The Green LiterGoing the extra mile with electric vehicles, hybrid cars, fuel efficient cars, biofuels and alternative energy sources

Motorsport fans know that racing is not just about speed, winning or endurance. Rather, racing events are aimed at developing automotive technology, which includes fuel efficiency, alternative fuels and the like. Take for instance Formula One, with its use of naturally-aspirated engines and production-grade fuel. Sure, they’re prototypes. But technologies from the major racing organizations eventually trickle down to production cars like the ones we drive every day.

With this in mind, one of the latest developments in racing involves what can be considered a radical departure from racing car designs. The DeltaWing, developed by Nissan, NISMO, DeltaWing Racing Cars, All American Riders, Highcroft Racing and the International Motor Sports Association, looks more like the now-defunct Space Shuttle than a racing car. Debuting at the 24 Hours of Le Mans this June, the DeltaWing will be using the car’s underchassis and shape to create downforce, rather than use front and rear wings. At 500 Kg, the car is significantly lighter than other Le Mans racecars, and about the same weight as a Foruma One car.

At first glance, the DeltaWing looks like it only runs on four wheels, which could be problematic in cornering. But it actually has four wheels, with the front wheelbase at 0.6 meters, and the front tyres having a width of 10 cm. Powered by a 1.6 liter turbocharged engine, the DeltaWing produces 300 BHP — not too big for a racecar , but weight, aerodynamics and design can perhaps compensate for this deficiency.

Check out the video from Road & Track below.

via Tech Wire Asia

If you want to join the effort towards ‘going green’ but you are not sure how solar lights would benefit you, then you should read this article. Specifically we will address three of the many uses for solar lighting.

Thousands upon thousands of people are trying their best to ‘go green’. One of the most popular methods is to employ the use of solar lights. Solar lighting is ‘reusable energy’, meaning that it is supplied by the sun, which is something that is not used and then thrown away; it can be used over and over.

Lets examine some of the uses for solar lights.

Home

photo credit: Allan Henderson

The most energy efficient use of solar lights is to power your home with solar energy. This involves installing solar panels on your roof. It is not overly hard to do, and (obviously) cuts the electricity bill to a bare minimum. However, if your budget is not ready for this yet, you can still aid the effort to go green by using LED lighting for your home.

Landscaping

photo credit: davegammon

People are able to have absolutely stunning yards and gardens with the aid of solar lights. No wires, no electrical work and no jump in the electric bill; just beautiful lighting. Solar lights are also popular for lighting pathways, driveways and entrance gates.

Rural Areas

photo credit: Rich Moffitt

If you live in a rural setting, solar lights are a perfect for you. You can light pathways from your vehicle to the home, from the home to the barn, or anywhere that you need to walk to when it is dark. All this without having to have expensive electrical services installed.

If you have a barn, the same holds true. Putting solar lights in your barn can aid in the early winter mornings routine of feeding, and allow you to see into the stalls to check on the animals. They will also allow you to see any intruders (wild animals) that have managed to find their way in, perhaps avoiding an attack.

The United States Department of Energy states that solar power is useable throughout the majority of the country. During the winter months some areas can expect a 30 to 50% reduction of light. This is in the amount of time that the solar lights stay lit, not in light output. This should not affect you unless you like to stay up all night!

To find a wide variety of solar lighting at very reasonable prices, visit www.solarlightscentral.com. I have purchased all my solar lighting needs there, and I do recommend them.

The 11 March 2011 earthquake and tsunami that effectively destroyed Tokyo Electric Power Company’s six-reactor Fukushima Daichi complex have claimed another victim, Japan’s fast breeder reactor program.

 
photo credit: jetalone

Fukushima’s effect on Japan’s atomic energy program has not had the consequences of a nuclear blast, but more the relentless drip of acid rain, slowly eroding public confidence in the country’s nuclear power industry, which last month saw 49 of the country’s 54 nuclear power plant (NPP) reactors idled. The figure is hardly insignificant, as the nuclear power plants (NPPS) collectively generated more than 47,000 megawatts, nearly 30 percent of the country’s electrical needs.

Now another nail has apparently been driven into Japan’s civilian nuclear future.

… Continue reading.

“Live to Ride, Ride to Live,” is perhaps one of the most well know slogan of Harley Davidson and is the motto that many of us live by as we sit astride our bikes each day. The feeling of wind in our faces, the glorious rumble of the bike beneath us and the smell of leather are just a few of the perks that make riding a motorcycle one of the most thrilling and enjoyable experiences.

Riding is of course fun but it is also considered one of the most dangerous pastimes. Of course, the good thing is that a variety of safety precautions can be taken that ensure this fun is just a bit safer. Most of the gear on the market today is not only fashionable but also is designed to keep us safe when we are on the road.

… Continue reading.

Fuel rates and prices are unbelievably shooting up around the world. Hence, if you want to save on your finances, you must know how to monitor your mileage and make the most out of each liter (or gallon) out of your tank. What’s more, you can save the environment and Mother Earth by consuming less (or just the right amount) of fuel and having a better-fuel mileage.

Clueless? No worries. This article will show you how:

1. Observe your car’s maintenance schedule

Suggested intervals for the maintenance schedule are every 3, 6 or 9 months. But how do you know simply when it’s the right time? The mile/Km count and the temperature of air, oil and engine condition are some indicative factors. If you’re not sure, you can check your car’s manual. Another helpful sign is when you start your car and see a light flashing for 10 seconds. This means that you’ve exceeded the recommended service interval intended for your vehicle.

Keeping your car’s engine and oil in healthy and proper maintenance will minimize pollution emitted into the air while driving.

… Continue reading.

Kazakhstan’s international energy image is now that of one of the world’s rising oil exporters, an extraordinary feat given that, two decades ago its hydrocarbon output was beyond insignificant when the USSR collapsed. The vast Central Asian nation, larger than Western Europe, has now quietly passed another energy milestone.

Kazakhstan produces 33 percent of world’s mined uranium, followed by Canada at 18 percent and Australia, with 11 percent of global output. Kazakhstan contains the world’s second-largest uranium reserves, estimated at 1.5 million tons. Until two years ago Kazakhstan was the world’s No. 3 uranium miner, following Australia and Canada.

Together the trio is responsible for about 62 percent of the world’s production of mined uranium.

According to Kazakhstan’s State Corporation for Atomic Energy, Kazatomprom, during January-September, the country mined 13,957 tons of uranium. “The volume of uranium mining in the Republic of Kazakhstan (for January – September) comprised 13,957 tons, which is 11 percent higher than the same period last year.” Even more impressive, Kazatomprom’s revenues soared 72 percent year-on-year. Kazatomprom is the state-owned Kazakh national operator for the export of uranium, as well as rare metals, nuclear fuel for nuclear power plants, special equipment, technologies, and dual-purpose materials.

To put Kazakhstan’s accomplishment in context, a mere five years ago Kazakhstan produced 5,279 tons of uranium.

… Continue reading.

The good news is that on 8 November the International Energy Agency released its 2011 “World Energy Outlook.”

While it will cheer nuclear advocates, overall the report makes for grim reading.

Pulling no punches, the report states at the outset, “There are few signs that the urgently needed change in direction in global energy trends is underway.”

Stripped of its cautious language, the IEA report essentially noted that should present trends continue, the world’s governments through a lack of progressive initiative embracing alternative energy sources would continue to rely on ‘tried and true” fossil fuels, resulting in increased pollution, more fossil-fuel dependency and increasingly upward energy prices.

… Continue reading.

What a difference fifteen months makes.

In May 2010 Israel’s cold peace with Egypt was viable, the country was celebrating massive Mediterranean natural gas finds and Tel Aviv enjoyed a military alliance with Turkey, an overwhelmingly Muslim nation.

Two events have changed that picture beyond all recognition – Israel’s 31 May 2010 attack on the peaceful Gaza-bound “Freedom flotilla,” during which Israeli Shayetet 13 Naval Special Forces commandos killed eight Turkish citizens and an American, Furkan Dogan. Outraged by the assault, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan demanded an apology and compensation for the unprovoked attack.

He’s still waiting.

… Continue reading.

China, arguably the world’s most influential and dynamic economy, is beginning to eye renewable as a partial solution to its voracious and growing energy needs. If Beijing determines that biofuels represent the future, expect to see the current modest western investment field to change dramatically.

As yet, China’s involvement is modest. According to a PetroChina company official, the firm intends to increase its production of biofuels by 2015 to 1.1 million tons and import and additional 470,000 tons. PetroChina, a traditional hydrocarbon company, is clearly thinking outside the box to increase its alternative energy portfolio.

… Continue reading.

The worldwide implications for nuclear power advocates in light of the 11 March disaster at Japan’s Daichi Fukushima nuclear complex, battered first by an earthquake and a subsequent tsunami, are slowly unfolding.

Nations committed to nuclear power are being subjected to a relentless PR barrage by nuclear construction firms, who stand to lose billions if current contracts are suspended or, even worse, cancelled.

Despite the bland reassurances of the nuclear power industry that “it can’t happen here,” in Europe, Italy has canceled plans to construct nuclear reactors, while Germany’s Bundestag last month passed a resolution to close all 17 of the nation’s nuclear power plants. Seven NPP plants were immediately shuttered with the remainder to be passed out by 2022.

So, where to go for the juice? … Continue reading.