Solar Lights from Empty Bottles

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Solar Lighting from empty Bottles!

Necessity is the 

Mother of Invention

A friend posted a link to this YouTube video showing how very poor people in the Philippines are making use of recycled plastic bottles to bring some light into their dim and dark homes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JOl4vwhwkW8&feature=youtu.be

The empty bottles are filled with water and a few drops of bleach to keep it from clouding, and are set into a piece of corrugated iron. This is then fixed into the roof. The water-filled bottles act as efficient light conduits and produce up to the equivalent of 55 watts incandescent light inside the otherwise dark homes.  The effect has improved the lives of hundreds of people.

The video created an immediate resonance with me. I find it so heart-warming to see such inventiveness under very difficult and deprived conditions.

We all can learn from these wonderful people.

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Ultra Capacitors & Nano-Technology Batteries?

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What has happened to the Greatly Hyped

Super Capacitors and Mega Batteries?

Answer - NOTHING!! I have been writing about several companies for several years who have hyped on about the way they are going to change energy usage - cars, trucks and buses - computers - wind generating stations etc. - with their fantastic super batteries and their UltraCapacitors of mega capacity.

EEstor, Ecolocap, NextAlternative, and Fluidic Energy, to drop just three names - four actually - out of a long enough list - into the bag, have all produced NOTHING for the consumer, other than rumours and hearsay.

When will we see an electric car with a 300 mile per charge capacity, a laptop with a 20 hour charge etc?. - I would not hold my breath.

Ecolocap appeared to have produce hard scientific proof of such capacity in a battery over 16 months ago, there was talk of production units in India and elsewhere - but - for such an astounding product with a potentially massive market, and a world waiting with bated breath - NOTHING on the shelves as yet - NOTHING concrete so to speak.

EEstor have been keeping us holding our breath for many time longer than Ecolocap - they have produced by way of a commercial product: NOTHING.

O Arse - why do I get my hopes up??

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GEC New 15Mw Wind Turbine

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GEC's Massive new Wind Turbine

With MRI type 

Super-ConductingTechnology

GEC are developing a huge new turbine which it says can generate a nominal 15 MegaWatts of power. That is about five times as much as the largest current designs.

The technology will include a completely new approach to the generator. The basic design will use a gear less annular approach similar to the Enercon.

But unlike Enercon's design, the GEC generator will employ cryogenic cooled MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) technology as used in hospital scanners.

It would seem that this represents the next generation of horizontal axis wind turbine offering a greater level of efficiency and increased power to size ratio.

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7pm Bedtime Fuel Poverty in Ireland

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 Bed at 7pm to save fuel

Recent SVP Report 

The Irish charity SVP has issued a report which highlights the tragedy which haunts many elderly in Ireland. Loneliness is the single greatest issue outlined, it is something which does not need money to rectify.

Another issue it again raises is "Fuel Poverty". The SVP report shows that many elderly people have to go to bed at 7pm to save on fuel costs.


Bord na Mona and Fuel Poverty

I recently raised the issue of fuel costs for the elderly with a senior manager at Bord na Mona, the Irish Semi-State body which controls most of the solid fuel sales in the country. The problems lie in the fact that many elderly people rely entirely on open fires or stoves for heat. The price of coal and other fuels varies a great deal throughout the country but ultimately is controlled by the near monopoly situation which is Bord na Mona.

Bord na Mona distributes solid fuels but also has some retail outlets. It therefore sets a price for coal, wood and peat products which is not necessarily based on the base cost of materials. This is especially true of coal products. The bulk shipped cost of coal and the end product price are two very different things.

Bord na Mona, like all Irish Semi-State bodies is fat and lazy. It pays it's employees very well, maybe not quite as well as the other Semi-State energy company the ESB which has an average wage of €75,000 which is perhaps 40% higher than the general average. Add to the fat and lazy problems -  the problem of near monopoly in the marketplace, and you have a real danger that the public may not be best served.

What I refer to by "Fat and Lazy" is a phenomenon in which Ireland proudly holds the world lead, has set the standards, and has massively and adequately demonstrated it to the planet, the phenomenon of the "Self-Serving Institution".

What should be done with Bord na Mona?

If Bord na Mona actually served the people, as a Semi-State body should do,

(1) It's first priority should be to give the best possible value for money to the people, this is not the case.
(2) Secondly, it should make provisions for those who are seriously compromised by age or poverty.

In my, not so humble, opinion, Bord na Mona, like its sister, the ESB does neither of the above. When the phone business and the electricity business was properly opened to hard nosed market forces in Ireland, we saw the prices come down substantially and the service improve. Ergo: Business', which simply wants to turn a profit, can give much better value and return than Semi-State bodies.

Maybe it is time to scrap Bord na Mona and open the solid fuel business up so that the people can get better value for money.

A Government with Deaths on it's hands?

Also the Irish Government, in light of the severe winters we are experiencing, and the poor value returned by the Semi-State energy bodies,  needs to take a serious look at fuel poverty, or they will have increasing numbers of deaths on their hands from hypothermia among the poor and elderly.

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Only 20% will pay extra for Sustainable Products

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Can't Afford

to be

Eco Friendly?

A recent survey in Malaysia has shown that only 20% are willing to pay extra for sustainable products. Gee - that is something I could have told them without the need for a survey!!! In fact, I would have thought the figure was even smaller.

I might be willing to pay a small amount extra for sustainable fuel but no more than say 5%. If governments want to get the people over to sustainable products and fuels, they will have to do better that the current poor efforts at persuading the people to invest.

SEAI got it totally and completely wrong with wood-pellet heating. They made huge grants available for installing the equipment but neglected to deal with the fuel supply issues.

1. They did not check the availability of fuel. - Not even a phone call to the main supplier.
2. They did not check the quality of available fuels.
3. They didn't even think of grant aiding the fuels as a means of promoting the method.
4. They made no attempt to quality control the supply or installation of equipment.
5. They made no attempt to ensure fair pricing. You could buy equipment at half the price elsewhere.

If you ask someone to invest say €8,000 in a project - you will first have to convince them that they can expect a reasonable return on their money. There are a great deal of unhappy wood-pellet users out there.

Any future efforts at promoting alternative and sustainable power and heating, will have to carry with it a long term guarantee of some sort on the returns in terms of fuel and equipment reliability.

I am just very happy I stuck with my solid fuel stove and oil heating. I have just bought a ton of smokeless coal as it represents much better value than the more eco-friendly alternatives.



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Does SEAI Assist Dishonest Traders?

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Does SEAI
(Sustainable Energy Authority Ireland)

Assist Dishonest Traders?

Hi Tony

I have read your blog with interest because I have been caught out by a building company registered with the SEI. They did a really bad external insulation job on my home and I have the photos to prove it. I now have a judgement against them and, of course, they say they are going into liquidation!!! The thing is that they are still trading and I was wondering if you have any tips on getting the word out there as I just couldn't bear to see anyone else in my situation. This has cost me thousands to rectify so far and things are still not finished as I have run out of money.   Regards.

COMMENT:

I believe that some cowboys benefit by being able to state on their literature that they are SEAI registered. SEAI therefore bears at least some of the blame for poor, dangerous, or dishonest work done by those bearing their apparent seal of approval.

I believe that it is SEAI's responsibility to warn the public where poor workmanship or dishonest trading is carried out by dealers bearing their apparent seal of approval or  in other words their registration.

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Custom Made Fireplace Doors

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Custom Made

Fireplace Doors

I got another letter requesting specific information or the name of a manufacturer doing custom made fireplace doors.

As far as I know there is no company in the Irish Republic doing custom work of this nature. It would not be in any way cost effective having one-off units made to specific measure and design. I would only guess, but I would suspect a figure of (updated) €700 - €1500 for a one-off unit, depending on materials etc., would not be out of the way. The only way it would prove economical is to go with standard units. If you check with your heating hardware suppliers they may be able to help you there.

Here is the letter:


Fireplace Doors - Dampers

I desperately need a glass fireplace door with dampers - do you know of anyone, in Co. Mayo or anywhere in the Republic, who can make custom tempered glass fireplace doors (with locks) and adjustable damper?

Thank you.

19 August 2011

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LED bulbs an update short Review

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LED Lamps

Short Review and Update

I have been trying a variety of different cheap Chinese LED bulbs over recent months. The quality and quantity of the light output from these lamps has improved a great deal over earlier samples of say two years ago. The reliability has however been a bit haphazard and I have written about some of the shortcomings and how I have overcome them by tweaking the lamps before use.

Some of the latest examples of these MR16 and GU10 type LED lamps have been the latest 6 watt bulbs. In a recent post I reviewed two different types of 6watt, made up of 3 x 2watt emitters with GU10 fitting. I found that the light output from these 6watt bulbs was no better than from a 5watt lamp.

I have recently bought another type of MR16 3 x 2watt LED, seen in the above photo, which has exceeded my expectations with regard to light output and light colour. I will make some attempt at a comparative analysis of the performance of this lamp in the near future. Suffice it to say for the moment, I would not waste my time and money on the other types of 6watt LEDs!

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Celtic Tiger Sleeping Tiger

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Sleeping Tiger

Do NOT DISTURB

(A Sustainability Issue - but nevertheless a rant! - 
Sorry for two rants in a row - I cannot contain my frustration)

In my last post I was marking just a few of the many gross social imbalances that exist in Ireland. The news today carries yet another revelation.

It emerged that FÁS the National Training Agency gives 70 days holidays, which is 44 extra to already generous regular holidays, to those nearing retirement to "Ease the Retirement Process". OMG - my stomach is churning -  talk about milking the system for the last possible drop.

Self-serving Institutions

What strikes me as way worse than the crazy over-generous self-serving by the institution, is the reaction by the Trades Unions and the Fás employees scrambling to retain this utterly crazy benefit.

I would be completely mortified and ashamed to be the recipient of such a - system milking perk - at the best of times, but in these times of real hardship, the Trades Unions should do a little soul searching before supporting this sort of craziness.

The Sleeping Tiger of the Celtic People does not want to be awakened. This sort of effrontery by the privileged public service is not too far distanced from Tsarist Russia's disregard for the starving masses. Little wonder that Russia had a revolution.

Ireland is certainly heading for some sort of a revolution, hopefully it will be a political and not a bloody one.

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Dam Burst Coming in Ireland

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Over-Load or Serious Imbalance

May Lead to a Dam Burst

Ireland is facing some very serious Non-Environmental Sustainability Issues

Ireland has a very serious social imbalance. This imbalance worsened during the Celtic Tiger years, and now in the recession it has been even further stretched.

So serious is this social imbalance,  that it may lead to dire consequences, some consequences I can think of such as:

(1) Big increase in psychological depression and it's many consequences,
(2) Disaffection, dissatisfaction, and social unrest,
(3) Massive growth in the black economy,
(4) Increase in money leaving the country, and
(5) Emigration on a biblical scale.

Latest figures show that 1 in 4 Irish people are surviving solely on part-time work, while some 300,000 people, close enough to 20% of the Irish workforce AFAIK,  have seen their incomes cut by a massive 50%.

Social Tension Building like Water behind a Dam

The social tension, like water building up behind a dam, is created when the hard pressed coping class are forced to look on in disbelief at a public sector where, for a large part, wages are some 10 - 20% higher than in the private sector, and additionally public employees enjoy pensions and job security unseen in the private sector.

Top that off with the fact that Ireland is paying the many public servants and in particular the judiciary some of the highest salaries in the entire world. And the cherry on the top of all that are members of Parliament and government ministers who are paying themselves more than their US and German equivalents.

Professional services in Ireland are another factor in the imbalance. Many professions in Ireland are some of the highest paid in the world, the feeding frenzy is driven in large part by the medical and legal professions expecting to earn €200,000 as a ballpark figure. This in turn leads to very expensive medical treatment and other services.

Ireland needs to take serious and immediate steps to re-balance the dangerously high level of the waters of imbalance, or prepare for a catastrophic flood

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