Dinogy - Energy Blog » Archives for September, 2006

Many people don't realize that you don't have to install your own Windmill or Hydro plant to use Green Energy. Buying green energy is usually as simple as filling out a form, and mailing it in. Your current power company will then pay the Green power company instead of themselves for the power. You will usualy end up paying a few cents extra per Kwh, but for the average home it doesn't typically amount to much extra.

Use the US Department of Energy's Green Power Buying Guide to find out how to sign up in your state.

Vail Ski Resorts has chosen to purchase wind energy for 100% of their 152,000 megawatt-hour annual consumption. This makes them the second largest corporate purchaser of wind power in the US.

This is an impressive move for the resort because energy can be one of the biggest expenses for a ski resort. They have to run ski lifts, snow making equipment, lodging, and lights on the ski hills for night skiing.

To go one step further they are also encouraging their customers to sign up for wind power, and giving away a free one day lift ticket to those that do:

We invite you to join us in being responsible stewards of our mountain environments. We've partnered with Boulder-based Renewable Choice Energy to offer a special SKI WITH THE WIND promotion. Sign up through Renewable Choice for wind power in your home, apartment or dorm room for one year. Families will receive a free one-day ski lift ticket, valid all season long at any of our five mountain resorts - Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Keystone and Heavenly - during the 2006-2007 winter season.

Vail Resorts

Australian researchers are working on synthetic molecules that mimic the role of chlorophyll in plants.

Dense arrays of chlorophyll molecules in leaves are responsible for converting light energy to electrical energy and then to chemical energy...

Crossley and team have made a synthetic form of chlorophyll that performs the first part of that process, converting light energy to electrical energy...

"It's a very hot topic," says Crossley. "So people are endeavouring to use all sorts of novel nanomaterials and ideas in order to achieve high efficiency in the generation of electricity from solar energy."

Read the article

Last week we mentioned Adobe's (ADBE) award winning green office. This summer's triple digit heat-wave however put the building to the test.

"We used more electricity than we ever had. We hit levels we weren't supposed to hit for another five years," Ludwick said. "We had no chiller left and we were running out of power. It was drastic. We thought, what do we have left?"

Adobe's solution to the problem was to close the blinds during the day to keep the sun from heating up the building. It reduced their power demand by 300 kilowatts.

We also recently posted on dinogy: how to save energy with curtains and blinds, and air conditioner energy savings tips.

Via: MercuryNews

NEC Corporation (NIPNY) has developed a new type of rechargeable battery called an Organic Radical Battery or ORB (press release). The battery is more environmentally friendly than current rechargeable batteries because it can be manufactured without any harmful chemicals, and does not contain any harmful metals.

Some other points about the battery:

• Very Thin (300 microns), and bendable (could be used for electronic paper, or RFID tags)
• Charges in less than 30 seconds
• A high energy density of approximately 1 mWh (mili Watt hour) per cm squared

Did you know that installing blinds can reduce heat gain by up to 45% in the summer? Drapes or curtains can reduce heat loss in the winter by up to 10%, and heat gain in the summer by up to 33%.

Here are some tips to help you save energy with your blinds and drapes:

• Close your curtains at night in the winter to reduce heat loss
• Close blinds or curtains during the day in the summer (in rooms your not using) to reduce heat gain.
• Drapes should be hung as close to the window as possible.
• The longer the drapes the better.
• Two drapes hung together work better than one.
• Blinds do little to reduce heat loss in the winter.

Source: US DOE EERE Consumer Guide.

Save energy and use shutters as well as blinds and draperies that will allow light into your room and provide protection too.

Software maker Adobe Systems (ADBE) recently became the first company to receive the platinum award from the U.S. Green Building Council according the to the September 2006 issue of Business 2.0. The company has invested $1.1 million in energy efficiency projects, and is saving a whopping $1 million annually (including $350,000 in energy rebates).

By installing everything from motion detectors to waterless urinals Adobe has reduced its electricity use by 35 percent and its gas consumption by 41 percent since 2001, at the same time its headcount has swelled 80 percent.

The Business 2.0 article gives several examples of ways Adobe has made their office more energy efficient, and shows the costs spent, and saved annually:

• Timed Outages - Cost $150 Annual Savings: $68,000
• Compact Fluorescent Lights - Cost $11,000 Annual Savings: $105,000
• Automated Irrigation System - Cost $3,610 Annual Savings: $10,000
• Motion Sensors - Cost: $89,831 Annual Savings: $24,425
• Automatic Faucets - Cost: $110,000 Annual Savings: $24,000
• Waterless Urinals - Cost: $35,374 Annual Savings: $14,896

It doesn't look like Business 2.0 has updated their web site with the september issue yet, I will post a link when I find the article online.

Update: Link to Business 2.0