These are snaps from Monday. This was about 5 pm when I stepped out of my office in Sunnyvale, CA.

Rainbow1 on 03/02/2009

Rainbow2 on 03/02/2009

Rainbow3 on 03/02/2009

I wish I had my camera for a close up

It’s important to acknowledge that no single weather event can be definitively caused by climate change — and it’s possible that the current inferno in Australia might have been as intense and deadly even without the warming of the past several decades. Police are beginning to suspect that many of the fires may have been deliberately set, and the sheer increase in the number of homes built in fire-danger zones in southern Australia today puts more people in harm’s way, raising the potential death toll. Still, heat waves and drought set the table for wildfires, and temperatures in the worst-hit areas have been over 110°F (43°C) while humidity has bottomed out near zero. Climate change will continue to be a threat multiplier for forest fires.

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We pretty sure that the expression “drunk on power” was never meant to be taken this literally. Recently the Rothes consortium of whisky and scotch distillers announced that they have partnered with Helius Enery to install a power plant fueled by none other than, well, whisky by-products! We think that we can drink to that.

The next article, Tidal-powered datacenters: A sea of opportunity?, is very interesting specially since the blogsphere is a buzz with article on power consumption of data-centers and efforts to reduce it. Power, for cooling and machines, is one of largest costs for any data-center. Another related article was the announcement by Cisco, Automation initiative starts with computers, networks — but will expand to heat, lights:

Cisco Systems Inc. launched a major green initiative today that includes free software to help customers use their networks to automatically turn off computers and network gear at night and whenever they aren’t being used.

….

For example, the software could be used to track how many employees have left a plant or office complex at the end of a shift based on the number of workers with badges who were still inside. If everybody has left, “why keep the systems working?” Kerravala said. “It has a lot of benefits.”

Initially though the software will work with devices which use power over Ethernet. Again, the goal would be reduce power consumption in offices and possibly, data-centers. Another one is IBM Information Infrastructure to meet new emerging green initiatives and needs in IT, a report by IBM on how one could use it products to make the enterprise “greener”. For me the most interesting part in the report is “FIGURE 1. TOP PRIORITY GREEN BUSINESS INITIATIVES IDENTIFIED BY SENIOR BUSINESS EXECUTIVES”. It shows that business care least about carbon credit/offset programs which incidentally all politicians tend to favor. Go figure

The last link is New Catalyst Paves The Path For Ethanol-powered Fuel Cells from Sayan’s BlogWorld.

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Another quote from the article

Even with the small amount of electricity applied, the hydrogen ultimately provides more energy as a fuel than the electricity needed to drive the reactor. Incorporating all energy inputs and outputs, the overall efficiency of the vinegar-fueled system is better than 80 percent, far better than the efficiency for generation of the leading alternative fuel, ethanol.

Go green!

The thing I really think is right about this project is that AC Transit is planning is use Solar Energy needed for Electrolysis. Sun + Water = [clean energy].

I believe far too many projects and people think they are using clean energy but don’t take into account is the energy needed to make the ‘clean’ fuel. I don’t think burning coal to produce electricity or catalyst for electrolysis is environmentally friendly nor is it economically feasible w/o government intervention. Corn based ethanol has the same issue. Your thoughts??

Here is a nice intro on electrolysis.

Anyways, let me find the route & take a ride