The Green Optimistic

Is this “greenwashing” phenomena affecting everybody lately? I understand we’re in the middle of a hybrid-crusade, and beginning with all the movie stars and all celebrities, everybody wants to produce and buy a hybrid car, but to bring out a hybrid car only to stick the “hybrid” green stamp on it seems a little overwhelmingly green-washing style.

What can you buy for $38,000? Two second-hand Priuses? No. A smaller airplane? Neither. I’ll tell you what you can have for that money: a solar powered desalination device.

New York city wants to build about 300 turbines in their waterway. NY’s East River has strong, fluctuating currents, allowing an efficient generation of electricity. Once built, the wave-powered system can generate enough for 10,000 homes.

The Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePO4) batteries are based on Lithium Ion, but they offer many advantages over LiCO2 (Lithium Cobalt), frequently used in laptops, mp3 players and cell phones. They also offer a greater range, power and safety, in an electric vehicle - they will not explode or catch fire if overcharged.

It seems like Einstein did his best not only in quantum physics, but also in classic, immediately-helpful science. Back in the 1930’s, helped by his friend Leo Szilard, he invented a refrigerator that used no electricity at all. Scientists from Oxford are struggling to revive his invention today.

Just two days ago, MTI MicroFuel Cells Inc. has made a press release for their third generation Mobion chip, a portable fuel cell powered device aimed for small-scale devices, such as iPods, media players and mobile phones.

Trying to make hydrogen a viable fuel, economically and energetically, a team of researchers from Idaho National Laboratory splits water steam into hydrogen and oxygen using electrolysis, but from steam, and at a high temperature.

From now on, the people with motion disabilities will go green. Mitsubishi Gas Chemical exhibited last week a fuel cell power unit suited for small applications, such as powering an electric wheelchair. It has the size of a microwave oven, weighs 22 kg, and outputs 300W.