Alternative fuel — a back to the future proposition

Loved this mention of the SAAB steam powered car plus the electric starter as sounding the death knell for everything NOT gasoline powered.

“Plug-in hybrids, that could provide a completely electrical ride for 40 miles, satisfying 78 percent of the average daily U.S. commute, are being developed by some of the major automakers. Unfortunately, they still appear to be a few years away from the showroom floor. It may surprise some Americans to learn that the electrical vehicle we wish we could buy now is not a new idea to the auto industry. In fact, the internal combustion engine we’ve grown up with was just one of three significant schools of automotive engineering thought. The first electric car was designed by William Morrison of Des Moines, Iowa, in 1891 (Men, Money and Motors, T. MacManus, Harper Bros. 1929). For whatever reason, maybe because they represented the older generation, Henry Ford didn’t dig electric cars. Early on, steam-power was the third front in the engineering war over which technology would dominate the industry. Speed and absence of vibration were steam’s external combustion engine virtues. The drawback was taking more than a minute to warm up before being able to drive away. Mostly it’s a forgotten technology, but something reminiscent of today’s pain revived the idea, even if it never reached full-scale production. During the Arabian oil embargo of 1973, Saab engineered a prototype steam-powered car. It used an electronically-controlled, lightweight, multi-parallel circuit generator about the size of a car battery that could generate 160 horse power. Quick start-up was achieved by storing compressed air which powered the car until sufficient steam-pressure was built up. What killed both steam and electric vehicles back in the day was invention of the electric starter for gasoline engines. Before that you had to use a hand crank to fire that baby up. In cold weather when the crankcase oil was thick this could be nearly impossible for anyone not having considerable upper body strength. Occasionally starting could be dangerous, with many an arm broken when the engine back-fired and spun the crank around like a shot. What a different world it might be today if electrical vehicles circa 1910 had left internal combustion buggies in the ditch instead of the other way around.” - Source

Finding new frontiers in energy investing

Some great ideas in this article especially with regard to increasing motor efficiencies.

“The progress of major civilizations has depended largely on finding new and better sources of cheap energy. Energy has even functioned as the catalyst for many of the world’s wars and continues to do so today. Xtreme Power Solutions provides a critical component for large-scale energy storage to wind and PV farms, replacement of peak-power plants and large, stand-by power capacity. Its batteries have virtually no energy loss, last for decades, are environmentally friendly and can be configured to megawatt quantities. They act like a capacitor with low resistance under load and can be charged and discharged at incredible rates. It is impractical to discuss energy without the presence of water. Over 50% of all electricity used in the U.S. is used to move water. Our investment in Ice Energy was specifically targeted to utilize low-cost, night-time electricity, and the 20-degree day/night temperature difference in some areas of the world to store air conditioning energy for use during the day. The inexpensive technology moves 95 percent of the peak electrical demand for refrigeration-based air conditioning to night, significantly lowering the cost of air conditioning and improving overall energy performance. SNTech, a Korean company that has discovered what may be the greatest single contribution to energy in this decade-a new electric motor design that reduces electrical consumption by 80 percent, while staying consistent with the cost of existing motors. The U.S. Department of Energy estimates that 60 percent of all electricity in the U.S. is consumed by electric motors. This single invention could free up enough energy to eliminate the need for constructing future power plants in our lifetime. Additionally, with over 1.2 billion electric motors sold each year in the U.S. alone, this company has the potential for truly breathtaking returns for its investors. ORYXE Energy’s fuel additive dramatically reduces pollution, however state regulators have yet to be convinced that this particular technology should be mandated. Another example of an energy investment facing regulatory approval is Ice Energy’s Ice Bear™ 50 technology. This company’s innovation is worth billions, but requires government regulation for electrical costs and must be negotiated utility by utility.” - Source

Stressed seaweed lives under a cloud of its own making

What an amazing idea. Natural cloud seeding by plants to bring the rain.

“Stress among the plants can alter weather patterns, according to researchers at the Scottish Association for Marine Science and the University of Manchester. On an overcast day kelp are comfortable when the tide goes out, as they stay damp until it comes in again. But on a bright day they dry, releasing iodide. The iodide rises, causing clouds to form overhead, sheltering the kelp from the unwelcome sunshine. Frithjof Küpper, of the Scottish Association for Marine Science, who led the research, said that the salt helped to neutralise ozone in the atmosphere and, as it rose, “these chemicals act as condensation nuclei around which clouds may form”. - Source

Mosquitoes vs. Listerine

Have to see if I can find a pocket sprayer for use in restaurants and out of doors here in Mexico. What a great discovery! I once tried the spiral coils that you burn, but they stink and are bad for your lungs. Plus I hate sprays but before it was that or get eaten alive. My bug zapper works pretty well though, but this Listerine thing is an entirely ‘nother approach and is portable.

“The best way of getting rid of mosquitoes is Listerine, the original medicinal type. The Dollar Store-type works, too. I was at a deck party awhile back, and the bugs were having a ball biting everyone. A man at the party sprayed the lawn and deck floor with Listerine, and the little demons disappeared. The next year I filled a 4-ounce spray bottle and used it around my seat whenever I saw mosquitoes. And voila! That worked as well. It worked at a picnic where we sprayed the area around the food table, the children’s swing area, and the standing water nearby. During the summer, I don’t leave home without it…..Pass it on. / OUR FRIEND’S COMMENTS: I tried this on my deck and around all of my doors. It works - in fact, it killed them instantly. I bought my bottle from Target and it cost me $1.89. It really doesn’t take much, and it is a big bottle too so it is not as expensive to use as the can of spray you buy that doesn’t last 30 minutes. So, try this, please. It will last a couple of days. Don’t spray directly on a wood door (like your front door), but spray around the frame. Spray around the window frames and even inside the dog house if you have one. Also can be used to dab any bites you receive. It will stop the itching quicker and go away faster. / (This shared with us all courtesy of Linda Veach, wife of our late, great friend Jack Veach, thanks Linda! - JWD)” - Source

Update 05/13/08 - Reader David sent the following; “Mosquitoes vs. Listerine *The best way of getting rid of mosquitoes is Listerine, *the original medicinal type*…” - Snopes reports this as *false*.

We had a big rain two days ago so some mosquitos were buzzing in my house. I had bought a bottle of the original listerine for $5.40 here in Mexico, plus a spray bottle.

When I tried to sleep, at least 2 mosquitos were on bombing runs, so I sprayed my bedsheets and NO MORE MOSQUITO ATTACKS the entire night!

If it just repels them, I’m happy with that. I will try it again as the summer progresses but so far, it has worked for me. - JWD

Energy In The Slow Lane

Such an ‘on point’ article. Where are all these fabulous inventions we keep hearing about?

“Everyone seems to have a “story” to share. By that, I’m referring to a recollection, or perhaps an energy legend, of something that was once heard, but then never heard of again. My story goes like this: When I was in grade school, we were handed a small publication each week called the Weekly Reader, which offered stories on current events and other tidbits with an emphasis on science, history, mathematics or other academic realms. I recall reading one particular story around 1970 or so about a man in New England who had invented a device that could stretch gas mileage in vehicles far beyond normal levels. To prove his point, he attached the device to the engine of a school bus and drove it from New Hampshire to Washington D.C. on one tank of gas. He wanted to demonstrate to lawmakers what his wondrous little device could do for energy conservation in this country. Now, I’ll grant you that the bus probably had a huge gas tank, but the fact that it could travel so far on one tank of fuel struck me as amazing. Thus, my story ends with this question: What happened? As I said, it seems everyone knows a story like this. They’ve heard of people developing devices that could operate a vehicle on pure alcohol, or could stretch gas mileage out to 80 miles a gallon. They’ve heard of things like Willie Nelson’s biofuel efforts. The rumors and dreams go on and on. But then something happens - or nothing happens. Perhaps, some of us tend to speculate, the oil companies are making sure these revolutionary devices simply vanish from the marketplace. Are they ensuring that Americans consume oil by generous gulps and not prudent sips? Are we being kept addicted to fossil fuels in the names of greed and profit? I honestly don’t know. All these tales and legends of great new devices that could alter the way we operate automobiles remain little more than rumors, in spite of the fact that these things should have been happening for decades, and they should be happening now. Instead, we are held hostage to the distant past and/or a dead-end (energy) future.” - Source

Hybrid Risk - Hybrids and Electromagnetic Fields

Sounds like a subject ripe for study since electric, rechargeable cars appear to be in our future.

“ALMOST without exception, scientists and policy makers agree that hybrid vehicles are good for the planet. To a small but insistent group of skeptics, however, there is another, more immediate question: Are hybrids healthy for drivers? There is a legitimate scientific reason for raising the issue. The flow of electrical current to the motor that moves a hybrid vehicle at low speeds (and assists the gasoline engine on the highway) produces magnetic fields, which some studies have associated with serious health matters, including a possible risk of leukemia among children. With the batteries and power cables in hybrids often placed close to the driver and passengers, some exposure to electromagnetic fields is unavoidable. Moreover, the exposure will be prolonged — unlike, say, using a hair dryer or electric shaver — for drivers who spend hours each day at the wheel. Some hybrid owners have actually tested their cars for electromagnetic fields using hand-held meters, and a few say they are alarmed by the results.” - Source

Focusing on Solar’s Cost

Check out the temperatures inside this solar box!

“Sunrgi, which emerged out of stealth mode last week, has created a concentrated photovoltaic system that uses a lens to focus sunlight up to 2,000 times onto tiny solar cells that can convert 37.5 percent of the sun’s energy into electricity. Stronger concentrations of sunlight allow engineers to use much smaller solar cells, making it more economical to use higher-efficiency–but higher-cost–cells. Sunrgi, for example, will use cells based on gallium arsenside and germanium substrates. Sunrgi estimates that its system will be capable of producing electricity at a wholesale cost of five cents per kilowatt-hour. Prototypes have been built and tested both in the laboratory and in the field, and the company expects to start commercial production in 12 to 15 months. The intense heat created by concentrating the sun so much can reduce both the efficiency and the life of the solar cell. At 2,000 times sun concentration, temperatures can exceed 1800 °C–similar to the heat from an acetylene torch, and hot enough to melt the solar cell.” - Source

Hawaii Man’s Invention Really Cookin’

It seems like if you have the space to do this, it could save some serious money on fuel and heating costs. Just needs a bit of adapting in how you cook!

“The solar oven looks more like a children’s slide, but it will fry foods, bake bread and boil water. The oven is really a long, double-walled vacuum tube filled with vegetable oil that sits in a reflective-compound parabolic curve — a fancy name for a solar funnel that focuses sunlight on the tube. The outside of the tube is cool to the touch. But the inside reaches temperatures as high as 400 degrees — 300 degrees on a cloudy day. “I was in Tibet, and I followed three Tibetan girls through the mountains one day. An hour and a half out, an hour and a half back just to get to the nearest tree areas. Everything else denuded on the mountain. I’ve seen it in these countries,” said inventor John Grandinetti. “Solar cooking would work to eliminate misery and save the forest and improve the environmental conditions.” The solar tube only costs about $21. The frame and insulation are made from inexpensive materials. And it has another use: With clean water becoming a worldwide problem, the solar oven gets hot enough to boil water, which will purify it. The solar cooker can perform solar pasteurization in 15 minutes. It can pasteurize more than a gallon of water on a sunny day.” - Source

Pork, chicken prices may rise in next wave of food inflation

I think it would go that ALL food prices will be going up trying to compensate for lost farmland and higher fuel and production prices.

“Americans may be getting another helping of food inflation, and it seems likely to come from higher prices for chicken and pork. Overall food inflation could double this year, lifted by the rising costs of fuel, corn and soybeans, some analysts predict. Food inflation hit 4 percent last year, up from 2.4 percent in 2006. While beef prices were already high, chicken and pork prices didn’t reflect record costs for feed and fuel. That’s poised to change as chicken and pig producers who have been losing money slaughter more animals to decrease the supply and raise the prices they can charge. Higher food inflation would further challenge shoppers who are already limiting themselves to sale items and store brands as they contend with the worst food inflation since 1990.”
- Source

Airtab Vortex Generators to Increase vehicle Mileage

And these things are so cheap to buy and install!

“Airtabs™ are small, efficient air flow streamliners that are the first practical solution for reducing drag at the back of large vehicles and the tractor/trailer gap. Airtabs™ are designed to work on trucks, trailers, straight trucks, cargo vans, RVs and Buses. Any big box going down the road at highway speeds. Drivers report dramatic handling improvements, better visibility behind in rain, fewer gear changes and less driver fatigue. Airtabs™ keep the rear of you vehicle clean because there is no longer a vacuum pulling in dirt and grime - your tail lights remain clear longer. Our customers are seeing fuel savings of between 2 to 4% annually. Airtabs™ meet vehicle width regulations. (4.76” long, by 3.25” wide, and stick out only 1″) Airtabs™ are quick and easy to fit. 3 per lineal foot, down the sides and across the top at the back of the vehicle. Airtabs™ work in concert with existing air management kits. The Airtab® shape has been tested in test track, wind tunnel and over-the-road evaluations. / From a reader; “Saw your post on the fans on semi truck fairings today & thought you might want to check out www.airtab.com They have sold these magical gems all over the world for the past 5 years or more. They’re Vortex Generators that are self sticking & go on the back sides and top of anything box shaped moving down the road at highway speeds of 40mph or more. Have 12 of them on my 2001 Dodge Stratus trunk & mileage went from 27.1 mpg to 32.0 mpg doing 65 - 70 mph on interstate driving. Check out their website. Every little bit helps and these babies will pay for themselves in no time flat.” (Thanks to Norm E. for this headsup on yet another gas saving technique that we all can use. - JWD)” - Source