Ghost Towns and Abandoned Places around the World

Looking over my post statistics for this blog I am surprised to find that one of my most popular posts has to do with “Ghost Towns – Past, Present or Future?“.  So I spent a little time this morning looking into other sites that delve into this obviously popular subject.

I am surprised at the shear number of sites to be found by simply typing in “abandoned places” into Google.com.  Here are a few of the ones I like best.  First is the Abandoned Places Blog (http://community.livejournal.com/abandonedplaces) a fairly comprehensive resource on the subject. Of course the main draw of these sites are the photos to be found there.

Next we have Abandoned-Places.com (http://www.abandoned-places.com/). The interface is a little confusing and hard to use, buy the pictures and attached stories are worth the effort.

From the DIRJournal (http://www.dirjournal.com/info/abandoned-places-in-the-world/) there is a wonderful article about abandoned places in the world.  It has some of the better pictures from a number of sites and is a good starting summary of the topic.

I also found a pretty good post in the Atom Community (http://community.atom.com/Post/The-Six-Creepiest-Abandoned-Places/03EFBFFFF0182C7B8000800BC1459) in an attempt to define the 6 creepiest places in the world.  This is a pretty daunting challenge for anyone, but you will just have to make your own judgment on whether you agree with the list.

Excerpt : “This is Gunkanjima, Japan, also known as “Battleship Island.” It once had the densest population in the entire world: 1.4 people per square meter. Do you realize how insane that is? Let me put it this way: If you were a fat guy on Battleship Island, there would technically be another person partially inside of you, like the aftermath of some horrifying teleporter accident.“

Lastly today I would like to point you to the WebUrbanist site that does a fabulous job in showcasing all sort of interesting architecture.  I have two links to give you here:

1. 100 + Abandoned cities, towns, building and property (http://weburbanist.com/abandoned-buildings-towns-and-cities/).

2. Abandonment in action (http://weburbanist.com/2009/08/13/8_cities_abandonment_deserted_modern/) which showcases several still inhabited places that look to become a future abandoned places feature.

As always I thank you for your time and interest. Please take the time to Digg, Stumble Upon or add to the other social network of your choice to help me spread the word about these issues. Please forward any questions or suggestions to: askthefm@gmail.com

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Green Power Technology Update for June 23, 2009

Just when you think that the various green, alternative power types are getting going we have a whole slew of bad news. There are serious potential issues affecting both wind and solar power’s affordability and overall return on investment.

The easiest to fix is the problem built into California’s net metering law that sunsets it once the amount being generated from alternative sources reaches 2.5% of the system peak grid load. The story on Cleantechnica (http://cleantechnica.com/2009/06/23/sunset-clause-to-dim-solar-in-california/) makes the point that we are already alomost there and we are just getting started. This problem is easily fixed but will probably get lost in my state’s annual budget fiasco.

Excerpt: “One of the key ways that solar is economical is through net metering. Because our utilities pay more for afternoon electrons, you can send electricity to the grid that sells for 40 cents in the afternoon, and use that generation as a credit towards the electricity you get back from the grid for 11 cents at night.

This lowering of utility bills is key to increasing home values. If a home saves $1,000 in a  year with solar then the value of the home goes up $20,000. This improvement is essential to getting mortgage financing for solar; so it’s all circular. Net metering down; savings down; bankers frown = energy brown.”

Next we have an unusual enemy for solar power, at least the solar tower/ heliostat type, the US Air Force.  Apparently these folks are not in favor of large areas near there installations that can potentially blind their pilots. The story is on Ecogeek (http://ecogeek.org/solar-power/2820-new-enemy-for-solar-tower-plants-the-air-force) has what details have been realeased.

Excerpt: “The Air Force, in fact, is not saying precisely why they don’t want the power plant. They say it could interfere with radar systems, but, more importantly, there are other reasons…all of which are classified. Col. Howard D. Belote, installation commander at Nellis said, ”Because of the sensitivity [of information], I can’t tell them why. Unfortunately for them and us, there’s stuff on the Nevada testing range we don’t tell anyone about.”

We assume it has something to do with the aliens.“

Too bad as this is prime area for installations such as these…..

Next there is concern over the problems Spain is having regarding wind power that might tarnish the technology’s reputation for affordability. Some think that the country’s investments in wind generation are causing potential insolvency issues.  The story is on Leonardo Energy (http://www.leonardo-energy.org/wind-energy-really-affordable) is from mu perspective brings up some very valid points.

Lastly tonight we have a little good news, if tightening or belts can be called that.  A new report put forth by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) says that by reducing unnecessary demand by up to 20% through demand use technologies.  The story is on Sustainable Business (http://www.sustainablebusiness.com/index.cfm/go/news.display/id/18422) and it has all of the details if you are interested.

Personally I am more interested in continued development of alternative power generation as a means to get us out of our current mess, but I suppose that efficiency will always have its place.
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Housing California – Day 1

It was a great day yesterday with many wonderful sessions from policy and lobbying sessions to disaster preparedness.

My favorite was all of the great information on the Mental Health Services Act housing component (MHSA).  It is apparent from these sessions that this is a program still evolving although there are some very successful projects already in place and in process.

The agenda today, day 2 includes the current Sec. of  HUD! I am looking forward to that for sure.

As always I thank you for your time and interest. Please take the time to Digg, Stumble Upon or add to the other social network of your choice to help me spread the word about these issues. Please forward any questions or suggestions to: askthefm@gmail.com

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Solar Power Update for December 8, 2008

There are so many solar power news stories this week I don’t know if I can get them all in one post, but I will give it a try!

First off I have a local ( I live in Southern California) story about our Public Utilities Commission okaying a very large solar thermal contract between Southern California Edison (SCE) and eSolar who has plans for power plants that could generate up to 245 MW of power. The story is on Greenbang.com (http://www.greenbang.com/6800/california-oks-solar-thermal-contract/).

Excerpt: ” Under the 20-year contract, inked earlier this year, Southern California Edison will purchase energy from a planned eSolar plant in the state’s southern Central Valley. The 105-megawatt Gaskell Sun Tower Project is being backed by Google.org, Idealab and Oak Investment Partners.“

Also here in California another company is looking for approvals to build an 850 MW solar power plant.  It is a solar thermal type application and it is to be built in the Mojave Desert by Stirling Energy (http://www.stirlingenergy.com/default.asp) and the story can be found at Treehigger.com( http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/12/850-megawatt-solar-thermal-plant-seeks-california-approval.php).

Excerpt: ” Built in two stages, the 850 MW Solar One project will occupy about 8,230 acres and consist of about 30,000 solar thermal collectors (called SunCatchers by Stirling). Construction should start in 2010 and take 40 months to complete. The first phase of the project will be 500 MW in capacity, with an additional 350 MW to be completed at a later date. All of the power output of the facility will be sold to Southern California Edison under a 20-year power purchase agreement.“

Next we have the currently largest CIGS solar power array going live in Tuscon Arizona.  The story on Cleantechnica.com (http://cleantechnica.com/2008/12/04/world%E2%80%99s-largest-cigs-thin-film-solar-array-goes-live/) has all of the details. Please note I gave you the disclaimer about “currently” the largest as I am sure it is only a matter of time until a bigger one is built!

Excerpt: ” The 750-kilowatt system, located at Global Solar Energy’s Tucson, Arizona, manufacturing facility, features a ground-mounted solar array consisting of 6,600 thin-film solar cells generating more than 1.1 million kilowatt-hours of renewable electricity annually. Owned, operated, and financed by MMA Renewable Ventures, the plants power will be sold to Global Solar under the terms of a long-term commercial financing agreement.“

Lastly on the bigger is better front we have the plans to build a 1 Gigawatt solar power plant in Jordan. The story on Treehugger.com is self explanatory: http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/12/1-gigawatt-solar-power-plant-planned-jordan.php

Excerpt: “The plan is over the next three years to build the 200 MW thin-film solar PV factory (producing amorphous silicon, CIGS and related hybrid PV modules), with 22 MW being completed by the end of 2009. The output of this factory will then be used to build a 1 GW solar power plant which will reach full capacity by 2017. The factory will also produce solar modules for use in other Amelio Solar projects around the world, as well as for sale in the open market.“

Every day I read somewhere about businesses adopting solar and other alternative energy sources to help run their sites. This week on Environmentalleader.com (http://www.environmentalleader.com/2008/12/08/california-growers-processors-tapping-sun/) we have a story about the boom in this practice in the California agricultural economy, especially among the state’s wineries.

Excerpt: ” A small but growing number of California growers and processors are tapping the sun to help power their operations, San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Bernadette De Chiaro, a clean energy advocate with Environment California, told SFC that she has seen a growing number of agricultural companies install solar panels over the last five years. The trend has been particularly visible among wineries and packing plants that have high refrigeration and air conditioning costs.”

Not to be left out is the state of Texas, already in the news for potenially getting some very large wind farms says that it wants to have 4000Mw of solar generated power by 2020. The story on Sustainablebusiness.com (http://www.sustainablebusiness.com/index.cfm/go/news.display/id/17271) is all about the state’s desire to once again become a global leader in energy.

Excerpt: ” A coalition of elected officials, business leaders, and community groups announced a plan to revitalize Texas’ economy through state investments in solar power and energy efficiency. The group called on the Legislature to renew Texas’ leadership as the energy capital of the world by adopting policies to boost manufacturing and installation of clean energy products.“

Now we go on to the area of research and prototype products!  First into the ring is a story out of MIT (http://www.technologyreview.com/energy/21755/?a=f) talking about how a new thin film type cell using photonic crystals is showing promise.

Excerpt: ” The design combines a highly effective reflector on the back of a solar cell with an antireflective coating on the front. This helps trap red and near-infrared light, which can be used to make electricity, in the silicon. The research team is licensing similar technology to StarSolar, a startup in Cambridge, MA.“

Among the more strange news items comes one on Treehugger.com (http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/12/thermal-storage-concrete.php) where concrete is being looked at to become the solar storage medium of the future.

Excerpt: ” Their plan is to create and test high-performance concrete. They will observe different mixes of concrete, discover which mixes can store the most thermal energy and attempt to use those mixes to create a super-solar-energy-storing concrete. To evaluate the super-concrete, scientists will expose their creation to high temperatures, paying close attention to the rates of thermal loading and the effects of temperature cycles. Computer models will also be used.“

Lastly and finally tonight is a story about using the technology that helps with SETI and the Quake Catcher Network (http://askthefm.wordpress.com/2008/10/07/can-your-laptop-help-with-earthquake-research/) to help design the next wave of solar cell technology.  Harvard and IBM want to employ distributed computing networks to help with the computational needs for this project. The full stories can be found on Cleantechnica.com (http://cleantechnica.com/2008/12/08/ibm-harvard-use-distributed-computing-to-find-ultra-powerful-solar-cells/) and on Greenbang,com (http://www.greenbang.com/6819/your-computer-could-help-develop-a-better-solar-cell/) as well as the original story on Reuters.com (http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSTRE4B70QS20081208).

Excerpt: “NEW YORK (Reuters) – Scientists at Harvard University and IBM are hoping to harness the power of a million idle computers to develop a new, cheaper form of solar power that could revolutionize the green energy world.

Researchers have launched the project using IBM’s World Community Grid, which taps into volunteers’ computers across the globe to run calculations on a myriad of compounds — potentially shortening a project that could take 22 years to just two years.“

I plan on contributing my extra cycles how about you?

As always I thank you for your time and interest. Please take the time to Digg, Stumble Upon or add to the other social network of your choice to help me spread the word about these issues. Please forward any questions or suggestions to: askthefm@gmail.com

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Change how you heat the water for your home!

Did you know that your lowly water heater is the second largest user of power in your home after you air conditioner and heater system?  Makes you want to check into that often neglected piece of equipment, doesn’t it?

If you are like me you don’t even think about your water heater until you get that cold shower one morning, usually in the middle of winter! Well like any other basically mechanical system, water heaters perform better and more efficiently with a little care and maintenance. First thing is to locate the device as in some homes they are installed in somewhat inaccessible spots.  I had a townhouse once where it was installed in the attic crawl space!  As you can imagine when it came time for replacement it was quite a bit of fun.

Once you have located it take a few minutes to clean out the space of spiders, trash and whatever else has wandered into the space.  This will make it much more pleasant to work on the unit and safer too if your area is as prone to black widow spiders as mine is. Next check the unit for leaks and missing parts.  Yes those bothersome shields around the burner are important! Check the settings and then take a peak at the burner compartment long enough to see the burner come on.

What you are looking for is a steady pilot light flame and whether the burner completely lights.  Incomplete burner ignition is probably due to debris which can be cleaned later.  If your burner needs cleaning turn the gas controls to the off position and use a small wire brush to gently remove any debris from the burner.  If the pilot light isn’t staying on you may need to replace the thermocouple a fairly simple procedure. A simple explainer is to be found here: http://www.masterplumber.net/thermocouple.htm

The instructions above obviously apply to a natural gas unit.  On an electric unit there are no burners or pilot to check.  The only maintenance I would suggest are the remaining steps for a gas unit in addition to the checking for leaks.  On both types of units you should yearly make an attempt to flush any sediment out of the tank by draining it under pressure.  In my experience five minutes or so of this is enough.  This will allow your heater to perform at maximum efficiency.

Now if you want to take additional steps toward efficiency there are several options.  The first and easiest is the installation of a water heater blanket. This piece of fiberglass insulation is designed to fit around a water heater to provide an additional barrier to heat loss of the already heated water.

The next level interms of cost is to replace your existing unit with what is called a tankless water heater.  These are simply an on demand water heating system.  While somewhat expensive up front they provide significant savings over the life of the unit. A good general purpose explainer can be found here: http://www.tanklesswaterheaterguide.com/

Now you could make this system more efficient if you were trying to heat already warm water, right?  That is of course the concept behind solar water heating (http://www.eere.energy.gov/consumer/your_home/electricity/index.cfm/mytopic=12850).  By preheating the water you have to expend less time and energy heating it up to the desired temerature.

Lastly tonight I give you a hint at the future by an interview conducted by the folks at the Alternative Energy blog: http://alternativeenergy.com/profiles/blog/show?id=1066929%3ABlogPost%3A43045 where they talk to a spokesperson from General Electric about a hybrid water heater that uses a heat pump technolgy to heat water in low demand periods.

Excerpt: “The Hybrid product is designed to combine a very efficient heat pump system, which extracts heat from the surrounding area and moves it into the water more efficiently than a standard electric resistant heating element.

It is a hybrid because it does still have resistant elements in the tank of water. So if you have very high demands for water, this product will be able to produce the same quantity of hot water you are use to with the standard product. But in times of lower water demand, lower draws, it would use the heat pump system to reduce the amount of electricity it takes to heat the water. “

As always I thank you for your time and interest. Please take the time to Digg, Stumble Upon or add to the other social network of your choice to help me spread the word about these issues. Please forward any questions or suggestions to: askthefm@gmail.com

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