One of the world’s largest eco car trials has begun in the UK. Eight car makers have been awarded 25 million pounds in prize money from the British Government. This will be used to fund the next generation of greener car - electric, hydrogen and hybrids.
The aim of the trial is to get the cars onto the road, show people how they operate and test their effectiveness in real driving situations.
You can view Maryam Moshiri’s report from the BBC here.
Showing posts with label Alternative energy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Alternative energy. Show all posts
Low Carbon Driving
On the Move Charging
Here at the EcoList we have featured a number of portable chargers which allow you to keep your electronic gadgets (phone, music player, computer) fully charged while you are out and about.
We thought you might like to have a look at what the BBC (and a collection of UK ramblers) think of some of these “one the move’ charging devices.
View the video here.
10p Energy Saving Bulbs from Morrisons
What's the deal?
Morrisons are selling five Philips Genie Low Energy 11 or14 watt bulbs for 50p in store only.
How do I get them at that price?
If you buy them individually they'll cost 39p each, but buy five and they'll only cost 50p for the lot!
When's the offer on till?
The promotion's on in all stores and Morrisons expects to continue it for four weeks although it can't give us an end date at the moment.
Find your nearest store
If you don't know where your nearest store is then use the Morrisons store finder on its website to locate it.
OWL Wireless Energy Monitor
To start energy saving, it helps if you are aware what you are currently doing and how much energy you use.
This monitor measures your electricity usage and help to save the planet whilst saving money.
There are a few different monitors on the market, this Owl Wireless Energy Monitor is easy to install and can be bought from http://www.ethicalsuperstore.com/
From: 2 Save Energy
List price £49.95, their price £29.95
From: 2 Save Energy
List price £49.95, their price £29.95
Another way to obtain a monitor is to look into changing your energy supplies to Southern Electric. If you take their Betterplan scheme you will get a free monitor, which is slightly more sophisticated than this one as it gives you accumulative readings, over 1 day, 1 week and a month. It also lets you know how you use your energy during the day (evening, night and day rate)
With better plan they will give you a free monitor (worth £45)* so you can monitor your energy consumption. And they will give you help and advice on many energy efficiency measures to help you reduce your energy consumption, with lots of great discounts available too. Then they will reward your energy reduction with cash credits so there's lots of ways to save.
Here's just a few of the great benefits you get with better plan:
Here's just a few of the great benefits you get with better plan:
Reduce your energy consumption by 20% and they will give you a £25 cash credit**
Free better plan monitor worth £45* (It makes saving energy easy)
Free better plan booklet full of hints and tips
Cash credits for taking up one of our energy efficiency measures
Exclusive discounts on energy saving A rated appliances
*Limited offer, while stocks last
**Get this extra £25 credited to your bill when you reduce your energy use by 20% compared to previous year. A reduction of 10% each year earns a £15 cash credit.
The End of the Light Bulb
Over the past year Australia, Cuba and the Philippines have announced a ban on traditional, filament, light bulbs.Last week it was the turn of Eu Energy ministers to do the same.
Traditional filament light bulbs will no longer be available from the beginning of 2010 across all 27 member states - more than enough encouragement for us all to reach for low energy alternatives.
The USA will wait until 2014 to implement a similar ban, although they require a 25% improvement in efficiency for their light bulbs (or greater) starting 2012.
Image © Adrienne Hart-Davis. DHD Multimedia Gallery
Plug-in Car Test
The Toyota Prius Hybrid car (which runs on petrol and electricity) is a big hit in London. You don’t have to pay the congestion charge there if you drive in to the centre of the capital and this can save you around £2,000 each year!
A test is currently being held using a ‘plug-in’ version of the car. This means that you can plug your Prius into your home power socket (or some street outlets in London) and recharge your battery to give you extended range. At the moment Prius owners just drive and the car recharges itself, but this limits the distance you can travel using the electric motor. It is hoped that a plug in version will extend the electric range to around 6 miles, handy for short city trips.
A video and more details can be found on the BBC website.
Could Saving The Planet Be a Load of Bull ?
There may be more to hot air than we thought. So we know that cows parping out methane are even more of a hazard to our global wellbeing than the C02 the rest of us spend time producing. But the gas in the manure that cattle produce is rather more promising. ‘The poo from four cows,’ as Devon farmer Winston Reed puts it, ‘Can produce enough energy to heat and light a house for a year.’
And it’s not essential to have a cow in your living room either. Unlike the methane that cows and other ruminants exhale as their stomachs convert grass into milk, and which is believed to be responsible for up to a quarter of “manmade” methane emissions worldwide, the gas in their manure can be harnessed as a force for good. Same goes for all other forms of organic waste that would otherwise rot in landfill sites.
According to The Guardian, Farmer Reed is seeking planning permission to build an energy centre on his farm, on the outskirts of Tiverton, near Exeter. It would take in manure from local farms and waste from local abattoirs and food processors. It would create electricity to light 6,000 local houses and £700,000 worth of heat for local industries, including a sawmill plant making wood pellets for biomass boilers. Since Tiverton’s population is only 20,000, it will go a long way to making the town self-sufficient in energy, he says. More than that, it will help address the issues of food and fuel security by making them more sustainable, at a time when both are in short supply.
The plans hinge on a technology called anaerobic digestion (AD). Organic material is fed into heated tanks, where natural fermentation breaks it down into methane and carbon dioxide – the same basic ingredients as natural gas. This biogas can then be burned to generate electricity in a combined heat and power plant, or, as many countries in Europe do, upgraded so it could be fed into the gas grid or used in vehicles modified to run on compressed natural gas. The only byproduct of the process is an organic fertiliser.
It’s not a load of bull, honest, read more here
And it’s not essential to have a cow in your living room either. Unlike the methane that cows and other ruminants exhale as their stomachs convert grass into milk, and which is believed to be responsible for up to a quarter of “manmade” methane emissions worldwide, the gas in their manure can be harnessed as a force for good. Same goes for all other forms of organic waste that would otherwise rot in landfill sites.
According to The Guardian, Farmer Reed is seeking planning permission to build an energy centre on his farm, on the outskirts of Tiverton, near Exeter. It would take in manure from local farms and waste from local abattoirs and food processors. It would create electricity to light 6,000 local houses and £700,000 worth of heat for local industries, including a sawmill plant making wood pellets for biomass boilers. Since Tiverton’s population is only 20,000, it will go a long way to making the town self-sufficient in energy, he says. More than that, it will help address the issues of food and fuel security by making them more sustainable, at a time when both are in short supply.
The plans hinge on a technology called anaerobic digestion (AD). Organic material is fed into heated tanks, where natural fermentation breaks it down into methane and carbon dioxide – the same basic ingredients as natural gas. This biogas can then be burned to generate electricity in a combined heat and power plant, or, as many countries in Europe do, upgraded so it could be fed into the gas grid or used in vehicles modified to run on compressed natural gas. The only byproduct of the process is an organic fertiliser.
It’s not a load of bull, honest, read more here
This story was taken from the website: http://www.generous.org.uk/
Will Home-Brewed Hydrogen Save the World?
The makers of a hydrogen refuelling station, ready for home-installation, claim it could move the world from the fossil-fuel age to a green and clean hydrogen age.
All you need is a hydrogen-powered car … and they’ve been slow to come on the market because they need hydrogen fuelling stations.
Sheffield-based ITM Power, claim their home refuelling station will make the difference, promising to ‘revolutionise commuting while cutting fuel costs and CO2 emissions.’ And they showed they meant business by running a converted Ford Focus on some hydrogen they made in the kitchen last night.
The home refuelling station works via an electrolyser which (it says ‘ere) produces the gas from water and electricity. An internal combustion generator converts the gas back into electricity to provide power for the home. While the unit can only make enough gas overnight to provide fuel for 25 miles, the company believe that higher-pressure refuelling units in public places would be capable of offering enough hydrogen for cars to travel 100 miles.
Is it the future, arriving just in time ? Or is it a scene from the next episode of Dr Who ? Watch the video and read the whole story here.
This article came from the fantastic website: www.generous.org.uk
The celebrated French designer Philippe Starck creates green juice for homes
The Sunday times of 11th August had an interesting article out the Frenchman who is better know for good looking designs rather than for their practicality.
Mr Starck plans to launch the first designer wind turbine for the home in Britain next year and claims it will cost as little as £400 to provide a small house with 60% of the power that it needs for heating and lighting.
Its square blade is designed to rotate around a vertical axis when the wind hits, turning the generator in its supporting pole to provide enough electricity to light a home.
Starck's other environmental designs include an electric car, a solar and hydrogen powered boat and a solar- panel film to stick over windows.
Watch this space!
Could Solar Venti be the Green answer to our damp and cold houses?
The SolarVenti is aimed in the main at the damp home and damp house owner and it can be applied to many different dwelling types. It is the world's only low cost and DIY installable solar technology that makes the significant difference in terms of energy consumption that a house owner seeks and pays for itself in a few years, rather than 15 years or more!
Reduce energy bills with SolarVenti
Because people breath, perspire, cook, bathe, shower and steam iron the amount of moisture in a house increases. This is particularly true in winter when windows and doors are kept closed. Significant amounts of energy are wasted trying to get and keep the air and moisture in your house warm. By lowering the humidity in your house or property SolarVenti reduces the amount of energy required to get your house warm. In addition SolarVenti pushes up to 1.6KW per hour into your house (SV30). The combined effect produces significantly reduced energy consumption and reduced energy bills
How does SolarVenti work?
SolarVenti captures energy in the same way that a car out in the sun does, it then pumps the resulting warmed air into your house. To see further how a SolarVenti air heating dehumidifier works check out our FAQ section and/or you can watch a short video from the ABC TV program 'Carbon Cops' on the link below.
SolarVenti: A dehumidier with zero running costs and no CO² emissions The revolutionary
SolarVenti ventilation, dehumidification and air heating panel is easily fitted to any building and provides a free source of fresh warm and dry air all year round expelling damp stale air and virtually eliminating condensation in buildings and other living spaces.
Using solar space heating our larger SolarVenti units provide a very substantial heating supplement to your property too! Their new product, the SV30H Plus also provides Solar Hot Water for free as well!!
For more information see their website: http://www.solarventi.co.uk/
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=dmfvTEosCKM
Energy raising in the US
It's a Saturday morning that's perfect for staying in bed or making pancakes. Instead, three-dozen New Hampshire residents prepare for a day of manual labor in Kevin Frank's back yard in Holderness, New Hampshire.
They are putting up a solar collector array which will provide radiant floor heat as well as domestic hot water."
By the end of the day, his new solar water heater will be helping save the planet, and he'll have saved thousands of dollars in installation costs by using volunteer labor instead of professional plumbers and contractors.
It sounds like a great deal for Kevin, but there's payback in store for his workforce too.
"We're eventually probably going to be going to everyone's house that's here today and putting in a system," says Peter Adams, Co-founder of a nonprofit called the Plymouth-Area Renewable Energy Initiative, or PAREI. The group's mission is to make solar more affordable for more homeowners by reducing the up-front investment necessary to buy a basic system, which can run well over $10K.
On Saturdays, the members help install solar water heaters at one another's homes; they call these group efforts "Energy Raisers". "We certainly kinda stole that saying from the Amish, with the whole concept of barn raising," says PAREI Co-founder Sandra Jones.
Some critics have questioned whether this concept would work elsewhere in the country, such as in large cities where people are not as close to the environment they're tying to takes steps to protect.
But while New Hampshire might have a higher per capita rate of carbon consciousness than other states, this group counters that Energy Raisers should be doable for anyone with a roof, some friends, and maybe some coffee and donuts to help entice them out of bed on a Saturday.
The volunteers form an assembly line
View the Slideshow PAREI
The UK's first Eco nightclub
The "UK's first eco nightclub" is due to open later in London with a high-tech danceflooor that generates electricity when danced on.
The club in Pentonville Road, Islington, north London, has its own wind turbine and solar energy system and there are plans to donate any surplus electricity to local residents.
The dancefloor uses the concept of piezoelectricity, where crystals and ceramics create a charge to generate electricity and anyone wishing to attend the club has to sign a pledge to work towards curbing climate change.
Meanwhile, the bathrooms have air flush, waterless urinals and low flush toilets and the club will recycle glass, metal, plastic and paper products used in its bar, with Mr Charalambous promising to donate part of the club's profits to charity.
Mr Charalambous said: "Unless we stop preaching to people and use an inclusive philosophy we're never going to create the revolution to combat climate change.
"It's also about creating avenues of thought. Imagine what you could achieve if big corporations adopted this kind of initiative.We estimate that if you had loads of clubbers dancing vigorously it would provide 60 per cent of the club's energy needs.
"With the wind turbines and solar power we aim to provide the energy needs of 14 to 20 local residents. We are the first free energy-donating business in the world."
The club in Pentonville Road, Islington, north London, has its own wind turbine and solar energy system and there are plans to donate any surplus electricity to local residents.
The dancefloor uses the concept of piezoelectricity, where crystals and ceramics create a charge to generate electricity and anyone wishing to attend the club has to sign a pledge to work towards curbing climate change.
Meanwhile, the bathrooms have air flush, waterless urinals and low flush toilets and the club will recycle glass, metal, plastic and paper products used in its bar, with Mr Charalambous promising to donate part of the club's profits to charity.
Mr Charalambous said: "Unless we stop preaching to people and use an inclusive philosophy we're never going to create the revolution to combat climate change.
"It's also about creating avenues of thought. Imagine what you could achieve if big corporations adopted this kind of initiative.We estimate that if you had loads of clubbers dancing vigorously it would provide 60 per cent of the club's energy needs.
"With the wind turbines and solar power we aim to provide the energy needs of 14 to 20 local residents. We are the first free energy-donating business in the world."
ITN - Thursday, July 10 12:35 pm
Solar Heating - The Law in Hawaii
Generally installing solar heating in homes is a question of choice and revolves around how strongly you want to help save the planet and how large your bank balance is.
In 2010 the choice element will be (partly) reduced in Hawaii as they have just signed a law which makes it mandatory to install solar water heaters.
They will not issue building permits for single-family homes unless solar water heating are included in the construction. Hawaii relies on imported fossil fuels for its energy so anything which will help reduce that dependency will certainly be of help. Five years ago, when the idea was first suggested, a barrel of oil cost about $40. The price has now tripled and who knows what it will be in 2010.
[ Via Metaefficient ]
Renewable Mobile Phone Charging
This week (27th June), the Glastonbury festival opens, attracting masses of enthusiastic music lovers to the Vale of Avalon, here in the UK. All of them have mobile phones, most of them will want to be texting their mates to tell them what they are missing.
To make sure everyone stays connected to the ‘outside’ world, phone network Orange is providing a solar and wind powered charging tent. It will generate enough electricity to charge 100 mobile phones an hour. Any surplus is to be stored in a battery tank.
Orange had something like this last year but the 2008 version is larger and still only a test for more powerful charging stations, which could be deployed at other, massive, out in the middle of know where, gatherings.
More details at: www.rechargepod.com
The Queen (of England) Gets Windy
The Queen is buying the world’s largest wind turbine and will be testing it out on the British Coastline.
Well, the Queen isn’t actually doing it herself (she has people to do these things for her), but the project is being undertaken by the British Crown Estate which, interestingly, owns most of the seabed off Britain’s coastline. They have regularly leased out parts of the seabed to wind farm projects but this is the first time they are investing in turbines themselves.
Britain hopes to generate 15 percent of its consumed energy from renewable sources by 2020 and this large investment in offshore wind energy, by the Queen, will be used to gain firsthand knowledge of the challenges involved by installing and maintaining a machine on this scale.
[ Via MetaEfficient ]
One Million Hybrid Cars Sold
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If you just filled up your car with petrol - at the new increased prices - you might like to know that Toyota have announced world-wide cumulative sales of their popular Prius Hybrid electric/petrol car of over one million units!
More than half a million of these have been purchased during the past three years alone so it is getting harder to dismiss hybrids as a fringe eco vehicle!
Not only are Prius drivers using less petrol than conventional drivers, and only paying £15.00 car tax (in the UK) it seems that these million cars have prevented 4.5 million tons of CO2 being released into the atmosphere (as calculated by Toyota). They also calculate that this is equivalent to around 535,500,000 gallons of fuel - or around One Billion Pounds saved.
There will be a new Prius out on the market in 2010 which can do around 100 miles per gallon - so even more savings on the way.
[Via EcoGeek ]
Eco Cars in Eden
Today, and until 31st May the “Sexy Green Car Show” (really - that’’s what it’s called!) is taking place at the Eden Project in the UK.
One of the perceived problems with eco cars is that people think they are boring, badly designed and not at all ‘sexy’. This is the second year of the show to prove them wrong. There are a heap of very sexy looking machines to have a look at from all of the main manufacturers. As the price of a barrel of oil goes through the roof (again) this week, there are even more reasons to consider something a little more ‘eco’.
Sponsored by Co-operative Insurance, the show is a practical way to see what is on offer from the likes of Saab, Volkswagen, Citroen, Peugeot, Seat, Honda, Fiat, Smart, Toyota and Segway.
The most eco-friendly version of Ford's best-selling Focus – the ECOnetic - is to have its UK launch at the show. Lotus is bringing its Exige 270E Tri-Fuel for its UK debut. British company Axon Automotive will be showcasing their yet-to-be-named eco-friendly hatchback and classic British manufacturer Morgan’s futuristic LIFECar will also make its UK debut at the show.
There are more details here: www.edenproject.com
And a BBC video here: news.bbc.co.uk
Cheap Solar Charger
We love a bargain here at the EcoList so have a look at this solar battery charger on offer at Maplin.
Designed to trickle charge 12v lead acid batteries it is ideal for cars that will be left standing for long periods, as well as for maintaining batteries in caravans and boats.
• Keep your battery topped up with solar power, even if the weather is overcast or dull
• Ideal for cars, caravans, boats etc
• Interchangeable connectors: cigarette lighter plug and crocodile clips
• Blue flashing LED charge indicator
• Durable ABS outer casing
• Built-in diode prevents reverse charging
Suction cups for easy mounting
This was originally £19.99, then £14.99 and now £9.99 until 10th June. so go solar, save money on recharging and save money buying the charger in the first place.
More details: Maplin.co.uk
Oil Tycoon goes Alternative
Mr T. Boone Pickens is a Texan oilman who, one can assume, makes quite a lot of money in that business what with the current cost of oil per barrel. He has just ordered 667 wind turbines, from energy company GE, at a cost of three million dollars each! A total bill of two billion.
Mr. Pickens plans to develop what will be the world’s largest wind farm located in the Texan panhandle. There is something VERY interesting about an oil tycoon investing in alternative energy - does he know something we don’t?
Not only is this a massive order it is only the first phase - a quarter of the total number of turbines he wants to install. Once completed the wind farm will have the capacity to supply well over one million texan homes with power.
[Via Metaefficient ]
DHL Hybrid Trial and go Biodegradable
Delivery company DHL is also on the trail of eco vehicles with the announcement, earlier this year, that they would trial two Daimler hybrid vehicles in the UK. They will also try two Mitsubishi Fuso Canter Eco Hybrid vehicles as part of the company's wider commitment to reducing its impact on the environment.
Bet their PR organisation is in a bit of a ‘flap’ hearing that their rival UPS (see below) has ordered 200 hybrids (not just trying them out for evaluation).
That said it seems that DHL is trying hard by replacing all their delivery bags with recyclable and reusable ones which only take two years to biodegrade. The normal ones take 1,000 years to degrade.
[Via DHL and Hippyshopper ]
Image courtesy of Deutsche Post AG
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