Over the past year or so, I've been keeping a BLOG whose main focus has been Renewable Energy and Open Source. Many people have pointed out that these seem like wildly divergence topics. Interestingly, I think that quite the opposite is true.
Most people think of Open Source, and immediately think of Linux. While Linux IS a fine example of Open Source software, in which the creators share their work freely, and a community of enthusiasts contribute to help more people embrace the technology, Open Source isn't just about software. It's about the sharing and advancement of knowledge, ostensibly for the common good.
Another fine example of Open Source is the "open source ecology" work, being led by Marcin Jakubowsky. Take a look at their web site to understand the 50 individual projects which make up the Global Village Construction Set. Marcin's team is building a repository of all of the technology required to build the industrial machines required to build a modern civilization.
Similar (but not to the same extent) to Adam & Jamie on the Discovery television show "Mythbusters", I consider myself to be somewhat of a Gonzo engineer. That is to say I possess enough knowledge and skill to design & build some of the weird & wonderful ideas I have, without blowing up the house ! This translates into a willingness to try things for myself. Case in point, my son & I built our own Appleseed bio-diesel processor, having modified some plans we found on the Internet.
What does this have to do with Open Source, you ask ? The information on how the bio-diesel processor works, and the general plans to make it are freely shared. There are numerous forums which describe ways to modify the process, or challenges posters have encountered. The "community" is always there to lend a hand, and suggest ways to improve the process.
There have been numerous blogs written, and you-tube videos created that describe other forms of Renewable Energy projects. All are freely shared, with the hopes of encouraging OTHER people to try to build their own projects. The topics are wide-ranging, and often overlapping. In one project, the author takes you through the steps to manufacture pretty decent photo-voltaic panels for generating electricity. In another, the author shows you how to build a sun-tracking heliostat. Marry the two projects together, and with a little Gonzo engineering, you have all the information required to build a highly-efficient source of Solar energy.
So I have started to dream again... As I research and discover new projects, I am collating them into a larger master project: a completely self-sustaining lifestyle. Before you all start to groan, and ask if I have been smoking hemp for breakfast, let me explain the draw. I'm NOT interested in starting a hippie commune, and living off the grid. I'm NOT interested in starting a movement to save the planet. I'm NOT interested in any altruistic motives like lessening my carbon footprint.
What I AM interested in is the vaguely geeky, technological aspects of the projects themselves. I have been collating the various projects and information, trying to knit them together into something usable and consumable. My hope is to create a larger master-project of building a self-sustaining home. One in which the owner/builder would NOT be dependent on external sources of power to continue to live a modern lifestyle. One in which all of the components could be built by a homeowner with modest engineering talents.
Admittedly, some of the projects are more challenging than others, and would draw from a variety of skill-sets - some of which I possess, and some that I'd have to learn. And this is another part of the draw for me - a continued search for knowledge, that I can share as I learn.
In a future blog, I'll share some of my ideas for the Master Project, and start building the links to the sub-projects.
The opinions expressed in this post are purely those of the author. Opinions are like noses; everyone has one and they are entitled to it !
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Sunday, August 21, 2011
The Rise of Renewable Energy
I've been off the grid for most of the summer, owing to the fact that well, it's summer ! Time spent at the Lake with friends and family were a higher priority to me...
In the interim, lots has changed in our world. The USA came remarkably close to having to default on it's loans; a Global recession is gripping large parts of Europe and the Middle East; and of course, the nuclear accident at Fukushima. Interestingly, these represent the potential for huge benefits to Renewable Energy !
The financial crisis in the United States will cause a few things to happen. The Obama Administration will want to stimulate the economy, creating jobs and with them, buying-power. This will spur manufacturing and the processing of raw materials, and the cycle will begin again. But what kinds of jobs will be created ?
This leads to the second initiative, already underway - the lessening of US dependence on foreign energy. This drives the investment in Renewable Energy sources. By creating an industry around Solar, Wind, Hydro and Geothermal energy, the US Government effectively addresses both of the first two crises at once ! They create jobs in a new industry, whose aim is to develop & produce technologies which harvest renewable energy.
Finally, the horrifying accident at Fukushima has created an intense global fear of nuclear energy. While it is by far the most prolific means of producing energy, the risks associated with it are once again cause for greater scrutiny. Germany has declared it will phase out all nuclear power generation plants in the next decade, to be replaced with some form of Renewable Energy source.
To date, the largest barrier to mass-adoption of energy produced by renewable sources - like solar, wind, or hydro sources - has been cost. As we are seeing with hybrid vehicles, which run on gasoline and electricity, they are not LESS expensive to acquire or operate. Nay, one has to make a conscious decision that the benefits will outweigh the additional costs.
The current constraint for Renewable Energy is referred to as "grid parity". The conventional wisdom is that until the cost per mega-watt from renewable energy falls below that of traditional "dirty" sources (so-called "grid" sources), mass adoption will stagnate.
Fortunately, technology is advancing at a break-neck pace. The same economic stimulus the US Government is applying to spur it's economy is being invested in researching and developing technologies to gain higher efficiencies in harvesting Renewable Energy ! Further, "Feed in Tariff" programs already in place provide financial advantages for energy producers to develop energy from renewable sources. Renewable Energy isn't just good for the environment, but it is also a boon to Mankind, given our current economic state.
The opinions expressed in this post are purely those of the author. Opinions are like noses; everyone has one and they are entitled to it !
In the interim, lots has changed in our world. The USA came remarkably close to having to default on it's loans; a Global recession is gripping large parts of Europe and the Middle East; and of course, the nuclear accident at Fukushima. Interestingly, these represent the potential for huge benefits to Renewable Energy !
The financial crisis in the United States will cause a few things to happen. The Obama Administration will want to stimulate the economy, creating jobs and with them, buying-power. This will spur manufacturing and the processing of raw materials, and the cycle will begin again. But what kinds of jobs will be created ?
This leads to the second initiative, already underway - the lessening of US dependence on foreign energy. This drives the investment in Renewable Energy sources. By creating an industry around Solar, Wind, Hydro and Geothermal energy, the US Government effectively addresses both of the first two crises at once ! They create jobs in a new industry, whose aim is to develop & produce technologies which harvest renewable energy.
Finally, the horrifying accident at Fukushima has created an intense global fear of nuclear energy. While it is by far the most prolific means of producing energy, the risks associated with it are once again cause for greater scrutiny. Germany has declared it will phase out all nuclear power generation plants in the next decade, to be replaced with some form of Renewable Energy source.
To date, the largest barrier to mass-adoption of energy produced by renewable sources - like solar, wind, or hydro sources - has been cost. As we are seeing with hybrid vehicles, which run on gasoline and electricity, they are not LESS expensive to acquire or operate. Nay, one has to make a conscious decision that the benefits will outweigh the additional costs.
The current constraint for Renewable Energy is referred to as "grid parity". The conventional wisdom is that until the cost per mega-watt from renewable energy falls below that of traditional "dirty" sources (so-called "grid" sources), mass adoption will stagnate.
Fortunately, technology is advancing at a break-neck pace. The same economic stimulus the US Government is applying to spur it's economy is being invested in researching and developing technologies to gain higher efficiencies in harvesting Renewable Energy ! Further, "Feed in Tariff" programs already in place provide financial advantages for energy producers to develop energy from renewable sources. Renewable Energy isn't just good for the environment, but it is also a boon to Mankind, given our current economic state.
The opinions expressed in this post are purely those of the author. Opinions are like noses; everyone has one and they are entitled to it !
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