Resources and Reflections

Scanning PhysOrg.com today I came across several interesting stories on one of my favorite topics; Clean Energy. Of particular interest to cyclists and bike packers is the following;

Toshiba launches portable fuel-cell for mobiles

October 22nd, 2009

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For people fed up with their mobile telephone or iPod batteries running out, Japan’s Toshiba Corp. announced Thursday the launch of a portable fuel-cell that can power up digital gadgets on the move.

With an injection of methanol, the fuel-cell generates electricity through a chemical reaction with oxygen to recharge mobile digital electronic devices via a USB cable.

The high-tech giant, which sees a bright future for fuel cells, said battery exhaustion had become a “major concern” due to the rising power consumption of mobile electronic devices. Read the whole article here.

With the object of having uninterrupted access to communications, internet included, from remote locations over extended periods of time, some sort of rugged, portable, lightweight energy generation technology is a requirement for powering cellular/satellite modems, portable computers, telephones and GPS devices. Essentially we’re talking about liveblogging from the wilderness, virtual tourism, real time scientific field documentation and range management. Previous to the Toshiba device described here the only realistic technology  portable solar panels which suffer from low power densities and high costs per watt. The present cost of $326 plus proprietary fuel cartridges leaves something to be desired, but as competition and  economies of scale come into play prices should fall, and the relatively high power densities, low volume, mechanical simplicity and zero carbom operation make this a nearly ideal bike packing power source.

A few hopeful developments in transportation and generation are good news for those of us who believe that clean power is the most important issue of our time;

Largest solar panel plant in US rises in Fla.

(AP) — Greg Bove steps into his pickup truck and drives down a sandy path to where the future of Florida’s renewable energy plans begin: Acres of open land filled with solar panels that will soon power thousands …

Ultracapacitors Make City Buses Cheaper, Greener

Japanese car makers out to electrify Tokyo show

Move over hybrids — the biggest buzz at this year’s Tokyo Motor Show looks set to come from electric cars as the dream of affordable zero-emission vehicles moves closer to reality.

Lighter, cheaper, LED light bulbs are starting to enter the marketplace

And finally, what I’ve been saying for years (so they MUST be right);

Shifting the world to 100 percent clean, renewable energy as early as 2030 — here are the numbers

Most of the technology needed to shift the world from fossil fuel to clean, renewable energy already exists. Implementing that technology requires overcoming obstacles in planning and politics, but doing so …

But, on the not so good news front;

Hong Kong air pollution equals record high

Poll: US belief in global warming is cooling

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  Killer algae a key player in mass extinctions

  Algae, not asteroids, were the key to the end of the dinosaurs, say two Clemson University researchers. Geologist James W. Castle and ecotoxicologist John H. Rodgers have published findings that toxin producing …

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  Study: Evolutionary past may determine how we choose leaders

  So, algae could kill us, pollution is increasing, fewer people believe we have a problem, we’re choosing our leaders based on ancient unconcious perceptions, and to top it off;

  Why antidepressants don’t work for so many

  There is no pharmaceutical cure for what ails us. Oy vey! Which does not stop folks from trying;

  

  Four percent of adults worldwide using cannabis: Lancet

  Nearly four percent of adults around the world use cannabis, even though the drug raises many major health concerns, according to a paper published in The Lancet on Friday.

  That probably explains this; (PhysOrg.com) — Over the past few decades, the idea that our universe could be one of many alternate universes within a giant multiverse has grown from a sci-fi fantasy into a legitimate theoretical possibility. …

  

  Modern men are wimps, according to new book

  But all is not lost, YOU could be one of the lucky few to seal themselves up in a government funded bubble for 520 days;

  

  Volunteers wanted for simulated 520-day Mars mission

  And that’s a wrap on Science and Energy for Saturday, October 22, 2009. Abandon hope all ye who enter here, or not.

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