Giant Battery Experiments Make Renewable Energy Sources More Feasible For Use In Power Grid
March 13, 2012 by The Dove · Leave a Comment
A large barrier to the implementation of renewable energy is the unpredictability of circumstances in which wind or solar energy can be harnessed . In times with clouds or no wind, “the grid,” or the electrical supply system, must rely upon other sources of energy. According to Joyce, an NPR journalist, the grid turns to natural gas plants for fuel. Coal and nuclear plants are considered a poor fit, due to the expenses of turning them on and off with little warning. Simultaneously, the sporadic usage of gas plants does not provide business for them to be financially successful. One long-term solution to this quandary is the creation and implementation of giant batteries, “systems that store excess power to be released as needed” .
In 2011, a group of scientists began developing one such giant battery. It is intended to be a new kind of fluid battery that ultimately would be able to provide power for 2,000 homes based upon “redox flow technologies—which converts chemical energy to electrical currents very quickly” . They have already created a two kilowatt battery that they ultimately plan to create a 20 megawatt-hour battery.
Similarly, there in several years, the company, Rubenius plans to build a giant “energy-storage facility” near the United States-Mexico Border, providing energy to both countries.
Meanwhile, the State Grid Corporation of China in conjunction with BYD car company created a “battery array” that can hold up to 36 mega-watt hours and is complete with a “smart grid transmission system” . This is the largest-scale renewable energy source based battery connected to an energy grid in the world and will be educational to the world as we observe the long-term results.
Regardless of when these giant batteries come out and how successful these prototypes are, they are clearly one strong option for the future of renewable energy and energy as a whole. The exciting technological advances and experiments will continue to astound us and transform our lives into more sustainable, environmentally sound lives.
By Emily Friedman
Childcare goes Green
March 13, 2012 by Unitea · Leave a Comment
Jessica Alba has started an online company for green childcare products. For $85- $100 you can have a month’s green diapers and wipes delivered to your door. Depending on where you live and what age your baby is, the average price of buying disposable diapers from the store for a month is about $80, cloth diapers washed by a service every month costs approximately $80, and cloth diapers washed at home for a month is around $20.
So Jessica’s company is economically comparable, the products are innovative and high-quality, and the philosophy logical. A free trial is offered to experience the products and service. The company is called www.honest.com and it also offers other convenient green baby products like baby shampoo, body balm, laundry detergent etc. A portion of proceeds from sales is donated to www.baby2baby.org which provides childcare basics to those in need in the LA area. Jessica’s product is in the higher price range, but wipes are included, the environmental and health impacts are positive, and the product is delivered directly to the customer’s door every month.
What Consequence Are Your Choices Having?
May 10, 2010 by The Dove · 2 Comments
Every now and then I read something that strikes a chord, leaving me to ponder over the idea for days and days on end. Last week it was the following extract from The Power of Myth
“People say that what we’re seeking is a meaning of life. I don’t think that’s what we’re really seeking. I think that what we’re seeking is an experience of being alive, so that our life experiences on the purely physical plane will have resonances within our own innermost being and reality, so that we actually feel the rapture of being alive.”
Rather eloquently said, don’t you think?
What is it that inspires and pleasures you, so much so that your enthusiasm for being alive drives you each and every day to build upon that joy?
What choices are you making that bring you closer to reaching that state of being?
What contribution are you making to the community and earth to enable it to be a “better” place for future generations to live in?
If you’re reading this article, chances are you live in a world of information overload, an abundance of choice and the luxury to be, think and act as you wish. Whilst this is a wonderful freedom that we have created, it also brings with it many distractions that “dumb down” our consciousness and divert our attention from what would truly be nurturing for ourselves, loved ones, future generations and the world in which we live in.
Have you ever thought about what consequence your choices are having? (on your life; your loved ones’ lives; your community; the planet; future beliefs, standards and ideals)
Whether we like to believe it or not, there is always choice. It’s very easy to blame something or someone else for our circumstances or lack of, but the truth is we are all responsible for our own choices and can make a different choice when ever we choose to.
The four key areas that I work with, are developing rituals to:
improve energy levels;
encourage a peaceful night’s sleep;
learn how to cope with stress; and
nurture our own self and loved ones more so.
Why? Because I strongly believe that by balancing these four areas in your life helps to bring about holistic happiness, which in turn improves one’s health, life experiences and Joseph Campbell’s idea of feeling “the rapture of being alive”.
Over the next four months I will feature each one of these key areas in a holistic manner, demonstrating how best to make improvements that benefit you, your loved ones and the planet we share.
If holistic happiness is something that you would like a little inspiration with then how about using this next month to become more aware of how you feel, the choices you are making and whether there is any relation between the two.
What Consequence Are Your Choices Having? By .
Healing the Planet, its in the Bag
Fun, easy, affordable ways to clean up & green up…
I dont know about anyone else, but I have had this invisible weight on my shoulders ever since I started learning in school about oil spills, global warming, ozone layers, and something called a carbon footprint. Silly myths, right? Well this nagging little green angel on my shoulder keeps tugging on my ear to stop ignoring the “what ifs” and just DO SOMETHING.
Test Eco Waters at Go Green
January 10, 2010 by The Dove · Leave a Comment
Living green can be overwhelming. Where to start? From eco cars and planet-friendly cleaning products to organic wines and veganism, its little wonder many opt to do nothing for fear of not being able to do it all.
Yet its the little steps that add up to mean something big.
Children worldwide are being united through a project that aims to bring awareness to climate change. The Climate Quilt Campaign encourages students to design pledge patches from recycled material, each featuring their promises to preserve the planet’s future. Kids worldwide can have their pledge patch included on the quilt, which was this week shown on Good Morning America (pictured). See www.climatequilt.org.
January 3, 2010 by The Dove · Leave a Comment
The Climate Quilt Campaign (www.climatequilt.org), an International initiative created to encourage youth worldwide to get involved with protecting the environment was recently on display at the UN Climate Conference and is now headed back to the US for Earth Day (April 22).
10 Reasons Santa Should Go Vegan
December 6, 2009 by The Dove · Leave a Comment
As Christmas day nears, I’ve been thinking about jolly ol’ Santa and his love for milk and cookies … how his turning vegan could be the biggest gift to vegan activists everywhere.
From One Idea, Big Things Sprout
November 13, 2009 by The Dove · Leave a Comment
A new generation of eco-commerce is arising out of the dust of Amazon.com’s explosive growth – online shoppers, particularly parents, are more concerned than ever about product certification, safety and customer feedback. Enter Sproubaby.com, the brainchild of eco-preneur Jody Sherman. To cater to this more discerning market, his online baby products shop features only items vetted through expert, family and personal reviews.
Top 5 Eating Habits to Keep the Planet (And Your Body) Healthy
October 16, 2009 by The Dove · Leave a Comment
By Adria Vasil
Maybe it’s the half-Greek in me, but there’s nothing that makes me giddier then the sight of a table full of food (well, other than actually eating the food). Trouble is most of what we stack onto our plates isn’t just weighing on our hips, hearts and cells, it’s also bloating the planet with packaging, pesticides and climate-changing gases. How can you get your fill without, er, tipping the ecological scales?
7 WAYS … TO HEAL THE EARTH
July 5, 2009 by The Dove · Leave a Comment
1.
