greenswitch – climate change and cleantech solutions

Hello, I am currently on an “offline vacation” in the deepest Bavarian Forest till Oct.4th — stay tuned, I will continue greenswitch thereafter. Thanks + cheers, Reiner

SETI for environmental data

Go, download this climate prediction model — the more people download it, the better and faster climate predictions will be calculated.

» climateprediction.net portal: “The climateprediction.net experiment has been developed to allow a state-of-the-art climate prediction model to be run on home/ school/ work computers. By getting data from thousands of climate models, we will generate the world’s largest climate prediction experiment.”

We want you to run a climate model as a background process on your computer (similar to the successful SETI@home project). It should not affect any other tasks you use your computer for. If you choose to download the model, you will be supplied with your own, unique, version of the model. As the model runs, you can watch the weather patterns over the globe evolve. The results are sent back via the internet, and we are developing an interactive portal to allow you to compare your results with other people’s as the experiment progresses. The Open University will be offering a short course based on the project, and there will also be opportunities to get schools involved with the project.

» Chinese Experts Call For More Clean Energies To Curb Pollution: “Chinese Experts Call For More Clean Energies To Curb Pollution

Sulfur dioxide emitted from coal power plants has become a major source of air pollution in China, and the emissions will continue to rise if clean energies are not properly developed, experts warned Monday in Shanghai. “

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Experts attending a symposium in this leading industrial center of China said that the structure of power generation is highly irrational, with coal power plants generating 81 percent of the country’s electricity and accounting for more than half of the total annual coal consumption in the country.

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To date, hydropower stations account for 25 percent of the country’s total installed power generating capacity, with wind andsolar power stations making up a mere one percent.

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China ranks second in the world in terms of installed power generating capacity and annual power generation, which stood at 356 million kilowatts and 1.6 trillion kw/hr at the end of 2002.

However, China’s per capita consumption of electricity is only between one-sixth and one-tenth of that in developed countries.

There’s sunlight in your room — even at night

Interesting technical development to watch. Basically it works like this: This technology utilizes sunlight to actually light indoor places.

» 9/8/2003 – Hybrid Solar Lighting: Finding Better Lighting Alternatives – Business – Chattanoogan.com

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Traditional solar power is manufactured by converting sunlight into electricity. Mr. Muhs told the Chattanooga Engineers Club on Monday that hybrid solar lighting is powered by collecting sunlight and routing it through optical fibers into buildings where it is combined with electric light in hybrid light fixtures. Sensors keep the room at a steady lighting level by adjusting the electric lights based on the sunlight available.

“Because hybrid solar lighting pipes sunlight directly to the light fixture and no energy conversions are necessary, the process is much more efficient,” he said.

Are Americans really depressed?

What do Americans have to be depressed about? The author of The City in Mind and The Geography of Nowhere takes on the Prozac set — and shares some European diet secrets along the way. Interesting read, a little one-sided, though.

» Orion > Curmudgeon in the Wild > Food Additives: “We’ve sunk so much of our national wealth into a particular way of doing things that we’re psychologically compelled to defend it even if it drives us crazy and kills us.”

California is turning into Italy!

Maybe should rather find a better environmental role model such as Germany, Netherlands or the Scandinavians.

» AP Wire | 07/24/2003 | California becoming nation’s new gateway for European enviro laws: “California becoming nation’s new gateway for European enviro laws

SACRAMENTO – California, where some environmentally conscious residents drive the freeways in electric cars or live in trees to frustrate loggers, may be assuming a new role as the nation’s port of entry for tough European environmental laws.

Environmentalists throughout California, increasingly enthralled by their European counterparts and easily linked to their politics through the Internet, are studying restrictive new European Union policies on chemicals, food and water and air pollution.

Rebuffed at home by Bush administration resistance to major environmental programs, many hope to absorb European ideas into California, then leverage the state’s clout and size to drive them onto the national stage.”

It’s peak time

Sorry, I have been quite busy with other things and the last few days Greenswitch was ‘404′ — my provider somehow managed to delete my domain…arrrg…check out this source: ASPO Newsletter: “Oil discovery & production plots by country” It shows the oil production peaking of all oil producing countries.

It looks like Canada peaked long ago. North America peaked in the 1980s, and has been pretty much downhill every year, other than a slight second mini-peak (not exceeding the actual peak) in the 1980s from Prudhoe Bay coming on line as well as Gulf of Mexico oil. It’s quite interesting to see the projection oil production of countries such as Nigeria, Venezuela and China, which is supposed to peak around 2010.