February 2010 Archives
The Federal Regulatory Energy Commission has granted Google the right to behave like a
utility. Google Energy, a wholly owned subsidiary of Google, will be able to sell back excess energy produced as would a utility company. This is a big step as anyone who has considered home solar installation knows that net metering can be a real limiter on how big an installation is built. Why put in extra energy producing capacity if you can't sell it back to the grid? Well, now Google can, and what's more, they can actually focus on producing energy with the intent to sell.
Most people have heard about Google's massive solar installations that help to power the Googleplex as well as their data centers across the world. They've even got solar parking covers that charge employee hybrids and EV's while they work! Recently Google also put in micro powerplants called Bloom Boxes that convert fuel + oxygen into efficient local electricity. This technology was just revealed on 60 minutes today and the company is backed by Kleiner Perkins (the same guys who funded Google and many other successful startups in the Bay Area). The video segment covering Bloom Box is below:
By leveraging their existing search, email, and advertising customer relationships with efficient clean energy options Google will have access to more information that can be used for... advertising! and other Googly things. Considering the potential micropower boom that Bloom Box could create with the help of an ally of Google, and Google's new license to sell power, I'm optimistic and excited to see what happens next!
Most people have heard about Google's massive solar installations that help to power the Googleplex as well as their data centers across the world. They've even got solar parking covers that charge employee hybrids and EV's while they work! Recently Google also put in micro powerplants called Bloom Boxes that convert fuel + oxygen into efficient local electricity. This technology was just revealed on 60 minutes today and the company is backed by Kleiner Perkins (the same guys who funded Google and many other successful startups in the Bay Area). The video segment covering Bloom Box is below:
By leveraging their existing search, email, and advertising customer relationships with efficient clean energy options Google will have access to more information that can be used for... advertising! and other Googly things. Considering the potential micropower boom that Bloom Box could create with the help of an ally of Google, and Google's new license to sell power, I'm optimistic and excited to see what happens next!
Freezers are some of the most energy hungry appliances in grocery stores, homes and science labs. They consist of a thermally insulated compartment and a pump that transfers heat into the external environment. The larger the freezer, the more heat needs to be removed, the more energy hungry the pump. In addition to sizing considerations, portability also comes into play when dealing with lab environments and research stations.
Ideally, labs would want to have several freezers in order to separate specimens and reduce contamination. Team or researcher level ownership also helps to reduce clutter and messes forming in a common space. Right now a range of mid sized freezers do exist but they are fairly expensive and lack the portability component. Many times researchers will use dry ice to move specimens through the field. Not only is dry ice messy and hard to work with, it is also extremely environmentally un-friendly.
A new device called the Cryoporter aims to solve these problems offering a $3,500 mini specimen freezer with changeable aluminum blocks, a cigarette lighter adapter, battery add-on and a plastic handle for easy portability. It's a cool device for several reasons. First, it relies on a Stirling engine to power the heat pump which is one of the most efficient and quiet ways to go. By offering something small and cheap enough to put at every lab station it reduces clutter and helps prevent contamination. It reduces the need for dry ice since it can easily be moved by one person and powered in a plane or car and even when it's not plugged in it can maintain a cool environment when kept shut.
Ideally, labs would want to have several freezers in order to separate specimens and reduce contamination. Team or researcher level ownership also helps to reduce clutter and messes forming in a common space. Right now a range of mid sized freezers do exist but they are fairly expensive and lack the portability component. Many times researchers will use dry ice to move specimens through the field. Not only is dry ice messy and hard to work with, it is also extremely environmentally un-friendly.
A new device called the Cryoporter aims to solve these problems offering a $3,500 mini specimen freezer with changeable aluminum blocks, a cigarette lighter adapter, battery add-on and a plastic handle for easy portability. It's a cool device for several reasons. First, it relies on a Stirling engine to power the heat pump which is one of the most efficient and quiet ways to go. By offering something small and cheap enough to put at every lab station it reduces clutter and helps prevent contamination. It reduces the need for dry ice since it can easily be moved by one person and powered in a plane or car and even when it's not plugged in it can maintain a cool environment when kept shut.
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