WSJ asked four architects to design energy-efficient homes. They came up with some amazing designs, like this Incredible Edible house. Read the whole article.
Posts under ‘Energy conservation’
Porcupine office
The building features a bristling brise-soleil composed of andonized aluminum fins suspended from tensile rods. This striking facade acts as a rain screen while filtering sunlight and contributing to the building’s energy-efficient profile.
Pentagon plans to go green, alt fuel, and conserve fuel
One reason why is what Steve Earle sings about in Home To Houston. It’s about a truck driver in Iraq driving a gas tanker under seriously dangerous conditions.
When I pulled out of Basra they all wished me luck
Just like they always did before
With a bulletproof screen on the hood of my truck
And a Bradley on [...]
EU to force universal charger standard for mobile phones
Works for me. Having different chargers for every cell phone is ridiculous and wastful.
The EU says by Jan. 2012 most new mobile phones will have a universal charging connector.
Ecodrain. Save energy on hot water for showers
The EcoDrain™ is a unique patent-pending heat exchanger which transfers heat from hot shower waste water to cold incoming water. This cuts water heater use by 25%-40%.
This is for showers only. The hot shower water that goes down the drain is used to heat incoming cold water for the shower, thus saving hot water usage.
They [...]
Electricity from low grade heat
Ener-G-Rotors can convert low temperature industrial waste heat into electricity, something that hasn’t been done much before. Payback time is less than three years, after that you are literally getting free electricity from what was wasted before.
CleanTechnica
[Their CEO] Michael Newell estimates that 15 to 20 percent of all the energy used in the US is [...]
A French approach to handling electricity usage
In France, you can pay a flat fee for an amount of electricity of your choosing. But if you go over the limit, they turn to power off. Then you unplug enough stuff to drop below the limit.
It sounds like a pretty inventive way to manage power consumption. Sounds good in theory, anyway. I wonder [...]
Clinton Foundation and L.A. to retrofit 140,000 street lights to LEDs
Image. LED street light from Kaga Inc.
The Clinton Foundation is working with the City of Los Angeles to retrofit 140,000 street lights to LEDs. LEDS last longer, require less maintenance, and use less electricity. Thus, they expect the $48 million loan to be paid back in seven years by the savings, and after that, it [...]
34% drop in US electric demand possible
How? Through energy efficiency improvements, says the Rocky Mountain Institute.
If the 40 worst-performing states got their collective act together and performed as well as the 10 most-efficient states in terms of electricity usage then a total of 1.2 million gigawatt-hours could be saved annually. That’s equivalent to 62% of the US’s coal-fired electric power.
Google PowerMeter
Google.org is working on an innovative new product, Google PowerMeter, that will track home electricity consumption in near real time, all part of their plan to have a smart grid with smart use of power.
Studies show that access to your household’s personal energy information is likely to save you between 5–15% on your monthly bill, [...]
Brewery recycles waste methane into electricity
Rather than flare or release the methane gas created as a byproduct of brewing beer, a LaCrosse Wisconsin brewery will now be turning it into electricity, helping to power a local hospital.
And so, renewable and recycling energy comes to small towns in the Midwest. Why? Because it’s the right thing to do, but more importantly, [...]
Kill chip could end vampire energy
A new kill switch detects when an appliance is in standby mode and automatically shuts off power. It can be reactivated by pressing a button, and immediately goes back to stand-by mode without restarting.
A hotel chain in Spain is testing the chip, and plans to install it in 50,000 television sets, thus saving substantial amounts [...]
Electricity from waste heat
A new design rotor may be able to take low-temperature waste heat and convert it into electricity. If so, this would be a first and could conceivably lead to enormous amounts of electricity being generated.
The company expects to convert 10 to 15 percent of low-temperature waste heat into electricity, delivering a payback in two years [...]
How parked cars could power the future
Imagine running a parking meter backwards and actually being paid to park your car. Along those lines, electric vehicles might one day make money for their owners by providing electrical storage for the nation’s power grid.
With this new idea, Vehicle to Grid (V2G), parked electric vehicles would feed electricity back into the grid on an [...]
Hawaii leading way towards clean energy future
Maui wind turbines. Lahaina Pali trail. (I took the photo on 12/19/06.)
Hawaii governor Linda Lingle has announced a plan for Hawaii to have 70% clean energy by 2030. It’s a stunning plan, and puts the Aloha State in the forefront of renewable energy, leading the way for other states.
Among the features
- An underseas cable so [...]
