GreenTech Pastures

May 11th, 2008

How artificial is the crude oil price? Have we passed peak oil?

Posted by Harry Fuller @ 10:26 pm

Categories: Blogroll, energy, fossil fuel, federal government, air pollution, law & politics, petroleum, Canada

Tags: Oil, Petroleum, Price, Telecom & Utilities, Harry Fuller

Here’s a map that purports to show how much oil there is in North America and that the supply far exceeds the demand. This website argues greed is driving the high oil price, not shortage. Wait a minute, isn’t greed the heart and soul of a free makret economy? What am I missing?

If there’s plenty of oil still under ground that would seem to confirm the argument of the “kill-environmentalists” school of analysis: if there were no government restrictions oil would flow like, well, like oil. There’d be plenty of oil to go around, and prices would drop. First let’s drill off Florida’s coast. I’d never go there for a vacation anyway.

But that lots-of-oil argument in turn seems to tromp all over any concern for the environment or any other species stupid enough to go anywhere near a petroleum refinery or wind turbine or high-rise antenna or any other structure we deem necessary for our lifestyle. Damn those ducks, anyway.

There’s a counter-argument to the lots-of-oil faith. We’ve reached peak oil and unless we’re willing to strip mine much of the habitable earth, we’re looking at energy shortages going forward. Higher prices all around. Matthew Simmons has been saying that “oil reserves” claimed by nations like Saudi Arabia are phoney. Would the Saudis lie to us, their faithful customers and allies? Surely not, you might say. Well, Warren Buffet has made a few billion bills looking at the economic realities. He thinks we’re short of oil.

Enough oil? Peak oil? Past our peak? Not only do I have no clue what’s true, neither do most people, including a lot of VCs and that keeps 1) the oil price high, and 2) the interest in cleantech high. Because nobody wants to sit in the dark, walk to work or have cold stew for dinner.

Meanwhile out there on the NYMEX, crude oil was up over 8% last week alone, now more than $125 per barrel for crude oil futures. The average US price for both diesel and gasoline stood at an all-time high last week. And oil traders, for the record, are claiming that petroleum demand is far ahead of supply. Naturally that plays into higher prices and bigger commissions and larger bonuses and…. This couldn’t be greed could it? Wouldn’t you really like to know if there’s enough oil? Can’t somebody come up with a system to actually find and measure the oil that remains? Sounds like a great start-up. OILFAX.COM. Seems to me the #1 cleantech software would be a way to track oil supply independently of the spin from the US Department of Energy, oil traders or the OPEC creeps. A real reading on oil supply might determine whether you buy into that wind turbine company.

May 10th, 2008

Another morning hangover for ethanolics

Posted by Harry Fuller @ 10:28 pm

Categories: Blogroll, green tech, renewable energy, energy, fossil fuel, federal government, air pollution, cars & traffic, law & politics, biofuel, petroleum, engineering, environmental health

Tags: Biofuel, Methanol, Greenhouse Gas, Clean Technology, Harry Fuller

This time a major U.S. newspaper editorializes against the American subsidies for ethanol. Their conclusion: “This does not mean that Congress should give up on biofuels as an important part of the effort to reduce the country’s dependency on imported oil and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. What it does mean is that some biofuels are (or are likely to be) better than others….”

I recently blogged about some research that could make methanol even more useful as a fuel source. Methanol can be made from many organic waste products and does not require raw materials such as sugar or corn.

For now I wouldn’t be betting against corn-based ethanol in America. First, there’s the lobby power of Big Corn which dominates politics in states like Kansas and Iowa which each have two senators regardless of how small their population may be. Second, the high oil prices are being credited with hurting the economy, in a one-two punch with the heedless lending of the mortgage industry. Perhaps you’ve been trying to forget, crude has gone above $125 per barrel for now. And if there’s anything a poitician in Washington worries about it’s how the energy prices affect big corporations and wealthy donors. Very few besides BIG OIL and KING KOAL are helped by rising energy prices. So ethanol sounds like a good idea, even if it’s wasteful.

As we’ve seen for years now, oil prices and cleantech investments are inseparable because there’s not an unlimited amount of subsidy money, investment money and market share for energy products. Despite an editorial against ethanol, you can be sure there are myriad companies still trying to find a better way to crank it out. Here’s just one VC firm that’s hoping one of their energy investments comes up green and clean, that’s green as in profitable.

May 9th, 2008

Pine trees to frogs, global warming is killing ‘em off

Posted by Harry Fuller @ 8:31 pm

Categories: Blogroll, climate change, global warming, research, air pollution, Latin America, weather, Arctic, Canada, environmental health

Tags: Climate, Global Warming, Species, Harry Fuller

In the northern lattitudes the boreal forests of North America are losing their evergreens. Scientists say the mountain pine beetle is thriving due to the warmer winters. In turn beetles are killing large numbers of trees in Canadian forests. Previous beetle attacks have occurred in the Canadian forests but this is the worst yet. Warmer climate is being blamed.

Worse yet, the dead and dying trees may turn the boreal forest from a carbon sink into a source of yet more carbon dioxide that will go into the atmosphere, adding to the greenhouse gas effect, thus contributing to further atmospheric warming.

In warmer climates there is a population reduction among many species of amphibia. One tropical frog species is especially hard hit, and research once again points to the effects of global warming. The disappearance of amphibians has been noticed over several decades and appears to be accelerating.

Over four years ago one research report estimated as much as 37% of all species on earth could become extinct due to climate change. I’m going to be doubly unhappy if cockroaches and politicians survive but hops disappear.

Meanwhile, one writer on the Nature website warns observers not to be misled by short-term weather patterns.

May 9th, 2008

Cooper Boone’s fan-fueled music (no, not the kind with blades)

Posted by Heather Clancy @ 9:03 am

Categories: green tech, energy, climate change, global warming, conservation

Tags: Blade, Cooper, Music, Cooper Boone, Blade Servers, Utility Computing, Servers, Hardware, Heather Clancy

Did you ever think about how much electricity a mega-concert uses to power all those woofers and tweeters, not to mention the jumbo-screens and pyrotechnics?

Yes, a lot, no?

So, I was inspired by this little item about Cooper Boone, a psychologist-cum-musician who powers his sound system via a contraption tied to a stationary bicycle. Basically, fans (the human kind) can become the fuel for the speakers. Boone is currently traveling around the United States on his “Small Change, Big Planet Tour.”

Here’s a photo of someone fueling Boone’s appearance in New York city a few weeks back for Earth Day.

May 8th, 2008

Micron claims low-power server memory lead with two new modules

Posted by Heather Clancy @ 4:42 pm

Categories: green tech, energy, conservation, engineering

Tags: Micron Technology Inc., Module, Memory, Data Centers, Servers, Storage, Hardware, Data Management, Heather Clancy

I think I’ve reported this number before, but I keep forgetting it. Anyway, there is a statistic suggesting that memory components eat up something like 15 percent of the power consumed in data centers. Not an insignificant amount, which is one reason Micron continues to focus on lower voltage as a product differentiator.

It latest additions to the energy-efficient Aspen Memory line are a 1-gigabyte DDR3 module that operates at 1.35 volts and a 2-gigabyte DDR2 module that runs at 1.5 volts. The Boise, Idaho, company says these are the lowest-voltage DDR2 and DDR3 designs available on the market. (Normal voltage ranges for DDR3 are 1.5 volts, while DDR2 modules typically run at 1.8 volts.) So, for example, Micron claims that high-density designs for the DDR2 format can offer a 58 percent power reduction over standard configurations. But, as with all things energy-related, it all depends on your individual configuration. So, you can run your own calculations. with Micron’s server memory calculator.

May 8th, 2008

TerraPass gets more granular with its carbon-crunching calculator

Posted by Heather Clancy @ 4:27 pm

Categories: green tech, energy, climate change, global warming, air pollution, biofuel, conservation

Tags: TerraPass, Web Site Development, Telecom & Utilities, Internet, Heather Clancy

Popular carbon offset Web site TerraPass has updated the online calculator you can use to keep track of your carbon footprint. The update now includes options for tracking the differences between many different hybrid fuels from biodiesel to flex fuel ethanol to compressed natural gas. So, if you select some sort of hybrid you can get more granular about the impact.

May 8th, 2008

Don’t insulate, Nansulate, says Florida cleantech company

Posted by Harry Fuller @ 10:15 am

Categories: Blogroll, green tech, energy, fossil fuel, air pollution, housing, building, conservation, engineering, environmental health

Tags: Insulation, Clean Technology, European Union, Energy Cost, Nansulate, Nanotechnology, Emerging Technologies, Harry Fuller

Thermal testing. Courtesy Industrial Nanotech.

Energy costs are now serious business for industries, office managers, and home owners across the world. Buildings account for over half of the energy use in the U.S. and a fair portion of that is for heating and cooling. A measure of how serious: many American homes built as recently as the early 1970s originally contained no insulation. Now most local governments require insulation and energy conservation.

Here’s a cleantech product that offers a new way to save energy and a bonus: it’s way geeky. What could be better than nanotech, energy conservation and a patented formula? We’ve got all that right here.

The product’s called Nansulate and it’s made by Naples, Florida-based Industrial Nanotech. It is not a traditional insulation material like foam or fiberglass that comes in sheets, rolls or air-filled layers. This is a thin layer of spray-on material that uses nano-particles.

Here’s an explanation published by a publication aimed at home building: “”I spoke with Stuart Burchill, CEO and developer of Nansulate. He explained that the technology works becanse of a material called Hydro-NM-Oxide which he explained is ‘the worst conductor of heat and cold of any material.’ The paint-like coating is loaded with tiny particles of this substance, and when it cures heat and cool are largely prevented from moving through the coating.There is also something called the Knudsen effect (for you engineers) that further slows the transmission of heat and cold. All of this is the result of a relatively new field of science called nanotechnology or the science of using tiny particles to do big things.”

Here’s another useful link on how Nansulate works. This site was put together by a retailer selling Nansulate here in the U.S. The manufacturer also recently had a major breakthrough internationally. Compared to the U.S. with its laissez-faire attitude, the European Union is very regulation heavy environmentally. The EU is also energy-concerned as energy prices there are much higher than in the U.S. Energy conservation efforts are more highly evolved. The EU just recently approved Nansulate for use across the builidng industry there.

Nansulate’s makers claim it’s far more efficient in blocking heat movement than other insulation products. In one example they cited, Nansulate reduced heating bills by over 40% in a traditional home in New England. The application of Nansulate is not complex, it’s spray-painted on using standard equipment. It goes onto a variety of surfaces from water heaters to roofing, and in most cases does not need any primer or difficult surface preparation. Nansulate also provides coverage of lead-containing paint, and is mold-resistant.

May 7th, 2008

SynapSense gets a grip on your data center’s environmental profile

Posted by Heather Clancy @ 7:49 am

Categories: Blogroll, green tech, energy, climate change, global warming, research, conservation

Tags: Data Center, Server, Wireless, SynapSense, Data Centers, Storage, Hardware, Data Management, Heather Clancy

I was invited by a local hosting provider to give a presentation last Friday about green data centers. As I was gathering the data to illustrate some of the trends I wanted to highlight, I was astonished to discover that very few companies apparently measure their server power consumption very closely today.

Software vendor Cassatt, for example, recently published the results of a survey showing that more than one-quarter of data center managers don’t measure power consumption for their servers at all. Another 24 percent watch it on the macro-level, by monitoring the power distribution units. Another 23 percent have a handle on the server room, 16 percent look at it by rack and 8 percent follow individual servers. If you want to read more of the Cassatt data, you can find a press release and white paper at this link.

Not surprisingly, there’s a lot of venture capital being funneled into companies that offer various approaches for data center visibility and visibility across the electric grid. I’ve written about several of them over the past nine months and will take a closer look over the next few weeks at updating what’s going on with some of them.

First up is SynapSense, which introduced a new version of its SynapSoft software for collecting and analyzing data center operating conditions during the Uptime Institute’s Symposium 2008. Here’s a whole lot more detail on the technology, which includes a new feature called LiveImaging, which actually maps different “hot spots” and “overcooled zones” so that data center managers can see them visually on a diagram.

Peter Van Deventer, cofounder, president and CEO of SynapSense, says because the sensors that SynapSoft uses are wireless, his company’s technology can be deployed in a 25,000-square-foot data center in a matter of hours without disrupting operations. The startup, which was founded a little over two years ago, is working closely with IBM, which has helped its cause. Another public ally is Yahoo, Van Deventer said, and SynapSense is also involved with a project in the Sacramento Municipal Utility District.

You’ll hear a whole more about the role of wireless sensors and instrumentation in the data center. Some companies, including SynapSense, believe sensor networks such as the ones that underlie SynapSoft will represent the next wave of wireless adoption. It’s another twist on that old pervasive networks infilitration theory. Van Deventer has more to say in this video interview with Environmental Leader.

May 6th, 2008

I can take costly energy, rice shortages, pricier platinum, but not my beer!!!!

Posted by Harry Fuller @ 8:04 pm

Categories: Blogroll, climate change, global warming, water, Europe, weather

Tags: Hop, Food & Beverage, Vertical Industries, Benefits, Healthcare, Manufacturing, Enterprise Software, Software, Human Resources, Harry Fuller

If this be a harbinger of things to come, life is gonna get bleak here pretty soon. I’m not talking about recession or no recession, health care or not health care, not even worried about food prices going up 50% in a year. I eat too much anyway. No, this is about the threat to my beer supply. And yours.

Reports from Europe indicate warmer summers are reducing hop harvests in Europe and that is raising the price of beer there. And in this global economy it’s just a matter of time until American hops get pricier, too. Right now there’s a hopsmeisters conference in Germany where they take their brewing and beering seriously. Germany has more hops farmers than any other nation. Now they’re looking for irrigation plans to keep the hops happy during hot, dry spells…and hops varieities that can withstand warmer summers. One source could be countries like Turkey that have long had hotter summers and still grow a variety of hops. I am sending all our good hopes for good hops. This is not a shortage civilization could long withstand.

May 5th, 2008

Fuel cell breakthrough? Gentlemen, start your engines…

Posted by Harry Fuller @ 5:02 pm

Categories: Blogroll, green tech, renewable energy, energy, fossil fuel, research, air pollution, cars & traffic, biofuel, Europe, petroleum, conservation, engineering, environmental health

Tags: Fuel Cell, Methanol, Catalyst, Methanoliacs, Fuel Cells, Emerging Technologies, Harry Fuller

“Since 1965, methanol has been the only racing fuel used by the Indianapolis 500. Methanol also is an ideal hydrogen carrier fuel for fuel cell technology applications.” That’s a direct quote from the Methanol Institute website. Now how’d you like to have that under the hood of your old beater?

Methanol, known commonly as wood alcohol, can be made from almost any raw material that contains carbon. The production process requires a catalyst. The Methanoliacs’ website says it requires nickel. That’s not so bad. Nickel being relatively inexpensive.

But the catalytic needs don’t end there. Using methanol in fuel cells to produce electricity requires a second catalyst. In the past this has been platinum. And that precious metal makes gold look cheap. Prices now are over $1900 per ounce.

Now comes some research from Europe that promises an even more efficient catalytic process using cheaper materials. The need for platinum is not eliminated but greatly reduced. And it is more than just the composition of the platinum allow that the research deals with. Says a summary report, it is the actual form of the platinum crystals: “if the platinum alloy is structured amorphously, its electrical conduction properties are enhanced and it undergoes less corrosion (advantages for the medium in which it has to operate). Moreover, it has an operational capacity in the order of 80-100 times greater than platinum in a crystalline structure. Amorphous materials are those with a disordered molecular structure.”

This will NOT lower the price of the platinum, of course, but it means far more economical catalysts can be made far more efficient. Perhaps a truly significant step toward realizing the long-awaited promise of widely useful fuel cells.