PainlessPump.com :: At Home | Articles A collection of blog articles about the most important topics in US and world green energy, economy, technology, environment, and Policy issues delivered by others in the community http://www.painlesspump.com/At-Home/Articles/At-Home/ Mon, 06 Feb 2012 05:58:58 -0800 Joomla! 1.5 - Open Source Content Management en-gb PainlessPump.com :: At Home | Articles http://www.painlesspump.com/At-Home/At-Home/How-Many-Cups-Of-Tea-Are-There-In-A-Google-search.html Powering a Google search. Of course, most of the power used for a search is used right at your PC, and Google is much cleaner and more efficient in its energy use than, say, the web site of The Times so perhaps the newspapers should have been pointing the finger at their own online editions.
Not long ago, answering a query meant traveling to the reference desk of your local library. Today, search engines enable us to access immense quantities of useful information in an instant, without leaving home. Tools like email, online books and photos, and video chat all increase productivity while decreasing our reliance on car trips, pulp and paper.

But as computers become a bigger part of more people"s lives, information technology consumes an increasing amount of energy, and Google takes this impact seriously. That"s why we have designed and built the most energy efficient data centers in the world, which means the energy used per Google search is minimal. In fact, in the time it takes to do a Google search, your own personal computer will use more energy than Google uses to answer your query.

Recently, though, others have used much higher estimates, claiming that a typical search uses "half the energy as boiling a kettle of water" and produces 7 grams of CO2. We thought it would be helpful to explain why this number is *many* times too high. Google is fast — a typical search returns results in less than 0.2 seconds. Queries vary in degree of difficulty, but for the average query, the servers it touches each work on it for just a few thousandths of a second. Together with other work performed before your search even starts (such as building the search index) this amounts to 0.0003 kWh of energy per search, or 1 kJ. For comparison, the average adult needs about 8000 kJ a day of energy from food, so a Google search uses just about the same amount of energy that your body burns in ten seconds.

In terms of greenhouse gases, one Google search is equivalent to about 0.2 grams of CO2. The current EU standard for tailpipe emissions calls for 140 grams of CO2 per kilometer driven, but most cars don"t reach that level yet. Thus, the average car driven for one kilometer (0.6 miles for those in the U.S.) produces as many greenhouse gases as a thousand Google searches.

We"ve made great strides to reduce the energy used by our data centers, but we still want clean and affordable sources of electricity for the power that we do use. In 2008 our philanthropic arm, Google.org, invested $45 million in breakthrough clean energy technologies. And last summer, as part of our Renewable Energy Cheaper than Coal initiative (RE is greater than C), we created an internal engineering group dedicated to exploring clean energy.

We"re also working with other members of the IT community to improve efficiency on a broader scale. In 2007 we co-founded the Climate Savers Computing Initiative, a group which champions more efficient computing. This non-profit consortium is committed to cutting the energy consumed by computers in half by 2010 — reducing global CO2 emissions by 54 million tons per year. That"s a lot of kettles of tea.

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]]> At Home Tue, 13 Jan 2009 12:44:00 -0800 PainlessPump.com :: At Home | Articles http://www.painlesspump.com/At-Home/At-Home/Smart-Appliances-and-the-ZigBee-Alliance.html
Although we make an effort to use electricity as efficiently as possible, our appliances don’t always cooperate. My refrigerator, for example, tends to go through its “defrost” cycle when electric rates are high. The energy consumption of my refrigerator while in defrost cycle is three times as high as when the refrigerator is running normally. Short of rewiring my refrigerator for manual defrost, there doesn’t seem to be much I can do about it, but that may soon change. Soon we’ll be able to buy “Smart” appliances. My refrigerator, for example, will no longer switch to “defrost” mode when electricity is expensive. Additionally, temperature settings could be adjusted upward slightly when electric rates are high, and lowered when rates go down. Because these changes will be small, you’ll save money without jeopardizing the contents of your fridge. Signals from the utility company will trigger the setting changes.

Smart appliances do more than cut your electric bill, they also benefit electricity providers. They reduce the peak demand, resulting in less strain on the power grid. With widespread use of smart appliances, slight adjustments to each one would result in a significant demand reduction system wide without a noticeable change at your home.

Most people, I suspect, won’t rush out to buy new appliances just to take advantage of this technology. You’ll probably wait to replace your refrigerator, dishwasher, washing machine, dryer, air-conditioner, and other appliances until a product failure creates a need. The first smart product you might buy, and perhaps the most useful of all, is an “In-Home Display”. This device receives real-time rate and consumption data from your electric meter. Not only will you know the exact cost of electricity at any time of the day, a quick glance at the color-coded display tells you if rates are low, medium, or high. With this device, you’ll know the best time to run the dishwasher and other appliances. You’ll know when it’s advantageous to cut back on the air conditioning a bit.



As useful as the “In-Home Display” shown here is, it lacks one important feature. It doesn’t have the ability to control other devices. If it included that feature you might use the device to perform one or more of the following functions:

Enable a battery charger when electric rates are low.
Enable supplemental heating when electric rates are low.
Pump water when electric rates are low.
Disable non-critical electrical devices when electric rates are high.

Charging batteries while rates are low would provide you with stored energy that could be used when rates are high. Supplemental heating could lower overall heating costs by limiting the amount of time the primary heater runs when rates are high. Water pumping could be enabled when rates are low, minimizing the need to pump water when rates are high.

Smart products, like the ones described here, are built around “ZigBee” technology. ZigBee is a wireless control technology that offers product manufacturers and developers the ability to build reliable, cost effective, low-power wireless control products. The ZigBee Smart Energy Profile was completed in January of 2008. A product achieves ZigBee Certified Product status after successfully passing certification testing. In addition to display units, ZigBee Smart Energy Thermostats are available at the time of this writing, and smart appliances should be available sometime next year. It is important to note that for Smart Energy products to work, you must also have a “smart” electric meter. My meter was installed when I enrolled in Ameren’s Power Smart Pricing program.

This technology will not be limited to communications and appliance control. V2G is another application of ZigBee technology that will someday benefit the consumer as well as the utility provider.

John

About Power Smart Pricing: http://www.powersmartpricing.org/

About the InHomeDisplay: http://www.comverge.com/products/ihd.cfm

Another Display Product: http://www.lsr.com/smartenergy/

A list of ZigBee Smart Energy products currently available: http://electronics.ihs.com/news/2008/zigbee-certifies-smart-energy.htm

About the ZigBee Smart Energy Profile: http://www.industrial-embedded.com/news/db/?10035

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]]> At Home Mon, 08 Dec 2008 22:15:00 -0800 PainlessPump.com :: At Home | Articles http://www.painlesspump.com/At-Home/At-Home/Bringing-Back-DC-Electricity.html

AC power has long been the only game in town, ever since it became the standard over a hundred years ago. Supporters of DC, however, are pushing for a comeback on the grounds of sustainability and efficiency. Solar panels and fuel cells produce DC electricity; the inverters which turn it into grid-worthy AC inevitably lose some of that electricity in the process. Besides, many of the energy consuming devices we use - such as computers and LEDs – run on DC, too. That’s why you have a big box in between your laptop and the wall outlet. A DC power source would obviate the need for the box, and all the waste heat that it generates.

One group pushing for DC is called the EMerge Alliance. Their goal is to create standards that will give building designers the chance to put low voltage, DC power supplies in their buildings. They like the idea of designing buildings with, say, rooftop solar panels generating DC electricity that can be used directly to power the building’s LED lighting or its system of energy monitors. That kind of setup saves money on the solar installation (because it doesn’t require inverters and connects more smoothly to the grid), eases the installation of the lighting systems themselves, and makes the overall power consumption more efficient.

Via Greentech Media

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]]> At Home Wed, 03 Dec 2008 07:09:30 -0800 PainlessPump.com :: At Home | Articles http://www.painlesspump.com/At-Home/At-Home/Survey-of-Regulatory-and-Technological-Developments-Concerning-Smart-Metering-in-the-European-Union-Electricity-Market.html Jorge Vasconcelos, Florence School of Regulation

Smart metering is a crucial factor for the efficient functioning of the Internal Electricity Market, as well as for the successful implementation of European Union policies related to energy efficiency, renewable energy and security of supply. The report first outlines the potential benefits of smart meters for consumers, suppliers, metering companies, distribution network operators and public interest. Next the report provides a short overview of the legal framework governing metering activities in Europe, as well as a review of smart metering policies, a summary of regulatory and legislative tools and an analysis of cases in selected countries. Drawing from the experiences to date, the report concludes with a set of recommendations for policy makers to consider when developing a smart metering programme and the regulatory approaches that could be adopted at national and/or EU level to encourage compatibility of smart metering solutions and to accelerate implementation of smart meters and smart grids.

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]]> At Home Wed, 03 Dec 2008 06:28:25 -0800 PainlessPump.com :: At Home | Articles http://www.painlesspump.com/At-Home/At-Home/Significant-Progress-Made-in-OLED-Lighting.html Osram, in partnership with BASF, has reached two major milestones in their development of OLED lighting.

  1. They"ve developed an OLED that"s able to yield 60 lumens per watt (lm/W), a much greater efficiency than conventional bulbs.
  2. This new OLED meets the international Energy Star SSL Standard for color requirements, a first for this lighting technology.

Osram revealed an OLED capable of achieving 46 lm/W last spring, so this is a pretty quick advancement in efficiency. While even greater efficiencies for OLEDs have been met, so far the Energy Star standard has not. This new OLED is within the acceptable band for color coordinates defined by Energy Star and is able to retain its white color at different levels of intensity.

This all means that a super-efficient and consumer-ready OLED product is getting closer. Osram is continuing to work on the technology with hopes of producing color-appropriate, 100 lm/W light tiles in the near future.

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]]> At Home Mon, 01 Dec 2008 20:40:05 -0800 PainlessPump.com :: At Home | Articles http://www.painlesspump.com/At-Home/At-Home/Futuristic-Looking-LED-Bulbs.html Many companies are hard at work perfecting LED replacement bulbs for release in the next few months. It"s taken a while to work out the kinks in LED lighting to make them appropriate for home use and more efficient. Ahead of some of the larger lighting companies, Lighting Science has introduced the SoL R38, equivalent to a 50-60W incandescent, and it looks weird.

The fins are heat sinks that dissipate the heat generated from the back of the LED. They"re necessary for color accuracy and for extending the life of the light source.

Some companies like Journée are trying to play up the strange aesthetic in track lighting formats. The Lotus Luminaires are offered in different colors and resemble something off a spaceship.

It"s still yet to be seen how LED bulbs will work in traditional lighting fixtures or if new fixtures will have to be created.

The good news is that the bulbs have a life of 50,000 hours, use 70% less energy than incandescents and the prices will come down over time. The SoL R38 is $145 now and the Lotus Luminaires are $600 for a set, but both companies are working on cheaper manufacturing techniques. Also, with competition arriving in a few months from bigger manufacturers, the bulbs are likely to become more affordable.

via Bits

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]]> At Home Wed, 05 Nov 2008 21:06:20 -0800 PainlessPump.com :: At Home | Articles http://www.painlesspump.com/At-Home/At-Home/GE-to-Introduce-Remote-Control-Appliances.html As consumers become increasingly concerned about their energy use and the cost of their energy bills, energy management systems and smart electronics are growing at a rapid pace. The latest to addition to the "smart" revolution? Home appliances.

GE announced last week that it will introduce energy-management enabled appliances next year. Appliances being worked on are refrigerators, ranges, washers and dryers, dishwashers and microwave ovens, some of which will be tested in a pilot program with Louisville Gas and Electric Company.

The smart appliances will be connected to a network and can be turned off and on, or have their settings changed remotely by the local utility. During peak energy-use hours, the utilities can make small setting changes to avoid overtaxing the grid. Consumers will benefit from this technology too with smaller electricity bills since many power companies are now charging more during peak hours.

The one obstacle to the success of these appliances is that local utilities will need to install smart meters connecting homes to the utility. GE makes smart meters and already has a deal with PG&E to supply them 3.3 million meters.

It will probably take a while before this technology spreads across the country, but it could have a significant impact if it takes hold.

via Earth2Tech

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]]> At Home Tue, 04 Nov 2008 19:56:55 -0800 PainlessPump.com :: At Home | Articles http://www.painlesspump.com/At-Home/At-Home/Radio-Shack-Offers-Cash-For-Old-Gear.html

Recycling used electronics is pretty important – arguably more important than recycling paper and plastic. E-waste is loaded with toxic heavy metals such as mercury and cadmium. Such chemicals are bad for the environment, but worse for the impoverished citizens of developing countries who all too often need to earn their living by crudely mining valuable metals out of our discarded computers, TVs and cell phones.

It’s a good thing, then, that Radio Shack is offering some decent incentives to recycle your old iPod. They are starting a program which allows customers to register their obsolete gadgets and ship them (pre-paid, of course) to a collecting location, where they make sure your item is in the condition you said it was. If so, you get a Radio Shack gift certificate (hey, I never said there was nothing in it for them). You can appraise your item online.

Radio Shack is certainly not the first to come up with this recycling model; others are doing very similar things. And seeing as getting a bit of cash for an old cell phone makes so much more sense than throwing it into a bin with banana peels and coffee filters, this ecogeek is optimistic about e-recycling becoming the norm.

Via GoodCleanTech
Image via Radio Shack

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]]> At Home Fri, 31 Oct 2008 15:30:07 -0700 PainlessPump.com :: At Home | Articles http://www.painlesspump.com/At-Home/At-Home/Solar-Powered-Robotic-Lawn-Mower.html Here at EcoGeek, we"ve covered DIY solar and electric lawn mowers, but the new Automower Solar Hybrid from Swedish company Husqvarna trumps both. Not only does it appeal to the environmentally-conscious part of us, but it also appeals to the "I really hate mowing the grass" part of us.

The robotic lawn mower is capable of cutting up to half an acre of grass on its own, guided by a wire buried along the perimeter of the property. The mower is powered by the solar energy it collects while it mows, with surplus energy stored in its nickel hydride battery.

It includes safety features like blades that automatically shut off when the mower is lifted, sensors that tell it to move around large objects and a theft-deterrent alarm.

The robot makes its U.S. debut this weekend at the Green Industry and Equipment Expo and may soon be available commercially. Husqvarna hasn"t revealed the price, but their original, non-solar-powered Automower goes for around $2,000.  Pretty pricey, but it might be worth it.

Via CNET

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]]> At Home Fri, 24 Oct 2008 17:24:29 -0700 PainlessPump.com :: At Home | Articles http://www.painlesspump.com/At-Home/At-Home/How-efficient-are-compact-fluorescent-lamps.html By Stefan Fassbinder

The Australian Government wants to ban the use of incandescent lamps. The German Minister for the Environment approves and is thinking of taking up the idea. Replacing an incandescent bulb by a compact fluorescent lamp (CFL) does indeed save around 75 % of the energy consumed. But how feasible is it to try and replace all existing incandescents by CFLs? Are today’s CFLs up to the job, or are technical improvements still required? And what about the alternatives? Are there any other light sources of equally high-efficiency as CFLs but without the disadvantages?

 

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