One Big Switch or Two Big Switches

Big Switch

One Big Switch

or

Two Big Switches?

"One Big Switch", a group energy purchasing business, opened it's doors on 16th February last. It is a private enterprise AFAIK and its aim is to gather "members" with a view to taking advantage of group or bulk discounts for electricity, gas etc. It sounds a great idea on the surface of it, and it is one I have previously exercised the old brain over.

The general idea in this case seems to be for the business to gather "members" and use the numbers game to barter for discounts. It would use a similar system pioneered by "One Big Switch" with some success in other countries, Australia in particular. It would seem that it was quite successful in Australia with a quoted 500,000 members - I must check that quoted fact out with my contacts in Auz. It is also said that One Big Switch is now one of the largest consumer organisations in the world?

The business is co-founded by Oliver Tattan, who also co-founded health insurer GloHealth, and has several other additional business interests.

So what will One Big Switch actually do? My understanding is that it will try to gather numbers / members and use bargaining power to obtain discounts. It will then pass on part of the discount to the customers while keeping part as it's means of income. It appears to be a privately owned business, and to operate as any other private business. How will the company develop and evolve? I would think much as any other private business, it's success will depend on how many customers it can get and on how much discount it can offers those customers.

There is no charge to sign up as a "member", and the advertising states that there is no obligation on the consumer to accept the negotiated deal. Whether or not there are any other obligation or liabilities to "members" is one of the questions I posed in writing to the company, without a response to date. I also rang and asked to talk to someone but I am still waiting a reply.

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Electricity from Sewage and Waste Water

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Tiny Lab Test Sewage Fuel Cell

Electricity from Sewage

Up till now sewage and other waste water was treated by an activated sludge system or by anaerobic digestion methods. The anaerobic method produces methane, which in turn can be used to drive generators. The final dry waste product is almost sterile and can be used as organic fertiliser

Recently a science team at Oregon State University - led again, I am glad to say, by a woman - Professor Hong Liu, have developed a microbial “fuel cell” that can produce electricity directly from sewage and other waste water.

(I wrote some time ago about another lady scientist Ms Wang Qian who is working in Singapore on a revolutionary membrane for use in super-capacitors. I wonder how this is developing - must check it out!)

http://wood-pellet-ireland.blogspot.ie/2011/10/batteries-super-capacitors-obsolete.html

This ability of microbes has been known for a long time but the new approach can achieve 10 to 50 more times the electricity than previously possible.

The research team believe their microbial fuel-cell method could eventually change the way that waste water is treated all over the world.

Professor Hong Liu is seen holding a jar of "fuel", she believes the system will work on a commercial scale and will turn sewage treatment, currently a net energy user, into an energy producer.

The team reckon that their method works more efficiently than the current alternative; anaerobic digestion to producing methane. It doesn’t have any of the environmental drawbacks of anaerobic digestion such as hydrogen sulphide production or the possible release of methane to the atmosphere.

The “sewage” fuel-cell technology cleans the waste differently, bacteria oxidize the waste and in so doing produce electrons that activate the fuel cell creating electricity. Almost any type of organic waste material can be used to produce power.

The next big – big step for the team is actually getting it to work in the real world, and at a reasonable cost.

Good luck to you guys.

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