Technomaly » green

Green TVs Getting Greener

J. Matthew Zoss — Fri, 07 May 2010 15:24:07 +0000

If you’ve bought an HDTV in the last few years, chances are that it’s sporting the Engery Star logo that certifies it as a energy efficient device. However, it looks like future HDTVs will be even more efficient. The new Energy Star 4.0 ratings are now in effect. All TVs manufactured as of May 1 must meet stricter regulations to earn the Energy Star status and in 2012 the even tougher 5.0 rules come into effect, which will drop the maximum consumption by an additional 40 percent.

For now, the 4.0 rules drop energy consumption by 40% from the 3.0 rules (so the upcoming 5.0 rules will require TVs that are 80% from the 3.0 rules, obviously). Under the new rules, a 50-inch set can consume 153 watts max (compared to 318 in the 3.0 world) and a display that’s “off” can use no more than one watt. The nature-loving Na’vi will be proud as you watch Avatar on your energy-efficient screen.

Source: Engadget

Nation’s Newest Stadium Declared “Green”

J. Matthew Zoss — Sat, 24 Apr 2010 14:30:57 +0000

Target Field, the new home of the Minnesota Twins, has been declared a “green” building.

At a press conference on April 8, the Minnesota Twins announced that Target Field has earned LEED certification status, which stands for Leaders in Energy and Environmental Design. The internationally recognized LEED organization rates architecture projects based on energy savings, water efficiency, carbon-dioxide emissions reduction and indoor environmental quality.

A major component in Target Field’s environmental considerations is its water system, which captures and uses rainwater for irrigation. The water system, which we first reported on here, is the first of its kind for a sports facility.

The first official game at Target Field is scheduled for April 12.

Source: Star Tribune

Will The Bloom Box Replace The Grid?

Nick Upton — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 14:07:40 +0000

A man who designed a working oxygen farm for Mars turned his efforts toward earth with the new fuel-cell power plant dubbed the Bloom Box.

The idealist genius said reverse engineered his work on the oxygen farm, and instead of pumping out oxygen, he pumped it in and created electrical power.

CBS talked to the man, K.R. Sridhar, and he showed just how straightforward the process was.

Sridhar feeds oxygen to it on one side, and fuel on the other. The two combine within the cell to create a chemical reaction that produces electricity.

There’s no need for burning or combustion, and no need for power lines from an outside source.

The secret to the process is a green and black ink that creates the chemical reaction that produces electricity.

Some huge names are already using the Bloom Boxes, and aside a few hiccups, swear by the new technology.

FedEx installed a mini Bloom Box power plant in Oakland. Walmart did too, and eBay has been using five of the boxes and say they account for 15 percent of power generation on their huge campus. EBay’s CEO said the biogass-powered generators already saved them more than $100,000 in energy costs in just nine months.

Each box costs $700,000 to $800,000, but if it reaches a larger scale, that price will inevitably go down. Since the Bloom Box is a green technology, anyone installing the devices also gets a 30 percent tax break (an additional 20 percent in California); which brings the cost down significantly.

Even skeptics admitted that the technology was a breakthrough. One tried to poo-poo the company by saying that GE would be making the cells instead. But regardless, it works and if it continues to work the Bloom Box could essentially change how power is produced.

Instead of having massive nuclear power plants or valleys filled with solar panels, Sridhar — and the skeptics — say that companies could buy the fuel cell boxes and drop them into a neighborhood and not worry about the failing transmission lines or the gazillion-dollars to update the grid for other green energy.

Sridhar wants to take it a step further, installing boxes the size of a dog at every home. And he wants to sell them for less than $3,000 — about the cost of a low quality, low power wind generator. Because the system can work on just about any gas people could simply install it like they would a new dryer.

I’ll be watching the Bloom Boxes intently as they become a publicly traded company, and I truly hope the device works as well as the designer says. These boxes could be the key to real green energy without having to reinvent the wheel when it comes to infrastructure.

[Via CBS Video | CBS Story]

Even Greener Homes Built From Local Garbage

Nick Upton — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 14:00:55 +0000

The green home has long been a dream of the eco-friendly masses and cheaper solar arrays and wind generators have given them a good supplement to the evil grid. But some people are taking green living to another level by using not only recycled materials, but local raw recycled materials.

Dubbed “Earthships,” the homes can be the key to completely getting off the crowded grid — as the ship in Earthship denotes. The thick walls of the homes are built from old stucco walls in New Mexico and bottles, cans and worn tires everywhere.

Earthships can be found in most U.S. states today, though New Mexico is the leader, followed closely by Colorado.

Several have sprung up in England and France as well as in South Africa, among other countries. And with more and more governments tightening up their building codes to require increased energy efficiency and smarter use of resources, Earthships are bound to become even more popular.

[ViaScientific American | Images via Earthship Biotecture]

World’s Most Efficient Laundry Detergent On Sale

Asterios Kokkinos — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 12:35:47 +0000

Here at Technomaly, we’re always looking to bring you the latest and greatest innovations in laundry technology. Today is no exception. Feast your eyes on the…

THE WORLD’S FIRST 8X CONCENTRATED LAUNDRY DETERGENT!

That’s right. Throw your 2x detergent out the window, and pour your 4x detergent into an estuary, because Method has invented the world’s most efficient laundry detergent. In addition to being so super concentrated that you only need a small amount to clean your clothes (which saves on packaging), the detergent is also made with 95 percent renewable and natural ingredients, is produced using 33 percent less energy, and has a bottle made of completely recycled plastic!

This laundry detergent is essentially Captain Planet in a bottle. You can only buy it by aiming five rings at the sky and chanting nonsense words. I’m way too excited by laundry detergent, I realize.

Source: GreenBiz

Photo Source: FastCompany

1816 Sterling Motor May Drive Solar Energy In 2010

Nick Upton — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 00:14:20 +0000

Designed almost 200 years ago, the sterling motor is about to rev up again, and it could mean cost-effective solar energy on a huge scale.

The Scientific American featured the novel solar energy plant, scheduled to start up in early 2010 in Arizona.

The 1.5 megawatt (MW) demonstration site, known as Maricopa Solar, is set to begin operations early January 2010, with units provided by the Arizona-based Stirling Energy Systems (SES).
While 1.5 MW is only a fraction of the power that may be generated at sites SES has contracted to develop in California and Texas, spokesperson Janette Coates says this is a necessary first step in the technology’s commercialization.

“It’s important for our industry to see — and our partners and investors — that we can take a small-scale plant and get it operational before we break ground on larger ones,” Coates told the Scientific American.

The engines boast 31 percent efficiency, a nearly 200 percent jump over most commercial solar power generators.

The engines have somewhat of a checkered past and multiple criticisms. There have been several planned installations over the years, but the Arizona plant could give those other plans the boost they need — assuming the engines work. Engineers have long questioned the engines as they can get troublesome and need a lot of maintenance to keep working.

The engines work by harnessing the power of expanding and condensing gas. The heat from the sun mirror expands gas on one side of the chamber, the other side chamber is cooled. The chambers grow and shrink beneath a piston, driving a crankshaft.

The problems come in keeping the chamber in tune and running smooth. All those parts need constant attention, not the vast, unmanned solar farms people want.

The draw of this system is that it takes very little water — necessary in those big solar farms. It also means that during the maintenance, there is very little disruption of the power flow. If a bed of photovoltaic panels goes down, a big chunk of the output is gone.

It will certainly be an interesting development in the field of green energy, and even if it doesn’t work, it could mean the competition necessary to push all forms of solar power technology even further.

Animated gif thanks to Wikipedia.

Initiative Seeks To Reduce Data Center Energy Usage 1000-Fold

Asterios Kokkinos — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 02:10:10 +0000

“Imagine the amount of energy it takes for the global communications network to operate for one day. That same amount of power would represent three years of operation in this new network.”

That’s Gee Rittenhouse, director of research for Alcatel-Lucent’s Bell Labs, at a launch event today in London. Rittenhouse and crew run the “Green Touch” initiative, which seeks a 1,000-fold decrease in the amount of power our IT structures require.

As we’ve reported before in Technomaly, huge servers and data centers emit 300 million tons of carbon dioxide per year, or about 3% of our carbon output. Green Touch seeks to slash that output by focusing on “a common reference architecture, set of specifications and road map for a new, energy-efficient ICT paradigm.”

Rittenhouse isn’t alone – the Green Touch group includes heavy hitters like AT&T, China Mobile, MIT’s Research Laboratory of Electronics, Stanford University’s Wireless Systems Lab, the Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology and the French National Institute for Research in Computer Science and Control. That’s a lot of muscle. This clash of the science titans could come up with something we can actually use!

Tesla Takes A Cross-Country, Hijinx-Filled Road Trip

Geoffrey Golden — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 11:17:05 +0000

Don’t think an electric powered car can survive long drives or tough climates? The folks at Tesla Motors aimed to dispel these myths about the electric car by taking their $100,000 Roadster on a 2,700-mile cross-country road trip from California through Texas and up to Detroit for the currently running North American International Auto Show. So now that they’ve shown the Tesla can handle long drives, it’s time to ask the bigger question: what hilarious sexual mishaps occurred on their road trip?

If we’ve learned nothing from movies, whenever a group of people go on a road trip, sexy hijinx ensue. Did the electric car engineers stop at Al Gore’s mansion for a skinny dipping party, only to discover that some mischievous co-eds stole their hemp underwear? Did one of the engineers learn to “get off” by shocking himself with the 240 volt house plug, used to charge the Roadster’s battery? Did the craziest engineer eat a mouse?

Expect a direct-to-DVD movie in early 2011, followed by a sequel a few months later.

[Image via]

Department of Energy Offers $47 Million For Green Data Centers

Asterios Kokkinos — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 00:30:52 +0000

Did you know that industry computer servers account for 1.5% of the nation’s energy use? The Department of Energy did which is why they awarded $47 million dollars to companies who are seeking to improve energy usage in data centers.

Energy Secretary Steven Chu awarded cash to 14 projects, including HP’s power supply chain projects, Alcatel-Lucent’s data center cooling project, and IBM’s equipment and software project.

The scary thing is, with increased cloud computing comes increased toll on servers – instead of MS Outlook using your processor, Gmail uses theirs, and as such puts more load on the energy grid. God, imagine how much power Google Wave must take up – if more people start using that cloud beast, we may have to get used to brownouts.

The Minnesota Twins Get Green

J. Matthew Zoss — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 23:35:08 +0000

In general, I have as much business writing about sports as my Mom has writing about Xbox 360 first-person shooters. But I do love me some green technology! Target Field, the new ballpark in my hometown of Minneapolis, will be the most environmentally friendly stadium in the country, at least as far as water usage is concerned. The new open-air stadium has been designed to feature a custom-built water system that will capture, conserve and reuse rainwater. Looks like that open-air design was a good idea after all!

Designed by Minneapolis-based Pentair Inc, the water system will also include filtration units in all stadium suites, offices, training rooms and other indoor spaces. These filtration units are designed to improve water quality and lessen use of bottled water inside the facility.

Even though I’ll probably never set foot inside it, I’m happy to hear the Minnesota Twin’s new home was built with sustainability in mind. If I ever do go inside, I’ll be the guy checking out the water pipes rather than watching the game.

Greenpeace Goes To CES

J. Matthew Zoss — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 19:49:34 +0000

Greepeace isn’t the first organization I think of when the Consumer Electronics Show comes around, but a press release in my email inbox reminded me that the group issues a quarterly Guide To Greener Electronics (pdf). The 14th edition is available now, and Greenpeace is chiming in on what they have seen out at CES. The group has praise for Apple, Sony Ericsson and Nokia for their new products, which have eliminated many of the hazardous chemicals that were once present in just about every electronic doodad you can name. Also praised was HP, which Greenpeace says is catching up to the aforementioned green tech leaders.

On the other end of the spectrum, several companies didn’t score nearly as well. Samsung, Dell, Lenovo and LGE were all mentioned as companies that failed to live up to some of their environmental promises. From the press release:

Samsung, Dell, Lenovo, and LGE pick up penalty points in the Guide (1) for failing to follow through on a promised phase-out of toxic chemicals in their products. The majority of the companies in the Guide had pledged to remove toxic PVC vinyl plastic and brominated flame retardants (BFRs) (2) from their product range by the end of 2009, which would have meant a greater show of greener, toxic-free products for visitors to preview at the CES. But, for now, it’s a no show for these companies, who have delayed their phase-out to 2011 or beyond.

Greenpeace’s complete coverage of CES can be found here. Personally, I’m glad that the group is out there pushing for greener, safer electronics. After all, we all die from cancer or global warming, we won’t get to play with any more fun tech toys.