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Toward a smaller carbon footprint in 2008
It's been a busy last few days at the Welander household. Two significant events deserve consideration:
Our washing machine of 22 years was retired, as was my wife's 1998 Audi A4Q. Both have been replaced with machines that are more environmentally responsible and depend on sophisticated industrial control technology to make them possible.
The old Kenmore washing machine was on its last legs, although I can't fault any washing machine that lasts so many years. I replaced its belt a couple months ago so it would spin again, but the transmission finally quit and that was enough. My wife managed to find a Maytag front loader at Home Depot that was on clearance and marked down to one-third its original price, so she grabbed it. (Apparently that model has now been phased out. So what.) This is one of those designs that uses very little water (by comparison to our old top-loader) and has far fewer mechanical components. It basically has a washing drum driven by a motor plus a pump. The motor control system generates its own 3-phase VF power so the same motor can rotate the drum at any speed or direction. The antiquated timer mechanism motor and multiple-cam drum are long gone. It is even educated enough to play a bit of Mozart (I think it's from The Magic Flute.) when it's done. I'm not sure we will be able to identify a change in any of our utility bills right away as a result of this, but I'm sure they'll be there nonetheless.
The old Audi was leaking oil badly and the wonderful perfume of escaping coolant was easy to detect. Anticipating a long list of very large repair bills, we traded the car in on a new Toyota Prius. Bear in mind that I do not buy new cars. The last time I bought a new car was a 1977 Toyota Celica GT hatchback. That was also the last time I bought a Toyota. (Since I have owned various Audi's, VW, MG, Lancia, Ford pickup, Dodge van and Volvo.)
The new car is a hybrid which also uses an interesting collection of industrial control technologies. If you haven't been paying attention, it is basically an electric car with its own generator. It has no plug-in recharging capability, although that can be added with an after-market package. (See a Control Engineering news item.) The car is driven entirely by the electric motor and runs its generator only when needed to add charge to the battery. The engine for the generator is really pretty small which is why it gets exceptional gas mileage. All of this is controlled by a central computerized system that starts and stops the engine and sends power wherever it's needed. All the activity is displayed on the dashboard. The technology is really pretty amazing.
Given the cost of gas, the political implications of oil imports and long term environmental effects, I have a hard time imagining why far more people don't buy these. It isn't a cheap car, but it isn't expensive either. Taking into account total cost of ownership, I imagine it has to be relatively inexpensive in the long run. The thought that someone would go and buy a new Suburban in this day and age boggles the mind, but those seem to sell too, although not as many as a few years ago.
These issues have been on my mind lately, particularly while writing a story on energy consumption which will be published in our January issue. The technologies to reduce energy consumption substantially already exist. We only have to use them.
Toward a smaller carbon footprint in 2008
December 31, 2007
It's been a busy last few days at the Welander household. Two significant events deserve consideration:Our washing machine of 22 years was retired, as was my wife's 1998 Audi A4Q. Both have been replaced with machines that are more environmentally responsible and depend on sophisticated industrial control technology to make them possible.
The old Kenmore washing machine was on its last legs, although I can't fault any washing machine that lasts so many years. I replaced its belt a couple months ago so it would spin again, but the transmission finally quit and that was enough. My wife managed to find a Maytag front loader at Home Depot that was on clearance and marked down to one-third its original price, so she grabbed it. (Apparently that model has now been phased out. So what.) This is one of those designs that uses very little water (by comparison to our old top-loader) and has far fewer mechanical components. It basically has a washing drum driven by a motor plus a pump. The motor control system generates its own 3-phase VF power so the same motor can rotate the drum at any speed or direction. The antiquated timer mechanism motor and multiple-cam drum are long gone. It is even educated enough to play a bit of Mozart (I think it's from The Magic Flute.) when it's done. I'm not sure we will be able to identify a change in any of our utility bills right away as a result of this, but I'm sure they'll be there nonetheless.
The old Audi was leaking oil badly and the wonderful perfume of escaping coolant was easy to detect. Anticipating a long list of very large repair bills, we traded the car in on a new Toyota Prius. Bear in mind that I do not buy new cars. The last time I bought a new car was a 1977 Toyota Celica GT hatchback. That was also the last time I bought a Toyota. (Since I have owned various Audi's, VW, MG, Lancia, Ford pickup, Dodge van and Volvo.)
The new car is a hybrid which also uses an interesting collection of industrial control technologies. If you haven't been paying attention, it is basically an electric car with its own generator. It has no plug-in recharging capability, although that can be added with an after-market package. (See a Control Engineering news item.) The car is driven entirely by the electric motor and runs its generator only when needed to add charge to the battery. The engine for the generator is really pretty small which is why it gets exceptional gas mileage. All of this is controlled by a central computerized system that starts and stops the engine and sends power wherever it's needed. All the activity is displayed on the dashboard. The technology is really pretty amazing.
Given the cost of gas, the political implications of oil imports and long term environmental effects, I have a hard time imagining why far more people don't buy these. It isn't a cheap car, but it isn't expensive either. Taking into account total cost of ownership, I imagine it has to be relatively inexpensive in the long run. The thought that someone would go and buy a new Suburban in this day and age boggles the mind, but those seem to sell too, although not as many as a few years ago.
These issues have been on my mind lately, particularly while writing a story on energy consumption which will be published in our January issue. The technologies to reduce energy consumption substantially already exist. We only have to use them.
Posted by Peter Welander on December 31, 2007 | Comments (0)
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