Solar power breakthrough funded by Rochester entrepreneur

Author: martin

1 Aug

Scientists at MIT have unveiled what many consider to be the Holy Grail of alternative energy research. They have discovered a simple and inexpensive way to store the energy generated from solar systems. Storage is critical because it solves the night/clouds problem and the battery problem. Their method splits water into hydrogen and oxygen using the electricity generated by the solar source. The hydrogen can be stored and used in fuel cells for virtually any kind of power generation. Until now cracking hydrogen from water has cost more in power than the energy value of the hydrogen. Now, with this system, which the inventors claim is only a few years away from commercial viability, we could have an inexhaustible source of clean energy that can be used anywhere, at any time. It should be noted that the only byproduct of using hydrogen fuel cells is pure water.

While time will tell whether this is the huge breakthrough it appears to be, the reception among informed scientists and engineers is more positive than we usually see when someone makes these kinds of claims.

For me the really interesting local angle of this story is that this research was funded by a ten million dollar donation from a foundation created by Rochester entrepreneur Arunis Chaesonis, founder of Paetec, a very successful telecom based here. Wouldn’t it be great if a breakthrough energy story came out of innovative thinking in Rochester?

One other thing: GM has long had their fuel cell hydrogen car project based in Rochester at a skunkworks operation in Honeoye Falls. The only thing holding back their technology has been a lack of efficient hydrogen production and delivery infrastructure. So this is a double win for Rochester.

Comments Off

Filed under: Green Business, emissions, economics, Rochester NY, Energy Efficiency, Technology, Near Future Speculation, Oil and Energy, Alternative Energy, Local Effects

The Energy Cost Domino Effect

Author: martin

28 Jul

Here’s how they fall:

Rising gas prices cause Americans to drive less, a lot less. In April it was 1.8% less, in May 4.3%. 40 billion less miles this year.
Less driving means less gas purchased
Less gas purchased means lower tax revenues from gas taxes
Gas taxes are commonly used for improvements to transportation infrastructure including desperately needed public transport systems, bridges, roads, etc.

Just another example of how our economy was built to support oil companies on every level, to the point where we cannot extract ourselves without major sacrifice.

0 Comments

Filed under: Cars, economics, Oil and Energy, Personal Action, Near Future Speculation, Local Effects

Back to the blog again: Space and other things

Author: martin

8 Jul

I’m finally getting back to BT after getting absorbed into my new job at Techrigy where I’m spending a lot of time in social media. It’s fascinating to see the evolution taking place from a techie novelty to an entire sea change on the web. But that’s not what this thing is about…

There’s a major set of changes taking place, driven by rising energy costs, so many changes that it’s hard to comment on all of them. The first change is directly related to that: press coverage of climate and energy issues is far more widespread and far more critical than in the past. Finally. The cost of fuel is the biggest story for 2008, eclipsing the election. It is bigger because it is going to drive many people’s decisions about many fundamental things including who runs our country. This election is Barry Obama’s to lose- if he can’t beat McCain he probably can’t run the country.

But what I really want to talk about is space, not outer space; the space we live in, our space. Americans have always taken space for granted and accumulation of space is a sign of prosperity. We moved out of crowded cities into more spacious homes in the burbs with big lawns. We drove ever larger and more luxurious cars. Travel to far off places was the norm as we became more affluent.

Poverty on the other hand was denoted by a lack of space. Tiny crowded apartments. No privacy. Being unable to afford a car or travel expenses means that poor people seldom leave their neighborhoods- meaning they live within a proscribed world, more of an ancient village than a global community.

We have space because of two things: We’re a very large country and we had cheap fuel. We’re still an enormous country but it’s gotten a lot more expensive to get around, to heat big houses and to commute to suburban office parks. A lot of people are rethinking their desire for space.

What this tells me is that we’re going to be living in a lot closer proximity to each other, riding together in carpools and on public transport and living close enough to our neighbors to actually need to get to know them. I hope this brings about a greater sense of shared purpose and a lessening of the terrible divide between the haves and have nots of our world.

0 Comments

Filed under: Feedback Loops, Oil and Energy, Near Future Speculation, Local Effects