Glenn Fleishman (of Wi-Fi Net News and TidBITS fame) has a good write up over at WorldChanging on the Green Plug solution to the phantom power problem.

Their solution is based on an the idea of standardising the power connector that is used by electronics on the standard USB connector. They have developed a variant of it for devices like laptops that need more power than a regular USB connector can deliver. This seems like a smart move since that connector is already becoming a de facto standard for low power electronics like cameras, phones etc. Additionally, USB power outlets are appearing on aircraft and even in airport lounges now, allowing people to power and recharge their small devices easily with just a cable.

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California utility companies are required to provide Power Content Labels to their customers letting them know the mix of power sources in the electricity that they use. Here in Alameda we have our own city owned utility, Alameda Power and Telecom, that provides a relatively clean mix of power. Other parts of California, including our immediate neighbours here in the SF bay area, don’t do so well.

The table below shows the projected 2008 mixes for PG&E and Alameda, alongside the 2007 mix for the whole state. As you can see, Alameda Power & Telecom is doing a pretty good job of using renewables (79% total when you include the large hydroelectric mix), whereas PG&E, one of the largest electricity utilities in the state, is still reliant on natural gas and nuclear power.

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Perhaps one of the more unusual ways to turn wind power into electricity, Dutch scientists have found a way to generate electricity by flying a kite! At first glance this idea sounds really strange. Why fly a kite to harness wind energy when you could build a more conventional windmill?

The main reason is that the wind 1km or more above the earth’s surface carries about 100 times the amount of energy when compared to the wind at tower height, at least in countries near the jet stream. The trick will be finding a way to make this into a reliable system that can be installed and operated economically.

[Via EcoGeek]

Having had John McCain’s campaign use her in one of their ads, Paris Hilton is hitting back with her own political ad. Claiming that since the “white haired dude” mentioned her in his ad, she must also be running for president, Paris puts forth her own energy policy.

Not really anything new in what she proposes though, and she’s not backing either of the mainstream candidates. Instead, she’s proposing a “hybrid” approach with limited offshore drilling, and development of alternative fuel solutions. Others have indeed suggested the same thing.

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A number of people are questioning the reasons behind the Pickens Plan. The Zaproot video (right) is the first time I’ve seen it claimed that the plan is really nothing more than an attempt to green wash a business plan that is pretty unfriendly to the environment, and has been met with quite a bit of resistance.

The claim Zaproot is making is that the real reason Pickens is pushing his wind farm plan is to cover up the environmental damage that Mesa Water, one of his companies, would cause by draining the ground water from 200,000 acres of land in Roberts County, Texas and piping it to western Texas.

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Earth2Tech has a list of 13 startups working on concentrating photovoltaic (CPV) solar technology. CPV systems, like the one from Australia-based Solar Systems (shown in the photo), work by using mirrors and lenses to focus the energy of the sun onto a photovoltaic cell.

The reason CPV systems are interesting is that the cost of the collector is generally lower than the same area of solar cells. The catch is that the solar cell needs to be cooled (solar cells operate best when cool). Also, a CPV system is less effective on overcast days because the light striking the concentrator is diffused by the clouds.

Stirling Engine
Stirling Energy Systems is developing a similar system, but replacing the photovoltaic cell with a stirling engine. Their first project, in the Mojave Desert in southern California, is planned to generate 850MW of power, and the second (also in southern California) will reach 900MW.

MIT Professor of Energy Dr. Daniel Nocera has published a paper explaining a process that they’ve developed for splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen efficiently using solar electricity, and then use that hydrogen and oxygen in a fuel cell to re-generate electricity.

Sounds a bit silly when put like that, but the part that I missed out is that there is a time delay between splitting the water and using it to generate electricity.

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CleanTechnica reports that scientists have invented a new material capable of generating electricity from heat.

The material they invented is tellurium-doped lead telluride, and it is twice as efficient as the second most efficient material used in thermoelectric power. It also generates electricity directly, unlike other thermoelectric solutions which use a fluid to collect the heat.

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In the first six months of 2008 the USA generated more electricity from wind power than any other country in the world. The previous number 1, Germany, still has more capacity (around 23,000 MW compared to 18,000 MW), but the winds were stronger here in the US it seems allowing the US to actually generate more power.

In terms of percentage of power generated by wind turbines though, the US is still a long way behind other countries at the top of the wind power table. Germany generates 7% of its electricity from wind power, Denmark 20%. The USA comes in with just over 1%.

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A report from the University of Texas at Austin suggests that as much as 3% of the US’ electricity needs could be generated from cow manure derived biogas.

According to the report, the US generates over a billion tons of cow manure annually, most of which is left in storage areas to decompose naturally. That decomposition process produces air pollution and greenhouse gases (we reported earlier that an Argentinian study had concluded as much as 30% of that country’s greenhouse gas emissions could be coming from their cattle).

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