From Guest Blogger Brian McGowan: Random Musings on Clean Energy

I have a mixed bag of things that don’t go under any category or could have gone under several recent blogs.

My second AC and more panels to run it.  I guess this could have gone under “Heat Wave in the U.S. Has an Effect”.  Things have been so hot that for the first time since I moved into this house 9 years ago I was forced to assemble a window AC unit I had received from my father that was short cycling which I found the problem with it last summer but didn’t install last year. I used it the year before which is how I found out it was faulty. I bought one last year, which I put in the bedroom, but I needed another to help make the house livable. So, two window AC units seems to be enough for a total of 10,000BTU. I hate using grid power whenever I can avoid it so my first thought was I could plug this into my off grid arrangement during the day and use power from my panels to run it so that at least half my AC would be off grid. Well it probably got to 100 degrees today (I checked later in the day and it was 97.5 and densely humid) but it was mildly cloudy so I wasn’t quite making enough power to run it. Had it been the sunny day it was supposed to be I could have done it with what I have out now. I still had more than enough to run the fridge, computer room, coffeemaker, small grid tie inverter, charge the batteries and run some fans around the house to move the AC around. I am seriously tempted to put two more panels out so I can run the AC and everything else. The problem is I already have a problem using the power I make with 4 panels. If I put out 2 more for the AC and only use it once in a while I will be making even more power that I cannot use right now. I wish there were some efficient way to store hydrogen because a hydrogen generator is a great dump load for excess power.

California high speed rail line.  We have talked about building infrastructure for efficiency. I saw an article about the state legislature approving funding for the first part of this project and was wondering what people from California thought about it. I believe in good mass transit. Is this a good project?

Saw my first Nissan Leaf actually on the road the other day.  This could have gone under any of several electric car discussions.  I was driving to a job the other day and was a few miles from home and I saw my first Nissan Leaf on the road. Just a point of interest.

Biodiesel for $3.359. This could have gone under any of a couple of recent biofuel discussions.
I went to get biodiesel last week. It was $3.359. Regular diesel in the pump right next to the biodiesel pump was $3.559. Diesel at the WAWA I passed near home was $3.739. It’s nice to get a good price on the stuff. It would be nice to have a car that gets better mileage.