greenhouse gases

What is a Smart Grid?

jplatt — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 08:00:00 -0400

President Barack Obama's economic stimulus plan includes US$4.5 billion to create a "smart grid" electrical transmission system. But many people still ask, what exactly is a smart grid?

Basically, a "smart grid" really is just that -- it's a smarter version of our national energy grid that uses advanced communication tools and a whole new range of computing technologies to make the transmission and distribution of energy more efficient.

The first step would involve deploying an infrastructure that will automate electricity metering. This is more than just putting the guy who comes to your house to read your meter out of a job. It creates a two-way communication system between customers and utilities, allowing everyone to see how much their energy use is costing them on a second-by-second basis. For instance, you'll be able to decide if you want to run your dishwasher in the afternoon, when rates are higher, or at night, when you can see that rates are lower.

The smart grid will also improve the adoption of renewable energy sources. Let's say you install solar panels on your roof, and they actually generate more electricity than you need. With a smart grid, you'll be able to sell your excess energy back to the utility and upload it into the national electrical grid.

It will also make it easier to generate electricity from wind and solar in one part of the country, and then transmit it thousands of miles to a completely different part of the country. That's not possible with today's antiquated grid, which is not set up to transmit energy long-distance.

Theoretically, a smart grid would create enough efficiences that it would actually reduce carbon emissions by 25%.

We're not going to see a smart grid tomorrow, but this technology isn't too far off, if we allow it to come to being. All it takes is willpower, and a lot of money. But think of what we'll save when it comes to pass.

Greenpeace grades the greenest electronics

jplatt — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 12:00:00 -0400

For the eighth time in the last two years, Greenpeace has ranked electronics manufactuers according to their policies and manufacturing procedures to come up with a list of the "greenest" electronics makers.

Companies were ranked on their efforts to reduce e-waste (including accepting products back from consumers after they've been used), improve the power efficience of their devices, disclose their efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and eliminate the use of hazardous chemicals in their products (or come up with a timeline to do so).

Once again, Sony Ericsson topped the list, thanks in no small part to their dropping PVC chemicals from their products and making devices that meet or exceed ENERGY STAR requirements for energy efficiency.

Nokia would have come in first place, but lost a full point in its rankings "for corporate misbehaviour on its take-back and recycling practice."

Out of the 18 manufacturers ranked, Microsoft ranked # 17, mainly for the use of toxic chemicals. Nintendo took the bottom slot, scoring poorly on e-waste and energy efficiency.

High gas prices + greenhouse gases = time for an electric mower

jplatt — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 10:00:00 -0400

With summer in full swing, your lawn growing longer by the minute, and gas prices going sky-high, it might be time to get finally rid of your old, gas-guzzling mowers.

Still not convinced? A recent EPA study might help make that transition even more palatable: gas-powered mowers emit as much pollution as 11 cars (for push mowers) and 34 cars (for riding mowers). Yikes!

Luckily, several new (and old) options exist which will save the average homeowner both money and the hassle of going to the gas station to fill up their lawnmower tank.

1. Go robotic! Two new electric-powered Automowers from Husqvarna offer automated mowing of yards up to half-an-acre in size. They charge in just 45 minutes, and can mow about 800-1300 square feet of lawn per hour. Meanwhile, you can sit back and drink some organic lemonade. (Price: Around $4,000)

2. Go electric! Black & Decker's 24V Cordless Mulching Mower is the first electric mower to gain the coveted ENERGY STAR rating. It charges in about 10 hours, and is intended for yards up to one-third of an acre. (Price: $400-$500)

3. Go old-school! Sometimes the best technology is old technology. The hardware stores in my area can't keep old-fashioned human-powered push mowers in stock. Sure, you have to do the work yourself, but think of it as exercise. (Price: Around $100)

4. Go really old school! Buy a goat and keep it in your yard. Now only will it trim your lawn, you can feed it your garbage! Talk about recycling!

5. Go greener by getting rid of the green! Who needs all of that lawn, anyway? Plant some trees and shrubs and flowers, for crying out loud! Your local birds and insects will love you for it.

5 Green Reasons to Telecommute

jplatt — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 12:01:09 -0400

Back when I worked in an office, I often used to spend an hour every day driving to work, after which I would sit alone in my cubicle for eight hours before turning around and driving an hour back home.

Working from home hasn't changed much for me -- I still spend eight hours a day in front of a computer, and I rarely interact with anyone face-to-face, but my commute is now a ten-foot walk, I am more relaxed, and my work has improved.

In other words, I'm a happy worker, and my employers get the benefit of my happiness -- all of which comes from not having to commute.

Here are five green-tech reasons why any business should consider letting its employees telecommute at least a few days a week, if not all of the time:

1. Having employees work in remote locations cuts a business's on-site electricity needs. (Sure, the cost is passed on to the employee, but they're spending less on gas, and don't have huge infrastructure costs -- such as air conditioning and garbage disposal -- so it should more than even out.)

2. Working remotely encourages the growth and usage of online videoconferencing technologies, which efficiently allow people to meet without first having to travel half-way around the world. This saves both money and greenhouse gas emissions.

3. Traffic drives people crazy. Literally. According to a recent study, commuting takes a terrible toll on an employee's psychic health. Keep your employees healthy, happy and more productive by letting them work from home.

4. Companies can reduce their real-estate needs when employees telecommute. Sun saved $387 million over the last 6 years through its Open Work program, under which more than half of its work force telecommutes at least part-time. (Read more about Sun's Open Work Concept and its incredible results here.)

5. Some states offer incentives to companies or their employees to reduce air pollution. For example, Oregon offers employers tax credits for initiating transportation and telework projects, and employees can earn vouchers good at local stores for every 45 days they log using alternative transportation methods.

Now, not every employee can telecommute. Anyone who's actually needed on-site (nurses, construction workers, and a thousand others) won't be able to benefit from working from home. But there's still a solution: flex-time. When 90% of the populace works 9-5, we get traffic and rush hours and extra pollution. But if we shifted some jobs to 6-2 or 12-8, a lot of that traffic and pollution would go away. Something to think about...

Learn to Improve Your Car's Gasoline Efficiency

jplatt — Thu, 22 May 2008 11:56:56 -0400

With gas prices climbing higher and higher, it's ever-more important for everyone (individuals and companies) to get the most bang for their buck -- in other words, to get the best gas mileage from their vehicles.

Want a simple way to do that? Try installing the ScanGuage II from Linear Logic. This tiny device plugs into the onboard diagnostic connector in almost any car or truck and instantly starts calculating all kinds of critical data -- including your exact gas mileage. Knowing your MPG at any point in your trip allows you to adapt your driving methods to improve your overall efficiency. Bingo, you'll be using less gas, saving money, and putting fewer greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.

ScanGuage II also tracks a lot of other cool information, such as how much fuel you have used and how much time you have been driving. It's only five inches across, making it easy to install just about anywhere in your vehicle.

I first saw tools like this in the dashboards of hybrid cars, but this is the first time I have seen an equivalent device that can be used in any car or truck at any time. ScanGuage costs just $169.95 (including shipping) -- a bargain at half the price if it teaches you to improve your fuel economy and reduce the number of trips you need to take to the pump.

Carbon Credits for Frequent Fliers

jplatt — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 01:00:00 -0400

I'm about to fly from Portland, Maine, to Los Angeles, California -- a 5,000-plus mile trip that will generate an estimated 2.104 tonnes of greenhouse gases.

Luckily for me (and my conscience), I'm not a frequent flyer by any means, but if I were, there's something I can do to offset the impact of my trip.

I can buy carbon offsets.

For just a few dollars per tonne, I can choose to invest in building renewable energy resources or planting trees to suck some of that carbon dioxide back out of the air. A number of services offer carbon offsets, and the price varies from service to service, but each offers a similar benefit of trying to reduce greenhouse gases.

My personal favorite of the carbon offset services is Native Energy. I can use their web page to caculate the impact of any trip I take by car or plane (that's how I got the nubmers above), then invest in carbon offsets to compensate for the impact of my trip.

Offsetting this particular flight will cost me just $36, and I can choose to put that money toward NE's WindBuilders wind-energy program or their RemooableEnergy (heh) farm-methane program. In this case, the money actually goes toward building renewable energy plants on Native American land, creating not only sustainable energy but economic benefits for Native peoples.

Do you have a particular favorite carbon offsetting program? If so, let's hear about it!