Aug 2
Washington Post Speaks "the Truth About Global Warming"
Photo via CleanTechnica
After I spent a good chunk of the morning penning a criticism of mainstream media’s difficulty in covering climate change — particularly, this New York Times piece that’s drawn the ire of green blogs everywhere — I feel that it’s only fair to give credit where it’s due. See, the Washington Post also pub…
Visit the original post at: TreeHugger
Aug 2
Washington Post Speaks "the Truth About Global Warming"
Photo via CleanTechnica
After I spent a good chunk of the morning penning a criticism of mainstream media’s difficulty in covering climate change — particularly, this New York Times piece that’s drawn the ire of green blogs everywhere — I feel that it’s only fair to give credit where it’s due. See, the Washington Post also pub…
Visit the original post at: TreeHugger
Aug 2
Washington Post Speaks "the Truth About Global Warming"
Photo via CleanTechnica
After I spent a good chunk of the morning penning a criticism of mainstream media’s difficulty in covering climate change — particularly, this New York Times piece that’s drawn the ire of green blogs everywhere — I feel that it’s only fair to give credit where it’s due. See, the Washington Post also pub…
Visit the original post at: TreeHugger
Aug 2
Sanyo’s New Battery Factory Can Make 1 Million Lithium-Ion Cells Per Month
Sanyo showing off its solar panels. Photo: Sanyo
That’s a Lot of Batteries
Sanyo has announced the completion of its brand-spanking-new battery factory in Kasai city, Hyogo prefecture, Japan. There it will make lithium-ion batteries for hybrid and electric vehicles, bringing Sanyo closer to its goal being a dominant player in the EV market. “The factory will start with a production capacity of 1 million cells per month, with the aim to expand the production scale depending on demand.” The company’s current partners when it comes to li-ion batteries are the Volkswagen group an…
Visit the original post at: TreeHugger
Aug 2
Sanyo’s New Battery Factory Can Make 1 Million Lithium-Ion Cells Per Month
Sanyo showing off its solar panels. Photo: Sanyo
That’s a Lot of Batteries
Sanyo has announced the completion of its brand-spanking-new battery factory in Kasai city, Hyogo prefecture, Japan. There it will make lithium-ion batteries for hybrid and electric vehicles, bringing Sanyo closer to its goal being a dominant player in the EV market. “The factory will start with a production capacity of 1 million cells per month, with the aim to expand the production scale depending on demand.” The company’s current partners when it comes to li-ion batteries are the Volkswagen group an…
Visit the original post at: TreeHugger
Aug 2
Stephen Colbert Finds "Missing" Gulf Spill Oil (Video)
Image via Indecision Forever
Last week, one of the dominant narratives in the news coverage of the BP Gulf spill was that all the oil from the nearly 200 million gallon spill had just up and disappeared. Good thing Stephen Colbert wasn’t buying the line — he looked a little harder and found all that supposedly “missing” oil. …
Visit the original post at: TreeHugger
Aug 2
Scientists trace where sea life is … and isn’t
The oceans around Australia and Japan boast the greatest diversity of sea life on the planet, but the now oil-threatened Gulf of Mexico also ranks in the top five regions for variety of species.
Gulf of Mexico – Japan – Species – Australia – Marine biology
Visit the original post at: MSNBC.com: Environment
Aug 2
BP Could Start ‘Static Kill’ to Plug Oil Well Tonight
Photo: US Coast Guard, public domain.
The End of the Beginning?
The cap has held for 18 days, and now BP’s technicians and engineers are doing tests to figure out if they’ll be able to start pumping heavy drilling mud, and possibly cement, into the oil well. This would be the first step – called the ‘static kill’ – which would be followed 5 to 7 days later by the ‘bottom kill’, which is the injection of more mud and cement via a relief well. If these two things work, the well will be permanently sealed and that particular nightmare will finally be over (but there will be a lot left to do)….
Visit the original post at: TreeHugger
Aug 2
Nascar Goes Solar At Pocono
Long Pond, Pennsylvania (CNN) — Forget about Philadelphia — Brandon Igdalsky hopes it’s always sunny in the Poconos.
Igdalsky, the president of Pocono Raceway, along with track CEO John “Doc” Mattioli and their families, officially opened the track’s 25-acre solar farm this weekend. When fully operational, the farm will produce between 3 million to 4 million kilowatt hours per year. It will provide all of the power for the track, and will also add electricity to the local power grid.
“Several hundred thousand dollars a year is what our electric bill is,” said Igdalsky, standing next to one of 39,690 solar panels on the farm. “We’re spending almost $16 million to put this project in. We’re not going to have an electric bill anymore, and we’ll also be benefiting the grid when we’re not drawing power and supplying energy to the grid that will go to our neighbors’ homes … almost close to a thousand homes with this project.”
“We started thinking about it about five years ago,” said Mattioli. “I read about solar energy and I had the idea [to put] the panels on top of our grandstand, the building, and all the garage buildings.”
After research, track officials determined that a parking lot adjacent to the track would be the best placement for the panels.
The solar farm sprung into action this weekend with a visit by NASCAR’s top racing circuit, the Sprint Cup Series, as well as the Camping World Truck Series and ARCA circuits.
“This is the largest solar project, [the] largest renewable energy project at any stadium anywhere in the world — not just America, but the world. We’re the largest solar plant in Pennsylvania; [the] tenth largest in the country,” Igdalsky said.
The solar power system was developed by enXco, a company that creates, constructs, and operates renewable energy projects throughout the United States.
“All the power that’s being supplied to the garages, all those electric tools that they’re using is plugged into our outlets,” Igdalsky said. “We’re providing power for all the lights, the water pumps, the heaters, the air conditioners, all the computers that are running, anything that is plugged-in out there to the buildings. … If you’re plugged into an outlet in there, you’re using solar energy.”
Aug 2
Make Your Own Solar Generator for Your RV
*** Editor: Here’s an informative article for you RVers out there. Need a solar generator for your RV?
Thinking About Making a DIY Solar Generator For Your RV?
By Kieran Gracie
Recreational Vehicles (RVs) are designed to give you the freedom of the open road. In theory you can drive anywhere the mood takes you, but often you are restricted to official camp sites because you need somewhere to plug in and recharge your batteries. Even if you use your batteries sparingly to work on-board appliances you will still find they will need recharging from time to time – usually more often than you had planned! And beware, regularly flattening a battery will shorten its life considerably. But there is now an attractive option – solar panels for RV – that will give you true flexibility to go where you want, and they can be made easily and for very little money.
RVs can be fitted with generators, but these tend to be noisy and smelly. Nowadays solar panels or portable solar generators are often fitted to provide all or most of your electrical requirements without damaging your battery, and literally anybody can put these together in their backyard. If you have a fuel-powered generator you can keep it as a backup – much less wearing on the ears and pocket. Keep that generator for powering the lights at your next outdoor party!
Portable solar panels can be easily stored if foldable, and they are usually quite light and easy to move. A single 4ft x 2 ft solar panel will produce about 75 to 100 watts, which is about equal to a pair of golf cart batteries. This would probably be sufficient for a typical 24ft RV but it would depend, of course, on your own electrical needs. Most RVs use less than 400 watts. Perhaps start with a couple of solar panels, and fit some more as needed.
There are some additional things you will need if you will be driving regularly in hot climates. You will need a solar-powered battery charger with battery temperature compensation to prevent overcharging of, and damage to, your batteries. Also, solar panels on the roof of an RV can get very warm, which can affect their efficiency and can lead to voltage drops. Ensure that your solar panels have a rating of at least 17 volts to to stop this becoming a problem. These are just some things to keep in mind.
You will see a range of kits for RV solar panels on the market, but note how costly they are. We thoroughly recommend the make-it-yourself route. It is easy and fun and well within the competence of every oxygen-breathing adult, even the ham-fisted ones! And much cheaper than buying a kit.
What you will need, however, is expert advice before you start to build a diy solar generator, otherwise you will probably waste a lot of time and effort doing research and not necessarily doing the job properly. Don’t worry, professional advice and step-by-step instructions are rel=nofollow [http://buildthingsdirect.com/]readily available if you know the right source, and only cost a few bucks. We believe this is a good investment.
Author: Kieran Gracie
Website: http://buildthingsdirect.com
Our aim is to provide in one place a number of building projects for backyards and gardens, such as sheds, chicken coops, log cabins, wind turbines, solar water heaters for houses and swimming pools, solar panels and other easy step-by-step guides for the amateur and professional alike. There is more information about making solar panels for rv and portable solar generators on our website.
Aug 2
Fuel Cells Come to South Africa via Clean Energy Incorporated
In September 2008, I had talked about how South Africa had started pushing their native mined platinum for fuel cells. South Africa currently produces roughly 80-percent of the world’s platinum resources.
A month ago I had talked about how South Africa had dropped the ball in regard to introducing the world to hydrogen fuel cells in that country during the World Cup 2010 event. This would have been the perfect high profile venue to promote South Africa’s intention of capturing 25-percent of the fuel cell platinum market by the year 2020.
After this opportunity has passed, a new corporation has formed called Clean Energy Incorporated that will take advantaged of South Africa’s vast platinum mining resources and develop a market for fuel cells within that country. At first the corporation will concentrate on the stationary fuel cell marketplace.
It’s not much of a stretch, however, to see that South African platinum may end up in fuel cell vehicles as well. While it’s true that scientists, researchers and engineers are working feverishly to reduce or eliminate platinum in fuel cells, using cheaper alternatives it is also true that unless there is a significant breakthrough, platinum will still be used for years to come in some types of fuel cells.
This could be a case of “too little, too late” for South Africa in the platinum for fuel cells market or it could be a case of “just in time”. The future will only tell how this plays out in the quickly emerging field of hydrogen fuel cells.
Aug 2
Fuel Cells Come to South Africa via Clean Energy Incorporated
In September 2008, I had talked about how South Africa had started pushing their native mined platinum for fuel cells. South Africa currently produces roughly 80-percent of the world’s platinum resources.
A month ago I had talked about how South Africa had dropped the ball in regard to introducing the world to hydrogen fuel cells in that country during the World Cup 2010 event. This would have been the perfect high profile venue to promote South Africa’s intention of capturing 25-percent of the fuel cell platinum market by the year 2020.
After this opportunity has passed, a new corporation has formed called Clean Energy Incorporated that will take advantaged of South Africa’s vast platinum mining resources and develop a market for fuel cells within that country. At first the corporation will concentrate on the stationary fuel cell marketplace.
It’s not much of a stretch, however, to see that South African platinum may end up in fuel cell vehicles as well. While it’s true that scientists, researchers and engineers are working feverishly to reduce or eliminate platinum in fuel cells, using cheaper alternatives it is also true that unless there is a significant breakthrough, platinum will still be used for years to come in some types of fuel cells.
This could be a case of “too little, too late” for South Africa in the platinum for fuel cells market or it could be a case of “just in time”. The future will only tell how this plays out in the quickly emerging field of hydrogen fuel cells.
Aug 2
Fuel Cells Come to South Africa via Clean Energy Incorporated
In September 2008, I had talked about how South Africa had started pushing their native mined platinum for fuel cells. South Africa currently produces roughly 80-percent of the world’s platinum resources.
A month ago I had talked about how South Africa had dropped the ball in regard to introducing the world to hydrogen fuel cells in that country during the World Cup 2010 event. This would have been the perfect high profile venue to promote South Africa’s intention of capturing 25-percent of the fuel cell platinum market by the year 2020.
After this opportunity has passed, a new corporation has formed called Clean Energy Incorporated that will take advantaged of South Africa’s vast platinum mining resources and develop a market for fuel cells within that country. At first the corporation will concentrate on the stationary fuel cell marketplace.
It’s not much of a stretch, however, to see that South African platinum may end up in fuel cell vehicles as well. While it’s true that scientists, researchers and engineers are working feverishly to reduce or eliminate platinum in fuel cells, using cheaper alternatives it is also true that unless there is a significant breakthrough, platinum will still be used for years to come in some types of fuel cells.
This could be a case of “too little, too late” for South Africa in the platinum for fuel cells market or it could be a case of “just in time”. The future will only tell how this plays out in the quickly emerging field of hydrogen fuel cells.
Aug 2
Lithium Stocks Directory for Investors following Mining Stocks and Green Stocks
August 2, 2010 (Investorideas.com Mining Stocks Newswire) Investor Ideas and its leading mining and green investor portals (www.gold-miningstocks.com and www.renewableenergystocks.com) provide investors following developments in lithium stock a directory of publicly traded lithium companies to research and trade the sector.
