Filed under: Diesel, Hybrid

Click image for high-res gallery

This week in Australia, Hino unveiled its very first hybrid truck to the masses at the Queensland truck and machinery Show. The Hino Hybrid uses a parallel setup that combines a 4.0-liter 110kW (150 hp) four-cylinder common-rail turbodiesel with a 23kW electric motor. According to Hino, the setup is good for a 20 percent reduction in fuel use compared to a conventionally-powered truck, a 25 percent cut in CO² emissions, and that NOx emissions can be slashed by up to 50 percent thanks to the engine’s stop-start system.

The truck has already completed a 24-hour marathon drive through the streets of Brisbane while hauling 500kg of cargo. It achieved 21.5 mpg (10.9 liters/100km) during the trial, and was ultimately named Truck of the Show. The first customer for the Hino Hybrid is Australia Post, which has taken delivery of two of the trucks.

Press release after the jump.

[Source: Hino Australia]

PRESS RELEASE:
HINO HYBRID EXCELS IN 24-HOUR TRIAL

The world’s first hybrid truck has set a fuel economy standard of 10.9 litres/100km in a 24-hour endurance trial in Brisbane. The Hino Hybrid covered 512 kilometres of inner-city driving as part of the Hino Hybrid Marathon, passing through 2349 traffic lights in an epic of stop-start motoring. It carried a 500kg payload, similar to that which would be utilised by many users, especially in the rental market.

The Hino Hybrid Marathon finished at the Brisbane Truck Show when the vehicle was driven onto Hino’s display by rally champion Greg Carr, accompanied by Hino Australia chairman John Conomos AO. Hino launched the hybrid truck at the show and has already made its first delivery of two vehicles to Australia Post.

The Hino Hybrid combines a 110kW common-rail, direct-injection diesel engine with a 23kW electric motor. The electric motor supplements the engine by providing additional power and, most importantly, in conjunction with the battery, storing and using excess energy from the engine and from heat generated during braking.

Hino claims a fuel saving of 20 per cent over conventional vehicles and a reduction in CO2 emissions of better than 25 per cent. A new exhaust catchment and filtration system reduces particulate emissions by 85 per cent.

“The hybrid system was designed to work to its maximum in stop-start urban conditions, and the marathon has proved its effectiveness,” Hino Australia chief operating officer Steve Lotter said.

“The Marathon drive team encountered approximately 15 per cent red lights, and each time the hybrid system shut down and restarted the motor, saving valuable fuel and reducing emissions.

“On average, the vehicle was stationary 15 times each hour, but instead of idling and therefore wasting diesel it was able to neutralise fuel use and emissions.”

 

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD Step behind the curtain at Ford Motor. Experience the documentary first-hand.

William H. Kemp, The Renewable Energy Handbook (2005) and $mart Power (2004): Aztext Press

Wiliam Kemp has written two books on renewable power and off-grid systems for homes, $mart Power (2004) and The Renewable Energy Handbook (2005). (Smart Power actually uses a dollar sign for the S in the title.) These two books are largely a first and second edition of the same text, with the second edition being expanded with several new chapters and additional information.

Both of Kemp's books are comprehensive volumes. He addresses a range of alternate power generating options. There are chapters on photovoltaic (PV), wind, biomass, and micro hydro. More than just discussing the technical aspects of the generating systems, he also covers efficiency, interconection, "Heating and Cooling with Renewable Energy," "Living with Renewable Energy," and the other issues surrounding having a home with renewable systems. He also has a section about making biodiesel and another section about eco-pools (naturally-, rather than chemically-filtered swimming pool systems) and solar heated pools and hot tubs.

The Renewable Energy Handbook and $mart Power both go into some depth about renewable energy systems. Kemp shows all aspects of the various systems, dealing with hardware installation, electrical connection, and the range of what is necessary to install any of the systems he discusses. While I would not rely solely on these books for direction about installing a PV system or a wind turbine, it does provide a greater depth of information. A homeowner can get a better sense of the scope of work required for installing a renewable system, and have a better idea about what is involved, and whether or not it is something they want to take on.

The book is copiously illustrated with many black and white photographs. The systems are more clearly understood when there are pictures to show the components, which people may not be familiar with. And seeing how large a battery bank is, or seeing what an inverter panel looks like helps give some potential owners an idea of what they will need to deal with if they install these units in their own homes. There are also many diagrams and tables with useful information for an owner of a renewable energy system.

Kemp provides case studies in The Renewable Energy Handbook. Five homes where various combinations of renewable systems were installed are shown, including the author's own 3,300 square foot home. Kemp is a Canadian, and at least three of the examples are located in Canada. Though the other two are not explicitly identified, I suspect that all five of them are in Canada. These are good examples to show that renewable energy systems need not be restricted to only choice locations. Renewable systems can be installed anywhere.

A considerable portion of the book is devoted to battery storage, as well as the chargers, inverters, and other components of a power system for a completely off-grid application. With contemporary inverters, grid-tied power systems only supply power when the grid is active. In most cases, grid-tied houses will use net-metering with the grid as the "backup battery." That way, the issues of battery cost and maintenance can be avoided altogether. However, some kind of backup power (whether that be with batteries or with a backup generator) will be needed. The battery information may not be pertinent to everyone, but Kemp provides enough information for a potential owner to consider whether or not to choose a battery system.

Kemp is an electrical engineer, and he has lived in his own off-grid house for a number of years. He writes from his own experience in much of what he writes about, and many of the photographs illustrating different systems are taken in and around his own home. While he promotes efficiency, he repeatedly points out that a renewable lifestyle does not need to be a spartan one. There are choices and tradeoffs to be made, but the stereo, the big screen television, and the cappucino machine are not prohibited, they just need to be carefully considered and the best available selection needs to be chosen.

The only issue I would like to see these books address more thoroughly is the question of evaluating which systems are appropriate for a particular location. There are a lot of factors to be considered, and every system is not necessarily appropriate for every location. A chapter that discussed how to decide whether to install a wind turbine or photovoltaics would be a valuable addition to a very comprehensive book that packs in a lot of information.

I am going to lend my copy of The Renewable Energy Handbook to my in-laws. They are beginning to plan for building their retirement home, and they have discussed some ideas for renewable energy that they would like to incorporate there. They are very interested in wind power (since they will be building in a windy location close to the Lake Michigan shore). I've discussed some of these system with them, but I think this book will give them good information about the scope of what they will need to do if they build their house this way. And I would recommend the book to anyone else in similar circumstances, or who is thinking about adding a renewable energy system to their existing home.

William H. Kemp, The Renewable Energy Handbook (2005) and $mart Power (2004): Aztext Press

Wiliam Kemp has written two books on renewable power and off-grid systems for homes, $mart Power (2004) and The Renewable Energy Handbook (2005). (Smart Power actually uses a dollar sign for the S in the title.) These two books are largely a first and second edition of the same text, with the second edition being expanded with several new chapters and additional information.

Both of Kemp's books are comprehensive volumes. He addresses a range of alternate power generating options. There are chapters on photovoltaic (PV), wind, biomass, and micro hydro. More than just discussing the technical aspects of the generating systems, he also covers efficiency, interconection, "Heating and Cooling with Renewable Energy," "Living with Renewable Energy," and the other issues surrounding having a home with renewable systems. He also has a section about making biodiesel and another section about eco-pools (naturally-, rather than chemically-filtered swimming pool systems) and solar heated pools and hot tubs.

The Renewable Energy Handbook and $mart Power both go into some depth about renewable energy systems. Kemp shows all aspects of the various systems, dealing with hardware installation, electrical connection, and the range of what is necessary to install any of the systems he discusses. While I would not rely solely on these books for direction about installing a PV system or a wind turbine, it does provide a greater depth of information. A homeowner can get a better sense of the scope of work required for installing a renewable system, and have a better idea about what is involved, and whether or not it is something they want to take on.

The book is copiously illustrated with many black and white photographs. The systems are more clearly understood when there are pictures to show the components, which people may not be familiar with. And seeing how large a battery bank is, or seeing what an inverter panel looks like helps give some potential owners an idea of what they will need to deal with if they install these units in their own homes. There are also many diagrams and tables with useful information for an owner of a renewable energy system.

Kemp provides case studies in The Renewable Energy Handbook. Five homes where various combinations of renewable systems were installed are shown, including the author's own 3,300 square foot home. Kemp is a Canadian, and at least three of the examples are located in Canada. Though the other two are not explicitly identified, I suspect that all five of them are in Canada. These are good examples to show that renewable energy systems need not be restricted to only choice locations. Renewable systems can be installed anywhere.

A considerable portion of the book is devoted to battery storage, as well as the chargers, inverters, and other components of a power system for a completely off-grid application. With contemporary inverters, grid-tied power systems only supply power when the grid is active. In most cases, grid-tied houses will use net-metering with the grid as the "backup battery." That way, the issues of battery cost and maintenance can be avoided altogether. However, some kind of backup power (whether that be with batteries or with a backup generator) will be needed. The battery information may not be pertinent to everyone, but Kemp provides enough information for a potential owner to consider whether or not to choose a battery system.

Kemp is an electrical engineer, and he has lived in his own off-grid house for a number of years. He writes from his own experience in much of what he writes about, and many of the photographs illustrating different systems are taken in and around his own home. While he promotes efficiency, he repeatedly points out that a renewable lifestyle does not need to be a spartan one. There are choices and tradeoffs to be made, but the stereo, the big screen television, and the cappucino machine are not prohibited, they just need to be carefully considered and the best available selection needs to be chosen.

The only issue I would like to see these books address more thoroughly is the question of evaluating which systems are appropriate for a particular location. There are a lot of factors to be considered, and every system is not necessarily appropriate for every location. A chapter that discussed how to decide whether to install a wind turbine or photovoltaics would be a valuable addition to a very comprehensive book that packs in a lot of information.

I am going to lend my copy of The Renewable Energy Handbook to my in-laws. They are beginning to plan for building their retirement home, and they have discussed some ideas for renewable energy that they would like to incorporate there. They are very interested in wind power (since they will be building in a windy location close to the Lake Michigan shore). I've discussed some of these system with them, but I think this book will give them good information about the scope of what they will need to do if they build their house this way. And I would recommend the book to anyone else in similar circumstances, or who is thinking about adding a renewable energy system to their existing home.

Waterless urinals have been mentioned on Green Options before (here and here) but a recent innovation has earned them a brand new entry. As those who've used one can attest to, they usually aren't pleasant to the nose, but now Carome has brought out a new odorless model: the H2Zero. Waterless urinals save the average office 2.3 million litres of water a year, and now people might not get nauseous using them!

The H2Zero™ Cube waterless urinal operates utilising unique patented cartridge technology that doesn't use an oil-based seal as used in traditional waterless urinals. Housed within the cartridge the Bio Fresh deodorising block is activated during use, while the Bio Seal™ allows urine to pass through the seal freely. The Bio Seal™ acts as a one-way air-tight valve to seal the cartridge from the drainage system and against back-pressure situations. This operation guarantees consistently superior performance and hygiene compared to other waterless urinals.

via

Random Good Stuff

Filed under: Etc., Ethanol, Solar

Another school is jumping on the bandwagon to educate people in renewable energy. Once they get the go ahead from the Board of Higher Education Approval, Illinois State University will start offering a bachelor’s degree program focused on renewable energy. The school’s Department of Technology will run the multi-disciplinary program that will also include major components in economics and public policy. Students in the program can also choose to concentrate in wind or ethanol.

ISU is not the first to offer such a program, as it follows Arizona State and Canton College. The idea of providing training in both the technology including agriculture, chemistry, and math in addition to the economics, geography, government, and politics could be very promising. Hopefully it will produce some graduates that understand all the realities of renewable energy and can make better informed decisions.

[Source: Illinois State University via TreeHugger]

 

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD Step behind the curtain at Ford Motor. Experience the documentary first-hand.

Filed under: EV/Plug-in

The team at Hybrid Technologies has struck again this time with a motorcycle converted to run on lithium ion batteries. The Stealth, as they call it, is a cruiser style and has a top speed of 50 mph. Performance is apparently comparable to a 500cc bike but with no noise. The bike isn’t specifically on Hybrid Technologies’ site although it looks similar to their Jin so it probably has a range of 40 miles. Popular Mechanics has a video with HT founder Richard Griffiths showing off and demonstrating the bike.

[Source: Popular Mechanics]

 

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD Step behind the curtain at Ford Motor. Experience the documentary first-hand.

This is a really simple recipe with a boring name that I considered jazzing up, but couldn’t think of anything more creative. The ingredients are common garden vegetables and so you may have all the ingredients needed right in your backyard. If not, a quick trip to the farmers’ market will take care of it. This dish is simple, flavorful, and just a really good way to taste the food without a whole lot of added seasonings, oil, etc.

Green beans with onion, garlic, and tomato

• 1½ pounds fresh green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces

• 2 medium onions, peeled and cut in half lengthwise, then crosswise into fine slices

• 2 medium garlic cloves, minced very fine

• 1 pound red-ripe tomatoes

• 4 tablespoons vegetable or olive oil (either works fine)

• ½ cup water

• 1½ – 2 teaspoons salt

• Pepper to taste

1. Drop tomatoes into boiling water for 15 seconds. Remove with slotted spoon, rinse in cold water, and peel. Chop tomatoes into ½ inch dice.

2. Heat oil in large, 8 or 9-inch wide pot over medium low heat. When hot, put in garlic and stir fry for 30 seconds. Add onions; stir fry for 2-3 minutes more until onions begin to turn translucent.

3. Now put in the tomatoes, beans, salt, pepper, and water. Bring to a boil. Cover, lower heat and simmer for 20-40 minutes until beans are cooked through.

Serves up to 10 people.

Editor's note: Green Brews is a new biweekly series in which Green Options writer Clayton Bodie Cornell explores a passion unrelated to biofuels: organic beers and green nightlife. Enjoy!

Have you ever felt guilty after a night at the bar? Not the guilt associated with spending all your hard-earned cash on overpriced drinks, or wasting a day of your life nursing a hangover — that happens. What I'm asking is whether or not your green conscience extends into the realm of alcohol…

I won't be surprised if you answer 'no' — I did too (generally speaking). But a completely new trend could be on the horizon: the 'eco-nightlcub':

…Mark Klemen['s]…new venture, Butterfly Social Club,…makes eco-consciousness and healthful living as easy as ordering a drink. Located next door to Klemen's diverse, socially conscious nightlife mainstay Funky Buddha Lounge [in Chicago], Butterfly offers an array of alcohol, juices and tonics that are either certified organic or grown and produced in an eco-friendly environment."

Consistent with the general trend in organic food and drink, Klemen claims organic alcohols taste better and are healthier. This is an attractive concept; whenever I consume something to excess I like to make it as healthy as possible. But he's probably right. Just like a top-shelf liquor, organic products tend to be more refined and contain fewer byproducts and pesticide residues. Anyone that's had a 'cheap-wine hangover' knows what I'm talking about.

Ingesting fewer pesticide residues is never a bad idea, though I'm sure someone out there is thinking 'healthy alcohol' is a pretty stupid concept. In terms of personal well-being, this may be true (drinking too much by any other name is still, well, you know…), but don't forget the term 'organic' involves a whole set of farming practices that are healthier for farmers and their land. It's not just about your brain cells.

Besides organic spirits, the Butterfly Social Club has a lot more eco-savviness to offer. The whole club is designed around green concepts:

Everything about Butterfly exudes an organic quality–even the artistic facade looks like a living thing, a hobbit hole growing out of the urban landscape. Inside, natural builder Miguel Elliott used a mixture of sand, clay and straw to hand sculpt curving walls and trees that double as seating nooks. Klemen calls the space comforting and cave-like, adding that the mud mixture helps keep temperatures cool.

Klemen says he's trying to offer customers "an opportunity to have a better tasting and better feeling experience."

Atmosphere, they say, is everything. At least that's what we tell ourselves when we pay $8 for a martini. But like the best of green innovation, Butterfly takes takes something most of us do anyway, makes it eco-friendly, and increases the quality and enjoyment of the experience:

What about drinkers loyal to not-exactly-beneficial brands? "I'm not asking anybody to give anything up," he says. "I'm asking somebody to get something better."

Klemen also says he's not asking you to save the world–just to spend your hard-earned cash on something more environmentally friendly. If there's some aspect of what he's doing at Butterfly that "makes people a little more aware," he says, it's a step in the right direction."

Hell, I'd drink there.

If you're off to the bar this weekend, Klemen offered some eco-conscious drinking tips to keep in mind:

Ditch: vodka and Red Bull
Do: Rain vodka, made from organic Midwestern grains, and Steaz certified organic energy drink; or Chopin vodka, from organic Polish potatoes, and Butterfly's housemade energy drink, made with spring water, and rainforest-sustaining roots, herbs and teas

Ditch: draft cider
Do: certified organic, unpasteurized Etienne Dupont Cidre Bouche Brut de Normandie (Klemen says he carries this cider to support the family that's been producing it for hundreds of years)

Ditch: Captain and Coke
Do: Navan cognac, which features natural black vanilla from Madagascar, and Steaz organic root beer

Ditch: Bud
Do: Wild Hop Lager and Stone Mill, Anheuser-Busch's beers made with certified organic barley malt; for a more enzymatic, organic option, try Wiesen Edel-Weisse, which ferments in the bottle up until you crack it open

Ditch: supermarket chardonnay
Do: organic and biodynamic wine from Frey vineyards (Klemen says the grapes are grown in "awesome soil")

 

Originally reported by Karen Budell:
Eco-lixirs: Can cocktails have a conscience? Butterfly Social Club thinks so. (May 9th, 2007).

Karma Capitalism

Editor's note: We're pleased to welcome Hemal Vasavada Gill to the writing team. Hemal is founder and editor-in-chief at The Eightfold, and also works as a freelance trend and marketing strategist. We've invited her on board to take a look at how companies are positioning themselves as green and sustainable, and to help you separate the hype from the real deal.

So you’ve changed your light bulbs, recycle, started buying local organic produce and are considering a hybrid. Now what? There are a million different other things you can be doing to reduce your carbon footprint, but how do you know your efforts are enough? How do you know this push to be green isn’t a phase?

Trend experts believe we are at the inception of a completely new economic system. Dubbed Karma Capitalism, this system ties economic progress to social and environmental progress so “doing good” is not just about looking green or sounding green or even acting green. It’s about companies living and breathing sustainability and working with every day people to make progress possible.

The theory is nice, but what does it look like? To answer this question, I flew to the day-long Trend Buero Karma Capitalism Trend Day in Germany last week to cover what leading Trend thinkers in Europe were saying for my blog: theeightfold.com. Here's a bit of what I learned to help you understand how you can shape the future of sustainability.

People are Key – We Have the Potential to Shape Progress

Karma Capitalism begins with the belief that we as humans are not only creative but also filled with limitless potential. In the current system, all the philanthropy and aid in the world hasn’t been able to solve problems of poverty, disease or global warming. Karma Capitalism involves businesses working with us as consumers and NGOs to design market solutions that will empower those in need.

This is possible because each one of us has the capacity to care and the potential to make a difference. We also have tools today to meet other like-minded people, create our own products and content and market our own ideas through digital media. But will we want to do this?

Trend experts believe we are at a critical turning point. We are tired of being treated like just consumers. Although economic figures like GDP continue to go up, our level of happiness has gone down. As we wake up to a world with increasing economic polarization, terrorism and natural disasters, we are looking for meaning, we are looking for hope, and we are looking for change. People are already doing this.

Take Muhammad Yunus, Nobel Prize Laureate and founder of the Grameen bank. Yunus created a system of micro lending in the seventies and eighties. He challenged the traditional institutions of lending by providing affordable loans to Bangladesh’s poorest, even if they didn’t have collateral. Today he’s helped lift millions of people around the world out of poverty and is starting to work with major businesses like Nestle to create a new system of social businesses.

 

Companies Need Us to Develop Creative Solutions

The amazing thing about Yunus is that he started as an economics professor with a simple idea. He wasn’t necessarily special; he just started asking the right questions and little by little experimenting with solutions. Even more assuring is that today we have an additional advantage that Yunus didn’t have. Companies are getting involved. While traditional banks scoffed at Yunus, pioneering companies are looking for visionary people willing to experiment.

This might seem odd, but it’s because being sustainable and being “good” is incredibly difficult. Companies know something has been done, but they don’t have the traditional benchmarks, guides or even regulations to necessarily get them there. Like Yunus, they are learning by doing, but they are also learning they can’t change the system alone.

At the same time, companies learned from sites like YouTube and MySpace that they are no longer setting our social and cultural agenda. People have reclaimed their values and are determining what’s important in the world. Smart companies not only see this but also are learning. P&G for example has a consumer-lead innovation network called Vocalpoint, which moves outside of traditional focus group settings to engage real women to deliver better solutions for their lives. Why can’t it apply this strategy to doing good?

In a Karma Capitalist system, it will. The result will be a revolution in the way we consume products and the way we see the world. No longer will we simply buy products for products sake. The things we consume will have purpose – they will be “products as substance”. It could be as simple as being locally grown or as profound as Product Red has tried to do in helping solve the AIDs crisis in Africa.

 

Change is Real, Change is Here

The key to this future is in being active today. We need to continue using our creativity and potential to not only demand transparency and accountability from the brands we consume. We also need to start asking questions and sharing creative solutions with earnest companies who are trying to make a difference. While at one point this might have been seen as radical, today experts believe it is an expected reality. Why not then take the opportunity to help engineer a better economy and ecology through Karma Capitalism?

Links:

Trendbuero — Trendtag (in German)

MuhammedYunus.org

VocalPoint.com

Myth: SUVs are the biggest gas guzzlers around.

Fact: Minivans, pick-up trucks and regular ol' four door sedans get the same, if not worse, miles per gallon (MPG.)

Check out these ratings from the Consumer Reports Guide to Fuel Efficient Vehicles. Of the highest ranked vehicles of their class, these are the top performers in the MPG category:

• Midsized & large SUV: Honda Pilot EX (overall mpg 19, city 13, highway 27)
• Minivan: Chevrolet Venture LS (overall mpg 19, city 12, hwy 27)
• Compact pickup: Toyota Tacoma TRD (overall mpg 16, city 12, hwy 22)
• Small SUV: Toyota Matrix SR AWD (overall mpg 24, city 17, hwy 33)
• Wagons/hatchbacks: Pontiac Vibe FWD (overall mpg 26, 18 city, 36 hwy
• Nearly all of the sedan categories: family, luxury, upscale, and large (with the exception of the small sedan) were similar, averaging an overall mpg of 22.

Small sedan drivers are really the only people who can do the finger pointing as that category ranks best overall for mpg:

• Honday Insight (overall mpg 51, city 36, hwy 66),
• Volkswagon Golf GLS TDI (overall mpg 41, city 29, hwy 54)
• Toyota Prius (overall mpg 41, city 30, hwy 49)

What about hybrid SUVs? Not as good as the small sedans, but a little better than their all-gas counterparts:

• Ford Escape Hybrid 4WD (city mpg 33, hwy 29)
• Mercury Mariner Hybrid 4WD (city mpg 33, hwy 29)
• Lexus RX 400h 2WD (city mpg 33, hwy 28)
• Toyota Highlander Hybrid 2WD (city mpg 33, hwy 28)

Fact: MPG estimates vary. The way you drive and what conditions you are driving in will affect the MPG you'll get from your vehicle. Quick accelleration and heavy breaking, driving at higher speeds, AC use, and idling all can decrease how far your gas goes.

Fact: Federal fuel economy standards in the United States are 27.5 miles per gallon for passenger cars and 24 miles per gallon for light trucks.

Fact: Large vehicles weighing over 8,500 are exempt from fuel economy standards. This includes big SUVs such as the Chevrolet Suburban, Ford Excursion, as well as the Dodge Ram pick-up and most passenger and cargo vans.

Very few automakers are going above and beyond federal regulations and policy to change fuel economy standards and even fewer politicians are able to get any additional regulations in place. A few U.S. senators have proposed increasing CAFE (Corporate Average Fuel Economy) standards to 35 mpg by 2020, which will likely hit the senate floor next month. And democratic presidential hopeful, Barack Obama, announced last week in Detroit the need to increase vehicle fuel efficiency (his plan calls for an average of 40 mpg by 2022.)

However, proposals such as these are often fought strongly by the big auto manufacturers, which makes it difficult for all drivers to get better mileage from the gas pump – whether or not you're driving an SUV.