Check Out These Innovative New Energy Possibilities

By Bob Difley
With the world’s concentration focused on alternative energy sources, inventors, entrepreneurs, and venture capitalists are scrambling to come up with the next big thing in power supply. A new type of wind power device is the Windspire, a 30 foot tall, two foot wide, vertical tower with a rotating core that turns at the same speed as the wind blows. Without the rotating blades of a wind turbine (that rotate faster than the wind speed), it is safer for birds, as they can see the slower moving core. Another big advantage is its relatively quiet operation, quieter than turbine blades. This would be a big plus if adapted to RV use. It is also aesthetically more pleasing, since it looks like a metal lawn sculpture. It is designed to be easily erected in a backyard by any home handyman, and will supply about 1,800 kw of annual power in an eleven-knot average wind speed, which would require a rather windy area. Not very practical for an RV yet, and it is still expensive at $4,000. But the concept is interesting and presents a new idea for RV sized units.

Another promising prospect for fuel is algae. According to the scientist in this video an acre of corn will produce 18 gallons of oil per year (used to make ethanol), palm oil will produce 700 gallons per year, and algae will produce an astounding 20,000 gallons. According to him, an area the size of 1/10th of the area of New Mexico could supply all our fuel needs. If so, this would provide the clean energy needed to supply a fleet of electric RVs.

And this final thought. Dell Computer’s announcement this week that the company has achieved it’s goal of going “climate neutral” ahead of their predicted schedule, saving $3 million while doing it, hopefully wil serve as a wake up call to those company CEOs that say they can’t afford to “go green.” And as more mainstream companies take up the green baton, source companies are having to scramble also to green their operations if they hope to keep these large companies on their customer lists. A good example is Wal-Mart advising their suppliers to clean up their acts if they wanted to continue to supply the giant retailer. The domino theory in a good way.