Solar Plane Takes Flight

It may have only been a 350 meter flight down the runway at an altitude of just one meter and lasting 28 seconds, but test pilot Markus Scherdel has flown into the history books piloting Solar Impulse. Solar Impulse founder and president Bertrand Piccard says “For over ten years now, I have dreamt of a solar aircraft capable of flying day and night without fuel” he said in a press release. “Today, our plane took off and was airborne for the very first time.”

Spokeswoman Rachel Bros de Puechredon told Wired.com “There will first be longer flights and to higher altitudes. The next step will be the first day-night-day flight, a 36 hour flight next summer.”

It's just too bad they couldn't have accomplished this in 2003 to mark the 100th anniversary of the Wright brothers flight!

Tesla Unveils New Roadster

The Tesla Roadster Sport was unveiled yesterday at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. The Sport is the second production line vehicle for the electric car manufacturer and is said to be even zippier than the original, shaving .2 seconds off the zero to sixty mark of it's predecessor and coming in at 3.7 seconds. The Roadster Sport uses the same powertrain that will be used in the Model S, a four-door electric luxury sedan Tesla intends to start making in 2011.

Source: cnet

US Military Charters Kite Powered Ship To Deliver Equipment

While I think the motivation here is strictly cost savings, I'll applaud the choice of the US Navy's Military Sealift Command (MSC) which has chartered the MV Beluga, a "kite-assisted" 400 foot cargo ship, to deliver Air Force and Army equipment from Europe to the US. MV Beluga uses a paraglider-shaped, SkySails-System, which supplements its conventional, internal combustion engines potentially reducing fuel costs by as much as 30 percent, or roughly $1,600 a day. The system utilizes a computer-controlled kite that flies from 100 to 300 yards into the air, using the wind to tow the ship. "MSC values innovation that leads to cost savings," said Captain Nick Holman, of Sealift Logistics Command Europe. CNet Story.

Get Rid Of That Old Fridge, Save Money, Save The World

Well, not quite... but CNN and This Old House have some interesting statistics that provide plenty of incentive for tossing that out dated (pre 1993) refrigerator. For instance, "If every American home replaced its pre-1993 fridge with an Energy Star model, we would prevent annual greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to those of more than 8.3 million cars." or how about this amazing fact, "Refrigerators qualified under the new Energy Star guidelines use less energy than a 75-watt light bulb left on full time".

Not convinced? The US Department of Energy has created a site, RecycleMyOldFridge.com, to aid you in determining how much your inefficient current fridge is costing you, comparing those costs to an Energy Star appliance, and finding a recycling program in your area. What are you waiting for?

The Greenest Town In America

Greensburg Kansas, was devastated by a tornado on May 4th, 2007 with nearly 90% of the city destroyed. When the residents decided to rebuild their community, they made a conscious effort to make it the greenest in the country. "The timing of all this is, in some ways, almost spooky," Daniel Wallach, a nonprofit specialist helping Greensburg rebuild said. "It's like the world was ready for this to happen, for a town to be completely re-imagined. The tragedy was terrible. But the folks here know that it also provided an incredible opportunity." CNN video segment here.

Rental Cars Going Green?

There appears to be a growing trend amongst rental car companies towards hybrids, or so says CNN. The growth is definitely slow and cautious, "At the end of the day, it's the consumer that drives rental fleeting," said Neil Abrams, president of Abrams Consulting Group Inc., "Rental car companies can buy a lot of cars their customers don't want to drive, and they'll be sitting in a lot and gathering dust." According to the article, Enterprise Rent-A-Car has opened four new "green branches" in Atlanta where about 60 percent of the vehicles at the branch will be hybrids or other fuel-efficient vehicles. Enterprise has built its hybrid fleet to 4,000 vehicles in its total fleet of 1.1 million, while Hertz Global Holdings Inc. said it's adding 3, 500 Toyota Prius this year, and Avis Budget Group Inc. says it now offers 2,500 hybrid vehicles in it's total fleet of 1.8 million. While it is a drop in the bucket, the trend is positive, and exposes drivers to the gas sipping vehicles.

Alberta to spend heavily on Carbon Capture to reduce greenhouse gases

Cnet's Green Tech Blog is reporting that the Alberta government is investing up to $500 million on initiatives aimed at cutting greenhouse gases. "In all, the government hopes to prevent 200 million tons of gases from getting into the atmosphere. If it hits its goals, emissions will be lower in 2050 than in 2005." Seventy percent of the reduction is planned to be achieved by carbon capture and sequestration, rather than allowing gases into the air the technology being considered would involve "seeding underground aquifers or porous rock formations with carbon dioxide captured in smoke stacks." Alberta of course is Canada's largest oil producer and has a booming economy which is the envy of the country.

Zero Emission No Noise car built in Canada but not street legal here!

The ZENN car made by ZENN Motor Company in Quebec, is an amazing little vehicle that is winning awards and sales globally, but is only legal for sale in one Canadian Province! The company's brochure states "ZENN not only looks like a car; it performs like one, too. Equipped with front-wheel drive, brisk acceleration and capable of achieving a regulated maximum speed of 25 mph (40 km/h), it keeps pace with traffic on local streets to get you where you’re going safely and in good time. And ZENN’s battery efficiency gives you the freedom to cover a lot of ground: approximately 35 miles per charge (56 kilometres)."

It's just unbelievable that our governments cannot see the benefits of enabling the consumer to make greener choices! I realize that we can't just allow anything on wheels to travel our roadways, but there must be some happy medium?

Rick Mercer says it all here...

Toyota successfully tests next gen fuel-cell vehicle

Toyota took two fuel-cell powered vehicles for on a road trip from Osaka to Tokyo on Friday. The vehicles arrived in Tokyo with about 30% of it's fuel remaining after the 560 km trip, this represents a total capacity of about 770 km between fill-ups, and about 25% more efficiency than current models. The CBC's report says "Fuel-cell cars are widely viewed as the most promising pollution-free vehicles for the future because they are powered by electricity generated through the chemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen and emit only water as a byproduct." I am a big believer in the move towards greener devices, but living in a northern climate, I wonder how well these vehicles perform in cold weather?

English town gives driverless car a try

The BBC is running this story about the town of Daventry in Northamptonshire that is testing a driverless car in an effort to increase the use of public transportation and reduce the reliance on cars? I'll assume the Cybercar is more efficient than your average vehicle for at least part of that logic to hold true. The Cybercar can be called by pressing a button on their route, and will go direct to their destination. They require a light track to operate and are designed for low speed, short distance trips. If only they had a robotic cabbie in the front seat and were called "Johnny Cab"!

Ontario pouring millions into green energy promotion

The government of Ontario is following up it's ban on incandescent lights earlier this year with the announcement of a $610 million fund to develop a green technology industry aiming the money squarely at car makers and solar panel manufacturers. The move is in an attempt to eliminate green house gas emissions, produce badly needed energy output, and attract business to the Province which has seen manufacturing job losses of late, particularly in the auto industry. Kudos though, every effort to promote a greener society should be applauded. CNet story here.

Mileage hackers going that extra mile

With the push towards being more eco-friendly and the increasing popularity of hybrid vehicles comes a new breed of drivers who are intent upon squeezing every last drop out of their gas tanks. The so called mileage hackers are resorting to all sorts of measure to take green to the extreme. The Globe and Mail has an interesting story about modifying hybrids such as the Toyota Prius and altering drivers mindsets, all measures that contribute to achieving amazing gas mileages of 70 to in excess of 700 miles per gallon. While I applaud the effort of these environmentally friendly evangelist, many of the measures are unrealistic for most of us. I personally considered the Prius in 2005 when I made my most recent new car decision but opted for the slightly less efficient Corolla, however I believe today's models are further apart in their fuel ratings. At the time I could not justify the cost of the vehicle vs. the gasoline savings over the life of the car. Yes, it would have been a small win for the planet but at least I didn't go for the Hummer. It is probably more realistic to think that we can all do the small things like checking tire pressure regularly and adjusting our speeds rather than paying $50,000 for a tricked out hybrid with solar panels. Unless there are a few sponsors out there willing to cough up some cash in return for splashing their logo on a pimped out green machine, I'll be working on easing the foot of the peddle in order to do my part. Kudos though to those who can afford to push their rides to the limit, perhaps some of these hacks will make it into future assembly line models.