The energy-problems of the future are solved:

The 5min overview of Clean Energy sources

One benefit the global community began to receive as a result of high commodity and fossil fuel prices was a resurged interest in exploring alternate, cleaner energy sources. A similar momentum was created after the US Oil Crisis of the early ‘70s. Policy makers went about introducing new schemes to cut fuel consumption (such as CARF) and fuel economy became the new measuring stick. (See my other post on fuel efficient cars of the 70s.)  However once the political situation in the middle east settled down and re-access to Oil was negotiated, the US (and Canada along with it) waned on furthering alternate energy research.

I’m hopeful the same thing won’t happen this time around. Firstly, technology has advanced significantly in the last 30years that reduce the gap in ‘performance’ of alternatives. And secondly the global voice on climate change is louder and garnered more support than ever before. The price of consuming natural resources in the production of goods is increasing. Carbon taxes have been introduced in British Columbia, Cap&Trade carbon emission schemes (such as The European Union’s Emission Trading Scheme) are growing and will one day operate just like the NSYE with the same maturity of standards and regulatory oversight.

This movement isn’t going away and so to me this means it’s time to get a little more educated on alternative means to cleaner energy.

The “clean energy tree’’ provides us with a summary.

They are:

• renewables  (for power generation)—including wind, biomass, geothermal,  solar
• biofuels—including  ethanol,  biodiesel,  and  advanced  next  generation  cellulosic-
  based  fuels
• (photovoltaics  [PV]  and  concentrating  solar  power  [CSP]),  and  ocean  power
• carbon capture and storage—particularly as it applies to coal-fired power generation
  facilities
• conventional  clean  technologies—nuclear  energy  and  hydropower

Of these, Hydro, Nuclear and Wind are the most advanced. BC, fortuitous with its geography is a prime example of this Hydro generation. Advancement heavily depends upon policy  support  and  private  investment, which  is,  in  turn,  strongly  affected  by fossil  fuel  price  cycles  and  carbon  pricing.  In British Columbia, the energy policy can can read about here. Alberta’s key energy initiatives can be read about here.

Let’s see where our government takes us. And if they’re not leading us the direction you want it go then speak up.

Solar Powered Street Lights at Angkor Wat

NOTHING dESIGN GROUP, a Korean design studios and Asiana Airlines, a Korean airlines company, together with Korea International Cooperation Agencies (KOICA) have collaborated to develop and install Solar Powered Street Lights to the world cultural heritage sites designated by UNESCO in the Angkor Wat, Cambodia. The lights installed there to protect and provide security for tourists visiting the area.

NOTHING dESIGN GROUP and Asiana have installed 16 Solar Powered Street Lights around the Angkor Wat, and plans to install 5-10 additional Solar Powered Street Lights every year till 2015. Compared with typical street lights that use incandescent lamps (150 W), Solar Powered Street Lights contribute in eliminating the CO2 emissions to 240 kg, it’s equivalent to planting 86 pine trees.