Archives For author

Watch this!

May 3, 2013 //

Solar Impulse to fly across America – day and night without fuel

Solar Impulse, the Swiss solar powered airplane, plans to depart from San Francisco today with Bertrand Piccard in the single seater cockpit, to complete the first leg of its coast-to-coast flights across the USA. It is the first time that a solar airplane capable of flying day and night without fuel, will attempt to fly across America. This journey is also the occasion to launch an initiative called “Clean Generation” to gather worldwide support for the adoption of clean technologies.

Flying Coast to Coast across the United States has always been a mythical endeavor in aviation history. Achieving this in a solar airplane capable of flying day and night without fuel, shows the enormous potential of clean technologies in terms of energy efficiency and renewable energy use. With this adventure, Solar Impulse wants to inspire and motivate as many people as possible to embrace the pioneering spirit that allowed this revolutionary solar-powered airplane to become a reality.

This is why thousands of people, amongst which James Cameron, Buzz Aldrin, Richard Branson, Elie Wiesel and Erik Lindbergh, are supporting the “Clean Generation” Initiative to encourage governments, businesses and decision-makers to push for the adoption of clean technologies and sustainable energy solutions. Concretely, the names of all those who will join this movement of pioneers will be carried in the cockpit of the airplane as virtual passengers. At every stopover city along the way, more and more names will be added onto the list.

About the first leg San Francisco – Phoenix

Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport will be Solar Impulse’s first stop. The airplane is expected to take off today at 6:00 am (PDT) from Moffett Field, NASA Ames Research Center in Mountain View (CA), and land the following day around 1 am (MST) in Phoenix (AZ). Estimated flight duration is 19 hours.

Bertrand Piccard and André Borschberg will alternately pilot the solar airplane to complete the challenge of flying without a drop of fuel across the USA from the West to the East Coasts. The first leg of the flight leading to Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (AZ) will be completed by Bertrand Piccard. André Borschberg will fly for the last leg culminating in New York at JF Kennedy Airport.

Solar Impulse Moffett Field – Phoenix Sky Harbor Route:

06:00 am PDT (03:00 pm Swiss Time): Take-off from Moffett Field, Mountain View (CA) USA

08:00 am PDT (05:00 pm Swiss Time): Heading south east towards Fresno – ascending to an altitude of 16’000 ft

01:30 pm PDT (10:30 pm Swiss Time): Passing Bakersfield continues direction Palmdale – cruising altitude 21’000 ft

04:30 pm PDT (01:30 am Swiss Time): Flying over Barstow – continue direction Arizona between Mojave National Preserve and Joshua Tree National Park

01:00 am MST (10:00 am Swiss Time): Estimated landing at Phoenix Sky Harbor (AZ) USA

For more information about this flight go to www.solarimpulse.com Darko Kapelina is interested in clean regenerative sailing ideas and sytems.

Flying for free?

By Carbon Recall, LLC

April 28, 2013 //

For Bertrand Piccard, the idea to build a solar-powered plane capable of circumnavigating the globe was hatched while running on empty. In March 1999, Piccard was on the final leg of an around-the-world journey by hot air balloon—the first-ever nonstop flight of its kind—when his Breitling Orbiter 3 swept low over the Egyptian desert and skidded to a halt on the corrugated plains. As Piccard stepped out onto the hot sand, he checked the fuel tanks mounted on his gondola and got a shock that became a defining moment. “We had left Switzerland with four tons of propane,” he remembers. “We only had 40 kilos left! We almost didn’t make it. I promised myself that next time I would fly around the world without using any fuel at all.” Read more:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323550604578410800434511668.html#ixzz2RhYGHnOD

Darko Kapelina believes that this April 25, 2013 Wall Street Journal article about circumnavigating the globe in an airplane powered by only solar energy proves that circumnavigating the globe is also possible with regenerative sailing. Kapelina is interested in ideas relating to clean regenerative sailing.

Tags Free travel by air and by sea

Categories Alternative Propulsion Systems, Clean Sailing, Electric Sailing, Energy Storage Solutions, Regenerative Energy, Solar Sailing

Driverless Cars?

By Carbon Recall, LLC

April 23, 2013 //

Darko Kapelina says that if Driverless Electric cars will be mainstreem by the next decade, it’s certain that automated regenerative sailing will be in place. See the following article for more information regarding driverless cars. http://allthingsd.com/20130416/riding-in-driverless-cars-with-eric-schmidt/?KEYWORDS=driverless+cars+of+the+future

Tags Clean Regenerative Sailing

Categories Electric Sailing, Regenerative Energy

Is Diesel Exhaust bad for Humans?

By Carbon Recall, LLC

April 10, 2013 //

Diesel engine exhaust contains carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide and other potentially toxic gases. It also contains fine particulate matter, some in the form of soot, which can build up in a person’s lungs. People who live in high-traffic or high-smog areas or who work around diesel engines and diesel fumes can develop health problems, some of which can be lethal.

Diesel Exhaust Fumes Linked to Cancer and Other Serious Health Effects

With the recent confirmation by the World Health Organization (WHO) that diesel engine fumes can cause cancer in humans, millions worldwide will now know the serious health risks in breathing in diesel gas fumes. Diesel exhaust fumes are ‘major cancer risk’ and as deadly as asbestos and mustard gas, says World Health Organization.

People at Risk

Children and the elderly are the most at risk of health problems associated with exposure to diesel fumes. People with cardiovascular diseases, emphysema and asthma are also more vulnerable than otherwise healthy people to the effects of diesel exhaust.

Effects of Acute Exposure

Acute exposure is short-term exposure to diesel exhaust. This short-term exposure can cause eye, nose and throat irritation and can cause the victim to feel light-headed. Breathing diesel fumes can cause those with asthma to suffer an attack and may interfere with the breathing of emphysema sufferers. If a person is subjected to repeated acute exposure, his health problems may become chronic and worsen over time.

Effects of Chronic Exposure

Chronic exposure can either be repeated short exposures or the result of being around diesel fumes for long periods. The fine particles in diesel exhaust have substances such as formaldehyde attached to them. When breathed by a person for long periods of time, these particles and other gases and substances in diesel exhaust can damage the immune system, interfere with hormone production and cause cancer.

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommendation: avoid exposure to diesel exhaust.

Darko Kapelina is interested in clean regenerative sailing ideas and systems.

Tags environment, science, transportation

Categories Alternative Propulsion Systems, Clean Sailing, Electric Sailing, Hybrid Sailing Concepts, Regenerative Energy, Renewable Energy, Sailing with Wind Turbines, Solar Sailing, Sustainable sailing, Transitional Sailing

Water is Number 1 of The World’s 6 Most Pressing Environmental Issues

By Carbon Recall, LLC

March 30, 2013 //

We can’t live without water, and thankfully much of the Earth is made up of it. Yet we face major problems where the life-sustaining liquid is concerned. While there is technically enough freshwater available for all 7 billion of us, 20% of the world’s population live where there is physical water scarcity. Vast improvements in infrastructure are required in order provide freshwater to areas which remain without, but also to ensure continued access in the face of widespread pollution, wastage and drought.

The degradation of water quality not only poses supply problems for our population, but also has a huge, inevitable impact on marine life. Whether it’s through storm water runoff from cities or farms, dumping from industry, or drilling for oil, we’re increasingly filling our rivers, seas and oceans with toxic pollutants. Sea life is suffering tremendously. Darko Kapelina is interested in ideas relating to clean sailing.

Categories Clean Sailing

To Drift or not to Drift

By Carbon Recall, LLC

March 27, 2013 //

Darko Kapelina comments on Bloomberg Mar 21, 2013 article regarding tanker owners letting their ships drift to save fuel. “Why drift when regenerative propulsion alternatives are available?”

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-03-21/tanker-drifts-toward-algeria-as-owner-norden-battles-fuel-costs.html?goback=%2Egde_4045438_member_226761247

Kapelina points to progress made by Sharepoint Partners http://nsrsail.eu with their Sail into a Sustainable Future at the Carbon War Room project regarding self-financing mechanism for retrofitting fuel efficiency technologies in the shipping industry.

Categories Alternative Propulsion Systems, Regenerative Energy

Electric Cars to Accelerate From 1 to 25 in 5 Years!

By Carbon Recall, LLC

March 26, 2013 //

Darko Kapelina quotes hockey great Wayne Gretzky who said that to win, “you have to skate to where the puck is going, not to where it is now”. In 2012 there were an estimated 25,000 electric cars sold worldwide, representing less than 1% of all car sales. Projections are that by 2018 the number of electric cars sold including 100% electric and hybrid will grow to 10,000,000 or 25% of all car sales! Kapelina is interested in clean sailing ideas and systems.

Categories Alternative Propulsion Systems, Clean Sailing, Renewable Energy, Sustainable sailing, Transitional Sailing

Clean Regenerative Sailing – Why not?

By Carbon Recall, LLC

March 23, 2013 //

Darko Kapelina believes that truly clean sailing is within our grasp. There are far too many compelling reasons answering the why? less dependency fossil fuel, no oil in the bilge, no noise, no pollution, no gas, no fumes, an electric motor is silent, clean electricity is far more available than marine fuel stations, no more fear of onboard fuel fire, no more fear of carbon monoxide poising, which leads to the what and how? Darko Kapelina is interested in electric sailing ideas and proven systems.

Tags Clean Regenerative Sailing

Categories Alternative Propulsion Systems, Electric Sailing, Renewable Energy, Sustainable sailing

Do We Have a Problem, or is it that We Are Not Implementing a Solution?

By Carbon Recall, LLC

March 23, 2013 //

Darko Kapelina says that the problem is not that we are lacking alternative energy sources. The problem once was that we had limits in electricity storage. However, electricity storage has come a long way since Alessandro Volta invented the battery back in the 1800s! Darko Kapelina is interested in ideas and proven systems relating to clean regenerative sailing.

Tags Or is it Supercapacitors

Categories Clean Sailing, Energy Storage Solutions

Pure Electric Aircraft?

By Carbon Recall, LLC

March 23, 2013 //

Darko Kapelina states that aircraft design will never be the same again after the pressure to save the planet, reduce local noise, air and land pollution, reduce dependency on oil and large areas of land for operations and to modernize industry or see it collapse. Belatedly, leaded fuel is being banned for aviation and considerable financial support is now available for the creation of new types of electric aircraft.

Boeing Electric Aircraft</
Source: Boeing

The next generation of electric aircraft is being designed from the ground up rather than shoehorned into existing airframes! According to Darko Kapelina the same will occur in the sailboat manufacturing industry.

Tags Aircraft before sailboats?

Categories Alternative Propulsion Systems, Energy Storage Solutions, Hybrid Sailing Concepts, Regenerative Energy, Renewable Energy, Sustainable sailing, Transitional Sailing