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Can we deny that climate change is real?

Friday, February 10th, 2012

This winter in Vermont has been a very difficult winter for snow lovers and the ski industry, but the really important thing that people should realize is that there is no doubt a severe climate change occuring. Temperates have been extremely mild in Vermont and the rest of New England this winter. The snow depths around the country are below average in almost every area in the US. The ski industry as a whole is hurting and the west coast resorts have had one of the worst season in recent memory. Now this hard evidence just makes that arugement of whether or not climate change is real a no braining. Its sad to see that it took this long for everyone to finally except that there was a world crisis on our hands and that the only way to stop or slow it down was with humans changing how we live our everyday lives.

 

Let the snow dancing continue and bring much needed snow around the country especially in the green mountains here in Vermont.

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Thoughts while sitting by the fire

Thursday, January 12th, 2012

Well today has been an exciting day up in the Valley in the Green Mountains. With the beautiful snow falling and changing the landscape I could not help, but think about the beauty of nature and winter. Many people do not take the cold and the snow as postively as myself but for me it is nights light these that I charish. Sitting by the wood stove, drinking a nice dark porter beer is something that I dream about doing all summer long.

Now this winter has already been quiet interesting with the unusually weather that we have been seeing up in Vermont so far this winter. With this snow storm that arrived early this morning and will continue on and off through Friday has made it feel a lot more like winter and the forecast  seems to tell the same story. I believe that this winter is a true example of the severity of climate change from a global prospective. Northern California (Lake Tahoe has zero natural snow), which compared to last year this time when the western USA was nearing 100 inches total snow fall around this time last year. Now that winter has arrived I think that it is only right to say that the snow dances around the country have paid off and happy winter.

 

 

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Wind Energy has finally moved into the mainstream

Thursday, September 23rd, 2010

Over the past two years I have found that there are a lot more wind farms being built around the world. Off shore wind in Europe is being seen as the true answer to harness huge amounts of electricity from wind. The reason that off shore wind is capable of producing mega watts and in the future giga watts of power is because the wind coming off the ocean is not only faster but far more consistent than on land. Some might argue that the turbines are ugly from shore but the nearest turbine to land on this farm is 7 miles.

The largest off shore wind farm in the World today began operating off

the coast of southern England. The farm has 100 turbines and is capable of  generating enough electricity to power 200,000 homes.

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Wind Technology Expanding

Thursday, September 9th, 2010

Ridge Blade

One of the most common concerns that many people have with wind turbines is the aesthetic appeal of them in a natural environment.

The Ridge Blade is interesting concept that incorporates the turbine into the structure and also logically seems like it would work.

The idea of uses the force that is put on the roof as the driving force would work and also would use the roof as a channel to funnel the air into the ridge turbine.

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Day 3 – Solar 2010

Saturday, May 22nd, 2010

The sessions I attended today were several of the most interesting ones that I had the opporunity to attend as today was the last day of actual sessions and tomorrow I will be doing the NABCEP entry level review session all day. Two of the sessions that I attended were Energy for the other 80% and Spirit and Sustainability.

Energy for the other 80% was about utilizing renewable energy systems in the developing world where electricity is not existent or is very limited. The first speaker talked about installing PV systems on health facilities in Africa where there is virtually no electricity and doctors are performing major surgery while only using a candle to illuminate the area. Installing PV systems to allow for lighting during the night has not only saved many lives, but also enables doctors to see more patients who woudl otherwise be turned away because of the lack of resources. There was another speaker who was with Sun Energy Power International and has been traveling to Haiti provided electricity to field hospitals and camps where electricity has been cut off due to the earthquake. After going to this session it made me really think about what I could do to help these developing countries and the people that live there and maybe in the future I will have the opportunity to help these people and install PV systems that provide a better way of life for these people who deserve it more than anybody.

The other session I went to was about buildings in the desert and specifically Taliesin West which was built by Frank Lloyd Wright in 1937. It is an master piece of architecture and hearing what the building means in regards to sustainability and green building was interesting.

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Day 2 – Solar 2010

Thursday, May 20th, 2010

Networking at this conference was one of my main goals as well as learning as much about this industry as possible. I attending a session called cool towers:Integrating passive cooling for buildings and spaces in the arid southwest. Cool towers I had never heard about before this session and the easiest description is that it is a tower that has pads soaked in water at the top of the tower. Air moves through the moist pads which then makes the air cool and drop down through the tower and into the building. These towers are able to cool the air by over 30 degrees F. This is a technology that is only effective in dry hot climates like in Arizona, and Wyoming.

Today was the first day that the exhibits and tables were open and I spent several hours walking through the hundreds of different exhibits and companies that were showing their products. There were distributor companies, Photovoltaic panel manufactures, Solar thermal manufactures, NABCEP, consultants, AEE Solar to name a few of the different tables that were there. It is excited to see how many different companies there are in this industry and the am

I had the opportunity to attend another session called Emerging Technologies. This was all about the transportation system and electric vehicles. Marcelo Da Luz is the one who built and drives the car that some of you may know as the ufo solar car which has been featured on the discovery channel as well as news networks. I had the chance to meet with Marcelo and talk about his journey from the Arctic and in Alaska.

Video of first person ever to ski being pulled by a solar vehicle

http://xof1.com

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Day 1 – ASES Solar Conference

Thursday, May 20th, 2010

I knew that attending a solar conference would benefit me a lot especially as I continue to get involved in this industry. Today was an interesting day filled with a lot of forums and technical sessions that covered a wide range of topics. Two of the sessions that I really enjoyed today were the Biochar session and the Solana Solar Generating Station that is planned to begin construction in 2010. I attending several other forums that were focused around community solar, active solar aplication and geothermal and wave energy.

The Biochar session that I attended was about an up and coming technology which is made by the pyrolysis of waste biomass or a less scientific term than pyrolysis would be partial combustion or heating in the absence of oxygen. Biochar which is a type of charcoal is used to sequester carbon as well as improve agricultural production. When a plant dies and decomposses it releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere but when biochar is applied 40-50% of that carbon and be retained as charcoal.

Solana Solar Generating Station is planned to begin construction in late 2010 and will be located 70 miles from Phoenix, AZ. The plant will product 280 megawatts of electricity when fully operational which will be enough power to provide electricity to 70,000 households. It uses solar collectors which are large mirrors that have a tube in the middle of filled with a liqued that is heated to extremely high temperatures, transfered through a heat exchange and evaportor that turns it into steam and then passsed through a turbine. This is an amazing step for the solar industy in the U.S. because although there are big solar systems already operatiing here this is another big step in the right direction. An interesting fact about this power station is that there will be a thermal storage tank which is molten salt. These tanks will allow the station to run at full capacity six hours after the sun goes down which will allow the plant to provide electricity during peak hours. This conference as been a great opportunity to learn and this next several days will only be that more interesting.

http://www.solanasolar.com/

http://www.ases.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=18&Itemid=147

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Oil Spill in the Gulf

Thursday, May 6th, 2010

Since 4/20/2010 there has been 200,000 gallons of oil leaking 5,000 feet under the Gulf of Mexico and the environmental effects of this leak are going to be horrible. This is just another example of the importance of this country and the world as a whole to stop relying on oil and move into a new era.

Renewistan is a concept of an alternative carbon neutral energy system that changes the system and instead of relying on fossil fuels the entire system is developed around renewable energy systems such as solar, and wind. The importance of stabilizing our CO2 levels at 450ppm in 25 years is important and can only be achieved by changing our energy system. Renewable energy will be the key stabilizing our CO2 levels and slowing global warming.

This is not the first destructive event that has happen in the past 20 years. The Exxon valdez oil spill in Alaska in 1989 leaked 11 million gallons of oil on the coast of Alaska. Although the oil spill in the Gulf is has not approached this amount it could become even worse than the Exxon Valdez if this is not stopped. This is the time for environmentalist around this country to take action and encourage our government to not expand off shore drilling in the Gulf.

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Arson in Sinks Canyon

Monday, July 27th, 2009

This weekend there was a fire in Sinks Canyon at the Boulder Band which is a climbing spot in Sinks Canyon. It is believed to be arson which has caused the climbing community and the lander community as a whole to be enraged. It is mind boggling that someone could purposely set an area on fire for their pleasure. Hopefully in the coming weeks the person responsible for this action will be caught and given what he deserves.

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What is Sustainability?

Thursday, April 23rd, 2009

Sustainability has become a slogan when you think of “going green.” Many people think differently about what this word means but everyone has their own definition.

I believe it means that in a perfect world, your home is net-zero. Your house does not use any electricity produced by fossil fueled power plants but instead from renewable energy directly such as wind turbines and solar panels. Being sustainable on a personal level means that you grow/raise your own food and follow practices such as recycling and composting.

This is a vague definition but one that I think most people regardless of their knowledge of the environment and sustainability would understand. For one of the most eloquent talks on Sustainability, watch this TED presentation from the author of Cradle to Cradle, William McDonough.

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