Recently in Environment Category

Oslo to Run Buses On Biomethane - the biomethane is coming from their sewage treatment plants, and it's a great way to reduce dependence on fossil fuels.

That's cool, but, the really cool thing is the way they got to this.  Instead of starting with, "Let's use biodiesel in all our busses!" or "Electricity is the only way to go!", they started asking, "What resources do we have to work with?" and came up with this solution.

That's the way we are going to replace fossil fuels - each person and organization (and I include local, state, and federal governments when I say organization) is going to have to ask the question, "What is best for me?".

My boss recently put in solar cells to generate electricity for her house.  She put in enough cells to generate about 25% of the power she uses every month.  That's what works for her.

We shouldn't try to replace fossil fuels with X, no matter what X is - we need to look at multiple solutions so that we don't find ourselves in the same situation we are now, bound to one source of energy, live or die.

HaveBlue.com has come up with a brilliant, and upon seeing it, obvious technology - power boats with hydrogen fuel cells. Their technology uses the stuff the boat is floating on (good old H₂0) and solar, wind, or hydro-electric energy to create the hydrogen that is used in the fuel cell. Basically, instead of using batteries to store the generated power, you are using a fuel cell. The fuel cell powers the generator, either for electricity or locomotion. No diesel fuel needed.

While going out for a cup of coffee and a yummy boston cream pie at Crixa, the best dessert place in the East Bay, I saw two eGo electic bikes. I've seen them parked there before, but today they had rain shields on with the URL - http://www.egovehicles.com. Since I'm in the market for a scooter or an electric bike, I thought I'd take a look at the website.

They look great. They get 25 miles between charges, don't have to be registered in California, and, while not cheap, don't cost as much as a Vespa. They don't look like they can seat two people, though, so I guess I have to keep looking.