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The Headlines:
Apple patents solar iPods
Coney Island solar-retrofits subways
Study shows we could be almost twice as rich if we switch to renewable energy
Less than 1 percent of oily birds survive
New window film can cut energy costs by up to 40 percent
Scientists meet to discuss our relationship with dolphins and whales

The Details:

Apple patents solar iPods

Apple recently patented solar technology for “media players with integrated touch sensor solar panel surfaces.” So iPods, iPhones and possibly even iPads of the future will be solar-powered. Green Apple geeks of the world are no doubt celebrating at the prospect.

The iPhone will be getting an especially exciting overhaul. The solar panel will be placed underneath the touch screen, so it can still take in power from the sun, but users will not have to sacrifice the touch screen. And iPhones will soon be coming with a glass back, allowing for another solar panel on that side for double chargeability.

Coney Island solar-retrofits subways

The New York City Transit Complex in Coney Island was just retrofitted with a thermal solar array to replace the facility’s electric hot water heater.

Not only will the 48 panel system make the hot water needed to clean subway cars, but it will also eliminate the need to use antifreeze in the winter. Using a pressurized closed-loop vacuum insulation system, the Coney Island Transit Complex is now the first of its kind in the world that requires no antifreeze at all to run.

The $1.1 million array, combined with new high efficiency lighting systems recently installed at other transit facilities, is expected to save about $170,000 per year in energy costs and cut New York City’s mass transit greenhouse gas emissions by more than 3,000 tons.

Study shows we could be almost twice as rich if we switch to renewable energy

Exciting numbers from the European Renewable Energy Council’s commissioned report were released last week. The gist of the report: a global shift to renewable energy could create an $18 trillion economy by the year 2050. If we continued down the wasteful energy path we’re currently on, we would only end up with an $11 trillion energy industry.

Additionally, the report finds that it is technologically and fiscally feasible to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent by 2050. And before we roll our eyes at this fanciful Utopian notion: the report assumes no conservation of energy or efficiency, so there are no caveats to these numbers about the what-ifs of cutting back on energy use.

Switching the entire world to renewable energy sounds like quite a feat, but the technology already exists and will only get better. The majority of the work would come from building a global energy infrastructure. The report also recommends phasing out fossil fuel subsidies, as not paying for dirty fuel would totally change the economic possibilities for the better.

Less than 1 percent of oily birds survive

Unfortunately it’s true. Silvia Gaus, animal biologist and oil spill expert addressed the elephant in the room of the Gulf oil spill with a very unpopular opinion: it’s better to kill the birds than try to clean them.

Birds don’t just get covered in oil. They also ingest the oil, and even attempts to give them Pepto Bismul can’t counteract the damage that happens to their kidneys and livers. Also cleaning them, even though it has gotten more efficient and less harsh on the birds, still traumatizes them badly.

A British study found that the average bird released after cleaning in other spills only survived for seven days. The kidney and liver damages coupled with the trauma of capture and cleaning causes nearly all the birds to die a slow, very painful death. The average survival rate of oily birds after cleaning is less than 1 percent.

So while Gaus’s recommendation may be painful to think about, it does unfortunately seem like the most humane option.

New window film can cut energy costs by up to 40 percent

In happier news, a company called RavenBrick has developed a product that can save on energy costs, and we include it because the idea is so simple that when we heard it we couldn’t help but share it.

The Department of Energy has estimated that U.S. buildings are sapping up 40 percent of our energy with heating and cooling systems. But much of this energy is wasted by inefficient buildings and lack of effective insulation.

One solution is smart window technology, which limits the amount of sunlight and therefore heat that comes through windows. Up until now, smart window technology has always run on electricity, which only adds to energy costs.

Enter Ravenbrick. Everyone by now is familiar with transition lenses for glasses. So how about transition windows? The company has developed a smart film that when applied to a window can vary its tint  based on the outside temperature. When it’s cold outside, the film stays clear, allowing as much heat from the sun in as possible. And in the summer, the film adjusts to a darker shade to keep out the heat of the sun.

RavenBrick estimates that its smart window film can reduce a building’s energy consumption by 30 to 40 percent.

Scientists meet to discuss our relationship with dolphins and whales

Back in February, a meeting of the minds took place. The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) got together to discuss recent revelations that dolphins and whales are much more intelligent than earlier information suggests. The real focus of the meeting was what to do now that we know this information.

The findings about whales and dolphins are many. They have distinct personalities, they have their own languages, they pass down information through generations, they have their own cultures, they possess complex decision-making abilities, and evidence suggests they even think about the future.

Members of the AAAS believe that in the wake of recent events such as the Gulf oil gush, the SeaWorld orca incident and the Academy Award for best documentary going to The Cove, a full-length about the annual slaughter of more than 20,000 dolphins and porpoises around Japan, now is a good time to reevaluate humanity’s relationship with dolphins and whales.

AAAS members believe the proven intellect of these animals is justification for influencing international policy decisions and ethical considerations for their treatment, and with a review of current policy by the International Whaling Commission coming up this month, now is the time to begin affecting positive change.

So on June 21st, which is World Whale Day, take a minute to appreciate these amazing animals.