I'm super cereal

Fukashima and Chernobyl are events that will instill fear into people’s thoughts of nuclear facilities. People have begun to notice how many facilities are freckled over the untied states. They see these facilities as danger rather then the source of light and electricity. People fear that a meltdown is imminent and that it is only a mater of time.

The Indian Point fission reactor is located in New York, less then 35 miles from the heart of Manhattan. There are 50 million people within the fall out and evacuation zone, and each of them are feeling a lil hesitant. If there had to be a mass evacuation of new york city, cause and panic would erupt. There has been an uprising of protesters to shut down the Indian Point facility. It has been operating for last 40 years, which is not assuring people. They believe that 40 years is too old for a facility. They believe that they may not be up to date with safety measures. Most of all they are afraid of human error.

So it’s Friday and my brain is done with school, I walk into my last class before the weekend and I see a very interesting fellow with American flag suspenders and a beard that would make any magician jealous. I sit down and log into the computer. I can see him scanning the room, looking and maybe judging each of us. Once he began he told all of us to shut down our computers, I knew he was about to get down to business, and I was ready. He pulled some out some of his gadgets and then he jumped right in.

He began by explaining who Tesla was, what impact he had, and how awesome he was. He was responsible for the electric life we all live in today. Some of the gadgets Tom showed us were able to convert energy into usable energy. The gadgets used either heat, wind, or solar. He showed how each of these machines worked how they are used in our everyday life.

The most exciting demonstration Tom had was his personally built Tesla coil. The gadget emitted an electrical open spark at the top. From the spark Tom was able to wirelessly power a series of different light bulbs. He explained the amazing and magical properties of the unforgiving electricity.

Over all the demonstration was very enlightening. I learned how crucial Tesla and his technology was to todays technology and even the futures.

The world today listens very closely to what scientists and people in power have to say about the climate. Planet Earth is where we all live, and some are saying we are killing it. Scientist warn that the Co2 we emit from our energy resources, cars, ect., has started a shift in the natural balance of the earths climate. They say with this shift, results could end with an ice age, raising sea levels, and devastating changes in human and natural agriculture. But there are some skeptics who say otherwise.

The naysayers to the human induced climate change have some arguments that sound crazy enough to believe. They argue that the up coming “greenwave” was created by the government to begin the move of human dependency off of fossil fuels. They are skeptical of the many scientist throwing them selves at the “greenwave” saying that the climate has been reaching the highest ever recorded. The skeptics say that there have been many periods in the history of humans where the temperatures varied like today. They are most skeptical of the effects of Co2 on the plants and changing climate. They say that raised levels of Co2 would help plants grow, and that the 3% that humans contribute to the yearly levels of Co2 are insignificant and do not cause any effect. Another skeptical opinion is the up and coming carbon tax. They believe that this is a plot for human kind to pay and support something that isn’t real. They believe that scientists have made mistakes as a scientific community before and they could have made another.

These skeptics come in many shapes and size, some are politicians, some scientists, and some are entire countries. The continent of Australia especially has the view that Global Warming is not human induced and that it is a hoax to squeeze money out of everyone for a “greater good”. Behind them is their prime minster Tony Abbott. Another powerful skeptic is Dr. Willie Soon. He has been paid millions of dollars by the major energy companies of today. His findings disprove human global warming. There are many many more skeptics out there with arguments that are solid…for now. Until change is noticed physically.

All these skeptics are looking for is hard evidence. Many can be swayed by a one on one sit down with a scientist who has the knowledge to guide them towards the green wave. Many are fed lies or false information, many are people in powerful positions, many will not change their opinion, and many are dangerous to the upcoming global shift to becoming green.

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/damianthompson/100018448/tony-abbott-conservative-catholic-global-warming-sceptic-%E2%80%93-and-friend-of-cardinal-pell/

http://www.cbsnews.com/2100-18563_162-5955012.html

http://www.realaspen.com/article/767/Speaking-in-Aspen-Colorado-Al-Gore-calls-bullshit-on-global-warming-naysayers

When let loose in the Museum of Science, I felt it was a great opportunity to roam and absorb all that was offered. I learned a lot about the human body, illusion, space travel, animals, and the world around us. Peter, Katia, and I spent a lot of time in the children’s area. The museum nailed it with the many hands on activities. Even though we were older we still learned and enjoyed the learning in the process.

The visit was not very structured so I felt I did fully tap what the museum had to offer. We roamed glancing at things, only to stop of more then one of us wanted to take a closer look. Even though there was no agenda, I felt we did learn a wealth of information.

The trip to the plasma facility at MIT was a real eye opener for me. I learned that matter had a fourth state. A state of matter only found in the hottest parts of the universe. MIT has managed to construct a machine that can generate and sustain a few minutes of plasma. The engineering and science behind these projects consist of highly trained passionate scientists. Their research could make a big difference down the road when the human race is looking for a new source of energy. Unfortunately people today are still living in the we “should” use alternative efficient sources of energy rather then the we “have too”.

The tour was very easy to conceptualize and really interesting. I feel I have walked away with a wealth of information that puts my mind at ease about the alternative energy race. The most surprising thing I learned was that iron in the most stable element. It was surprising to find out it was but another one of life’s mysteries. The moment it was compared to the why the sun exists I knew it was just another interesting natural law like dark matter. Another interesting thing was the engineering behind the machine. Countless magnetic rod is wrapped in a donut shape. Atoms are shot and travel along these wires. The result of colliding and splitting atoms creates a mass amount of energy. This energy is heat. The heat can be transferred from heat to watt by a series of boiling water to spin turbines. In my personal opinion I feel this method of transforming the energy into useful energy seems primitive. The technology exists to heat elements to thousands of degrees and the way its converted to energy is by boiling water. Before plasma becomes a reliant source of energy first a bigger facility and more up to date energy transformation technology must exist.

This was a very interesting tour. It kept me entertained and stimulated through the whole thing. The information I learned I will rely on in my life. I hope plasma is our future.

Who gives a Frack

Only those whose health is at risk give a frack. Hydrocracking has turned into a feeding frenzy between the major energy companies. The United States’ natural gas supply has been compared to an ocean. This resource is being tapped left and right beneath our feet. This might be great for the energy business but people are worried. Due to a bill by Dick Channey, Hydrofracking companies can step over boundaries and laws such as the clean water act and clean air act. This is comparable to giving a sixteen year old a fast car and a pass to break all the laws. It doesn’t mean he will, but he can. And knowing energy companies, they WILL supply the demand.

There are many issues revolving around the process of hydrofracking, Hydrofracking uses a very unique system to get natural gas from the layer of shale. The process starts with the construction of the facility and drill. Once that is completed miners dig 6,000ft down to the layer of shale. After digging horizontally a few hundred feet, steel tubes are slid into place. The tubes are pumped of cement until they are surrounded. Another 100 feet or so is drilled and then a device with triggered explosives is set in place.  The explosive fracture the shale enough for the fracking liquid to be pumped into. From here the liquid expands the fractures. Once the device and liquid are removed, extraction of the natural gas begins. Locals have reported earthquakes and contaminated water. This can have a huge impact on farmers and people with wells.

There have been some cases reported of water from the tap that was actually flammable. That does not sound healthy for a family, an animal, or even farming. Energy companies have swept people voicing their concerns under the rug, calling them eco-terrorists. This makes the energy companies look like the bad guys. And if they are going to trying to buy the rights to land, the people owning the land won’t be so eager to sell.

http://www.peacecouncil.net/NOON/hydrofrac/HdryoFrac2.htm

http://www.citizenscampaign.org/campaigns/hydro-fracking.asp

http://www.hydraulicfracturing.com/Pages/information.aspx

Journalism will be the Death of the Green Wave

When talking about the Solyndra controversy a lot of questions and finger pointing is involved.  Could this of been avoided? Was Solyndra the best choice to use as a poster child for the new going green campaign? What will this do to the opinions of green companies? What we do know is that the situation has left a bad taste in the mouths of both politicians and citizens of the United States about the reliability of the government’s choices and green companies.

Half a billion dollars were given to Solyndra to finish the construction of their new facility, create over 1000 new jobs, and become a global competitor in the solar panel industry. This all sounds great, especially to people looking for clean alternative energy. Some politicians were not as excited. There were people who warned that there seemed something fishy because the bill needed to be passed by a certain time. With this push it could not be re-written and it was passed as it was. A year later Solyndra filed bankruptcy and laid off over 1200 of their employees. This situation has sparked a raging fire of criticism towards both the president and the money paid to major energy companies.

Billions and billions of dollars are handed out every year to major energy companies to create incentives to create jobs and improve business. Over 41 billion dollars are given to gas companies every year. Why is it that the largest profit grossing industry needs 41 billion dollars to create incentives? Its because it was created decades ago. There needs to be change in order for people to take this up coming green wave seriously. These are their dollars; lets give them faith that each cent will be used to its maximum potential.

So where did the 500 million dollars given to Solyndra go? The FBI is finding that out right now, but if I had to guess, it went to the board and other major players in the company. Many of these players backed Obama heavily while he was running for office. This doesn’t look good because it seems as if Obama paid them back.

The hope for a green future better not die with Solyndra. It was but a fishy situation that should not change the attitude towards clean eco-friendly companies.  But it has. There needs to be more hope for a cleaner future, because if there is no hope, there is no future.

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2011-09-18/news/ct-met-kass-0918-20110918_1_solyndra-loan-guarantee-obama-fundraisers-obama-white-house

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/ezra-klein/post/five-myths-about-the-solyndra-collapse/2011/09/14/gIQAfkyvRK_blog.html

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/09/15/jon-stewart-obama-solyndra-scandal-video_n_965474.html

When there is demand, companies will supply. The automotive industry thrives off of consumer’s wants and needs, not the other way around. The average consumer goes trough many decision-making factors when purchasing a car. For decades the concern was legroom, pick up, and looks. Today, with the spike in gas prices, the major factor consumers are banking on is gas mileage. Consumers want to avoid the gas pumps and not have to fill the tank. Just like in the 70’s with the spike in gas prices, consumers have made the move from heavy gas-guzzlers to light fuel-efficient cars. The automobile industry has always tailored the cars to the consumer; with the rising gas prices this is how they plan to handle the demand shift.

There are many ways for car manufacturers to create engines that can drive a few miles more on a gallon. Hybrids, electric cars, and alternate fuel engines are all hitting the scene. Primitive lunkers like the hummer are being pulled and put to rest. It is a new world of gas and energy conscious consumers.

A few companies have sought the wisdom of NASA to help produce an engine that will use the wasted heat energy during combustion. Only a certain amount of energy is used from every explosion in a combustion engine. There is a large amount of heat energy that radiates off the engine and is wasted. With the help of NASA and their knowledge of capturing and generating energy from heat expulsion, there will be more energy efficient machines on the road soon.

Obama just recently released the new upcoming requirement for car’s gas millage by 2020. Cars have hovered around 27.5 mpg for years, with this new requirement the new average will be 60mpg. This jump was made once in the 70’s and the car manufacturers were not pleased. This time around not a single voice has been spoken against this new requirement. The times are changing and the Automotive industry sees that.

http://www.parabolicarc.com/2012/02/18/automobile-industry-looks-to-space-to-improve-fuel-efficiency/

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/29/business/carmakers-back-strict-new-rules-for-gas-mileage.html?pagewanted=all

http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/editorials/2011-07-19-Raise-standard-to-60-mpg_n.htm

Dunken donuts may say America runs on Dunkens, but in fact it runs on 10,663,013,700 kilowatt hours a day. Everyday people flip on light switches, microwave something, watch tv, use the phone, and even right now writing these words uses electricity. Electricity is consumed, as it is demanded. Which means it is up to each individual’s daily electrical decisions that makes up how much energy is supplied.

For the energy to get to every house hold and person’s fingers electricity must first be produced and then sent through the power grid. Here the energy is distributed to the many transformers that convert the volts into usable energy. Every day the energy companies know the least amount of energy to produce to supply everyone with energy. This is called the base load. This is important because everyday there will be energy needed to support daily life.  But like the ocean there are points during the day in which energy usage is higher depending on the time/season/location. The highest point of energy usage is called peak usage time. This is important to be prepared for because if there is a large power surge the whole grid could get overused and crash.

For many people how electricity gets to their home or phone does not cross their minds. For big companies it is always a concern. Before long everyone will know where their energy is coming and appreciate it. As of right now the energy crisis is not on many peoples minds, but it will be.

To be productive and help lower the amount of energy people use they must pay attention to the demand response. Which is noticing when everyone is using, when during certain times of the day it is unnecessary, and how to conserve to prevent blackouts. This is very important for it creates a balance and consistency that can be lowered that will lower costs, prevent black outs, and to start making a change with the energy crisis.

What it means to follow a demand response program is to turn off lights when leaving the house, using air conditioners only when necessary, during peak usage hours decrease the amount of energy consumed, and to become conscience of irresponsible energy consumption. I feel if this is implemented we can lower the costs of energy, become more energy friendly, and prevent blackouts.

http://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/green-science/demand-response.htm

http://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/category/demand-response/

http://www.cpuc.ca.gov/PUC/energy/Demand+Response/