June 2009 Archives

We just received this notice from our partners at CarbonFund.org - an organization that helps us offset the CO2 produced through the operations of our website and business. The CleanTech Authority Network has been carbon neutral since 2007.

Just a few moments ago, the US House of Representatives passed the historic American Clean Energy and Security Act (ACES), otherwise known as cap-and-trade.

The vote passed 219-212. The bill's goal is to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 83% by 2050. While the bill still must go through the Senate and then conference before heading to the President, it represents a major accomplishment in the fight against climate change.

This is your victory!

Solving climate change is ultimately about leadership. We saw this in the House today. But it is your leadership over the last five years that made this bill possible.

Just a few years ago few people had any idea what the term 'carbon footprint' meant. Now the term is used regularly and even spoofed in The Onion. And so-called experts talked about carbon costing $50-100 per tonne, potentially wrecking our economy, not the real-life $5-10 per tonne we see today.

You knew climate change was a serious problem. And while you were under no obligation to take any action, you did. You reduced your emissions and you committed yourself, family or business to being carbon neutral. You supported third-party verified projects that reduced emissions. You spurred investment in clean energy projects and reforestation. And you showed it can all be done without breaking the bank.

Make no mistake, if we were still debating economic models showing theoretical carbon costs, this historic bill would not be possible. ACES is possible today because of what you have shown in the real world, that people want to reduce their carbon output, that it can be done relatively easily and that we can do it very cost-effectively.

Indeed, while the bill aims for an 83% reduction in 2050, and just 17% by 2020, many of you have reduced your emissions by 100% today.

Over 1,200 businesses and organizations and more than 450,000 individuals have reduced and offset their carbon emissions with Carbonfund.org, showing leadership when few even knew what they were talking about.

We'll all need to continue to minimize and offset our carbon emissions even after our country acts, but the commitment you have shown on fighting climate change has created the momentum, visibility, and call for action on climate change.

So enjoy this victory today. Pop some bubbly. Do a funky dance. Solving climate change is about leadership and your leadership has brought us to this historic moment. Congratulations!

Eric Carlson
President - CarbonFund.org

While this isn't exactly clean technology it's definitely worth sharing! This year at the Maker Faire in Silicon Valley there was a 10 foot tall Van de Graaff Generator that had the crowd going wild. A Van de Graaff generator demonstrates a number of principles including the relationship between charge and voltage, Q = CV, where C is the capacitance of the dome. The capacitance of a sphere with respect to infinity is about 1.1 pF per centimeter of radius. The electrical energy stored in the Van de Graaff generator is CV2/2. Energies below about 10 joules (corresponding to a dome with a 27-cm radius) are relatively safe... the one at Maker Faire would probably kill you.

Attendees were required to stand 15 feet away from this Van de Graaf but had it been smaller, and users a bit closer, their hair would have been standing up on end! This is because hair acquires charges of like sign which tend to repel one another. The Van de Graaff generator was one of the earliest particle accelerators used for nuclear physics research. Modern Van de Graaff generators and other similar electrostatic accelerators are still used for that purpose and are capable of voltages in excess of 20 million volts.

One of the interesting things about experiencing this demonstration in person was the smell of Ozone in the air. The Van de Graaff breaks apart Oxygen as it electrofies the air. Splitting dioxygen or O2 allows three Oxygen molecules to bond together and that resulting O3 is called Ozone. This same sort of smell occurs when you use an ionic breeze. Too much Ozone isn't good for you to breathe and it also oxidizes metals but the doors were open and fresh air was flowing at Maker Faire so I don't think anyone was hurt ;)

More about air purifiers and how they work here and Van De Graff generators here. Below is a great video by CNN interviewing Mister Jalopy, a man who supports the maker movement.

The CleanTech Authority Network is opening its doors to local publishers. Now anyone around the world who has an interest in Solar, Wind, Biomass, Electric Vehicles, Green Home, Hydro, Geothermal, or other Clean Technology can contribute his or her story to our site and in turn get published under their own name.

A perfect article would be a product review, a "how to" guide for the solar rebates offered in your state or town, a research paper from a class you took, or a story about how you converted your car to a plugin hybrid.

Our aim is to amass the most relevant and helpful clean tech information the world over and that's why we're inviting the real experts to help us out, you! Aside from helping the community, getting published on a professional website, and promoting yourself, you will be able to use links, images, and other widgets (such as Amazon or eBay) to generate a bit of extra cash on your story page (if you have images please note that in your submission and we will contact you for upload if your article is approved).

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In addition to the benefits mentioned above, each month we will select the top three contributors (in terms of page view, content shared, and our subjective opinion) and award them $50 instantly using PayPal. This process is very organic, labor intensive, and experimental. Therefore, we reserve the right to change or cancel the program at any time and without warning.

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