Filed under: Etc., EV/Plug-in, Green Daily
Locavolts? Food sourcing issues coming to the energy discussion
If you're at all familiar with the hardcore environmentalist mindset, then you know that there is really no limit to how far you can take thinking about your impact on the world. Locavore, the 2007 New Oxford Dictionary's Word of the Year, for example, means someone who only (or mostly) eats food that comes from local sources. Well, we might soon be having the same sort of discussion about where we get our energy from, based on the thinking behind this WorldChanging post.When people talk about eating more eco-friendly one big question is: "Do I eat organic food that was shipped thousands of miles or eat something less environmentally-friendly but was grown right around the corner?" The same question can be applied to energy. Does it make sense to move clean energy around on the grid or do we want to be, in WorldChanging's word, "Locavolts"? Local, clean energy would be the best, but that's not always an option. So, what would you prefer to use to power up your electric car or plug-in hybrid?
[Source: WorldChanging]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Tim 9:48AM (3/13/2009)
Distributed energy makes sense from an environmental, economic and national/personal security viewpoint. Transfer losses are expensive in many ways. The closer energy is produced to its point of use, the better! That's why I like home PV & wind electric with thermal solar/ground source heat pump for heating & cooling.
This is interesting (if not total BS):
Boswell Power Production Unit Runs Continuously Even Without Wind
http://pesn.com/2009/03/11/9501531_Boswell_windless_turbine/
Finally, we may have found a 24-7 clean energy device that is available for purchase, capable of powering a home (3 kW), yet looks like a conventional device. Company claims a few hundred have been installed since late 2007
“Invented by Jim Boswell of Fresno, California, the B800 sells for $15,000, and produces nearly 3,000 Watts continuously (24/7 with or without wind), plus or minus around 200 Watts -- easily enough to supply power for a 2,000 square foot home. Installation typically runs between $300 and $500, and has not gone above $1000. Shipping costs are on top of that. He also sells the B1500, which puts out 30 kW, for commercial customers. The installation costs for the B1500 are about the same as for the B800. The units come with at least a 5-year warranty.”
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chauvinist pig 9:58AM (3/13/2009)
That's ridiculous. Moving electrons doesn't create additional CO2. Let's first focus on cleaning up the ways we create electricity. That will have more impact on greenhouse gas emissions than losing 2-3% of the electrons because my clean renewable electricity came from Oklahoma.
To answer your question, right now, I'd just like to have a plug-in I'd want or could afford to buy.
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