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1. Chevy Equinox Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicle Test Drive
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2. Sanyo, Nippon Oil Team Up for Thin-film Solar Cells
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3. How Green is Your Trash?
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4. Wind Power Layoffs Blowing In
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5. Net Sucks Up More Power, But Also More Energy Efficient
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6. House Reps OK Clean Energy Tax Breaks
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7. Time to Lobby: The Next Cleantech Policy Goals
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8. The VOC-free Home - 11 Ways to Keep VOCs Out of Your Home
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9. What Are VOCs - Keep VOCs Out of Your Home
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10. Green Product Review: CVS/pharmacy Earth Essentials Aromatic Room Mists
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11. Have A Dream Green Garden - Three Eco Garden Ideas
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12. Go Green-Save Green: Save $180 On Your Heating and Cooling Bill
Chevy Equinox Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicle Test Drive
khallgeisler - Bikes & Cars
I mentioned that the Mitsubishi iMiEV was one of the most popular cars to test drive on the basement track at the 2009 Detroit Auto Show. The other was GM’s Chevy Equinox SUV powered by hydrogen fuel cells. I waited my for turn at the wheel and did a few 10-mph laps with a GM rep in the passenger seat to fill me in on the technology.
The most notable thing was that the hydrogen-powered motor was as quiet as an EV, and drove like an EV, since it basically is an EV being powered by hydrogen rather than energy stored in, say, lead-acid batteries. GM has a fleet of these Equinox SUVs on the roads right now, and customers have asked engineers to leave in the “whine” on acceleration, rather than making the vehicle perfectly silent.
Though I couldn’t test it on the 700 feet of impromptu track inside the Cobo Center, the Equinox can do 0-60 in about 12 seconds, which is similar to a Prius. The hydrogen fuel generates zero emissions, and the current generation of the technology operates without any issues from -5 degrees Fahrenheit to 113 degrees. The next generation should be usable in “normal car range,” from -40 to 130 degrees.
GM has the largest fuel cell fleet in the world being tested by consumers right now. What we need is enough solid information from GM and its testers to break the chicken-or-the-egg fuel cell impasse that we’re at now: no one wants to build the cars without fueling stations in place, and no one wants to install the fueling stations without the cars.
Image courtesy of GM.
Sanyo, Nippon Oil Team Up for Thin-film Solar Cells
Josie Garthwaite - Energy
The companies plan to invest 20 billion yen (about $225 million) building a factory for the venture, called Sanyo Eneos, and begin production by early 2011. They have slated annual production capacity to go from an initial 80 megawatts to 1 gigawatt within five years. Sanyo and Nippon said they plan to double that within a decade.
“We believe thin-film solar panels meet the needs of countries with significant land mass or deserts,” Nippon Oil president Shinji Nishio told AFP today. In other words: Asia, the Middle East, Oceania and — if President Barack Obama’s promised stimulus projects get under way — the United States.
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How Green is Your Trash?
jchait - Home & Garden
Trash audits are icky, but actually one of the easiest green home audits you can do. The point of a trash audit is to find out what’s in your trash, and to figure out ways to better dispose of the items you find.
Why do an icky old trash audit:
To be ethical: Tossing stuff into a landfill is completely irresponsible when other choices are available. You’re making a huge mess for future generations, and that’s not cool.
To help the planet: In order to keep the planet healthy, save spaces for parks, and reduce greenhouse gases, we all need to be trash aware. No matter what you hear, recycling is worth it.
To save money: Most trash companies charge by the bag or can - you CAN reduce your trash to under one bag a week - I promise you. You are tossing stuff that could be recycled. Most everyone does, even me and other green advocates. Everyone make slips and could be better. Think of how little you’ll pay for trash service with just one bag. Bonus money savings - team up with a neighbor or two. Everyone split on trash can.
To be more attractive: Your kitchen will look better without a HUGE ugly trash can. Your street would look way better without so many ugly bins. I think trash aesthetics, or their total lack of I should say, are way overlooked
To complete a trash audit:
1) Pick a week for your audit.
2) Tell everyone in the house about the audit. A trash audit really only works if everyone in the house is on board.
3) Choose your method.
Method one - easy: Toss or recycle everything like you normally do. At the end of the week grab some gloves, and sort that trash. Look for anything that got tossed that could have been recycled or composed. See how many items are being trashed, that are not actual garbage.Don’t forget to sort bathroom trash and other places you toss stuff (office, bedroom, etc.)
Method two - more involved: Instead of waiting for the end of the week, sort throughout the week. If your family is not sure what’s recyclable and what’s really trash, make a sign and place it above all the trash cans in your home. Method two is not as good, because most people can’t manage to sort it all out in one week. For a true trash audit, I suggest method one.
As you sort your trash for the audit look for items like:
Eggshells, other food items, cans and other aluminum products, any glass (broken or whole), paper anything, steel, tin, plastics that can be recycled, batteries, toilet paper packaging, other packaging, foil, and anything else that’s recyclable. Make sure you look for items like books, not so broken toys, cell phones, and other household items that may seem like trash but could be used or given to a thrift store.
How to green your trash:
- Get into composting. Even if you live in an apartment, you can compost.
- Recycle - seriously, almost anything can be recycled. There are some things that can’t be recycled but to cut down on those items, just don’t buy them.
- Learn about Recycling Hazardous Household Waste.
- Get some Greener Garbage Bags.
Next up some extra tips for a successful trash audit.
What are you tossing that could be recycled?
Wind Power Layoffs Blowing In
David Ehrlich - Big Green
Layoffs are mounting at wind companies, following in the footsteps of their solar counterparts. Carpinteria, Calif.-based Clipper Windpower is the latest, laying off 90 workers at its Ceder Rapids, Iowa, plant. Gamesa, a Madrid-based turbine maker, is laying off about 180 workers at its plant in Fairless Hills in eastern Pennsylvania, although the company is also building up operations in the western part of the state, expanding its Ebensburg facility to handle bigger, next-generation turbines.
Fargo, N.D.’s DMI Industries, part of diversified manufacturer Otter Tail Corp., announced that it’s laying off 20 percent of its workers across its three plants in North Dakota, Oklahoma, and Ontario.
And even the top dogs are feeling the pain. The head of Vestas Wind Systems, the world’s No. 1 turbine maker, recently told the Guardian that the global downturn is cutting demand for its products. The Dutch Danish company’s CEO, Ditlev Engel, said its excess manufacturing capacity has hit 15 percent, with demand falling far short of previous projections.
There’s no word on whether there could be any layoffs at Vestas, but we could find out soon when the company releases its 2008 year-end results early next month.
As for Newton, Mass.-based First Wind — it hasn’t announced any laid-off workers, but it’s still sitting on an initial public offering that it filed last August. The company has yet to set any terms in what has become a much more tumultuous marketplace since it first filed.
Image courtesy of Vestas.
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Net Sucks Up More Power, But Also More Energy Efficient
Katie Fehrenbacher - Energy
With a record number of viewers watching video streams of the presidential inauguration this week, it’s not hard to see why energy consumption of the Internet has doubled between 2000 and 2006. And it’s just going to consume more energy as greater numbers turn to the web for entertainment, news, communication and shopping and as Internet users demand faster broadband speeds.
But take a closer look at the numbers and we can see the Internet is actually getting more energy efficient. According to data from Jonathan Koomey, scientist with the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, while Internet energy use doubled from 2000 to 2006, Internet traffic has far more than doubled during that period, and has ramped up by a factor of 20 to the 5th (or 3.2 million). The reason for the discrepancy is because network technologies have gotten consistently more energy efficient per unit of data transferred over the Internet.
In geek terms that’s called “energy intensity” — or the energy used to move a gigabyte of data across the network (kWh/GB). And between 2000 and 2006 the energy intensity of the Internet decreased by an order of magnitude, says Koomey.
| Internet Electricity Use (TWh/yr) | grew by 2.2 |
|---|---|
| Low data traffic | grew by 22.5 |
| High data traffic | grew by 22.9 |
| Energy Intensity | grew by .1 |
Source: Jonathan Koomey and Cody Taylor
Partly that’s because newer networking technologies are generally more efficient. Older technologies like dialup and traditional wireline connections use 3.56 kWh per GB. Newer technologies including fiber and power lines use .77 kWh/GB, while cable uses .72 kWh/GB and DSL sips a low .17 kWh/GB. These figures don’t include the power consumption of the end-device like a laptop or a cell phone. Also remember the measurement is energy per gigabyte of data, and newer networks also transmit significantly more data than older networks.
Cisco, the largest gear provider for the Internet, has been making its network more energy efficient for years as a way to offer hardware with lower energy bills for service provider customers, and Cisco touts its switches as the first to be designated by consultancy firm Miercom to be “Certified Green” for their efficient power draw and smart power management capabilities. Cisco is also working on other energy efficiency networking standards and says they are “fully committed to providing networking solutions that lead the industry in energy efficiency.”
Most importantly a substantial drop in the energy intensity of the Internet from more efficient hardware is a solid sign that continued installation of efficient hardware could deliver a web that could actually help reduce our overall carbon footprint by replacing other carbon-emission heavy actions, for example online shopping reduces the carbon emissions from driving a car to and from the store. While many are concentrating on the rising overall power consumption of the Internet, the Internet as a carbon-reducer is a real possibility if the hardware itself can get efficient enough. (Jonathan Koomey will be giving a talk at our Green:Net conference in San Francisco on March 24th).
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House Reps OK Clean Energy Tax Breaks
Josie Garthwaite - Policy
The House Ways and Means Committee yesterday approved $20 billion in incentives for wind and solar energy projects and efficiency improvements to existing homes. Part of the economic stimulus package we covered earlier in the day, the vote came late in the afternoon. House Democrats advanced a total of $275 billion in tax cuts through the committee amid stiff opposition from outnumbered Republicans.
Once other parts of the package make their way through various House committees, the whole shebang goes to the Senate and then onto the White House.
Reuters has details on the package, which also includes credits for ethanol, hydropower and waste-to-energy plants. A few salient points on carrots for renewables and efficiency in the legislation:
- It extends the deadline by three years for wind facilities to receive the federal renewable energy production tax credit. They now have to be in place by the end of 2012 to become eligible.
- Biomass, geothermal, and tidal power projects that go into service by 2013 can qualify for the production tax credit — also a three-year extension.
- Renewable energy projects that are in place in 2009 and 2010 can claim a 30 percent investment tax credit. This means an upfront refund, rather than the production tax credit that would otherwise be payable over a 10-year period.
- Homeowners can qualify for a tax credit of up to $1,500 (30 percent of cost) for energy-conserving improvements such as more-efficient furnaces and hot water boilers.
- Wind, biomass, geothermal and tidal power facilities are given access to $1.6 billion in new bonds to finance new plants.
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Time to Lobby: The Next Cleantech Policy Goals
Jennifer Kho - policy obama rps renewableportfoliostandard capandtrade carbontax gore cleantechinvestorsummit
As President Barack Obama begins his new job, industry insiders are working to bring their favorite cleantech policy ideas to the top of the new administration's agenda.
A wide variety of options are competing for attention, with perhaps the most talked-about being a national renewable portfolio standard, which would require the country to get a certain amount of its energy from renewables, and a carbon cap-and-trade program, which would limit the amount of carbon that companies could emit and set up an auction to trade extra allowances.
Obama called for both measures during his campaign — a portfolio standard that would see the country get 10 percent of its electricity from renewables by 2012 and 25 percent by 2025, and a cap-and-trade program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 80 percent by 2050.
Others, including former vice president Al Gore, have championed the idea of a carbon tax instead of cap and trade, and the Canadian province of British Columbia put one in place last year.
Either way, at the Clean Tech Investor Summit this week in Indian Wells, Calif., a number of speakers said that putting a price on carbon is one of the most critical pieces of potential legislation on the table. "Everyone in this room has a better chance of standing up to the incumbents" if that happens, said Jason Wolf, vice president of business development for Better Place, at a panel Wednesday.
Ethan Zindler, head of U.S. research for New Energy Finance, said a good cap-and-trade program could accomplish as much as all the other clean energy supports being considered. "There is some concern that some of this becomes a little redundant, if you have the cap and trade, the [renewable portfolio standard] and then also subsidies in the form of tax credits," he said. "That's a lot of overlapping supports for clean energy. I'd argue that if you really put a good cap and trade in place, you wouldn't need those other things at all, but that's a big 'if.'"
Plenty of other pet policies also are vying for attention. Chris O’Brien, head of North American development for Oerlikon, is pushing for the inclusion of a manufacturing credit in the economic stimulus bill, which he said would encourage more manufacturing in the United States by allowing manufacturers to take advantage of the current federal tax credits.
Will Coleman, a partner at Mohr Davidow Ventures, said what's needed is funding for all the energy efficiency programs that have been set up in the last few years. He also thinks more capital should be deployed for smart grid technologies. "We've got to think big about the grid," he said.
Matt Horton, a principal at venture firm @Ventures, said he'd like to see lawmakers pay more attention to the need to improve the fueling infrastructure for biofuels. "We spent all this time and energy developing biofuels and things, and the public has zero access to them, basically, unless we figure out how to get these technologies into the public's hands," he said.
Not everyone is counting on substantial changes from Capitol Hill, however. "I've been watching the Hill too long to think that anything big will happen," said Stanford Group analyst Christine Tezak.
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The VOC-free Home - 11 Ways to Keep VOCs Out of Your Home
jchait - Home & Garden
In the last post we looked at what VOCs are. Now let’s look at some tips that can help you keep VOCs out of your home.
- Look for products that have low-VOC or no VOC labels. There’s no standard labeling system for VOCs, but many companies do make low or no VOC products. If you’re curious about standards, it pays to check out a company’s website to learn more about their ethics and VOC goals.
- Avoid aerosol products.
- Use natural air freshers.
- Buy natural beauty and health care products (soaps, cosmetics, and so on).
- Have a clean home air-make-over. There are tons of things you can do to clean the air in your home. Many of these steps naturally help limit VOC exposure.
- Learn how to properly dispose of and / or recycle hazardous household waste.
- Buy natural organic bedding and other natural and organic home textiles.
- Learn to co-exist with plants.
- If you build a home, choose a green architect and green building supplies.
- Avoid products that contain PVC. You can look for PVC-free labels or check out the PVC-free family guide.
- Buy sustainable furniture which tends to avoid things like pressed wood and particle board - both of which are heavy on the VOCs.
How are you avoiding VOCs at home?
What Are VOCs - Keep VOCs Out of Your Home
jchait - Home & Garden
Volatile organic compounds (VOCs), are gases that are emitted by various synthetic materials (both liquids and solids).
VOCs can be found in a large amount of products you may use in your home from paints to household cleaners to plastics to cosmetics to building materials and lots more. You can see a technical list of VOCs here (in pdf) or a more user friendly list of VOCs here.
Why be afraid of VOCs:
Plenty of health issues can occur from exposure to VOCs. According to the EPA the following are issues…
“Eye, nose, and throat irritation; headaches, loss of coordination, nausea; damage to liver, kidney, and central nervous system. Some are suspected or known to cause cancer in humans. Key signs or symptoms associated with exposure to VOCs include conjunctival irritation, nose and throat discomfort, headache, allergic skin reaction, dyspnea, declines in serum cholinesterase levels, nausea, emesis, epistaxis, fatigue, dizziness.”
VOCs are worse indoors than out, which is a major reason why you need to be aware or the products being used in your home. Research has found that indoor VOC levels average 2 to 5 times higher indoors than outdoor levels. Shockingly, after immediate exposure to some activities, like paint stripping, levels in your house can be up to 1,000 times greater than outdoor levels.
Not only are VOCs more problematic indoors than out, but you can be exposed even if you’re simply storing a product with high VOC levels. Many VOC laden products release the VOCs when used, but some also release them when they’re just sitting around in your cupboard.
Next up we’ll have some tips about how to limit your family’s household exposure to VOCs.
Green Product Review: CVS/pharmacy Earth Essentials Aromatic Room...
jchait - Home & Garden
Today a nice product review for your home cleaning (or I should say, scented) needs…
Product: CVS/pharmacy Earth Essentials Aromatic Room Mists available exclusively at CVS/pharmacy. These aromatic room mists come in four scents and I reviewed the following three…
Also available in Fresh Eucalyptus which I didn't try, but I'm not the biggest fan of eucalyptus so it’s a-ok.
Price: Around $4 for a 7-oz can which is an excellent price point for an eco-minded air freshener.
Eco facts:
- No animal testing.
- Uses natural essential oils.
- No propellants.
- Non aerosol.
- Recyclable container.
Ingredients listed: Purified Water, Surfactant, Fragrance, Glyceryl Caprylate.
Glyceryl Caprylate is a low hazard chemical, and it's not to worry about. I'd be concerned about the surfactants and fragrance. There are biodegradable surfactants available, but these air fresheners don’t say what kind of surfactant is used, so it could be anything. To just say “fragrance” is VERY vague. I'm not sure if they mean the essential oil, or possibly something else. Going by my nose alone, I'd assume they mean the fragrance IS the essential oil based on how these smell. The two I like, don’t smell chemical at all. They smell like essential oils. However, I hate guessing.
Product pros:
- I love the Apple + Cinnamon scented room mist.
- The Lavender + Citrus smelled great too; I didn’t like it quite as much as the Apple + Cinnamon though.
- Both of the above scents smelled natural, not like toxic cleaning products, which is how most commercial air fresheners smell to me.
- Nice soft mist of scent. When you spray this can, you get a light mist that floats around the room. No harsh squirts.
- Someone who is scent sensitive could use this lightly scented product without a problem.
- The can is recyclable.
Product cons:
- I didn't like the Sweet Rain scent at all. I can’t, for the life of me, tell you which essential oils were used to make this product. I'm not even sure I could tell you what this is scented like. It did smell chemical to me.
- I'm not sure that the lid is recyclable. I'd go ahead and toss it in the bin though.
- Obviously, I'm not pleased with their ingredient listing (see above). While they do list ingredients on their website and on the can, terms like surfactant and fragrance are too vague for an eco-product.
Pros or cons depending on your taste:
I didn't think the scents lasted very long after you sprayed them. If you compare these to say, 100% Pure Citrus Air Fresheners, these room mists are nowhere near as concentrated or long lasting.
Keep in mind though, that heavy blasts of scents can be too much. For instance, I think that the 100% Pure Citrus Lime is WAY too much scent. You spray it and a day later it's still really strong. The whole house smells like lime. The CVS scents are far less overwhelming. This pro or con comes down to personal taste. If you like light scents, the CVS air mists are perfect for you. Especially if you're using this in a small space, like the bathroom.
Overall happy tree score:
Four out of five happy trees: For both the Apple + Cinnamon scented room mist and the Lavender + Citrus room mist. I'd buy the Apple + Cinnamon mist again. I would not buy the Lavender, but only because I own so much lavender oil. This is the only Lavender room mist I've ever smelled that truly smells like essential oil vs. weird lavender. I hate the vague ingredient list, but overall, based on my nose, I'm guessing these mists aren't too toxic, if at all. I'd recommend both the above scents.
Two out of five happy trees for the Sweet Rain scented mist. If I can't tell what the heck it's made with, that's a problem for me. If it smells perfume-like, that's another problem. Overall, I can't recommend this scent. NOTE: I’ve been told by the company that Sweet Rain is the best smelling scent of all of them - go figure. Yup, I’m a rebel. With that in mind, you might want to judge for yourself at CVS.
Learn more at CVS/pharmacy (tip - hit their air freshener page)
Have you used these room mists? What do you think?
[image via CVS/pharmacy]
Have A Dream Green Garden - Three Eco Garden Ideas
jchait - Home & Garden
I’ve been saving these three links, two longer than the other, for closer to gardening season. Since it’s time to plan for organic seeds, I figured why not post these three cool garden ideas.
Balcony Gardens, Country Living in your Condo:This first link is a nice little piece on planning a super container garden. Not totally green-minded, but I like it, because one part of sustainability can be home gardens, Just because you don’t have a large yard, you shouldn’t be left out. The post covers a few basics, water sources, and boxes. A great starter if you live in an apartment or condo.
The second link is beautiful; recycled materials: eco greenhouse construction. Images of a gorgeous greenhouse made with sustainable materials. Not word heavy, but visual motivation for you hard core organic gardeners.
Lastly, a post that offers more help for you urban gardeners, a folding greenhouse set-up. It’s tight and tidy, made for small spaces. Perfect if you love to garden, but are short on space.
Now what are your garden plans for the upcoming spring season?
Go Green-Save Green: Save $180 On Your Heating and Cooling Bill
susan - Sustainable Ideas
The headlines in newspapers and blogs from coast to coast confirm what we can all feel in our pockets – Americans are digging deep to save money.
Well, dig no more — going green can save some green, too.
The key to cutting your energy bills is to keep the heat down in winter and the AC on low in summer. For every degree you lower your thermostat in winter and raise it in summer, you save at least 1% or more on your bills. And if you cut it down 10 percent all those hours you are away from the house or on vacation, the savings for the average consumer whose yearly energy bill is $2,000, can easily range from $150 to $180.
Trouble is, who remembers to do it?
Probably the only sure-fire, idiot-proof way to do keep temperatures optimal for money-savings, day and night, is to use a programmable thermostat. If you haven't got one, the $30 to $100 it costs will easily pay for itself before the first year is up.
Here's the big payoff. If you actually take advantage of the thermostat's ability to change heat and AC temperatures six or more times in the course of a day and especially when you are away from the house (yes, you can't just buy it, you have to use it – there's always a catch, right?) you can easily save $150 per year, according to the U.S. Department of Energy, without dramatic changes. More if you’re willing to pull out the woolies and layer up this winter. .
You can lower carbon emissions, lower your heating and cooling bill, and still stay toasty warm or cool as a cucumber when you're home – not bad.
Furthermore, if you get too hot or cold while you're home, you can easily manually override the settings (I didn't say hot flashes, did you?) without having to program it all over again.
Make sure to look for a thermostat with an Energy Star rating – and you'll keep those savings coming.
FOR MORE on Thermostats from your government and mine at DOE:
Energy efficiency and thermostats, go to the U.S. Dept. of Energy:
DOE info on temperature settings to use:
Photo credit: Susan Seliger (those are her bills, too)
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