Green Energy
I strongly believe in the need to switch to non-polluting renewable sources of energy as soon as possible. I think we owe a clean livable planet to our next generation.
I used to contribute in my own small way by subscribing to the electricity service from a generation company that produces electricity from wind power. Thanks to electricity deregulation in Texas, I had the flexibility to choose the source of the power I consumed. Unfortunately, the electricity market in Indiana has not been deregulated and I have no such choice here.
All is not lost, though. I use a robotic electric mower, which is much more convenient and much much less polluting than the typical noisy 2-stroke gasoline mowers. I have also got a geothermal heating and cooling system installed at my home that is highly energy efficient. As a bonus, I no longer have to worry about the fluctuating prices (mostly upward) of the heating gas—a big plus in the Midwestern winters!
Links
Renewable Sources of Energy
- National Renewable Energy Lab
- National Fuel Cell Research Center
- American Wind Energy Asssociation
- American Solar Energy Asssociation
Solutions Available Today
- EV Finder has several links to currently available electric vehicles, including a regularly updated link to electric vehicles on E-Bay. I am more interested in highway worthy vehicles than the souped up golf-carts, the so-called neighborhood electric vehicles. Here are some highway-capable electric vehicles that are available or soon to become available:
- Tesla Roadster (220 miles range, 125mph max speed).
- Phoenix SUV and SUT (100+ miles range, 95mph max speed).
- Miles Electric Car (120+ miles range, 80+mph max speed).
- Think City (180 km = 112.5 miles range, 100km/h = 62.5mph max speed).
- Green Mountain Energy—suppliers of wind generated electricity in Texas and a few other states.
- Green-e certification and options available state-by-state in the US.
- Toyota's Electric Rav4—available only in California, as of 2002 (discontinued, as of 2003).