The West African Black Rhinoceros or Western Black Rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis longipes) is declared extinct by International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) after a recent survey failed to spot any individuals. As per the global assessment by IUCN there are no Wild Black Rhinos remaining in West Africa.
The West African Black Rhinoceros once widespread in the savanna of central-west Africa but declined from poaching. According to IUCN a subspecies of white rhino in central Africa is also listed as possibly extinct.
The IUCN reports that despite conservation efforts, 25% of the world’s mammals are at risk of extinction. As part of its latest work it has reassessed several rhinoceros groups.
The 2011 Veolia World Solar Challenge has officially begun in Darwin, Australia. 37 racing teams from 20 countries around the word is competing in the event. The teams will travel 3000 plus kilometers from Darwin to reach the finishing point at Adelaide.
According to the organizers: “It’s all about energy management! Based on the original notion that a 1000W car would complete the journey in 50 hours, solar cars are allowed a nominal 5kW hours of stored energy, which is 10% of that theoretical figure. All other energy must come from the sun or be recovered from the kinetic energy of the vehicle”
Solar Team Twente came first in the qualification round that was held on last Saturday and secured the first starting position in the race. Nuon Solar Team and Michigan University finished in second and third positions respectively.
The Challenge crosses the centre of Australia – stretching 3000km from Darwin to Adelaide. Enthusiast can follow their favorite teams during the challenge as satelite tracking systems are implemented in each vechichles.
The fastest teams are expected to reach the official finish line just outside Adelaide late Wednesday or early Thursday
In early November 2010 the Chevy volt was picked as the Green Car for 2011 by the Green Car Journal. General Motors showcased the Chevrolet Volt with major fanfare at the Detroit Auto show of 2007 as a concept car, and as promised kept the launch date of end of 2010. When the Chevy Volt debuted in the Los Angeles Auto show it also won the “Car of the Year” – a first for a plug in Hybrid! This year the nominees including two hybrids, a high efficiency gasoline hatchback, and for the first time two electric cars.
The automotive press loves handing out awards, but this one is somewhat relevant because all the cars considered are practical, eco-friendly vehicles you might actually want to drive. Judges include gearheads Jay Leno and Carroll Shelby along with greenies like Frances Beinecke of the Natural Resources Defense Council. Motor Trend and Automobile magazines named the Chevrolet Volt “car of the year” earlier this week.
Chevy Volt via Wikipedia
It is already on the roads in many parts of the country. The Volt looks pretty average from the outside except for the grille, but the interiors and its technology are revolutionary. The Volt charges up for a range of about 40 miles on battery power only; then the gasoline engine allows another 300 miles or so on top of that. It can be plugged in to a wall socket or a special garage recharger to “refuel”. To me it seems a tad too pricey at $40k plus.
I remember a line I read about the Volt when it first made its debut as the future of GM- the author of that article said “For GM, the Volt is meant to help change its image as a vendor or SUVs and other trucks, while giving it important technical know-how in fuel-efficient cars.” You can read the entire article hereIn many ways it is kind of a resurrection for the American Auto makers who were caught napping by the Japanese and other auto manufacturers in the race for a fuel efficient hybrid.
After all these good things today morning I read a rating from the ACEEE on the Green Car Book website – they have rated the Chevy Volt the lowest amongst Green cars at 48! They judge the new models on a point scale that includes not only fuel economy and tailpipe emissions, but also such relatively arcane measures as factory pollution and ease of recycling. At first glance I wondered what changed? then realized it was just how they were looking at it skewed. The volt’s gas engine gives a mileage of 35 mpg city/40 highway, which is nothing to write home about really. But what they have not taken into account is the fact that many a volt owner might never use the gas engine! and the Volt was given a 10/10 for being green by th car connection folks too!
Motor Trend magazine said“The genius of the Volt’s powertrain is that it is actually capable of operating as a pure EV, a series hybrid, or as a parallel hybrid to deliver the best possible efficiency, depending on the user’s duty cycle. For want of a better technical descriptor, this is world’s first intelligent hybrid. And the investment in the technology that drives this car is also an investment in the long-term future of automaking in America.”
I for one am very intrigued and would definitely take a look at the Volt before I decide as to which new car to buy, will just have to wait for the price to reach a little lower
A molten salt reactor (MSR) is a type of nuclear fission reactor where the primary coolant is a molten salt mixture, which can run at high temperatures (for higher thermodynamic efficiency) while staying at low vapor pressure for reduced mechanical stress and increased safety, and is less reactive than molten sodium coolant. The nuclear fuel may be solid fuel rods, or dissolved in the coolant itself, which eliminates fuel fabrication, simplifies reactor structure, equalizes burnup, and allows online reprocessing. MSR is also known as a liquid fluoride thorium reactor (LFTR), and pronounced “lifter”. (Source: Wikipedia)
The People’s Republic of China has initiated a research and development project in thorium molten-salt reactor technology, it was announced in the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) annual conference on Tuesday, January 25.
A variety of fluids have been tested to transport the sun’s heat, including water, air, oil, and sodium, but molten salt was selected as best. Molten salt is used in solar power tower systems because it is liquid at atmosphere pressure, it provides an efficient, low-cost medium in which to store thermal energy, its operating temperatures are compatible with today’s high-pressure and high-temperature steam turbines, and it is non-flammable and nontoxic. In addition, molten salt is used in the chemical and metals industries as a heat-transport fluid, so experience with molten-salt systems exists in non-solar settings. [Source Wikipedia]
California has approved a new solar project that could revolutionize how we use energy from the sun – namely because it will be able to keep producing electricity even after night falls.
SolarReserve‘s Rice Solar Energy Project uses molten salt to store solar thermal energy. Since the salt will be able to reach temperatures over 1000 degrees Fahrenheit and retain most of the heat it collects during the day, the plant will have the ability to keep churning out heat long after the sun goes down.
California has approved a new solar project that could revolutionize how we use energy from the sun – namely because it will be able to keep producing electricity even after night falls. SolarReserve‘s Rice Solar Energy Project uses molten salt to store solar thermal energy. Since the salt will be able to reach temperatures over 1000 degrees Fahrenheit and retain most of the heat it collects during the day, the plant will have the ability to keep churning out heat long after the sun goes down.
The 2010 United Nations Climate Change Conference will be held in Cancún, Mexico, from 29 November to 10 December 2010. The conference is officially referred to as the 16th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 16) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the 6th session of the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties (CMP 6) to the Kyoto Protocol.
Thanks to a recent EPA ruling, Green Power Inc. will be commencing the building of municipal solid waste (MSW) to fuel plants for clients around the world, with $2 billion in contracts.
The US Department of Energy reports that in 2006 the US land filled 140 million tons of residual biomass (total MSW including inorganic was 170 million tons). According to Green Power Inc (GPI) this 140 million ton biomass resource has the potential of becoming 13 billion gallons per year (BGPY) of Fossil Free Fuel®, and offsetting 7% (nearly one month’s worth) of our imported crude.
In August of 2009, GPI was shut down by Washington state’s Ecology Department who said GPI had “not provided adequate compliance with the environmental air quality regulations.” This was cleared on September 8, 2010 by an EPA ruling that support’s GPI’s claim and reverses Washington state’s Ecology Department’s claim that placed the GPI process in the class of incinerators, which it is not.
IT or Information Technology and related services account for 2% of all Carbon emissions globally. The IMEC laboratory in Belgium has been developing microchips which can run on the tiniest amounts of power – like energy harvested from the slightest variations in the environment etc…
For any type of computing device to harvest this energy, its microchip must be able to work with so-called ‘sub-threshold’ voltages – voltages at which a normal transistor would turn itself off. The IMEC lab has come out with a prototype head band which monitors a patients vital signs and sends a wireless SOS in case of an epileptic seizure or a heart attack. Instead of being powered by batteries, it gets all the energy it needs solely from the warmth of the patient’s forehead. The thermoelectric generator is mounted on the forehead and converts the heat flow between the skin and air into electrical power.
Mr Gyselinkckx’s team expand the range of functions that can be achieved at sub-threshold voltages, they could revolutionize not only the market for niche headbands, but the entire world of computing.
“There is a tremendous drive today to reduce the power consumption of all kinds of electronics that we’re using – computers, cell phones, laptops”, says Mr Gyselinckx.
“The techniques we’re using to make ultra low power devices for body sensors could also be used in these applications.” It is an attractive idea – laptops that power themselves from the heat of your lap. But Mr Gyselinckx admits this is still some way off.
IMEC performs world-leading research in nano-electronics and nano-technology. Its staff of more than 1,750 people includes over 550 industrial residents and guest researchers. Imec’s research is applied in better healthcare, smart electronics, sustainable energy, and safer transport.
The idea is revolutionary and when fully viable will make a huge impact on the world of electronics. A Video from the BBC
Clean drinking water is a necessity for human survival. MIT researchers have come up with a mobile solar powered water desalination system which could help remote regions have access to clean water.
The Project
This graphic shows the team’s concept for a portable system that could be shipped to disaster zones.
The team consists of 3 Mechanical Engineering graduate students Amy Bilton (Cyprus Program Fellow), Leah Kelley (Presidential Fellow), Richard Heller MS Student, led by Steven Dubowsky, a professor in both the Department of Mechanical Engineering and the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, and Prof. Richard Wiesman.
Funded by MIT’s Center for Clean Water and Clean Energy in collaboration with the King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM), the research is aimed at designing small-scale systems for remote regions that don’t have access to vast amounts of electricity. The systems are also designed so that they can be cost-effectively assembled from standard parts and put into operation within hours using local human capital.
The team has built a working prototype that “is capable of producing 80 gallons of water a day in a variety of weather conditions.”
They estimate a larger version that could provide about 1000 gallons of water per day would cost about $8000 to construct. Size wise they believe a C-130 Cargo plane could deliver 2dozen desalination units, thereby providing enough drinking water for 10,000 people.
The supply of energy and clean water to remote locations, such as desert facilities, farming operations, resorts, and small villages in the developing world can be logistically complex and expensive. This project explores the feasibility, design and control of small smart power units to provide clean water and energy to remote sites by using solar power and reverse osmosis modules.
Watch the video about the product -
Opinion
When disasters strike basic necessities like drinking water made available sooner makes recovery faster and manageable. For remote locations too this might be a viable alternative as a fresh water source provided the solar panels becomes viable cost wise.
Wastage of any kind is criminal, my mom used to say when we were kids. Especially with food it was her “mantra” with the added scenario of starving kids in Africa to make her point. Over the last decade I have become more aware of the size of the problem worldwide – especially wastage of Food when so many human beings starve.
We have done some posts about world hunger and the 1 billion people across the world who are in need of food. I came across a very interesting book and website by Jonathan Bloom – The book is titled “American Wasteland” and his website is www.wastedfood.com. I am in the process of reading the book (will write more about it once I am done with the book). From what I have read it is one book every person should read, once we realize the folly of our ways may be we will change for the better.
Checked it out and thought the tips were really simple and easy to follow if even some of us made some of the changes, it would make a big difference. So here is the lsit of 7 steps we can all adapt to waste less food and save money too!
Plan Ahead
Planning meals ahead of time. Checking your shelves, refrigerator, storage and making list before heading out to buy groceries.
Shop Smart
Write a detailed grocery list and buy what you need. If something is on sale make sure you can use it all up before buying it just because it is on sale. (e.g. anything that can be frozen is a good buy).
Use What You Buy
Make use of leftovers, be it rice, vegetables or bread. Almost everything can be used creatively to make a new dish.
Freeze before you toss
Freezing leftover vegetables or meat to make a broth is an example. Waffles pancake etc too can be put in ziplock bags and frozen, microwave them for a quick snack
Get educated
Nobody wants to eat unsafe food, but throwing away good food just because the label says so does not necessarily work either. Use by dates are more for quality than safety, Find out what expiration date really means
Think beyond eating
Overripe fruits make good homemade facials. Mixing them into your garden soil is a very green way to fertilize too.
Give to Others
Donate non perishable items that you are not going to eat.
A University of Texas study quantifies our wasted food into energy wasted and say Americans waste the equivalent of 350million barrels of oil every year on wasted food! That is 2% of annual energy consumption of the USA. More once am done with American Wasteland, check out the book I guarantee, you will not look at food or grocery the same way again.
The following is a short documentary film about food waste created by college freshmen at Appalachian State University. This video is product of Watauga Global Community. In the film they attempt to identify food waste, what causes it, and what college students can specifically do to reduce the amount of food being sent to landfills. They even go as far as dumpster diving to illustrate their point. David Nielsen, Shannon Doherty, Ridge Grahm, Lauren Prigge, and Drew Fortune.
