Forget Oil! The Future is in Electricity
July 19, 2008 by Bob Difley · 54 Comments
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By Bob Difley
A lot of experts and theoretical think tanks are looking at ways to quickly and drastically reduce our oil requirements, rather than pursuing ways to increase supply to meet demand with unpopular options like increased drilling in places like ANWR and the continental shelf. They are suggesting that we instead put our efforts into producing most if not all of our energy needs from domestic sources.
- No to foreign oil.
- No to war with foreign nations to stabilize their shaky governments and whose oil we want.
- No deals with disruptive, threatening, unfriendly, and unstable governments and rulers just so we can buy their oil.
- No to competing with China and India for oil, whose exploding economies have them gobbling up all the oil they can buy from any source at any price.
- No more oil tanker spills.
- Reduction of CO2 emissions and air pollution.
A pipe dream?
Is There an Electric Toad in Your Future?
June 28, 2008 by Bob Difley · 11 Comments
By Bob Difley
How close are we to an electric vehicle? A bit far, I suspect, for motorhomes or trucks powerful enough to pull trailers and fivers, but maybe not as far for a toad. GM has pulled out all the stops for the Volt PHEV (plug-in hybrid electric vehicle) due out in the spring of 2009. Read more
Will Drilling ANWR Ease the Oil Crisis?
June 21, 2008 by Bob Difley · 38 Comments
With fuel prices continuing to climb with no peak in sight, arguments have re-surfaced for drilling off the coasts of Florida and California, on public lands, and in the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). Offshore drilling has been banned for 27 years and both presidential candidates are against drilling in the ANWR. But how valid are the arguments made for tapping into America’s oil reserves to lower our foreign oil imports and the price of oil? This subject has legions of supporters and detractors, especially when the subject of ANWR comes up.
Solar Power - Pt-2 Inverters
June 1, 2008 by Mike Steffen · 2 Comments
Howdy !
OK, now I know that everyone completed their power requirements worksheets so now we can talk about the size and type of power support system we are going to need to operate all that equipment. First let’s figure out the operating cycle of the inverter. All the duty cycle means is how long the inverter system is expected to operate. For example, if we want to run all our loads for 12-hours out of 24-hours the duty cycle will be 50%. Now let’s look at typical loads.
For example, if the load includes a small television and VCR or DVD , the power requirements are relatively small and the usage is usually short-term (i.e. the duty cycle is low). The support system may consist of the engine battery, whether from a tow vehicle or a motorhome, with one auxiliary deep-cycle battery, the existing engine alternator, and the necessary fuses and cables. With such limited power usage the batteries alone may be able to power the loads without running the vehicle engine and recharging them from the alternator. Ah, one thing to remember here, if you lump the starting battery into the power supply bank you may not have enough “Umph” to get the dang engine to start !
Now, if the loads are larger, such as lights, heater elements for a refrigerator or water heater , or even a standard RV microwave, the power supply system will require a larger battery bank and may necessitate a high output engine alternator, solar panels or even a stinky ol’ generator. The batteries alone cannot supply long-term power to loads like these. Ultimately, the energy must come from someplace other then just the batteries.
Solar Power for your RV?
May 26, 2008 by Mike Steffen · 2 Comments
What’s the Fuss About Solar ?!
Howdy !
Looking at the questions asked about the solar power articles that I’ve done for rv magazines and on this BLOG it seems to me that solar power is somewhat misunderstood because we don’t have the information to provide real answers.
Here is the most common question:
Q. What does it cost to put solar on a RV ??
A. How much have ya got ?!
This is the most common question and the hardest to answer because there is no real way to answer it. It’s kinda like the chicken or the egg type question. The first thing you must know before we can even begin to get to the bottom of this one is - how much power do you need ? We start by completing the power sizing chart to determine how much power we use. To make this work we really do need to add-up ALL the devices we have in the RV, both 12-Volt DC and 120-Volt AC. Let’s assume that we are designing a solar driven power system of solar panels, an inverter for 120 Volts AC, a battery bank and the needed controllers, cables and so on to make it all work.
Plastic Bag Manufacturers - A Poor Investment
May 24, 2008 by Bob Difley · 10 Comments
San Francisco, always on the leading edge of environmental actions, this week banned the use of plastic bags by chain pharmacies. Six months ago they banned the bags from supermarkets, and the ban seems to be spreading to other cities as well. Cities that have banned or are considering banning bags include Boston, Baltimore, Arlington (TX), New Haven and Westport (CT), Portland (OR), as well as Paris and London. On June 1st China will prohibit stores from handing out free plastic bags.
Americans throw away over 100 billion plastic bags every year, with only a small percentage making it to landfills, the rest festooning trees, bushes, cacti, and power lines. In Ireland, they once refered to plastic bags as their national flag, South Africans as their national flower. Both passed laws, or prohibited the free distribution of plastic bags, and have reduced their bag use by more than 90%. San Francisco’s garbage collection company reports that there are 10% - 15% fewer bags showing up at their recycling facility since the ban at supermarkets. Most recycling facilities cannot recycle soft plastic bags.
And of course there are critics of the bag ban.
Fuel Prices and Alternatives
May 18, 2008 by David Kurtz · 3 Comments
Wow! I can’t believe how busy I have been lately! My day job is always as exciting as usual. I am a professional ‘Computer Geek’ and so things are always moving and shaking there! At home, I am trying to finish a bathroom remodel. We are also in the middle of a major Spring cleaning of our entire house. Next weekend my son will be graduating from high school. Also, next week, we will be attending a High School awards night and visiting his college of choice to get him signed up for the fall. I also run a DJ Service on the side and will be doing a couple gigs. During the Memorial Day weekend, it looks like I might be working security at a local hotel where they will be having bands Friday through Monday. (I am a second degree Black Belt and was asked if I might be available). Oh and I need to open the pool soon.
Of course, we are also planning our vacation. We will be going to Door County Wisconsin and stay at the Door County Camping Retreat campground in Egg Harbor in June with some friends. In addition to the camping trip, my wife and I are planning on going to Mackinac Island in Michigan two days after we get back from camping to celebrate our 25th anniversary.
$4 Gas? What Next? $20 Steaks
May 17, 2008 by Bob Difley · 3 Comments
Last week’s post on this subject raised some responders’ temperatures and stimulated a spirited discussion, so let’s throw some more fuel on the smoldering coals of soaring food prices and see where it takes us. First, the dire future for meat eaters.
One respondent took me to task for talking about beef eating in India: “Dude, they don’t eat beef in India, remember? Cows are sacred.” It is not just India where meat–including beef–eating is rising (India’s middle class is estimated at 350 million, the size of the entire US population, and consumes 2.8 kg–6.16 lb–per person per year, not a great amount per person but still amounting to a total of 6.16 billion pounds of beef per year). Brazil’s meat consumption has doubled since 1980 (now 197 pounds per person per year), China’s has quadrupled to 109 pounds (most of it pork), and in the US from 234 pounds in 1980 to 273 pounds per person in 2007 says the USDA–despite the trend toward more healthful and vegetarian food choices. Read more
Lowering Fuel Costs in your RV
May 16, 2008 by Jason Heflin · 2 Comments
An SUV that can get 32 mpg? Yep, the new Saturn Vue Hybrid can. Hybrid technology is advancing rapidly and with each new vehicle released they only get more efficient.
If you’re looking for a dinghy vehicle that can get you, 4 passengers, and your stuff where you want to go, this is your vehicle. All 2008 Saturn VUE models can be dinghy towed from the front with all four wheels on the ground. Saturn is known for its tow friendly vehicles already so their designers knew what to consider when creating this next generation.
And if you have a towable, you CAN pull a pop-up camper, have a place to carry all of your gear, AND get decent gas mileage. The Vue Hybrid pulls a maximum trailer weight of 1,500 lbs
I had the opportunity to test the new Vue and see how well it performed.
$4 Gas? What Next? $8 Bread?
May 10, 2008 by Bob Difley · 18 Comments
If it isn’t enough to have gas and diesel hovering around–and about to surpass–$4 gallon, an equally vital need for RVers is the need to eat. Food prices, especially rice, corn, and wheat have soared in price over the last year. We Americans (and Canadians) can be thankful, though at the same time frustrated and depressed, that the world’s poor, that already spends 80% of their income on food, are now facing hunger and starvation.
What is going on?
Can we attribute this disaster to global warming and the price of oil? If so, why then in the face of this global crisis are the multi-national food conglomerates making record profits? Monsanto last month reported that its net income for the three months up to the end of February 2008 had more than doubled over the same period in 2007, from $543 million to $1.12 billion. (For something that will really raise your ire, read Vanity Fair’s investigative report, Harvest of Fear, about Monsanto). Cargill’s net earnings increased 86%, and Archer Daniels Midland, one of the world’s largest agricultural processors of soy, corn and wheat, increased its net earnings by 42%. The operating profit of its grains merchandising and handling operations jumped 1,600%–from $21million to $341million. And despite the increase in organic food production, income for the Mosaic Company, one of the world’s largest fertilizer companies, rose more than 1,200%, from $42.2m to $520.8m, believe it or not because of a fertilizer shortage.
And it’s not just the disastrous effects of global climate change and the escalating price of oil driving food price increases.
