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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Electric Vehicles

Mazda has recently announced its breakthrough i-ELOOP Brake Energy Regeneration System, which is the first in the world of its kind. The system’s three main functions are to REGENERATE, STORE, and USE kinetic energy from the vehicle’s deceleration as electricity.

When your car brakes, even if quickly, the system captures that energy and converts it to electricity and stores it in a capacitor. With the i-ELOOP system, the high-capacity electric double layer capacitor’s main component is made of charcoal and doesn’t require heavy or precious metals, making it environmentally friendly in comparison. The active charcoal carries electricity through its micropores through a Using a capacitor instead of a battery extends the life of the electricity held within it by not using chemical reactions to withdraw it, which in turn, promotes a higher fuel economy. Using a variable voltage alternator which generates up to 25V in comparison to the conventional 12V allows for energy to be continually supplied to the capacitor.

This system is a game changer for the automotive and trucking industry’s move toward higher fuel efficiency. Although capturing kinetic energy is nothing new to the automotive industry, Mazda has created a system which seems to be able to do so while also requiring less manufacturing costs with the change in parts composition. If this technology concept carries through commercially, transportation and fleets will see a an overall savings in fuel costs and vehicle longevity. From big rigs to service trucks, fire trucks to rental vehicles, the utilization of kinetic energy through this system and systems which develop in competition with this is one more way to squeeze all that we can out of our fuel resources.

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Fossil Fuels

A few years ago, someone told me never to be sarcastic in my writing, but I find it tough; sometimes I think it can be quite persuasive.  Here’s a case in point: an animated video about the American Petroleum Institute and the Keystone XL Pipeline.  It’s almost two full minutes long, it’s 100% sarcasm, and I thought it was terrific.  Congratulations to Mark Fiore, a Pulitzer Prize-winning editorial cartoonist.

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Science

Here’s a brilliant article that discusses and compares different ways of measuring energy consumption.  If I say I generated a gigawatt-hour of energy, does that mean the amount I sent to the consumer?  If so, and that energy came from a coal plant, I probably burned about 2.5 gigawatt-hours’ worth of coal, as the plants are about 40% efficient.   In other words, there was another 1.5 gigawatt-hours of energy that was converted into heat that was wasted in this process, but probably needs to be counted somehow. 

But what about renewable energy, e.g., solar PV.  Nothing is burned there, of course, so what do we do here?  As it turns out there are two equally correct answers:  We can either count the energy content of the electricity generated, or we can ask how much fossil fuel energy would have been required to produce the same amount of electricity. 

The author, Robert Wilson, does a really good job explaining a complicated subject.

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Politics

A friend sent me this piece on a new Kansas law that enables its citizens to deny service to gay people if such service runs counter to “sincerely held religious beliefs.” 

He writes:  “My perspective on this travesty:

“Separation of church and state is separation of church and state. That’s why it’s specifically stipulated within our Constitution that “no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States.” (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Geothermal

The costs of energy are on the rise around the world. But the good news is that today there are sustainable heating and cooling options available for home-owners looking to build or remodel a green home.

Geothermal heat pumps are a very popular option that can heat the home in winter, and can work as an air conditioner in winter. This is possible because of the way the system works. Simply reversing the heating process can make the heat pump work as a cooling system. (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Sustainable Building

The west Brisbane suburb of Chelmer experiences more than its fair share of hot and humid days which, when combined with rising electricity prices, make eco-friendly homes designs a priority for most home owners. And it is for this reason that the owners of this particular property chose to have Dion Seminara Architecture design their home renovation. (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Science

The paradigms that govern our explorations in science function as both flashlights and blinders.  They help us to peer into previously dark areas that are most likely to yield results, but they prevent us from looking in new directions.  That’s why we’re so amazed at the great figures of history who somehow escaped the confines of the viewpoints of the day and looked at the world in bold new ways.  Certainly, this is what we so deeply much admire about the work of people like Newton, Darwin, and Einstein. 

Obviously, this discussion is not limited to science; it applies equally to art, architecture, and music.  Here’s a good example, using a song most Americans know: Johnny Cash’s “Ring of Fire,” released in 1963.    In the years since Cash’s recording, many dozens of people covered the song – each one mimicking the basic hard-driving rhythm and pace of the original.  But then along came Ruthie Foster (pictured), who totally rethought the song from the ground up, and, in her own inimitable way, reinvented it as an expression of  love, rather than a twisted image of violence and hate, somehow springing up from hell-fire.  I hope you’ll give it a listen, and, as you do, realize how beautifully innovative this is.  At the same time, please take the moment to consider that it’s often the process of throwing away the rules and the strictures of conformity that allows great things to happen. 

Yes, we could use some out-of-the-box thinking in clean energy to take us over the top.  Though, truth told, we don’t need a technological breakthrough to put an end to the damage that is, day by day, being inflicted on this planet and its people from the process of generating energy from fossil fuels.  The costs of renewables are steadily declining, and the efficiencies rising, to the point that the only thing standing in our way is a messy confluence of money and politics.  But that’s a minor detail for people of compassion and innovation.   Best of all, you’re one of them.

by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Wind Energy

I  like to jog on a dog-friendly beach in Santa Barbara to get a bit of exercise and to take in the beautiful sights, sounds, and fragrances.  After my run, I slow to a walk and often stop to talk with people with unusual-looking pets, or doing interesting things. 

The other day I happened upon a geologist who was examining an oil deposit of a certain sample of shale – a natural lead-in to a conversation if there ever were one.  (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Photovoltaics

A life-long friend sent me this piece on off-grid charging with solar PV, from the online section of the Philadelphia Inquirer, the main newspaper where I’m from. In fact, the guy featured in the article lives in Glenside, walking distance from the house in which I grew up.

It’s hard for me to get excited about this business concept. (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Business

A colleague in the run-of-river hydro business sent me this piece earlier today, on the ascension of green energy jobs in general.  Worldwide, 5.7 million people worked in the clean energy industry in 2012, about 10% of whom were Americans (China and Brazil collectively represented about one-half of the world’s work-force in this space). My overall reaction is extremely positive.  Two quick points: (more…)

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