Clean Energy Digest » Video

Wind Turbine Stymied By Cold Weather

Robert Safuto — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 14:20:05 +0000

This is sure to stir up some controversy about the reliability of renewable energy. The following video shows a news report from Minnesota about 12 wind turbines that won’t operate in cold weather due to an issue with the hydraulic fluid. The Minnesota State Municipal Power Association paid $300,000 for each of the turbines. What an amazing and tragic oversight. The news report indicates that there’s a plan to heat the fluid but that would likely require the use of electricity or fossil fuels thereby negating the benefits of the turbine.

There’s a very good lesson to be learned here. As excited as people are about bringing clean, renewable energy to their communities they should always perform due diligence when evaluating clean energy projects or vendors. In Minnesota you would need to have absolute assurance that a system exposed to the elements (which I would imagine could get extreme in Minnesota in the winter) will perform in all weather conditions.

Aptera Electric Vehicle Overview

Robert Safuto — Sun, 24 May 2009 14:39:01 +0000

Courtesy of Jay Leno, this video provides a very detailed look at the Aptera electric vehicle. This vehicle is not a car. In California this vehicle will be registered as a motorcycle. It is a very cool vehicle, combining futuristic looks with ultra-modern technology. Is it practical? Definitely not. Is it safe? We’ll wait for the official crash tests.

The Pickens Plan

Robert Safuto — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 19:34:32 +0000

T. Boone Pickens explains the current situation and describes his plan to reduce America’s dependence on foreign sources of energy.

Direct Link

Xcel Energy’s Smart Grid

Robert Safuto — Sat, 10 May 2008 21:16:10 +0000

After spending the last two days at a Smart Grid conference I’ve had the next generation of our electric system on the brain. Xcel Energy is the leading United States utility company when it comes to Smart Grid technology. Xcel has a very ambitious strategy that aims to convert the city of Boulder, Colorado into the first Smart Grid city in the nation.

In conjunction with their plan for Boulder, Xcel energy has created this video that explains their vision for the Smart Grid. I recommend that you take a few minutes to view the video below if you want to get a better picture of the future of electricity in the home. You can find out more about Xcel’s Smart Grid initiative and on their website which contains several other interesting items including a white paper and some graphics showing a Smart Grid city and home.

Demand Response Primer

Robert Safuto — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 16:16:13 +0000

A lengthy but information filled presentation on demand response.

Video on YouTube

Building A Mobile Wind Platform

Robert Safuto — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 02:13:43 +0000

A revolutionary new kind of wind energy may someday come to an ocean near you. Floating wind platforms can be sighted far offshore to take advantage to stronger winds found in deep waters. A story called Wind Power That Floats provides more details. The video below shows how one such platform was built.

Aptera Electric Vehicle

Robert Safuto — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 12:50:00 +0000

The Aptera electric vehicle is the most futuristic of all the plug-in hybrids that I’ve seen. Popular Mechanics took a very detailed look at this vehicle recently as shown in the photo below. The manufacturers are promising 300 miles per gallon. This is an extremely innovative vehicle. In addition to plugging in, this vehicle also takes advantage of solar technology to power the climate control system in vehicle.

Clean Energy Reality vs. Hype

Robert Safuto — Sun, 10 Feb 2008 23:05:00 +0000

Brandon Owens from Cambridge Energy Research Associates (CERA) talks about various clean energy technologies. One interesting point he makes is how competitive wind has become due to steep declines in costs.

STANDBY="Loading Windows Media Player components..." TYPE="application/x-oleobject">

You can find the original video here.

Google At Davos

Robert Safuto — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 02:29:39 +0000

This video shows a discussion that took place at the World Economic Forum in Davos. Leaders from Google talk about poverty, climate change and the efforts of Google to invest in clean energy technology via their Google.org subsidiary.

PBS Special Series On Clean Energy

Robert Safuto — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 15:20:00 +0000

PBS has produced a series of HD video episodes called e² energy. According to the PBS website, “e² energy features the engineers, policymakers and innovations that are transforming energy availability and consumption.”

The series trailer is embedded below. You can view preview clips from the series and get lots more information on the series website at http://www.pbs.org/e2/energy.html.

FutureGen CEO On Delay

Robert Safuto — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 02:21:57 +0000

FutureGen is a $1.2 billion (and rising) project funded by both the private sector and U.S. Federal Government. The goal is to build a zero-emissions coal power plant that uses carbon capture and sequestration technology. In December the FutureGen Alliance announced the selection of Matoon, Illinois as the site for the project. Unfortunately the Department of Energy has put their final approval of the selected site on hold due to budget concerns.

In this video (click ‘read the rest’ to view) courtesy of E&E TV Future Gen Alliance CEO Michael Mudd explains the current situation.

Mazda Premacy Hydrogen Hybrid

Robert Safuto — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 14:06:54 +0000

There was a lot of buzz around clean vehicles at the latest auto show in Detroit. In addition to the many electric hybrid vehicles we are now seeing in the market there is also a class of hydrogen based hybrid vehicles as well. Hydrogen hybrids are primarily powered by hydrogen with a gas engine as a backup.

The following video gives a preview and explains the technology of the Mazda Premacy, a hydrogen-hybrid mini-van.

This vehicle is scheduled for production in 2009. You can also find a photo gallery of the Mazda Premacy here.

The Bali Action Plan

Robert Safuto — Sun, 16 Dec 2007 18:50:28 +0000

This is the closing statement from the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Bali, Indonesia. I don’t think that there is anything substantial here. The conference resulted in millions of tons of extra carbon emissions due to numbers of celebrities and dignitaries who flew out in private jets and used there typical gross share of resources.

The conference has yielded a document called the Bali Action Plan which states, “that deep cuts in global emissions will be required to achieve the ultimate objective of the Convention and emphasizing the urgency1 to address climate change as indicated in the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change…”

Ford HySeries Edge

Robert Safuto — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 01:19:39 +0000

The Ford HySeries Edge is a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle with a twist. The car is powered by an electric motor that is charged by either an on board hydrogen fuel cell or by plugging the vehicle in to an electric outlet.

The Chevrolet Volt

Robert Safuto — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 01:08:38 +0000

The Chevy Volt is a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle that the company plans to have in production some time in 2010.

Introduction To IGCC

Robert Safuto — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 01:04:04 +0000

IGCC stands for Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle. This short video explains the basics of this technology that allows a coal-fired power plant to produce energy while greatly reducing levels of greenhouse gas emissions.

Green Rooftops

Robert Safuto — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 02:25:27 +0000

Have you heard about green roofs? You can greatly reduce runoff and increase the energy efficiency of structures by planting a garden or placing sod on a rooftop.

How Solar Energy Systems Work

Robert Safuto — Sat, 01 Dec 2007 02:10:35 +0000

This short video gives a very basic look at how solar energy systems work.

RechargeIT Plug-In Hybrid

Robert Safuto — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 22:47:49 +0000

This video from Google shows what they are doing with plug-in hybrid technology as part of their recently announced RechargeIT initiative.

Wave Energy Demonstration

Robert Safuto — Sat, 24 Nov 2007 18:25:14 +0000

Energy harnessed from waves in the ocean could provide a major source of reliable, clean energy in the future. After all, the earth is 75% water. And the waves just keep on coming. This video shows a demonstration of a wave powered electric generator.

Geothermal Energy Production

Robert Safuto — Thu, 22 Nov 2007 02:49:17 +0000

This video shows how geothermal technology can be leveraged to provide a source of clean, reliable energy.

Tesla Roadster

Robert Safuto — Sat, 17 Nov 2007 21:00:05 +0000

Take a gander at this very clean electric vehicle that is currently being developed by Tesla Motors.

SideWinder Wind Turbine

Robert Safuto — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 00:47:42 +0000

I’ve read a few stories about rooftop wind energy units. This video shows a prototype of a wind turbine that could work on a roof.

Brad Barton From The Department of Energy

Robert Safuto — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 16:42:31 +0000

Brad Barton from the U.S. Department of Energy giving a speech at the California Clean Tech Open. Brad is speaking on the U.S. governments efforts in the areas fuel conservation and energy efficiency.