Wind to Power Cell Towers in Southern California

A global renewable energy company, Helix Wind, announced this week it will begin a technology demonstration and test of two small wind turbines to power cell phone towers in Southern California.

The  turbines will be installed by early 2010 and the test will run for one to three  months.addition to powering the towers, the test will explore the feasibility of selling power back to the  electrical grid under a Power Purchase Agreement.  The test will represent one of the first grid- connected  cell sites powered by renewable energy in Southern California.

This market segment is of great interest to California. There are approximately 3,500 cell phone  towers in  Southern California, and due to the continued expansion of broadband wireless, the  data volume of which  has doubled in the past three years, an additional 1,000 to 1,200 towers  should be brought on line over the next five years.

Grid connected cell phone towers can benefit from renewable energy, and wind power can dramatically reduce the emissions and carbon footprint associated with them. Under the right conditions, the towers may even be able to produce surplus energy, providing an additional revenue stream to tower owners.

About Helix

Helix Wind Corp., a global renewable energy company, is engaged in the design, manufacturing and sale of small wind vertical axis turbine designed to generate 300W, 1kW, 2.0kW, 4.0kW, and 50kW of clean, renewable electricity.

Additional information can be found at http://www.helixwind.com. See a video of it at HELIX.

If it’s yellow stay mellow…

If this debate still rages in your home, the solution for you may be a waterless urinal. Though most often relegated to restaurant, stadium and airport bathrooms, urinals in the home can make tons of sense.  If you have few men/boys in your house you can save thousands of gallons of water and they don’t have to worry about remembering to put the seat down. Add the waterless as in, no flushing requirement element and you’ve got a device that conserves a remarkable amount of water because you don’t have to flush them, it saves an astounding 40,000 gallons of water per year.

The “waterless” part of the design works like this: there’s a “trapway” at the base of the urinal, in which the “sealing liquid” goes; since it’s less dense than liquid waste, once your urine goes through, the liquid stays at the top of the trapway, providing a barrier that blocks odors and keeps maintenance to a minimum. So stay mellow!

The Eco Cup

The folks from Decor Kraft Inc. (DCI) have come up with a new twist for the paper coffee cup that we have all grown fond of. It is a ceramic reusable look alike with a silicon top and cup collar. It holds about 8 ounces, the lid stays on securely and because it is ceramic like your coffee mug at home it will keep your coffee warmer longer. It also seems to be a little easier to use than those other insulated “roady” travel cups most of us pick up from a trade-show or the local coffee venue. Less paper cups used = less energy used to make them. DCI also recommends cleaning them in an environmentally friendly by way using lemons and toothpaste. See iamnotapapercup.com for more information on it.

NEW Dimmable Fluorescent Flood Lamp

CFL Floodlight

Now available, Dimmable Fluorescent Floodlights that are similar in size and light output to standard incandescent floodlights that save up to 75% in energy costs. These new energy efficient Dimmable Fluorescent Flood Lamps are also good for wet location use, and may be used in recessed cans, ceiling fixtures, track lights and outdoor fixtures.

They have and 8,000 hour average rate life and last up to eight times longer than incandescent flood lights. Dimmable from 100% to 20% for lighting preference and added energy savings. Another added benefit of Dimmable Fluorescent Flood Lamps is that they produce significantly less heat than incandescent Flood Lamps significantly reducing cooling costs during the summer months. If you are interested learning more or want to buy some see their site at AMConservation.

Energy Saving Smart Power Strip Reduces Computer Energy Waste

These days, computers don’t just run our lives, they run up our power bills, too. All those devices hooked up to your system can drain energy, even when you’re not using them. The Energy Saving Smart Strip Power Strip can stop this waste of power by letting you shut off all peripherals plugged into it with just one click.

Available at:

Amazon.com

Port of Seattle Leads the Industry in Green Ways

Below is a video on how the Port of Seattle is leading the way to green practices within its organization. The below video is how at its Airports it has its coffee barristers recycle their coffee grinds. It save a tremendous amount of waste from going into the local landfill. Recycling coffee grounds can be done by everyone very easily by just sprinkling them among your garden plants or adding them to you compost bin. Enjoy the video below and begin recycling them today. If you are interested in adding coffee grounds to your compost pile or garden Starbuck’s has a “Grounds for Gardens Campaign” where they will happily let you pick them up from your local one. Read more at Port of Seattle.

Simple No Cost Actions for Winter

Check your hot water heater’s temperature. If you have a dishwasher you can heat it up to 120 degrees Fahrenheit (49 degrees Celsius). If you don’t have a dishwasher you can keep it lower. Try lowering it to 115 degrees Fahrenheit (46 degrees Celsius). In some homes, those savings have amounted to more than 10-12% of the total energy usage.

Use a hot water heater blanket. If your water heater is in an unheated space like an unfinished basement, wrap it in an insulation blanket to prevent heat loss. They cost about $40 and can be found at your local home improvement store.

Clean or replace your filter every month. A dirty filter makes your furnace work harder, which uses more electricity. Your home improvement store sells permanent filters that you can wash so you don’t have to replace the filter each month. Changing your filters can save you up to $60 a year on heating costs.

Dust and vacuum those radiators and vents. Dust acts as a great insulator and will actually stop the heat from getting to where you need it.

Don’t empty the bath until the water has cooled down. The heat will dissipate into the air. It will also add needed humidity in those winter months.

Open the stove door after cooking. By leaving the oven door open slightly after you have used it to cook you will allow all the heat to move into the room versus it staying put inside your insulated oven.

Use an old towel to block the air at the bottom of the door at night. Putting an old rolled up towel along the base of your door or windowsill will block any drafts from coming through.

See our SAVING $ tab for more ideas.

Eating Less Saves Energy and Money

Americans are alarmingly overweight compared to other cultures. Why we live in the land of plenty… plenty of food that is!

If we all ate 500 less calories per day, each of us would lose about 1 lb per week…. that is 52 lbs of lost weight per person in a years time.

Now many of us can’t afford to lose that much weight, but sadly there are way too many of us that need to. Even if you can not eat 500 less calories per day and could only cut out 200 calories per day,which is about one less latte or soda a day, you could lose 20 lbs in a years time. This is not hard to do at all. You can easily do this by just adding light exercise per day by walking 2-3 miles even without reducing your food consumption. If you do both you will lose even more weight faster.

Reducing your food consumption also has many additional benefits. It will help offset higher food and fuel costs you may be incurring. It saves energy as less food will need to be transported to you. Of course buying local produce and food products also helps conserve energy.

Americans eat way too much food and high calorie beverages and we need to consume less. Less is more… start today!

FOUR YEARS. GO.

The below video is worthy of watching. We can all make a BIG difference in a short amount of time if we make the effort to conserve energy, waste less and do things smarter. At the end of the video you can find out more about this fine organizations efforts and how you can make a difference. Or you can see their site at www.fouryearsgo.org