BuFest™ '09 Indie Music Festival

What: Indie Band Green Music Festival
When: May 30th & 31st, 2009, 11am-9:30pm both days
Where: Paramount Movie Ranch, Agoura Hills, CA
Price: $20/1 day, $35/2 days ($8 will-call fee)



HOW DOES A CONCERT ELECTRIFY US?!

Being the geeks we are, we usually cover tech advancements and crazy/cool products here at ElectrifyUs.com. But an often overlooked area of "green" technology advancement discussions is the actual, real-world USE of the types of products we like to talk about.

It's great to showcase cool new eco-friendly tech, but even cooler to see it being used effectively.

Plus, we're huge indie music fans too. Click on any of the concert pics in this post to check out the BuFest 2009 Myspace page or click HERE.




ENTER BuFEST™

BuFEST™ Music Festival, located near Malibu (hence the name), California, bills itself as "California's best indie band festival" and stresses it's status as a "Green Event" - powering itself with biodeisel generators and mobile solar power stations and committing to a goal of having zero impact on the environment through use of recycled materials, etc.

The 2 day event takes place this weekend - May 30th & 31st - on the 326 acre old western Paramount Movie Ranch in Agoura Hills, CA (next door to Malibu) and will feature over 70 acts on 4 stages. The festival will feature performances from a wide range of artists, including Eve 6, Arden Kaywin and Leaving Springfield. Click HERE for the list of Bands.

Tickets are $20 for 1 day or $35 for both days with an $8 will-call fee.


GREEN? HOW GREEN?
Here's a mission-statement-type excerpt from their website:

Green Event
BuFest™ strives to insure we have zero impact upon the environment. In addition to biodegradable and recycled supplies, BuFest™ uses the most technologically advanced generators and materials to make certain we have the lowest carbon output possible. We support The Green Living Expos held throughout the nation as a way to educate the public about ways they can "Go Green."

The event's sponsors include SolaRover (mobile solar power systems, pictured above), SMS Generators (quiet, biodiesel generators) and Conscious Living TV and will include fiood and beverage selections from around the world, as well as over 140 entertaining and educational exhibits spread throughout the grounds, including:

Eco-Cars
Green Living
Natural & Organic Products
Green Beauty Products
Green Building
Green Kids
Eco-Fashions
Green Associations

Click HERE for the list of Exhibitors.

CHECK IT OUT!

Support independent artists and green living by rockin' out at BuFest™ '09! Click HERE to read more about BuFest™ '09, check out the list of bands and purchase tickets.

What: BuFest™ Indie Music Festival
When: May 30th & 31st, 2009, 11am-9:30pm both days
Where: Paramount Movie Ranch, Agoura Hills, CA
Price: $20/1 day, $35/2 days ($8 will-call fee)

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The Silicon Dragon

This is a picture of the world's first 100% solar-power stadium in Taiwan. The photovoltaic panels themselves have a reptilian sheen to them, like scales that feed the beast within.

With over 14,000 square meters of solar paneling, word has it that this 50,000 seat arena will actually generate more power than it requires - 3,300 lights and two giant television monitors - so the government will sell the excess capacity. Amazing and gorgeous.


How about retrofit kits for U.S. stadiums?! Not only could they generate their own power, they could "give back" to their local communities by supplying excess energy generated.

To read more on this engineering marvel, check out Inhabitat.com

And for more great pics like the one below, check out ArchDaily.com



READERS - Whatta you think?!?! Leave us your comments either way!

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What's REALLY going to make Electric Cars Viable? BETTER BATTERIES.

THE NEW KID ON THE BLOCK - LITHIUM SULFUR (Li-S) BATTERIES


(Go to SION Power for a technical overview.)

As gas prices have soared and dependence on foreign oil has become a more pressing national concern, more and more of us have been watching in anticipation over the last few years the development of real, viable alternatives to the combustion engine as the predominant vehicle powerplant.

We are now starting to see serious, top-notch inroads being made, like the plug-in, all-electric Fisker Karma ($89,000) pictured below, and the Tesla Roadster and Model S.


The established automotive industry and automobile consumers are finally taking notice - Toyota's Prius is a national favorite, Chevy is actually going to build it's Volt concept car and just recently it's been announced that Daimler has purchased a multi-million dollar, 10% stake in Tesla. (Read about the deal on Engadget.com HERE).

TECHNOLOGY IS FINALLY CATCHING UP

Electric motors have been around for a long time and are comparatively well-developed in contrast to the batteries we are currently powering them with.

As you may recall in the movie "Who Killed the Electric Car" - the socially sickening tale of the birth and demise of GM's wildly succesful EV1 electric car - BATTERY TECHNOLOGY has been the central issue in creating a successful alternative to gasoline engines. And batteries are simply not far enough along in development to make them a viable power source for electric car motors.

Or are they? There seems to be a fair amount of evidence that car manufacturers themselves had a hand in stymieing battery development by buying battery patents and battery development companies and then just sitting on them, but we'll save that discussion for another post.

What I want to tell you about here are the latest advancements in Battery Technology - advancements that are, because of the political climate, no longer being muffled by automotive giants, but actually embraced.

These are LITHIUM SULFUR (Li-S) BATTERIES.

Providing THREE TIMES the capacity of current Lithium-Ion (Li-ion) and Lithium Polymer (LiPo) batteries, Lithium Sulfur (Li-S) batteries use Sulfur as a cheaper, and safer battery ingredient.

For a great technical explanation of the process of creating
Lithium Sulfur (Li-S) batteries, including overcoming the cathode obstacle and the "nanocasting" binding of Sulfur to conductive carbon composites, check out this article at NanoWerk.com HERE

ScienceDaily.com also has an interesting piece on the researchers an the obstacles faced and overcome HERE.

SO EXACTLY WHAT IS THIS NEW TECH CAPABLE OF?

Well let's just say that 2 years ago Lithium Sulfur (Li-S) batteries provided by SION Power of Tucson, Arizona were used in conjunction with solar panels in U.K. defense technology firm Qinetiq's Zephyr 6.1 high-altitude unmanned arial vehicle (UAV) (pictured below) to set a new world record for longest duration unmanned flight.


Zephyr 6.1 stayed aloft for 54 continuous hours, attaining a maximum altitude of 58,370 feet.

Read more about SION POWER and the Zephyr 6.1 HERE and check out SION POWER's website HERE.

The theoretical capacity of Li-S batteries is 5 times that of current Li-ion/LiPo batteries. Researchers have already acheived 80% of that capacity, making today's Li-S battery capacity still 3 times that of Li-ion/LiPo.

CONCLUSION

Imagine the possibilities afforded by the additional weight savings and vehicle storage capacity available with 1/3 less batteries on board. Or the additional range available from the same physical amount of the newer-tech batteries...

Current electric cars (no pun intended) really are breaking new ground almost every day, but it is the advancement of BATTERY TECHNOLOGIES like Lithium Sulfur compounds that are going to make electric motors a viable alternative to the combustion engine as the powerplant for consumer (and hopefully commercial) vehicles with mass appeal.

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Cooking with Solar Power

Next Time You Go Camping, Bring Your CD Collection
Looking for a zero-emission camp stove? look no further! All you have to do is rip an old-school satellite dish out of someone's backyard and open up your old CD collection!



Focus!
This home-made solar oven is capable of temperatures in excess of 800 degrees Farenheit. MORE than enough juice to zap the crap out of Marie Callendar's latest or a Trader Joe's Chicken Sausage Polenta Lasagna!



Humongous Ant Zapper
800 degrees not hot enough to sear your Ahi? Check this out. This Giant Solar Death Ray is made from just a few slats of a wooden shipping palate and an old Fresnel Lens from a 65" projection television.


Capable of 2100-2200 degrees Farenheit, this giant magnifing glass of doom will zap entire colonies of ants, asphalt driveways, copper pennies and anything else you need to burn to a crisp or melt the crap out of.

Real World Applications
For many other more user-friendly options, see HERE for Treehugger.com's list of great solar cooking accessories like this BCKSolar argentinian folding solar cooker capable of 90 degrees Farenheit:


Want to build your own Solar Panels?

Check out: www.How2BuildSolarPanels.com

What do you think?
Love it or hate it?! Let us know!

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Solar Airplane to Circumnavigate the Globe in 2011

Solar Impulse

This is the name of the 201ft-wingspan solar-powered airplane being built by international adventurer Bertrand Piccard. In 1999, Piccard was the first man to travel completely around the globe in a balloon and will now attempt the first round-the-world solar-powered airplane flight. This project has been in the works for the better part of 6 years. As an added bonus due to recent advancements in lithium ion battery and photovoltaic (solar) cell technology, the plane is being modified to take full advantage of these advancemets, making it up to 30% more efficient.

Quick Stats:

Price to build: $94 Million
Wingspan: 201ft
Seating: 1 person
Weight: 3300lbs
Motors: 4 electric
Ceiling: 27,000ft

website: www.solarimpulse.com

Not likely we'll be switching commercial flights to solar power anytime soon, but this is an amazing project to display the advancements and capabilities of renewable energy.

What do you think?!

Post comments and give us a piece of your mind!

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New Full-Size Folding Commuter Bicycle

We've always loved the great compact folding bicycles from Dahon, but check out the great new full-size folding bicycle from Pacific Cycles! Called the "if Mode", it weighs 32 lbs (about the weight of a full-suspension mountain bike), and comes complete with mechanical disc brakes, but has no greasy chain to ruin pants legs and folds easily to a compact 40"H x 10.6"W x 26"L.

Piece of cake to store it in a city apartment or roll it onto a crowded subway train. Not cheap at $2,250, but very high score on the cool factor.

To read more about the if Mode and their other folding bicycles, go to iF Mode from Pacific Cycles. And check out a full write-up at Treehugger.com ---> HERE


Love it or hate it?!

Post your comments to let us know what you think!

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NEW Tesla Model S - $50k Electric Sedan with 300mi Range

Finally! a Truly Great Electric Vehicle

Elon Musk, Inc. Magazine's "Entrepreneur of the Year", and the guys (and gals) at Tesla Motors have brought electric vehicles (EV's) BACK to mainstream America.

You don't have to be a lefty tech geek to be excited about the new electric cars coming to market, or to be outraged that it's taken so long. If you've seen the movie "Who Killed the Electric Car", then it won't surprise you that electric cars have been around since before cars with combustion engines, and you will not be one of the many Americans scratching their heads wondering why American car companies are doing so poorly. Well most of them, that is...

Except for one new American car company - Tesla Motors. Started by Elon Musk (founder of Paypal and SpaceX), Tesla is a new kind of car company, with a business structure more like Google than like General Motors. This has allowed the company to grow quickly, adapt quickly, and quickly bring products to market that consumers actually want.

In the Beginning - the Tesla Roadster

Tesla unveiled it's first model - the wildly successful $110k Roadster, to let the mainstream see that an electric car can perform as good as or better than any high end sports car. It looks very similar to a Lotus Elise, and it should - much its look was designed by the English carmaker.


The Latest - the Model S

Slated for delivery in 2012, Tesla is now taking orders for the Model S - the stunning sedan that looks like an elongated Aston Martin (thanks to design work by Franz von Holzhausen, former designer for Aston Martin, BMW and most recently, Mazda) , starting at $50k, with up to a 300 mile range, quick 45min charge capability, seating for 7 (5 adults and 2 children), and 0-60mph in 5.6 seconds. And it will get you a $7500 federal tax credit to boot.

Where a tank of gas in other full size sedans that would last you 300 miles might cost $65 per fillup, to travel the same distance in the Model S will only cost you $4 worth of electricity.

Even skeptics who argue that the pollution created to generate the amount of electricity needed to power an electric car for that distance will have a hard time arguing that one.


For more beautiful pics of the Model S, check out Jalopnik.com's great spread HERE.

What's Next?

Rumor has it that the next Tesla model will be a sub-$30k EV, truly bringing this technology within the reach of the average American household.

Love It or Hate It?

Post your comments here and let us know what you think!

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SPECIAL REPORT: Industrial Hemp - High Time for Change

No, this is not a post about legalizing Marijuana for one reason or another. This is about industrial Hemp - part of the same family as Marijuana, but a taller, ganglier version of it and containing barely any THC, that chemical so famously known for getting people high. (In fact, industrial Hemp has so little THC that a full-grown man would have to smoke an entire bale of it to get high and would most likely die of suffocation from the effort.)

I'VE NEVER EVEN HEARD OF INDUSTRIAL HEMP - WHAT IS IT?

Forced to follow its cousin to prison for no other reason than being related to it, Hemp is illegal to grow domestically in the United States (yet oddly enough, it's perfectly okay to import products made from foreign-grown Hemp). It's been that way for 72 years now and the DEA and their brethren have made sure that all domestic family members of this plant stay in the same jail.

The reality of industrial Hemp is that it probably ranks as one of the most useful and versatile plants known to man. Historical data about Hemp is often crowed into the arguments of Marijuana legalization proponents, but those facts bear repeating here: both George Washington and Thomas Jefferson grew Hemp. The Declaration of Independence was written on Hemp parchment. Most of the uniforms worn by Americans fighting in World War 2 were made of Hemp. It requires no pesticides to grow (unlike cotton) because it grows so quickly. It has a confirmed reputation of cleaning up contaminated water, as demonstrated by its effective usage in and around the Chernobyl nuclear wasteland. One acre of industrial Hemp will produce as much paper as over four acres of trees over a twenty-year period without utilizing the acids and chlorine needed to produce paper from trees. But why stop there? Wikipedia's got the full scoop so click here to read more:

HEMP

Yet for it's long history and laundry list of beneficial qualities, it languishes in an American prison locked behing the U.S. Code while American consumers eagerly buy food, clothing and cosmetic products containing a nearly identical ingredient - Hemp that is not grown in the United States. Every ally of the U.S. allows Hemp cultivation. China and Russia produce hectares of Hemp.
Even North Korea grows industrial Hemp.

This is sheer folly, made more so from the current financial reality of this country. Because of this country's imbecilic treatment of industrial Hemp, Americans are, in effect, sending their dollars to foreign countries where Hemp is legal to cultivate. Kind of sounds like the relationship America has with foreign oil, doesn't it?

In countries where possession of Marijuana warrants harsh repercussions from the local governments, industrial Hemp is not a problem. Even these countries - nowhere near as advanced as the United States - are able to discern the differences between Marijuana and Hemp. These same governments allow Marijuana to grow wild like the literal weed that it is. Perhaps the difference is cultural. A guide in Kazakhstan seems to say as much to a BBC reporter.



It'S ABOUT TIME - HR 1866: The Industrial Hemp Farming Act of 2009

The filing of a writ of habeas corpus on behalf of American industrial Hemp is LONG overdue.

A call that went unanswered for years is now finally being addressed by two Representatives and arguably the most colorful icons of their respective political parties: Ron Paul (R-TX) and Barney Frank (D-Mass).

They have sponsored a bill now pending in Congress that will effectively remove federal restrictions on wide-scale cultivation of industrial Hemp. HR 1866, or the Industrial Hemp Farming Act of 2009 will release industrial Hemp from its unjustified, irrational, senseless incarceration and put it in the hands of farmers and manufacturers who can and will unleash its future benefits and untapped potential.

Even CNBC has picked up on the sheer stupidity of current U.S. policy on Hemp. Although I have disagreed with certain types of cheerleading CNBC has done in the past, it's nice to see their bias swinging in favor of the only rational choice in this case.



HOW YOU CAN HELP

If you want to make your voice heard to make sure that this bill does not die in the House Judiciary Committee, and to imagine that one day, "your car may be a Hemp-mobile," please go to this link:

VOTE HEMP BILL

The folks at Vote Hemp will help make your voice is heard by your Congressional Representative - just start by entering your zip code to find your Representative.

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Welcome to ElectrifyUS.com!

"You'll know the green revolution has been won when the word 'green' disappears."

- Thomas L. Friedman, 3x Pulitzer Prize Winner,

during his interview in the April '09 issue of

Newsweek Magazine

COMING SOON:

Stay tuned for lots of great upcoming content having to do with all things electric and awesome - from mainstream transportation to every kind of crazy off-the-wall type of alternative transportation and energy source imaginable.

In the midst of this terrible economic crisis, a new era is dawning, which prizes higher intellectual reflection, corporate and environmental responisbility, and social awareness. It has given US the resolve to push across the next Great Frontier - Energy Technology. Out of struggle rises greatness, as they say...

Therefore, it is my goal that this blog:

(1) be a fun, interesting testament to all the great technological advancements that are currently being made in these exciting times, whether they are electric cars, thin-film solar panels, home-made windmills or folding commuter bikes, and most importantly,

(2) call to the forefront of mainstream American social debate the real issues that need to be addressed NOW to create not only renewable, clean energy technologies, but ones which will be able to sustain exponential global population growth for the forseeable future.

The solutions are here NOW - will we make the most of them?

Also, please be patient - it's just me running this thing so it may take a few weeks for me to get posts up, but rest assured it will happen.


SUBMISSIONS:

My goal really is to make this a "RIB" (or, "Reader-Interactive Blog," a word I just made up ;), where all readers may feel free to not only comment, but blog here as well.  So... in order to create the greatest pool of knowledge with respect to the subject matter, which we can all share, and simultaneously benefit from, I will keep my moderation to a minimum.

Please feel free to contact me at electrifyus@gmail.com if you would like to submit pieces for publication, have any suggestions for setup or content, or just have any cool things you'd like me to write about here to get the word out.

You are the readers, and it is my main intent that this be a helpful, fun site for everyone.

Feel free to pass along any information and ideas published here, but as a courtesy, or matter of etiquette, please simply cite and hyperlink to this blog - it'll help others find it!  Blogroll me and I'll blogroll you!

Most importantly, please enjoy the site!!! The possibilities are endless, and the faster great ideas get circulated, the sooner great strides will be made!


- Electrify Us!

road less traveled and fuzzy logic

_

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