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The big splash about Tata Motor’s ultra-cheap Nano ($2,500) all but buried another announcement from the Indian automaker at the Delhi auto show: they signed a $20M deal with MDI, a European start-up car maker working on commercializing cars that run on compressed air.

Of course, the cars don’t “run on air,” rather they use compressed air as an energy store, like batteries. Even the MDI website states that incorrectly, when they say that the the motor uses air as fuel. That, of course is complete nonsense. The source of the energy is either the power grid (via a stationary compressor), or a motor in the car (electric or combustion). They will also be able to recover energy from the moving vehicle during deceleration, much like some electric cars do.

So the potential for a positive environmental impact of this technology will be determined by

• its overall energy efficiency
• the ultimate source of the energy used
• the usefulness of the vehicle

They have been working on this for 14 years, and it’s not clear from the website how close they are to shipping the first models. But the investment from India should give them a big boost. Although I am skeptical that making cars and engines more complicated will make them more efficient, I certainly hope this works. This is very cool technology, and at the very least, it might help solve some specific problems, like cleaning up the air in big cities.

As of yesterday, days will be getting longer again on this side of the globe. Of course here, in the Old North State that’s not that big a deal, anyway. But I did start paying more attention to sunrise/sunset this fall. When I bike to work and back home, I prefer to avoid the bad light conditions at dawn and at dusk.

Considering that the shortest day of the year is still 9 hours and 42 Minutes long here, I am amazed at the seemingly overpowering desire of our neighbors to string hundreds of lights, and thousands of lights in some cases, all over their houses, trees and shrubs, all over the yards and even on a vehicle (in one case). But it ’s probably not so much deprivation of sunlight around here, as it is the spirit of the holiday season taking possession of their brains and compelling them decorate their yards with, for example, a 10-foot/3-meter illuminated, inflatable nativity. Or maybe it’s just mall-Christmas-muzak and eggnog induced temporary insanity?!

I wonder how popular this Christmas-lights-craze is in places that are much darker this time of year, like Reykjavik, Iceland (4 hours), or Point Lay, Alaska (0 hours)? In Freiburg, Germany (8h 22m) days are shorter than here, but folks are much more restrained when it comes to decorations, at least the electrical flavor (maybe because of their power bills?). And what about, say, Honolulu (10h 50m)? Do the Hawai’ians who celebrate Christmas decorate their houses with lights? I’ll have to ask John next week … when we see him in Charlotte, Michigan (9h 02m).

In Togo I never saw any electrical Christmas lights. Probably because the village has no electricity. And when folks said they were going to “light the tree” they meant it quite literally, and set fire to it. December it the driest time of year in Togo, and so most farmers burn their fields to get them ready for the next growing season. That means there are huge bush fires all over, and on Christmas eve we’d sit on the porch, drink some palmwine and watch the festive glow of the fires all over the mountains around us.

So, Happy Winter Solstice to all, especially those of you who need UV-light treatment this time of year!

Skysails is a German company that is working on commercializing a simple, brilliant way for large ships to use wind power for propulsion. Large kites tethered high above the ship can generate up to 50 percent of the propulsion energy needed for freighters and large yachts. The company estimates that their product can save 10-35 percent of a ship’s annual fuel. If widely adopted, this technology could save millions of tons of fossil CO2 from being released into the atmosphere.

I used to sail a lot as a teenager and I really love the sensation of harnessing this awesome force to make your boat fly across the water. I was also into stunt kites, especially while I lived on Norderney in the North Sea. My dream is to go to Kitty Hawk and learn to kite-surf. So when I read about Skysails I thought that this was just brilliant! Check out the video on their website (see below). This is really amazing - the kite deploys at the push of a button, and operates completely automatically. And depending on wind conditions the cost of the system can amortize in a couple of years.

The way modern technology brings together two ancient technologies - sailing and kites - is quite fascinating. It’s not a new idea, I don’t think. Seems to me I had read before that kites had been used for propelling boats as far back as sails. Now I wonder if they can make kites big enough that even a container ship could turn off the engine altogether?!

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A huge storm is brewing in the North Sea. The Dutch and the Brits are closing their imposing coastal barriers to keep the water away from their cities. The largest seaport in Europe, Rotterdam, is closed for a day, and oil rigs have been evacuated. The coastal residents in Britain, Holland, Germany, Denmark, and Norway are bracing for gale force winds and a 12-foot storm surge - similar conditions in 1953 killed more than 2000 people.

The storms in the North Sea are still truly frightening. These storms used to be the time when the coastal residents had to pay the price for harvesting the bounty of the Sea. Countless ships were lost to the ferocious winds and frigid breakers. I read somewhere that more ships are unaccounted for in the North Sea than in the infamous Bermuda Triangle.

In the late 80s, I lived for two years on Norderney, a German coastal island in the North Sea, and I experienced several Winter storms. One was especially ferocious, and I remember watching huge breakers crashing over the 20-foot concrete dikes that surround the main town on the island. Some of the streets were flooded, and I remember that the water cut an inlet across the eastern part of the island, where it is about a mile wide (1-2 KM). The docks in the harbor were under water, and we were completely cut off from the main land for several days. Unlike hurricanes, these storms can last for days and days, and can reach sustained wind speeds of 50-60 mph/80-100 KpH.

I really hope that these barriers work. For most, this is the first real test. And I hope no lives will be lost in the storm. Good luck to the sailors on the ships that have to ride out this storm!

The Moon from inside the eye of Hurricane Felix, shot by Randy Bynon during a hurricane hunter mission. Amazing photo - click on the thumbnail to see the large version on the Wunderground site.

We brought this plumeria back from Hawai’i in 2004 and planted the stem in a pot. For a while nothing happened. Then it started growing leaves. This spring Laura transferred the plant to a larger pot and it started growing more leaves.

When we moved, we gave the plumeria a nice, sunny spot on the deck. The plant loved the hot weather this summer and grew like crazy. Last week we noticed the flower buds, and tonight was the night! The plumeria’s first flower opened. Pretty amazing - it took only 10 hours, and in the last few hours you could almost watch it unfurl its delicate petals.

Click on the picture to see the gallery.

More on plumerias here …

Ugh - I’m melting! North Carolina in August is certainly supposed to be hot, but tripple-digit temperatures are still unusual. Yesterday we hit a new heat record for the day and came within one degree of the all-time highest temperature ever recorded at RDU airport. It was 104 Fahrenheit - 40 Deg. Celsius - and still 33 percent humidity! And today we’re in for another scorcher …

If this story about these three guys from Wales is true, and their “greenbox” is real, and if it works … then it might well be the holy grail in the struggle to prevent a climate catastrophe. They claim that their invention can capture emissions from IC engines and store it. The waste from the engine can then be discharged at the fuel station, while we fill up with more fuel, instead of being discharged into the atmosphere. The CO2 could even be used to grow algae to make more fuel. They also claim that their technology can be scaled up to factory-scale, and adapted to all kinds of applications.

This technology might be as significant a step forward for public health as closed sewers and indoor plumbing. And the concept of carbon recycling to prevent further climate change is brilliant! If this greenbox device really works …

(No, I have no interests in their company, Maes Anturio Limited. But if had a bunch of dollares burning holes in my pocket, I’d take a very close look at these guys.)

“Bush moves to counter gas emissions” the headlines read all over the place. He moved?

Bush signed an executive order directing federal agencies to craft regulations that will “cut gasoline consumption and greenhouse gas emissions from motor vehicles.” He ordered the agencies _ the departments of Transportation, Agriculture and Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency _ to have the rules in place by the end of 2008.

Bush moves to counter gas emissions, WaPo (AP Story), May 15, 2007

The President has been told by the Supreme Court of the United States to do something, an gives his bureaucrats almost 2 years (until he leaves office) to draw up rules. And the media call that a “move” ??? I call that dragging your feet. Not that I am surprised by the PrezMan’s lack of enthusiasm on this issue, but the mainstream media reporting this as a “move” is yet another example of how stupid they are.

Today is Africa Malaria Day. Malaria is an ancient global killer, and in Africa, more than 3,000 children die each day from malaria (Red Cross). In order to raise awareness about Malaria, and what to do about it, the WHO’s Roll Back Malaria initiative issued a statement that expresses hope that global collaboration can finally make inroads against the plasmodium falciparum:

The progress in fighting malaria in the last few years offers great promise. After too many years of debate, there is now widespread agreement about what works for prevention, diagnosis and treatment. Resources to fight malaria have grown considerably. New spokespersons from the developing world and donor countries have begun to relay key messages. Corporations and multilaterals are working together to replenish the development pipeline and bridge the supply gap of essential prevention tools and treatments. Foundations and other donors have catalyzed investments in new technologies, such as new single dose Artemisinin-based combination Therapies (ACTs), and research into vaccines continues. Some afflicted countries are paving the way for reducing barriers created by import tariffs and malaria service user fees. The world has recognized the toll that malaria takes on the developing world and is poised to respond.

RBM - Malaria Community Statement

Yesterday was the Durham Earth Day Celebration and it was a gorgeous, sunny and very busy day. We had a Piedmont Biofiuels/BullCity Biodiesel booth at the event and Chris brought his brand-new, jet-black 2006 Jetta TDI over for show-and-tell. Interest in biodiesel and alternative fuels in general was really strong, and our volunteers Jeff, Gary, and Chris were busy most of the day. We had a wide range of discussions and conversations, from the basics like “what’s the difference between diesel and gasoline engines?” to advanced topics like how Blutec will impact biodiesel.

Local media were also interested in our message. Kimberley Pierce of WNCU did a 3-Minute, live interview with Jeff and I. WNCU is a community-funded radio station based at North Carolina Central University. The folks from the Duke University Center for Documentary Studies interviewed us, too. It was also a great day for networking, and in several conversations I brought up the idea of using pure biodiesel in the Durham School buses to reduce the exposure of our school kids to toxic exhaust fumes.

There was some debate among the biodieselers about showing off a stock, off-the-shelf car. Some argued that showing off a cool veggie car would attract more attention I thought it was an important point to demonstrate that a nice-looking, affordable car with no modifications whatsoever, can also be an alternative fuel vehicle, that burns a locally produced, mostly carbon neutral, relatively clean fuel.

An SVO-converted veggie car does attract more attention, and it’s very cool from a geek perspective. But I think the media already focus too much on this tiny minority of biofuel die hards, and that makes it look to the general public like they have to invest in expensive, complicated conversion kits in order to use biofuels. When you talk to folks, every other question is “how do you convert the engine?” when, of course, there is no conversion required at all for using biodiesel. And the focus on SVO conversions also tends to associate biofuels with funky-looking, 1970s Mercedes’ or VWs. Most people prefer a more modern ride. So showing off a comfortable, nice looking state-of-the art automobile really made a difference, I think.

The US and the EU have reached a deal to liberalize transatlantic air travel. It may seem like a good idea to allow US airlines and EU airlines to send their planes to any destination in Europe and the US. It will increase competition and presumably give consumers more choice and lower prices. And they call this “Open Skies.”

In reality this deal looks to me like it will choke the already crowded sky even more. This deal is unlikely to provide me with a direct Lufthansa connection to Stuttgart from RDU or other smaller airports in the US to smaller airports in Europe. It will, however, increase traffic congestion at already extremely busy airports, like Atlanta, JFK and O’Hare, and it will increase the air traffic across the Atlantic. While evidence is mounting that air pollution is dangerously changing the global climate, this deal will put even more jets into the sky, depleting fossil fuel reserves and pumping greenhouse gas into the atmosphere.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) published its latest report yesterday:

“Climate Change 2007: The Physical Science Basis”, assesses the current scientific knowledge of the natural and human drivers of climate change, observed changes in climate, the ability of science to attribute changes to different causes, and projections for future climate change.

The report was produced by some 600 authors from 40 countries. Over 620 expert reviewers and a large number of government reviewers also participated. Representatives from 113 governments reviewed and revised the Summary line-by-line during the course of this week before adopting it and accepting the underlying report.

IPCC Press Release, Feb. 2, 2007

Bottom line: The Earth is still round, and it’s cooking! Temperatures are rising:

The understanding of anthropogenic warming and cooling influences on climate has improved since the Third Assessment Report (TAR), leading to very high confidence7 that the globally averaged net effect of human activities since 1750 has been one of warming, with a radiative forcing of +1.6 [+0.6 to +2.4] W m-2.

Climate Change 2007: The Physical Science Basis, Summary for Policymakers, page 3.

The Earth is getting warmer and warmer and the thermal expansion of the water and the melting ice are causing the ocean water levels to rise. Most scientists agree that this is real, and really bad news.

Of course the “flat-earth coalition” disagrees. To them, this is all “propaganda” by “… those who want to break the back of the world’s energy system.” Uh-huh … Al Gore would love to see us all in the dark, eating sushi by candle-light and huddling around a fireplace. And of course the fact that Big Oil gave the CEI tons of money has nothing to do with their concern about the threat Al Gore poses to the world’s energy system.

Heat mining apparently has much greater potential in the US as previously thought. The idea of exploiting geothermal energy by drilling deep holes into hot rocks deep underground is not confined to Iceland and Yellowstone. According to a study by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) this awesome, abundant source of energy (the hot core of the Earth) is accessible even is much less geologically active areas, like the East Coast. You just have to drill a bit deeper. A lot deeper. But it can be done.

According to panel member M. Nafi Toksöz, professor of geophysics at MIT, “geothermal energy could play an important role in our national energy picture as a non-carbon-based energy source. It’s a very large resource and has the potential to be a significant contributor to the energy needs of this country.”

Toksöz added that the electricity produced annually by geothermal energy systems now in use in the United States at sites in California, Hawaii, Utah and Nevada is comparable to that produced by solar and wind power combined. And the potential is far greater still, since hot rocks below the surface are available in most parts of the United States.

Even in the most promising areas, however, drilling must reach depths of 5,000 feet or more in the west, and much deeper in the eastern United States. Still, “the possibility of drilling into these rocks, fracturing them and pumping water in to produce steam has already been shown to be feasible,” Toksöz said.

MIT-led panel backs ‘heat mining’ as key U.S. energy source - January 22, 2007

I think this is really exciting news. Let’s go drill some holes.

Since last weekend, this cold front moved into North Carolina and the temperatures in the Triangle area dropped from the mid-70s F. /low 20s C on Monday to below freezing Wednesday (a difference of over 40 deg. F or 20 deg. C in about 40 hours!). And this morning we woke up to an inch (3-4 cm) of snow on the ground! Wow - from a day on the beach to snow in a couple of days.

Here are some more pictures from our weekend at the beach January 14/15! Sunday morning was gloriously warm and sunny; in the afternoon clouds rolled in, which made the light for our trip to Cape Lookout quite interesting. (more…)

Tom Philpott (Grist) questions entomologist and biofuels skeptic extraordinaire David Pimentel (Cornell) about why crop-based energy won’t work. Interesting interview, but Pimentel does need to get out a bit more. And I wish Philpott had been a bit more probing on some of Pimentel’s assertions - like this one:

Pimentel: Conserve! One word. And no one talks about it, including the environmentalists.

Is he just yanking our chains??!! No one else talks about conservation?? He’s joking, right?

This is an interesting exchange:

Philpott: So if we converted 100 percent of a year’s worth of solar energy stored in plant matter to fuel, we’d only supply half of our current energy consumption. What’s that telling us?

Pimentel: It’s telling us we’re using too goddamn much fossil energy! And another thing it tells us is that you’re not going to be self-sufficient, or even produce half of our energy from biomass in the U.S., if we want to eat.

Yeah - thanks, Dr. P - I realize now you do need a PH.D. to figure out we’re using too much fossil fuel!

Interestingly however, Pimentel is very pro-organic:

“Pimentel: I don’t want to say that organic can supply all the food in the world, but it can be much more sustainable than conventional ag and just as productive.”

Biofuels Are an Environmental Dead End, Alternet, By Tom Philpott, Grist Magazine. Posted December 13, 2006.

What annoys me about Pimentel, is his focus on the problems. He finds that the numbers don’t seem to work, so he discounts a solution. He seems to be in favor of solar energy, which is great, but solar won’t help us run the trucks and trains that carry us and our good across the country. That does not mean we should ignore solar energy. It just means we need different solutions for different applications. But Pimentel acts as if alternative fuels advocates suggest that the entire energy input of the US should be covered by soy or corn.

Solving the sustainable-energy puzzle will require many different pieces, and solar, biofuels and conservation are some of the big pieces. Pointing out the lousy energy balances in ethanol is not particularly helpful. How about helping solve the problem? How about putting that Cornell-educated mind to work and help figure out how to make fuels that grow back in a more efficient way?

The ship that was involved in the deadly toxic waste scandal in Ivory Coast has left the Baltic port of Tallinn, after unloading toxic waste similar to what turned up in sewers and municipal dumps in Abidjan a few months ago. According to the Baltic Times, the Probo Koala pumped 600 cubic meters to another vessel, to have it processed by EcoPro in the port of Sillamae.

In the meantime, two executives of the charter company Trafigura were arrested in Côte D’Ivoire. The company still rejects direct responsibility for the disaster, but has promised full cooperation with the investigations.

Reportedly, the Probo Koala was used (illegally) as a floating refinery, to use chemical processes to extract fuel from low-grade crude oil.

On our trip to Iceland last year, I fell in love with this unique country, with its stark, fragile natural beauty and its friendly, quirky inhabitants. I learned a bit about the Icelanders, and I think I understand why they want to resume whaling.

Please don’t do it, Iceland.

There are many better ways to assert your independence and cultural heritage. How about exporting Icelandic beer or brennevin. Why not put all this effort you put into whaling into, say, making hákarl a hip, sexy appetizer for yuppies. That would make basically the same point, and it would not harm a sentient species.

I’d love to visit Iceland again, one day. But I won’t, until you call back your whalers. And I won’t recommend Iceland as a tourist destination until you leave those poor whales alone. Sorry.

Computers are not a green product. Their production, use and disposal consume huge amounts of energy and involve toxic chemicals. At work, I buy and decommission dozens of computers every year, and I worry a lot about the impact of my decisions on our environment. So I find the Greenpeace “Guide to Green Electronics” very helpful, indeed.

One of the areas where I have some influence is purchasing, and for a variety of reasons, I mostly buy Dell computers. So I am really happy to see that Greenpeace rates Dell as one of the best - not really good, but better than most.

I was really surprised when I read that Apple, the brand of the oh-so-hip and huggable, is still pretty toxic, especially the laptops. And even the Greenpeacenics are Apple-fans, but they sure do wish those Apples were greener.