Solar lighting in a heritage train

An amazing idea to light up the coaches in the train with solar energy implemented in a heritage train that runs from Kalka to Shimla. I have traveled in that train a couple of years ago. It was a wonderful experience to travel through the lush green valleys in a heritage train and I am sure it will be even better the next time I go. It is an idea that can be easily replicated and implemented in other trains but care has to be taken so that miscreants dont damage the panels.

http://www.aninews.in/newsdetail2/story58169/kalka-shimla-heritage-toy-train-gets-solar-lighting-system.html

South Korea Ditches Suits to Curb Cooling Demand

Did you ever think how clothing plays an important role in deciding the temperatures air conditioners are set to. Wearing lighter clothes in summer and more layers in winter can help reduce a lot of energy. If president of a country is serious about it and is following it only shows the magnitude of energy it can save and awareness about energy use it can generate.

SEOUL, South Korea—South Korean businessmen, who traditionally dress in uniform dark blue suits, are being urged to not wear their jackets and ties as summer looms in a bid to save electricity amid tight supplies. "We need all the people to join to curb excessive cooling demand, which accounts for 21% of summer peak demand," the country's economy ministry said in a statement. The statement also ordered 478 large buildings to keep their temperatures at 26°C (79°F) or higher. South Korean President Lee Myung-bak, a former business executive who normally always wears a dark blue suit, is expected to lead by example, as he did last winter when he urged Koreans to save on heating by wearing thermal underwear. South Korea experienced nationwide power cuts last September.


http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/05/16/us-energy-korea-idUSBRE84F07S20120516

Empire state building saves 20% more energy after retrofits

Improving the 6500 windows of the empire state building is expected to save 4.4 million USD in operating costs in the next 3 years. It is such a wonderful example of how retrofitting old buildings can reduce the energy usage of the building. In a similar context even at small homes a big deal of difference can be observed with minor changes like turning to CFL's, using shades, insulating the windows, installing sensors etc. Retrofits can save a lot of energy and the returns are usually fast. In my opinion it is usually more efficient to retrofit a building than to break it down and build a new one.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/08/empire-state-building-makeover-upgrade_n_1497918.html

Carmaker Using Vehicle Batteries to Power Homes

A very interesting article that Nissan is introducing an initiative called "Leaf-to-Home," which will use electricity stored in its Leaf electric vehicle batteries to be distributed to residential homes and appliances. It is intended to be a two-way charging system, meaning that the Leaf can be charged as usual, but the Leaf can eventually return the favor by supplying electricity from its battery when there's a local power outage. The automaker estimates that the batteries will still have 80% of their original charge capacity after the EV has reached the end of its lifespan.

More information : http://electronicsbus.com/electric-vehicle-home-backup-battery-charger/

Need for Energy efficiency in buildings in India

There is very good need for change in the policies in regards to buildings especially when 30% of the energy is used by them. Green buildings if made mandatory can save a lot of energy, it is inexpensive in long run. Government should more provide better subsidies to encourage and motivate builders and making ECBC mandatory at state level will help in making the system better.

http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/opinion/article2808671.ece

Its not really green to change to CFL's if you dont properly dispose lamps by R P Rammohan

In my view replacing incandescent bulbs with CFLs is not a perfect energy efficiency measure as that could further degrade the environmental quality substantially and as that could further jeopardize public health severely especially in India because of weak environmental norms and because of next to nothing enforcement of the environmental norms.

According to a report published by the Central Pollution Control Board, Government of India, in India the used CFL lamps are thrown in the garbage bins and finally into the municipal garbage dump-sites, contaminating air, water and soil. Most of the used lamps are broken either at transit solid waste bins
(provided by local civic authority) or broken during the transport to the final disposal site. A portion of the mercury, in vapor form, is released into the air; whereas rest of the mercury is released onto the soil with further possibility of getting into the surface and / or ground water bodies through the leachate from soil.


Typical Mercury concentration in CFLs varies considerably depending on the
manufacturer, the manufacturing year, the manufacturing country.

Mercury content
(mg/lamp) Country/Region
5 EU
10 Canada
12-30 Russia


Mercury is very toxic and linked with a wide range of health effects including irreversible damage to the human nervous system.

Inhalation:

Mercury vapor is highly toxic via inhalation. It can cause severe respiratory tract damage. Symptoms of mercury toxicity include sore throat, coughing, pain, tightness in chest, breathing difficulties, shortness of breath, headache, muscle weakness, anorexia, and gastrointestinal disturbance, ringing in the ear, liver changes, fever, bronchitis and pneumonitis. Mercury can be absorbed through inhalation with symptoms similar to those appearing after ingestion.

Ingestion:

Ingestion (through mouth) of mercury may cause burning of the mouth and pharynx, abdominal pain, vomiting, corrosive ulceration, bloody diarrhea.Ingestion may be followed by a rapid and weak pulse, shallow breathing, paleness, exhaustion, tremors and collapse.

Skin Contact:

Contact of mercury with skin causes irritation and burns to skin. Symptoms include redness and pain. It May cause skin allergy and sensitization. Mercury can be absorbed through the skin with symptoms parallel to ingestion.

Eye Contact:

Contact of mercury with eye causes irritation and burns to eyes. Symptoms include redness, pain, blurred vision; may cause serious and permanent eye damage, also depending upon exposure.

Chronic Exposure:

Chronic exposure of mercury through any route can produce central nervous system disorders. It may cause muscle tremors, personality and behavior changes, memory loss, metallic taste, loosening of the teeth, digestive disorders, skin rashes, brain damage and kidney damage. Mercury can cause skin allergies and accumulate in the body. Repeated skin contact with mercury can cause the skin to turn gray in color. Mercury is a suspected reproductive hazard; may damage the developing foetus and decrease fertility in males and
females.

Governments in my view should encourage CFLs usage more and more in the country only if and when the proper recycling facilities are created and closely monitored and only if and when they ensure that the millions of fused/used CFLs do not end up in the garbage bins and landfills and only if and when all the open burnings of trash and garbage are totally and strictly banned during the night and day.


R P Rammohan
Energy Management Consultant
608, Block 18, Raintreepark, KPHB, Hyderabad-500072 India
Phone: +91-40-23851868, 66881868, +91-9440710899
www.linkedin.com/in/rprammohan
rammohanrp@yahoo.com

Is it economical to change Incandescent light bulbs to CFL's?

Economic sense: It shows on your electricity bill when you change Incandescent light bulbs to either to CFL. In the US market the cheapest CFL can be bought for as low as 92 cents in Wal-Mart but the first question that comes in your mind is in how much time is the payback. Calculating the Payback lies in knowing how much time do you turn the lights on, does the local utility have a rebate program, is the rebate available to energy star light bulbs only (in which case the cost might be a little higher), cost of electricity, labor costs and shipping costs incurred.

For example, let us say in your house you want to change the light bulb in your bathroom. So first you need to think how many hours do you turn the light on in the bathroom, I will say around two hours for a family of four. So you typically use the light for 700 hrs a year. So depending on the energy costs in your area the payback will be around 1.2 years. But in case you are changing the light in your hall and say you turn the light for 6hrs a day then the pay back will be fast  approximately in 146 days. And if you have the light turned on 24hrs a day the pay back is in 36 days. So it always makes economic sense to change to CFL’s depending on usage and cost of electricity. If you have a rebate program in your uility the payback might be faster. If you know your local utility costs and want an exact payback time for your situation leave a comment

I will write about the environmental sense in my next post

*All the calculations are based on the electricity rates in Montana which are energy rate is at 0.06 /kWh and demand rate is 9.01/kW-month.