Solar Ovens

The above picture comes from a massive solar furnace in Odeillo near Mount-Louis in the French Pyrenees. This powerful device is capable of heating objects up to 3000c (thats 5432f). So for anyone doubting the power of solar, don't step too close to this one. Its applications range from generating electricity, melting steel, to making hydrogen fuel.


Many of you might be more familiar with solar ovens employed for home use, like the one pictured above. These little ovens can be used for all things conventional ovens are used for. This spring I made one using a cardboard box, tinfoil, and old windowpanes. I mainly used it for making toast, but I did cookies a couple of times. These ovens are however very dependent on the weather and local climate, and they tend to work better close to the equator.

I recently had the idea for a bakery that only used solar ovens to bake their goods. I would definitely shop there!

Enjoy your upcoming summer, and try out some of these solar oven designs at home:
Various Solar Oven Designs
Solar Oven Basics
Solar Oven Wiki

The Course of China

Find your water

I realized that the EPA site was too difficult to navigate.
Here is a site that makes it so much easier (you can search by zip codes, cities, or states):
National Tap Water Quality Database

Here are a few cities to look at:
Appleton
Birmingham
Tuscaloosa
Palo Alto

Chicago
Seattle
Houston
Los Angeles
Las Vegas
Miami

Whats up with Water?

So here are a couple of ideas for you to toss around in your head. Many Americans drink bottled water because a) they don't trust municipal water sources and see bottled water as pure b) sometimes it is easier to pass out prepackaged bottles of water than disposable cups, especially at events or gathering. However bottled water has some high environmental costs.
1. Billions of plastic and glass bottles are used annually to bottle water. When not recycled properly, these bottle add to the already overwhelming waste problem. Recycling the bottles also uses a large amount of energy.
2. Transporting water all around the globe not only has a high economic cost (leading bottled water to be much more expensive than gas), but also adds significant amounts of C02 to the atmosphere.
3. On a more local scale, bottled water companies can quickly deplete local aquifers, harvesting more water than can be naturally replenished.
4. Reliance on bottled water also takes pressure off local municipalities to keep their water clean and healthy for consumption.
5. Also, that bottle of water is most likely just re-processed/used municipality water, with no higher standards than the stuff you'd get right out of the tap. An estimated 25% of bottled water is re-processed include big name brands like Dasani and Aquafina.

Think about it:
"In many areas of the world, good municipal water is unavailable. The United Nations estimates that in 2005, 1.1 billion people lacked access to safe, affordable, drinking water, and two to five million people die every year from preventable water-related diseases. In areas without a consistent supply of safe, potable water, alternatives to bottled water include boiling, filtering, or otherwise processing contaminated water to remove harmful pathogens or chemicals"

I had the opportunity to hear a speech given by a futurist from the Kimberly Clark Co. Her specific job was to study trends and make predictions in regards to future water scarcity. She commented that in the near future major international conflicts will not be about oil, but about water rights.

An idea for what you can do.
1. Stop using bottled water today.
2. Start carrying around your own bottle to fill up by the tap when you are out. Many people have started to carry around their own nalgene bottles. I carry around a reclaimed Fuze bottle (glass). I prefer not to use plastic bottles because overtime the plastic leaches harmful toxins into your drinking water.
3. Write your local municipal water supplier and demand higher quality. If your local area already has pretty high standards, write them and say "thanks".
4. In the mean time, if you feel unsure about your own water, try a filter system like Britta or a similar brand (often available at local drug stores.)



Find out where your water comes from: Surf your watershed

Info on EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) Clean Water Act

Solar Power - Waves of the Future?

Solar Power. I've been interested in solar for a while now. The image above comes from the Mojave Desert in California. The plant pictured above is part of a nine plant system that makes up the largest solar facility in the world, with a maximum generating capacity of just over 350MW (using an area of 1,000 acres). An average coal plant can generate between 1,000MW and around 1,500MW. This might make some question the plausibility of solar power.

I had the opportunity to attend a lecture given by a physics professor from UW-Madison who's area of expertice is solar power. He commented that if there was a solar plant with an area of 100x100 miles in Nevada's deserts then we could have enough power for the entire U.S. (He then noted that we wouldn't be able to transport the power or store it efficiently). Not to mention the cost of a project that size.

So it looks like we won't be depending on solar alone for a long time.

But the good news is that we don't have to depend on just one renewable source. With the right combination of wind power, hydro power, geothermal power, and yes even nuclear power we could easily meet all our energy needs. The main obstacle is the initial investment in these new energy infrastructures as well as changing people's attitudes on these energy sources.

Stay tuned for artices on those other sources of energy!

Solar Power Article

Going Green in Blogging

So I've finally gotten around to starting an ecoBlog. I guess I knew it would happen sooner or latter. The title is Green Hua. This stems from my Chinese language study and my love of the environment. Hua in Chinese can mean several things depending on the tone. Hua can mean talk or speach, and also flower. I think this is a good embodyment of what this blog will be about. Green Talk. Green Discussion. EcoFlowers. What more could you ask for in a title.

If I haven't shared this site with you yet, I'd have to say it is one of my favorites:
Treehugger
Go check it out and then check back here for more ecoUpdates.