This page captures some of the ongoing interchanges between visioning committee members as they discuss through emails such topics as future trends, visioning process activities, and questions on the overall process. Learn from what others are struggling with to define a sustainable process that brings members of the community together.
08/13/06
Military Looking for Renewable Fuel Technology for Deployment to Iraq
Military leaders looking to Solar and Wind Generation to save lives
In the document, the region's U.S. military leaders call on the Pentagon to send more renewable energy systems to the country because they could leverage resources like sunlight or wind to produce power for bases and outposts. Commanders assert that tapping renewable energy sources would lessen dependence on fossil fuels -- a move that could save lives.
“A proposed alternate solution -- one that reduces the number of convoys while providing an additional capability to outlying bases -- is to augment our use of fossil fuels with renewable energy, such as photovoltaic solar panels and wind turbines, at our outlying bases,” the request states. “By reducing the need for petroleum-based fuels at our outlying bases, we can decrease the frequency of logistics convoys on the road, thereby reducing the danger to our Marines, soldiers, and sailors.”
“Comparison of the true costs (capital costs, maintenance, fuel, fuel logistics, etc.) of a 10 kilowatt diesel generator shows that a SkyBuilt Power MPS solar/battery system can cut those costs by at least 75 percent while improving reliability, saving manpower and spare parts, reducing or eliminating fuel costs, handling, and logistics, and providing a low heat signature," the request states.
“The up-front capital costs of a 10 kilowatt diesel generator are around $7,500-$10,000, much less than a MPS (around $100,000 depending on the configuration), but after only three to five years these costs are recovered,” the document states.
The request calls for 183 renewable energy systems of various power outputs to be fielded to bases and outposts that are manned by Regimental Combat Teams, Brigade Combat Teams and Border Transition Teams.
Viable Zinc-Air Fuel Cell for Indoor Backup Power Generation-- Fuel Cell Development Trend -- Weak Signal?
In one of my earlier emails on the hydrogen economy the reference indicated that a non-metallic catalyst would need to be found to make the fuel cell a cost effective part of the overall solution.
Has anyone read anything on nanotechnology and how the capability might be used as a renewable catalyst source (versus using platinum as currently envision and is not cost effective)? Could the catalyst be "recharged" through nanobot technology, e.g., miniaturization that provides the ionization needed to convert the hydrogen into electromechanical energy? Some hybrid vehicles are already using the breaking system of a vehicle to recharge the fuel cell (or battery) so as to recapture the energy loss during acceleration.
Saw another interesting investment advertisement that you may find interesting. The following company is using a Zinc Air Fuel Cell to power backup generators. One area they don't discuss very much is the Zinc distribution system for refilling the fuel cell.
A MIT professor makes the argument for increasing resources on battery technology as a
cost effective alternative (over hydrogen) to carbon based transportation solutions.
Do you think Cetron would be willing to use the MIT "SoapBox" Forum concept? The MIT "SoapBox" forum allows for the 30 minute speaker presentation, followed by a 10 minute dialogue between small groups to generate questions, the questions are then presented to the whole assembly and the speaker addresses the questions in open forum.
Donald R. Sadoway, John F. Elliott Professor of Materials Chemistry
Department of Materials Science Engineering
Mr. Elliott states that more resources should be spent on battery research. He explains why the hydrogen economy will be very difficult to implement unless transportations costs become extremely expensive in order to justify the massive infrastructure investment and that a non-metallic catalyst (not platinum as used today) be found for cost effective hydrogen fuel cell technology.
Mr. Elliott mentions the following problems with the hydrogen fuel cells:
1) non-metallic catalyst must be found. The cost of platinum is already expensive which is being used in fuel cells.
2) cost of producing hydrogen (many solutions still use carbon fuels to produce the hydrogen fuel)
3) storage of hydrogen (on the car or at the station) and implementing crash worthy cars?
4) shipping costs must be overcome (distributions methods)
He proposes that we need to invest in low cost carbon and electrical mechanical transportation solutions.
Europeans have been on the forefront of the diesel electric hybrid vehicles for years.
How could Northeast Nebraska become the leaders in implementing ethanol electrical hybrid vehicles along with diesal hybrid vehicles? How could we be recognized as the prototype hybrid car center of the world? Is it realist to establish a goal that in 10 years we have 50% of passanger vehicles on the road using hybrid technology and 75% in 15 years? According to Mr. Elliott, just about every commuter working in Norfolk could be using a hybrid vehicle without "running out of energy" for the daily commute based on current technology. How could we at a local level provide an incentive for purchasing these type vehicles, e.g., by eliminating the county and city sales taxes (2.5% on $30K vehicle would save the purchaser $750.00)? Right now there is a federal tax credit when purchasing hybrid cars (up to about $3,500) which covers the additional cost of a hybrid over a conventional vehicle. How would we incentivize the engine mechanics ( and electrical motor) courses at NECC to become the center for hybrid car maintenance? Norfolk Iron & Metal use to be the battery recycler in Northeast Nebraska 35 years ago. How could we help with battery recycling in Nebraska?
Battery production currently requires significant amount of cobalt according to Mr. Elliot. I can remember 15 years ago the United States Air Force was very concerned about uninterrupted access to cobalt due to instability in Africa and the former Soviet Union. They had budgeted millions of dollars to stockpile cobalt for manufacture of jet engine parts (turbine fans and compressors).
Cobalt is not found as a free metal and is generally found in the form of ores. Cobalt is usually not mined alone, and tends to be produced as a by-product of nickel and copper mining activities. The main ores of cobalt are cobaltite, erythrite, glaucodot, and skutterudite. The world's major producers of cobalt are the Democratic Republic of the Congo, China, Zambia, Russia and Australia. It is also found in Finland, Azerbaijan, and Kazakhstan. It is also produced in the town of Cobalt, Ontario as a byproduct of the silver mining.
Does it make sense why one of the other reasons we are in Afghanistan is due to its cobalt reserves?
- developing a culture in support of a 21st century economy
A Third AHA was written for a group of economic developers for Rick Symre's advanced class at the national Economic Development Institute at the University of Oklahoma. It has been chosen to be published in the World Future Society's Futures Research Quarterly.
06/27/06 How would the Futurist's of 18th Century advise use today
We are developing the tools to reprogram the processes involved in disease and aging, says Ray Kurzweil in his article, "Reprogramming Biology," in the July 2006 Scientific American and available free in an extended Web version.
Now that biology is becoming an information technology, it is subject to the "law of accelerating returns," he notes. "Information technologies, including biological ones, double their price performance and capacity in less than a year. Sequencing DNA, for example, has come down in price by half annually, from $10 per base pair in 1990 to under a penny today. The amount of genetic data we have sequenced has more than doubled every year."
This rate of increase means we will "increase the capability of these technologies by a factor of 1,000 in less than a decade and by a billion in 25 years."
He also cites accelerating progress in turning specific genes off by blocking the messenger RNA; adding beneficial genes to patients' bodies; activating and deactivating enzymes, to increase good cholesterol, for example; regrowing our own cells, tissues and even whole organs; capturing stem cells out of the bloodstream, to create new heart cells, for example; using nanoparticles that recognize and destroy cancer cells; and understanding and even reprogramming the brain.
Kurzweil is also optimistic about radical life extension. "I expect that within 15 years, we'll be adding more than a year each year to remaining life expectancy. So my advice is: take care of yourself the old-fashioned way for a while longer and you may get to experience the remarkable century ahead."
6/7/2006 Read this material today and had to reread material from several weeks ago to put it into context.
"It's Alive - The Coming Convergence of Information, Biology, and Business, p. 61, regarding the molecular economy, "Our ability to unravel and combine DNA from disparate sources means that we can use existing biological process of living host to grow materials that we previously synthesized chemically....Nexia Biotechnologies scientists upped the ante again by isolating the gene in spiders that codes for silk protein and introducing it into the mammary cells of goats. The goats, produce milk that contains the spider-silk protein, the raw material for BioSteel." .... p. 127, "Molecular technologies will radically shrink the mass of our economy a dollar's worth of stuff in 1999 weighs half of what it did in 1979 (witness the plastic in cars), continuing this trend, because a BioSteel elevator cable (spider silk, remember?) will weigh less than the Nucor steel cable."
So the question is how will Nucor have to adapt and transform their business model and technology base to stay competitive 20 years from now? What will their existing labor force (numbers) be doing 20 years from you. What skills will they need? Where will they find these skills (USA or elsewhere)? How and what can Norfolk invest in, transformational culture, infrastructure, human and natural resources, etc. to transform our local economy to take advantage of the molecular economy that will be here in our life time (2026)?
4/29/06 The following is an on-line community collaboration resource focusing on approaches to motivating and engaging citizens and councils in dialogue, consultation, administration, and governance. http://www.communitypeople.net/
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