Nov 142009

Cambridge University physicist, David Mackay, in a passionate, personal analysis of the energy crisis in the UK, in which he comes to some surprising conclusions about the way forward. The film is based on his new book Sustainable Energy without the hot air, in which Prof Mackay has calculated the numbers involved for the alternatives to fossil fuels like coal, gas and oil.

He debunks some myths about energy saving – unplugging our phone chargers, does not make any appreciable difference. After showing us what won’t work – he goes on to show what will make a difference at home, like turning your thermostat down.

But, his big point is that this will not be enough – individual efforts are not enough. Instead we need to make sweeping national changes to our energy production, and we can’t reject everything available to us. If we are going to follow the advice of climate scientists, and get off fossil fuels by 2050, which currently provide 90% of our energy, Britain’s main options are wind power and nuclear power. But to make this huge change in our power supply, Mackay says that we have to get building now!

For more information go to David Mackays website
www.withouthotair.com

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‘Eco-Centric’, a story by reporter Tim Lee from the 2004 ABC program ‘Landline’ about permaculture co-originator David Holmgren, whose “pivotal role in developing permaculture has scarcely been recognised” www.holmgren.com.au

David Holmgren presents the design principles as thinking tools that when used together allow us to creatively redesign our environment and our behaviour in a world of less energy and resources. The full DVD is available from www.holmgren.com.au or http

Peak Moment 62: Take a whirlwind tour of the Brookside Energy Farm with Jason Bradford and Christoffer Hansen at planting time. Along with perennials, annuals, a food forest, and dryland crops (grains), they’re growing Jerusalem artichoke and dale sorghum to produce both food and energy (ethanol). Watch Chris cut sod with a Swiss glaser hoe — a 1/6 horsepower guy! [www.energyfarms.net]

Peak Moment 143: Asking “wouldn’t it be wonderful if our city could feed itself?” Joe Leitch ponders everybody in Portland planting a chestnut tree. Pam Leitch relates how they both left the corporate world after reading the book “Your Money or Your Life”. As educators on sustainability and resource depletion, permaculture and social justice, they soon learned of Peak Oil. Pam initiated bringing a Peak Oil resolution to the Portland City Council, who passed it unanimously in 2006 and set up …

‘Eco-Centric’, a story by reporter Tim Lee from the 2004 ABC program ‘Landline’ about permaculture co-originator David Holmgren, whose “pivotal role in developing permaculture has scarcely been recognised” www.holmgren.com.au

A permaculture community subdivision based on tree crop agriculture, on the edge of an Australian country town.

In the future, all of our energy will come from renewable sources. With traditional gas and energy costs skyrocketing, it is apparent that we need to find new ways to make energy production which are sustainable. We need to change our thought process about how we use the Earth and begin to convert our old energy grid into something sustainable.

There are some people who have already started thinking this way. New scientific breakthroughs in renewable energy are allowing us to create sustainable energy at lower and lower costs.

Using the right set of plans even homeowners who don’t know anything about construction or electricity can build their own alternative energy sources right in their backyards, such as wind power generators.

Homemade wind turbines can currently generate enough power to reduce the average household’s monthly energy bill by as much as 70% per windmill. With inexpensive plans they can also be built for as little as $200 using some recycled parts.

They can also be built with materials from a local hardware store and basic tools. An easy way to estimate how much power your wind generator can create:

Power(Watts) = (Wind Speed)^3 * (Blade Diameter)^2 * 0.00478

The speed of the wind makes the most difference because its value is cubed, then the blade diameter because its value is squared. Example calculation using a decent wind speed of 10mph and an 8 ft blade diameter:

W = (10*10*10) * (8*8) * 0.00478 = 305 watts/hour – x 24 hours and you can calculate 7.3 kWh generated per day by a wind power generator.

An average home uses about 12-20 kWh/day. Of course if you conserve your power you can reduce that to much less – even down to 5 kWh per day. So if you don’t have a great average wind speed in your area, a wind power generator can significantly reduce your power bill, and it may only cost you $200.

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A complie of some of the activities of Transition Towns around NZ over the last year. …

ANCHOR: A number of respected petroleum geologists believe the peak of world oil supplies may be closer than you think, with in the next ten years. For each barrel of oil discover the world is consuming four. But on a brighter note, as our reporter Charlotte Cuthbertson discovers, there are initiatives set up that can help you and your family to make a smoother transition. STORY: Rising demand for oil has always been met by increased supply. But when global oil production reaches its peak in …

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