Archive for November, 2011
November 29, 2011 at 8:34 am · Filed under Green Tech, Off Grid, On Grid, Solar
There are so many different industry buzzwords that have come about lately that it is very difficult to ignore them. Whether you’re talking about “cloud computing” or “grid computing” or even “smart grid technology” there are literally hundreds of company cropping up trying to market their wares to the various enterprises who may be in need of such products. Some of these technologies may take a while for rapid adoption, while others will make it to the masses rather rapidly. In the case of smart grid adoption, I suggest that the former will be more indicative than the latter. Read the rest of this entry »
November 23, 2011 at 2:36 am · Filed under DIY Projects, Off Grid
When it comes time to designing your new home – its not as easy as you might think in 2011 to be fully green and to plan to take full advantage of energy saving practices and technologies that are available. We do not all live in San Diego or Vancouver BC where not only the climate is most temperate – but also we may not encounter the most progressive and knowledgeable government officials, tradesman and contractors. It can be like one giant circus or being at Sea-World as you try to explain to these miscreants. Read the rest of this entry »
November 21, 2011 at 10:12 pm · Filed under Green Tech
Hybrid vehicles seem like a great idea because they use both an electric engine and a gas engine. Gas powered cars pollute the air when they go above or below their optimum fuel efficiency speed (generally 60 mph). Hybrids, on the other hand, have electric engines to make up for some of that polluting inefficiency; when a hybrid is idling or traveling at a low speeds, its electric engine runs while its gas powered one does not. Read the rest of this entry »
November 19, 2011 at 11:36 pm · Filed under DIY Projects, Green Tech, Off Grid, Wind Power
Windows are a mixed blessing. No doubt they are great for admitting light and making your home – be it condo , house , apartment bright and cheery while admitting light, providing a view of the out-of-doors as well as collecting some solar energy during day light daytime hours they are not good – indeed horrible – insulators against nighttime heat losses. In fact , in the heating and windows trades it is both well known and held as a truism that single pane glass acts as a heat exchanger to the outdoors – allowing about 10 times as much heat loss per a square foot area than an insulated wall would.
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November 18, 2011 at 6:50 pm · Filed under DIY Projects, Off Grid
Loose fill (pour type) fiberglass, mineral wool and cellulose products are easy to install in unfinished attic areas. These materials also can be blown into walls. However they do settle over time – reducing their insulation values and make for drafty, cold patches of space. Read the rest of this entry »
November 17, 2011 at 6:09 pm · Filed under DIY Projects, Green Tech, Off Grid
A penny invested in installing and upgrading insulation materials in any building is it your home or office building – your property or an investment group of properties is many KW of electrical power, volumes of fossil fuels saved. Here are some things to consider before you go shopping at your local building equipment store to help you choose the type of insulation materials that you do the renovations and upgrades with. Read the rest of this entry »
November 16, 2011 at 6:26 pm · Filed under Bio Fuel, DIY Projects, Green Tech, Off Grid
Unless you have a need of a special material or materials, select insulation and insulating materials based on its cost per net square foot for a given R-value. As an example suppose that you want to upgrade your home’s energy insulation to both save you heating fuel costs and reduce your carbon footprint. Suppose you want to upgrade the values to an R-value of 19. You would or could then price out one kind of insulation that has a calculated and labeled R-value of 3.2 per inch of thickness and costs merely 7 cents per square foot at the 1-inch thickness. Another type, for this calculation exercise, has an R-value of 3.7 per inch of thickness yet costs 8 cents per square foot. Which is the better overall buy?
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November 16, 2011 at 8:59 am · Filed under The Politics
The latest round of climate change talks is due to get underway later this month in Durban, and there seems to be a general air of pessimism surrounding the issue. This is for a couple of reasons: one is that the attention of many large countries is currently on global economic issues rather than environmental ones, and another is that levels of climate skepticism from countries such as the US make it harder for action to be taken. Read the rest of this entry »
November 11, 2011 at 8:34 am · Filed under Bio Fuel
At first glance, it might seem a bit insane to create renewable energy out of alcohol. However, whisky could become a good source of energy. In Scotland, a distillery is attempting to create a greener world by installing a generator that runs on biogas. This would also enable them to solve any issues with energy. 
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