March 20, 2009
GE wants wind, IBM claims water
I guess all things are best when looked at from Mother Nature’s point of view.
A week or two ago I was reading about GE’s wind turbine manufacturing facility UpState, and this morning I read about IBM stepping up to the plate for the future of water management across the globe, so here’s a few things to look at if you’re interested in them too:
To be honest, I can’t think of any two companies that would be better at tackling these global problems:
the energy crisis and water management.
Now, what’s left:
Earth, Fire, and whatever other elements you can throw in…
February 12, 2009
Google and GE – a power play sitting in your house
Google’s power hungry
data centers
Credit: Portfolio.com
As if Google wasn’t doing good enough already with their East Coast data center here in Goose Creek, yesterday’s news of the two new nuclear reactors in S.C. being built should make them smile even more.
With the tax breaks they received already, and the fact that they’ll never have to worry about energy spikes in S.C., it makes their choice to build here look like some serious ‘card reading’ if you ask me.
But the real news today is that Google & GE – and probably a lot of other companies – are looking for a way to update the energy grid across the U.S. Google envisions having everything programmed together so that sensors will turn off your appliances etc. when there are spikes in the grid. It’s those spikes that wind up costing us billions every year.
Philippe Cousteau, grandson of legendary ocean explorer Jacques Cousteau and founder of Earth Echo, and Ted Danson, award-winning actor, longtime ocean advocate and Oceana board member, urged the U.S. House Committee on Natural Resources to protect our oceans and climate from the threats of offshore drilling.
In their testimonies, they called on Congress to quickly reinstate the moratorium on offshore drilling, which was allowed to lapse in 2008 under Bush.
Philippe Cousteau urged Congress to reinstate the offshore drilling bans that until last fall had been in effect for 25 years in Atlantic and Pacific coastal waters.
“Oil and water simply don’t mix,” said Danson. “While not intentional, oil spills do happen and they harm everything from the smallest ocean organisms to the largest predators in the sea.”
February 10, 2009
There’s money in them there potholes!
MIT students develop
energy-harvesting
shock absorbers
Credit: MIT
A team of MIT undergraduate students have invented a shock absorber that harnesses energy from small bumps in the road, generating electricity while it smoothes the ride more effectively than conventional shocks. The students hope to initially find customers among companies that operate large fleets of heavy vehicles. They have already drawn interest from the U.S. military and several truck manufacturers.
Their prototype shock absorbers use a hydraulic system that forces fluid through a turbine attached to a generator. The system is controlled by an active electronic system that optimizes the damping, providing a smoother ride while generating electricity to recharge the batteries or operate electrical equipment.
