The search for a cheaper fuel has left most of the automobile industry in a tizzy; well it’s not just the automobiles that are looking for the holy grail of alternate fuel. Airline fares may be low but unless they find an alternative jet fuel it will be hard not to raise the airfares if they want to stay in the aviation game. The Farnborough International Air Show exhibit was part of a collaboration and ongoing relationship between the researchers and aviation giant Boeing. The show featured the latest in turbine technology for Jet fighters and commercial aircrafts.
We already saw the cool jacket and the Dell XPS 710 H2C PC using thermal power to cool itself or power your mobile phone, well how about powering your car’s DVD player and GPS simply by using your car exhausts as the power source while you cruise the mean roads. An average SUV produces 15 kilowatts of energy in normal city driving, when cruising between 50 and 60 mph, the generator can produce about 800 watts of power, more than enough to provide power to most on board electronics and in some cases even the water pumps. Major auto companies are working on integrating the thermo electric system into new vehicles.
Don’t think that the biggies of the retail business are going eco-conscious for no reason at all. There always is an ulterior motive as far as they are concerned. Recently giants like Wal-Mart Stores, Kohl’s, Safeway and Whole Foods Market have fitted their roofs with solar panels to generate electricity on a large scale. They need to complete all the installations before the Dec. 31 deadline to take tax advantages for these projects. The trade analysts state that these projects could produce enough power to help reduce total electricity demand and depending on the location and weather, the solar panels generate 10 to 40 percent of the power a store needs. Whatever the motive, I vote in the favor of such tax benefits if they result in such eco-friendly endeavors.
The rage in biofuels is set to get heated up even more, a University of Northern Colorado researcher has received the go ahead to study the tropical copaiba tree’s (which is also known as the diesel tree) oil producing seeds in order to understand if theses genes can be put into other plants or trees. The idea isn’t a new one since we all know that ethanol is grown and now used on a small scale as an alternative fuel. The difference with this idea is to get more trees or even grass to produce oleoresin, the use of oleoresin as a substitute for diesel isn’t new. I wonder if diesel is such an environmentally friendly solution. After all it is the reason cities smog levels are on the rise.
News is that the EU has proposed a 120-grams-per-km emissions standard by 2012. This new regulation could adversely affect the European carmakers, edging them towards closure. Big Daddies of the business like Ferrari, Lamborghini, Maserati, Aston Martin and Porsche, would find it very difficult to comply with this ruling. LeftLane cites this example: the feather-light and relatively fuel efficient Lotus Elise S emits 196 g/km, whereas the segment average is in the 200 to 500 g/km range. According to Reuters, since exotic sports car are driven very rarely, and their limited production numbers means they only account for 0.3 percent of EU total car emissions. Whatever the case looks like the sports car industry just got a heavy-duty jolt!
Source
If you live nearby a tire dumping ground this could be a great idea to work on, the Recycoool is a new inflatable concept furniture which is made from used up tire tubes. The design is proposed by an Israeli designer Nir Ohayon who had set out to create furniture that was unique and yet costs not more than $100. The design looks straight out of the movie Antz which was based on the ant kingdom, there needs to be more such recycling initiatives if we are to have a more sustainable environment.
Do you think Archie would trade his trusty old jalopy for new shiny wheels even if the government gave him £1,000 ($2,000)? Incentives and cash is what the British Government plans on offering its citizens to dump old fuel inefficient cars. Apparently a similar scheme is up in France and the Brits want experiment it on their public. Due to the increase vehicle excise duty for people owning cars bought between 2001 and 2006, the citizens have been criticizing the government. More than one million people will see their road tax double and offering people money to switch vehicles may be the right option.
Exxon announced profits reaching up to $11.68 billion which makes it the highest profit ever made by a US company. The company maybe earning the most with its investments into oil related deals, but how much does this company invest into alternative energy research? The company officially comments that it regularly invests into alternatives but a recent ABC news cast says that the company just pushes 1% of its profits on alternative energy investments sources.
ORIGNAL 1887 – Patch of Grass
Van Gogh was well known for painting over previous paintings, art lovers have always wanted to know what these previous painting may have looked like if they were ever preserved. Luckily with a new technology it has become possible to see old paintings in a new light (Literally). Scientists from Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands, along with University of Antwerp in Belgium, worked on Van Gogh’s 1887 Patch of Grass. A square area measuring 17.5 by 17.5 centimeters shows a women’s head looking slightly left. Owned now by the Kroller-Muller Museum in the Netherlands, the picture was subjected to a technique known as X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy, which allows experts to map the chemicals on it.
Thought of renting a car on your trip to Beijing for the Olympics? Think again! Beijing is one of the world’s most polluted cities and road traffic grows by 1,200 vehicles a day. August, when the wind drops and the normally dry climate turns humid, is typically one of the worst months for smog. With the Olympics deadline approaching the city of Beijing has gone into a massive green drive to clean up the cities smoggy skies. To do this, half the city’s 3.3m cars are banned from the roads each day, depending on whether their number plates end in an odd or even digit. All construction sites and more factories in and around Beijing may be temporarily closed if the air quality deteriorates during the games. To add fuel to the fire there are chances that it may rain on the ceremonial day.
