Cob building in the country
Of all the earth-building methods, cob building embodies a mystery in its sensuous curvy walls. How does it work? How does it get built? …cob building is [best] understood as pottery or sculpture.
Technology
Solutions & sustainability – Oct 11
Sustainability is about time /
New PV cells made of everyday plastic /
Ford makes the hybrid leap /
“Green chemistry” reduces pollution /
Thanksgiving on the 100-mile diet /
Paris SUVs are deflated /
Patagonia’s founder spreads environmental gospel /
The growing problem of shrinking population /
New sheriff at Port of L.A. aims to clean up /
Carter’s brave vision on energy
Where do you get your energy from? Latest on alternative liquid fuels
Solid roundup that manages to sneak in a mention of oil depletion; worth reading if only for the quote from Tony Radich of the US Dept. Energy, told The Business: “It looks like ethanol is going to be the biggest alternative fuel. We’ve got a long way to go on hydrogen. …”
Microgrids as peer-to-peer energy
Small networks of power generators in “microgrids” could transform the electricity network in the way that the net changed distributed communication.
Amory Lovins Misleads with Numbers
A review of Amory Lovins, “More Profit with Less Carbon”. In short, Lovins throws a lot of numbers around, but far too many of the ones he provides are irrelevant, meaningless, or misleading. The road ahead is much more difficult than he portrays.
Western refineries spurning sulphurous Saudi oil
Saudi Arabia is struggling to sell its crude oil despite record fuel prices and calls on the Kingdom to bring further supplies to the market.
The politics of Australian LNG supply to California – It’s all about the game (part 3)
Its looking increasingly like politics will decide who gets to build LNG regasification facilities for California – shame about the engineering issues, writes Martin Hastings.
Other Energy Headlines – 1 September, 2005
Green China Overview / Chinese govt. blows up coal mines as dangerous pits ordered to close / China to slow exports of gas, oil products / Charting the long road to hydrogen power
Future global energy prosperity: the Terawatt Challenge
At some point, almost certainly
within this decade, we will peak in the
amount of oil that is produced worldwide… Innovations in nanotechnology and
other advances in materials science
would make it possible to transform our
vision of plentiful, low-cost energy into a
reality. [article by Nobel Prize winner]
Oil prices also affect oil costs
What those who see oil production just as a process limited by price, are NOT getting is that rigs and pipe and cement and energy are all costs that oil producers have to pay. And that additional cost is also reflected in the new higher prices for everything made with oil. As we look harder and harder for more oil, this demand drives prices for the equipment and materials we use through the roof.
$3 Gallon Gasoline? Time to Consider the Alternative: The Garage Filling Station (GFS)
With gasoline nearly $3 gallon, there needs to be a mainstream discussion of the alternatives.
Other Energy Headlines – 12 August, 2005
Chinese gasoline stations jammed as fuel crisis deepens / Ghana has 350 Million dollar energy funding gap / Indian Official: Assam oil production ‘critical’ / Explosion at BP plant near Alvin comes on heels of Texas City closing / The only way is up for oil prices, but the world will not run out in the near future / Are record oil prices leading to exploitation of oil shales? / Electrical Inefficiency A Dark Spot for China / Shell Canada Oil Sands Expansion Costs Jump 83% / U.S.: Pricier Oil Won’t Send The Economy Into A Skid / More fuel for airlines’ woes
