A reader wanted my feedback on a business plan that would sort soiled horse bedding into clean bedding, compost, and fire-logs.
I don’t find the business plan compelling. This concept implies collecting and sorting horse waste from farms all over the US, to create a low-value product. (more…)
In light of the high cost of energy these days, finding ways to reduce your energy expenditure should be a top priority. There are many ways to do this. Making your home more energy-efficient is one, but it is also worth looking into ways of generating your own electricity. It may be that you can’t generate enough to take care of all of your needs, but if you can at least supplement your supplies, this will help to save you money and reduce your reliance on expensive and ultimately finite energy sources. In this article, energy management system company Blue Pillar explains some of the renewable energy options available to you. (more…)
A few years ago the concept of storing energy derived from solar PV was silly; the curves associated with the presence of the sun in the sky and the demand for power to support our activities were so nearly identical that few people even entertained the idea. But over a very short period of time, with the ever-growing supply of solar energy, all this has changed radically.
The steepening neck of the duck in the now-famous “duck curve” (pictured above and below) is one more factor making life tough for the utilities, as distributed solar energy has greatly accentuated the difference between peak and off-peak requirements by reducing the amount of load during the day that must come from the power companies. (more…)
The agriculture sector and our forests are producing excessive waste materials that may lead to environment degradation and adversely affect public health. To protect people from these adverse effects, government is making special efforts to generate awareness about scientific methods to dispose these residues safely without harming environment or human health. Biomass briquetting machine technology is an innovative idea to use and recycle agro waste and forest waste in most efficient eco-friendly way. (more…)
I recommend the piece on VOCs (toxic volatile organic compounds: acetone, benzene, formaldehyde, toluene, xylene, etc.) not to suggest that fracking represents net damage to humankind, but to point out a few things that everyone should know. In particular:
• The oil and gas industry routinely lies about this subject, denying that these chemicals are released into our skies and waterways, and that they are being absorbed into our bodies. And, speaking of lies, (more…)
Here are a couple of graphs from “The Economist” that illustrate China’s rise to dominance in the manufacturing sector and suggest where this may go from here. We need also to keep in mind that the average factory worker in China earns $27.50 per day compared with $8.60 in Indonesia and $6.70 in Vietnam, meaning that there are other places in Asia that represent even greener pastures for global manufacturers. (more…)
Supermarkets and other food retailers have historically been renowned to throw away food that is perfectly edible. The charity FoodCycle are attempting to solve this widespread problem, to benefit the environment and people at risk of food poverty and social isolation. In true ‘Ready, Steady, Cook’ style, volunteers of this charity whip up surplus ingredients into a three-course meal.
Inspired by the Campus Kitchens Project (a US food-waste initiative), a ragtag group of London University students came together with a shared vision – that everyone should have access to a nutritious meal and no good food should go to waste. (more…)
From the Writer’s Almanac:
It was on this day in 1633 that Galileo Galilei was put on trial by the Inquisition, for supporting the theory that the Earth revolves around the sun. In late April 1633, Galileo agreed to plead guilty and was sentenced to an unlimited period of house arrest in his home in Florence. He gradually went blind and died in 1641. It wasn’t until 1992 that the Catholic Church formally admitted that Galileo’s views on the solar system are correct.
Had the church not retracted its position 23 years ago, it would have taken the current pope about 15 seconds to make that happen. Francis is a friend of science, honesty, reason, truth, and humanism. His presence in the world is one of the most progressive things that’s happened in the last 1600 years.
A reader offers this message and video linked here:
I am using the same water again and again. my technology water is flowing not falling, tail discharge is used again and again. All independent turbine-generators erected in series are rotated with equal RPM. Please see how much water is in each bottle. The first bottle is having head and rest have just tail discharge to rotate the turbine. A humble request.
I complied with your humble request. 🙂 Re-using the water doesn’t challenge your credibility. But trying to convince me that this apparatus generates more energy than it consumes does–in a big way.
From 2GreenEnergy Mega-Contributor Gary Tulie: Do We Need a Coral Ark?
In this recent post, we talked about the threat posed to coral reefs by climate change, and as was rightly pointed out by frequent 2GreenEnergy commenter Glenn Doty, the associated risk posed by ocean acidification.
Coral is a vitally important and hugely biodiverse habitat with great value to humanity as a source of food, protection from storm surges, sheltered anchorage, and the inherent value of a beautiful and diverse ecosystem. (more…)