N-e-at! The coolest new technology of 2009

Some of them are likely to find their way into your home; others are just nice to have around. In either case, here are some of the most interesting technologies that Flow covered in 2009.

Turning sea water into jet fuel

US Navy scientists have found a way to turn sea water into jet fuel by extracting carbon dioxide and then refining the resulting product. Not exactly a water-powered car, but there’s always 2010, right?

Software

Science fiction’s taught us to be wary of robot intelligences, but a little help in being more energy efficient can’t get too evil, right? Take PecoBOO, a program that uses face detection software to turn off your monitor when you’re not at your desk, or Microsoft’s Hohm, a more general home energy monitoring tool. So long as neither of them starts saying “I’m sorry, Dave,” it’s just a good idea.

Biodegradable computers

We looked at iameco’s biodegradable computers as part of a larger trend toward more environmentally responsible systems. With most computers full of (often toxic) components that otherwise end up mouldering in landfills, it’s comforting to know that our web-surfing ways can also be more eco-friendly. And while those greener computers are still operating, this algorithm will allow smart power strips to shut off electronic devices in standby mode. Double smart.

Low carbon ice cream

Lower your carbon footprint by increasing your calorie intake. Ben & Jerry’s has created an ice cream that doesn’t have to be frozen until it’s brings home, meaning it needs less time being cooled in store freezers. If only all new technology were delicious.

Smart fridges

If you need a place to store your many, many cartons of low-carbon ice cream, consider a smart fridge capable of using “dynamic demand” technology to “automatically adjust [its] power consumption to account for second-by-second changes in demand on the national grid.” Of course, the fridges in question are still being used on a trial basis in the UK, but it’s only a matter of time before every appliance we use here gets smarter.

Air conditioning with ice

Speaking of keeping cool, Canadians should appreciate an air conditioning unit that uses dynamic changes in the electricity grid’s to keep a block of ice frozen as a kind of frigid backup (you can’t store “cold,” of course, but it’s close enough). After all, what’s more Canadian than spending half your time freezing and the other half thawing out?

Solar, solar and more solar

There’s always a flurry of interesting solar gizmos being released, and this year we looked at a few including the smallest ever solar cells, a method of solar cooking that you can potentially build yourself and using molten salt to store solar energy. In fact, let’s go a step further and design the world’s smallest solar oven that stores its energy in the same seasoning you use to cook your tasty treats. We have the technology!

Computer programs that mimic genetics to provide the optimal solvent-steam recipe

All right, the heading doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue, but steam-assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) is an essential part of the heavy oil extraction process. The carbon intensity of the process, though, is a consistent sticking point. By improving the efficiency of the process, Genetic Algorithms (GA) programs reduce the carbon footprint of the process while also making the process more cost-effective. Cheap and efficient: now that does roll off the tongue.

What’s new in tidal power?

Canada currently has North America’s only tidal generating station, but the possibilities of Dartmouth Wave Energy’s Searaser, which is designed to make the intermittent power source more predictable, are still exciting. Add to that the possibilities of integrated wind and tidal generation and you’ve got one exciting set of technologies.

A piezoelectric cell phone

We didn’t know what “piezoelectricity” meant either until we tackled this story on technologies that can covert kinetic energy into electricity. Is your battery indicator only showing a few bars remaining? Just talk up a storm.

PecoBOO watches you

You know you should be saving energy, and that every little bit helps. But sometimes you just plain forget to turn things off.

If only there was something to remind you…

Very PC understands and has developed software that will do the remembering for you. The program is called PecoBOO (that’s p-ECO-boo, get it?) and it’s designed to save energy every time you get up from your computer.

Using face detection software in combination with your webcam, PecoBOO will actually turn off your computer monitor when you’re not using it. You can set it to sleep or hibernate whenever you get a coffee, go to the bathroom, or chat with co-workers down the hall.

When you return, PecoBOO can tell you’re ready to get back to work, and will turn the monitor back on for you. You could call it a no-brainer. You could also call it lazy – but be realistic: who turns off their monitor every time they step away?

This simple and automatic way to save energy comes from Very PC, a computer company known for manufacturing low-energy desktop computers. They understand that computers are just a fact of life, but they have a huge environmental impact, especially with everybody using them.

Very PC does their bit to reduce the energy requirements in as many ways as possible. The developers at the company came up with PecoBOO when they began to think of the lights in their refrigerators – it’s only ever turned on when you need it.

You certainly don’t need to remember to turn that off.

Residential solar power

Solar power is difficult to do on a large, nation-wide scale.  Doesn’t that make it a perfect thing to do in your own home?

Simple Solar Heating Ltd. thinks so. Based in Okotoks, Alberta, this company makes use of solar thermal technology, which traps heat and uses photovoltaic technology to convert it to electricity. Currently, they focus on producing domestic hot water.

They believe that if one quarter of the houses in Alberta installed these panels, it would equal the power generated by a nuclear plant – at half of the cost. In sunny Alberta, this would constitute a reliable source of energy.

Solar thermal panels, once installed, require little or no maintenance, and can heat water for showers, laundry, and dishes. Even better, it can cut energy bills down by as much as 75 per cent. Even better, Simple Solar is just one of many solar companies to consider.

In BC, SolTrak modular roofing by MSR Innovations builds photovoltaic panels right into the roof. Their idea is simple.  If a homeowner needs a new roof, and wants to save on utility bills, why not combine those needs (as well as the cost) and do it all at once?

There are also government rebates available to  homeowners interested in solar power. Consider the Eco Energy Program, good for a maximum of $1,250, and a Home Retrofit incentive for up to $1,350 of relief.

If it’s cleaner, better for the environment, and cheaper in the long run – where are your panels?

Wal-Mart to put eco-ratings on products

In its most recent attempt to clean up its image and save the world, Wal-Mart announced plans to place eco-ratings on its all product labels. Wal-Mart plans on getting all 10,000 of its suppliers to answer a 15-question survey about their practices. Sounds great, but Wal-Mart’s raison d’être is discount prices and cheap goods manufactured in places like China. One has to wonder whether this is a good or even workable idea.

Are they sure they want to know? Are they comfortable honestly reporting the results, never mind putting it on all of their labels? Is this information even going to make a difference to the average Wal-Mart shopper, just looking for deals?

President and CEO Mike Duke believes this approach will push their suppliers to change their practices, which may affect the entire industry. They’ll use a green index that would be very similar to the nutritional info on food packages.

Questions in the survey are divided under the headings “Energy and Climate,” “Material Efficiency,” “Natural Resources: Producing High Quality, Responsibly Sourced Raw Materials,” and “People and Community: Ensuring Responsible and Ethical Production.”

Is it even feasible to ask these questions of all of their suppliers? Many of its suppliers may not have good answers to “do you know the location of 100 percent of the facilities that produce your product(s)?” or “Have you set publicly-available water use reduction targets?”

Even if they do get an answer, is it something that Wal-Mart can put on their packaging?

Backyard wind power? Not so fast

Talk about taking the wind out of urban wind power’s sails.

Graham Findlay in Ottawa was told he cannot install a wind turbine in his backyard, despite support from his neighbours. Besides having to change the zoning of his home, he would have to set up the turbine so that if it fell, it would fall only on his property.

The turbine in question is a ten-meter tall Energy Ball V100, designed for residential areas. According to Ottawa’s current bylaws, wind turbines can only be erected on properties that are at least 0.8 hectares in size; about 8,000 square meters. What does that mean?  For urbanites, it’s checkmate.  According to Ottawa’s Planning and Development Approvals Commissioner, 8,000 square meters is the minimum plot size for country lots. Lots created for average homes are generally around 2,200 square meters.

The Energy Ball V100 is nothing like wind-farm turbines. It’s actually shaped like a ball, and has a very discreet design. It takes a load off of the local power grid; Findlay says it would supply his house with 10 per cent of its energy needs.

In the future, it may be possible to install smaller turbines in urban backyards. The Green Energy Act seems to stipulate zoning rules don’t apply to certain renewable-energy installations.

However, because the Green Energy Act is so new – only passed in May – Ottawa is still getting its ducks in a row about how it will be put into practice.

Green concrete

When it comes to concrete, the Pantheon in Rome may be a perfect model for long-lasting green technology. LEED-status buildings are using its ancient wisdom in modern structures. The 2,000-year old-structure’s greenness is twofold.  First, if a building is designed to last for thousands of years, it will. Because it will only be built once and (hopefully) not require major repairs, it’s already by definition a sustainable building.

Most concrete buildings are merely built to be functional for the moment – even structures you’d expect and want to last longer.  For example, according to civil engineer John A. Bickley, even nuclear reactors are only built to last for about 120 years.

That’s not to say all concrete buildings are about to topple; Bickley’s tests indicate the CN Tower probably won’t break down for 1,000 years.  But what will help more concrete last?  The Pantheon’s second secret: volcanic ash.  Not as a filler agent, but a binding aid. Volcanic ash makes concrete more durable.

Using waste products – such as ash – is an innovation that modern builders are using to increase concrete longevity, and also to reduce overall carbon footprint. Using slag, silica fume and fly ash in the mix, greatly reduces the amount of CO2 produced.

These mixes are more than just environmentally friendly, but much more durable. They use up waste products and turn them into something useful and beneficial.

It made sense 2,000 years ago, and it makes sense now.  After all, “when in Rome…”

Star Power

Home owners in Ontario and Saskatchewan are thanking their lucky stars.

Just like your kitchen appliances, houses can be given the coveted Energy Star designation, too. By meeting a list of requirements, licensed Energy Star builders, like EnerQuality in Ontario, can put the famous blue star logo on their projects.

In this pilot project, to achieve Energy Star rating homes must be at least 30% more energy-efficient than provincial building code requirements. That translates to huge savings in home energy use and cost – by keeping an eye on efficiency during construction.

The McGill family in Ontario reports paying much less for their monthly bills in their new Energy Star home than their previous one – which was 1,000 square feet smaller. They even say their health is better, which they attribute to their higher-efficiency air filter.

Sounds fantastic, but is it actually done? By bits and pieces. Tankless water heaters, Energy Star-rated windows and doors, proper insulation – among other things. They also install low-flush toilets, and low-flow showerheads to keep water usage down.

Recently, EnerQuality Homes upped the ante by creating the Greenhouse initiative. You might consider it a “hybrid” between Energy Star and LEED status.  Greenhouse aims to conserve energy as well as materials. EnerQuality president Corey McBurney says most houses are “overbuilt.”

“Greenhouses” will take advantage of optimal-value engineering; they use recycled products, and reduce the amount of lumber used to make houses.

With such cost-effective, energy efficient programs available, it’s no wonder homeowners are looking so starry-eyed.

Vancouver’s mandatory electric car chargers

Today, there are so many possibilities for alternative fuels; it’s hard to know which one will dominate in the future.  A good solution might be to prepare for any or all of them.

In Vancouver, it could become mandatory for new condo developments to have electric car charging stations in 10% of their parking stalls. With so much talk of biofuels, it may seem unusual to bet on this particular horse.  Mayor Gregor Robertson says the future is electric.

He points out that many cities – in Europe, Japan, and nearby San Francisco – already have such charging stations in place, for electric cars already on the road. Vancouver would be the first city in Canada to make them mandatory.

While detractors argue against the current usefulness of plug-ins, many claim that the only way electric cars will catch on is if the infrastructure is already in place.

So while one doesn’t see a lot of Mitsubishi iMieVs today, charging stations will make it easier and more convenient for motorists to make the switch.  Put another way, electric cars are the chicken and charging outlets are the egg.  Or is it the other way around?

Making outlets mandatory in new developments could end up being a costly gamble.  Or, a future-minded stroke of genius – especially if the demand for electric cars in Canada grows.

Only by making an effort today, will changes be possible for tomorrow.

What’s it going to take?

If you build it – will the public come?

The Consumer Electronics Association conducted a study to determine consumer interest in energy-efficient technology. They found consumers are very interested – but only if there is a really good reason.

“Home Technologies and Energy Efficiency: A Look At Behaviors, Issues and Solutions” reveals consumers will tolerate an increase of 31 per cent in bills before taking action and independently investing in technology.

Slightly more than half said behavioral adjustments, combined with new technology, will reduce their home energy costs.  Consumers are interested in do-it-yourself solutions as much as professionally-installed ones.  Frequently, home improvement stores are the first places they turn when they feel like making a change.

They are also more likely than ever to take energy efficiency into consideration when making everyday purchasing decisions. Consumers have been shown to be aware of things like the Energy Star designation, and are using it to make smarter purchases.

Additionally, the study determined that while consumers need an incentive (i.e. increased utility bills), the demand for energy-efficient technology is on the rise overall. One-tenth of homes have had an energy audit.  Of those who had, 61% replaced their old electronics and appliances with more energy efficient ones.

With conventional energy becoming ever more costly, the CEA is certain that more and more consumers will be turned on to possibly investing in energy-efficient technology.

Canadians not as green as they think

So You Think You Can Be Green, Canada? If that were a new hit show, it would be hard to find any winners.  At least, according to a new study commissioned by Cossette Communication and Summerhill.

The survey says Canadians are not nearly as green as they think, resulting in an enormous “Green Gap.”  That means that while Canadians genuinely care about the environment, they aren’t making appropriate lifestyle changes in areas where they want to make a difference.

Need an example?  Take water bottles. Those polled reported using reusable water bottles 80 per cent of the time. That’s pretty good, right?  However, according to Environment Canada, 65 million empty water bottles are added to our landfills every year.

The truth is, Canadians may think green, but could be doing a much better job of putting belief into practice. The study shows they’re aware they should be using transit, but still don’t; they support harnessing solar energy, but they don’t – and so on.

A similar survey was conducted in 2008, demonstrating that Americans misunderstand key phrases, and are subject to “greenwashing.” In Canada, women and Quebecers are most likely to take a product’s greenness into consideration when making a purchase.

But overall, most Canadian consumers are leery of greenwashed labels, and don’t necessarily trust Green Certification on products, according to Nick Cowling of Optimum Public Relations.  “They don’t want to be fooled”.

Perhaps a fear of being sold a bill of bad (brown?) goods has turned Canadians away?

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