The Urgency of Water Conservation in Renewable Energy

The following is a section of an article from UTNE Reader, an organization that provides "alternative coverage of politics, culture and new ideas."

“Increased implementation of renewable power sources is key to securing future water supplies, but when it comes to water use, not all renewables are created equal,” writes Sara Stroud, SI’s Bay Area correspondent.

Wind and solar photovoltics are among the lesser offenders; they require only one gallon of water for each megawatt hour of electricity produced (excluding water used in manufacturing). (A megawatt is one million watts, and one megawatt hour could power 400-900 homes for that hour.) Compare that to corn-derived ethanol, which sucks anywhere from 5 to 2,000 liters of water for each liter of fuel. That higher number comes courtesy of agriculture undertaken in arid states, like California and Colorado.

To read the full article go to UTNE This is just another reason to support renewable energy, especially wind and solar PV technologies. 

The Newest Members of the E2Sys Team

This week marks the beginning of the Eastern Energy Systems, Inc. internship program. The program was designed by Eastern Energy Systems, Inc. to bring in talented students from both, high school and university levels of education. 

Our premier internship program is made up of 16 students with a variety of expertise, but all with an inspiration to learn and share their knowledge. The students range from a junior in high school to individuals entering their senior years at famed universities. Some of the students hail from a variety of schools such as Stony Brook University, Albany University, Notre Dame University, Clemson University, Cornell University and many others.

The E2Sys team is very excited for the additional members of the team. We are looking forward to the great things that will come from everyone involved. 

The program is designed to teach the interns as much about renewable energy as we can. The interns will help guide themselves into the areas they will be most effective in accomplishing their own goals and those of the company. While there is an estimate of what the interns will be learning, the E2Sys team is anxious to find out the wealth of knowledge the interns will be teaching us.

The Newest

E2Sys in Long Island Business News

Jeff Miller wrote a nice piece on Jamie Minnick for the Long Island Business News magazine. In it Miller gives a brief history of Jamie and how Eastern Energy System, Inc. came about. 

You can take a look at the article at: 

http://libn.com/blog/2009/05/01/miller-great-green-hope-is-realized-in-one-laurel-home/

Custer Observatory and E2Sys

Attn all: Eastern Energy will be at the Custer Observatory, and we hope to see you there.

Sat., May 9, 7:30-9:00 PM
A LESSON ON RENEWABLE ENERGY OPTIONS
This in-depth discussion will include detailed information about renewal energy options: solar, wind, geothermal, and solar thermal. Coverage will include the impact renewal energy can have on the economy, society and the environment. Information will also be provided that will be helpful to homeowners who are considering conversion: you'll learn about the simplicity of these systems, financial benefits, financing options, and installation procedures. Presenter: Jamie Minnick, President of Eastern Energy Systems, and his family have been in the field of renewal energy for over 40 years; throughout that time they have dedicated themselves to increasing awareness about the green industry to ensure the future environmental state of the planet and to slow the process of climate change. Suggested Donation: General Admission: Free for Members, $5 Non-Members.

Higher Education and Solar Boats

As we have emphasized before, a core belief of Eastern Energy Systems, Inc. lies in education. E2Sys is dedicated to educating the community on renewable energy, and our contribution towards education does not stop there.

Our company likes to work with people who have the energy and drive to make things happen and colleges are usually a good place to find them. E2Sys is working with SUNY Farmingdale, Stony Brook University and Stony Brook's Southampton campus. The company's most recent involvement is with several of Stony Brook's School of Engineering students.

A student engineering team, led by Philip Haasnoot, is building a solar powered boat that will be entered into a competition between other universities. The boat is designed to compete in both endurance and speed events. The team requires several different engineers; mechanical, electrical, and computer engineering students have teamed up with the hopes of breaking records.

Three members of E2Sys; Jamie, Morgan and Adam, visited their shop, in the basement of the Light Engineering Building, to learn more about the project. With only ten weeks left from when we saw them until the competition, we made a donation to the team. E2Sys donated $500 towards the team and any materials we can provide.

The company's interest stems from our president, Jamie Minnick's interest in solar powered boats. When he found out about the project, he wanted to do all he could to help out.
The competition is closing in and the team seems confident in their work. We wish them luck and will alert everyone on their success.

Read more: Solar Boat Team Website

The Future of Electric Cars

Electric cars are coming. This article from southern China is a fascinating look into how new technologies breakthrough the old paradigms and change whole industries.

Wang Chuan-Fu started BYD (the letters are the initials of the company's Chinese name) in 1995 in Shenzhen, China. A chemist and government researcher, Wang raised some $300,000 from relatives, rented about 2,000 square meters of space, and set out to manufacture rechargeable batteries to compete with imports from Sony and Sanyo. By about 2000, BYD had become one of the world's largest manufacturers of cellphone batteries. The company went on to design and manufacture mobile-phone handsets and parts for Motorola (MOT, Fortune 500), Nokia (NOK), Sony Ericsson, and Samsung.

Wang entered the automobile business in 2003 by buying a Chinese state-owned car company that was all but defunct. He knew very little about making cars but proved to be a quick study. In October a BYD sedan called the F3 became the bestselling sedan in China, topping well-known brands like the Volkswagen Jetta and Toyota (TM) Corolla.

BYD has also begun selling a plug-in electric car with a backup gasoline engine, a move putting it ahead of GM, Nissan, and Toyota. BYD's plug-in, called the F3DM (for "dual mode"), goes farther on a single charge - 62 miles - than other electric vehicles and sells for about $22,000, less than the plug-in Prius and much-hyped Chevy Volt are expected to cost when they hit the market in late 2010. Put simply, this little-known upstart has accelerated ahead of its much bigger rivals in the race to build an affordable electric car. Today BYD employs 130,000 people in 11 factories, eight in China and one each in India, Hungary, and Romania.

Not only is he pursuing a technology that changes the market place, he's doing it faster and bolder than anyone thinks is possible. We can all learn from his example. In addition, its worth noting that electric cars are coming, so think about making your solar system larger to account for what could soon be an added demand.

Read the full article here.