a reduction in wells.

Commission gives its approval to feed-in tariff for solar power Gainesville Sun

Commission gives its approval to feed-in tariff for solar power Gainesville Sun

Progress!

• Cameron praised Gainesville for being the first to venture into the solar feed–in tariff, an idea which he said has seen great success in Germany.
• The feed–in tariff began in municipalities and grew to the national level, generating more jobs today than Germany’s coal industry, Cameron said.
• If America follows a similar pattern, Gainesville may lead the way to the spread of solar feed–in tariffs nationwide, he said.

Obama Orders New Rules to Raise Energy EfficiencyObama Orders New Rules to Raise Energy Efficiency

Obama Orders New Rules to Raise Energy Efficiency - NY Times.

I am pleasantly surprised this is being done so quickly! Oh, this explains it. Wow!

Over the last three decades, Congress has demanded stricter efficiency standards on 30 categories of products, as varied as residential air-conditioners and industrial boilers. But successive administrations have failed to write regulations to enforce the laws, even when ordered to by the courts.

Dark Days for Green Energy

Dark Days for Green Energy - NY Times.

Two words - Credit Crunch.

Good Quote:

Much of the problem stems from the credit crisis that has left Wall Street banks reeling. Once, as many as 18 big banks and financial institutions were willing to help finance installation of wind turbines and solar arrays, taking advantage of generous federal tax incentives. But with the banks in so much trouble, that number has dropped to four, according to Keith Martin, a tax and project finance specialist with the law firm Chadbourne & Parke.

My thought is the US Government should offer insurance for alternate energy loans, as they do for student loans.

PerkinElmer buys LED company

PerkinElmer buys LED company - Boston Globe.

Perkin Elmer is a big health care company. Stuff for hospitals, so why LED? My guess is because hospital equipment has a lot of electronics in it, and the future of lighting is probably LED's, and may be at the moment it's just to cheap to pass up in the short term.

Long term, Opto is a parts manufacturer, where Perkin Elmers sells compete systems I believe, so it may not be a good fit strategically.

US becomes top wind producer, solar next year

US becomes top wind producer, solar next Year per Reuters. I find this comforting. Now if that wonderful DC grid can just get built nationwide - that will have a huge impact on Wind!

Praise the Lord and Green the Roof

Praise the Lord and Green the Roof - NY Times.

Story about an order of eight Episcopalian Nuns of Community of the Holy Spirit who are going to sell their current location and build a new green nunnery. My guess is the operating cost of their new location will be lower than their current location. It would be nice if their web site had more information about the green building...

Utilities Turn Their Customers Green, With Envy

Utilities Turn Their Customers Green, With Envy - NY Times.

Peer pressure, what a powerful emotion! And some utilities are using it as a way to get people to reduce their usage of electricity by showing how they compare to their neighbors.

Solar Panels on White House

It seems some solar panels were installed by President Bush, but very low key. That's a shame. Jimmy Carter also had some installed, but they were taken out under Reagan, unfortunately.

Golden State Doubles Solar Use in 2008

Golden State Doubles Solar Use in 2008 - msnbc. I hope this keeps up! Very exciting! Which may be related to this - SunPower profit leaps on rising solar panel sales

Stimulus and Alternative Energy

I am getting worried the stimulus is becoming not very stimulating.

• Fixing the Tax Problems of Renewable Energy

• House Energy Stimulus Unveiled

• Biomass, Geothermal and the Stimulus New York Times
  

EPA Waiver Economic Impact

Will the EPA waiver for California have a negative economic impact? Some people think so and my thoughts are BS.

Why? Take SUV's for example. Hyrid SUV's already exist and don't cost that much more than a regular one, but with cheap gas why would anyone want to buy one? Hmm...

And I thought Detroit was already working on lots of hybrids and electric cars already?

References:
Obama directs EPA to reconsider Bush-era auto emission policy Los Angeles Times

California's energy efficiency an economic boon

California's energy efficiency an economic boon - San Francisco Chronicle

This is the same idea of WalMart, just being more efficient which leads to higher profits! Unfortunately sometimes governments needs to give some incentives in order for companies and people to become more energy efficient. How public utilities in California are rewarded is a great example, that is why they subsidize CFL's and do other activities to reduce the demand for electricity since they are regulated by California.

Mexico turns toward alternative energy The Associated Press

Mexico turns toward alternative energy The Associated Press

Good news overall. There is the challenge of the historical issues that can complicate any investment, especially when they can use it as an issue to push forward their own political agendas.

The LA Times headline, Slumdog' doesn't feel good in India on Indian reaction to Slum Dog Millionaire was another example of some people pushing their own political agenda. The actually opinion in India is much more nuanced. Of course when you read the article, it reads "some Indians". Which was not apparent from the headline.

Lower gas prices send buyers after big cars again USA Today

Lower gas prices send buyers after big cars againUSA Today What short memories some people have! Of course their may have been some incredible discounting going on. So is Chrysler going to restart the Durango production? What impact will the higher margins have on the health of Chrysler and GM for selling more SUV's?

Steinway Installs World's Largest Solar Cooling System

Steinway Installs World's Largest Solar Cooling System - Press Release. I am curious on the timing/reasoning, since Piano sales are pretty dismal at the moment.

BREAKING: Obama Tax Breaks for Solar and Wind Approved!

BREAKING: Obama Tax Breaks for Solar and Wind Approved! - translation they have gotten out of committee. They still have a ways to go and a lot of negation between now and becoming law.

Layoffs clouding the solar industry

Layoffs clouding the solar industry from Marketplace.

Financing is the issue, if it's to hard to get financing places need to layoff. Sad.

How Green Is My Orange?

How Green Is My Orange? from the NY Times. Pepsi did a study, interesting. And of course since it's interactive dependent on transportation distance, one number does not quite capture it.

Ford Hybrid Update

Good article about Ford's Hybrid Chief, but what is more interesting is what it shows about the direction that Ford is going in:

Ford's Hybrid Chief Moves Ahead Special Report- Washington Post

Plug-in hybrids -- wave of the future?

Plug-in hybrids -- wave of the future? from the SF Gate

Good general overview of the current status and the comments have a lot of value.

CFL Health Tips

When CFLs Fail: How to Keep Your Compact Fluorescent Glowing from Popular Mechanics. Good article.

It would be nice to have a way to tell the different types of electronics in the CFL. The cheap magnetic resonnance type verses the solid state electronics.

Solar needs a bail out?

Solar Power, Suffering in the Recession, Needs a Bailout Too from Time Magazine.

My opinion what solar needs is for credit to be unfrozen. The question is what form would a bail out be? If as a way for people to finance solar more easier, that makes sense. The challenge is making capital productive, which does not seem to have been done with Tarp.

DC Power in China?

China Tests High-Tech Power System - from the WSJ. My guess is high voltage DC power, and China's way of establishing a national grid. Europe also has some DC power installations.

Related Posts:

• Lifeline for Renewable Power
  Gore Urges Obama to Create US Power Grid limits Renewables
• DC Power High Voltage Transmission Advantages

Solar is a bit dirty...

I will try not to be sarcastic...

Solar energy's darker side stirs concern - from the LA Times.

Electronics in general is not very clean because of the materials used. But, of course, most things when you get into the details have challenges. Even something as simple as a dairy farm has an environmental impact. This article brings up the issue what do you do with the solar panels end of life? Recycling is going to be interesting... And then there is the manufacturing process that is usually never brought up.

Solar, or the semiconductor based on, is semiconductors. This deals with exotic metals that are put on with super thin coatings that are etched. Etching means some type of acid, and what do you do with all the stuff you just etched off. Yes, semiconductors are not very clean, and they have contaminated a lot of the water in silicon valley.

Smart Grid - Surprising Support

I believe a smart grid is actually going to be funded! Why, because of this Pickens' Windmills Tilt Against Market Realities Wall Street Journal.

T. Boone Pickens has been doing a lot of politicing in favor of a smart grid and from the article, looks like he has been very successful! The smart grid is needed for his windmills. That has always been a weak area (somebody to push a smart grid), because the current stakeholders don't really care. The ones who do are the alternate energy people and for whatever reason have stayed out of this.

Gas Engines Get Upgrade in Challenge to Hybrids

Gas Engines Get Upgrade in Challenge to Hybrids from the WSJ. Exciting! This means regular cars can easily get more mileage for only a slight increase in cost! Amazing what happens when fuel efficiency becomes a higher design concern.

Prices for rooftop solar systems fall as supply grows

Prices for rooftop solar systems fall as supply grows - US Today.

Exciting News for consumers! And with the lower prices, increased demand, and more production, lower prices! A great cycle for getting more solar!

Quote that is very interesting, since I live in California!

In California, which accounts for nearly 70% of the U.S. solar market, a typical 4-kilowatt, $32,000 solar energy system cost a homeowner about $23,000 last year after state and federal incentives. This year, if prices sink as expected, that system is likely to cost $10,000 to $12,000.

New Prius Competitor

It's nice there is finally a real competitor to the Prius! This should help prices eventually...

From the NY Times - Honda Unveils a Cheaper Hybrid Challenger to Toyota’s Top-Selling Prius

Gulf Oil States Seeking a Lead in Clean Energy

Gulf Oil States Seeking a Lead in Clean Energy from the NY Times.

When everybody working on clean energy to be in the lead, when the shakeout comes, who will still be there? It's going to come down to cost eventually, and is this field that is about efficiency and technology. And of managing it effectively, as well as having the technical workforce that can make this happen. The gulf states are doing a lot of work to increase the skill level of their workforce by making deals with world class colleges around the world.

Toyota Plug-in - A year early

Told ya! Toyota Plug-In Hybrid Coming Late This Year - New York Times

My previous post - Toyota and Volt - Watch what you wish for... My thought is GM was basically taunting Toyota with the Volt, so Toyota, being Toyota, just worked a little bit harder to get their plug in out first. And doing it in the usual, super careful way - ie quality will be A+.

Death of Plasma?

EU is set to create energy requirements that will probably kill larger Plasma's in the EU due to their 4X higher energy usage. Plasma television screens set to be banned under new energy legislation from the UK Daily Mail.

Green Ham - Environmental Pork

So what is the US Gov. going to do about the impact of the credit crunch? Nobody's sure. Will they help homeowners install solar, or direct loans to manufacturers, and/or just build a smart grid alternate energy? Some type of tax credits? I hope the right use of funding is done, and not more roads to no where based on the amount of power of a state's representative/senator has in congress. Environmental Pork - I guess the term would be Green Ham.

Smart Grid in Obama Plan

Having a smart grid in Obama's revewable's plan is huge! It's been a chicken or egg issue, which comes first, improving the grid or more power. You can't improve the grid without the power being there, but you can't build the power if you won't have a grid. Very existing! Hopefully it's a DC Power Grid.

Obama renewables plan more ambitious than appears - Reuters

Related Posts:

• Lifeline for Renewable Power
• Gore Urges Obama to Create US Power
  Grid limits Renewables
  DC Power High Voltage Transmission Advantages

Solar, Solar, and Solar

Seems even more companies are jumping in, and capacity is going up. The winner for this is the consumer with lower prices... The question is it going to be a bubble or not? Like the railroads, Internet infrastructure, and ? The good thing is all these bubbles actually had a good effect since they built something...

Toyota Solar Power

Good article debunking the idea - Solar Powered Cars: Not Just Yet from the NY Times. Basically would add very little to the mileage of the car at this time. Now, if it was an external solar array that would be possible.

CFL to Halogen - Bad Comparison

The LA Times mentioned the CFL a one of the bad design trend they hope dies in 2009. The author suggested using a Halogen with a dimmer makes it better than a CFL.

That's a bit misleading...

CFL to Halogen Bulb Comparison

Positives:
2 TO 4X the life Halogens are usually 2000 hours, where a CFL is 8000. I am not sure if dimming a CFL would also extend the life.
Twice the efficiency at least (60 to 72 lumens per watt vs. 10-30 lm/W)
CFL's are not a fire danger - Halogens heat up to around 1000 Deg. F.
CFL's usually cost less than Halogens (dimmable CFL's more).

Negatives of CFL's compared to Halogen:

• Mercury
• Cheaper CFL's have poor Light Rendering
  

Varies:

• Some CFL's can be dimmed.
• Some CFL's have excellent color that are good enough for most applications.

Applications for Halogen

• Halogen - Restaurants that need perfect color, and can afford to double their electricity bill.
• Halogen - Clothing stores that need perfect color
  
• Art exhibits that don't mind the heat.
• Above Mirrors such as in bathrooms
  

CFL's

• Every place else, and if cost is more important than perfect color, in the above applications.
  

The author is an architect who is into lighting. Anyway, the article in the LA Times is a bit misleading on CFL's on their positives and negatives compared to halogen.

I used to work for International Rectifier as a Marketing Manager focusing on Lighting products, and wrote an article about DALI. DALI is a standard for controlling the dimming of fluorescent ballasts, pretty big in Europe.

Sempra solar energy project makes advances in costs

7.5 cents a kilowatt-hour! Wow! Very competitive! Benchmark is 9 cents.

Sempra solar energy project makes advances in costs from the LA Times.

Only problem is nobody is sure what the real cost is.

Clean energy jolts job markets

Clean energy jolts job markets from the LA Times.

A comment that bothers me is that President Carter squandered billions on alternate fuels. Strange comment, since today we are doing ethanol and a lot of funding into alternate fuels. Just think if the funding had continued from 1981 to now in alternate energy, instead of being started only when oil got expensive and alternate energy became an emergency.

Unfortunately, President Carter has become the President that democrats have forgotten (pretend did not exist). His comment on Israel in his recent book made him ever more politically radioactive (using the word apartheid with Israel), as did how his Presidency is perceived in popular thought. Before his recent book, President Carter had an A+ reputation of his activities after being President. One relative commented he made a better ex-President than he did President. At the recent Democratic Convention, he was not on stage or even mentioned that I remember.

Related Posts:
What If - Carter's Energy Policy

Links:
Jimmy Carter: Israel's 'apartheid' policies worse than South Africa

Flat-screen TVs to face energy-efficiency rules in California

Flat-screen TVs to face energy-efficiency rules in California from the LA Times.

Wow!
LCD -- liquid crystal display -- sets use 43% more electricity, on average, than conventional tube TVs; larger models use proportionately more. Plasma TVs, which command a relatively small share of the market, need more than three times as much power as bulky, old-style sets.

I thought these comment was pretty, umm, weak - my comment in italics.

Mike McMaster, president of Wilshire Entertainment Inc., worries that a rush to impose TV efficiency standards "would be basically the end of our business."

"It would kill dealerships because people would buy on Amazon and have them shipped in and maybe not pay sales tax," he said. "If a customer wants a 12-cylinder car or a 60-inch plasma that uses this much energy, they're going to get it."

87% of large screen TV's already meet the requirements, my guess is most Plasma Models don't and cheaper models. Plasma's weigh more than LCD's and are a better cost for larger screens, but LCD's are catching up.


"The passion is correct. The proposal is not," said Doug Johnson, senior director of technology at the Consumer Electronics Assn. in Arlington, Va. "We can accomplish this without regulation as a result of innovation and voluntary approaches."

Looking at cars, the only time that higher mileage cars have been built is when the price of gas is higher, or the government mandated fuel standards.


If 30% of televisions fail to meet standards and can't be sold, California could lose $130 million in tax revenue and 15,800 jobs, Shawn DuBravac, an economist with the Consumer Electronics Assn., testified at a Dec. 15 Energy Commission workshop.

Again, 87% of current stock meets the standard, and it should go up by 2011 because engineers will start designing for this.

Larson said. "Every dollar spent on energy efficiency returns $2 in savings,"

Over what time period? Is it a 1 year payback, or ?

Solar Cars

I read that Toyota is working on a Solar Car - Yet more solar Prius rumors from CNET. Responses I read were a little doubtful. Then I read Op-Ed: Four Ways for Detroit to Save Itself which mentions adding solar panels to a car could increase mileage 20%. Hmm... So may be solar panels on a car plus a solar charger at home is a solar car.

Lifeline for Renewable Power

Lifeline for Renewable Power from Technology Review published by MIT. Article states why a smart grid is important, and mentions the US gets less than 1% of it's power from Wind, and Germany is at 14%. Unfortunately they did not mention the easy solution of DC Power Transmission Lines!

Related Posts:

• Gore Urges Obama to Create US Power
• Grid limits Renewables
• DC Power High Voltage Transmission Advantages

Cleantech forecast: guardedly optimistic

Cleantech forecast: guardedly optimistic from the Mercury News.

Wow Quote - "You can measure in months, not years, how far we are away from being able to produce solar power at prices that are competitive with fossil fuels,"

Wind actually makes more sense than Solar right now on the cost, but I guess since not related to Silicon Valley much it did not get a lot of coverage.

Energy efficiency - I hope this becomes bigger, there is a lot of opportunity in this area.