Decided to call my List of Links (which I will post every now and again) "Chain Reaction" - you can work out why.
Those who know me know I love hybrid cars, and have had my eye set on a Prius for sometime. Here are a few other interesting ones:
1) Honda Researching Advanced Hybrid Drive with Rankine Cycle Co-Generation
2) BMW X5 Hybrid (a way to make yourself feel better about having an SUV???...)
Oil is a MASSIVE issue in the US (and worldwide). By all accounts, it has peaked, but that debate is being nicely obscured. See who is getting the oil money in the US presidential race.
Thinking of getting into property? Building a new home? Check this link sent through from my friend Rykie: Home is where the hearth isn't. Why, oh why, don't our architects think like this? Rumour has it our proposed new Cape Town Convention Center number TWO will consume at a rate of THREEEE MEGAWATTS (at peak). Insane.
Monday, February 25, 2008
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Sustainable LEGO
What does power look like?
What does it mean to own something?
What is an equitable and just distribution of "bumps"?
This is a fascinating article that my good friend Kevin sent through to me yesterday. Not only is the story it tells a compelling commentary on social behaviour of children, but also on how dynamic learning can be.
This has strong parallels to Sustainable Development. Many of these concepts (Power, Resource Ownership, Social Justice) are key to an understanding of the various approaches to sustainability. Depending on the world view that one enters the debate, the definition of sustainability can be quite different. Is development sustainable as long as the power balance between North and South remains the same, or is some form of balanced power a prerequisite? Do resources take their value purely from market forces, or do they have some other intrinsic value that must be factored in? Is Sustainability about uplifting the poor primarily, or about protecting Nature?
These are key questions to be asked, and I hope to comment more on this as time goes by, but from a biblical point of view, our meta-narrative is to steward the earth. All humans are created equal in the eyes of God, therefore equality is a pre-requisite. The earth has value because God valued it and called it "good", but not as much value as humankind, who is to "rule" over it. Not rule as in dominate, but rule as in care. So mans needs do come first, but this needs to be done in such a way that Nature is cherished.
What does it mean to own something?
What is an equitable and just distribution of "bumps"?
This is a fascinating article that my good friend Kevin sent through to me yesterday. Not only is the story it tells a compelling commentary on social behaviour of children, but also on how dynamic learning can be.
This has strong parallels to Sustainable Development. Many of these concepts (Power, Resource Ownership, Social Justice) are key to an understanding of the various approaches to sustainability. Depending on the world view that one enters the debate, the definition of sustainability can be quite different. Is development sustainable as long as the power balance between North and South remains the same, or is some form of balanced power a prerequisite? Do resources take their value purely from market forces, or do they have some other intrinsic value that must be factored in? Is Sustainability about uplifting the poor primarily, or about protecting Nature?
These are key questions to be asked, and I hope to comment more on this as time goes by, but from a biblical point of view, our meta-narrative is to steward the earth. All humans are created equal in the eyes of God, therefore equality is a pre-requisite. The earth has value because God valued it and called it "good", but not as much value as humankind, who is to "rule" over it. Not rule as in dominate, but rule as in care. So mans needs do come first, but this needs to be done in such a way that Nature is cherished.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Engineering Challenges for the Future
If there was one Engineering Challenge you would like to solve during the 21st century, what would it be?
For me it would probably be to make engineering sustainable, ie to close the loop between inputs and outputs that machines use and create.
The National Academy of Engineering has put together a list of what they consider to be Grand Challenges for Engineers. Of the 14 listed, the one I chose as top was "Provide access to clean water", as this is, to me, a building block before we can focus on energy. We need to meet the primary needs of the poor before we can focus on such things as Carbon Sequestration or Economical Solar Energy.
Or, we do them all together - a multi-disciplinarian approach! Now THAT's really Sustainable Development!
For me it would probably be to make engineering sustainable, ie to close the loop between inputs and outputs that machines use and create.
The National Academy of Engineering has put together a list of what they consider to be Grand Challenges for Engineers. Of the 14 listed, the one I chose as top was "Provide access to clean water", as this is, to me, a building block before we can focus on energy. We need to meet the primary needs of the poor before we can focus on such things as Carbon Sequestration or Economical Solar Energy.
Or, we do them all together - a multi-disciplinarian approach! Now THAT's really Sustainable Development!
Monday, February 18, 2008
Big Adventure, US Politics, 7MW & 31.25%
One week left before the Big Adventure...
Speaking of Big Adventures, it is that time of the year(s) when the US politicians slug it out, first amongst their own parties, then against each other, to take control of the presidency of the Oil Industry, whoops, sorry, United States. Want to know how much each is getting for their Presidential Race from Oil Companies? Check out the link.
Funny thing - the Republicans seems to be getting most of it.
Speaking of Big... now about 7MW of Big? Largest wind turbine EVER: check this puppy out!
And speaking of records broken, how about super efficient solar reflectors, using a Sterling Engine, achieving a 31.25% conversion efficiency:
Hmm, guess I need a pretty large piece of land in Woodstock to erect either of these eco-friendly techs. And my neighbours might object...
Speaking of Big Adventures, it is that time of the year(s) when the US politicians slug it out, first amongst their own parties, then against each other, to take control of the presidency of the Oil Industry, whoops, sorry, United States. Want to know how much each is getting for their Presidential Race from Oil Companies? Check out the link.
Funny thing - the Republicans seems to be getting most of it.
Speaking of Big... now about 7MW of Big? Largest wind turbine EVER: check this puppy out!
And speaking of records broken, how about super efficient solar reflectors, using a Sterling Engine, achieving a 31.25% conversion efficiency:
Hmm, guess I need a pretty large piece of land in Woodstock to erect either of these eco-friendly techs. And my neighbours might object...
Friday, February 08, 2008
Renewed Energy - It's been a long time coming
2007 wrapped up on a note of uncertainty. Despite the pleasures of hooking up with good friends who had motorcycled ¼ way round the world (if you consider going N -> S as going round), and closing the year with champagne and swimming pools, the stress remained – what would the changes of 2008 be? There were bound to be many...
Work (or the lack thereof) was frustrating. Despite the great people I worked with, it became very clear that I did not want to be a software project manager. The energy crisis I had been waiting for since the mid-90s had hit South Africa, and my mind was caught up with concepts of “stewardship”, “renewable energy”, “sustainability”, “climate change” and “carbon trading”. I knew that’s where I ought to be, but in the Lord’s timing, how would I end up there? What work would I be doing in 2008? Would I be studying too? (I had registered for an MSc(Eng) in Sustainable Energy Engineering at UCT, but they seemed to be focused on anything but actually putting the course together!) How would I balance work, studies, community commitments, church, family, finances and loving my wife?
It was such a pleasure for the first two weeks of January to be in Lesotho. Nada and I went there on a mission trip with our church, Holy Trinity. How good it was to see that God had long gone before us, and up there in the beautiful, rugged, rural mountains, God had planted his church. At 3300m, it was breath-taking. Despite the hard-ships of such rural living (for us townies anyway!), it was a time of rest and reflection, and we returned invigorated to face a new year, trusting the Lord to provide (how hard that is to do!)
Within the first week of being back, my plans changed. It started with lunch.
The gentlemen who run the Centre for Renewable and Sustainable Energy Studies at Stellenbosch were kind enough to buy it. And to twist my arm. The Sustainability Institute, they said, is where I needed to be. Run under the auspices of Stellenbosch University, and with strong links to a number of faculties and departments in the university (particularly the Department of Public Management and Planning and the Centre for Sustainable and Renewable Energy Studies), they offer a B.Phil and M.Phil programme in Sustainable Development Planning and Management. The streams of studies include Sustainable Development, Development Planning, Sustainable Agriculture and, last but not least, Renewable and Sustainable Energy. You can guess which one I registered for, and I said bye bye to UCT.
The week gone by has been spent on Orientation with the Institute. What an amazing place, and amazing people. It is difficult to describe the feeling of being in a place where they have sought to optimise in all areas their use of energy, light and other resources. Their approach is to integrate thinking from multiple disciplines (Economics, Sociology, Finance, Engineering, Politics, Agriculture, etc) to produce a space to think about Sustainability.
And to me, Sustainability is about Stewardship, looking after this Earth that God has given to us, to the best of our ability.
So this year I will be doing six, week-long, intensive modules, and will be hoping to complete either the BPhil in 2 years or the MPhil in 3, on a part-time basis. Not only is it an intellectual exercise, it also is practical - I will spend some of my morning time working on the nearby organic farm, simply called after its owner, “Eric’s Farm”.
Which left me wondering what I might be doing with the rest of my time?
The same day as I Lunched, I had Drinks with the MD of Alt-E technologies, a Renewable Energy (RE) company that seeks to supply RE solutions to industry and government. They also have a strategy to move into the Energy Services and Independent Power Producer. They wanted me on board to head up the Western Cape area. How could I say no to that? I am now in the process of jumping ship, starting there from the beginning of March.
So I covet your best wishes and prayers, as I embark on this new adventure! I hope to have this blog kept up to date - which will not only assist me in keeping a journal (a requirement of the course), but allow you to see how things progress!
Work (or the lack thereof) was frustrating. Despite the great people I worked with, it became very clear that I did not want to be a software project manager. The energy crisis I had been waiting for since the mid-90s had hit South Africa, and my mind was caught up with concepts of “stewardship”, “renewable energy”, “sustainability”, “climate change” and “carbon trading”. I knew that’s where I ought to be, but in the Lord’s timing, how would I end up there? What work would I be doing in 2008? Would I be studying too? (I had registered for an MSc(Eng) in Sustainable Energy Engineering at UCT, but they seemed to be focused on anything but actually putting the course together!) How would I balance work, studies, community commitments, church, family, finances and loving my wife?
It was such a pleasure for the first two weeks of January to be in Lesotho. Nada and I went there on a mission trip with our church, Holy Trinity. How good it was to see that God had long gone before us, and up there in the beautiful, rugged, rural mountains, God had planted his church. At 3300m, it was breath-taking. Despite the hard-ships of such rural living (for us townies anyway!), it was a time of rest and reflection, and we returned invigorated to face a new year, trusting the Lord to provide (how hard that is to do!)
Within the first week of being back, my plans changed. It started with lunch.
The gentlemen who run the Centre for Renewable and Sustainable Energy Studies at Stellenbosch were kind enough to buy it. And to twist my arm. The Sustainability Institute, they said, is where I needed to be. Run under the auspices of Stellenbosch University, and with strong links to a number of faculties and departments in the university (particularly the Department of Public Management and Planning and the Centre for Sustainable and Renewable Energy Studies), they offer a B.Phil and M.Phil programme in Sustainable Development Planning and Management. The streams of studies include Sustainable Development, Development Planning, Sustainable Agriculture and, last but not least, Renewable and Sustainable Energy. You can guess which one I registered for, and I said bye bye to UCT.
The week gone by has been spent on Orientation with the Institute. What an amazing place, and amazing people. It is difficult to describe the feeling of being in a place where they have sought to optimise in all areas their use of energy, light and other resources. Their approach is to integrate thinking from multiple disciplines (Economics, Sociology, Finance, Engineering, Politics, Agriculture, etc) to produce a space to think about Sustainability.
And to me, Sustainability is about Stewardship, looking after this Earth that God has given to us, to the best of our ability.
So this year I will be doing six, week-long, intensive modules, and will be hoping to complete either the BPhil in 2 years or the MPhil in 3, on a part-time basis. Not only is it an intellectual exercise, it also is practical - I will spend some of my morning time working on the nearby organic farm, simply called after its owner, “Eric’s Farm”.
Which left me wondering what I might be doing with the rest of my time?
The same day as I Lunched, I had Drinks with the MD of Alt-E technologies, a Renewable Energy (RE) company that seeks to supply RE solutions to industry and government. They also have a strategy to move into the Energy Services and Independent Power Producer. They wanted me on board to head up the Western Cape area. How could I say no to that? I am now in the process of jumping ship, starting there from the beginning of March.
So I covet your best wishes and prayers, as I embark on this new adventure! I hope to have this blog kept up to date - which will not only assist me in keeping a journal (a requirement of the course), but allow you to see how things progress!
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