A New Twist in the Energy Efficiency Story

By Elisa Wood

Blend a little new energy tech with a pinch of behavioral psychology and you’re bound to get something unexpected.

Consider what happened when New York City-based ThinkEco recently lead a four-month energy challenge for international industrial packaging company Greif.

The goal, of course, was to save energy. And that they achieved. Sixty employees in two Greif buildings cut their energy use 2,400 kWh over 10 weeks. But it was something else that made the challenge interesting, especially for businesses.

The story begins with the Ohio-based Greif already high on the sustainability charts.  The manufacturer, which had $4.2 billion in sales last year, reduced its energy use company-wide 10 percent between 2007 and 2010.

Further, Greif plans to achieve a 15 percent cut in energy use by 2015 and 20 percent by 2020 (measured by per unit of production with 2008 as a base year). The company also has aggressive goals to reduce greenhouse gases and landfill waste.

Having done the obvious to save energy, Greif was in search of the innovative. Enter The Modlet, developed by energy efficiency tech company ThinkEco (Thank you, ThinkEco, for not calling it a plug-load demand-side management optimization solution.)

The modlet is a small box that you plug into an electrical outlet. It comes with a USB port that goes into your computer. This sets up a wireless signal that allows the modlet to talk to your computer.  You plug an appliance into the modlet, and then your computer screen shows the energy use of the appliance.

Most interesting, from your computer you can control the power flow into the appliance, and even schedule shut offs in advance. For example, you might set up a schedule to turn off power to devices not in use on nights and weekends.

Using the modlet, ThinkEco arranged a competition between two Greif buildings, with a team of 30 employees in each. The project stems from behavioral research that indicates people are more apt to save energy when comparing their performance against others – one of several ideas emerging in the study of how and why we use energy.

Energy Saving Light Bulbs Taking Over

By `Lanre Okanlawon
The last few years have witnessed a gradual phasing out of inefficient light bulbs and the emergence of new and improved energy efficient light bulbs. This has been a worldwide trend and proven to be very worthwhile and practical as its positive impacts have been recorded globally. The gesture has been highly appreciated due to its tremendous impacts on numerous pockets, energy consumption and the environment. In other words, they can help you save money, energy and the environment.

Governments all over the world have realized the extent to which these new products of technological evolution can benefit their economy and the environment. In fact, many have taken practical steps to phase out traditional bulbs for general lighting purposes. Brazil and Venezuela initiated this in 2005. Australia, Switzerland and the European Union started the phase-out in 2009. Similarly, other countries already have future phase-out plans; Argentina, Canada and Russia in 2012 and Malaysia in 2014.  

Along the way, several myths have been shattered establishing the fact that energy saving light bulbs actually do us and the environment a lot of good. These new breeds of bulbs, by contrast, use the same efficient technology as fluorescent lights but are more compact and use far more less energy to light up an area. Voluntary initiatives have been on course in different parts of the world to phase out traditional light bulbs where there is a suitable low energy replacement. Advantages such as better quality of light, longer durability (they last 12 times longer than traditional light bulbs), more energy savings, cost effectiveness, recyclability and their brilliant aesthetic designs justify the switch.

In terms of quantifiable attributes these new class of light bulbs use up to 70% less electricity than traditional light bulbs but emit the same amount of energy. This means that you get to pay 70% less than you are currently paying for your light bulbs electricity bills if you use them. Good news, isn’t it?

But the news gets even better! Over the years, there have been tremendous improvements since energy saving light bulbs were commercially introduced, so has the way they look. As a matter of fact, there are varieties of stylish designs available to suit your aesthetic demands.

Energy saving light bulbs- these cleverly modified light sources may be rather modest, everyday objects, but there’s certainly more to them that meet the eye!

What a bright idea!!! J

More Efficient, Cheaper Solar Panels on the Way

By `Lanre Okanlawon

 The past two decades witnessed improvements to conventional processes of manufacturing photovoltaic (PV) cells which translated to increased working efficiencies and significant cuts in production costs. Such changes have made the solar energy technologies more attractive to energy users and competitive with more widely used sources of energy. On the average, solar panels are currently selling for $0.70c per watt- a dramatic decline from 1998 costs of about $10.80 per watt.

More good news- earlier this week, it was announced that a fundamentally new kind of solar cells have been discovered by Professor Michael Strano and his team at MIT and this poses to “re-revolutionalise” the solar energy industry yet again. This peculiar breed of PV cells are made up carbon nanotubes that are able to capture energy from sunlight in the near-infrared region of the spectrum- a feat which cannot be achieved by conventional silicon PV cells. This means that more solar energy will be available to be converted into power- invariably increasing solar cell efficiency. Professor Strano and his team.

Another interesting thing is that the solar cells are entirely made up of carbon atoms that are stable in air. Previous attempts to achieve this proved futile. In Professor Strano’s new discovery, the new all-carbon cells are very stable in air and do not require a layer of polymer to hold the carbon nanotubes into position. This makes the cell structure less complex and easier to attain.

Professor Strano and his team

 A paper written by Professor Michael Strano describing these achievements was recently published in Advanced Material Journal.

 Sources: MIT, Strano Research Group

Are You a Fan of Wind Energy?

Five Interesting Stuff About Wind Energy

1. Asians used wind mills to pump large amounts of water and grind grains as early as 200 B.C.

2. The first modern wind turbine was built in Vermont, U.S.A in the early 1940s.

3. Wind farms currently produce enough electricity to meet the energy needs of more than 10 million families worldwide.

4. An average wind speed of 14 miles per hour is needed to convert wind energy to electricity.

5. A group of wind turbines generating electricity together is called a wind farm. The world's largest wind farm is located, off the coast of Cumbria, United Kingdom.It is made up of 102 turbines and has a total capacity of 367.2MW enough to power 320,000 households.  

Solar Plane Completes Spain-Morocco Flight

By Greenicles Admin

"I can tell you that it was one of the most beautiful flights of my life. I have been dreaming for 10 years of travelling from one continent to another without a drop of fuel."

Above are the words of Bertrand Piccard, the Swiss pilot who completed a 19-hour flight from Spain to Morocco yesterday in a solar energy-powered airplane. This experimental 1,554 mile journey from Europe to Africa was made possible by 12,000 solar cells integrated unto the plane which powered the engines and charged all batteries on-board!

Greenicles: Wow, 10,000 Visitors. Thank You!

By `Lanre Okanlawon

Just a very special note of thanks- our Greenicles blog has just crossed over the major milestone of 10,000 visitors! This week marks a milestone for us. When I first started this blog, I did not imagine this would generate such widespread interest from visitors from over 40 countries worldwide. This is a very BIG thank you for all your interests and kind comments.

Today, there are 10,000 more educated individuals due to this blog. 10,000 visitors that have read for themselves and formulated for themselves their own opinions about this discourse. 10,000 visitors that today have been enlightened as to how new and renewable energy resources can ultimately power our world in an efficient, environmentally friendly and sustainable way.

10,000 Visitors, 10,000 Thank Yous with great pleasure and satisfaction that we have just recently realized this feat.

This is just the beginning!

Biogas Power Plant: A Virtual Tour

By Greenicles Admin

The race is still on- the search for that ultimate energy source that will power the whole world. Everyone is looking for the next big thing. One of the alternatives that are getting some huge publicity and installations globally is the power of Biogas which has been greatly underestimated previously. Biogas is mainly made from organic waste. It refers to gas produced by the biological breakdown of materials such as dead plants, animal faeces, kitchen waste  and even those that pile up in landfills. This seems a bit disgusting and outrageous, however it is not by any means a new discovery. 

Here's a quick video to show that Biogas is a credible source of energy and a strong contender to become the ultimate source of power worldwide!

Video Source: Youtube