The United States currently suffers under threat of increased energy
costs which threaten it's economic well being and national security.
1. Energy is at the foundation of all economic activity in the United
States and the world. Increases in the cost of energy increase the costs
of products and services throughout the economy globally and no other
resource can cause such negative economic effect.
2. Increasing the efficiency of heat-to-work devices in effect increases
the supply of energy to the United States by increasing the useful work
the economy can derive from a unit of petroleum, coal, gas, or other
root sources of energy.
3. Increasing the efficiency of heat-to-work devices lessens the
dependency of the United States on other countries as energy suppliers.
4. Increasing the efficiency of heat-to-work devices lessens the
opportunity of other countries, upon which the United States depends for
energy products, to use such dependency as a political tool to punish,
or extort, the United States for policies with which they do not agree
but which are in national interest of the United States.
5. Increasing the efficiency of heat-to-work devices allows greater
allocation of internal energy resources to the national defense which
secure for them a less expensive and more ample energy base when in
times of conflict or war.
6. Increasing the efficiency of heat-to-work devices dramatically
reduces the waste heat disposed of directly into the environment.
7. Increasing the efficiency of heat-to-work devices dramatically
increase the ability of heat conversion devices to work at substantially
lower temperatures. This will allow nuclear energy facilities to run at
lower temperatures increasing safety and increasing the effective
lifetime of nuclear materials reducing the rate at which these plants
produce nuclear waste.
8. Heat-to-work devices which allow operation at lower temperatures and
higher efficiencies will allow the utilization of alternative energy
sources like solar energy, bio-fuels, geothermal, rechargeable chemical
heat sources and the like.
9. Heat-to-work devices which allow operation at lower temperatures and
higher efficiencies reduce or eliminate dependency on the burning of
hydrocarbon fuels which are the greatest source of pollution on the planet.
10. As petrochemicals are replaced by different energy sources new
machines, plant and equipment will be required. Such machines will make
it economically feasible for residents and businesses to install small
power plants. New and more diverse technologies will require a large
expansion of the work force for installation, maintenance, and service.
Automobiles will require redesign and retro-fitting. These aspects will
cause a rapid increase of good high paying jobs.
11. New high efficiency heat-to-work devices provide a new industry and
enhance demand in other related industries increasing employment and
investment and dramatically strengthening the economy of the United States.
12. New, high efficiency heat-to-work devices, expand the export trade
market strengthening the competitiveness of the United States economy to
bring into balance imports and exports; if not bringing about the
transition the United States into an export nation.
13. Energy independence is by law the greatest national interest
incorporating national economic and social well being, national
security, and national defense. As quoted from the United States Code:
a. Federal Energy Administration, 15 U.S.C. §761. - Congressional
declaration of purpose
"(a) Objectives
The Congress hereby declares that the general welfare and the common
defense and security require positive and effective action to conserve
scarce energy supplies, to insure fair and efficient distribution of,
and the maintenance of fair and reasonable consumer prices for, such
supplies, to promote the expansion of readily usable energy sources, and
to assist in developing policies and plans to meet the energy needs of
the Nation."
b. Federal Energy Administration,15 U.S.C. §791. Congressional
declaration of purpose.
"The purposes of this chapter are
(1) to provide for a means to assist in meeting the essential needs of
the United States for fuels, in a manner which is consistent, to the
fullest extent practicable, with existing national commitments to
protect and improve the environment,..."
c. Automotive Propulsion research and Development 15 U.S.C. §2701(1) and
(5). Congressional findings and purpose,
"(a) The Congress finds that—
(1) existing automobile propulsion systems, on the average, fall short
of meeting the long-term goals of the Nation with respect to
environmental protection, and energy conservation;
(5) the Nation’s energy and environmental problems are urgent, and
therefore advanced automobile propulsion system technology should be
developed, tested, demonstrated, and prepared for manufacture within the
shortest practicable time."
d. 15 U.S.C. §3101(d) Full Employment and Balanced Growth, Congressional
Findings;
"The Congress further finds that full employment and production,
increased real income, balanced growth, a balanced Federal budget,
adequate productivity growth, proper attention to national priorities,
achievement of an improved trade balance through increased exports and
improvement in the international competitiveness of agriculture,
business, and industry, and reasonable price stability are important
national requirements and will promote the economic security and
well-being of all citizens of the Nation."
e. Competitiveness Policy Council 15 U.S.C. §4801 (a)(3),
(Congressional) Findings and Purpose;
(3) the decline of United States economic competitiveness endangers the
ability of the United States to maintain the defense industrial base
which is necessary to the national security of the United States"
f. Steel and Aluminum Energy Conservation and Technology Competitiveness
15 U.S.C. § 5101. Findings and purposes
"(a) Findings
The Congress finds that—
(1) maintaining viable domestic steel, aluminum, copper, and other
metals industries is vital to the national security and economic well
being of the United States;..."
g. Title 42 U.S.C. § 5501. Solar Energy, Congressional findings and
declaration of policy;(a) The Congress hereby finds that—
"(1) the current imbalance between supply and demand for fuels and
energy is likely to persist for some time;
(2) the early demonstration of the feasibility of using solar energy for
the heating and cooling of buildings could help to relieve the demand
upon present fuel and energy supplies;
(5) the early development and export of viable solar heating equipment
and combined solar heating and cooling equipment, consistent with the
established preeminence of the United States in the field of high
technology products, can make a valuable contribution to our balance of
trade;
(6) the widespread use of solar energy in place of conventional methods
for the heating and cooling of buildings would have a significantly
beneficial effect upon the environment;
(7) the mass production and use of solar heating and cooling equipment
will help to eliminate the dependence of the United States upon foreign
energy sources and promote the national defense;
(8) the widespread introduction of low-cost solar energy will be
beneficial to consumers in a period of rapidly rising fuel cost;"
h. Title 42 U.S.C. § 5510 Dissemination of information to promote
practical use of solar heating and cooling technologies.
"a) Coordination by Secretary with other Federal agencies in
dissemination to Federal, State, and local authorities, etc. The
Secretary shall take all possible steps to assure that full and complete
information with respect to the demonstrations and other activities
conducted under this subchapter is made available to
Federal, State, and local authorities, the building industry and related
segments of the economy, the scientific and technical community, and the
public at large, both during and after the close of the programs under
this subchapter, with the objective of promoting and facilitating to the
maximum extent feasible the early and widespread practical use of solar
energy for the heating and cooling of buildings throughout the United
States. In accordance with regulations prescribed under section 5514 of
this title such information shall be disseminated on a coordinated basis
by the Secretary, the Administrator, the Director of the National
Institute of Standards and Technology, the Secretary of Energy, the
Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of
the United States Patent and Trademark Office, and other appropriate
Federal offices and agencies."


=======================================================================
Kings therefore being slain the old majesty of thrones and proud
scepters were overthrown and laid in the dust,
and the glorious badge of the sovereign head bloodstained beneath the
feet of the rabble mourned for its high
prerogative; for that is greedily trampled on which before was too much
dreaded. It would come then in
the end to the lees of uttermost disorder, each man seeking for himself
empire and sovereignty. Next a
portion of them taught men to elect legal officers, and drew up codes,
to induce men to obey the laws.
For mankind, tired out with a life of brute force, lay exhausted from
its feuds; and therefore the more
readily it submitted of its own free will to laws ans stringent codes.
Lucretius 99-55 B.C.E. Jackie Bell jb@...
=======================================================================

Per our conversation at yesterdays meeting I would like to start a
thread on "heat batteries". For the 2009 design to maximize per unit KW
cost it must store a maximum amount of energy at peak so that can be
spread across a full energy cycle. An energy cycle is simply a periodic
wave, ideally a sine wave, which peaks at high energy periods and has
troughs in low energy periods. Setting the start of the energy cycle is
arbitrary and we can say that the cycle starts at 6:00am and builds to
maximum solar input then declines to sunset. The negative cycle begins
when no further positive input of energy is being provided by the
system. There is also a "use cycle" which when superimposed upon the
source cycle shows areas of energy surplus and defect. The idea
is to level surplus and deficit by storage devices.
      Although this thread is a heat storage thread it will also
overlap into an electrical energy thread since there are silicon
devices which will produce electricity from heat. All of this
conversation assumes that there is much more energy available from the
sun in the form of heat than that of photon emission.
      We discussed the feasibility of chemical heat storage such as that
used in commercially available heat pads. I do not know if Sodium
Acetate is the ideal chemical but it would provide a starting point.
There may be better chemicals which produce and recharge by the same
chemical reaction but are not suitable for commercial personal medical
devices.
      At this point the subject matter relates to an important idea
that I have been trying to promote. In the last SD I did not start my
research until very close to the competition. As a result none of
my ideas had a chance of being realized. Any project that has elements
which are not material only conceptual, must have a stage of research
and performance analysis. That is why I was hoping we could start
a "parking lot" of ideas so that in spring small teams can be assigned
to do some real research and performance testing.
      In this case this idea would be parked as "rechargeable heat
batteries". I would also propose chiller air conditioning which runs
at night and "stores cooling" for use during the day. Heat-to
electricity conversion and storage for LED lighting. Direct Current
wiring for direct current devices in the home. Electro-Inductive ovens
(as opposed to inductive stove tops) instead of microwave ovens.




===================================================
Good sense is, of all things among men, the most
equally distributed; for everyone thinks himself so
abundantly provided with it, that those who are the
most difficult to satisfy in everything else, do not
usually desire a larger measure of this quality than
they already possess.



Rene Descartes

Jackie Bell
j@...
(305)-451-2799
====================================================

I remember now why I think the current estimate of
combustion engine efficiency is not correct.
The efficiency is based eventually on the formula
PV=nRT where PV = Work. It is the V part
of this equation which dramatically decreases
the amount of work which can be derived from a unit
heat. Since this is low then the estimate of
waste will be low. Say you are getting 0.1 unit W (Work)
for 1.0 unit Q (heat). This says that from the
very start ideal engines based on this formula waste
.9 units of energy from 1 unit heat. After this
then practical engines waste even more since they cannot
even achieve a wasteful theoretical limit.

I have posted in the files section the beginnings
of a paper on momentum. This paper proposes the
correct method of measuring the mechanical equivalent
of heat.

I might be way off on both of these since my study of
both was interrupted. If it is wrong and assuming
anyone reads it please let me know.

Jackie

Kevin and I also contribute to another blog Spark Plug:
www.sparkplugg.blogspot.com, Plug in and spark up a conversation!
Utilizing both blogs, we intend to diseminate information on all Green
events we attend as well as break down the nitty gritty of energy
efficiency and solar from our perspective. A fresh perspective is
always welcomed! Feel free to subscribe to the blog and to comment on
any postings.

A couple years back I had taken a class with a professor - Bob
Hacker - that struck a profound chord with me. And this had the
direct result of forging a great relationship that we maintain even
today. Anyhow he harped on strategy a lot and many of my classmates
used to think that the word "strategy" was exclusive to the military.
This merely isn't so and the lack of a coherently articulated
strategy can often be the reason for problems. Even he stated so (I
paraphrase): Anytime there is a problem in business - be it in
Operations, IT, HR, etc. - it can be tied back to strategy.

He defined strategy as the ALLOCATION OF RESOURCES TO INCREASE
SHAREHOLDER VALUE IN AN ECONOMICALLY EFFICIENT WAY.

This all seems abstract but when you break it down - it really isn't.
Resources can be time, money, materials, etc. And a shareholder can
be an owner, a member of society or any other organization. So, this
definition can be applied to many aspects of life, not just business.

Strikingly, using this definition of strategy begets a decision-
making mechanism. If you are faced with a certain predicament and are
uncertain how to proceed, you can refer to your strategy. This
assumes it is properly articulated but it can give you a clearer
understanding of how to proceed.

Thus far it has worked for me many times and that is why I am touting
it. There are too many things to do than can get done and so it is
easy to get lost out there. But if you have a desicion-making
mechanism, you can cut through all of that with the sharp knife of
clarity - clarity of intent.

Bob has a blog that you can browse through to your heart's content.
But I'd like to share one of his blog postings with you.

http://sophisticatedfinance.typepad.com/sophisticated_finance/2007/08/
new-business-id.html

The take away is contained in this paragraph:

So far we have learned that by working on a problem steadfastly we
will eventually have the "luck" to find the solution or become so
knowledgeable about a subject matter that we will be the unique
person to have the insight. Hard work and luck! Not sure how helpful
that is, but it sounds about right.

Entrepreneurship is the process of creating value by bringing
together a unique combination of resources to exploit an opportunity.

My entrepreneurial journey began two years ago when I left active
military service and could not find any jobs. I applied for over 200
jobs in 2 1/2 years and only got 3 hits. One was temporary and the
other 2 never panned out. As a result, I decided to create
opportunities of my own.

Additionally, my upbringing on a 32 foot Pacemaker Cabin Cruiser in
St. Thomas, USVI, my military service guarding oil terminals in Iraq,
recent up ticks in hurricanes (we lost over $100 worth of food
because of Katrina), gas prices, electricity prices and foreclosures
in South Florida all helped to motivate this venture.

Part of entrepreneurship is having passion. If you are not passionate
about your product or service then no one will buy or use it.
However, passion alone will not suffice. Passion must be tempered
with mindfulness in order for us to see things how they truly are or
truly can be. And it helps to have a story behind everything.

While attending the prestigious Florida International University, I
used every class and every research paper/project to better
understand every aspect of my business idea. This proved beneficial
as my business plan won 1st Runner Up (2nd place) in FIU's New
Venture Challenge Business Plan Competition.

Recently, I was 1 of 20 chosen out of hundreds of applicants to
attend the inagural Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for OEF/OIF Veterans
with Disabilities at Syracuse University (SU). SU is ranked #1 in the
nation for Entrepreneurship on the graduate level and #2 on the
undergrad level. This experience has increased my knowledge and
understanding of entrepreneurship as well as nationalized my network.

The bootcamp began with a 3 week online phase and a 10 day in-class
phase. SU spent over $10,000 per veteran to train us from
concept/idea selection, to business plan writing, to funding the
venture, to operationalize the business plan, to manage the venture
and finally grow the venture. I will address all these topics
individually in future blog entries under this topic heading with
specific references to my business: Veterans Energy Solutions, LLC.

Lewis,

Yes, you are right. Blog would not directly allow us to manage a
large knowledge base, if we go for creating some knowledge base such
as glossary, it has to be a different place. My thought would be
wiki. We use blog for discussion and build concensus on concepts,
and use wiki for publishing the concepts.

What do you think?

Yimin
--- In fiugreen@yahoogroups.com, "l.demetri" <l.demetri@...> wrote:
>
> Great idea Yimin!
>
> Perhaps we can put a links and document download page on the blog
site?
>
> We can source all participants the same foundation data....
>
> Lewis
>

I will be out of the office starting 08/13/2007 and will not return until
08/27/2007.

I will definitely respond to your message when I return. I should be able
to read and write email when I am away. Thank you.

Lewis,

Yes, you are right. Blog would not directly allow us to manage a
large knowledge base, if we go for creating some knowledge base such
as glossary, it has to be a different place. My thought would be
wiki. We use blog for discussion and build concensus on concepts,
and use wiki for publishing the concepts.

What do you think?

Yimin
--- In fiugreen@yahoogroups.com, "l.demetri" <l.demetri@...> wrote:
>
> Great idea Yimin!
>
> Perhaps we can put a links and document download page on the blog
site?
>
> We can source all participants the same foundation data....
>
> Lewis
>

I will be out of the office starting  08/13/2007 and will not return until
08/27/2007.

I will definitely respond to your message when I return.  I should be able
to read and write email when I am away.  Thank you.

Great idea Yimin!

Perhaps we can put a links and document download page on the blog site?

We can source all participants the same foundation data....

Lewis

The website looks fabulous! Good work!

Besides discussions on specific subjects, I think it might be useful
for us as a team to develop (or collect) a list of green building
concepts or terminologies. Green building design and construction is
such an interdisciplinary effort that students from one discipline
often have hard time to understand concepts from another. Yet, a
successful green building project requires a common understanding of
the goal of the project, which can only be established based on some
shared knowledge about each other. Therefore, using this opportunity
to learn from each other can be beneficial to everyone in the team.
The final product, maybe an online dictionary of green building
concepts, can also become part of our identity in a larger, maybe
virtual, professional community.

If this idea sounds interesting enough, maybe we can add one heading
on the webpage called something like "Green Building Glossary"...

Anyone can make contribution by submitting terminologies and
definitions. Certainly, we need to figure out the format of
submissions.

Like an idea?

Yimin Zhu

Greetings to all; I am glad that you have taken this time to visit our
website and blog.  Be sure to continually check back for updates
regarding events, project information (especially with the Future
House), and news.  If you have any questions, my email box is always
open.

I'm curious if anyone has information about what the other countries
are doing.

Doesn't Spain have a website...what is the web address?  Does anyone
know what the web addresses are for the other countries?

Martha Hoffmann

Enter your vote today!  A new poll has been created for the
fiugreen group:

What kind of snacks should we have during our meetings on Wednesday?

   o Cookies
   o Muffins
   o Pizza
   o Doughnuts
   o Pastry


To vote, please visit the following web page:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/fiugreen/surveys?id=12620026

Note: Please do not reply to this message. Poll votes are
not collected via email. To vote, you must go to the Yahoo! Groups
web site listed above.

Thanks!