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Talkin' 'bout my generation
Good news! Soaring energy costs could get even worse, spurring a new era in which people make clean power for themselves.
Scheer recalls critics of the Renewable Energy Sources Act who were determined to derail it, telling him, “You’re illusionists, dreamers that would endanger the economy.” Now, Germany’s Federal Ministry for the Environment estimates the act has helped create in excess of 130,000 jobs. Even German Chancellor Angela Merkel, a conservative whose election spooked some in the renewables sector, enlisted Rifkin to help formulate and implement a plan to revitalize the world’s third-largest economy.
Indeed, the timing for a paradigm shift couldn’t be better, in part because things in the traditional energy sector can’t get much worse. When Frito Lay announced its Casa Grande project in 2007, oil prices were far below $100 per barrel and some observers saw it as more of a publicity stunt than a smart business decision, since it would take 25 years to pay off. Today, with oil racing toward $150 per barrel, such decisions look even better on the bottom line than they do in the press.
Jeremy Leggett, CEO of the UK’s largest solar company, Solar Century, cites the recent unexpected depletion of the world’s second-largest oil field, Mexico’s Cantarell, as a sign of things to come. “When the world oil supply starts Cantarell-ing, we’ll have to make very rapid choices, and this debate won’t last very long,” he says. “It really is possible that we’ll get to that utopian vision very quickly.”
That doesn’t mean it’s destined to be easy. “These are incredibly powerful entities, extremely resistant to change, and not just the power industry but also people who think in the old way in government,” says Leggett. “That kind of thinking has the potential to create a lot of damage.” Adds Scheer: “Optimistic is one thing, but one should not be naive. The new energies make them feel vulnerable. And they are right to feel that way. Their business model will disappear.”
As the world’s largest industry tries to maintain its grip on a centralized power structure, Scheer believes, “They will argue that even with renewables, we need large power stations and big investors and that we have to wait for them.”
Perhaps it’s a good thing, then, that the people who gave us YouTube, Google, Wikipedia and MySpace are also known as Generation Now.
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Magic trees converting light, heat and wind energy into electricity
We will set the future for multi renewable energy collection not as a set of straight endless rows of brittle shiny panels in a desert, or visual polluting wind turbines but with super efficient natural looking.
We make use of nature’s perfect design - a TREE – innovative use of the latest nanotechnologies has made it possible to produce a Highly Efficient Nanoleaf which will be assembled onto our artificial natural looking trees for the purpose of delivering power.
The 'Nanoleaves' including petiole are a true ingenious concept, a little power house, a combination of thermo- photovoltaics, for conversion of light and heat, joint with piezovoltaic, tiny generators that generate electricity from movement of the wind. That’s three conversions in one system (Tree) and course, our landscape still looks wonderful and it would be nicely cool in a shadow of this forest on a hot summer day.
What does this mean for the future? The field of biomimetics is the application of methods and systems, found in nature. To capitalize on the wealth of designs and processes found in nature, engineering and technology, has spawned a number of innovations far superior to what the human mind alone could have devised. The reason is simple. Nature, through billions of years of trial and error, has produced effective solutions to innumerable complex real-world problems. The rigorous competition of natural selection means waste and efficiency are not tolerated in natural systems. Solar Botanics is replicating natural manufacturing methods as in the production of chemical compounds by plants and animals; this will enable Solar Botanics to directly tap into nature's ingenuity. In the near future, Solar Botanics will “grow” because of improved efficiency - 300 times more efficient than a solar panel and in tune with nature to serve our energy needs through the application of pragmatic natural solutions developed by evolution.
Trees and shrubs can be planted most of the time without permission because they fit in with our local scenery. Trees, plants and shrubs have a esthetical function the enhance our city and meeting places, or are just there to give us a nice view when we look out of our window. Trees decrease our visual awareness if it comes to visual or noise pollution. The psychology effect of trees takes care of a better micro climate, extreme temperatures are reduced and absorbed; trees and shrubs give protection against wind, and sun. Trees are a source of inspiration for artistic creativity. Trees carry a culture of history they can show the history of a place and are often proof of past history. Trees are a symbol growth and energy, trees have a economic value. The presence of trees often increases the value of property, especially mature trees that at the same time deliver more energy.
Solar Botanic Energy Systems plans is to deliver the first trees by the end of 2010 and offering the market a aesthetic and triple efficient solar, heat and wind collecting systems. For example; a Solar Botanic palm tree with 36 leaves will generate more than 7000 kWh per year, the price of such a tree including an inverter is around $ 10.000,00
Added value of solar botanic trees; providing shade, cooling the air, wind break, crop protection, prevention of heat islands in cities, road glare, noise barrier, protection of dune vegetation. Solar botanic trees can be fitted with additional equipment to filter the air, (taking out CO2), or to filter or assist in water management.
Our trees are: • Triple efficient. • Durable. • Low investment/high return. • Easy to install. • Weather resistant: rain, hail, dust, lightning, wind. • Good monetary values for private homes. • Varies sizes, colors and species • Aesthetic natural design, in harmony with nature. • Application for designer gardens, penthouses, balconies • Wide arrangement of Solar flowers, shrubs (solar shrub fencing) water plants. Applications for; • Urban and Rural • Recreational parks, city parks • New housing estates • Plug in trees for cars – streets & parking areas • Golf courses and resorts • Mountainous regions – far away places • Coastlines • Highways • Airports • Deserts • Penthouses, balconies, verandas • Private gardens • De-forested areas • Areas of commercial interest; Islands, nature resorts • Ponds, lakes, seas and oceans • Crop protection • Solar Botanic flowering plants to harvest colorful your electric power • Solar Botanics can be used for: Windshield, Shade, anti glare, objectionable views • Sound barrier, windbreak, wind obstruction and air conditioning and much more Various renewable energy producers are investing heavily, including Google, GE and Pickens the new kid on the block, joining the renewable energy market, their marketing machines running on maximum speed, daily TV adds on CNN and BBC are proof of the importance, to gain consumer interest, to promote green energy and so on.
However, their best efforts of promoting safe and clean energy is also reason for concern as some renewable energy systems are not all that friendly, and some industries starting to feel resistance towards their systems. A TREE IS SO MUCH MORE Human intervention and exploitation in the ecosystem will produce changes in order to meet the desired objectives. According to the Millennium Ecosystems Assessment, in many parts of the world the consumption of ecosystems services are managed in an unsustainable way. Therefore it is strongly necessary to find direct drivers of ecosystem management that can provide more effective cost-benefit opportunities for multipurpose systems, which can meet multiple goals, including the pervasive environmental, social, and economic objectives of sustainable development.
I hope this gives you some idea of upcoming renewable energy systems that can be used responsible, without destroying our planet to much
Alex van der Beek www.solarbotanic.com
posted by solarbotanic on 9/22/2008 12:16 pm