Transportation

SkySails Start Sailing to Save Fuel

- Adam Clare 1 Comment

skysailFootball field sized sails are finally hitting the waves, last year we mentioned SkySails initiative to sell their sails to large tanker fleets. December will see the first ship equipped with the extra-large sails head out on its maiden voyage.

The SkySails system consists of a towing kite with rope, a launch and recovery system and a control system for the whole operation. The control system acts like the autopitot systems on an aircraft, the company says. Autopilot software sends and receives data about the sail etc to make sure the sail is set at its optimal position.

The company also says it provides an optional weather routing system so that ships can sail into optimal wind conditions.The kites typically fly at about 1,000 feet above sea level, thereby tapping winds that can be almost 50% stronger than at the surface.

Designing for a Bike Friendly City

- Adam Clare

I ride my bicycle everyday and I hope you do too! Bikes are great, so whenever bicycle riding culture is encouraged by governments I like to post about it.

Here’s a neat video on how the city of Berkley in California calmed car traffic and made their city more friendly to cyclists and pedestrians:

Portland Loves Their Cycling Economy

- Adam Clare

bikeI love bikes, and I love it when places embrace the wonderful invetion, Portland Oregon has arguably done the best job of bike-loving in North America. The International Herald Tribune has a really nice article about what has made Portland the mecca of bike culture in North America.

Mia Birk, a former city employee who helped lead Portland’s efforts to expand cycling in the 1990s, said the original goals were rooted in environmental and public health, not the economy.

“That wasn’t our driving force,” Birk said. “But it has been a result, and we’re comfortable saying it is a positive result.”

Birk now helps run a consulting firm, Alta Planning and Design, which advises other cities on how to become more bicycle-friendly. In a report for the City of Portland last year, the firm estimated that 600 to 800 people worked in the cycling industry in some form. A decade earlier, Birk said in an interview, the number would have been more like 200 and made up almost entirely of employees at retail bike stores.

Thanks Aidan!

The 82 Most Fuel Efficient Vehicles in the USA

- Adam Clare 1 Comment

It’s not shocking to discover that the top 5 most fuel-efficient vehicles in the USA are hybrids, in fact it’s good to see that they are leading the pack. Recently, a blogger went to the Environmental Protection Agency’s website and created a handy list that orders the cars based on fuel-efficiency.

MPG
Ranking Category Vehicle City Highway Combined
1 family sedan Toyota Prius 4 cyl, 1.5 L, Automatic (CVT), HEV, Regular 48 45 46.7
2 small car Honda Civic Hybrid 4 cyl, 1.3 L, Automatic (CVT), HEV, Regular 40 45 42.3
3 family sedan Nissan Altima Hybrid 4 cyl, 2.5 L, Automatic (CVT), HEV, Regular 35 33 34.1
4 family sedan Toyota Camry Hybrid 4 cyl, 2.4 L, Automatic (CVT), HEV, Regular 33 34 33.5
5 SUV Mercury Mariner Hybrid FWD 4 cyl, 2.3 L, Automatic (CVT), Regular 34 30 32.2

More Efficient Jet Travel

- Adam Clare

Princeton University is looking into the details of using biofuels in jet airplanes. The research team will examine what fuel mixture provides the best efficiency and how engines can be designed to better burn the fuels that they are bound to create.

Alternative energy sources, if designed appropriately, also could significantly reduce the amount of greenhouse gasses released in creating and burning jet fuel. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, aviation is responsible for around 10 percent of the greenhouse gas emissions from transportation in the nation, or roughly 2.7 percent of the country’s total greenhouse gas emissions. The second research program, supported by NetJets, augments Dryer’s fundamental MURI work and brings in additional expertise from the Princeton Environmental Institute to develop “greener” alternative fuels.

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