Green Options

Sarah Palin has said many times that the polar bear habitat is safe, and there’s no need to classify them as a “threatened” species.  Yet today comes word that as the Arctic sea ice melts, polar bears are finding less and less food sources and are beginning to cannibalize one another.

Albert Einstein is probably most remembered by the public for his General Theory of Relativity, but how many remember his 1930 invention of a refrigerator that used no electricity?  I wasn’t there when it was introduced, but I knew several people who had one, and they weren’t all that happy with it, primarily because it wasn’t that efficient.

The idea was great, it operated without electricity, using ammonia, butane and water.  The principle being that water boils at a much lower temperature at high altitudes where air pressure is lower than it does when you’re at sea level, where air pressure is higher.

Malcom McCulloch, an electrical engineer at Oxford University in the U.K., is leading a team in a three year project to produce appliances that can be used in places without electricity.  Or, for that matter, places with electricity, why not?.  That’s when McCulloch latched on to Einstein’s fridge idea.

Einstein’s concept, shown in the image above, works thusly.  At one side is the evaporator, a flask that contains butane. “If you introduce a new vapor above the butane, the liquid boiling temperature decreases and, as it boils off, it takes energy from the surroundings to do so,’ says McCulloch. ‘That’s what makes it cold.”

A vegetarian woman was driving along a German highway and came upon a truckload of pigs headed for a sausage factory.  She told officers she was so traumatized by the site of the poor little animals going to slaughter, that she momentarily lost control of her car and sideswiped another truck, filled with pigs.

Apparently, there was little damage to the vehicles, the pigs survived and so did the [...]

Unique, clever and straight-forward engineering has resulted in three Volvo models ready for the road.

These fuel-sipping marvels feature a 1.6 litre diesel engine along with aerodynamicly reduced air resistance, new Michelin tires that lower rolling resistance, and the new European cyclGearbox with altered ratios for third, fourth and fifth gears.  Volvo says the new gearbox configuration alone results in a 1.5% reduction in fuel consumption without affecting the driveability of the car.

Unique, clever and straight-forward engineering has resulted in three Volvo models ready for the road.

These fuel-sipping marvels feature a 1.6 litre diesel engine along with aerodynamicly reduced air resistance, new Michelin tires that lower rolling resistance, and the new European cyclGearbox with altered ratios for third, fourth and fifth gears.  Volvo says the new gearbox configuration alone results in a 1.5% reduction in fuel consumption without affecting the driveability of the car.

Who would have imagined, a luxury rickshaw in Beijing.  China’s Legal Evening Post says the tricycle, dubbed “The Other Rickshaw”, was designed and produced by BMW.

The company that owns the vehicle, Chen De Bao, says it’s the only rickshaw of its kind in the world.

According to the article, the passenger area is the original rear half of a Mini car body, completely equipped with safety belts, gold-plated dragons and various [...]

Solar Energy Comes to the DOE Headquarters
One of the largest solar power systems in Washington, D.C. was inaugurated atop the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Forrestal Building today (9-9-08).  Energy Secretary Samuel W. Bodman, shown here, energized the system for the first time, saying:
“The significance of this solar array is both practical and symbolic–it improves the way the Department consumes energy and it is a symbol of America’s commitment to using the best available new technologies to confront the energy challenges we face today and will face tomorrow,”

Milestone Move by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission
It’s taken two decades and billions of dollars, but the proposed Yucca Mountain Nuclear Repository project has finally reached a new plateau.  The Nuclear Regulatory Commission, (NRC) has accepted an application for licensing, and will begin a lengthy process of safety studies, hearings and public meetings.

The application was filed June 3rd by the Department of Energy (DOE), and was accepted as “sufficiently complete” for the agency to move forward with the process which could take up to four years.

Hey, Can We Take it For a Ride?
You’ve no doubt wondered how a $500,000, 420bhp sportscar would run, right?  I mean after all, what would it be like to go from 0-62 mph in just 3.2 seconds?
That’s what 44 year old Martin Holz and Friedrich Voller, 53, had in mind when they asked a car dealer in Moenchengladbach, Germany if they could take it for a spin.  The car, built as a prototype by the Vemot AG company, was on display and just too much of a temptation.

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Ok, so it isn’t flashy, just nice clean lines and a monster under the hood.  It’s the new Trident Iceni, a two-seat sports car boasting a 6.61 litre V8 turbo diesel from GM that will launch you from 0 to 60 in 3.7 seconds.  The company, Trident Performance Vehicles based in the UK, says computer calculations suggest a top speed of 230 mph, and a range of approximately 1000 miles.

The car’s chassis is stainless steel throughout, forming what the company says is a complete safety cell around the occupants against front and side impact.  Rollover protection is supplied by a central spine configuration that is said to have the highest torsional rigidity of any car tested.  Trident guarantees the car for life against corrosion.