Green Technology, Climate Change, and the U.S. and China

The US and China are linked through climate change to a greater extent than most people think. This is due to the fact that the two countries combined contribute to over 40% of global greenhouse emissions. Orville Schell of the Center on U.S.-China Relations at New York’s Asia Society warned that relations between these two countries are at great risk of being derailed by the US congress. This could impact the United States’ edge on green technology, carbon sequestration, electric vehicles and even alternative energy. “The biggest roadblock to closer relations between the U.S. and China is the U.S. Congress. China because of its authoritarian government can both form, plan, and effect policy much more readily than the United States can. With Obama and his people-perhaps we’ve never had a more brilliant group-but they could run right into Congress,” he said.

Schell also warned that US fears of losing proprietary technology could ultimately end up damaging the future of American Technology. “When it comes to building the green economy, the U.S. is paralyzed by a fear that our intellectual property will be stolen. But what instead may actually happen is that we will miss the chance to take it to China-and eventually they will get it from somewhere else.” Schell also cited the fact that China is moving rapidly in terms of climate change. He went on to point out that they have already installed electric vehicles in their major city’s public transportation systems. Pointing out that China is also a leader in wind turbine production and photovoltaic cells he said “the opportunity now is to collaborate.”

Almost Half of Americans Would Buy Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles

A recent study by Pike Research says that 48% of Americans would purchase a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) with a 40 mile charge. Interestingly, the results revealed that only a mere 8 percent of the surveyed persons were uninterested in the purchase of a PHEV. The PHEVs promise dramatic improvements in fuel economy and come from the convergence of two technologies: HEVs and lithium ion batteries.

The report analyzed the emerging plug-in hybrid electric vehicle market focusing on business issues and demand drivers, technology issues, relevant infrastructure, regulatory standard, government incentives and also assessed PHEV programmes. The development of PHEVs is largely due to government incentives and an increasing consumer demand. In the US, improved fuel economy is largely encouraged, while Europe charges high fuel taxes and has imposed limits on vehicle emissions.

Pike Research’s report says that by 2015, the US would be the largest market for HEVs and PHEVs, and estimates sales of 640,000 vehicles of both categories. China is in an estimated second place, with over 500,000 hybrid vehicles to be sold that very year. Pike Research also anticipates that by 2015, a total of 1.7 million PHEVs will be on roads worldwide.

In August 2008, US President, Barack Obama kicked off an ‘energy week’ talking of dramatic auto technology proposals, saying he hoped to see one million PHEVs and HEVs by 2015, which is a long shot from Pike’s estimations. Obama’s proposals included the following:

– $4 billion in tax credits to American automakers to retool plants for the production of plug-in hybrid cars capable of 150 miles to the gallon

– $7,000 tax credit for consumers purchasing early model plug-in vehicles

– 50% of all cars purchased by the federal government would be plug-in hybrids or all-electric by 2012

Driving Force: Harvesting Kinetic Energy from Passing Cars

Innovators restlessly think up new and ‘greener’ ways to harness power to fuel our world. The push to make and use greener energy sources is larger than ever, and is focused on thermal, hydroelectric, solar and wind power. Sainsbury, a UK grocery chain to fuel checkout, uses kinetic power from their parking lots.

The new location which opened in Gloucester in June 2009 was installed with a number of kinetic energy plates in their parking lot. This means, that every single time a car drives over the plates the motion creates energy. This energy is stored and thus provides power to the fuel checkout stands. Grocery chain sources say the plates are capable of supplying 30kWh of energy per hour. Keep in mind, that this kind of kinetic-energy collecting does not come free; yes, it does mean the car uses up more fuel at each bump, which of course is a small amount. This though is not negligible as most cars still use eco-unfriendly fossil fuels – making each trip to this location a little taxing on the environment. However, making the assumption that the plates are used in place of speed bumps which are quite frequently found in supermarket parking lots, then, the amount of energy used up by the car is almost the same.

Kinetic energy plates is just one way Sainsbury’s is using greener energy sources. The Gloucester Quays location has a rainwater collection system which it uses to flush its toilets, the store has large windows to let in natural light, reducing dependency on artificial lighting and also uses solar thermal panels to heat the store’s water during the summer.

San Francisco Gets Smart with Green Technology

Walk down Pier 96 on San Francisco Bay, and you will hear the roar of a great, big, smelly machine. No matter how odd it looks, it organizes close to 750 tons of waste every day, turning them into neat cubes of plastic, paper and metal. This is part of San Francisco’s efforts to use technology and ingenuity to turn the city into one of America’s greenest. This is a move adopted by most innovative companies as well: cut costs, solve problems and improve customers/citizens lives.

Branded as ‘smart cities’ – communities such as this embrace technology in a bid towards achieving efficiency in mobility, construction, energy and transportation via the use of digital or green technology. One such ‘smart city’ is Stockholm, which uses sensors, software and computer networks to monitor peak traffic periods. Another is Shanghai which has the world’s first low-pollution magnetic railway. It transports passengers at more than 100mph. Massachusetts has plans to install 300 wind turbines in its towns and cities.

The use of technology in San Francisco is mainly to address environmental issues. Other initiatives include: low carbon emission busses tracked by a GPS system, the bus wirelessly feeds data to a central computer. Software sends estimated bus arrival times to low-power LED displays at a handful of solar-power bus stops. Emails can be checked at bus stops using free Wi-Fi. Apple iPhone users can obtain information on the closest recycling or trash disposal facility, using a specially built application. San Francisco has extremely tough regulations for recycling, including fines for non-recyclers which rakes in a recycling rate of 72%. The city also will soon introduce smart cars, scooters and motorize bicycles.

Google’s Green Efforts Increasingly Homegrown

Internet search engine giant Google, has taken on the challenge to be greener and has started developing their own green technology. The reason behind this move is because Google could not find sufficient investment opportunities to achieve their goal of spending hundreds of millions of dollars on a technology to find a renewable energy source for electricity that is cheaper than coal. Therefore rather than waiting for better ideas to come along, the company has decided to find its own solutions such as better mirrors for solar thermal plants and solar powered turbines for generating electricity.

One of the major breakthroughs is that Google engineers have found a way to reduce the cost of heliostats, the mirrors used in solar thermal plants by making the mirrors and their mounts using unusual materials. “Typically, what we’re seeing is $2.50 to $4 a watt capital cost. So a 250-megawatt installation would be $600 million to a $1 billion,” said Bill Weihl, Google’s Green Energy Czar. “It’s a lot of money.” He also went on to state that the turbines that Google’s engineers are modifying are actually gas turbines that are being engineered to run on solar power instead of natural gas.

Solar Powered Skins for iPhone and iPod Touch

iPhone and iPod users will soon have a new way to charge their Apple gadgets and reduce their carbon footprint at the same time. This is will be possible thanks to the newest iPhone and iPod accessory by NovoThink. The company has released a skin with an integrated solar cell that is capable of charging a device using 100% solar power.

The company states that 2 hours of direct sunlight will give the device the capability to provide about 30 minutes of talk time over 3G network and about 60 minutes talk time over a 2G network. The device also comes with a solar planner in order to assess what your solar needs are in order to fully charge your gadget. This application eliminates having to guess how many hours of sunlight you need to fully charge your device. The device is set to cost around $70 and will be available in October. Although a little pricey, the device will protect your favorite device and also charge it for you off the grid, saving you money and keeping your footprint low. The other plus point is that since it is specifically made for Apple gadgets it will fit perfectly.

New Energy Star for TVs Calls for Better Efficiency, Smaller Sizes

On September 3, 2009 the Energy Star for TVs standards was released forcing manufacturers to up efficiency and keep sizes at high priority if they want the coveted label. In May 2010, the Version 4 sticker insists on a 40 percent increase in efficiency over TVs sold, while the Version 5 sticker due to come out in May 2012 requires a 65 percent increase. These new ratings reflect energy consumed when the TV is in ‘ON mode’ as well as in ‘OFF mode’ but downloading programming information.

The new ratings are detrimental to the sale of large TVs as it requires any TV over 50 inches to meet the same ‘ON mode’ requirements as a 50 inch TV, which is 108kW. The cover letter released with the Energy Star for TVs standards on technical specifications makes it clear that large TVs are not environmentally friendly.

A company source stated, “The issue in this case is what TV sizes can the federal government credibly designate as preferable from an energy and environmental perspective. This has become an important issue as the sizes of TVs and energy use continues to grow.”
The new Energy Star labels make it more difficult to qualify for it, aiming to up efficiency on all TV models. In the United States, televisions account for four percent of all household’s use of electricity. EPA statistics show that the there are 275 million TVs in use in the US which consume 50 billion kWh per year – which is enough to power all houses in New York for a year.

Electric Car-Charging Network Expands

Ecotality, a Scottsdale, Arizona firm has linked up with Nissan and BP America, securing a $108 million in federal and state grants this summer to build networks of electric car charge stations in major metropolitan markets. The State of California recently meted out $8 million to Ecotality to deploy its network in San Diego, which is one of five designated test regions. The others are Nashville, Phoenix/Tucson, Portland and Seattle.In early 2009, the company also announced a partnership with B.C. Hydro to develop planning guidelines for an electric vehicle infrastructure in British Columbia.

Starting in 2010, Ecotality plans to market 5,000 Nissan Leaf electric vehicles and install 12,750 charge stations in urban areas and at strategic locations on highways. The company will also assess local grid systems, building it network of charge stations in a variety of venues, including parking lots of malls and movie theatres, street locations and garages of large employers. The fast-charge stations will be deployed at 20-mile intervals on major highways around target markets to address ‘range anxiety’ that continues to threaten the electric vehicle market.

A company source stated that Nissan insisted that infrastructure be in place before it commences the selling of its electric hatchback in the same test markets.Other companies pursuing electric car-charging networks are also competing to line up international and domestic customers prior to the 2010 introduction of several commercial electric and plug-in hybrid electric models. The Frankfurt Motor Show 2009 held in September exhibited more electric car infrastructure venues as well as new electric vehicles.

Growing Green Curtains Reduces Energy Usage

A Japanese company, Kyocera, a ceramic manufacturer, has devised a new way of reducing their air-conditioning usage; draping their exterior walls and windows with vegetables and plants. Attached to a grille, they block direct sunlight to the factories and offices of the company. This ensures cooler temperatures within the organization reducing the usage of air conditioning even in summer months.

Kyocera has adopted this green technology in 12 of their factories across the country. Some of their factories have stopped using air conditioning during the morning hours altogether due to the coolness provided by the green curtains. However, the concept is not just about cutting energy bills. The greenery and plants provide a relaxing environment for the factories employees to work in. The concept has been so successful that many of the employees have adopted it in their own homes. The company’s employees also harvest the vegetables that grow on these vines and use them in special summer recipes prepared in the company’s cafeteria.

Kyocera’s employees take pride in their green, living curtains and enjoy the coolness that the plants bring. While the money spent on energy is being saved employees can make use of the organic and fresh vegetables as well as a comfortable and relaxing work environment. A win-win situation for all.

Solar Power from Space: Moving Beyond Science Fiction

The biggest issue with solar power is consistency. There is no part of the United States that is cloud free, providing a continuous stream of sunlight, 365 days a year. Thus the problem arises in storing the collected energy for those sunless periods, including night. The solution: Launch solar panels in to space and beam the power back to earth.

Although it sounds far-fetched and something out of a science fiction movie, the concept is more real than it seems. The National Security Space Office has issued recommendations that the US should begin a coordinated effort to develop space based solar power. A small experiment was carried out a year ago converting solar energy in to microwaves and beaming them 92 miles from Maui to Hawaii where it was converted in to 20 watts of electricity. Last Spring a California based company signed a contract with PG&E to provide 200 megawatts of power by 2016 using space based solar panels.

As with anything, the issue is price and beaming the solar power 22,000 miles back to earth. Although feasible the Pentagon estimates that it will cost roughly $10 billion to launch a satellite that would produce 10 megawatts of power. However, Solaren, the California based company claims it will cost far less for much more power. Research is still being carried out to find out ways of bringing down the cost and increasing the efficiency of the technology used. That being said, with government backing, we may start to use power from space within the next two decades.