Advocacy & Safety - Solar Bike

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Oxymoron
09-19-02, 06:28 PM
Here's an interesting link coming out of Iowa:
http://www.greenbike.org

State Senator Joe Bolkum and former legislator David Osterberg and others rode throughout Europe on solar bikes to draw attention back in Iowa to renewable energy. They had solar panels on their Bob trailers to charge their cell phones and laptops, and to help run electric motors to assist them in getting up hills as they were carrying quite a bit of weight. Unfortunately they were ignored by mainstream media, but were thankfully heavily covered by our local NPR affiliates.

On related note I just went to the 2002 Iowa Energy Expo, which had a keynote address by Osterberg. There is a lot of good info on their site pertaining to renewable energy as well:
http://www.irenew.org

Clay

JDP
09-20-02, 06:26 AM
How is riding in Europe going to stir the attention of people in Iowa? Shouldn't they just tour across Iowa?
Pete Clark
09-21-02, 09:12 PM
Oxymoron,

Think about the computer you are using right now. A short time ago, a computer that powerful would have been as large as your living room.

Where there's a will, there's a way. I forsee the possibility of photoelectric cells many times smaller than the large panels we now use. If there is a market for them, they will become smaller and more powerful every year, and every year, last year's solar cell will become obsolete.

Of course, then we will have to start worrying about how long it will be before the sun starts burning out.