TechCity

My initial tests indicate that it actually works.  In fact, with no other modifications to the engine, I have seen a greater than 25% increase in gas mileage.  Yes, I am serious.  With a $50 investment in parts, a little time, and a crazy idea, I have reduced my gas bill for that vehicle by 25%!!!  My next steps are to replace the jets in the carburetor, tweak the timing, and rework the hoses for the system to increase hydrogen flow.  I hope to see even better results and will certainly report back to you.  How fun!

Am I the only one who is innovating in the area of energy and conservation?  No, absolutely not.  There is an amazing amount of new technology out there and some you will find hard to believe just over the horizon.  There is an Israeli energy startup named Zenith Solar that has developed a new solar technology that is producing results that are astounding.  Their new design is generating between 500 and 1000 times the energy output of traditional photovoltaic systems.  This technology could suddenly make solar really competitive with conventional energy.  Here are a couple of websites that talk about it:  http://tinyurl.com/5×9ajh or  http://tinyurl.com/3fkyz3

            Equally exciting is news coming out of Palo Alto, California.  A company named Nanosolar is producing paper-thin solar panels harnessing nanotechnology that produces the same amount of electricity as traditional silicon based cells at 1/3 of the cost.  Since these cells are thin and flexible, they can be rolled onto surfaces in sheets.  Here are a couple of links you can look at:  http://tinyurl.com/2kaq29 or http://tinyurl.com/3jq73z.

            Most exciting of all is the announcement by a Silicon Valley company named LS9 that they have genetically engineered bacteria to feed on agricultural waste and then excrete crude oil.  A representative of the company said last month that they expect to be able to fill their first vehicle with “renewable petroleum” in about a month. 

Why is this so exciting?  There are two reasons.  First, with a product like this, we will not have to reengineer the entire global economy.  For those of you who want us to get off of carbon based fuels right now, don’t forget that we do not have the capacity to recycle all of the vehicles, motors, asphalt, etc.  So, if we did just go “cold turkey” from our addiction to oil, we would fill our world with abandoned remnants of life as we know it today.  Not a pretty picture.  I prefer to gradually wean us off of our dependence on oil. 

Secondly, “Oil 2.0″ (what they’ve labeled their product), is carbon negative.  This means that the carbon it emits will be less than that drawn from the atmosphere by the raw materials from which it is made.  They hope to have a commercial scale facility open by 2011.  If they used Brazilian sugar cane as their feedstock, they predict that their fuel would cost about $50 a barrel.  Read more about it at:  http://tinyurl.com/4vyta9

Clearly, crying about the price of fuel and gas is not the answer.  Pontificating and bloviating about current and past administrations on both sides changes nothing.  Innovation, creation(s) (a new device or process) resulting from study and experimentation, is what will make a difference.

And of course, don’t forget that you can read all of the past and present “Tech City” columns by going to www.ashlandfiber.net/techcity.  Keep innovating!