If you've got an old, broken, space-eating gas lawn mower, you may be interested in resurrecting it and converting it into an eco-friendly solar charged model, provided you don't mind having it look a little Frankenstein.

This how-to walks you through the process of modifying a mower as well as creating the solar panel/charging station that provides the power. The mower does take a while to charge up (40 hours by the authors calculations, assuming a half-charged battery), but since most lawns don't require mowings of any greater frequency than that (or anywhere near that, one would hope), the solar solution seems like a perfect fit for the task.

The author provides a lot of detail, including a couple of schematics and a parts and costs table. The final price tag was $699, with the bulk of the cost going towards the motor ($312), solar panel ($120) and battery ($90).

Enviroscaping to Conserve Energy is an interesting guide on maximizing your home's energy efficiency by modifying various aspects of its immediate environment, or "Microclimate".

A microclimate is any small, local area within which the effects of weather are both relatively uniform and easily modified. Microclimate modification involves the best use of structural and landscape design elements to maximize or limit sunlight, shade and air movement. Structural modifications involve the design of the house and associated construction (walkways, fences, patios). Landscape modifications (enviroscaping) involve the use of plants to further increase or decrease the impact of sun and wind upon the local environment.

This site, which applies mostly to homes in hot weather climates such as Florida, offers a lot of interesting ways that a home owner can creatively reduce energy usage. Some of the suggestions apply to potential home builders, such as home orientation (a house is more energy efficient if it is oriented with the long axis running east-west), however the majority of the tips apply to existing residences.

There are many examples of "enviroscaping" strategies on the site, such as optimal tree placement for maximum shading, tree type (In winter, the sun is low in the southern sky. Southern exposures of a home in north and central Florida can receive free benefits of passive solar heating, provided that deciduous trees are used along the southern exposures. Deciduous trees shed their leaves in the fall, and are bare during the coldest months of the year.), fencing options (fences vary in amount of air circulation), shrub and vine placement along walls, increasing air conditioner efficiency and much more.

Link: Enviroscaping to Conserve Energy: a Guide to Microclimate Modification

Wind energy expert Paul Gipe has posted his thoughts on the Mag-Wind Verticle Wind Turbine (previously). Essentially, Paul deems this device everything but a dream:

Ok, let's take another approach. Mag-Wind says its wind turbine will produce 5 kW at a rated speed of 28 mph (12.5 m/s). To produce that much power at that wind speed it would need to be 281% efficient! Yee ha. That's some windmill. Modern wind turbines, at best, can deliver 40% of the energy in the wind at any specific wind speed. This turbine has a specific rotor loading of 3,360 W/m² of rotor area. Let's compare that to the over rated AirX. The AirX is somewhat smaller so we won't compare actual production, just rotor loading. Remember, the AirX doesn't even deliver what is promised. The specific rotor load for the AirX is about 400 W/m². The Mag-Wind claims to produce from its rotor almost ten times more power than the AirX which can't even meet its performance claims. Ouch. I've never seen such outlandish claims before-and I've seen a lot of them.

Link: Wind-Works.org

Via TreeHugger

Like the popular Kill-a-Watt, the Watts-Up electricity monitor sits between the device whose energy you would like to track and a wall outlet. Both devices present you with a handy display of power comsumption, but the Watts-Up Pro (not the standard) has a USB interface, which allows you to download the stored data onto your PC for further analysis. The data can also be exported to Word or Excel. Conveniently, the Watts-Up displays the cost, in dollars and cents, on the unit's LCD screen.

See also:

Watts-Up and Kill-a-Watt at Amazon.com
The Gadgeteer's review of the Kill-a-Watt

Sunlight Direct's hybrid solar lighting system is an interesting new technology that essentially pipes sunlight into buildings via fibre optics. The system makes use of a GPS aware light collector unit that sits on a building's roof. The unit utilizes GPS along with an onboard processor to orient the light collector to within .1 degrees of the sun to maximize efficiency. The system monitors a room's natural light intensity via photosensors and, during cloudy periods, compensates by increasing the traditional fluorescent or incandescent lighting output.

Here's a YouTube video of the product in action.

Since 30% of electricity used in the US is for lighting (the number grows to 45% in retail), the product would theoretically have a huge potential market, especially commercially. The commercial version will light about 1000 square feet at a cost of about $10,000. That may sound expensive, but that's really only because that's a lot of money. However, if the (hard to believe) claims in the video of retailers seeing a 40% boost in sales when using natural lighting is true, then the $10,000 is largely irrelevant when viewed over the long term. According to the video, the company plans on launching a residential unit in 2008. No word on pricing...

Here's an interview with Duncan Earl, CEO of Sunlight Direct, that's also worth a look.

Instructables has a very thorough howto on building your own wind generator. According to the author, most of the materials can be found in junk piles or purchased at local hardware stores. The site lists parts and tools very well, but is, unfortunately, a little light on construction pictures. Nevertheless, this looks like a fun (and useful) project. The windmills can also be purchased from Vela Creations. Assembled or barebones parts-only kits are available here.

From the site:

The Chispito Wind Generator is a 100W machine. It outputs 14volts at 280 rpm, so it starts putting power into your batteries in low wind speeds (7-10mph). It makes a perfect addition to an existing solar, or other alternative energy, home system. On its own, it will power lights, radio, and conservative use of appliances such as computer, satellite, blender, drill, etc.

It's interesting to see smaller companies attempting to build/improve wind power systems instead of waiting for some of the larger players in the industry to offer products at more affordable price points. Some of the offerings out there are more than a little pricey and would take many years to produce a postive ROI.

Via Digg

MSN offers this handy list of home energy reducing techniques that will not only help make your home a little greener, but will also put some money back in your pocket in the process. Tips cover heating and air conditioning improvements, greener gardening, hardwood floor choices and a few more.

Wikibooks also has a very large page of energy saving tips that should be useful to most of us, including efficient heating and cooling ideas as well as lighting, water, household waste and electricity reducing suggestions.

If you can't tell by the picture, this is, of course, a "Magnetically-Levitated Axial Flux Alternator with Programmable Variable Coil Resistance, Vertical Axis Wind Turbine". It's called the Mag-Wind MW1100 and, thanks to some interesting technical maneuvering, promises 1100 kWh/month in a 13 mph average wind. The unit will cost around 3.5 cents/kW or, put another way, ROI will be reached in 3 years for someone with an average monthly electric bill of $300 - which sounds very high; a 6+ year ROI might be more realistic for home use. Nevertheless, the inventors claim the unit is cheaper than solar or horizontal wind turbines while requiring much less space to operate. The site's page on roof effect describes how the device can produce as much electricity as it does with such a small footprint:

So, how is it possible to make as much electricity as we do with only a 4-foot sweep? We use the roof of a house or other building to extend our reach and increase the volume of air reaching the sails of our VAWT. This gives us the effect of a larger surface area without actually having a larger vane. The great thing is that every house or other building also has a roof. The roof moves the wind, and that wind has a lot of energy.
The two major factors that determine how much energy is available are the vertical rise of the roof and the pitch, or angle, of the roof. The more rise there is, the more wind will hit it and be moved upward towards the VAWT. This is good. However, the steeper the roof is, the more wind energy will be lost in pressure against the roof and wind moving around the roof and the building as a whole. This is not so good.
A roof with a 10-foot vertical rise and a 30% angle will provide nearly a 200% increase in the amount of wind energy that is available to be turned into electricity. Compared to the same turbine just sitting on a pole, the roof effect increases the power yielded by operation of the wind turbine dramatically.

So, although it might be cost prohibitive for some (most), it might be worth looking into if you live in a fairly windy area, as the faster the average windspeed, the quicker it will be to see significant returns on your investment.

Via Greengeek.ca

How powerful an air conditioner do you need? Consumer Reports have created a comprehensive air conditioner power calculator that uses criteria such as geographic location, room size, wall frame type, ceiling height, window size/orientation and more to determine the most energy efficient air conditioner for your space. The calculator uses your actual kWh rate to produce a yearly operating cost estimate.

Via Fepy.com

Canadian electricity generator Bullfrog Power is an environmentally friendly electricity supplier that offsets a home's consumed electricity by generating an equal amount of green power from sources such as "EcoLogo-certified low-impact water and wind power" and pumping it back into the public electricity grid.

Customers will be required to pay a premium for this greening, of course; the company says that a typical household can expect to add about a dollar a day to their electricity bill.

A couple of questions and answers from their FAQ:

How is Bullfrog Power generated?
Bullfrog Power sources all of its electricity from power generation facilities that meet the federal government's Environmental Choice Program EcoLogoM standard for renewable, low-impact electricity. Our energy mix is a blend of clean wind and low-impact hydro power that is 100% renewable, emission-free, and has minimal impact on local habitats.

Will my power source be reliable? What if the wind isn't blowing?
All Bullfrog Power's electricity is sourced from EcoLogoM-certified water and wind generation facilities. The electricity produced by these sources is injected onto the Ontario grid, the common power pool that delivers power to homes and businesses throughout the province. When you sign up for Bullfrog Power, you continue to draw your electricity from the grid, meaning that your power supply is just as reliable as it always was. The difference is that you are now supporting renewable power with your electricity dollars, rather than coal, nuclear, oil and gas.

This sort of green energy offsetting is an interesting concept and it will be interesting to see what kind of public interest it generates over the coming years.

Ideal Homes of Norman, Oklahoma has produced a "Zero Energy Home" that sells for just under $200,000. ZEH have been produced before, but have tended to be much more expensive and thus out of reach of the average consumer.

The home is connected to the power grid, but attempts to satisfy as much of it's own energy requirements through alternative, renewable methods as well as utilizing high efficiency construction techniques, resulting in net zero energy consumption for the year.

From the site:

"Zero energy homes get a black eye in my mind," says McKown, "Every time they do a demonstration site, they run out and they hire some brilliant architect and they go off and they build this one-off amazing house that sticks out of the neighborhood like a prairie chicken, and it costs a million dollars. Everybody looks at that and says, 'That's interesting. With enough money, you can do anything.' "We wanted to show that you can take any house out of a builder's product line," McKown continues, "and make it a zero energy house and it would look and feel and be just like a regular house, and it doesn't have to cost a million dollars. We could do it under $200,000."

The home made use of some interesting energy saving technology, such as:

• Tankless water heaters
• Ground source heat pumps
• South facing solar panels
• Low-e vinyl windows
• Fresh Air HVAC system

The home isn't currently one of the models that Ideal Homes sells. The company says that as people toured the home, they were more interested in the energy saving technology found in the home and using it to achieve super high efficiency, rather than actually having a home be zero energy, oddly.

We've seen solar powered address lights before, but it's always good to have more options on the market - and it doesn't hurt to have sleeker looking options such as these, either. The address numbers are available in two colours; natural aluminium and soon, black.

Proliphix produces an internet connected programmable thermostat that uses your LAN as its power supply with the aid of an (additional) ethernet power adapter. The thermostat's configuration/monitoring webpage is accessible from within your home network as well as from the internet. The company also offers wall mountable and paintable sensors to increase whole-house temperature accuracy. From the site:

Proliphix offers indoor temperature sensors, which can be mounted away from the thermostat so that temperature inside a home or small business can be averaged across multiple rooms to avoid hot or cold spots and wasted energy. With an optional Proliphix outdoor temperature sensor connected to a networked thermostat, the heating/cooling system can be controlled more precisely to efficiently and more comfortably overcome the indoor to outdoor temperature difference. The web browser configuration tool is simple to use and allows users to easily configure heating or cooling programs to maximize comfort and minimize energy use.

Smarthome sells the Proliphix NT20e, which is the same unit but with 2 additional remote temperature sensors, for use in monitoring different zones within your home or even the outdoor temperature.

A team of South African scientists led by University of Johannesburg professor Vivian Alberts has invented a solar power technology that is not only more efficient than current solar power solutions, but can be produced for, they claim, a fraction of the cost. From the article:

The South African solar panels consist of a thin layer of a unique metal alloy that converts light into energy. The photo-responsive alloy can operate on virtually all flexible surfaces, which means it could in future find a host of other applications.

The new panels are 5 microns thick, allowing for a tremendous efficiency improvement over older solar panels that measure about 350 microns thick.

Science in Africa has a November 2004 article with some additional details:

Prof Vivian Alberts of the Department of Physics at the Rand Afrikaans University in South Africa and team have developed and patented a novel manufacturing technique that finally makes it possible to construct CIGS solar panels at a very low cost. The method is easily upscalable to industrial output levels, while remaining much cheaper to produce than conventional silicon solar panels.

Work done over the last two years indicates that panels can be produced in commercial volumes at a cost of about R 500 for a 50 Watt panel. This is much cheaper than existing solar panels available on the market. CIGS is a remarkably stable material and conversion efficiencies should be sustainable for 15-20 years in any given panel.

It will be interesting to see if this technology is able to gain traction and catch on, offering both humanitarian and eco-friendly benefits to the world. Also worth watching is the film-thin photovoltaic solar strips developed by Nobel laureate Alan Heeger's Konarka.

Looks like the people from Pulsar Advanced Technologies, the inventors of the Vulcanus MK4 (now apparently the "Mark 4")microwave based hot water heater, have updated their website, adding some details on the unit:

The Vulcanus Mark 4, is a state of the art microwave hot water delivery system for the 21st Century. It is a containment field otherwise known as a Faraday box, much like the ones used in your microwave oven at home. The unit size is 24x14x7.5 and weighs only 20lbs. It was designed to save on construction costs, as a boiler room is no longer necessary but was made esthetically appealing so that it could fit as a “stand alone” fixture. Its compact size allows the Contractor, Plumber or Developer the versatility to place the unit as close or as distant to the water outlets as is desirable.

Also, some details from the gas to microwave comparison page:

Electricity used only when required

No storage tank

Can fit on wall or closet

Eliminates possible bacterial growth

Corrosion of elements - nil

Unlimited hot water

Gas infrastructure not required

20 year life span

Weight-20lbs

It looks the company will be showcasing the Mark 4 at the National Hardware Show in Las Vegas in May, 2006.

Help friends, delivery people and vagrants find your home after dark with this solar powered address light. The unit lights up at dusk and automatically powers down at dawn. With three nights worth of light being supplied from just 4 hours worth of daylight, the unit seems very efficient.

Two minutes in the spindryer will save you thirty minutes in the clothes dryer!

So says the website of Spin-X, the clothes drying centrifuge. You may have seen similar devices at your local public swimming pool, allowing swimmers to quickly dry their swim suits before placing them in their gym bags. The Spin-X attempts to bring that same centrifugal power into the home. The site has a list of reasons to use the Spin-X, including this one addressing the important energy usage question:

[The device] Will remove one quart of water from clothing using only 15 seconds worth of clothes dryer electricity.

At $450, the device would take a while to pay for itself, but the energy (and therefore cost) savings combined with quicker dry times and environmental benefits would appeal to many. Could this device not, theoretically, be constructed to harness human foot power instead of electricity, or perhaps a version that would allow you to use electricity or muscle power, at one's discretion?

AWS Irrigation Management offers a high tech lawn irrigation system. Each day, the system monitors the amount of rain at your home and sends the data to a central computer. The computer cross references the data to the local weather report and then proceeds to create and analyse a virtual soil sample. This sample is used to determine the amount of watering your lawn requires. The system does another check in the morning to see if any adjustments are necessary and waters accordingly. From the site:

Our network uses solar powered radio repeaters and is completely wireless. We can contact sites by phone, internet or license-free UHF radio across a 40 km radius...

The PowerPipe drain water heat recovery system is a unique product that uses the hot water flowing down the drain to preheat the cold water entering the hot water heater. From the site:

Power-PipeTM raises the temperature of incoming cold water by recycling free heat from waste water going down the drain. Approximately 80% to 90% of all hot water energy goes down the drain, allowing the Power-PipeTM to recycle as much as 60% of the wasted heat.

In the original post about the Vulcanus MK4 microwave based water heater, the Pulsar Advanced Technologies website found in the Globe and Mail article turned out to be a work in progress. It looks as though the Pulsar Advanced Technologies people have another website, found here. Website number two has some actual information on the Vulcanus MK4, including a FAQ and a tiny picture, seen here. Apparently PAT, as I call them, are developing two models:

To begin with, we have two models whose function is to deliver two temperatures to several points of use. The first model has the capabilities to go from 35F-140F within seconds and supply multiple outlets concurrently. That is to say that this base model can service a bath/shower, and all other household faucets endlessly. The second model is equally fluid, but through a secondary thermostat control will deliver water at a higher temperature to service dishwashers and washing machines along with the various bathroom and kitchen amenities.

Stay tuned...

One night in 1998 Rod Sprules combined used coffee grounds with candle wax and stuffed the mixture in an old cigar tube to create a one of a kind product - Java Log. The Java Log burns cleaner and brighter than other manufactured logs, is easier on the environment, smells nice, manages to leave less soot buildup in the chimney, and, according to the FAQ, "has about 25% more energy than wood and triple the flame per unit of energy."

Mounted between your house and your attic, this 'Whole House Cooler' by Tamarack Technologies claims to be able to reduce the cost of home air conditioning by as much as 30%, all on the energy it takes to run two 60W light bulbs. From the site:

Engineered to reduce indoor air temperature, the HV pushes the hot air out of the house through the attic and replaces it with cooler outside air. The HV utilizes twin, high-tech, super efficient fan motors to minimize noise and power consumption. Our systems have the industry's only automatic door assembly, providing an air-tight seal with an insulating value of R-22.

The unit operates by remote control to boot.

If you want a lighted front walkway but are sick of moonray bulbs constantly burning out (or worse, having the bulbs stolen), then these solar powered LED tiles might be better suited for your needs. The tiles are available in amber, blue, white, yellow, red and green. From the site:

The SolarCap Lighting system consists of modular, self-contained lighting devices that can be used for decorative or traffic flow purposes -- powered only by solar energy. These unique devices incorporate the newest "EnergyCache" technology for energy storage, instead of the high maintenance rechargeable batteries that are currently used in solar devices. Unlike batteries which must be changed every two to three years and cannot tolerate environmental extremes, EnergyCaches enable SolarCap lighting to be used in any environment without maintenance for more than 10 years with a wide operating temperature range of -13°F -140°F (-25°C - 60°C).

It's all about instant hot water these days. According to Canada's Globe and Mail, a company called Pulsar Advanced Technologies is about to announce a product that uses microwave technology to instantly heat hot water. According to the article, the Vulcanus MK4 "can heat water from 35 degrees Fahrenheit to 140 degrees Fahrenheit in seconds and can source multiple applications at once: showers, dishwasher, sink usages and more. The Vulcanus MK4 is the size of a stereo speaker with a sleek modern look, making it ideal for condos and apartments, while powerful enough to serve the needs of any size family." This is exciting news for anyone tired of being at the mercy of natural gas prices, not to mention those just looking to reduce their energy footprint.

Vos Solutions has an unusual and impressive gallery of the VOS Pad, which is, according to the site "the first apartment in the world to be lit entirely using light emitting diodes (LEDs)." The site sells some of the LED products used in the VOS Pad so you too can create a space that combines one part trendy nightclub with one part holodeck. Some of the more subtly lit rooms look quite elegant, actually.

It sucks coming home to a cold house. Unfortunately, if you've programmed a timed temperature drop in your home in order to save energy, you may have experienced this upon coming home early or off schedule. Avoid such a predicament with a telephone controllable thermostat that allows you to call home and chat with your heating system, giving you time to work things out. Talkingthermostats.com offers this device, of which you can hear a sample of here.

Get a grip on the amount of electricity that your myriad of electronic devices use with the Kill-A-Watt (heh) electricity meter. Plug in any piece of equipment and allow it to project the cost of running the device for up to a year. Until smart energy meters get a foothold in municipalities, devices like this will have to do.

The Ecoplay system collects grey water from the shower and redirects it for use in flushing the toilet. Benefits of the system, according to Ecoplay::

* Saves water consumption by one third
* Highly energy-saving
* User-friendly in every way
* Minor extra costs compared to standard toilet units


Ecoplay estimates that the unit will pay for itself in 6 years. Perhaps if this catches on, Ecoplay will be able to afford to have people other than their children* drawing diagrams of the unit.

*Update: Looks like they've updated their site with really nice diagrams now.

via City Hippy

Popular Mechanics has published their 2005 Breakthrough Awards, in which they showcase some of today's most promising and interesting scientific innovations (yeah, they shill, but still interesting). One of the more interesting entries is flexible photovoltaic plastic. The ultra-thin energy producers are being developed by the 2000 Nobel Prize winner in chemistry, Alan Heeger. The more interesting part: the actual energy harnessing chemistry occurs within the solution of semiconducting polymers that can be painted onto surfaces such as roofs, tents, clothing and pets whatnot. It doesn't hurt that the stuff is easier to mass produce and cheaper than big grandpa solar panel. From the article: 'Solar energy is going to happen,' says Heeger. 'It will happen sooner and on a larger scale if we can provide a lower-cost technology.'

I hope he's right.

Terra Moya Aqua Inc. has a prototype of a wind turbine that they claim harnesses 12-20% more wind power than propeller designs, doesn't kill birds and runs more quietly. The prototype has been in the works for 10 years, and is now ready for market, according to the company. From the site:

Perhaps the most fascinating feature of this new design is the fact that it not only gathers energy from the push on the front side, but actually is pulled forward on the back side through a lift effect, similar to the principle that causes lift on a wing. "The back pressure creates a vortex that pulls it around, turning drag into lift," says Taylor.

The result is that the turbine spins just slightly faster than the wind speed -- 1/100ths faster on average, beginning with winds of about 5 miles per hour.

This facet is the "technology breakthrough" that makes it unique, according to Taylor.

Very cool.

Freeplay has come out with a nice backup energy solution called Weza. The unit works by having the operator step repeatedly on a pedal to produce up to 40-watts of power, which charges an internal 12-volt battery. The Weza outputs to two jumper cables or, alternatively, a convenient cigarette lighter jack. An optional add-on is required for powering essential 120 volt devices, like your PVR.

The Red Cross has some other things to consider for you home emergency kit.

If you live in a northern climate, you probably know all too well about escalating energy costs. Here is a list of some of the things you can do to minimize energy waste this season, as well as avoiding utility bill shock. These are pretty straight forward and frequently espoused, but dammit if I can help just one person out there... Sorry. Have any winter energy saving tips of your own?

Turn your hot water heater down. Most hot water heater's medium setting is fine for most uses. Check your dishwasher manual for minimum recommended temperatures just to be sure.

Consider a hot water heater blanket. Minor debate on the subject here.

Combat heat loss by caulking around doors and windows.

Install compact fluorescent light bulbs.

Change your furnace filter monthly. The less work your furnace has to do to push air throughout the house, the better.

Drop the temperature in your home to 68°F (20°C). Install a programmable thermostat and set it to a lower temperature at night as well as when you are out for longer periods of time.

Run foam insulation on the hot water pipe coming from your hot water heater. Foam insulation sells for pennies per foot.

If you suspect your furnace is due for maintenance, have it done as early in the season as possible. It's better to have the most efficiently running furnace for the entirety of the season to maximize energy savings.

Energy efficient appliances often qualify for government rebates and of course offer the monthly savings of a reduced energy bill.

Check your garage door for gaps and seal around it with weather stripping.

Install foam electrical outlet and light switch seals. This may seem futile, as each outlet only lets a small amount of heat escape, but when you consider the number of outlets and switches in the average home, the aggregate heat loss can be significant.

Turn off electrical devices you are not using. According to this site, a ball park figure you can use in calculating annual costs of electrical devices is one dollar per one watt (i.e. a 60w light bulb, left running year round, would cost around $60 dollars). Obviously not many things run year round, but for some, this rule of thumb would be easier to conceptualize than kw/h numbers. So, a single 150W PC, therefore, would run you about $150/yr.

Add insulation wherever needed - check your attic or between accessible walls.

Open the blinds or drapes as much as possible on sunny winter days - and at night, to keep that heat in the house, close them.

Use clear cling-wrap style window coverings available at most hardware stores. The plastic simply adheres to the window sill with the help of your hair dryer and the provided thin tape, forming an airtight seal.

Don't heat rooms that you don't use. Close off vents and tape them air-tight to prevent wasted heat.

Install reduced flow aerators in your shower. This will cut down on hot water usage.

Check out the DIY network's home energy audit to trace the source of heat loss in your home, without calling in the pros.

Stay warm.