Make fries, not war!
Gifts Received
Haveaclue has not received any gifts yet
Profile Information
- Are you interested in becoming an organizer in your area?
- Yes
- Tell us about your experience with alternative energy:
- My family and I have been making Biodiesel from restaurant waste oil for 3 years. We have powered our flooring delivery vehicles, personal vehicles, and a few friends vehicles ever since.
We have installed an auxilary electrical panel on our house to utilize a few circuits, and wired it to receive a diesel generator and deep cycle batteries (not at the same time). We had it connected and working well, when the generator died.
We are currently experimenting with permanent magnet DC motors as a source of wind generated power, to charge our deep cycle batteries.
Hopefully soon we can add a solar panel, maybe 2. Our goal is to provide power for about half the house by the end of next year.
- What excites you about this campaign?
- The fact that someone with money finally is speaking out to the government, and the people, about the necessary changes this country needs to make in order to become more energy independant.
- What do you want to do to help?
- I would like to build a large scale Biodiesel processer for the benefit of my local community, using waste veggie oil. I would like my model to be used to build processers in many towns across the nation.
If I were not able to bring my plan to fruition, I still want to work in alternative energy. I would love to use my knowledge and experience to help gain our energy independance.
Visit my website for more info
Featured Discussion
Twitter Feed
© 2009 Created by PickensPlan
Badges | Community Guidelines | Report an Issue | Privacy | Terms of Service
Comment Wall (11 comments)
You need to be a member of PickensPlan to add comments!
Join this Ning Network
http://energyparty.ning.com/
You are certainly on the right track. Your idea is great but you must have more of a plan. No lender private or otherwise will talk with you (or me) until you have a well written business plan to show that you know what you are doing and what your well thought out plans are. You can find people who will write a plan and help you put it together (for a fee of course). Really, it's not too expensive to find someone whose business it is to write business plans and this is the basis for your funding. You can look up on the internet outlines for information that must be included in a business plan. This will get you started.
Hope this has been some help to you. And good luck in your endeavor. Keep in touch. Perhaps we can help at a later time.
Judi Long
Trion Group
Fred Robinson has been working to convert standard automobiles to run on alternative fuels for more than 30 years. The Stagecoach-area resident lives in a solar-powered home he built himself and converted a 2003 Hummer H2 so it can run on several different fuels, including hydrogen and ethanol. Unleaded is an option, too, he said, when he finds himself far from an alternative-fuel station. — Photo by Joel Reichenberger
Local continues lifetime of work in alternative fuels
By Margaret Hair
The Steamboat Pilot
STEAMBOAT SPRINGS, Colo. -- In Fred Robinson's auto repair shop near Stagecoach, items that can run on alternative fuels abound.
There's the H2-H2, a Hummer Robinson converted to run on a combination of hydrogen, natural gas, ethanol and gasoline. There's the H-racer, a tiny hydrogen fuel cell car made by Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies. And there's the wood-burning stove pumping warm air into the room -- it's not burning a fossil fuel, so Robinson says it counts as alternative.
A busted-up Volkswagen that Robinson has been repairing rests on a jack on the shop floor; the three decades of car parts and alternative fuel memorabilia line the walls.
Click here to find out more!
Weaning the world off petroleum has been a passion for Robinson since 1975, when he worked with a friend in Tampa Bay, Fla., to convert a diesel engine to run partially on natural gas. The next year, he built a solar-powered house in Henderson Park, with picture windows offering sunlight for heat and views of the now defunct Stagecoach ski area.
As the founder of Inter-galactic Hydrogen -- a car conversion and educational company he runs with his son, Tai -- Robinson experienced a surge of interest in his varied knowledge of alternative fuel sources this spring, when national gas price averages topped the $4-per-gallon mark.
"I did a lot of presentations during that period," Robinson said, explaining that interest in his resources is closely linked with increasing and decreasing prices for fossil fuels. That interest has waned recently, as national gas price averages have declined.
"We have a message. And right now, with cheap gasoline, nobody's listening," Robinson said, adding that while some interest remains, he's not getting as many calls to convert gasoline engines to run on natural gas. Last summer, he worked on four such conversions.
In his workshop on a recent Thursday afternoon, Robinson proudly displayed a collection of "thank you" cards he had picked up from Steamboat Springs Middle School the day before. He said the sixth-grade students asked more direct questions about how cars can run on hydrogen than many adults do.
"I've been doing this around here for five years, and this is the biggest reward I've gotten so far," Robinson said, holding an oversized card decorated with markers. Since he worked on his first diesel engine conversion more than 30 years ago, Robinson has devoured information coming out of the world of alternative fuels, reading about the subject and going to as many fuel meetings and energy conferences as he could afford.
"I've just fallen into it. There were several times where I've been in the right place at the right time, and it's just meant to be," he said, explaining his seemingly effortless understanding about the scientific processes that allow 20 percent of a ground-up tree to be converted into usable hydrogen, or make it possible for algae to produce renewable fuels.
Robinson's persistence in seeking funding and curiosity for that science has paid off. In his next project, he plans to convert two diesel trucks to run on natural gas. The hope is to work hydrogen into the mix as a primary fuel source.
"Hydrogen is our goal; that's the one we want most. But we have to go through the others to get there," Robinson said. Using hydrogen as fuel is expensive, but Robinson thinks that once the infrastructure is there, production prices will decrease. In any case, it's not likely Robinson's desire to build or fix things will fade.
"I've always been a mechanic. As soon as I was old enough to walk and talk, I was playing with cars and making funny noises," he said. Even if -- as Robinson disparagingly said -- he hasn't achieved anything concrete locally, he's sure to keep trying.
"It feels good. It's hard to explain, especially with all the negative publicity about the climate and the politics and the economy, but if I'm driving down the street and I know I'm not using any gasoline, it's really empowering," he said.
Robinson’s efforts to help the world adapt to alternative fuels are big and small. In addition to converting a 2003 Hummer H2 sports utility vehicle to run on alternative fuels, he sells this small hydrogen-powered toy car, which is made by Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies. It hooks to a machine that converts regular water to hydrogen fuel, which is in turn powered by a small solar panel. Photo by Joel Reichenberger
www.IntergalacticHydrogen.com
www.AmericanFuelVehicles.com
Judi
Too bad for you Mr. P. I am sorry you are still using gasoline and jet fuel for your transportation requirements.
Drive Clean - Declare Energy Independence
Thank You!
Tai Robinson
www.AmericanFuelVehicles.com
801-201-7370
You should not feel aukward in any way. I have Business Lines of Credit that would be appropriate for you to use. Qualifying is easy.
Contact me directly at: mlswaner@fmtcblue.com
Regards,
Michael
Would like to meet sometime to discuss your process, etc., and compare notes
Best Regards
Greg
Please see our website at www.MoveOnNow.Info and let me know what you think. Would like to learn about what you are doing
Best Regards
Greg
Thank you for the friend add.
Gator
View All Comments