Aussies do their bit as solar panel use surges
Australians have installed more than 100,000 rooftop solar panels this year, more than in the entire previous decade, new data shows.
The clean energy sector says it shows Australians are keen to do their bit in the battle against climate change.
A report by Clean Energy Australia, released by the peak industry body today, provides a snapshot into just how Australia uses renewable energy.
It showed there were 105,520 solar power systems installed in Australia in the 10 months from January to October 2010, more than the 81,232 installed from 2001 to 2009.
The council's chief executive Matthew Warren said it made solar power technology the "Hills Hoist of the 21st century".
"Over the past year, more than 100,000 households have made a significant personal investment to take individual action on climate change," he said in a statement.
It was also a sign Australians were bracing themselves against hikes in electricity prices, Mr Warren said.
Electricity costs are slated to rise by up to two-thirds in NSW and Queensland by 2015 to meet increasing energy demands, with at least $100 billion needed to upgrade aging infrastructure.
Mr Warren said investments in clean energy would be much cheaper.
The report forecasts that the government's 20 per cent Renewable Energy Target (RET) will dramatically boost the sector, with more than 55,000 jobs to be created by 2020, mostly wind and solar.
That's up from the 8085 that presently exist.
Mr Warren said policy uncertainty surrounding climate change and renewables had slowed investment in large-scale clean energy projects, which recorded just modest growth.
Seventeen major projects were recorded to October this year, although another 11 are under way.
Overall, 8.67 per cent of Australia's electricity was provided by renewable sources in 2010, creating 21,751 gigawatt hours, with the remainder coming from fossil fuels.
SMH 21.12.10
Monday, December 20, 2010
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Plastic bags could be going...
Plastic out, biodegradable bags in to reduce landfill
Days numbered . . . plan to ban supermarket bags. Photo: Jon Reid
THE state government plans to introduce biodegradable bags to supermarket checkouts and open more waste collection centres to reduce landfill.
They are part of a draft waste avoidance plan to be released today by the Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water. It encourages businesses to recycle more and invest in waste infrastructure.
If the draft is adopted, compostable bags would be trialled in several supermarkets to gauge public acceptance.
Food scraps wrapped in compostable bags would be mixed with garden refuse and councils would be encouraged to combine collections for the two.
''By separating food scraps for compost we can greatly reduce the amount of waste that goes to landfill,'' the Environment Minister, Frank Sartor, said.
Plans for a national ban on plastic bags were scrapped in 2008.
South Australia, the ACT and the Northern Territory have since banned them and Tasmania is expected to legislate next year.
The national technical manager of the recycling company Remondis, Mohan Selvaraj, said it was sensible to run a pilot program because compostable bags had variable success overseas and their strength is questioned.
Mr Sartor said a ban on plastic bags was likely once compostable bags were accepted.
The government will also increase the number of council waste collection centres for difficult items such as gas bottles, car batteries or paint. Talks to oblige manufacturers of problem wastes to help recycle products have become bogged down.
A scheme for electronic waste such as televisions and computers will start next year but there is argument over the cost and impact of so-called extended producer responsibility for other wastes. If there is no progress at a national level by 2013, NSW will introduce its own measures.
There will also be clearer land-use planning guidelines under the action plan in an attempt to attract more investment in recycling facilities.
The manager of sustainability at Veolia Environmental Services, Peter Shmigel, called on the government to follow Victoria and provide infrastructure subsidies. NSW collects more than $300 million a year in landfill levies but reinvests little in recycling, he said.
The action plan is designed to push NSW closer to its goal of recycling about two-thirds of waste by 2014. In 2008-09 the state recycled 59 per cent of the waste generated.
Consultation on the draft plan runs until February, when Mr Sartor will finalise the plan.
Aaron Cook
December 20, 2010 (SMH)
Days numbered . . . plan to ban supermarket bags. Photo: Jon Reid
THE state government plans to introduce biodegradable bags to supermarket checkouts and open more waste collection centres to reduce landfill.
They are part of a draft waste avoidance plan to be released today by the Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water. It encourages businesses to recycle more and invest in waste infrastructure.
If the draft is adopted, compostable bags would be trialled in several supermarkets to gauge public acceptance.
Food scraps wrapped in compostable bags would be mixed with garden refuse and councils would be encouraged to combine collections for the two.
''By separating food scraps for compost we can greatly reduce the amount of waste that goes to landfill,'' the Environment Minister, Frank Sartor, said.
Plans for a national ban on plastic bags were scrapped in 2008.
South Australia, the ACT and the Northern Territory have since banned them and Tasmania is expected to legislate next year.
The national technical manager of the recycling company Remondis, Mohan Selvaraj, said it was sensible to run a pilot program because compostable bags had variable success overseas and their strength is questioned.
Mr Sartor said a ban on plastic bags was likely once compostable bags were accepted.
The government will also increase the number of council waste collection centres for difficult items such as gas bottles, car batteries or paint. Talks to oblige manufacturers of problem wastes to help recycle products have become bogged down.
A scheme for electronic waste such as televisions and computers will start next year but there is argument over the cost and impact of so-called extended producer responsibility for other wastes. If there is no progress at a national level by 2013, NSW will introduce its own measures.
There will also be clearer land-use planning guidelines under the action plan in an attempt to attract more investment in recycling facilities.
The manager of sustainability at Veolia Environmental Services, Peter Shmigel, called on the government to follow Victoria and provide infrastructure subsidies. NSW collects more than $300 million a year in landfill levies but reinvests little in recycling, he said.
The action plan is designed to push NSW closer to its goal of recycling about two-thirds of waste by 2014. In 2008-09 the state recycled 59 per cent of the waste generated.
Consultation on the draft plan runs until February, when Mr Sartor will finalise the plan.
Aaron Cook
December 20, 2010 (SMH)
Monday, December 6, 2010
Doing nothing on climate is a fool's wager
Doing nothing on climate is a fool's wager
Barry Jones (SMH)
December 7, 2010
With nothing to lose and much to gain, action is in the national interest.
Climate change as a political issue has probably had a greater effect in Australia than any other nation. In 2007, when Kevin Rudd campaigned on climate change as ''the greatest moral issue of our time'', it was a major factor in defeating the Howard government and sweeping the ALP into office.
Last December, the Copenhagen climate change conference failed to secure international agreement for binding targets for greenhouse gas reductions and was beset by controversy about the validity of projections by climatologists.
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Australia retreated from its aspiration to be seen as an international leader and exemplary model in setting greenhouse goals, and Labor made the inexplicable blunder of failing to involve the community in education and advocacy, despite opinion polls indicating that more than 60 per cent of voters favoured setting a carbon price and acting decisively on climate change.
In the 2010 federal election, climate change was barely mentioned as an issue and Prime Minister Julia Gillard's proposal to establish a ''citizens' assembly'' of 150 to promote public engagement in climate change attracted much derision.
Climate change was central in reducing Labor's primary vote to 38 per cent, increasing the Greens vote to 11.7 per cent, and may have contributed to the high informal vote.
Labor's vote fell sharply in the mining states of Queensland and Western Australia, increased in Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania. The ALP maintained a majority of seats in New South Wales despite growing distaste for the state Labor government.
Australia refuses to face a ''post-carbon'' future. The moral implications have been marginalised. National Times columnist Elizabeth Farrelly's coinages ''climate morality'' and ''carbon ethics'' are timely and appropriate, but they are not in the political lexicon.
After the 2010 election produced a hung parliament, Gillard negotiated a deal with the Greens and independents that put climate change back on the agenda. The concept of Australia ''going it alone'' to set a moral example and secure a stronger bargaining position in international negotiations had become a sour joke. We were trailing far behind.
Despite Barack Obama's problems with his Senate, he grasped the issues and some states, notably California, had taken leadership roles. China, potentially facing the greatest risk from climate change of any major state, seemed to be taking practical action. Britain and New Zealand have both adopted carbon prices.
In Australia, the opposition is strongly opposed to setting a carbon price and the Gillard government is hesitant. It is probably too late for Australia to act unilaterally - and courageously - on greenhouse targets. We may be able to regain some moral authority if we propose higher targets, developing new scientific programs for alternatives to fossil fuels and work constructively with the US, European Union, China, India and Indonesia.
I have proposed my own variant of ''Pascal's wager'' to examine the options for climate change:
■ If we take action on climate change and disaster is averted, there will be massive avoidance of human suffering.
■ If we take action and the climate change problem abates for other reasons, little is lost and we benefit from a cleaner environment.
■ If we fail to act and disaster results, then massive suffering will have been aggravated by stupidity.
■ If we do not take action and there is no disaster, the outcome will be due to luck alone, like an idiot winning the lottery.
Failure to act appears to favour the present but it certainly prejudices the future. As the French diplomat Talleyrand acutely observed 200 years ago, ''Not to choose is to choose''.
Political failure on climate change in Australia has had three direct consequences: inaction on the issue, political mayhem, and the sacrifice of international influence.
Crisis-driven policy is a consequence of inaction, which in turn heightens the risk both of environmental disaster and political upheaval. Public involvement in the climate change debate is critical and must be genuine. But there are limits to consensus and, ultimately, decisions will need to be made based on what needs to be done. Leadership matters and political will is required if outcomes are to be changed.
The electorate appears to want, or is at least prepared to tolerate, action even if tough. Policy and the debate that surrounds policy development needs to be informed and critical: opinion must be distinguished from fact, arguments must be supported, and not all opinions carry equal weight in the absence of such support.
A solution will need to be found to the ''two cultures'' approach that separates scientists and economists: the environment and the economy are interdependent. Ultimately, Australia can and should choose to set a moral example and work towards a new economic base. Moreover, as the new version of Pascal's wager suggests, action is the low-risk road with the prospect of highest reward. It is in the national interest to take it.
Professor Barry Jones is a writer, broadcaster and former federal Labor politician. He is currently a professorial fellow at the University of Melbourne. This is an edited version of an essay commissioned by the Whitlam Institute within the University of Western Sydney that will be launched today.
Barry Jones (SMH)
December 7, 2010
With nothing to lose and much to gain, action is in the national interest.
Climate change as a political issue has probably had a greater effect in Australia than any other nation. In 2007, when Kevin Rudd campaigned on climate change as ''the greatest moral issue of our time'', it was a major factor in defeating the Howard government and sweeping the ALP into office.
Last December, the Copenhagen climate change conference failed to secure international agreement for binding targets for greenhouse gas reductions and was beset by controversy about the validity of projections by climatologists.
Advertisement: Story continues below
Australia retreated from its aspiration to be seen as an international leader and exemplary model in setting greenhouse goals, and Labor made the inexplicable blunder of failing to involve the community in education and advocacy, despite opinion polls indicating that more than 60 per cent of voters favoured setting a carbon price and acting decisively on climate change.
In the 2010 federal election, climate change was barely mentioned as an issue and Prime Minister Julia Gillard's proposal to establish a ''citizens' assembly'' of 150 to promote public engagement in climate change attracted much derision.
Climate change was central in reducing Labor's primary vote to 38 per cent, increasing the Greens vote to 11.7 per cent, and may have contributed to the high informal vote.
Labor's vote fell sharply in the mining states of Queensland and Western Australia, increased in Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania. The ALP maintained a majority of seats in New South Wales despite growing distaste for the state Labor government.
Australia refuses to face a ''post-carbon'' future. The moral implications have been marginalised. National Times columnist Elizabeth Farrelly's coinages ''climate morality'' and ''carbon ethics'' are timely and appropriate, but they are not in the political lexicon.
After the 2010 election produced a hung parliament, Gillard negotiated a deal with the Greens and independents that put climate change back on the agenda. The concept of Australia ''going it alone'' to set a moral example and secure a stronger bargaining position in international negotiations had become a sour joke. We were trailing far behind.
Despite Barack Obama's problems with his Senate, he grasped the issues and some states, notably California, had taken leadership roles. China, potentially facing the greatest risk from climate change of any major state, seemed to be taking practical action. Britain and New Zealand have both adopted carbon prices.
In Australia, the opposition is strongly opposed to setting a carbon price and the Gillard government is hesitant. It is probably too late for Australia to act unilaterally - and courageously - on greenhouse targets. We may be able to regain some moral authority if we propose higher targets, developing new scientific programs for alternatives to fossil fuels and work constructively with the US, European Union, China, India and Indonesia.
I have proposed my own variant of ''Pascal's wager'' to examine the options for climate change:
■ If we take action on climate change and disaster is averted, there will be massive avoidance of human suffering.
■ If we take action and the climate change problem abates for other reasons, little is lost and we benefit from a cleaner environment.
■ If we fail to act and disaster results, then massive suffering will have been aggravated by stupidity.
■ If we do not take action and there is no disaster, the outcome will be due to luck alone, like an idiot winning the lottery.
Failure to act appears to favour the present but it certainly prejudices the future. As the French diplomat Talleyrand acutely observed 200 years ago, ''Not to choose is to choose''.
Political failure on climate change in Australia has had three direct consequences: inaction on the issue, political mayhem, and the sacrifice of international influence.
Crisis-driven policy is a consequence of inaction, which in turn heightens the risk both of environmental disaster and political upheaval. Public involvement in the climate change debate is critical and must be genuine. But there are limits to consensus and, ultimately, decisions will need to be made based on what needs to be done. Leadership matters and political will is required if outcomes are to be changed.
The electorate appears to want, or is at least prepared to tolerate, action even if tough. Policy and the debate that surrounds policy development needs to be informed and critical: opinion must be distinguished from fact, arguments must be supported, and not all opinions carry equal weight in the absence of such support.
A solution will need to be found to the ''two cultures'' approach that separates scientists and economists: the environment and the economy are interdependent. Ultimately, Australia can and should choose to set a moral example and work towards a new economic base. Moreover, as the new version of Pascal's wager suggests, action is the low-risk road with the prospect of highest reward. It is in the national interest to take it.
Professor Barry Jones is a writer, broadcaster and former federal Labor politician. He is currently a professorial fellow at the University of Melbourne. This is an edited version of an essay commissioned by the Whitlam Institute within the University of Western Sydney that will be launched today.
Friday, November 26, 2010
New Ausiie $10k Electric car from 2102
An Australian-designed designed electric car to be built in China plans to take on the world with a sub-$10,000 price, an iPad like dash capable of downloading apps and the promise of never needing fuel.
Set to debut at July's Melbourne motor show, the Noddy-like EDay hatch will initially arrive next year as 100 lease vehicles before going on sale in 2012 from $9990 (plus on-road costs), undercutting petrol powered competitors by thousands and about 14 per cent of the price of the only mass produced electric car on sale today, Mitsubishi's i-MiEV.
Able to travel up to 160km between charges, it has a top speed of just 80km/h and a weight of 450kg it will be the slowest and lightest new car on the market - and the cheapest, something sure to cement its appeal in a segment where shaving a few hundred dollars can boost sales.
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The top secret project is being run by EDay Life, a small Australian company run by former Holden director of innovation and advanced engineering Laurie Sparke and car dealer Robert Lane. The pair have formed a team of 20 designers and engineers and are finalising plans to sell the cars in countries as diverse as Malaysia, Hong Kong, UK and France.
"What we're bringing ... is Australian innovative technology," says Sparke of the ambitious start-up project. "We are going to develop the new-generation of electric car."
While the prospect of a start-up taking on the established car makers may seem laughable, Sparke says the size, flexibility and clean-sheet approach brings advantages.
Just as fledgling brand Tesla prompted others to take notice - Toyota has since signed an agreement with the Californian electric car specialist - he predicts a rise of next-generation vehicle manufacturers driven from the IT industry, pointing to the Dell computers business model of lean manufacturing.
"If you look at who is driving [the technology behind] electric cars, they're not from the auto industry," says Sparke. "It's the new technology that is coming, and the global [automotive] manufacturers can't respond."
Sparke says a ground-up design allows engineering flexibility while Australian ingenuity - often leveraged by US giants Ford and General Motors with their local operations - and EDay's miniscule size gives it an advantage over established players.
"Currently an electric car is simply the smallest car in a global manufacturer's range. It's had the engine pulled out and an electric motor put in - that's a very compromised solution. An electric car needs to be different in a whole range of ways and we'll develop those in Australia.
The EDay will also get a touchscreen display to control major functions and the ability to download apps that could include everything from basic vehicle data to vehicle-to-home communication
Sparke believes the world will be accepting of an affordable electric car. Already there are various Australian fledgling operations converting conventional hatchbacks into electric vehicles, but the EDay promises to be by far the most affordable.
"Our global advantage is we'll be able to do that in a time frame of three to six months with smart solutions that aren't locked up in the way cars are always being done," he says. "And we'll have globally competitive vehicles."
However, he concedes manufacturing a budget electric car in Australia doesn't make sense, prompting the move to utilise the low manufacturing costs of China, which is fast becoming a global automotive powerhouse. With production set for a Shanghai plant with capacity of 50,000 (and potential for 100,000) EDay plans to sell the cars around the world.
"What we've been very skilled at in Australia the last 20 years is smart engineering. We [Australia] can't manufacture as cheap as China, but we can design, develop, test and certify and that's the automotive business that Australia can do, a world-competitive business."
Sparke admits the EDay is a specific vehicle that will sell largely on price and its zero emissions promise.
"We're starting with a car that's fairly mundane," he admits. "But we'll satisfy the market needs because people are eager to have an electric car and its looks are a secondary consideration.
Sparke, who was instrumental in introducing life saving safety features into the Holden Commodore is aware of the mountainous road ahead in a world where profits have slimmed and major brands been forced to change the way they do business.
"Today's challenge is to establish ourselves in the market as a credible supplier of electric vehicles," he says. "To ensure we don't compromise that credibility, we've gone to a lot of effort to monitor this fleet so we don't trip over when we go into a larger volume of production.
"We'll utilise Australian technology and suppliers to do the prototype and testing here. And when we've got a proven solution, we'll send that to our manufacturers in China and they'll produce it."
Set to debut at July's Melbourne motor show, the Noddy-like EDay hatch will initially arrive next year as 100 lease vehicles before going on sale in 2012 from $9990 (plus on-road costs), undercutting petrol powered competitors by thousands and about 14 per cent of the price of the only mass produced electric car on sale today, Mitsubishi's i-MiEV.
Able to travel up to 160km between charges, it has a top speed of just 80km/h and a weight of 450kg it will be the slowest and lightest new car on the market - and the cheapest, something sure to cement its appeal in a segment where shaving a few hundred dollars can boost sales.
Advertisement: Story continues below
The top secret project is being run by EDay Life, a small Australian company run by former Holden director of innovation and advanced engineering Laurie Sparke and car dealer Robert Lane. The pair have formed a team of 20 designers and engineers and are finalising plans to sell the cars in countries as diverse as Malaysia, Hong Kong, UK and France.
"What we're bringing ... is Australian innovative technology," says Sparke of the ambitious start-up project. "We are going to develop the new-generation of electric car."
While the prospect of a start-up taking on the established car makers may seem laughable, Sparke says the size, flexibility and clean-sheet approach brings advantages.
Just as fledgling brand Tesla prompted others to take notice - Toyota has since signed an agreement with the Californian electric car specialist - he predicts a rise of next-generation vehicle manufacturers driven from the IT industry, pointing to the Dell computers business model of lean manufacturing.
"If you look at who is driving [the technology behind] electric cars, they're not from the auto industry," says Sparke. "It's the new technology that is coming, and the global [automotive] manufacturers can't respond."
Sparke says a ground-up design allows engineering flexibility while Australian ingenuity - often leveraged by US giants Ford and General Motors with their local operations - and EDay's miniscule size gives it an advantage over established players.
"Currently an electric car is simply the smallest car in a global manufacturer's range. It's had the engine pulled out and an electric motor put in - that's a very compromised solution. An electric car needs to be different in a whole range of ways and we'll develop those in Australia.
The EDay will also get a touchscreen display to control major functions and the ability to download apps that could include everything from basic vehicle data to vehicle-to-home communication
Sparke believes the world will be accepting of an affordable electric car. Already there are various Australian fledgling operations converting conventional hatchbacks into electric vehicles, but the EDay promises to be by far the most affordable.
"Our global advantage is we'll be able to do that in a time frame of three to six months with smart solutions that aren't locked up in the way cars are always being done," he says. "And we'll have globally competitive vehicles."
However, he concedes manufacturing a budget electric car in Australia doesn't make sense, prompting the move to utilise the low manufacturing costs of China, which is fast becoming a global automotive powerhouse. With production set for a Shanghai plant with capacity of 50,000 (and potential for 100,000) EDay plans to sell the cars around the world.
"What we've been very skilled at in Australia the last 20 years is smart engineering. We [Australia] can't manufacture as cheap as China, but we can design, develop, test and certify and that's the automotive business that Australia can do, a world-competitive business."
Sparke admits the EDay is a specific vehicle that will sell largely on price and its zero emissions promise.
"We're starting with a car that's fairly mundane," he admits. "But we'll satisfy the market needs because people are eager to have an electric car and its looks are a secondary consideration.
Sparke, who was instrumental in introducing life saving safety features into the Holden Commodore is aware of the mountainous road ahead in a world where profits have slimmed and major brands been forced to change the way they do business.
"Today's challenge is to establish ourselves in the market as a credible supplier of electric vehicles," he says. "To ensure we don't compromise that credibility, we've gone to a lot of effort to monitor this fleet so we don't trip over when we go into a larger volume of production.
"We'll utilise Australian technology and suppliers to do the prototype and testing here. And when we've got a proven solution, we'll send that to our manufacturers in China and they'll produce it."
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Europe has banned baby bottles containing the chemical Bisphenol-A
Europe has banned baby bottles containing the chemical Bisphenol-A as of early next year over fears it may harm the health of children throughout the EU's half a billion population.
Parents across the European Union, the world's biggest open market, "can be sure that as of mid-2011 plastic infant feeding bottles will not include BPA", said John Dalli, commissioner in charge of health and consumer policy.
"This is good news for European consumers."
The ban will see the "manufacture of polycarbonate infant feeding bottles with BPA" outlawed from March 1, 2011, and from June 1, 2011, "the placing on the market and the importation into the union of these bottles will be prohibited", the commission underlined in a statement.
Dalli's spokesman Frederic Vincent told AFP that the commission successfully "tried its luck" by bringing forward a proposal originally intended for presentation in early 2011 and seek backing for a ban before a committee of national government experts already scheduled to meet on Thursday.
The decision does not require the approval of the European Parliament, which in any case called in June for such a ban.
"This is the result of months of discussion and exchange of views between the commission's services, the European Food Safety Agency (EFSA), the member states and the industry," a delighted commission added.
Canada became in October the first country in the world to classify Bisphenol-A as a toxic substance despite industry opposition.
Only two EU countries, France and Denmark, had unilaterally imposed bans on baby bottles with the controversial substance. Danish authorities went a step further by extending the prohibition to all food products for children up to three years old.
Bans are already in place in Canada and a few US states. A similar voluntary move is under way in Australia.
EFSA issued in September an opinion by experts on the chemical, which said that Bisphenol-A was safe in very small quantities, but also pointed to areas of uncertainty.
"It cannot be excluded that there might be an effect on the development, immune response or tumour promotion," Dalli said in a statement on October 7.
Parents across the European Union, the world's biggest open market, "can be sure that as of mid-2011 plastic infant feeding bottles will not include BPA", said John Dalli, commissioner in charge of health and consumer policy.
"This is good news for European consumers."
The ban will see the "manufacture of polycarbonate infant feeding bottles with BPA" outlawed from March 1, 2011, and from June 1, 2011, "the placing on the market and the importation into the union of these bottles will be prohibited", the commission underlined in a statement.
Dalli's spokesman Frederic Vincent told AFP that the commission successfully "tried its luck" by bringing forward a proposal originally intended for presentation in early 2011 and seek backing for a ban before a committee of national government experts already scheduled to meet on Thursday.
The decision does not require the approval of the European Parliament, which in any case called in June for such a ban.
"This is the result of months of discussion and exchange of views between the commission's services, the European Food Safety Agency (EFSA), the member states and the industry," a delighted commission added.
Canada became in October the first country in the world to classify Bisphenol-A as a toxic substance despite industry opposition.
Only two EU countries, France and Denmark, had unilaterally imposed bans on baby bottles with the controversial substance. Danish authorities went a step further by extending the prohibition to all food products for children up to three years old.
Bans are already in place in Canada and a few US states. A similar voluntary move is under way in Australia.
EFSA issued in September an opinion by experts on the chemical, which said that Bisphenol-A was safe in very small quantities, but also pointed to areas of uncertainty.
"It cannot be excluded that there might be an effect on the development, immune response or tumour promotion," Dalli said in a statement on October 7.
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Audi all electric supercar....
Audi's battery-powered R8's enticing looks and performance aplenty hide a heart that is pure green, reports Peter Mckay.
Audi confesses it may have arrived a little late to the electro-mobility party; its mostly Japanese rivals were dancing and show-boating long before the German luxury brand even rang the doorbell.
Audi clearly wants to arrive with a flourish. While other brands roll out tiny plug-in city runabouts with modest performance credentials and geeky looks, Audi's sleek R8 supercar is leading the German brand's electric charge.
It's a heck of an eye-catcher in which to arrive at the electric vehicle (EV) soiree — a sleek supercar dubbed the R8 E-Tron that (almost silently) whooshes from standstill to 100km/h in a Porsche-like 4.8 seconds.
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With its prodigious acceleration — like a Scalectrix car jumping from rest — the R8 E-Tron quattro will target enthusiast drivers with a green bent when it goes into limited production in late 2012.
With looks to match its intent, the car has demonstrated that brands don't need to create cartoonish electric vehicles that appear to be the unfortunate outcome of a few moments of unseemly passion between a Smart car and a Tata Nano.
The R8 looks gorgeous and its aluminium spaceframe construction is suitably high-tech for a car of the future.
The R8 E-Tron is a full EV with a 550-kilogram battery pack mounted amidships and an asynchronous electric motor on each of the four wheels, making it a genuine all-wheel-drive vehicle. Power transmits to the wheels via a single-staged transmission and short input shafts.
It wasn't the cheapest car to develop but Audi sees it as a chance to integrate more expensive technology into a premium sports EV. It is also a golden opportunity to catch the eye of the world's media; hence Audi's exclusive invitation for Drive to get behind the wheel of this breakthrough supercar for a short road loop in Germany.
Our preview of Audi's electric future doesn't end with the R8. The brand has also developed a three-door E-Tron version of its city runabout, the A1. The R8 E-Tron may be the show-stopper but the A1 is the car most likely to generate serious production volumes. The final part of the jigsaw is a drive in Audi's first production petrol-electric hybrid, based on the Q5 soft-roader.
In the metal, our R8 E-Tron looks menacing and ready to excite. After wriggling into the racy Recaro seat, you twist the key and instead of the usual ferocious roar from a V8 or V10, there's ... nothing. Just a gauge in a surprisingly familiar cluster on the dash that advises you're "ready".
Moving the gear lever from P to D and pressing the accelerator unleashes a very swift change of scenery, accompanied by some growl from the fat, 19-inch tyres and a little resonance from within the car. "It's only a prototype," the man from Audi says.
There is no tachometer, of course, replaced by a dial representing the recuperation status of the energy supply and the output. You can select the level of recuperation by pressing switches on the steering wheel, influencing the energy recovery and braking power of the electric motors and so extending the range.
Audi's head of pre-development of vehicle concepts, Dr Michael Korte, says the R8 E-Tron is not an autobahn-storming machine designed for long runs on Europe's high-speed motorways. He compares it to a powerful sports motorcycle — a mix of fun and technology that is good for short bursts of stunning speed.
With a combined output of 230kW of power and about 680Nm of torque (Audi misleadingly claims 4500Nm but is calculating the output at the wheels rather than the motors), the R8's four engines can accelerate and decelerate individually with impressive exactness thanks to a clever management system.
Similar to the standard Audi R8, about 70 per cent of the power acts at the rear wheels in regular operation, with the remaining 30 per cent going to the front wheels. Should wheelspin occur, the software changes the balance in a fraction of a second.
The individual control of the four motors also allows so-called torque vectoring, the selective acceleration of individual wheels and, therefore, active distribution of torque. Any loss of traction in individual wheels, such as understeer and oversteer, is countered quickly using small power boosts and brake interventions.
Behind the cockpit are the large, fluid-cooled, rechargeable lithium-ion batteries and the electronics used to control the power flow. Impressively, engineers have managed a 42:58 front-to-rear weight distribution, matching the regular R8.
Audi insists the production R8 E-Tron will weigh no more than the V8-engined R8 supercar. In its final evolutionary stage for market, the R8 E-Tron's battery is expected to be good for a range of about 250 kilometres (although manufacturer claims of EV range are often optimistic).
While the R8 E-Tron may be the attention grabber, the E-Tron versions of Audi's small city runabout, the A1, and its compact soft-roader, the Q5, are also on hand for our test drive.
The A1 E-Tron is a three-door hatch that uses a tiny petrol engine to extend its range once its battery reserves are depleted. The range-extender comes in the form of a compact rotary engine used not as an alternative to the battery but, specifically, to put energy back into the battery when needed — such as on a longer-than-normal commute or a steep climb.
From the driver's seat, the three-door A1 E-Tron looks much like a regular A1 that goes on sale here next month. Except, that is, for unfamiliar gauges with terms such as "E-Tron ready" that give the all-clear to engage D on the gearbox selector and hit the accelerator for emission-free motoring using only the electric-drive system.
In this mode, the range is about 50 kilometres — good enough for most daily commutes. The Volkswagen Group, which owns Audi, says research shows that of the 60 per cent of Germans who travel to work by car, almost half travel less than 10 kilometres and a third travel less than 25 kilometres. Recharging every 50 kilometres means there would be no need to use any petrol.
Based on a suite of information the car collects (such as driving style, outside temperature, navigational data), it decides when to move to range-extender mode to replenish the battery that feeds an electric motor mounted transversely in the front. The driver may also press a button on the dash to trigger the range extender's vibration-free and quiet rotary engine.
The 254cc petrol engine is fed by a 12-litre fuel tank and powers a 15kW generator able to extend the A1 E-Tron's range by an extra 200 kilometres. True, it's consuming some petrol — a meagre 1.9 litres per 100 kilometres — but at the same time the battery is recharging and increasing the drive it supplies to the vehicle.
The lush torque of an electric motor is evident almost the instant you push the throttle and there's a feeling of almost limitless thrust, uninhibited by the need to change gears. The front wheels are fed a minimum 45kW of power and 150Nm of torque, with peak numbers as high as 75kW and 240Nm. The torque flows to the front axle via a single-stage transmission flanged to the electric motor. The almost-silent travel is eerie, with just a light whine and a little tyre noise discernible.
Claimed acceleration from rest to 100km/h is 10.2 seconds, with a top speed of more than 130km/h. That's not as impressive as a regular A1 but hardly a deal-breaker for most commuters. Obvious, too, is that there are few compromises with the A1's adaptation to the electric drivetrain. It still seats four, there is cabin cooling and heating, a premium sound system sits in the dash and the cargo area is its usual size. The T-shaped lithium-ion battery pack is hidden under the rear part of the centre tunnel and below the rear seats, giving excellent weight distribution.
Features such as full internet connectivity — with Google navigation and a wireless hot-spot — hint that it's a car more suited to contemporary city transport.
The A1 E-Tron also destroys another misconception — that EVs are heavier than regular cars because of the battery pack. The E-Tron version weighs about the same as the regular A1 as there is no heavy multi-stage transmission or four-cylinder engine and no big fuel tank.
A socket for the standard household plug fitting used to recharge the A1 is hidden behind the Audi badge on the grille. A flat battery requires less than three hours' charging time from a 240-volt grid — or 30 minutes for high-voltage fast charging.
On the move, the large electric motor driving the A1 E-Tron can convert deceleration energy into electric current , which is fed back to the electrical system by operating as a generator once the driver releases the accelerator. In city traffic, it can recover almost one-third of its energy.
The project leader for the A1 E-Tron, Dietrich Engelhart, is evangelical about his baby, using "when" rather than "if" to talk about a production version. "It is a mature concept with premium quality, the space, the ease of operation, convenience features such as a sound system," he says. "It's a true Audi."
While the ultimate goal is to provide pure electric propulsion, Audi is also developing more traditional hybrid vehicles for the short-term.
The company's first mass-market hybrid is set for German and US showrooms by the middle of next year, although right-hand-drive versions are unlikely.
The Q5 Hybrid Quattro — pitched as a sporty mid-size soft-roader with the power of a V6 and the fuel economy of a four-cylinder turbo diesel — offers the practicality of the Q5 range here.
A brief drive in Ingolstadt, Audi's hometown, adds weight to the claims. The direct-injection, turbo-charged petrol 2.0-litre four, and the associated electric motor sandwiched in between the engine and the gearbox, together have a system output of 180kW and 480Nm. That gives the vehicle excellent driveability, along with impressive acceleration of 7.1 seconds from 0-100km/h. Top speed is 222km/h. Fuel use on the official European cycle is a little less than 7.0L/100km.
There's some doubt that the compact hybrid soft-roader will make it to market as there are plenty of Audi engineers who still view diesel as a superior green technology. However, the US market has been slow to embrace diesel and Audi is keen to have a rival for the Lexus RX450h hybrid soft-roader.
The hybrid Q5 looks and feels normal inside, with no loss of cabin or luggage room. Press the start button and a "hybrid ready" sign tells the driver the Q5 is set to move. Slip the gear selection lever into D and you move off in pure electric mode. An EV button on the dash provides an extended drive mode. Press it and the petrol engine starts.
Audi first eased into hybrid development in 1989 with its "Duo" concept based on the 100 Avant. The Q5 is the result of three generations of development.
Changes from the Q5 range on sale here include modifying the engine internals and introducing the stop-start requirements of a hybrid (at rest, both power sources are deactivated). It gains an eight-speed automatic gearbox, electromechanical steering and larger brakes beneath 19-inch wheels.
The lithium-ion batteries, weighing just 38 kilograms, are stored where the spare wheel is normally housed. A redesigned instrument cluster now incorporates a "remaining battery charge" meter, which looks similar to a fuel gauge, and a larger dial that shows whether the car is using power from the engine or battery or is recovering energy under deceleration.
The powertrain of the hybrid Q5 can also be used in other Audis with longitudinally mounted engines — the new A8 and the as-yet unseen A6 are prime candidates.
For more on the Audi E-Tron concept cars, go to drive.com.au/audi
When silence is not golden
Premium car makers usually spend inordinate time and expense reducing noise and vibration, a painstaking process aimed at cocooning occupants in glorious silence.
Electric vehicles have no exhaust pipe and therefore emit no sounds of acceleration and gear changes.
Gliding through the streets, EVs are almost silent at speeds up to 25km/h. Beyond that, some tyre noise can be heard but it is not loud enough to warn pedestrians — particularly the vision-impaired — of approaching danger.
In the US and Japan, it is already law for silent cars to have a manufactured noise source and other countries are likely to follow.
Audi acousticians are hard at work developing unique artificial sounds for its E-Tron vehicles.
"It's not just a matter of safety," says the acoustics chief at Audi, Ralf Kunkel. "It is also a question of how the Audi of the future should sound."
That sound will not be of a combustion engine, nor of a jet aeroplane or anything in nature, such as the rustle of leaves.
Kunkel offers a clue: "The [EV] sound will be new and unusual. The Audi RSQ in the film I, Robot gives an indication."
SMH 22.11.10
m/
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Food experiment - is pre-prepared food more efficient?
Food experiment - is a 2-week delivered pre-preared low-fat breakfast/lunch/dinner more energy efficient than making breakfast/lunch/dinner every day?
Starting today we have had a weeks worth of pre-prepared breakfast/lunch/dinner delivered, all we have to do it is eat it!
This is a two fold exercise - seeing if the energy & water saved in the preparation and storage and washing up generated by home cooking/shopping is greater or less than the energy & water generated by pre-prepared food.
It's quite a difficult exercise to quantify as we don't know the energy used by the company we are using (lite n easy) so we will have to make some educated assumptions on transport, cooking, storage etc... but we can fairly accurately work out our own usage. So we should get a reasonable comparison.
There are other issues such as wastage of packaging (have already noticed the plastic is a degradable plastic (bit is it food safe?) but will try and find out this type of info for a final breakdown and report. Will also send this information to the company for comments and see if we can build up a final recommendation!
If anyone else has tried this or has experience with pre-prepared/delivered food, please let us know what you think!
Lastly, most people try this to loose weight. We are being delivered 1500 calories every day, so we will also factor in the heath aspect of this exercise as well - might even slim down a little!
Stay Tuned!
Starting today we have had a weeks worth of pre-prepared breakfast/lunch/dinner delivered, all we have to do it is eat it!
This is a two fold exercise - seeing if the energy & water saved in the preparation and storage and washing up generated by home cooking/shopping is greater or less than the energy & water generated by pre-prepared food.
It's quite a difficult exercise to quantify as we don't know the energy used by the company we are using (lite n easy) so we will have to make some educated assumptions on transport, cooking, storage etc... but we can fairly accurately work out our own usage. So we should get a reasonable comparison.
There are other issues such as wastage of packaging (have already noticed the plastic is a degradable plastic (bit is it food safe?) but will try and find out this type of info for a final breakdown and report. Will also send this information to the company for comments and see if we can build up a final recommendation!
If anyone else has tried this or has experience with pre-prepared/delivered food, please let us know what you think!
Lastly, most people try this to loose weight. We are being delivered 1500 calories every day, so we will also factor in the heath aspect of this exercise as well - might even slim down a little!
Stay Tuned!
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Nissan believes many electric car owners will mostly recharge in the garage, and not at rapid recharge station
Nissan believes many electric car owners will mostly recharge in the garage, and not at rapid recharge stations.
Owners of Nissan's Leaf electric car will be more likely to trickle-charge their car at home than visit a rapid recharging station for a top up, the car maker says.
Nissan Australia chief executive Dan Thompson says he believes a 15-amp power point plug will be the most important accessory for owners of the fully electric car, which can travel up to 160km on a single charge of its battery pack depending on conditions.
The Leaf is due to launch in Australia in 2012, about a year after the Mitsubishi's i-MiEV electric car becomes available to private buyers (it's currently only offered to fleets and governments on a lease basis) and the Holden Volt range-extended electric vehicle, which uses a small petrol engine linked to a generator to supply on-demand electricity.
Thompson says the development of recharging infrastructure is likely to be a two-stage process, starting with the home before working its way into commercially operated recharging points.
“You will be able to plug the Leaf directly into your (electrical) outlet at home or in the office … and that's where we see most of the charging taking place in the beginning,” he says. “That will be about eight hours for a full top-up or a full charge.”
However, he says there will eventually be a need for commercial recharging point operators to move into the market, anticipating that many Leaf owners will use those to gain only a brief, 10-minute charge to, say, lift battery capacity from 50 to 80 per cent – much like dashing into a petrol station and taking on only a splash of fuel – rather than idling for a 30-minute stay to take on a full load of electricity.
Nissan says Leaf owners will be able to recharge their car using a normal 10 amp household power point, but it takes about twice the eight-hour recharging time over a 15 amp plug, which uses a larger earth pin than a normal household plug. A new plug can be fitted by a qualified electrician for very little cost.
Thompson says Nissan is leaving it up to other providers to install rapid recharging stations where electric car owners can get a top-up.
“[Rapid recharging stations] require a considerable hardware investment, so we'll leave it up to other entrepreneurs to do,” Thompson says.
SMH/Drive
Owners of Nissan's Leaf electric car will be more likely to trickle-charge their car at home than visit a rapid recharging station for a top up, the car maker says.
Nissan Australia chief executive Dan Thompson says he believes a 15-amp power point plug will be the most important accessory for owners of the fully electric car, which can travel up to 160km on a single charge of its battery pack depending on conditions.
The Leaf is due to launch in Australia in 2012, about a year after the Mitsubishi's i-MiEV electric car becomes available to private buyers (it's currently only offered to fleets and governments on a lease basis) and the Holden Volt range-extended electric vehicle, which uses a small petrol engine linked to a generator to supply on-demand electricity.
Thompson says the development of recharging infrastructure is likely to be a two-stage process, starting with the home before working its way into commercially operated recharging points.
“You will be able to plug the Leaf directly into your (electrical) outlet at home or in the office … and that's where we see most of the charging taking place in the beginning,” he says. “That will be about eight hours for a full top-up or a full charge.”
However, he says there will eventually be a need for commercial recharging point operators to move into the market, anticipating that many Leaf owners will use those to gain only a brief, 10-minute charge to, say, lift battery capacity from 50 to 80 per cent – much like dashing into a petrol station and taking on only a splash of fuel – rather than idling for a 30-minute stay to take on a full load of electricity.
Nissan says Leaf owners will be able to recharge their car using a normal 10 amp household power point, but it takes about twice the eight-hour recharging time over a 15 amp plug, which uses a larger earth pin than a normal household plug. A new plug can be fitted by a qualified electrician for very little cost.
Thompson says Nissan is leaving it up to other providers to install rapid recharging stations where electric car owners can get a top-up.
“[Rapid recharging stations] require a considerable hardware investment, so we'll leave it up to other entrepreneurs to do,” Thompson says.
SMH/Drive
Monday, November 8, 2010
Christmas time again....
Well it's coming up to that time again when we all start to spend money on products we don't really need in a time of economic uncertainty.
As it is inevitable, we hope everyone will purchase products that are as green and eco friendly as possible, think packaging, supply train, materials. And of course, practicality and educational use.
So with that in mind, we offer you a selection of such products for the jolly season that night help you out:
http://www.greendemon.com.au/christmasshopping-c-129.html
All put into nice & easy express categories - now how easy is that!
As it is inevitable, we hope everyone will purchase products that are as green and eco friendly as possible, think packaging, supply train, materials. And of course, practicality and educational use.
So with that in mind, we offer you a selection of such products for the jolly season that night help you out:
http://www.greendemon.com.au/christmasshopping-c-129.html
All put into nice & easy express categories - now how easy is that!
Sunday, October 31, 2010
New Youtube Green Demon Eco Store Video Knowledge Bank launched....
We have started up a 'Video-knowledgebank' on Youtube that contains 'how-to's', manufacturers instructions, useful info and more at:
http://www.youtube.com/user/GreenDemonEcoStore/
We will be adding to this site (or channel as you tube likes to call it!) as we go, and welcome any videos, links or suggestions as to what we should include.
Happy watching, the Green Demon.
http://www.youtube.com/user/GreenDemonEcoStore/
We will be adding to this site (or channel as you tube likes to call it!) as we go, and welcome any videos, links or suggestions as to what we should include.
Happy watching, the Green Demon.
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Stocklands attempts to kill trade outside it's Balgowlah Totem Centre
Stocklands Totem Centre Balgowlah and Manly Council have decided to ignore their own DA's (342/2010) and go ahead with plans to remove the passageway connecting Sydney road and the new centre, effectively blocking pedestrians from entering the sydney road parade when in their centre.
Stocklands already tried to buy several properties to kill the Sydney Road shops & failed (virtually nobody would sell), and this is another attempt to cut off the retailers in Sydney Road. You can understand Stocklands motivation - they are ruled by 'revenue at any cost', but Manly council is clearly taking a backhander in some form to change the DA. Stocklands have already ignored the DA condition stating that no plastic bags were to be used in the new centre - again, Manly council have let it slide. Who is taking bribes/favours in Manly council!? The Manly Daily is running a story on 28.01.10 - keep an eye out!
Don't let Stocklands get away with killing Sydney Road Retail - email 'records@manly.nsw.gov.au' quoting DA 342/2010 and object to the 9 studio apartments they are planning to build (with no parking so those residents will all be parking on the local streets) at 360 Sydney Road.
Having already banned the centre staff from parking in the massive half-empty car park (another DA reversal!) it's going to get even more congested.
Otherwise you will be left with no Sydney Road Retailers & a shopping centre full of Macdonalds & cheap chains, as only chain store retailers can afford Stocklands rent - several unique shops have already left and have been replaced. The future of this centre has to be a 'downgrading' of expectations from 'A' cost retailing to 'C' cost retailing.
The connection between Sydney Road and the Totem centre serves both sets of retailers as pedestrian traffic is two-way. There is only one reason to block this connection - so Stocklands can remove the competition. Don't let Apathy ruin Balgowlah just when the high road is coming to life with new unique businesses - help us make a stand and contact the council.
Stocklands already tried to buy several properties to kill the Sydney Road shops & failed (virtually nobody would sell), and this is another attempt to cut off the retailers in Sydney Road. You can understand Stocklands motivation - they are ruled by 'revenue at any cost', but Manly council is clearly taking a backhander in some form to change the DA. Stocklands have already ignored the DA condition stating that no plastic bags were to be used in the new centre - again, Manly council have let it slide. Who is taking bribes/favours in Manly council!? The Manly Daily is running a story on 28.01.10 - keep an eye out!
Don't let Stocklands get away with killing Sydney Road Retail - email 'records@manly.nsw.gov.au' quoting DA 342/2010 and object to the 9 studio apartments they are planning to build (with no parking so those residents will all be parking on the local streets) at 360 Sydney Road.
Having already banned the centre staff from parking in the massive half-empty car park (another DA reversal!) it's going to get even more congested.
Otherwise you will be left with no Sydney Road Retailers & a shopping centre full of Macdonalds & cheap chains, as only chain store retailers can afford Stocklands rent - several unique shops have already left and have been replaced. The future of this centre has to be a 'downgrading' of expectations from 'A' cost retailing to 'C' cost retailing.
The connection between Sydney Road and the Totem centre serves both sets of retailers as pedestrian traffic is two-way. There is only one reason to block this connection - so Stocklands can remove the competition. Don't let Apathy ruin Balgowlah just when the high road is coming to life with new unique businesses - help us make a stand and contact the council.
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Banned hot hatch ok for Aus - Lax Aus Emmisions laws
Does this sound familiar?
'Banned elsewhere around the world, allowed in Australia' It happens with the food we eat, the plastics we use, the chemicals we spray.
Why do succsesive Australian goevernments and regulatory bodies simply not care about it's citizens and thier health? Below is yet another example:
Due to Australia's lax emissions laws the Honda Civic Type R has been given the all clear to be sold in Australia.
Emissions rules kill off Civic Type R in Europe but it survives down-under.
A hot-hatch that will be banned from UK and European roads from October will continue to be sold in Australia.
Japanese car maker Honda will remove its Civic Type-R from the key markets because the hatch’s high-revving 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine doesn’t comply with forthcoming (Euro 5) emissions regulations.
Australia’s lax emissions rules, which remain at the Euro 4 standard, mean the Type R can still be imported from its production plant in Swindon, UK. Australia is still to set a date for the adoption of the more stringent Euro 5 regulations, and has only recently adopted Euro 4.
The $39,990 Type R has been sold locally since mid 2007. Its 2.0-litre engine produces 148kW – impressively without the aid of a turbocharger.
The next-generation Civic is due in late 2011, and a new Type-R is likely to eventually figure in a range Honda plans to make lighter and cleaner than the current model.
Mazda’s RX-8 has also fallen under the emissions axe in Europe after the company decided against investing in an upgrade for the four-door sports coupe’s distinctive rotary engine.
'Banned elsewhere around the world, allowed in Australia' It happens with the food we eat, the plastics we use, the chemicals we spray.
Why do succsesive Australian goevernments and regulatory bodies simply not care about it's citizens and thier health? Below is yet another example:
Due to Australia's lax emissions laws the Honda Civic Type R has been given the all clear to be sold in Australia.
Emissions rules kill off Civic Type R in Europe but it survives down-under.
A hot-hatch that will be banned from UK and European roads from October will continue to be sold in Australia.
Japanese car maker Honda will remove its Civic Type-R from the key markets because the hatch’s high-revving 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine doesn’t comply with forthcoming (Euro 5) emissions regulations.
Australia’s lax emissions rules, which remain at the Euro 4 standard, mean the Type R can still be imported from its production plant in Swindon, UK. Australia is still to set a date for the adoption of the more stringent Euro 5 regulations, and has only recently adopted Euro 4.
The $39,990 Type R has been sold locally since mid 2007. Its 2.0-litre engine produces 148kW – impressively without the aid of a turbocharger.
The next-generation Civic is due in late 2011, and a new Type-R is likely to eventually figure in a range Honda plans to make lighter and cleaner than the current model.
Mazda’s RX-8 has also fallen under the emissions axe in Europe after the company decided against investing in an upgrade for the four-door sports coupe’s distinctive rotary engine.
Friday, July 30, 2010
Green Demon Eco Store Store Now Officially Open...
GREEN DEMON ECO STORE NOW OPEN!
Yes, it's finally open!
A bit rough around the edges and still under development but the doors are open for business!
Green Demon Eco Store is at:
298 Sydney Road, Balgowlah, Sydney, 2093
02 8003 7339
info@greendemon.com.au
www.greendemon.com.au
Mon to Sat 10am-5pm
See you there!
Yes, it's finally open!
A bit rough around the edges and still under development but the doors are open for business!
Green Demon Eco Store is at:
298 Sydney Road, Balgowlah, Sydney, 2093
02 8003 7339
info@greendemon.com.au
www.greendemon.com.au
Mon to Sat 10am-5pm
See you there!
Friday, July 23, 2010
Electric cars are finally here...a generation starts to change
Electric vehicles are making their way on to our roads. We meet some of the people who have adopted the technology.
Bernie Hobbs is a pioneer of Australian motoring. The science broadcaster, best known as a judge on the ABC's New Inventors, is among the first people in this country to ditch her internal combustion-powered car for an all-electric set of wheels.
She is the proud owner of a Blade Electron, a car that starts life as a Hyundai Getz before Victorian-based entrepreneur Ross Blade and his team take out the petrol engine and replace it with an electric motor.
The Blade may be a small operation but make no mistake: electric is on its way. Mitsubishi will have 40 of its i-MiEV electric city car on the road by the end of the year. Nissan is likely to offer the Leaf electric hatchback by 2012.
All-electric plug-in cars are a different breed to petrol-electric hybrids, which use electric motors to supplement a petrol engine and don't require a power outlet.
All-electric cars run entirely on batteries and hence need to recharge regularly.
Electric cars aren't new - they've been around in some form for almost as long as motor vehicles have been on the road. But recent improvements in battery technology have made them a more realistic alternative to their petrol-engined cousins.
There are still big question marks over the charging infrastructure, long-term battery life, safety and resale value of electric vehicles.
But none of this matters to Hobbs; she's happy to have adopted EVs early and faces those challenges head on.
"I've been rabbiting on about the environment for 10 years," she says. "When my old car started getting the shakes I thought, 'I don't want to commit to buying petrol for another 10 years.' So I've put my money where my mouth is."
She admits she considered getting rid of a car altogether and joining a car-sharing program but decided to commit to the Blade and join the electric-car revolution.
"For me, part of the reason I'm doing this is because, with my work, I get to talk about it," she says. "It's normalising the idea of electric cars."
It came at a price, however - $48,000 to be exact - substantially more than a Hyundai Getz with a petrol engine.
But she says it's easy to justify that extra expenditure.
"For me $48,000 is a shitload of money to spend on a car," she says. "But I'm paying for my fuel upfront with the battery pack. So if I keep it for 10 years like my last car, that's $5000 a year. In 10 years I'll probably just give it to my nephew."
For critics of electric cars, Hobbs has switched her energy provider to get "green" energy instead of relying on coal-fired power.
"If you're going to use coal fire you're doing no good, you just have a feel-good car," she says.
"[Switching to green energy] takes you from three tonnes of CO2 per year to none."
She's not the only Australian driver ditching petrol power for electricity. The managing director of Adelaide-based internet service provider Internode, Simon Hackett, not only has a Blade parked in his garage but also just took delivery of the first right-hand drive Tesla Roadster in Australia.
To call Hackett a passionate believer in electric vehicles is an understatement. He has been a fan ever since he drove the GM EV1 in the mid-1990s while working in the US.
He ordered a left-hand-drive Tesla in 2006 but had to wait until 2008 for it to arrive. Last year he set a world record by driving the Roadster more than 500 kilometres on a single charge during the Global Green Challenge.
Hackett bought the Blade Electron as his daily driver because he couldn't register his left-hand-drive Tesla for road use. But with the new Tesla able to be driven on the road, it will replace the Blade as his daily commuter car.
It may have cost Hackett more than $250,000 but as far as he's concerned, it's better than buying a traditional sports car such as a Porsche or Ferrari.
"People say, 'How can it be a sports car if it doesn't go vroom vroom?' You get used to it really quickly," he says.
Home on the range
The first mass-market electric car into Australia, the Mitsubishi i-MiEV, has an official range of 100 kilometres to 160 kilometres before it needs a full recharge (the Hyundai Getz-based Blade claims 100 kilometres).
The challenge for Mitsubishi and its fellow car makers is to convince consumers that 160 kilometres is enough for them to live with.
The Drive team logged its driving habits for a week and found that all of us could comfortably use an electric car with a range of 100 kilometres each day.
But we found on the weekends that range might not be enough to satisfy us all.
Factors such as the weather, driving style and use of the heater and airconditioning all have an impact on the range; just like the fuel consumption in a traditional petrol- or diesel-powered car.
But, unlike a traditional car, topping up the battery of an electric car isn't as simple as ducking into your local service station. Charging an electric car can take up to eight hours and requires a special power outlet.
Both Hobbs and Hackett believe "range anxiety" won't be an issue for most people, providing they live close to their work.
"For the first few days I was shitting myself," Hobbs admits. "But I realised I really never drive more than 100 kilometres."
She does also admit to having a back-up plan.
"I carry a 30-metre extension cord," she says. "That gives me a bit of confidence." Hackett believes it is only a matter of time before electric cars boast a range to match a petrol car. He says he can get more than 300 kilometres from his Tesla regularly and the company's next variant, the Model S, will claim a range of more than 480 kilometres.
"There's this tendency with people to focus on what happens if you run out of electricity. Well, the same thing that happens if you run out of petrol: your car stops," he says. "But what people need to realise is that range, of 100 kilometres or 300 kilometres, is available every day."
Give it a plug
Infrastructure for electric cars is very much a case of the chicken and the egg. Car companies have the cars but there isn't any significant infrastructure in place yet. Not surprisingly, no one is interested in installing expensive public charging points for a handful of cars.
Unlike the Blade, some electric cars can't be charged using a regular household outlet - they require a 15-amp plug, the same type used for large airconditioning units.
You can get one installed in your garage or office car park for a few hundred dollars but there are a growing number of operators selling specialised charging points.
ChargePoint Australia is one of the first companies to install a commercially operated roadside outlet, in conjunction with car-sharing company GoGet.
The outlet, in inner-city Glebe, is not available for public use, though; only members of GoGet are able to charge the company's converted Toyota Prius EV.
The joint managing director of ChargePoint, Luke Grana, says the rollout of infrastructure will be a gradual process that will be tied to the amount of EVs on the roads.
"We really see it working with the early adopters like local councils, state governments and fleets," he says. "We won't be rolling out a network until 2013 and we'll be growing with the market."
He believes the most likely scenario will see shopping centres and parking stations emerge as the power provider for electric cars, potentially replacing petrol stations.
In theory, drivers will be able to take their EV to the shops, plug in while they doing their shopping and come back to a fully recharged car.
The first signs of this transition have emerged.
Special parking spaces with power outlets are beginning to pop up around major cities but they are few and far between. So far, shopping centres in Hornsby, Dural and Blacktown have become some of the first to offer electric-car drivers a place to recharge while shopping.
"I think it really needs to be led by the car-consumer marketplace," a spokeswoman for Westfield, Julia Clarke, says.
There are exceptions, though. A new multi-storey structure in downtown Perth has 12 parking spots hard-wired for charging.
To ensure the electricity is sustainable, it's sourced from roof-mounted solar panels.
The car park is overseen by the director of business units for the City of Perth, Doug Forster. He says it will serve as a test ahead of further charging points being set up. The council owns 30 parking stations across the city.
Crucially for the rollout of infrastructure and EVs, federal and state governments have so far shown little tangible support for electric cars. Overseas, governments have offered free parking, access to transit lanes or cash incentives to support early adopters of EVs.
The all-important question, however, is: will car fans miss the vroom of a petrol engine?
"I thought I would but I don't," Hackett says. "I've got an old Ferrari, a 1985 308, that's a real work of art. But I can't get motivated to drive it. Once you drive an electric car, you realise you are in a generational-changing vehicle. And I don't miss the generation I'm leaving."
Electric cars on the way
City cars, hatchbacks, sedans and even supercars; there is an electric car suited to almost every need under development somewhere in the world.
Mitsubishi i-MiEV
NissanLEAF
TeslaRoadster
Tesla ModelS
SmartED
MiniE
Holden/ChevroletVolt
Renault Fluence Z.E.
VolvoC30Plug-In Hybrid
Toyota Prius Plug-In Hybrid
VolkswagenEup!
BMWMegacity
CitroenC-ZERO
Peugeot iOn
Ford Focus BEV
Audi e-tron
Mercedes-BenzSLSE-Cell
Bernie Hobbs is a pioneer of Australian motoring. The science broadcaster, best known as a judge on the ABC's New Inventors, is among the first people in this country to ditch her internal combustion-powered car for an all-electric set of wheels.
She is the proud owner of a Blade Electron, a car that starts life as a Hyundai Getz before Victorian-based entrepreneur Ross Blade and his team take out the petrol engine and replace it with an electric motor.
The Blade may be a small operation but make no mistake: electric is on its way. Mitsubishi will have 40 of its i-MiEV electric city car on the road by the end of the year. Nissan is likely to offer the Leaf electric hatchback by 2012.
All-electric plug-in cars are a different breed to petrol-electric hybrids, which use electric motors to supplement a petrol engine and don't require a power outlet.
All-electric cars run entirely on batteries and hence need to recharge regularly.
Electric cars aren't new - they've been around in some form for almost as long as motor vehicles have been on the road. But recent improvements in battery technology have made them a more realistic alternative to their petrol-engined cousins.
There are still big question marks over the charging infrastructure, long-term battery life, safety and resale value of electric vehicles.
But none of this matters to Hobbs; she's happy to have adopted EVs early and faces those challenges head on.
"I've been rabbiting on about the environment for 10 years," she says. "When my old car started getting the shakes I thought, 'I don't want to commit to buying petrol for another 10 years.' So I've put my money where my mouth is."
She admits she considered getting rid of a car altogether and joining a car-sharing program but decided to commit to the Blade and join the electric-car revolution.
"For me, part of the reason I'm doing this is because, with my work, I get to talk about it," she says. "It's normalising the idea of electric cars."
It came at a price, however - $48,000 to be exact - substantially more than a Hyundai Getz with a petrol engine.
But she says it's easy to justify that extra expenditure.
"For me $48,000 is a shitload of money to spend on a car," she says. "But I'm paying for my fuel upfront with the battery pack. So if I keep it for 10 years like my last car, that's $5000 a year. In 10 years I'll probably just give it to my nephew."
For critics of electric cars, Hobbs has switched her energy provider to get "green" energy instead of relying on coal-fired power.
"If you're going to use coal fire you're doing no good, you just have a feel-good car," she says.
"[Switching to green energy] takes you from three tonnes of CO2 per year to none."
She's not the only Australian driver ditching petrol power for electricity. The managing director of Adelaide-based internet service provider Internode, Simon Hackett, not only has a Blade parked in his garage but also just took delivery of the first right-hand drive Tesla Roadster in Australia.
To call Hackett a passionate believer in electric vehicles is an understatement. He has been a fan ever since he drove the GM EV1 in the mid-1990s while working in the US.
He ordered a left-hand-drive Tesla in 2006 but had to wait until 2008 for it to arrive. Last year he set a world record by driving the Roadster more than 500 kilometres on a single charge during the Global Green Challenge.
Hackett bought the Blade Electron as his daily driver because he couldn't register his left-hand-drive Tesla for road use. But with the new Tesla able to be driven on the road, it will replace the Blade as his daily commuter car.
It may have cost Hackett more than $250,000 but as far as he's concerned, it's better than buying a traditional sports car such as a Porsche or Ferrari.
"People say, 'How can it be a sports car if it doesn't go vroom vroom?' You get used to it really quickly," he says.
Home on the range
The first mass-market electric car into Australia, the Mitsubishi i-MiEV, has an official range of 100 kilometres to 160 kilometres before it needs a full recharge (the Hyundai Getz-based Blade claims 100 kilometres).
The challenge for Mitsubishi and its fellow car makers is to convince consumers that 160 kilometres is enough for them to live with.
The Drive team logged its driving habits for a week and found that all of us could comfortably use an electric car with a range of 100 kilometres each day.
But we found on the weekends that range might not be enough to satisfy us all.
Factors such as the weather, driving style and use of the heater and airconditioning all have an impact on the range; just like the fuel consumption in a traditional petrol- or diesel-powered car.
But, unlike a traditional car, topping up the battery of an electric car isn't as simple as ducking into your local service station. Charging an electric car can take up to eight hours and requires a special power outlet.
Both Hobbs and Hackett believe "range anxiety" won't be an issue for most people, providing they live close to their work.
"For the first few days I was shitting myself," Hobbs admits. "But I realised I really never drive more than 100 kilometres."
She does also admit to having a back-up plan.
"I carry a 30-metre extension cord," she says. "That gives me a bit of confidence." Hackett believes it is only a matter of time before electric cars boast a range to match a petrol car. He says he can get more than 300 kilometres from his Tesla regularly and the company's next variant, the Model S, will claim a range of more than 480 kilometres.
"There's this tendency with people to focus on what happens if you run out of electricity. Well, the same thing that happens if you run out of petrol: your car stops," he says. "But what people need to realise is that range, of 100 kilometres or 300 kilometres, is available every day."
Give it a plug
Infrastructure for electric cars is very much a case of the chicken and the egg. Car companies have the cars but there isn't any significant infrastructure in place yet. Not surprisingly, no one is interested in installing expensive public charging points for a handful of cars.
Unlike the Blade, some electric cars can't be charged using a regular household outlet - they require a 15-amp plug, the same type used for large airconditioning units.
You can get one installed in your garage or office car park for a few hundred dollars but there are a growing number of operators selling specialised charging points.
ChargePoint Australia is one of the first companies to install a commercially operated roadside outlet, in conjunction with car-sharing company GoGet.
The outlet, in inner-city Glebe, is not available for public use, though; only members of GoGet are able to charge the company's converted Toyota Prius EV.
The joint managing director of ChargePoint, Luke Grana, says the rollout of infrastructure will be a gradual process that will be tied to the amount of EVs on the roads.
"We really see it working with the early adopters like local councils, state governments and fleets," he says. "We won't be rolling out a network until 2013 and we'll be growing with the market."
He believes the most likely scenario will see shopping centres and parking stations emerge as the power provider for electric cars, potentially replacing petrol stations.
In theory, drivers will be able to take their EV to the shops, plug in while they doing their shopping and come back to a fully recharged car.
The first signs of this transition have emerged.
Special parking spaces with power outlets are beginning to pop up around major cities but they are few and far between. So far, shopping centres in Hornsby, Dural and Blacktown have become some of the first to offer electric-car drivers a place to recharge while shopping.
"I think it really needs to be led by the car-consumer marketplace," a spokeswoman for Westfield, Julia Clarke, says.
There are exceptions, though. A new multi-storey structure in downtown Perth has 12 parking spots hard-wired for charging.
To ensure the electricity is sustainable, it's sourced from roof-mounted solar panels.
The car park is overseen by the director of business units for the City of Perth, Doug Forster. He says it will serve as a test ahead of further charging points being set up. The council owns 30 parking stations across the city.
Crucially for the rollout of infrastructure and EVs, federal and state governments have so far shown little tangible support for electric cars. Overseas, governments have offered free parking, access to transit lanes or cash incentives to support early adopters of EVs.
The all-important question, however, is: will car fans miss the vroom of a petrol engine?
"I thought I would but I don't," Hackett says. "I've got an old Ferrari, a 1985 308, that's a real work of art. But I can't get motivated to drive it. Once you drive an electric car, you realise you are in a generational-changing vehicle. And I don't miss the generation I'm leaving."
Electric cars on the way
City cars, hatchbacks, sedans and even supercars; there is an electric car suited to almost every need under development somewhere in the world.
Mitsubishi i-MiEV
NissanLEAF
TeslaRoadster
Tesla ModelS
SmartED
MiniE
Holden/ChevroletVolt
Renault Fluence Z.E.
VolvoC30Plug-In Hybrid
Toyota Prius Plug-In Hybrid
VolkswagenEup!
BMWMegacity
CitroenC-ZERO
Peugeot iOn
Ford Focus BEV
Audi e-tron
Mercedes-BenzSLSE-Cell
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
New Eco Shop almost Ready...
Opening soon on Sydney Road Balgowlah..... http://www.greendemon.com.au/.... watch this space!
Thursday, July 8, 2010
First Day and night solar flight
Day and night solar flight
The first manned day and night flight by a plane powered exclusively by solar energy begins in Switzerland.
Video feedbackVideo settings
A solar powered aircraft emerged from a night flight high over Switzerland today, on course to making history as the first plane to fly around the clock on solar energy.
More than 24 hours after it took off, Solar Impulse was still flying in spectacular early morning clear skies in northwestwern Switzerland after dawn.
Pilot Andre Borschberg was set to land at Payerne at about 8:30 am (0630 GMT), after being confined to the cockpit of the single seater experimental aircraft for about 26 hours, team chief Bertrand Piccard said.
Solar Impulse's pilot Andre Borschberg flies during sunset in the solar-powered HB-SIA prototype airplane during its first night flight attempt near Payerne airport. Photo: Reuters
Applause and cheers broke out at mission control as the sun rose over Payerne airbase at 5:43 am (0343 GMT) with Solar Impulse still in the air.
"It's the first time ever that a solar airplane has flown through the night," said Piccard, who himself headed the first round the world ballon flight in 1999.
"That was the moment that proved the mission was successful, we made it," he told journalists.
Flight director Claude Nicollier said that the flight had gone well overnight as Borschberg guided the experimental aircraft towards a landing after dawn.
"It went better than that," Nicollier said.
The plane's flight during the overnight hours of darkness was powered by the charge its batteries had stored during the 14 hours of daytime flight thanks to its array of 12,000 solar cells on wings the size of an airliner's.
"It's a super flight, better than nominal," added Nicollier, a former space shuttle astronaut.
Nicollier said 57-year-old Borschberg was "very positive" after more than 22 hours in the air in the single seater, having been forced to stay alert for the full period.
"He is in very good spirits physically and mentally," said Nicollier.
Borschberg's impassive expression broke into a broad smile as the crew announced that dawn had officially broken at Payerne, live images from a cockpit webcam showed.
The high-tech single-seater aircraft took off on the historic attempt in the early hours (0451 GMT) of Wednesday.
The controllers decided as darkness fell later to press on with the night flight, despite fears that a sudden burst of strong high altitude wings at dusk had deprived Solar Impulse of some of the stored energy to last the night.
However, Piccard revealed early Thursday that the aircraft had emerged from darkness with three hours of energy left in its batteries, a far bigger margin than expected.
The solar panels spread over the wing of the high tech craft were switched back on as the sun bathed the plane, fuelling the four electric motors and recharging batteries.
"Nothing can prevent us from another day and night... and the myth of perpetual flight," an elated Piccard told journalists, as his sights shifted towards the prospect of transatlantic and round the world flights in 2013-2014.
The first prototype, shaped like a giant dragonfly, is clad with solar panels across a wingspan of 63 metres (207 feet), the size of an Airbus A340 airliner.
The solar cells and nearly half a tonne of batteries provide enrgy for four small electric motors and propellors -- the "power of a scooter", as the crew put it -- and weigh little more than a saloon car.
Solar Impulse took off into clear summer skies at 6:51 am (0451 GMT) on Wednesday.
The team is also driven by a desire to demonstrate that clean energy is technically feasible and should be developed and used more widely for transport, in the household and at work.
"We didn't really have credibility until today," admitted Piccard. "What we have done today in the air is an example of what should be done on the ground."
The first manned day and night flight by a plane powered exclusively by solar energy begins in Switzerland.
Video feedbackVideo settings
A solar powered aircraft emerged from a night flight high over Switzerland today, on course to making history as the first plane to fly around the clock on solar energy.
More than 24 hours after it took off, Solar Impulse was still flying in spectacular early morning clear skies in northwestwern Switzerland after dawn.
Pilot Andre Borschberg was set to land at Payerne at about 8:30 am (0630 GMT), after being confined to the cockpit of the single seater experimental aircraft for about 26 hours, team chief Bertrand Piccard said.
Solar Impulse's pilot Andre Borschberg flies during sunset in the solar-powered HB-SIA prototype airplane during its first night flight attempt near Payerne airport. Photo: Reuters
Applause and cheers broke out at mission control as the sun rose over Payerne airbase at 5:43 am (0343 GMT) with Solar Impulse still in the air.
"It's the first time ever that a solar airplane has flown through the night," said Piccard, who himself headed the first round the world ballon flight in 1999.
"That was the moment that proved the mission was successful, we made it," he told journalists.
Flight director Claude Nicollier said that the flight had gone well overnight as Borschberg guided the experimental aircraft towards a landing after dawn.
"It went better than that," Nicollier said.
The plane's flight during the overnight hours of darkness was powered by the charge its batteries had stored during the 14 hours of daytime flight thanks to its array of 12,000 solar cells on wings the size of an airliner's.
"It's a super flight, better than nominal," added Nicollier, a former space shuttle astronaut.
Nicollier said 57-year-old Borschberg was "very positive" after more than 22 hours in the air in the single seater, having been forced to stay alert for the full period.
"He is in very good spirits physically and mentally," said Nicollier.
Borschberg's impassive expression broke into a broad smile as the crew announced that dawn had officially broken at Payerne, live images from a cockpit webcam showed.
The high-tech single-seater aircraft took off on the historic attempt in the early hours (0451 GMT) of Wednesday.
The controllers decided as darkness fell later to press on with the night flight, despite fears that a sudden burst of strong high altitude wings at dusk had deprived Solar Impulse of some of the stored energy to last the night.
However, Piccard revealed early Thursday that the aircraft had emerged from darkness with three hours of energy left in its batteries, a far bigger margin than expected.
The solar panels spread over the wing of the high tech craft were switched back on as the sun bathed the plane, fuelling the four electric motors and recharging batteries.
"Nothing can prevent us from another day and night... and the myth of perpetual flight," an elated Piccard told journalists, as his sights shifted towards the prospect of transatlantic and round the world flights in 2013-2014.
The first prototype, shaped like a giant dragonfly, is clad with solar panels across a wingspan of 63 metres (207 feet), the size of an Airbus A340 airliner.
The solar cells and nearly half a tonne of batteries provide enrgy for four small electric motors and propellors -- the "power of a scooter", as the crew put it -- and weigh little more than a saloon car.
Solar Impulse took off into clear summer skies at 6:51 am (0451 GMT) on Wednesday.
The team is also driven by a desire to demonstrate that clean energy is technically feasible and should be developed and used more widely for transport, in the household and at work.
"We didn't really have credibility until today," admitted Piccard. "What we have done today in the air is an example of what should be done on the ground."
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Oil companies out of control
Think the current BP spill is bad?
"More oil is spilled from the delta's network of terminals, pipes, pumping stations and oil platforms every year than has been lost in the Gulf of Mexico"
Oil spills have become a fact of life for people living in the Niger delta, writes John Vidal.
We reached the edge of the oil spill near the Nigerian village of Otuegwe after a long hike through cassava plantations. Ahead of us lay swamp. We waded into the warm tropical water and began swimming, cameras and notebooks held above our heads. We could smell the oil long before we saw it - the stench of garage forecourts and rotting vegetation hanging thickly in the air.
The farther we travelled, the more nauseous it became. Soon we were swimming in pools of light Nigerian crude, the best-quality oil in the world. One of the many hundreds of 40-year-old pipelines that crisscross the Niger delta had corroded and spewed oil for several months.
Forest and farmland were now covered in a sheen of greasy oil. Drinking wells were polluted and people were distraught. No one knew how much oil had leaked. ''We lost our nets, huts and fishing pots,'' said Chief Promise, village leader of Otuegwe and our guide. ''This is where we fished and farmed. We have lost our forest. We told Shell of the spill within days, but they did nothing for six months.''
That was the Niger delta a few years ago, where, say Nigerian academics, writers and environment groups, oil companies have acted with such impunity and recklessness that much of the region has been devastated by leaks.
In fact, more oil is spilled from the delta's network of terminals, pipes, pumping stations and oil platforms every year than has been lost in the Gulf of Mexico, the site of an ecological catastrophe caused by oil that has poured from a leak triggered by the explosion that wrecked BP's Deepwater Horizon rig in April.
That disaster, which claimed the lives of 11 rig workers, has made headlines around the world. By contrast, little information has emerged about the damage inflicted on the Niger delta. Yet the destruction there provides us with a far more accurate picture of the price we have to pay for drilling oil today.
On May 1 a ruptured ExxonMobil pipeline in Ibeno in the state of Akwa Ibom spilled more than 4.5 million litres into the delta over seven days before the leak was stopped. Local people demonstrated against the company but say they were attacked by security guards. Community leaders are now demanding $US1 billion ($1.1 billion) in compensation for the illness and loss of livelihood they suffered. Few expect they will succeed. In the meantime, thick balls of tar are being washed up along the coast.
Within days of the Ibeno spill, thousands of barrels of oil were spilled when the nearby Shell Trans Niger pipeline was attacked by rebels. A few days after that, a large oil slick was found floating on Lake Adibawa in Bayelsa state, and another in Ogoniland. ''We are faced with incessant oil spills from rusty pipes, some of which are 40 years old,'' said Bonny Otavie, a Bayelsa MP.
This point was backed by Williams Mkpa, a community leader in Ibeno: ''Oil companies do not value our life; they want us to all die. In the past two years, we have experienced 10 oil spills and fishermen can no longer sustain their families. It is not tolerable.''
With 606 oilfields, the Niger delta supplies 40 per cent of all the crude the US imports and is the world capital of oil pollution. Life expectancy in its rural areas, half of which have no access to clean water, has fallen to little more than 40 years over the past two generations. Locals blame the oil that pollutes their land and can scarcely believe the contrast with the steps taken by BP and the US government to try to stop the gulf oil leak and to protect the Louisiana shore from pollution.
''If this gulf accident had happened in Nigeria, neither the government nor the company would have paid much attention,'' said the writer Ben Ikari, a member of the Ogoni people. ''This kind of spill happens all the time in the delta.
''The oil companies just ignore it. The lawmakers do not care and people must live with pollution daily. The situation is now worse than it was 30 years ago. Nothing is changing. When I see the efforts that are being made in the US I feel a great sense of sadness at the double standards. What they do in the US or in Europe is very different.''
Nnimo Bassey, the Nigerian head of Friends of the Earth International, said, ''We see frantic efforts being made to stop the spill in the US. But in Nigeria, oil companies largely ignore their spills, cover them up and destroy people's livelihood and environments. The gulf spill can be seen as a metaphor for what is happening daily in the oilfields of Nigeria and other parts of Africa.
''This has gone on for 50 years in Nigeria. People depend completely on the environment for their drinking water and farming and fishing. They are amazed that the President of the US can be making speeches daily, because in Nigeria people there would not hear a whimper,'' he said.
It is impossible to know how much oil is spilled in the Niger delta each year because the companies and the government keep that secret. However, two big independent investigations over the past four years suggest that as much is spilled at sea, in the swamps and on land every year as has been lost in the Gulf of Mexico so far.
One report, compiled by WWF UK, the World Conservation Union and representatives from the Nigerian federal government and the Nigerian Conservation Foundation, calculated in 2006 that up to 1.5 million tonnes of oil - 50 times the pollution unleashed in the Exxon Valdez tanker disaster in Alaska - has been spilled in the delta over the past half century. Last year Amnesty calculated that the equivalent of at least 9 million barrels of oil was spilled and accused the oil companies of a human rights outrage.
According to Nigerian federal government figures, there were more than 7000 spills between 1970 and 2000, and there are 2000 official major spillages sites, many going back decades, with thousands of smaller ones still waiting to be cleared up. More than 1000 spill cases have been filed against Shell alone.
Last month Shell admitted to having spilled 14,000 tonnes of oil last year. The bulk of it, the company said, was lost through two incidents - one in which the company claims that thieves damaged a wellhead at its Odidi field and another where militants bombed the Trans Escravos pipeline.
Shell, which works in partnership with the Nigerian government in the delta, says that 98 per cent of all its oil spills are caused by vandalism, theft or sabotage by militants and only a minimal amount by deteriorating infrastructure.
''We had 132 spills last year, as against 175 on average. Safety valves were vandalised; one pipe had 300 illegal taps. We found five explosive devices on one. Sometimes communities do not give us access to clean up the pollution because they can make more money from compensation,'' a spokesman said.
''We have a full-time oil spill response team. Last year we replaced 197 miles [315 kilometres] of pipeline and are using every known way to clean up pollution, including microbes. We are committed to cleaning up any spill as fast as possible as soon as and for whatever reason they occur.''
These claims are hotly disputed by communities and environmental watchdog groups. They mostly blame the companies' vast network of rusting pipes and storage tanks, corroding pipelines, semi-derelict pumping stations and old wellheads, as well as tankers and vessels cleaning out tanks.
The scale of the pollution is mind-boggling. The government's National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency says that between 1976 and 1996 alone, more than 2.4 million barrels contaminated the environment.
''Oil spills and the dumping of oil into waterways has been extensive, often poisoning drinking water and destroying vegetation. These incidents have become common due to the lack of laws and enforcement measures within the existing political regime,'' a spokesman for the agency said.
The sense of outrage is widespread. ''There are more than 300 spills, major and minor, a year,'' Bassey said. ''It happens all the year round. The whole environment is devastated. The latest revelations highlight the massive difference in the response to oil spills. In Nigeria, both companies and government have come to treat an extraordinary level of oil spills as the norm.''
A spokesman for the Stakeholder Democracy Network in Lagos, which works to empower those in communities affected by the oil companies' activities, said: ''The response to the spill in the United States should serve as a stiff reminder as to how far spill management in Nigeria has drifted from standards across the world.''
Other voices of protest point out that the world has overlooked the scale of the environmental impact. Ben Amunwa, an activist with the London oil watch group Platform, said: ''Deepwater Horizon may have exceeded Exxon Valdez, but within a few years in Nigeria offshore spills from four locations dwarfed the scale of the Exxon Valdez disaster many times over. Estimates put spill volumes in the Niger delta among the worst on the planet, but they do not include the crude oil from waste water and gas flares. Companies such as Shell continue to avoid independent monitoring and keep key data secret.''
Worse may be to come. One industry insider, who asked not to be named, said: ''Major spills are likely to increase in the coming years as the industry strives to extract oil from increasingly remote and difficult terrains. Future supplies will be offshore, deeper and harder to work. When things go wrong, it will be harder to respond.''
Judith Kimerling, a professor of law and policy at the City University of New York and author of Amazon Crude, a book about oil development in Ecuador, said: ''Spills, leaks and deliberate discharges are happening in oilfields all over the world and very few people seem to care.''
There is an overwhelming sense that the big oil companies act as if they are beyond the law. Bassey said: ''What we conclude from the Gulf of Mexico pollution incident is that the oil companies are out of control.
''It is clear that BP has been blocking progressive legislation, both in the US and here. In Nigeria, they have been living above the law. They are now clearly a danger to the planet. The dangers of this happening again and again are high. They must be taken to the International Court of Justice.''
"More oil is spilled from the delta's network of terminals, pipes, pumping stations and oil platforms every year than has been lost in the Gulf of Mexico"
Oil spills have become a fact of life for people living in the Niger delta, writes John Vidal.
We reached the edge of the oil spill near the Nigerian village of Otuegwe after a long hike through cassava plantations. Ahead of us lay swamp. We waded into the warm tropical water and began swimming, cameras and notebooks held above our heads. We could smell the oil long before we saw it - the stench of garage forecourts and rotting vegetation hanging thickly in the air.
The farther we travelled, the more nauseous it became. Soon we were swimming in pools of light Nigerian crude, the best-quality oil in the world. One of the many hundreds of 40-year-old pipelines that crisscross the Niger delta had corroded and spewed oil for several months.
Forest and farmland were now covered in a sheen of greasy oil. Drinking wells were polluted and people were distraught. No one knew how much oil had leaked. ''We lost our nets, huts and fishing pots,'' said Chief Promise, village leader of Otuegwe and our guide. ''This is where we fished and farmed. We have lost our forest. We told Shell of the spill within days, but they did nothing for six months.''
That was the Niger delta a few years ago, where, say Nigerian academics, writers and environment groups, oil companies have acted with such impunity and recklessness that much of the region has been devastated by leaks.
In fact, more oil is spilled from the delta's network of terminals, pipes, pumping stations and oil platforms every year than has been lost in the Gulf of Mexico, the site of an ecological catastrophe caused by oil that has poured from a leak triggered by the explosion that wrecked BP's Deepwater Horizon rig in April.
That disaster, which claimed the lives of 11 rig workers, has made headlines around the world. By contrast, little information has emerged about the damage inflicted on the Niger delta. Yet the destruction there provides us with a far more accurate picture of the price we have to pay for drilling oil today.
On May 1 a ruptured ExxonMobil pipeline in Ibeno in the state of Akwa Ibom spilled more than 4.5 million litres into the delta over seven days before the leak was stopped. Local people demonstrated against the company but say they were attacked by security guards. Community leaders are now demanding $US1 billion ($1.1 billion) in compensation for the illness and loss of livelihood they suffered. Few expect they will succeed. In the meantime, thick balls of tar are being washed up along the coast.
Within days of the Ibeno spill, thousands of barrels of oil were spilled when the nearby Shell Trans Niger pipeline was attacked by rebels. A few days after that, a large oil slick was found floating on Lake Adibawa in Bayelsa state, and another in Ogoniland. ''We are faced with incessant oil spills from rusty pipes, some of which are 40 years old,'' said Bonny Otavie, a Bayelsa MP.
This point was backed by Williams Mkpa, a community leader in Ibeno: ''Oil companies do not value our life; they want us to all die. In the past two years, we have experienced 10 oil spills and fishermen can no longer sustain their families. It is not tolerable.''
With 606 oilfields, the Niger delta supplies 40 per cent of all the crude the US imports and is the world capital of oil pollution. Life expectancy in its rural areas, half of which have no access to clean water, has fallen to little more than 40 years over the past two generations. Locals blame the oil that pollutes their land and can scarcely believe the contrast with the steps taken by BP and the US government to try to stop the gulf oil leak and to protect the Louisiana shore from pollution.
''If this gulf accident had happened in Nigeria, neither the government nor the company would have paid much attention,'' said the writer Ben Ikari, a member of the Ogoni people. ''This kind of spill happens all the time in the delta.
''The oil companies just ignore it. The lawmakers do not care and people must live with pollution daily. The situation is now worse than it was 30 years ago. Nothing is changing. When I see the efforts that are being made in the US I feel a great sense of sadness at the double standards. What they do in the US or in Europe is very different.''
Nnimo Bassey, the Nigerian head of Friends of the Earth International, said, ''We see frantic efforts being made to stop the spill in the US. But in Nigeria, oil companies largely ignore their spills, cover them up and destroy people's livelihood and environments. The gulf spill can be seen as a metaphor for what is happening daily in the oilfields of Nigeria and other parts of Africa.
''This has gone on for 50 years in Nigeria. People depend completely on the environment for their drinking water and farming and fishing. They are amazed that the President of the US can be making speeches daily, because in Nigeria people there would not hear a whimper,'' he said.
It is impossible to know how much oil is spilled in the Niger delta each year because the companies and the government keep that secret. However, two big independent investigations over the past four years suggest that as much is spilled at sea, in the swamps and on land every year as has been lost in the Gulf of Mexico so far.
One report, compiled by WWF UK, the World Conservation Union and representatives from the Nigerian federal government and the Nigerian Conservation Foundation, calculated in 2006 that up to 1.5 million tonnes of oil - 50 times the pollution unleashed in the Exxon Valdez tanker disaster in Alaska - has been spilled in the delta over the past half century. Last year Amnesty calculated that the equivalent of at least 9 million barrels of oil was spilled and accused the oil companies of a human rights outrage.
According to Nigerian federal government figures, there were more than 7000 spills between 1970 and 2000, and there are 2000 official major spillages sites, many going back decades, with thousands of smaller ones still waiting to be cleared up. More than 1000 spill cases have been filed against Shell alone.
Last month Shell admitted to having spilled 14,000 tonnes of oil last year. The bulk of it, the company said, was lost through two incidents - one in which the company claims that thieves damaged a wellhead at its Odidi field and another where militants bombed the Trans Escravos pipeline.
Shell, which works in partnership with the Nigerian government in the delta, says that 98 per cent of all its oil spills are caused by vandalism, theft or sabotage by militants and only a minimal amount by deteriorating infrastructure.
''We had 132 spills last year, as against 175 on average. Safety valves were vandalised; one pipe had 300 illegal taps. We found five explosive devices on one. Sometimes communities do not give us access to clean up the pollution because they can make more money from compensation,'' a spokesman said.
''We have a full-time oil spill response team. Last year we replaced 197 miles [315 kilometres] of pipeline and are using every known way to clean up pollution, including microbes. We are committed to cleaning up any spill as fast as possible as soon as and for whatever reason they occur.''
These claims are hotly disputed by communities and environmental watchdog groups. They mostly blame the companies' vast network of rusting pipes and storage tanks, corroding pipelines, semi-derelict pumping stations and old wellheads, as well as tankers and vessels cleaning out tanks.
The scale of the pollution is mind-boggling. The government's National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency says that between 1976 and 1996 alone, more than 2.4 million barrels contaminated the environment.
''Oil spills and the dumping of oil into waterways has been extensive, often poisoning drinking water and destroying vegetation. These incidents have become common due to the lack of laws and enforcement measures within the existing political regime,'' a spokesman for the agency said.
The sense of outrage is widespread. ''There are more than 300 spills, major and minor, a year,'' Bassey said. ''It happens all the year round. The whole environment is devastated. The latest revelations highlight the massive difference in the response to oil spills. In Nigeria, both companies and government have come to treat an extraordinary level of oil spills as the norm.''
A spokesman for the Stakeholder Democracy Network in Lagos, which works to empower those in communities affected by the oil companies' activities, said: ''The response to the spill in the United States should serve as a stiff reminder as to how far spill management in Nigeria has drifted from standards across the world.''
Other voices of protest point out that the world has overlooked the scale of the environmental impact. Ben Amunwa, an activist with the London oil watch group Platform, said: ''Deepwater Horizon may have exceeded Exxon Valdez, but within a few years in Nigeria offshore spills from four locations dwarfed the scale of the Exxon Valdez disaster many times over. Estimates put spill volumes in the Niger delta among the worst on the planet, but they do not include the crude oil from waste water and gas flares. Companies such as Shell continue to avoid independent monitoring and keep key data secret.''
Worse may be to come. One industry insider, who asked not to be named, said: ''Major spills are likely to increase in the coming years as the industry strives to extract oil from increasingly remote and difficult terrains. Future supplies will be offshore, deeper and harder to work. When things go wrong, it will be harder to respond.''
Judith Kimerling, a professor of law and policy at the City University of New York and author of Amazon Crude, a book about oil development in Ecuador, said: ''Spills, leaks and deliberate discharges are happening in oilfields all over the world and very few people seem to care.''
There is an overwhelming sense that the big oil companies act as if they are beyond the law. Bassey said: ''What we conclude from the Gulf of Mexico pollution incident is that the oil companies are out of control.
''It is clear that BP has been blocking progressive legislation, both in the US and here. In Nigeria, they have been living above the law. They are now clearly a danger to the planet. The dangers of this happening again and again are high. They must be taken to the International Court of Justice.''
Monday, June 14, 2010
Shark expert honoured for conservation
Underwater adventurer and shark expert Valerie Taylor has been appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for her service to conservation.
Together with her husband Ronald, Ms Taylor has fought for more than 50 years for the protection of underwater creatures, in particular the great white shark, the grey nurse shark, sea lions, the potato cod, the southern right whale and marine turtles.
She has also fought for the conservation of habitats, such as the Great Barrier Reef and Ningaloo Reef Marine Park in Western Australia.
Born in Sydney in 1935, Ms Taylor spent her teenage years living near the sea in Cronulla, in Sydney's south, and met her husband when they were both members of the Sydney's St George spearfishing club.
After they both became champion spearfishers in the early 1960s, they decided to switch from killing fish to filming and photographing them.
"We saw what a terrible thing we were doing," Ms Taylor told AAP.
"I could speak about it because I was there.
"We were both champions and I knew that if we went out to a reef, we could take every good fish off it.
"We were decimating reef life."
Ms Taylor went on to became a multi-award winning underwater cinematographer and photographer, working on dozens of documentaries and major feature films, such as as Jaws, Orca and Sky Pirates.
Her fascination with the underwater world and admiration and respect for sharks has prompted her to risk her life on occasions.
In 1979, Ms Taylor was the first to test a stainless steel mesh suit designed by her husband as protection from sharks.
While wearing the suit, Ms Taylor enticed sharks to bite her by placing tuna under the mesh. Her husband filmed the encounters, enabling them both to gain insights into how different species of sharks feed and attack.
The Taylors' long-lasting relationship and adventurous careers have also been the subject of several films, including Sea Lovers and In the Realm of the Shark.
Together with her husband Ronald, Ms Taylor has fought for more than 50 years for the protection of underwater creatures, in particular the great white shark, the grey nurse shark, sea lions, the potato cod, the southern right whale and marine turtles.
She has also fought for the conservation of habitats, such as the Great Barrier Reef and Ningaloo Reef Marine Park in Western Australia.
Born in Sydney in 1935, Ms Taylor spent her teenage years living near the sea in Cronulla, in Sydney's south, and met her husband when they were both members of the Sydney's St George spearfishing club.
After they both became champion spearfishers in the early 1960s, they decided to switch from killing fish to filming and photographing them.
"We saw what a terrible thing we were doing," Ms Taylor told AAP.
"I could speak about it because I was there.
"We were both champions and I knew that if we went out to a reef, we could take every good fish off it.
"We were decimating reef life."
Ms Taylor went on to became a multi-award winning underwater cinematographer and photographer, working on dozens of documentaries and major feature films, such as as Jaws, Orca and Sky Pirates.
Her fascination with the underwater world and admiration and respect for sharks has prompted her to risk her life on occasions.
In 1979, Ms Taylor was the first to test a stainless steel mesh suit designed by her husband as protection from sharks.
While wearing the suit, Ms Taylor enticed sharks to bite her by placing tuna under the mesh. Her husband filmed the encounters, enabling them both to gain insights into how different species of sharks feed and attack.
The Taylors' long-lasting relationship and adventurous careers have also been the subject of several films, including Sea Lovers and In the Realm of the Shark.
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Easy to be lean when you're green
The no plastic diet ... packaged foods are often the most fattening.
Saying no to plastic packaging can have an unexpected benefit - weight loss.
When she goes to the supermarket, Bea Johnson takes along a sealable glass jar so the butcher can slide in a pork cutlet. In the bulk aisle, she fills reusable bags she makes from old bed sheets to carry rice, pasta, oatmeal or nuts.
In fact, everything she and her husband buy is without packaging: they make their own household cleaning products, buy soap that comes unwrapped and return milk bottles to suppliers for refills.
At least three times a week, Johnson phones marketing companies in her unrelenting war against junk mail.
"The amount of money you can save by just carrying your own water bottle is huge. Plus, the more you get away from plastic, the more likely you are to buy fresh," said Johnson, who blogs about her lifestyle in Marin County, California, at zerowastehome.blogspot.com.
The health benefits of a wrapper-free life are also a major theme for Colin Beavan in New York. He wrote a book, No Impact Man, which was about a year that he and his family spent without electricity and living with as little waste as they could. Although their experiment ended in November 2007, they have committed to staying packaging free.
"Most of the fattening foods, the bad stuff, come heavily wrapped. If you confine yourself to fresh products from the supermarket or farmer's market, your family is going to be a lot healthier," he said.
Beavan buys most of his food at the local farmers market. He returns his egg cartons and milk bottles to the farmers and buys round blocks of cheese that come without packaging.
"I think my family is a lot happier now," he said. "It's not simply about less packaging; it's about changing your whole outlook, about wanting less and getting so much more as a family."
I wondered if I, too, could live without any packaging, except for plastic bags I reuse during trips to the supermarket.
For the past month, every grocery item I've purchased has been without wrapping. I go to the bulk aisle of my local food co-op for pasta, rice, beans, flour, oatmeal, nuts and anything else that I can pour into my own bags, which are then weighed at the checkout counter.
I now have ten reusable bags, including a plastic one I use to buy loose spinach and broccoli. One of the strangest byproducts of this experiment has been my newfound respect for plastic; it is no longer discarded after a one-night stand, but has become more like a long-term relationship.
Apart from saving vast amounts of chemicals and oil that go into making shopping bags and reducing the giant soup of plastic clogging oceans, saying no to packaging has improved my waistline and my wallet.
With no more sad looking, single-serving microwave meals, and my coffee from a paper cup replaced with a drink from my water bottle, I feel more energetic and less stressed. Because I bring broccoli and carrots to work and do not touch additives, my skin is clearer. The sudden arrival of middle age spread has completely disappeared from my waist.
I also find myself cooking less. I have my plastic container of spinach and broccoli at work every day, so I feel less of a need for big meals.
Finding cage-free eggs and dairy products can be a problem, but many local farmers markets will refill your egg boxes and replace your milk bottles. I was almost overcome with joy when I found a supermarket steps from my home that sold chocolate and dried apricots in bulk, so dessert was back on.
Financially, all of this has been a major boost. Carrots and onions unburdened by plastic are a lot cheaper, and making my own shampoo saves money.
The major downside is that I am now a crushing bore. Where once my conversations might have been about sports and cinema, now all my sentences seem to begin with, "Did you know ..." followed by a list of places you can get refills on shampoo, honey or milk, or the best type of reusable bags for buying flour.
Saying no to plastic packaging can have an unexpected benefit - weight loss.
When she goes to the supermarket, Bea Johnson takes along a sealable glass jar so the butcher can slide in a pork cutlet. In the bulk aisle, she fills reusable bags she makes from old bed sheets to carry rice, pasta, oatmeal or nuts.
In fact, everything she and her husband buy is without packaging: they make their own household cleaning products, buy soap that comes unwrapped and return milk bottles to suppliers for refills.
At least three times a week, Johnson phones marketing companies in her unrelenting war against junk mail.
"The amount of money you can save by just carrying your own water bottle is huge. Plus, the more you get away from plastic, the more likely you are to buy fresh," said Johnson, who blogs about her lifestyle in Marin County, California, at zerowastehome.blogspot.com.
The health benefits of a wrapper-free life are also a major theme for Colin Beavan in New York. He wrote a book, No Impact Man, which was about a year that he and his family spent without electricity and living with as little waste as they could. Although their experiment ended in November 2007, they have committed to staying packaging free.
"Most of the fattening foods, the bad stuff, come heavily wrapped. If you confine yourself to fresh products from the supermarket or farmer's market, your family is going to be a lot healthier," he said.
Beavan buys most of his food at the local farmers market. He returns his egg cartons and milk bottles to the farmers and buys round blocks of cheese that come without packaging.
"I think my family is a lot happier now," he said. "It's not simply about less packaging; it's about changing your whole outlook, about wanting less and getting so much more as a family."
I wondered if I, too, could live without any packaging, except for plastic bags I reuse during trips to the supermarket.
For the past month, every grocery item I've purchased has been without wrapping. I go to the bulk aisle of my local food co-op for pasta, rice, beans, flour, oatmeal, nuts and anything else that I can pour into my own bags, which are then weighed at the checkout counter.
I now have ten reusable bags, including a plastic one I use to buy loose spinach and broccoli. One of the strangest byproducts of this experiment has been my newfound respect for plastic; it is no longer discarded after a one-night stand, but has become more like a long-term relationship.
Apart from saving vast amounts of chemicals and oil that go into making shopping bags and reducing the giant soup of plastic clogging oceans, saying no to packaging has improved my waistline and my wallet.
With no more sad looking, single-serving microwave meals, and my coffee from a paper cup replaced with a drink from my water bottle, I feel more energetic and less stressed. Because I bring broccoli and carrots to work and do not touch additives, my skin is clearer. The sudden arrival of middle age spread has completely disappeared from my waist.
I also find myself cooking less. I have my plastic container of spinach and broccoli at work every day, so I feel less of a need for big meals.
Finding cage-free eggs and dairy products can be a problem, but many local farmers markets will refill your egg boxes and replace your milk bottles. I was almost overcome with joy when I found a supermarket steps from my home that sold chocolate and dried apricots in bulk, so dessert was back on.
Financially, all of this has been a major boost. Carrots and onions unburdened by plastic are a lot cheaper, and making my own shampoo saves money.
The major downside is that I am now a crushing bore. Where once my conversations might have been about sports and cinema, now all my sentences seem to begin with, "Did you know ..." followed by a list of places you can get refills on shampoo, honey or milk, or the best type of reusable bags for buying flour.
Electric car goes 1000km on a single charge
Electric car goes 1000km on a single charge
A Japanese group has managed to travel 1000km in an electric car without recharging.
A group of Japanese electric car enthusiasts has broken its own Guinness world record by driving a modified Daihatsu Mira more than 1000km on a single charge.
Japan's Kyodo News says the Mira was powered by a bank of 8320 Sanyo lithium-ion batteries commonly found in personal computers.
The current Guinness record stands at 555km for a journey between Tokyo and Osaka, but the group has asked record keepers to recognise the new effort, achieved at a race track in the Ibaraki Prefecture.
But the new effort was not without compromises. The team of 17 drivers managed an average speed of just 40km/h and the effort took 27-and-a-half hours.
Range remains one of the biggest barriers to consumer acceptance of electric cars, with most mass-market EVs due on the market in the next couple of years restricted to a range of just 160km.
A Japanese group has managed to travel 1000km in an electric car without recharging.
A group of Japanese electric car enthusiasts has broken its own Guinness world record by driving a modified Daihatsu Mira more than 1000km on a single charge.
Japan's Kyodo News says the Mira was powered by a bank of 8320 Sanyo lithium-ion batteries commonly found in personal computers.
The current Guinness record stands at 555km for a journey between Tokyo and Osaka, but the group has asked record keepers to recognise the new effort, achieved at a race track in the Ibaraki Prefecture.
But the new effort was not without compromises. The team of 17 drivers managed an average speed of just 40km/h and the effort took 27-and-a-half hours.
Range remains one of the biggest barriers to consumer acceptance of electric cars, with most mass-market EVs due on the market in the next couple of years restricted to a range of just 160km.
Friday, May 28, 2010
New insulated Bottles for winter and summer
Cheeki - Stainless Steel Insulated Drink Bottle
The Cheeki insulated series are double-lined to help you keep your drinks warm and toasty or fresh and cold all day long!
Stops condensation - ideal for cars, bags and well, pretty much anywhere really. Fits all Cheeki lids.
Throw them in your bag and keep hydrated. Safe, Healthy, BPA-Free – No nasty toxins to leach into your drinking water; pure stainless steel inside with BPA-free lids. Notice how the water tastes fresh and clear! Non-toxic inks used on art.
600ml bottle
1000ml bottle
The Cheeki insulated series are double-lined to help you keep your drinks warm and toasty or fresh and cold all day long!
Stops condensation - ideal for cars, bags and well, pretty much anywhere really. Fits all Cheeki lids.
Throw them in your bag and keep hydrated. Safe, Healthy, BPA-Free – No nasty toxins to leach into your drinking water; pure stainless steel inside with BPA-free lids. Notice how the water tastes fresh and clear! Non-toxic inks used on art.
600ml bottle
1000ml bottle
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Houses of the Future
Available now in the UK, costs a couple of dollars to run, is based on a modular system and made from glass and steel.
Can be added to as
Have a watch at: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/8704307.stm
Similar projects in Aus:
http://www.modscape.com.au/
http://www.prebuilt.com.au/
Very interesting design: http://www.domeshells.com.au/
Can be added to as
Have a watch at: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/8704307.stm
Similar projects in Aus:
http://www.modscape.com.au/
http://www.prebuilt.com.au/
Very interesting design: http://www.domeshells.com.au/
Monday, May 17, 2010
New Hexagon8 Water Filter produces 'real' water
| New Hexagon Water Purifier The amazing new 8 Stage Hexagon water purifier effectively removes chlorine, impurities, pesticides, flouride, volatile organic chemicals and heavy metals from water. Designed to sit on your kitchen worktop and connects to your tap with simple maintenance. New 8 stage filter lasts approx. one year (every 10,000L)! Allows simple cleaning of components & can sit up to two metres away from the tap. Healthy water for 2c per litre! |
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Household makes $5544 from 5.6kw Solar System....
Silver lining ... Mr Cooper checks the solar panels on his roof, which generate both electricity and income from selling power back to the grid. Photo: Dean Sewell
WHEN NSW brought in its generous solar panel subsidy scheme late last year, Aaron Cooper went big.
''As soon as we found out this policy wasn't means-tested, we just jumped,'' said the 37-year-old boilermaker. Last month Mr Cooper installed 32 American-made solar panels which take up most of the roof on his Berowra Heights home.
The 5.6 kilowatt system will run the lathes and welding equipment in Mr Cooper's shed, and heat an enclosure for 100 snakes he and his wife Ruth will keep out the back.
Mr Cooper, who studies venomous snakes as a hobby, has a licence from the National Parks and Wildlife Service to sell the reptiles, which can no longer be collected from the wild. He will also breed food for them such as crickets, frogs and mealworms.
Energy Australia estimates it will pay the Coopers $5544 a year under the state government's feed-in-tariff, at a rate of 66¢ per kilowatt-hour (kwh), based on the amount of electricity solar panels typically generate in Sydney. That should cover the couple's power bills well into the future, even though prices are expected to rise by up to 64 per cent over the next three years, and even assuming their power use doubles. Their bills were about $430 a quarter until now.
NSW's gross feed-in tariff, the highest in Australia, is guaranteed for seven years and should also quickly repay the almost $30,000 up-front cost of the system (not including renewable energy certificates worth about $7000, which the Coopers transferred to installer Blue Sky Energy).
''We wanted to cater for extra rises,'' Mr Cooper said. ''As long as we've got no bill, we're happy.''
But Mr Cooper is annoyed by his new smart meter - installed as a condition of connecting solar panels to the grid - which has seen his peak rate jump from about 16c/kwh to about 35c/kwh under a ''time of use'' regime.
He said that peak rate, charged between 2pm and 8pm weekdays, could jump to 64c/kwh by 2012 - almost as high as the feed-in-tariff. So-called shoulder and off-peak rates are much cheaper, of course, and Energy Australia said around 75 per cent of customers are better off under time-of-use metering, if they can switch to largely using dishwashers, dryers and pool pumps at night.
A typical saving would be $60 from a $1230 annual bill, an Energy Australia spokesman said.
Households are rushing to install solar panels to take advantage of the solar bonus scheme, which was announced last November.
A spokeswoman for NSW's Energy Minister, John Robertson, said the government hoped to treble solar panel installations in NSW, which would take the total to 33,000 homes.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Eco Friendly Fashion....
Green to a T ... the label Gorman is devoted to sustainable fashion.
As the world of fashion takes a reality check on the state of the planet, Natasha Silva-Jelly presents a guide to the best in eco-chic.
In the lightning-fast, churn-and-burn world of planet fashion, what's hot and what's not changes practically every nanosecond. However, in recent years, a trend has emerged that is built to last. As sustainability tightens its grip on all things fashionable, the industry is involved in a game of catch-up.
"Green is not a trend," says retail expert and founder of Country Road Steve Bennett. "Over the next 10 years, the focus will be even more on sustainability and the planet."
Certainly nowadays, the evidence green is the new black is everywhere. In Melbourne's recent fashion festival, there was an entire runway show devoted to "slow" fashion.
Maserati's "It" bag is made from recycled brochures.
On the international runways, globally renowned labels such as Stella McCartney are blazing a trail for eco-chic with a message that sustainability is the future, a mantra that's been adopted even by royalty.
Yes, the heir to the British throne, Prince Charles, is on a personal mission to stamp out landfill caused by synthetic materials and throwaway fast-fashion by reinvigorating the lust for a product that was once Britain's most important commodity: wool.
The plan is to create a new "green" woollen collection to be unveiled at the first ever "wool week", scheduled for September to coincide with London Fashion Week.
Creating clothes that last and have less environmental impact is also high on the priority list for a growing list of local designers - including Gorman, New Zealander Kate Sylvester, Fleur Wood and Arabella Ramsay - who know the key to survival is via the implementation of sustainable business practices and enviro-friendly products. This is especially so in the post-GFC climate and when you consider the facts: new clothing purchases make up 14 per cent of our eco-footprint; it takes 2000 litres of water to make one cotton T-shirt; and we blow more than $1300 a year on items we never use or wear, according to the Australian Conservation Foundation. So to help you enter the green new world and in honour of April being Earth Month, here is the most up-to-date eco-chic shopping guide you'll find anywhere.
GORMAN
Credit must go where credit is due and the name that instantly springs to mind for eco-chic is Gorman. Globally praised for her devotion to forging a totally sustainable business and fashion-forward clothing label, Lisa Gorman is a true pioneer in the green movement in Australia. The Gorman organic collection, which uses organic-certified yarns and recycled fibres, accounts for 20 per cent of the range, though the eco-ethos runs much deeper - garment packaging has been reduced by 90 per cent, shopping bags are made from 100 per cent recycled paper and if a customer refuses one, the bag's value is donated to Friends of the Earth; $5 from every green and serene T-shirt also goes to the organisation. As a promoter of pedal power, a one-off Gorman bicycle is set to be designed and sold in store.gorman.ws.
STELLA McCARTNEY
Leading the charge at the height of high fashion is eco-crusader Stella McCartney.
A long-time vegetarian, environmentalist and animal rights activist, McCartney is well known for her stance on sustainability and has vowed to incorporate organic products as widely as she can. She does not touch fur and pays 70 per cent more to have her handbags made without leather.
McCartney is also the creator of a sporty collection for adidas, where the same green ethos is applied. Stella McCartney designs are available from robbyingham.com.au.
ELSOM
Another respected name on the green landscape is Sydney designer Sam Elsom, whose eponymous label Elsom creates high-quality directional fashion for men and women, using age-old hand-tailoring techniques and sustainable fabrics. A supporter of organic farming and the push towards organic textiles, Elsom works alongside sustainable farmers in India to source organic cotton. elsom.com.au.
BASSIKE
Bassike has built a global brand on its use of organic fabrics (including Australian-made jersey) and local manufacturing.
The luxe basics brand, which sells on net-a-porter.com, is set to stage a sustainable show at the upcoming Australian Fashion Week.
Aveda will be doing the hair, organic food will be on offer backstage and plastic bottles, fur and leather will be banned.
Bassike's aim is to create a completely carbon-neutral business.bassike.com.
JIGSAW
When quizzed, many of our chain stores weren't able to provide evidence of a green philosophy, so it's good to see at least one is doing something.
In Jigsaw stores now is a chic jewellery collection produced by Kenyan artisans, which supports fair trade practices and is made from sustainable materials. jigsaw-aust.com.au.
DIESEL
Even your trusty denim jeans have been caught up in the sustainability act.
Armani was the first to create an eco-friendly jean and now Diesel has produced Keever. Made from cotton paper denim using the ancient Chinese technique of crafting paper, each pair is made from 65 per cent cotton, 35 per cent paper and organic indigo dye. $669, diesel.com.
ECOFASHIONISTA.COM.AU
You can now find a lot of eco-friendly brands in one place.
This chic online boutique stocks a mixture of sustainable fashion items, shoe labels and accessory brands such as Skin and Threads, Ciel and Good Society Organic Denim. Click with your conscience clear. ecofashionista.com.au.
E.C.O. (Environmentally Conscious Optics)
As their name suggests, these cool designer-esque shades tick all the right boxes when it comes to green. Made from 100 per cent plant-based renewable materials, the frame is derived from plant oil instead of petroleum. Also, $5 from every sale is donated to SurfAid. (03) 5261 6660.
MASERATI
Introducing the "It" bag made from brochures that have been recycled. Instead of tossing out several pallets of its old brochures, luxury car maker Maserati handed them over to Momaboma and the result was a chic eco-bag, $595, Ferrari Maserati Sydney, (02) 8577 8105.
THE REUSABLE BAG
Considering that 500 billion plastic bags are used worldwide each year (which is enough to fill 10,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools), accepting one at a store these days is a serious social no-no. In a bid to change mindsets, Target and Officeworks charge for theirs. Moving on from the style-free green Woolies bag are brands such as SAKitToMe by Envirotrend, Envirosax and Fizbag, which have created fabulous reusable shopping bags from recycled products and materials like bamboo. envirotrend.com.au; envirosax.com; fizbag.com.
ECO BEAUTY
It's not just fashion getting its green on. After identifying organic and natural products as its fastest-growing area, Mecca Cosmetica founder Jo Horgan flew into action. Last year, Horgan assembled a panel of green and retail experts, including eco-warrior Craig Kimberley and retail consultant Steve Bennett, to discuss the green movement and encourage change. "Wellness is the holy grail of our times and the shift towards more natural cosmetics is being driven by consumers who want quality and effective products; a natural claim is no longer enough," Horgan says. Putting its money where its mouth is, Mecca has added to its line-up brands with a solid eco/natural philsophy such as Ren and Nude Advanced Probiotic Skincare, from the founder of Fresh and Wild organic food emporiums in Britain. As part of Mecca's commitment to wellness, Horgan will educate staff beyond products and enlist the skills of dietitians and naturopaths in-store.
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