meet the world’s largest wind turbine! it’s the enercon E-126 made by enercon. this beast is gigantic! The length of each rotor blade measures 413 feet (126 meters)! the first E-126 wind turbine was setup near emden, lower saxony, germany in november 0f 2007. though it’s rated to generate 6 Megawatts of power, it is expected to go much higher - up towards 7+ megawatts (20 million kilowatt hours per year). with those figures, enercon expects one e-126 wind turbine to generate enough power for 5,000 households of four in europe. awesome!
Tag Archive for 'environment'
a very interesting and informative article from tech author nicolas carr via his blog rough type titled Google, Apple and the future of personal computing. the article discusses the future of personal computing based on the developing partnership between google and apple. the future would have apple building the front end of sleek gadgets, devices, & handhelds that easily integrate with each other (phones, computers, etc) and google providing the back end of a networked supercomputer to provide the bulk of the data-processing might and storage capacity for the devices. it’s brilliant. what would such service and computer setup like this mean for the user? according to the article, computing will be cheap, highly energy efficient, very low maintenance, and it will be flexible. for more in depth info, please check out the original article (and the comments too).
ever been in a situation where you were bitten a lot by mosquitos but your friends around you were never bitten? me too! turns out i’m hella flavorful to mosquitos. no really. be sure to read the post titled Why some people are prone to mosquito bites on the telegraph.uk. quoting the article: Specific cells in one of the three organs that make up the mosquito’s nose are tuned to identify the different chemicals that make up human body odour. To the mosquito some people’s sweat simply smells better than others because of the proportions of the carbon dioxide, octenol and other compounds that make up body odour. awesome! this research will more than likely lead to developing a new generation of repellents that stop or prevent a mosqito’s nose from ever smelling (and thus detecting)a human. wow.
an exciting article over on sciencedaily covering a breakthrough in solar technology. researchers at the new jersey institute of technology (NJIT) have found a way to make inexpensive flexible solar panels that can be printed out or painted onto a surface, making them very easy to produce. awesome! lead researcher Dr. Somenath Mitra states “Someday homeowners will even be able to print sheets of these solar cells with inexpensive home-based inkjet printers. Consumers can then slap the finished product on a wall, roof or billboard to create their own power stations.” the new solar cell technology uses cylindrically shaped carbon nanotube complexes combined with tiny carbon Buckyballs (known as fullerenes) to harvest the sun’s energy. read more about the science behind the new solar panels at sciencedaily or at the NJIT website.
i am really liking the homebrew biodiesel processors for sale over at biodiesel warehouse. for the price of a new laptop ($2,000) you can get a complete biodiesel processing system that generates 55 gallons of biodiesel fuel in just 3 hours of hands-on processing time. if you’re not liking the hands-on approach, they offer a fully automated biodiesel processor model costing $7,000 but there’s no measuring or mixing of materials required (processes 50 gallons of fuel in about 60 hours). so nice to see these alternative fuel systems becoming much more accessible to the general public.
scientists at rice university’s Center for Biological and Environmental Nanotechnology (CBEN) have made a breakthrough in cheaper solar cells: make them out of quantum dots. the breathrough comes through the use of quantum dots and the recipe for stable development of four legged quantum dots called tetrapods. quoting principle investigator Michael Wong:
“Our work knocks down a big barrier in developing quantum-dot-based photovoltaics as an alternative to the conventional, more expensive silicon-based solar cells.”
the essence of the new quantum dot recipe developed by CBEN produces quantum dots where more than 90 percent are tetrapods (which are many times more efficient at converting sunlight into electricity). the new process is cheaper and safer than previous methods too. read more on about this via rice university’s article. and you can read more information on quantum dots here via a 1999 article at lawrence livermore national labs.
great article on sfgate by carol lloyd titled ‘small houses challenge our notions of need as well as minimum-size standards.’ it features a home built by jay shafer that’s only 96 square feet in size. brings up the idea of space and how much space one needs or thinks they need to live. you can see more of jay’s work and houses via his website called tumbleweed tiny house company. very cool!
a great post on neatorama called the ten most significant trees in the world. even you know of some equally significant & noteworthy trees deserving the same title, it’s a really great list. i learned about the quaking aspen (amazing!), the two oldest trees in the world, and the super fat baobab tree of madagascar, thanks neatorama!
are you drinking non-organic milk or eating non-organic dairy products? please stop. chances are the milk and dairy products you are consuming contain a gift from monsanto (the makers of round-up, agent orange, and nutrasweet /aspartame) called rBST - or Recombinant Bovine Somatotropin (also rBGH). and you should avoid anything with rBST like the plague. although legal in the united states, rBST has been banned in the EU, canada, japan, and other nations due to tests that show it’s link to cancer. monsanto’s own tests on rats showed this but those results were excluded from the report to the FDA. and monsanto has gone out of it’s way to suppress that information, as well as suppress the labeling of milk & dairy containing rBST. please watch this youtube clip from the movie The Corporation titled Fox News Kills Monsanto Milk Story (embedded movie below). more info at alternet.org and foxBGHsuit.com. more about the absolutely evil monsanto via the organic consumers association website. avoid any dairy with rBST. support organic dairy farmers by purchasing organic milk and diary products.
very cool to read this: scientists at Purdue University have developed a portable generator that turns garbage and trash into electricity. the generator, referred to as a ‘tactical refinery’ (yes, it was developed for the US military) is the roughly the size of a moving van (larger, hi-res picture here). the tactical refinery converts different types of waste and garbage to fuel via two parallel processes and burns the different fuels it creates in a diesel engine. quoting Michael Ladisch, scientist and lead on the tactical biorefinery project: “At any place with a fair amount of food and scrap waste the biorefinery could help reduce electricity costs, and you might even be able to produce some surplus energy to put back on the electrical grid,.” also, much of the generator’s combust/exhaust is carbon neutral. from the article:
The tactical biorefinery first separates organic food material from residual trash, such as paper, plastic, Styrofoam and cardboard. The food waste goes to a bioreactor where industrial yeast ferments it into ethanol, a “green” fuel. Residual materials go to a gasifier where they are heated under low-oxygen conditions and eventually become low-grade propane gas and methane. The gas and ethanol are then combusted in a modified diesel engine that powers a generator to produce electricity.
on a greater scale, i could see these tactical refineries set up in housing districts where people can go to convert their garbage into electricty for their neighborhoods and home. i want it now!
here’s a very nice environmentally friendly vehicle from the french company venturi electric called the eclectic (great pics & forum post on the dexigner website too). deemed the ‘first energy autonomous vehicle‘ it is powered using 100% renewable energy: solar and wind. the eclectic is 1st solar production vehicle and it is the 1st production vehicle that can be directly recharged with a personal wind turbine. this means that the eclectic can access the energy needed to power it by deploying its wind turbine, using solar cells or, if necessary, find a simple electric plug (which can also use solar energy). no oil or fossil fuels (gas, coal) needed. the eclectic will have a range of 31 miles (50 kilometers) and a top speed of 31 mph (50 kph) making it best for urban travel and campus areas. more photos and info on the venturi eclectic website. via treehugger via dexigner.
the greenfestival is in san francsico this weekend. november 10 - 12 at the concourse exhibition center on 8th st & brannan. i’ll be there today checking everything out. there’ll be workshops and talks on organic foods & farming, eco-building & building green, sustainability, and a whole lot more. plus, working assests has a discounted admission ticket available online. you should go!
rather discouraging report on the BBC website titled ‘Only 50 Years Left’ for sea fish, which talks of a report on the declining fish stocks in the earth’s oceans. the report is for the journal Science and is the work of an international team of researchers and scientists. The great decline in fish stocks is largely due to the broader loss of marine biodiversity. quoting steve palumbi from stanford university (one of the scientists on the project):
“Unless we fundamentally change the way we manage all the ocean species together, as working ecosystems, then this century is the last century of wild seafood.”
in the report, experiments performed in small, relatively contained ecosystems show that reductions in fish and marine life diversity tend to bring reductions in the size and robustness of local fish stocks. This implies that loss of biodiversity is driving the declines in fish stocks seen in the large-scale studies. But data gathered from areas where fishing has been either banned or heavily restricted was promising, showing that protection of fishing areas though ‘no fish zones’ and marine sanctuaries brings back biodiversity and helps to restore fish populations.
my savvy friend margaret sports a very cool looking handbag. turns out it’s a freitag bag, made from recycled large vinyl truck tarps used for truck siding, car seat belts, bicycle inner tubes, and used car airbags. the tarps are colorful as they have bright advertisements printed on them. and durable too as they have to withstand heavy wind, rain, and sun. freitag has a great bag cutter application (links to flash) for custom bags on their site too. their work seems to have inspired other designers to creatively recycle vinyl, instead of throwing it out or producing more new vinyl (vinyl/PVC is way baaad for the environment and considered a human carcinogen). the freitag site is built in using frames, but worth checking out.
good news for longer lasting & better battery power - without the battery. researchers at MIT have placed a tiny gas-turbine engine inside a silicon chip about the size of a quarter. the tiny engines could ‘power a person’ and all their electronic devices (laptops, cell phones, etc.) up to 10X longer than a battery of the same weight and size. the engine components (compressor, a combustion chamber, etc.) where built by MIT researchers using etched silicon wafers piled up and bonded together. When the wafers are assembled, the surfaces and the spaces in between produce the needed engine features and functions. To make this process more less costly, 60 to 100 components are made on a large silicon wafer which is then cut apart into single units. found via physorg and boingboing.
very cool company that recycles car tires and turns them into highly functional & modular sidewalks. rubbersidewalks is bringing a rubber sidewalk to a city near you. the rubber sidewalk sections are modular & install much like pavers. unlike concrete sections, these sections for sidewalk area to be lifted up for tree root repair and then re-installed. so simple. and it keeps tires out of landfill.
interesting post on treehugger around the hype & subject of who killed the electric car. the article covers a recent post to a usenet group detailing problems with the electric car, indicating it’s death was maybe a mercy killing. the usenet poster allegedly worked for GM while the EV1 was in production and lists the numerous customer complaints and problems with the electric car. some of the issues …
The range of 130 miles is bogus. None of them ever achieved that under normal driving conditions. Running the air conditioning or heater could halve that range. Even running the headlights reduced it by 10%.
Lessees were complaining that their electric bills had increased to the point that they’d rather be using gasoline.
Home electrical systems simply couldn’t handle the necessary current draw for “fast” charging.
ouch. seems to take issue with a lot of the points brought up in the movie Who Killed The Electric Car? still, technology moves forward. taking into account the ability to set up a home solar charging station, better NiMH battery systems and options available, and the cost of gas, i’d very much prefer that ride over my gas car any day. one month after GM bought the Hummer from AM General, they discontinued building the EV1s. i just can’t respect that.
… now with grass! check out this grass lined wheel design project (also via spacing) done by four architecture students of the dalhousie school of architecture in halifax, nova scotia. the project wanted to comment on access to green spaces in an urban environment and the north american obsession with manicured lawns. to me this is a great take on our over emphasis on efficiency as applied to being outdoors (sort of like those popular indoor wave surf parks - experience the outdoors with all the safety of being indoors & none of the hassle of actually going outdoors). very cool. via treehugger.
from the environmental association of nova scotia comes this helpful website: a guide to less toxic products. this guide helps to find & identify products which are least toxic then other brands and items available, ranging from cleaning supplies, mattresses, personal care, and more. link found via treehugger.
wanting to be all environmentally conscious and switch out your energy & cash eating incandescent bulbs for efficient and longer lasting compact flourescents? good! but you find your still stuck with using incandescent bulbs for any lights on dimmer switches? well, you are stuck no more. greenlite is a canadian company that makes and manufactures a 23 watt dimmable compact flourescent bulb. and there’s also litetronics that makes a 3 watt dimmable flourescent bulb too! they are pricey, but over time they will save lots of money. and use much less energy. link via meta-efficient.
what the heck is a counter rotating ring receiver reactor recuperator, or CR5 for short? it’s an invention in the works with a whole new way to make hydrogen to power automobiles and homes. created by inventor Richard Diver, the CR5 invention splits water into hydrogen and oxygen, using a two-step thermochemical process. plans for a prototype CR5 are in the works. original link via treehugger.
check out this amazing and disturbing photo essay by brendan corr called End of the Line. it deals with the dangerous and hazardous work of ship breaking, the piece by piece dismanteling of those gigantic cargo ships, naval vessels, and cruise liners. now almost all of this highly toxic and hazardous work takes place asian countries, mostly in India, Bangladesh, Turkey, China, and Pakistan. workers are often exposed to high levels of asbestos, heavy metals, and other contaminants. greenpeace has been involved in effective activism and campaigns to stop western nations from exporting ‘end of life’ toxic ships to poorer countries. greenpeace has even spotlighted 50 toxic ships, including the Pacific Princess - a.k.a. the love boat, in their campaign.
wow. from treehugger, a great post on a stylish little diesel powered car that get 157 miles per gallon. hello! the car is called the Loremo AG. it weighs less than a thousand pounds, seats 4, diesel fuel powered (no hybrid technology), aerodynamic, has a modest 2-cylinder, 20 hp turbo engine, a top speed of 100 mph, and does 0-60 mph in ten seconds. no, it’s not a sports car. but who the fuck cares? did i mention it gets 157 miles per gallon? oh, and is anticipated to cost around $13,000? i’m sold. it hits the european market (wah!) in 2009. so cool!
giantmonster does love all things yeti. so when we heard reports that a lobster with white furry arms had been discovered, we knew two things: 1) aliens have been breeding sasquatches with other earth species (you knew that though). and 2) someone somewhere would get around to calling this new found hairy crustacean a type of yeti (if not, at least half-italian). behold - the yeti crab! found south of easter island near an underwater thermal vent. bbc news has the biggest photo i’ve seen so far.
so .. a thought. ever since a swarm of bees made it’s home inside one of the walls of my house 2 years ago (this is common for old houses i guess) i’ve been thinking about being an apiarist (a beekeeper, yo! raising honey bees ‘n shit). not with the bees in my living room walls - no. those bees were safely taken away by a beekeeper a while back. raising bees is just a thought. and also a damn fine reason to invest in a rad costume for my honeybee-raising business! hell yeah! but would raising bees on a rooftop or backyard be doable when i move back to SF, or any major city for that matter? apparently so. according to a study by a French beekeepers’ association, city bees are healthier and more productive than country bees. from the BBC news article:
Urban bees enjoy higher temperatures and a wider variety of plant life for pollination, while avoiding ill-effects of pesticides, the study said.
who knew? anyway, this news makes me happy.
in mexico, missouri, a new biodiesel plant is scheduled to open in november of 2006. the $27 million plant, will turn soybeans into diesel fuel and add 30 million gallons of biodiesel to the 25 million gallons currently produced in missouri. that will make it the largest biodiesel plant in the world. currently the state of iowa has the largest biodiesel plant, with production at 37.5 million gallons per year. of course, if you have a diesel and some time, you can always make your own biodiesel. or just use vegetable oil.
found this on Treehugger.com: Eco-Cement! sustainable cement products made by TecEco. according to the folks at TecEco, the secret formula (and addition of magnesium oxide) means their eco-cement & bricks take less energy to produce. and, it reduces landfill by turning “virtually any solid waste†into concrete. but there’s more: for up to a year, eco-Cement absorbs carbon dioxide from the air. all around, eco-cement is easier to recycle, uses less energy, reduced CO2, and reduces landfill. i hope this process really takes off!
really amazing photographs by Poul Beckmann of some even more amazing beetles and bugs! check out Living Jewels when you get a chance. the beetles are quite beautiful. you can buy books and prints as well. nice stuff. the beetle photos are Copyright 2004 Poul Beckmann.
did i say satan? i meant to say Monsanto, global corporate agri-chem giant, maker of agent orange, and enemy to small local farmers around the world. well, it’s the same thing really. i saw this headline and felt very sad: Brazil legalizes genetically modified crops. ouch! also learned that Brazil is the second largest producer of soy in the world. this will effect all of the world. but if the gm-crops are used only for the production of alternative fuels then it may be okay. but again, it is monsanto.