Green Cool Hip

Ford plans to release its firts fully electric car next year.  Currently, it’s known as the Focus Electric and as its name indicates, it will be a Ford Focus.  This will be the first full electric car from one of Detroit’s Big Three.

Unlike its GM and Chrysler counterparts, Ford seems to be embracing the future, and if we recall, never went hand in hat to Washington, D.C, crying for a bailout.

Ford has partnered with Magna International, using Magna’s electric car design, while the battery will be supplied by South Korea’s LG Chem.  The 2011 Focus Electric will have a range of 100 miles.

We expect to see more electric cars based on the Magna model since Ford did not secure sole rights to Magna’s technology.  Magna which has its own electric vehicle known as the “Mila Eva” with a range of 100 miles and charge time of 2.5 hours has also been in talks with BMW since last year.

Abengoa Solar and Abound Solar will receive nearly two billion dollars from the economic stimulus fund for building solar plants in the United States.  Both companies already have projects planned for the U.S., the most notable one being a 280 megawatts-electrical output plant for Gila Bend in Arizona to be built by Abengoa.

This is not only a step in the right direction as it will reduce CO2 emissions, but it will also create new jobs and spur rapid development of the solar industry in the United states.

The Arizona plant will deliver clean power to 70,000 homes, reduce CO2 emission by 400,000 tons and create about 1500 jobs during its construction phase.

With its “Go Green” selection of spring watches, Casio is sure to generate a buzz thanks to its leading PRG110C-3 solar- powered watch.

This cool watch uses the company’s “Tough Solar Technology” hoping to reduce the number of batteries thrown out each year, thus lowering the level of toxic contaminants to the environment.

The watch features a compass, an altimeter, a barometer, thermometer, stopwatch and world time for a number of cities; 30 to be exact.

Currently available in green shade only, anyone wearing it on his wrist will not only be recognized as a friend of the earth, but will also be making a bold statement.

Hopefully, the solar cell technology employed here will soon be transplanted in other popular devices such as cell phones.

Fisker Automotive will be opening a plant in Wilmington, Delaware to manufacture its plug-in hybrid vehicles. This plant will support Fisker Automotive’s project NINA, aimed at developing a more affordable family sedan costing in the neighborhood of $40,000 after tax credits.

With production set to debut in 2012, new factory and supplier jobs are expected to be created which will be a boost to this sagging economy.
The Department of Energy recently awarded a $528 million dollars low interest loan to the innovative new company.

We have previously heard about a coffee shop in the Netherlands that generates electricity through its revolving door and a Tokyo train station generating electricity through special flooring tiles installed in front of ticket turnstiles. In every case it is accomplished by converting kinetic energy into electricity.

Now, a Burger King in Hillside NJ is applying the same concept to produce electricity as vehicles go through its drive-thru.

With America being so dependent on imported fuel to power its industries, finding new creative ways to generate electrical power has become a necessity.

WATCH the video below.

Imagine a world where one can pull over to the side of the road at any time and refill his vehicle. You must be wondering how or thinking that a container of gasoline in the trunk is in order. Well, hold on to your seat for this one. All one needs to do in this not so distant and not so futuristic world, is drink enough water in order to pee at will. Yes, Urine. A Urine-Powered vehicle may soon become a reality.

According to Dr. Gerardine Botte and her team at the University of Ohio, extracting hydrogen from urine is easier than getting it from water, thus making a hydrogen vehicle powered by Mr. Pee very likely.
Our scientist tells us that a molecule of urea comprises four hydrogen and two nitrogen atoms and requires 33 times less electricity to be released than if it were extracted from water. This should make it hopefully easier and cheaper to power future vehicles.

Aqua Power Systems, a Japanese company, is already offering batteries that can be powered by urine, among other liquids, for sale.

Although this groundbreaking technology is still in its early stage, there’s hope my urine may some day become an additional source of income.

Happy Drinking!!

If you’re a subscriber of popular mechanics, you may remember an article last November about an eco-friendly tire by Yokohama made of mostly orange peel.  Well, it has hit the market and not surprisingly, will be available in sizes that fit the Toyota Prius, Camry Hybrid, and Honda Civic Hybrid.  Made from 80% non-petroleum products, this tire has roughly 20% less rolling resistance which may well deliver an additional 3% saving in fuel on these already gas sipping vehicles.

With its zero emission plant in Japan and environmentally-friendly products, Yokohama is showing the world how seriously committed it is about protecting the planet.

I have a collection of flashlights at home, not because I’m a collector, but because I tend to buy a new and different kind of flashlight every time the batteries run out.
Now that I stumbled upon SolarLite and bought a couple of those hybrid flashlights, I believe my compulsive behavior towards flashlights may have come to an end.

SolarLite is a flashlight that is powered by solar power and a backup lithium battery that can provide up to 50 hours of light and last for 7 years.  Its solar panel is made up of photovoltaic cells and much like solar calculators also captures room light to recharge.

Its one watt LED bulb provides bright light of up to 40 lumens and can lasts for 11 years without any dimming effect, whereas most standard flashlights have a range between 2.5 and 10 lumens.

This flashlight even floats when tossed in water and functions at depths of 80 feet.

With an all around flashlight such as the SolarLite, one can become friendlier to the planet by not contributing to the 3 billion batteries thrown into U.S. landfills each year, and at the same time keep its wallet greener.

I’m sure by now everyone has heard about solar panels and how they generate electricity, or even seen one mounted on a roof or a pole.

How about a solar mirror?

A company in Spain has introduced a technology known as Concentrated Solar Thermal Energy which uses the heat from the sun to run turbines that in turns generates electricity. The cool thing is that no greenhouse gas is produced during the process.

Abengoa Solar develops, builds and operates solar plants and installations throughout the world and believes it has the solutions to climate change. Among, their current Concentrated Solar Power or CSP technologies, are Power Tower and Power Through systems. It collects and transfers solar radiation energy to a fluid which is in turn used to turn a conventional power cycle.

The first commercial plant, a power tower plant  (Figure 1) has been in operation for about two years and produces about 11megawatt of electricity, enough to power roughly 6000 homes.

Figure 1.

How it works. A field of movable mirrors referred to as a heliostat field, reflects the solar radiation on a receptor located on the upper part of the tower. It is this heat that will contribute to the generation of steam that expands on a turbine to produce electricity.

A metal tower acts as a support for the receiver. With all that heat, comes the natural need to use water to cool the tower and keep it from melting. However, a cloudy sky or the onset of dusk does not presage an end to the production of electricity. Molten salt storage tanks (Figure 2) are used to store heat collected from the solar field during the day. This system produces the heat needed to generate steam to run the plant at night and produce electricity.

Figure 2.

Currently, Abengoa has a 280 megawatts-electrical output plant planned for Gila Bend in Arizona, which will be the largest solar power plant in the world. It will deliver clean power to 70,000 homes and reduce CO2 emission by 400,000 tons.

Although this will be based on parabolic through technology which allows curved mirrors to track the sun movement, the principle ise the same as a Power Tower. Radiation from the sun is collected and concentrated onto a reflector to generate heat which eventually leads to the production of electricity.

Figure 3.

This plant will create about 1500 jobs during its construction phase and 80 to 100 permanent jobs to keep it humming.

According to Abengoa Solar, “Just using 2% of the radiation that reaches the world desertic area could satisfy current world energy needs”.

Not to be political here, but imagine how far the U.S. could have been with Solar Technology, had president Reagan not ordered the solar panels installed on the roof of the white house by Carter, removed.

1. Turn off your engine.  Idling for more than 10 seconds burns more fuel than it does to start the engine.

2. Turn off the water when brushing and shaving.  The average person spends 5 minutes brushing his teeth or shaving. On average, 3.75 gallons of water are used during those 5 minutes.

3. Use a compact fluorescent light bulb whenever possible.  It uses about 75% less energy and lasts roughly 10 times longer.

4. When going on vacation, unplug electrical devices instead of simply turning them off.  They still consume electricity when plugged in.

5. Adjust your water heater temperature twice a year to account for seasonal change.

6. Use rechargeable batteries.

7. For couples with more than one car, use the most fuel efficient one whenever possible.

8. Recycle whenever possible.

These Cool and Green tips will lead to a greener lifestyle and a greener wallet.