The Raspberry Pi mini computer starts at $25

Imagine a computer slightly bigger than an Altoids box that only costs $25.  These tiny computer has been developed for kids to make it easy for them to learn how to program using Linux.  The computer hooks up to a TV and a keyboard, plays Blu-Ray discs, and runs Fedora, Debian and ArchLinux.  Hopefully kids will play around with programing like they used to in the 80’s and 90’s.
The Raspberry Pi Foundation is a UK charity.  The actual idea for the Raspberry Pi mini computer started in 2006 with Eben Upton, a lecturer at Cambridge University.  One of his roles also included admissions.  He noticed that the experience of applicants interested in Computer Science had changed drastically.  Rather than kids who were playing around with programming on the family computer, the current applicants had little to no experience with computer programming.
He and fellow colleagues from the university like Rob Mullins and Alan Mycroft started pondering how to get kids programming again.  Upton started building prototypes of Raspberry Pi.  In 2008, processor chips designed for mobile devices became powerful enough and cheap enough to provide good multimedia support.
The current models are the size of a credit card. An illustration of the computer can be found below. The minicomputers will do about everything a regular computer will do including word processing, spreadsheets, gaming, and playing videos.  Both models have the same components but different amounts of RAM.  The A model has 128 MB and the B model has 256 MB.  To put this in perspective, the latest cell phone models have one gigabyte of RAM so we aren’t talking computers that will do a lot of multitasking.
According to EcoGeek, the performance of the computer will be similar to a 300 MHZ pentium processor.  The actual processor in use is an ARM based system on a chip.  These should be easy to power up since they will run off of four AA batteries.  The model A will require only a 300 mA charger and the model B a 700 mA charger.  Solar power is also an option.
As mentioned earlier, the idea behind these computers is to provide a small affordable computer for kids to learn programming. The foundation has gotten a lot of interest from the educational community and developing countries.  Inquiries have also come from museums and hospitals who want to use the Raspberry Pi to run displays. Of course, people interested in building robots are interested in these little boards. While the computers are aimed at kids, they sound like they might be a lot of fun to play with for adults as well.
The first production run will be 10,000 and will go on sale at the end of this month.  Orders are limited to one per person.  The Raspberry Pi will come uncased and can be ordered from raspberrypi.com.  The model A will cost $25 and the model B, $35.
The Foundation does expect to offer a buy one, donate one option at some time in the future and as with all charity organizations, they accept donations.

Tags: computers, Fedora, Linux, Raspberry Pi Posted on: February 24th, 2012 by Susan Wilson
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Is Thorium the answer to our energy needs

To hear proponents talk about Thorium reactors, you would think that Thorium is the energy panacea for which we have been searching. This readily found element can be used to create nuclear reactors that are walk-away safe, with waste that has a much shorter half life and should be easier to dispose of.  Current, nuclear reactors need multiple redundant systems and can blow up as we’ve seen with Fukishima.  Thorium reactors won’t blow up and don’t need the multiple redundant systems.  If they are so great why are we still using Uranium reactors?
According to The Thorium Dream by Motherboard TV, it is because two major nuclear powerhouses want it that way.  The other reason mentioned was that the current reactors, using 60 year old technology, are what we are comfortable with and what we know works.  The fact that there have been major disasters like Chernobyl, Three Mile Island and, most recently, Fukishima have shown that that doesn’t make them safe and the results are devastating when they fail.
Enter Thorium as the miracle that will save us as fossil fuel supplies dry up and current Uranium reactors are viewed as too dangerous.  Rather than using solid fuel rods like light water reactors(LWR) do, Thorium reactors use a liquid Thorium salt mixture.  It doesn’t require redundant safety mechanisms in part because it doesn’t blow up.  Unlike Uranium, you can’t make bombs out of Thorium.
Richard Martin talked about Thorium on The Leonard Lapate Show.  According to Martin, the amount of Thorium needed to produce electricity is significantly less than needed in a Uranium reactor.  A liquid Thorium-Fluoride salt reactor is actually a breeder reactor where it creates more fuel as it producing electricity.  These types of reactors would require less maintenance and could run longer on the same fuel producing less nuclear waste.  Should something happen to the reactor it would not blow up.  At the bottom of the reactor is a and salt plug that would melt draining the radioactive fuel into a lead lined safety chamber. In other words we are talking about a type of nuclear reactor that is much safer than Uranium reactors, with less waste, and less maintenance.
A Thorium reactor was brought on line in the 1960’s but was shut down after 6 years primarily because market forces decided to continue focusing on Uranium reactors.  Watch The Thorium Dream
to get a better picture on why. While the United States may have taken a pass on these safer types of reactors, other countries like India and China are funding Thorium research and will probably have Thorium reactors before we will. 
Unlike fossil fuels, Thorium doesn’t produce any carbon byproducts which makes it cleaner even than natural gas.  It is readily available so one country or area of the world, think OPEC, can’t manipulate the cost.  It would not require such risky methods as fracking or trying to extract oil from shale using pollution producing methods.
All in all it looks as if Thorium reactors would actually help solve a number of our energy problems.  While renewable energy is continuing to grow, it is growing so slowly that we still use coal fired plants for much of our electricity.  Thorium nuclear reactors would produce cleaner electricity.  We would have cheaper electricity and could power our lives (including cars) using only a golf ball size of Thorium. 
The Thorium Dream will become reality.  Too bad it won’t happen here first.
More information on Thorium can be found here and here.
      
Tags: nuclear energy, Thorium, Thorium-Flouride Reactors Posted on: February 26th, 2012 by Susan Wilson
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Better Place gets its Israeli battery swap system up and running

Better Place has one of the more unique ways of dealing with exhausted electric car batteries.  While it does offer charging stations which take quite a while to charge your battery, it also offers the option of simply switching it out.  A 100 car fleet of electric vehicles will now begin testing the infrastructure which stretches across Israel.
Way back in 2008, we reported on Better Place’s partnership with France, Israel and Denmark to install battery swap and charging stations.  The company also partnered with Renault to create electric cars with easily swapped out batteries.  According to Technology Review the company just received the first 100 Renault Fluence Z E (Zero Emission) electric vehicles that will be used in Israel to demonstrate Better Place’s battery swap technology. 
The process works as follows:
1.  A Renault Fluence Z E alerts its driver that the battery is low.  2.  The driver consults her navigation app that shows where to find the closest battery swap station.3.  The driver drives to the nearest station and pulls into the battery swap bay.4.  The used battery is removed and a fully charged battery is installed all from below the vehicle using a robotic process.  It takes about the same amount of time that it takes to fill up a gas tank.5.  The driver exits the bay and continues on her way.The battery swap technology makes long trips much easier than having to plug into a charging station every so often for a fifteen minute to four hour charging process.  Instead you pull in for a matter of minutes and continue driving until you need another swap.  Of course there are charging stations available as well that allow for charging overnight and while shopping, working, sightseeing or dining.
The Renault Fluence Z E uses  “225-kilogram lithium-ion batteries with a range of 160 kilometers”(about 100 miles).  The cars will be initially leased only by Better Place employees.  Once the kinks have been worked out of the system, Better Place will offer others the option of leasing a Fluence  through another company and using battery swap technology and charging stations through a subscription service.
Better Place signed a leasing agreement with The Eldan Group, the largest car rental group in Israel, back in December.  Eldan will “acquire hundreds of Renault Fluence Z.E. electric cars from Better Place in 2012.”  Companies and private customers that sign up for electric cars will also sign for a membership subscription with Better Place for use of the charging infrastructure and Customer Care. Fossil Fuels are extremely expensive in Israel, as are taxes on fossil fuel vehicles. So switching to an electric vehicle will be an attractive option for many. 
Better Place is the only company that provides battery swap technology for its customers.  Coulomb, GE and other charging infrastructure companies are building charging stations in various parts of the world, but only Better Place gives you a quick way to simply “swap and go” when needed.
Above Photo from Better Place.
Tags: battery swap stations, Better Place, charging stations, Denmark, electric car, electric vehicle, France, Israel, Renault, The Eldan Group Posted on: January 28th, 2012 by Susan Wilson
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UK Ministry of Defense installs wind farm proof radar

The UK Ministry of Defense is installing radar that is imperious to wind farms.  Previously wind farm applications were denied because they were too close to radar towers that were adversely affected by wind turbine blades.  The new radar installations don’t have that problem which will allow more wind farms to be built.
According to the Ministry of Defense, Lockheed Martin’s TPS-77 radar was installed and tested along the Norfolk coast.  The test results showed that Lockheed Martin’s radar system was indeed able to shut out “clutter” associated with the turning turbine blades on wind farms, thus allowing five new wind farms to be built.  Those five wind farms should generate and additional 3.3 GW of renewable energy. 
Two more installations will go up in Northumberland and Yorkshire.  All total, the two additional installations should allow an additional 750 MW of wind energy.  The cost of installing the new improved radar systems will be paid by energy companies.

Minister for Defence Personnel, Welfare and Veterans Andrew Robathan said:

"The MOD was instrumental in convincing the energy companies to collaborate and jointly fund the cost of the radar, meeting operational requirements and ultimately enabling the generation of more renewable energy. This is good news for all parties to this arrangement."

Energy Minister Charles Hendry said:

"We must rapidly increase the levels of homegrown clean energy produced in the UK. Wind farms and other forms of renewable energy will help boost our energy security, and ultimately our national security. I am pleased that an outcome has been reached that is beneficial to our national security, energy security and decarbonisation goals."

Lockheed Martin had previously test this radar system “at land-based wind farms near the company’s outdoor test range in Cazenovia, NY, as well as in trials with the Horns Rev offshore wind farm in the North Sea.”  The radar worked well.  Another great feature of new radar system is that it uses “just half the power of comparable S-band radars.”  So not only will it allow more renewable energy installations in the United Kingdom, it is also more energy efficient than many other radar systems.
The new radar has proven that it will work in both the US and UK.  That should allow additional wind farms to be built on both sides of the Atlantic without compromising defense security.  This is great news as more and more installations are planned for both countries.  By the end of 2015, the UK is expecting to have over 1000 offshore wind turbines installed. This should also help the Cape Wind project that has been fighting regulations and objections for years. 
Lockheed Martin’s TSA-77 will allow more renewable energy installations.  It is also greener than other radar systems making it pretty green as well.
Posted on: January 27th, 2012 by Susan Wilson
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Will algae or seaweed solve our fuel problems

Earlier this week Joule Unlimited secured $70 million in funding.  The company happens to have algae facilities that turn carbon dioxide and sunlight into biodiesel and ethanol.  Meanwhile Bio Architecture Lab was able to get seaweed to create chemicals and biofuels.  Both processes use patented organisms to create the biofuel.
Joule Unlimited’s new funding will allow the company to continue building its facility in Hobbs, New Mexico.  According to Technology Review the facility will allow the company to begin scaling up its production operations in five acre increments.  Each acre is covered in SolarConverters that consist of “clear panels circulate brackish water and a nitrogen-based growth medium bubbling with carbon dioxide.”  Joule’s genetically modified algae continuously converts sunlight and CO2 to fuel within that medium.  Eventually the company hopes to have all 1,000 acres covered in SolarConverters producing biofuel. 
Currently Joule’s algae have reached 60 percent of that 20,000 gallon goal. In order to continue moving towards that goal, the company is continuing to tweak the algae by “limit[ing] all biological processes that compete with fuel.” Once the genetically modified algae are perfected that could mean 20,000,000 gallons of biofuel total per year.  The company has previously said that once the modified algae are perfected they should be able to produce 20,000 gallons of biofuel per acre. 
According to Bio Architecture Lab (BAL) there process “first transform[s] seaweed into a renewable chemical intermediate, and from this intermediate, chemicals and fuels are produced through chemical synthesis or fermentation.” BAL considers seaweed to be a better feedstock that even algae because it doesn’t require the use of any land or fresh water.  That’s important since fresh water is scarce in many parts of the world.  Even areas that currently have abundant fresh water are expected to see water shortages in the future.  Preserving land and fresh water for habitation and food crops only makes sense.

After the demise of GreenFuel in 2009, the viability of algae based fuels was questioned. Other algae based biofuel companies have continued forge ahead. According to OilPrice.com algae based biofuels have already been successfully tested in Navy ships and commercial airlines flights.  Unfortunately, the cost of algae based biofuel is not currently competitive.  Joule expects its process to be affordable once it is maximized and scaled up.  BAL is working toward the same goal but is not as far along.
Algae and seaweed may someday provide all the fuel we need for our transportation and chemicals to replace other fossil fuel products like plastic.  We won’t see that happen for years to come.
Tags: algae, Bio Architecture Lab, biofuel, biomass, Joule Unlimited, seaweed, SolarConverters Posted on: January 21st, 2012 by Susan Wilson
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