Green Zeal: renewables and ration packs

Bhutan? They say one of the most beautiful places on Earth, Then again they says that when talking about many places – Norfolk being on of those places – a point on which I strongly disagree.

However when it comes to being on the sharp edge of renewable energy, they have much to boast about. They are a net exporter of energy – replying to all the fossil fuels which they import with the renewable energy source of hydropower. Their primary source of energy is a sustainable biomass plant – indeed their requirement for renewable energy and the sustenance of their environment is enshrined in their constitution.

Their motivation for this behaviour stems from their following of GNH (Gross National Happiness), a type of measurement of income which countries with low actual output, measure their success by.

It is reckoned that Bhutan feature so high up the list of GNH, due to their preference of renewable energy sources, which generally makes everyone pretty smug and content with themselves.

A recent UN report reckons this is a model that can be exported across the globe, whereby the replacement of dirty old fossil fuel burning power plants are replaced with shinny new complexes, quietly producing renewable energy.

Furthermore, they are suggesting that Bhutan becomes a hydrogen-exporting nation – allowing other nations to power their cars, homes and businesses via hydrogen and oxygen molecular fusion. This hydrogen can be easily produced in Bhutan with their high abundance of water, low electricity prices and steely focus on renewable energy.

However questions must be asked about safety in this small and poorly managed country. In the 1930’s German has the Hindenburg disaster whilst trying to harness this hydrogen renewable energy source. One may be inclined to wonder about the wisdom of placing such hydrogen producing facilities so close to the Indian / Pakistani / Chinese boarder. One questions, what so much combustible material, in such a political hotspot may do to the future GNH.

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There was once a philosophical point made about the needs of man. Similar to hierarchy of Maslow there were set of requirements which every chap needs to sustain his life. The theory is that understanding how said chap fulfils these needs leads to a better understanding of their behaviour.

How does the energy saving light bulbs fit into this? Tenuously, is probably the answer – but you may be the judge of this.

The set of needs are as follows (although not necessarily in this order):
1. Food / water
2. Social influence
3. Sex
4. Sleep
5. Drugs

There are many other desires / needs that we squeeze into these categories – for example we assume the need to accumulate wealth is done in order to eventually increase social influence, and love is only desired in order for sex.

Many people will disagree with all of the above.

Energy saving light bulbs is a tricky requirement to categorise. Bought mainly by those wishing to see green, they arguably fulfil the need for social improvement and influence. We think not. We think that these bulbs are comparable to the need for drugs – the need for the physical or emotional high in the short-term.

The energy saving light bulb is the heroin of the lighting world. It provides a short-term emotional and moral high on the first hit or install. However, once the whole house is complete, the drab haze becomes a confused constant.

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The benefits of energy saving light bulbs are well documented – lower carbon emission, higher fertility rates and an increased general well-being across the UK. However, it is at times like this that I link to think of China and is oppressed people.

The safety standards in Chinese factories are often quite bad – particularly those that produce energy saving light bulbs. Contamination from the mercury vapour used in these bulbs has caused the death of over 1 million proletarian workers over the past six years.

An increased appetite for energy saving light bulbs from the West is only set to make this issue worse. The addiction to energy saving light bulbs, lower carbon emissions and moral superiority is predicted to increases supply by 600% over the next year. This in-turn is expected to increase employment by 10m, in the energy saving light bulb industry.

In 2007, in a single factory employing 123 people, a 121 were diagnosed as having dangerously high levels for mercury in their blood. Extrapolating these figures – we should expect over 9.5million cases of mercury poisoning over the next year. From our calculations this will result in over 4 million deaths, in China due to the production of energy saving light bulbs.

Although Green Zeal largely supports the increased production and proliferation of the energy saving light bulbs, we have deep concerns over the number of Chinese deaths which will be the inevitable result of the increased demand for these bulbs.

We therefore suggest that production of these bulbs should be moved to Scotland and Wales. By a reduction in the minimum wage in these areas and the development of energy saving lig bulb hubs, we can expect reduction in carbon emissions, improvements in UK balance of payments (due to increased exports) and tangential social improvements, due to population reductions in Scotland and Wales.

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There are those in England who refer to the place as “Liverpool on Solent” and talk about such things as “picturesque poverty”. It has a per capita GDP of about two-thirds of the UK average and transportation issues far worse than many other cities or counties. However the Isle of Wight does have an aspirational renewable energy industry.

Vestas is in many ways a fine example of one of its renewable energy businesses – being profitable, hi-tech and Danish. Their slick website, draped in the usual white, boasts of a Euro 9bn market cap and Euro 500 million net profits per year.

Vestas do have a problem, however. It lies somewhere between poor employment practices and poor PR – culminating in the attempted forced removal of 25 employees for the Island’s offices. They were protesting over the closure of the renewable energy factory and the subsequent loss of 625 jobs. At Green Zeal we are not completely sure how this sit-in will help prevent these job losses.

A chief argument of the protesters is that these job loses have come at a time when Vestas has posted record profits. It brings into question weather businesses which produce “morally beneficial” products and services, should maintain morally superior business practices? Should renewable energy businesses which brag about the conservation of the environment consider their employees to be part of this environment?

We think not. It is unlikely that this particular factory was so profitable and we must assume that Vestas were doing the sensible thing by its shareholders and business by closing the site and moving production away. Like any other business, issues of morals and preservation fall far lower than those of efficiency and profitability. Labels such as “renewable” are purely to attract consumer attention and do not speak of any underlying ethical beliefs of the business.

Such events are further signs of how the “renewable energy business”, will soon just be rightly called the “energy business”.

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In a basement in deepest north London, in the dark, late in the evening, we found ourselves with some of the top energy saving light experimentalist in the UK. The technology used in the laboratory is some of the most advanced in the world – combining cutting edge of holographic, chemical and computation sciences to produce new forms of energy saving light.

Their goals in this case are not purely environmental. They are tasked to with producing new forms of weaponry for modern forms of warfare. Using similar techniques to those used for producing energy saving light bulbs, they are learning how to translate low power sources into high impact cutting devices.

These devices rely on intense forms of heat and light to burn through solid materials and superheat liquids. The efficiency of these devices based on energy saving light products is up to 80% – simply this means that a single AA battery can boil over a thousand litres of water.

The chemical mixtures used to produce these beams are the same used in the development of energy saving light. Combined in alloy cases with over ten times the transparency of glass, reduce the energy loss through the filament and the target substance.

These cases have been produced in a number of shapes ideal for industrial and military purposes. Low powered cutting devices have already been used to cut through soft wood and thin sheets of metal. Increasing the energy input to these devices should see these “sabres” able to burn and metal through thin sheets of steel or titanium. Further efficiencies and increase power sources should see a further strengthening of these light beams.

This is an example of how experimental and production techniques used to in the production of energy saving light have further applications outside the home.

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Energy saving light is not all about reducing your use of electricity usage. Many years ago, energy saving light was the replacement of fireplaces and gas lamps with the ‘lecky bulb and indeed the increased usage of electricity was an important part of environmental improvements.

However, I would like to address the subject human energy conservation – after all, the phrase “energy saving light” is very ambiguous over which form of energy is of concern, and the ingested calorie is a hard fought prize.

I am therefore dedicating this article to the “clapper”. For those of you thinking otherwise, this is the device which allows light to be switched on in the home, without the need of tiresome stretching, walking or standing. Indeed the resultant rays beaming from your bulb (energy efficient or not) is the truest form of energy saving light that man has invented.

The Google Search for “clap light switch” brings up the less than delightful Maplin website with a whole assortment of [human] energy saving light fittings – the clap switch being only a highlight of infrared, motion controlled and other human energy saving devices.

Each has a lovely caption embedded stating how appropriate they are for the elderly and infirm. I think this somewhat misses the point – the human energy saving light fitting being useful for all, as we all should be concerned with the conservation of energy, in whatever form it exists.

The fat should be an example to us all about energy saving light. I once had a chubby friend who could claim to have the lowest electricity bills down is street due to his dual philosophy of low rates of excursion and high rates of energy conservation

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At Green Zeal we think quite a lot about solar panels and SEO. This is not something that I would ever admit if I was to meet you in person, but as you can imagine, these are two subjects which are highly involved in our work.

I therefore thought it was about time to produce my list of the top five sites listed in the results for a Google Search of “solar panels”

1. Clean-energy-ideas.com. We don’t like this site as it looks like it has been put together by a group of 6 year olds. Highly ugly and unfriendly to the user, its only charm is a few photographs of some solar panels on a sunny day, which (I think you’ll agree) makes us all dream.
2. Wikipedia. The stalwart of internet references is a bit of a let down with this search – showing only a very short two line entry for “solar panel”. Granted, these two lines contain a few links to more detailed information on solar panels, although, as my old boss used to say, “for additional click you lose a customer”
3. YouTube – how to make solar panels video. God-damn this is a dull video – and optimises much of what I hate about environmental technologist. The wide-faced American presenting it, looks like somewhat of a chump and the sound is too boring register
4. Sunshinesolar.co.uk. Looks very similar to a scam website a friend of mine set-up a few years ago, to sell Spanish villas to northerners. However, they do maintain quite a good range of solar panel products and accessories. Alas they are based in Norwich – an area of the country known for its disreputable retail trade – particularly in the solar panel game
5. Independent.co.uk. I have nothing much to say about the independent, apart from I find it a little tiresome. However, on this occasion they have done well, with a nice little article about how solar panels are a bad investment (with a 100 year pay-off apparently).

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The world outside the UK has been embracing smart energy for some time now. One of the underlying technologies enabling smart technology in the home and work place is the smart electricity meter

The following is a run-down of the top 5 examples of smart meter usage around the world – unsurprisingly the UK is not amongst them:

Italy

Arguably the country to have the firmest embrace of smart energy technology – the state energy provide, Enel deployed smart meters to over 27million homes in 2005/2006

The two way communications devices have improved the businesses power management systems and include a large number of features for the user. Examples are remote control over energy in the home, notification of supply issues and monitoring of energy uses in different areas of the home.

Canada

Canada, although antagonistic to some other environmental policies have done well in this case – the Ontario Energy Board fully embracing smart energy technologies
They surpassed the target of fitting smart meters in nearly 1million homes and business premises by 2007 and are well on their way to meeting their target of installing these meters in the whole province by end of 2010

USA

As expect, California is at the forefront of the smart energy revolution – a program in place to fit 9millioin homes with advanced communication upgrades to their electricity meters. This allows them to monitor energy usage on an hourly basis and price customers based changing supply. This effectively produces increased efficiency in energy generation by smoothing demand over the day – encouraging customers to use energy at normally off-peak times

Surprisingly, Austin Texas one of the states known for the gas-guzzling habits, are also making good progress towards smart meter fitting – a program on the way to install smart meter to nearly 400,000 customers

Turkey

A surprising 4th place on our list is Turkey, which is embracing smart energy technology, arguably to a greater extent than the EU. Elektromed have installed 1.5million smart electricity and gas meters, whilst they also hold the current world record for installed smart water meters, with over 500,000 homes adapted. A true example of how countries are embracing smart energy technology as a way to save money.

Australia

Follwing the release of the 2004 paper from Victoria’s Esssential Service Commision, a plan was put in place to roll-out smart meters to 1million large customers by 2013. This work commenced in 2006 and progress is looking good. Additional to this, in 2007 all other Australian states committed themselves to smart energy and the roll-out of smart metering to their residents and businesses.

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A good part of our work is to sift through the millions of bits of user generated content produced on renewable energy, find and discuss the most useful and interesting.

A great part of our work is to find the truly terrible renewable energy user generated content and comment excessively. Such a piece of pap – a YouTube video, can be viewed below. Please view for at least 10 seconds (for I cannot ask you for more) to really appreciate how terrible this is.

Renewable energy is not a sexy topic. Discussing and working in the areas is not going to bring you friends or spread a lady’s legs. However, such well-meaning drivel is doing more damage to the planet than all the cows in Argentina. I suspect most viewers who unintentionally find this on YouTube would likely reject any ideas of renewable energy and go out of their way to find and burn any fossil fuel they can lay their hands on.

If the youth of this country are exposed to such videos, I suspect that renewable energy will quickly go the way of the handle-bar-moustache.

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I have learnt a lot from this video. I have learnt nothing about renewable energy, but I received a full education about unhappiness, monotony and how caffeine can not cure all boredoms.

The video begins with an in-depth and precise description of ocean temperature and current flows. I’m not sure how it ends, as I could not concentrate for so long. But the jist of program is a pitch for a new type of ocean based rig which creates electrical energy through exploiting temperature differences between the ocean floor and surface.

We must give it some marks for presenting a new method of producing renewable energy. However, it would seem for our point of view a terribly expensive, impractical and probably dangerous way of sourcing renewable energy

Plus the idea seems to be based on the use of solar energy in a very round-about way. Although we have included this in our renewable energy video section, this is only to warn our readers not to watch it.

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