solar PV technology improvement to cut cost

san jose, ca-based twin creeks technologies has developed a new process for ultra-thin solar photovoltaic wafers.  this innovative technology is purported to reduce cost, which may assist in driving down panel price.

read the full release here. 

wireless electric vehicle (ev) charging?

automobile innovators believe that the eventual future of electric vehicles (ev) will be a far cry from extension cords and finding an outlet.  the vision is for wireless inductive charging.  this method seems very plausible for market induction, as it would increase user convenience dramatically.  

i would be curious to learn more of cost of the technology, implementation/construction of the infrastructure, and energy loss as a result of the technology operations.

solar study identifies market penetration

a boston consulting group released a recent study that identifies trajectory of solar market share to challenge conventional fossil fuel energy sources.

the study highlights a market equilibrium and economy of scale to hit the solar pv market in next 5-10 years in regions of pronounced solar resource.

with continued demand for solar products increasing along with advancements in the technology-- efficiency increase and resulting cost per unit decrease--the longterm outlook for the photovoltaic industry seems to be very promising.

us senate energy committee passes $3.6bn electric vehicle bill

as part of a push from the administration to launch the widespread adoption of electric vehichles (ev), the bill will work to create infrastructure for charging stations at targeted cities across the us (wsj article). the goal of this infusion of capital is to support ev industry growth and market adoption to the tune of 50% of all domestic vehicles be electric by 2030. very interested to see how this rolls out and where the targeted cities will be.

smart trainer app

i downloaded the freeware "smart trainer" app to my droid the other day. it utilizes enabled gps tracking to give you distance, speed, altitude, and stores the info on a google doc with corresponding g-map.
View Run 6 26 2010 in a larger mapi have to say that it is a pretty cool program and look forward to charting my runs throughout the future.

closed-loop biomass energy generation (no, don't yawn--this is cool)

a major player in the organic/natural foods industry in japan, koiwai farms, has developed a zero-waste, methane capture energy generation system on their main growing facility in northeastern japan.  the biomass and composting facility is a closed-loop system--taking the organic debris from the agricultural production and integrating it into a fuel source--biomass for biofuel.

the biofuel is created using an active process of methane acceleration and capture.  the methane is then utilized to generate electricity and heat for the farm operations.  the residual bio-products following the methane capture process are nutrient-rich matter that can be further composted and, in a total closed-loop process, be directly applied back into the soil of the farm itself, as rich fertilizer.

the japanese are making some headway on a few model program installations such as this, in the biofuel realm.  very interesting and could be raised to large scale to create larger impact.

wearable renewable energy production

charge your cell phone just by walking?!?

now, this is a concept that i've mused on for a good number of years.

i believe it stemmed from my first pair of corduroy pants back in college--the rubbing of the thighs together and thinking that there was not only contact and friction, but also kinetic movement which could create energized polarity--a.k.a. energy production potential.

it seems someone with much more capable electrical engineering skills has beat me to the punch: wearable electrical production.

awesome technology.

solar collection from 22,000 miles above the surface

solaren corp wants to collect solar energy from space, orbiting the earth.

interesting concept, but a number of concerns come to mind:

• transport the technology to space, how?
• physical space the system(s) require
• maintenence
• energy storage and transmission back to earth, how?
• etc.

regardless, it would be a thrilling install project for a solar company.

copenhagen online conversation

the new york times is hosting an online conversation on the climate change debate and the international conference on global warming being held dec. 7-18 in copenhagen. you can participate here.

do-it-yourself energy efficiency

a quick video, featuring tips from david snell from this year's annual national homebuilder and remodeler show.

metrics on sustainability measures and building performance

the usgbc's greensource magazine featured a succinct argument on the growing need for metrics to determine outcomes of leed measures.

the country, and the world, are in desperate need for tracking and reporting this data to illustrate return on investment for individual measures.

g.e. cracks into smart appliances market

general electric has entered the market with smart technology appliances.

where energy and water meet...shocking!

49% of our nation's water supply is used by electrical power plants. this gross reality is largely overlooked. despite the consumption being half of all we use, i believe there are three basic, fundamental reasons for the lack of exposure to this issue:

1) lack of awareness: the public has no idea as to how power is generated, nor are we typically granted access to power plants--therefore, the out-of-sight-out-of-mind rule applies.

2) divergent from common logic: we know water and electricity is a fatal mix.

3) politics: there are deeply entrenched interests from both the water utility/water rights and the energy utility industries. long-standing subsidy of both industries helps to keep consumer cost down on the commodities, continuing to propagate the lack of attention to the energy-water nexus. 

the usgs produces a report every five years on our national water consumption. the 2005 report was just released and the summary can be reviewed here.

this growing concern of water consumption in electrical production will only increase even further with population growth and increased energy demands. the time to bridge the gap between these two siloed industries is now. the solution is a multi-pronged approach, including, first and foremost, enforced regulation to create energy industry conservation standards. standards for efficiency are a necessary evil in creating a tipping point which does not currently exist through market drivers.

building a collaborative relationship between both industries to identify the overlap in goals and move forward together is another key approach. again, this may not come via voluntary motives and may need to come as directive from a public utilities commission--which would unfortunately be at the state level, hindering widespread adoption. there are several other strategies to employ for curbing this growing issue. some of which are highlighted in the department of energy (doe), national energy technology lab, los alamos national lab, and sandia national lab report to congress.

solar photovoltaic (pv) gis mapping project

the national renewable energy laboratory (nrel) is hosting a very intriguing open source gis solar photovoltaic mapping collective. 

the project goal is to collect, organize, and distribute knowledge of the location, size, cost and date of every photovoltaic installation in united states.

take a peek.

dvd

the first dvd player I owned was not only second-hand, but it was an early generation, manufactured in 1996. that player made it to '06 before being riddled with old age and skips.
in '06, we bought a new dvd unit from the store. there started to be a few glitches about 6 months in. and in the past two months, a rash of consistent errors has plagued the machine.
it irks me, personally, that this machine is showing signs of failure in one-fifth the lifetime than it's predecessor did--yet, logic tells me to view this as an isolated incident and not to drag down the whole system with our single experience of product-performance malcontent. however, once I became vocal regarding these erred symptoms, a chorus of other similar voices chimed in and echoed a myriad of kindred problems with their dvd players as well.
perhaps we're all just homebodies who put too many miles on our units, or perhaps the failing machines are more a result of consumer-demand for cheaper electronics that just don't fit the bill for quality goods.

smartphone

how can i say that the moto q9 has improved my life. it enables me to get'r'done without hesitation. i would highly suggest this brilliant bit of technology.

ethically perplexed

it was only a matter of time before we reached the point of cloning human embryos in a relatively convenient manner.

it troubles me to a great extent to consider a future where clones are a fact of life. frankly, what troubles me even more than the concept of drones walking amongst us, but rather who determines who gets cloned.

my mind, struggling to grasp this vision, turns to thoughts of star wars and the masses of storm troopers who were to be spawn from replicated clones for military forces. without strict oversight, who is to say that the offspring of cloning could not go this direction? or would we elect to create clones for our world labor force? perhaps we can genetically mutate a cadre of clones to be dependent upon breathing carbon and exhaling oxygen, drinking toxic fluids and expelling pure water, and their skin with neutralizing oils and the innate desire to bathe in a quagmire of chemicals, only to eradicate the toxicity level?

to blog or not to blog...

this has been a ruminating question bouncing in my head as of recent. it has begun to seem that the blogosphere has become saturated with this blog and that blog and no one has any time to truly dedicate to reading through all of them.

it leaves me wondering how we perfect our communication with each other from here. are blogs a web v1.0 passe vehicle for communication?

if we reflect on the influx of interconnectivity within the past decade or so with email, listserv, cell phone, website, blog, videoblog... what has it gotten us? ease and access to more communication, yes, unquestionably. but are the technologies not so pervasive and easily accessible that our messages get buried under literal tons of blah-blah-blah (of which, i am just as guilty as everyone else for generating--prime example, this blog post).

my question really is, now that we have everyone connected to this giant e-social network, should we not focus our efforts on perfecting the means in which we communicate and disseminate our information?

perhaps this is an idyllic view of the world, and there are simply too many intricacies and subtle nuances to life that we cannot sum up in a polished message. perhaps i believe too strongly in a vision similar to bill and ted's excellent adventure, where the world was aligned through the simple messages of two dudes' music. perhaps this '80s reference just dumbed down my argument. regardless, i think that the key to our future evolution is dependent on how we manage and contribute our information via omnipresent innerconnectivity.

incidentally, it is not through calling home from the aisles of a grocery store because you can't make a decision. which brings up yet another question... with this innerconnectedness, have we handicapped our judgement and empowerment to define a situation with steadfast and educated decision making?

02007+10K

founded in part by avant-garde musician brian eno and david hillis, creator of the connection machine supercomputer, the long now foundation seeks to adjust the current cultural ideology of "faster, higher, cheaper" to "slower, better, sustainable." from the reading i have done on the foundation, it is a very interesting concept with existentialist roots. the organization plans to be in it for the long haul--10,000 years-- to effectively carry out its mission. an audacious goal, indeed.

can you hear me now?

technology is affecting the ways in which we communicate. cell phones, blackberries, and email keep us within virtual immediate contact with other individiuals at any given time. we are able to call upon a response or give our response to another instantaneously. it is a remarkable time in human history to possess such tools, but what does this mean for our psychology and sociology as a culture?

A recent article by a writer from new scientist magazijavascript:void(0)
Publishne put it quite well; "for some people, things move from 'i have a feeling, i want to call a friend' to 'i want to feel something, i need to make a call.'" it is the latter of these that has me concerned for the long term psycho-social affects of wireless devices. there are numerous benefits, yes, but i feel that the technologies have become so pervasive and with monstrous lack of guidance and oversight as to their use.

with our advanced degree of social networking via cell phone, texting, and blackberries, any sense of social etiquette has gone out the window. similarly, we have not given enough thought and commentary as to how these technologies affect the lens in which we see the world. i am not a luddite, but i do not fully embrace these technologies. i am anxious to see what we will discover, in hindsight of course, how these devices have changed our internal wiring and expectations as well as our social cultures.