Welcome to the New ebbTIDE

Welcome to the ebbTIDE.

Years ago, when I was a journalist and editor of my own online magazine, I could collect the best writing of the week and comment on it. It was called the ebbTIDE. (during the first tech boom, you were required to use either bad spelling or random capitalization of some sort for any new product.)

Of course, that was back in the days before Google news and news aggregators. My job has essentially been replaced by robots.

So for the past several years, I've used ebbTIDE to post essays and lyrics that I write and a few notes here and there. However, increasingly I find myself linking to articles I find interesting that I want to share -- old habits die hard.

So I'm bringing back the ebbTIDE news collection. There is going to be a lot going on in the next four years and we all need help cutting through the garbage to get to the facts and impacts to our daily lives.

Paul Hawken Quotes Me ...

In my former life, I helped create a proto-blog/news service called Tidepool for the non-profit group Ecotrust. Starting from scratch, we built the idea of a human edited news aggregator supplemented by original reporting and insightful commentary. It was fun and a little insane since back in 1997 nobody was doing anything like it.

Of course, in 2004 I went off to become a registered nurse and Tidepool and Ecotrust amicably parted ways soon after. Tidepool went to Northwest Environment Watch, which became the Sightlines Institute and Tidepool has become the Daily Score.

Needless to say, a lot has changed.

To my surprise, however, people are still reading, or a least thinking about all that stuff I wrote so earnestly ten years ago. In his new film "Blessed Unrest" Paul Hawken quote something I wrote way back when:

"It is my belief that we are part of a movement that is greater and deeper and broader than we ourselves know or can know. ... During the span of the 20th century, big ideologies were worshiped like religion. In the words of Ed Hunt, ideologies stalked the earth, clad in armor. They fought for control of our minds and of the land. ... There comes a time for all that is harmful to leave."

That's pretty cool. Anyway, for those wanting to know where that quote came from, I can't remember. However, archives of the two weekly columns I wrote for Tidepool are still on line. Hunt and Peck's archives are Here and the old ebbTIDE can be found Here. Check out a clip from Blessed Unrest

Thanks to Howard Silverman's People and Place for catching Hawken's reference! Howard was my boss in my old life!

Why the Future is Electric

When gas hit $4.25 a gallon last summer, I started researching alternatives. 

Readers will recall that I was always a big fan of hybrid and electric cars and motorcycles.  Well they are finally coming into their own. 

It's not just the Tesla roadster and competitors that are paving the way for electric vehicles. At the Detroit Auto Show this week the basement is set up as a test track for electric cars and almost every company has an electric vehicle on the display. Chevy has the Volt. Chrysler seems to be staking its whole future on EV dreams.  Ford has plans to have battery electric and plug in hybrid electric cars in every category in a few years and is pushing for government policy changes to help make that happen. (check out Autobloggreen for the best coverage)

A few years ago, battery folks were stone-agers while everyone touted the hydrogen economy. However, hydrogen fuel cells are just a fancy -- and expensive battery. Once that was revealed, the infrastructure costs of hydrogen distribution seemed daunting. Things moved slow.

Meanwhile, batteries kept getting better.

I argued that hybrids were the way to go in the interim because no matter what the power source, the electric drive train was going to be what moved wheels on the road. With electric motors at or in the wheels -- anything could provide the electricity -- hydrogen fuel cell, hydrogen ICE, batteries of any kind. Electric motors are flexible in a way that other drive trains are not. They don't care where the electrons come from -- so any source -- even multiple sources can be used.

For example: say I build a electric car with batteries. If I use Lithium batteries it will be expensive, but get good range per charge. For my commuting needs I can just plug it in. If I need more flexibility on range, I can have a range-extending generator on board. This generator could run on hydrogen, gasoline, diesel, biodiesel, natural gas, ethanol, methanol, coal fired steam, kerosene. Heck if it is a sterling engine -- you can run it on multiple fuels.  So long as something charges the batteries, the batteries and the motors don't care -- the driving experience stays the same.

Let's say I add a small gas generator to my electric car to extend the range -- but gas suddenly goes up to $10 a gallon. I can pull out that generator and put in a natural gas generator and bypass the gas stations. The batteries and the electric motors don't care.

Moreover, let's say I build my car with lead acid batteries because they are cheap. 

However a year later, NiCad or Lithium polymer batteries come on the market much cheaper. I can switch out batteries and leave the drive train unchanged.

Today when I plug in my car I charge it up with hydropower and wind power. If I lived on the East Coast it would be coal and nukes. 

It's not just cars. The future is electric in the home as well. A few years ago I wanted to supplement my wood fired heading in my home (stove and pellet). I looked into oil and natural gas and decided on a solid ceramic electric heater instead. These Econo-Heat heaters draw about the same power as a light bulb use convection to heat a room. They work great, have no moving parts and are easy to install.  Best of all, however, is their flexibility. If electricity gets more expensive in the Northwest, I can supplement by adding wind and solar here at the house. The heating system -- the drive train -- doesn't need to change.  

In short, the future is electric because electric devices, drive trains and heating systems aren't picky about where they get their juice. That allows flexibility as we make advances in how we power our world in the year to come. There likely won't be one magic bullet to replace the carbon monster. Electric power allows all options and a mix of options to keep the lights on, the home warm and the wheels on the pavement.

The Return of ebbTIDE!!! by Ed Hunt

In 1997 I helped create the Tidepool.org (now sightline) news service. It was a great resource for covering the Pacific Northwest. We had a thin budget and some creative minds but we were making it all up as we went along. One afternoon, I created a weekly column linking to the best news articles and putting them into context for the Tidepool readership. It was a combination recommended reading list as news analysis.  In short -- I created a blog ... before there was a name for such a thing.

Things change, I've gone on to a new career as a registered nurse but I still have the itch to read and write about the world on a regular basis. ebbTIDE is going to be that forum. Hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy writing it.