Dark Skies

[glenc (Glen)]

Astronomers like to travel out of the cities to places with dark skies and fuel is getting expensive. The attached file lists some of our most economical cars. Some of them are too small for a decent sized telescope and the hybrids can't tow anything but the 1.6L and 1.9L diesels can carry a fair bit and tow too. Unfortunately diesel is about 10% dearer than ULP but diesels make up for it with 30% better economy.
Reference: http://www.greenvehicleguide.gov.au/...4-0a87fcc08dda

[MrB (Simon)]

I haven't made the trip to a dark sky for years.
Last time was to image comets C/2002 T7 and C/2001 Q4 sometime in 2004.
At that time I had a bit of concern about the reliability of the old bomb, especially with no phone coverage out there, but now it's the fuel prices as you say.
Might head out bush again when there's another interesting comet, if I make a 3-night weekend of it instead of an overnighter, would be more attractive price-wise.

[glenc (Glen)]

PETROL could hit $8 a litre within a decade as oil production begins to dwindle and demand continues to soar, a CSIRO study to be released today says.
The study, Fuel For Thought, warns this would add up to $220 a week to the cost of running a medium-sized passenger vehicle by 2018, resulting in severe social and economic consequences...
http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/...658037458.html
http://www.csiro.au/resources/FuelForThoughtReport.html

[glenc (Glen)]

This could be used to charge up an electric car using solar power.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7501476.stm

and this can store power for use at night or be used as a fuel for cars. You just stop at a garage, empty the old vanadium liquid for recharging by the fuel station, and refill with already charged vanadium liquid.
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2005...anadium_ba.php

and this can be used to produce biodiesel from algae and store CO2 and make fodder.
http://www.greencarcongress.com/2008...land-gove.html

[Trido (Justin)]

I hate how that it takes a situation that we are in now for people to finally act on the matter of alternative fuels. Hell it is still not at the top of the priority list, but it is getting there very slowly.

[glenc (Glen)]

"You kill three birds with one stone. The algae serves at once to filter out CO2 at industrial sites, to produce energy [fuel] and for agriculture," he said. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2...16/2305435.htm

[glenc (Glen)]

Micro-algae are single celled microscopic organisms which, like plants, use photosynthesis to convert the sun’s energy into chemical energy.
Microalgae can be grown in large vats (bioreactors) that provide the algae with all the needs to maximise growth and oil production.
Micro-algae are much more efficient converters of solar energy than any known terrestrial plant, because they grow in suspension where they have unlimited access to water and more efficient access to CO2 and dissolved nutrients.
The total oil content in algae can be up to 60 to 70% of their dry weight.
Micro-algae are capable of producing more than 30 times the amount of oil (per year per unit area of land) when compared to terrestrial oil seed crops.
Biodiesel is a natural and renewable fuel alternative for diesel engines.
Biodiesel contains no petroleum, is non toxic and biodegradable.
http://www.sardi.sa.gov.au/pages/org...=1179&tempID=1

There is more info at:
http://www.biofuelsaustralasia.com.a...ight+FANTASTIC

[space oddity]

The algae are still not as efficient as photovoltaic. Surely farmland too marginal for crops could be converted to solar energy harvesting . It is estimated that an area the size of the Northern Territory covered in solar collectors could provide the world with all its enegy needs . We better get in first before the Africans cotton on to use the Sahara for the same purpose. Mass production of collectors would bring the cost per kilowatt hour below current polluting coal and just think of those juicy carbon credits and slightly clearer skies.

[glenc (Glen)]

I think both PV and algae have a place. PV can be used to charge electric cars (see post #4) and biodiesel can fuel ships, trains, cars and trucks. The current hybrid cars can't tow anything and diesels are great for towing.

[Outbackmanyep]

Originally Posted by glenc

This could be used to charge up an electric car using solar power.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7501476.stm

and this can store power for use at night or be used as a fuel for cars. You just stop at a garage, empty the old vanadium liquid for recharging by the fuel station, and refill with already charged vanadium liquid.
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2005...anadium_ba.php

and this can be used to produce biodiesel from algae and store CO2 and make fodder.
http://www.greencarcongress.com/2008...land-gove.html

I want a car with a fuel system like Dr Emmet Brown in "Back To The Future II"!

[Kevnool (Kev)]

I,ll just keep pumping the petrol in till the day its pumped out....as they say have car will travel...cheers Kev.

[glenc (Glen)]

"By 2004 he had helped the area cut its carbon dioxide emissions by 77 per cent. His methods were innovative, perhaps, but not new. Some of the technologies he used had been around for more than 100 years. This week he was in Sydney to talk about how he did it..."
http://www.smh.com.au/news/environme...e#contentSwap1

[glenc (Glen)]

Currently most research into efficient algal-oil production is being done in the private sector, but if predictions from small scale production experiments bear out then using algae to produce biodiesel, bioethanol and biobutanol may be the only viable method by which to produce enough automotive fuel to displace current world gasoline usage.[21]
Microalgae have much faster growth-rates than terrestrial crops. The oil yield per unit area of algae is estimated to be 5,000 to 20,000 gallons per acre, per year (4.6 to 18.4 l/m2 per year); this is 7 to 30 times greater than the next best crop, Chinese tallow (699 gallons).[22]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Algaculture#Biofuels_production

[glenc (Glen)]

An area 250km by 250km planted with Chinese Tallow trees could supply the USA with all the diesel fuel it needs.
That is 1.6% of the area now under cultivation by all crops in the USA.
These trees are a weed in northern NSW because they grow too well.
[PDF]F F F D T

[glenc (Glen)]

"THE Australian car industry needs serious investment in alternate fuel technology and hybrid cars, experts have warned, after the US carmaker Ford posted record losses yesterday."
http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/...492732899.html

I think public transport and plug-in electric bikes and cars are the way to go in the city. The later can be charged at home and at parking stations.

For longer trips (cars, buses, trucks, trains, ships) biodiesel from algae, Chinese tallow, palm tree oil etc is a solution.

Algae can be grown near power stations to use up half the CO2 emissions, and at sewerage works. Chinese tallow is a weed in coastal USA and around here but the seeds can be made infertile. Palm oil can be grown in northern Australia provided it does not replace food crops or forests.

[MrB (Simon)]

Originally Posted by glenc

I think public transport and plug-in electric bikes and cars are the way to go in the city. The later can be charged at home and at parking stations.

For a couple of years now I've been toying with the idea of converting one of those 50cc scooters that teens get around on to electric.
Would still like to do it. Would be perfect for those quick trips down to the corner store etc.

A few years ago there was an article in Earth and Garden magazine by a guy in Margret River WA that has converted an old Suzuki MightyBoy car to electric, was a simple relatively cheap conversion and even got licensed without too many drama's. From memory fuel(electricity) cost him about 2c per kilometer traveled, and could be even less if he used a brushless DC motor, or even free(solar/wind).

There was also an article in the same issue about a guy that converted his fussy lawnmower to electric, it started everytime without fuss, was almost silent, and never once stalled, even in 1 foot high grass. Hehe.

[glenc (Glen)]

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2...02/2322139.htm
A much cheaper fuel cell could be on its way thanks a new cathode built by Australian researchers.
A team at the Australian Centre of Excellence for Electromaterials Science at Monash University in Melbourne have reported their findings in the current issue of research journal 'Science'.
Fuel cells convert hydrogen and oxygen to electricity and water and are thus a key area of research for powering greener cars.
The traditional fuel cell has a cathode which contains expensive platinum nanoparticles, says materials engineer Professor Maria Forsythe, who contributed to the development of the new cathode.
Ms Forsythe says the amount of platinum required for a passenger car is worth around $3,500 to $4,000, and this makes up the major cost of a fuel cell.
A further problem is the nanoparticles can lose their effectiveness either by clumping together or by becoming "poisoned" by carbon monoxide.
Ms Forsythe and team developed a new cathode from a conducting polymer called poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) or PEDOT.
Conducting polymers are special plastics that conduct electricity.
She says cathode materials for a green car could be made more easily at cost of only several hundred dollars, while producing the same amount of current per unit area as the platinum cathode.
Ms Forsythe says the new cathode is also much more stable than the platinum one and immune from being affected by carbon monoxide.
The researchers are also confident the cathode could be used in zinc air batteries, which are under development for storing energy in cars.
Funding for the new cathode came from the Australian Research Council.

[glenc (Glen)]

http://www.bev.com.au/
http://www.theage.com.au/articles/20...760494735.html
The Trentham man's new Hyundai Getz has been converted to electric power. He uses an extension cord to plug the car into a power point, charges it overnight and drives away. Using power from solar panels above his office, it costs only 97 cents to drive 100 kilometres. "What this shows is that there's no reason that here and now, today, we can't run our homes and our cars on solar," Mr Gray said...

[glenc (Glen)]

http://www.drive.com.au/Editorial/Ar...2&vf=0&IsPgd=0

The [FIAT] Topolino, tipped to built in collaboration with Indian firm Tata, is also said to use a two cylinder engine, with a capacity of 900cc. Diesel and full electric power will be options, although electric power won’t be available at launch, which is slated for the middle of 2010...

According to reports, the [BMW] Isetta will use a twin-clutch semi-automatic gearbox that, combined with light weight and efficient aerodynamics, will lead to 42 km per litre fuel efficiency [that’s 120 mpg in the old money or 2.4 L/100km] and carbon dioxide outputs of less than 100 grams per kilometre...

The VW Up
http://www.drive.com.au/Editorial/Ar...pe=2&ImageID=1

[glenc (Glen)]

Do you want an economical car for your next dark sky trip?
The attached Excel zip file lists Australia's 200 most economical cars.
The most economical car, a Fiat 500, uses 4.2L/100km. The Prius uses 4.4L/100km.
The most economical 2.0L engine, a Peugeot, uses 5.4L/100km.

Refr
http://www.greenvehicleguide.gov.au/...2-614a4f6b5336