In remembrance of Nelson Mandela

Deng Xiaoping, the former President of China, was asked in the 1980s what he thought the impact of the French Revolution had been on world history. He replied “it is too soon to say”. To an extent, the same answer can be given to the question “what is the historical significance of the life of Nelson Mandela?”. As the tributes and eulogies are being written we can say for certain some of the events he inspired and facilitated, but it's really too soon for any of to fully understand the impact this man had and will have on history.

But we can say a few things. We know that he fought for the downtrodden, the oppressed, the unequal – the people with nothing. He fought against unjust and undeserved power, against powerful people who had no qualms about hanging on to their privileges through violence and repression and racism. This is the well-known Nelson Mandela, the version that will be taught in schools and repeated on news broadcasts, and to an extent this is rightly so – for he did all of these things.

However, some of the details of Mandela's life and work will be less repeated in  the media in the coming days, as they reveal a man who was not just the simple anti-racist symbol that western politicians would like him to be. Mandela, like Gandhi, understood that you don't get equality just by asking nicely. There must be the underlying threat that equality, because it is a right, will at some point be taken if it is not freely given. This explains Mandela's leadership of the armed wing of the ANC, one of the most controversial aspects of his life, and the thing that most directly led him to a prison cell on Robben Island. And Mandela knew the power of solidarity among the oppressed, and the way in which working class organization can provide that threat and that promise – he was a lifelong supporter of trade unions.

Another thing that is forgotten by the politicians that are currently celebrating him – their predecessors, the powerful people of the 1970s and 80s, hated Mandela. In the last decade-and-a-half, as an old man who had retired from active political life, he was easy to refer to as an example of how capitalism and liberal democracy can allow some level of justice and equality. But before the changes in the South African regime became inevitable in the early 1990s he was despised and abandoned by western leaders like Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan – called a communist and a terrorist. Those leaders understood that Mandela posed a challenge to them, and they wanted to keep him down for as long as possible. Today's leaders are largely the same – a modern-day Mandela, championing the poor against the powerful, would no doubt spend a very long time in prison as well.

One final thing that we can definitely say about Nelson Mandela at this point – his life should be seen as an inspiration for future action, not merely as a monument to past achievements. Not everything he did was perfect, and the difficulties he faced in overturning centuries of oppression are evident in the continuing struggles of South Africa today. But ultimately, his vision was one of justice, equality, and fairness – the same things that we are fighting for, in our very different way. We hope you will join us in the journey.

Mandela, Deng Xiaoping, Gandhi, ANC, Margaret Thatcher, Ronald Reagan, NRGLab, SH-box, violence, repression, racism

Are you being fooled by “renewable” energy?

The green energy movement comes with its own unique language. Words like “renewable” are often thrown around without wondering if people actually understand them. Turns out most of today’s “renewable” technologies aren't all that – well, renewable.

Are you being fooled?

When I say “renewable” energy, I’m talking about energy that doesn’t increase pollution, doesn’t deplete natural resources, and can be produced within the planet’s annual solar budget. By this broad definition, practically none of today’s existing “renewable” energy sources strictly qualify. In some instances, renewable alternatives could never be viable sources of energy without the fossil fuel inputs on which they’re based. In such instances, these alternatives aren’t truly “renewable” due to their fossil fuel dependence.

Take wind turbines, for example. The turbines themselves are made of steel, which is produced courtesy of coal. They’re anchored by concrete, the production of which is a major contributor of greenhouse gas emissions.

Wind turbines, as well as solar panels, are produced with limited rare earth elements. Even crops for fuel production are typically grown with pesticides and herbicides derived from petroleum and fertilizer made from natural gas.
“What about corn-ethanol?” you ask. “Isn’t that all-natural and renewable?”

Well, corn-ethanol is produced using electricity generated from natural gas or coal, and processed with steam derived from natural gas. Biodiesels in general are normally produced using an oil feedstock derived from methanol. Many advanced biofuels depend on hydrogen, which is made almost exclusively from natural gas.

Turns out these “all-natural” sources of energy aren’t so “all-natural” after all.

Technology that consumes limited resources, degrades topsoil, depletes aquifers faster than they can be revitalized, or causes pollution to build up in the ecosystem is frequently called renewable, but it isn’t practically sustainable.

And that’s what the world needs – a sustainable plan for the future.

As with most things in life, we have to make trade-offs when it comes to green energy technology. Generally those trade-offs are economic. We’re forced to consume fossil fuels during the production of renewable alternatives in order to keep consumer prices stable. But renewable energy that depletes resources will ultimately pose the same threat as fossil fuels. It’s time we turned “renewable” into “sustainable.”

NRGLab is heavily invested in making green energy technology sustainable for the entire world. For information on projects like the polycrystalline SH-Box, or the SV-Turbine for the efficient conversion of agricultural waste into useable fuel, visit nrglab.asia.

green energy, renewable energy, NRGLab, natural resources, fossil fuels, energy sources, generate electricity, SH-box

U.S. almost energy rich: but for how long?

The United States energy industry is evolving quickly (but not congress’s ability to come to an agreement concerning climate change). The global price of oil per barrel is $70 higher compared to back in 2004. As a result, even though the U.S.’s domestic oil production has risen over the past two years (from 5.5 million barrels a day to 7.5 million), their annual bill for importing oil has skyrocketed to $365 billion.

Why?

All signs points to wasteful consumption habits. Americans simply take too much for granted. Companies focus more on profits than manufacturing conversion efficiencies, or utility bills, or energy alternatives.

The shale gas bubble in the U.S. has caused the domestic price of gas to drop from $10 per million cubic feet in 2010 to less than $4 million today. If car manufactures were to replace their gasoline and diesel engines with ones that ran on compressed gas, Americans could be paying as little as $0.50 cents a gallon. Imagine that!

Conventional power providers now fear that their coal-fired and nuclear plants are fast becoming extinct. Worse yet – their former customers might even become competitors, generating electricity for sale from new technology like the SH-Box by NRGLab – a portable generator capable of producing electricity for as little as $0.03 per kWh.

The U.S. government has barely addressed this impending energy revolution. Neither the Obama administration nor opposing Republicans have presented a clear-cut plan for how best to utilize the country’s newfound abundance of energy resources. A comprehensive reform of current energy policies must be conducted, while new policies that revitalize middle-class jobs must be passed.

But without a plan, will the U.S. allow this potentially world-changing opportunity to slip through their economic fingers?

While the rest of the world sits idly by and waits, NRGLab is striving towards a greener future with an array of innovative energy projects. From the aforementioned SH-Box, to the SV-Turbine for the gasification of agricultural waste, NRGLab is prepared to face the diverse problems we’ll surely face in the future.

For more information, visit nrglab.asia.


energy rich, shale gas bubble, energy industry, price of oil, climate change, diesel engines, NRGLab, SH-box, sv-turbine

From pirates to hackers: how energy terrorism affects national security

The global energy infrastructure is incredibly complex, and as a result, pipelines, shipping ports, and fossil fuel reserves have become obvious targets for terrorists. Last week, citing the increasingly important role energy plays in national security, NATO’s Secretary General officially inaugurated the NATO Energy Security Centre of Excellence in Vilnius, Lithuania.

“I strongly believe that most resource issues will be settled by the power of the market, not by the power of guns,” says Anders Fogh Rasmussen, Secretary General of NATO. “Energy security is not a call to arms. But when it comes to understanding the security implications of global resource developments, NATO must be ahead of the curve.”

How effective can NATO really be in resolving this situation?

Well, so far, their anti-piracy legislation protects maritime supply chains. NATO also provides a reliable network for sharing information, educating and training, and collaborating with allied countries, as well as experts from the private sector on new methods of protecting vulnerable aspects of our energy infrastructure (against hackers, for example).

Additionally, NATO is proceeding with plans to “go green” with their armed forces by developing alternative energy projects. Rising fuel costs and depleting resources make energy –efficiency more crucial than ever. Compared to World War II, fuel consumption per soldier today is ten times higher!

NATO forces in Afghanistan currently consume over four million liters of fuel per day, most of which is transported through areas vulnerable to terrorist attack. Reducing the number of fuel convoys not only reduces the militaries impact on the environment, it means fewer soldiers’ lives are put in danger.

“This isn’t just about saving money,” claims Rasmussen. “It’s about saving lives, and saving the environment.”

NRGLab believes the best way to accomplish both of those goals is to end our dependence on fossil fuels. If NATO had access to a portable, renewable source of electricity like the SH-Box, perhaps they wouldn’t need fuel convoys, or maritime legislation, or to concern themselves with their troops’ energy efficiency. In fact, they could be paying as little as $0.03 per kWh!

For more information, visit nrglab.asia.

energy terrorism, national security, NATO Energy Security Centre, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, fuel consumption, SH-box, NRGLab

Why green energy initiatives have failed in the past

The push for cleaner energy is hardly anything new. From the fusion power plants of 1950s Science Fiction to the solar-powered dream-cars of the 90s, the public has been promised a lot. So far, most of those promises have come up empty. But why? And how? And who, if  anyone, is to blame?

Most ambitious green energy initiatives have failed in the past for one of three reasons: either because they were unrealistic from the start, abandoned due to fluctuations in the market, or simply took too long to come to fruition.

Earlier this month, the EPA made sharp cuts in its production estimates for an innovative new biofuel called cellulosic ethanol. “When do you know when to cut your losses?” asks Margot Anderson, executive director of the project. “When is a flop a flop?”

The main problem for any green tech company starting out is the pre-established energy infrastructure. Even reasonably successful renewables like solar and wind  have taken decades just to get to where they are now – and still, they occupy the bottom rung on the global energy ladder.

“Things do take longer in the energy business,” claims energy historian Daniel Yergin. “[Markets] can change more rapidly than people think. If Mitchell Energy had decided that, after year 16, shale gas wasn’t going to happen, we wouldn’t have had a shale gas revolution.”

Here are few of the more recognizable green energy initiatives that have failed to live up to the hype:

- Cellulosic ethanol. Back in 2006, U.S. President George W. Bush made “switchgrass” the word of the day when he promised to make ethanol produced from plants, wood chips, and other biomass “practical and competitive in six years.” However, the U.S. only produced 20,000 gallons of cellulosic ethanol last year. That insignificant number forced the EPA to cut its requirements for how much cellulosic ethanol refineries blend with their gasoline.

- Hydrogen for fuel. Back in 2003, Bush pushed a $1.2 billion plan to make vehicles powered by hydrogen more cost effective and commercially viable “so that the first car driven by a child born today could be powered by hydrogen, and pollution-free.” Today, that child’s only 10-years old, so he or she can’ drive. But hydrogen fuel cells have diminished in popularity. Who knows if we’ll even remember them in another seven years?

- So-called “clean coal.” The U.S. DOE has invested nearly $7 billion since 2005 to help reduce the cost for companies to capture and store carbon emissions from coal-burning power plants, but today not a single commercial scale carbon-capture project is operational.

- Nuclear power. Back in the 1950s, the world was astounded at the splitting of the atom. It spelled a new age for energy – the dawn of the future! Countless movies depicted radioactive heroes and monsters, apocalyptic and Utopian landscapes. Even though nuclear power generates roughly one-fifth of the U.S.’s electricity, high start-up costs, meltdowns, and problems with waste disposal have nearly bankrupted the public’s trust.

Despite these unrealized hopes and dreams, NRGLab hasn’t given up the fight to bring clean, reliable energy to millions of people around the world. The carbon-free SH-Box. Biomass gasification. Plasma torches. You never know when you could strike gold. All it takes is the right team, hard work, and unwavering faith in what you’re doing.

At NRGLab, We believe in a greener future. A better tomorrow. And we will not fail. Visit nrglab.asia for more information.

New program cutting down universities’ energy consumption

A new program, called Emergency Demand Response, is empowering American universities to earn income for reducing their campus’ energy consumption. This comes in response to regular electrical spikes across the grid, since more people are inclined to blast their air conditioners and run fans all day long during the summertime.

Is your university on the list of those raking in the big bucks? This year alone, Muhlenberg College in Allentown, PA will earn $99,000. The University of Virginia - $192,000!

Just think of all the dorm room systems and multimedia libraries that go unused during the summer. That’s money that could be going towards other things. Like paying teachers. Renovating facilities.
So by now you’re probably asking, “How can I get my school involved so we can get some decent cafeteria food around here?”

Well, participation in Emergency Demand Response requires a university’s facility to be on ‘standby mode’ to reduce energy consumption during periods of increased grid activity, from June 1st to Sept. 30th.

"We want to be efficient as possible, and [Emergency Demand Response] is certainly a driving force," said Michael Brewer, Muhlenberg College’s director of operations. The money earned from the program has allowed them to construct automated electrical systems where software now manages energy efficiency.

At Ohio University, both the students and faculty are taking this issue seriously. 2013 marks the University’s third year with Emergency Demand Resources, and by 2014, they’re set to earn $47,000 annually.

Other institutions use incentives to raise awareness. "If someone makes a post on our Facebook wall about how they will cut their energy usage for an hour, they can win a water bottle," says Nina Morris, a faculty member at the University of Virginia. "Social media is helping to get the word out about our sustainability programs."

The only downside to the program is that a university is required to shut down power to its facilities if they receive a phone call from an official dispatcher. Now think if that university could oblige, earn money, and stay online all at the same time.

With the SH-Box by NRGLab, you could power a computer lab, a library, or the dean’s office without ever plugging into the public grid. Not only that – the SH-Box is carbon-free, so you won’t be contributing to the climate crisis.

It’s nice to see society finally coming together to find solutions that work for everyone. Curbing consumption and cutting down on carbon emissions is going to require a unified effort. From the U.S. to the Ukraine – it’s only one planet Earth. To learn more about NRGLab and the revolutionary new SH-Box, visit nrglab.asia.com.

Creating a greener future, one step at a time

Besides investing more money, what other steps can the government take to ensure a greener future? Plenty!

Complex problems require complex solutions. Over the past decade, governments have tied themselves to various ‘breakthroughs’ in energy technology. Nuclear power plants. Solar panels with increased battery capacities. Wind turbines with better conversion rates. But these trends come and go. Why? Because in and of themselves, they cannot create a sustainable infrastructure.

NRGLab is helping the world create an energy ecosystem instead. With a collection of independent producers and distributors, we can make electricity universally available.

We can’t do it alone, though. We’ve developed the SH-Box – a carbon-free electrical generator that’s both affordable and portable – but that won’t be enough. NRGLab needs support to advance manufacturing. What kind of support? Yours of course!

Since 2008, the U.S. government has invested in new energy programs to stimulate innovation at deliberate points along the course of technological development. Policymakers fear unnecessary bureaucracy and extensive red tape, but eventually, they will have to come together to establish a clear vision for the future – no more jumping from trend to trend.

Programs like the Energy Frontier Research Centers (EFRCs) within the U.S.’s Department of Energy are trying to address the fundamental issue of climate change. We need to understand 100% why surface temperatures are on the rise so we can solve the problem once and for all. The EFRCs and Office of Science are studying causal theories in chemistry, material science, and physics that could lead to pragmatic energy strategies.

The Joint Center for Energy Storage Research has taken over a decade’s worth of research and material to develop batteries that are five times more energy efficient than any of today’s lithium-ions, and at one-fifth of the cost!

Investing in transformative solutions like those provided by NRGLab will allow society to overcome the economic and political barriers that are preventing us from making the breakthroughs in green energy our planet so desperately needs right now. This includes investing in better gasification methods, all-natural renewables, and energy independence.

Every journey begins with a single step. The question is: which way will you step? In line with the sheep, or ahead of the pack?

NRGLab is currently recycling waste across the world into clean diesel fuel. With our SH-Boxes, we’re giving consumers the opportunity to enjoy energy independence. For more information on any number of our projects, visit us at nrglab.asia, and help us ensure a greener future!

In a globalized world, we need an energy cocktail

Power makes the world go ‘round. Banking systems. Information technology. Multimedia. These days, everything depends on electricity. But what if you live ‘off-the-grid’? Worse yet —what happens when energy becomes scarcer than gold?

Global demand for energy is expect to grow by at least 35% by the year 2030. While policy makers scramble to come up with answers, rising populations and longer life expectancies drive that number higher. How can this outrageous demand for electricity be met?

Developed countries represent two-thirds of the world’s crude oil demand, and the United States, Europe and Japan have already exceeded their demand ceilings. Today, China consumes more energy than the United States – something which was once thought impossible. Even with increased energy efficiency, rising incomes and improved standards of living means a greater demand for energy.

Environmental concerns continue to dictate the energy market. The question of global warming and carbon has never been more pressing now that atmospheric levels have surpassed 400 million parts per unit. Over 80% of the world’s fuel consumption is carbon based —oil, coal, and natural gas.

The transition to alternative, renewable sources of energy is already in motion. Wind and solar are improving, but still have major drawbacks.

The answer to this energy crisis requires a unique cocktail of solutions. Responsible consumption. Innovative thinking. And one large shot of NRGLab.

Our vision of a globalized energy grid is complex, and needs time to be realized by a majority of people who are simply too accustomed to using fossil fuels. Real progress means curbing consumption and investment habits. New techniques, facilities, buildings, and vehicles are like band-aids over the real problem of energy dependency.

The real solution is responsible energy independence. With a generator like the SH-Box, which is carbon-free and cost-effective, you don’t have to rely on dirty, expensive fossil fuels. In fact, you could be paying as little as $0.03 per kW, or a fraction of your current energy costs.

Interested in learning more? Follow us on Facebook, or visit nrglab.asia for more information on the SH-Box and NRGLab’s energy revolution.

Europe fights inflation even as energy costs drop

As the European Union makes headway on energy, inflation in the food and services industries offsets any real economic progress.

In April, Europe’s inflation rate increased from 1.2% to 1.4%. Sure, that may not sound like much, but when you consider how many transactions the average consumer makes on a daily basis (fill up the gas tank, coffee break, lunch, etc.) – it adds up. The inflation rate has been under the European Central Bank’s 2% cap since February, and as long as it stays there, economists don’t foresee any catastrophes on the horizon.

However, with Europe stuck in an 18-month long recession, politicians are seeking ways to boost economic growth. President Mario Draghi has already said he’s willing to reduce lending rates if the economy continues to deteriorate. That would allow more small business to open, and hopefully stimulate consumer spending.

Janet Henry, primary economic adviser at HSBC Holdings, has hope for the future. “As long as the European Central Bank’s baseline scenario of some recovery in the second half of the year remains in place, I would be very surprised if they cut rates again over the next couple of months,” she says. “They need to see a further deterioration from where we are currently rather than the stabilization they expect to see around the middle of the year.”

The recession is expected to come to an end in Europe’s second quarter. According to a survey performed by Bloomberg, their economy should see a return to growth in as little as three months.

However, as the price of energy drops (0.2 % this month after a 0.4% drop in April), food, alcohol, and tobacco prices are on the RISE - 3.3% to be exact. The service industry has suffered from inflation as well. They saw an increase of 1.4% compared to last month.

So although Europeans may be paying a fraction of a penny less for energy, they’re making up for it at the market. Unless you expect people to give up drinking beer, smoking cigarettes, and gorging on junk food, which is even less likely than an immediate solution to the climate crisis.

NRGLab is helping people save as much money as possible. With the SH-Box, a light-weight, carbon-free generator, you could be paying as little as $0.03 per kW for all-natural electricity. Forget about your allegiance to the utility company. Break free, and gain energy independence with the SH-Box.

Plus – you’ll have more money in that “rainy day beer fund.”

It’s going to take a lot more money to meet UN energy goals

We need to start spending more money – a lot more money (roughly $400 billion annually) – in order to meet the United Nation’s goal of making clean electricity universally available by the year 2030. According to a study performed by the World Bank, that equates to doubling, or even tripling, most countries’ current spending on green technology.

Developing countries are not only struggling to play catch-up with the rest of the world, they’re struggling with population control. Approximately 1.2 billion people, almost as many as the entire population of India, continue to live without reliable access to electricity, while another 2.8 billion people rely on wood, agricultural waste, and biomass to perform simple chores, like heat their homes and cook their food. And those numbers keep growing by the minute!

If we fail to address energy poverty, our other efforts to create economic sustainability are likely to fall short, the study showed. "Access to energy is absolutely fundamental in the struggle against poverty," said Rachel Kyte, World Bank Vice President. "It’s energy that lights the lamp that lets you do your homework, that keeps the heat on in a hospital, that lights the small businesses where most people work. Without energy, there is no economic growth, there is no dynamism, and there is no opportunity."

Secretary General Ban Ki-moon is tasked with meeting the UN's Sustainable Energy for All goals. World Bank President Jim Yong Kim is serving as co-chairman on his advisory board. Their goal is simple – figure out how to make clean, low-cost electricity available to every man, woman, and child on Earth. Ok – maybe not so simple.

But their task could be made simpler with the help of NRGLab. We’ve developed a carbon-free generator that’s affordable, portable, and dependable in every sense of the word. It’s called the SH-Box, and it’s changing lives. By affording people access to an independent, renewable source of energy, we’re freeing them from the necessity of public utility. So it doesn’t matter if you live in Singapore, New York City, or a deserted island somewhere in the South Pacific – you, too, can enjoy first-world amenities.

Executive director of the UN’s universal energy initiative, Richenda van Leeuwan, claims the data is "a critical step forward" in resolving the issue. "It is impossible to determine how we are doing in the absence of a measurement mechanism," said van Leeuwan. "Having credible data is key to being able to determine and report back on where we are—as a world—in achieving these common goals, and where efforts need to be redoubled."

Want to break free from your power supplier, and pay a fraction of what you’re spending right now for electricity? Visit nrglab.asia for more information on the SH-Box, and NRGLab’s various green energy projects.

Spend a dime, save a dollar with NRGLab

It used to be that companies invested in green technology just to look trendy. Solar and wind alternatives made for good publicity, but as soon as they ceased to be economically viable, executives wouldn't hesitate to cut their losses.

Now it seems as if green technology is here to stay! Earlier this month, Verizon Wireless announced plans to generate 70 million kilowatt-hours' worth of solar energy to power its 19 nation-wide facilities. From Starbucks' conservation efforts to Apple's commitment to solar, corporate America is finally realizing that investing in green energy cuts costs and, as a result, bolsters their bottom lines.

The average cost of electricity has risen by more than 35% since 2001, and for many businesses (especially smaller, independently-owned ones), that increase constitutes a major concern. So what are their options?

Layoffs? Reduced hours and overtime? Cut employee benefits?

Surely, these measures, extrapolated over the global economy, would prove devastating. But there are responsible ways in which companies can stay afloat and competitive in today’s market. For instance, Starbucks is reducing its energy consumption costs by 25%. Based on conservative estimates and current electricity prices, the renovations will save the company approximately $50 million a year by the end of 2015.

Don’t chase the dream – follow the green. (Only in this case, green represents money and renewable energy!) It’s a lot easier to get ahead in the free market when your costs are less than your competitors’.

Today’s Fortune 500s are betting the future of their companies on the green revolution being victorious. In March, Apple revealed that 75% of their operations are powered by alternative energy.  Energy bills can represent as much as 75% of total operating costs for a single data center (of which Apples owns TONS), so the investment in a low-cost energy source can pay for itself in relatively no time at all!

Sound like something your business might be interested in?

Don’t tremble at the sight of your utility bills. Never worry about making the rent versus keeping the lights on. By investing in a cost-effective generator like NRGLab’s SH-Box, not only could you be paying as little as $0.03 per kW, but you could help solve global warming. The SH-Box is 100% carbon-free; powered by a poly-crystalline core that harnesses geothermal energy. It’s light-weight and portable. When you’re done at the office, you could even bring the SH-Box home with you!

Sound like a pretty good deal? You can learn more about NRGLab’s various green energy projects, including the SH-Box, by visiting nrglab.asia. If corporate America has come around – shouldn’t you?

So spend a dime now. Save a dollar tomorrow. And let NRGLab help you do it.

Disagreement over global warming? 97% of scientists say, “No.”

Although the public seems to think experts are divided on the issue, 97% of scientists agree that global warming is, in fact, a man-made disaster. However, the public’s misconception is making it more difficult for elected representatives to enact necessary policy changes.

"There’s a strong scientific agreement about the cause of climate change, despite public perceptions to the contrary," said Professor John Cook of the University of Queensland, Australia. "There’s a gaping chasm between the actual consensus and the public perception. When people understand that scientists agree on global warming, they're more likely to support policies that take action on it."

Did you know that the planet’s average surface temperature has risen by 0.8 degree Celsius, or 1.4F, since the Industrial Revolution? That may not sound like much, but consider that today, all 19 of Earth’s glacial regions are melting, the effects are irrefutable.

Experts from the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Australia studied thousands of peer journals dating back to the 1990s, and what they found was a wide – much wider than anticipated – acceptance of man’s role in global warming. This was the largest effort to gauge the scientific community’s opinion on the topic.

Professor Mark Richardson of the University of Reading, England, says that "if people disagree with what we've found, we want to know.”

Surveys performed in over 90 countries show widespread belief that experts are in disagreement about whether climate change is man-made, or simply part of a fluctuating environment. Last October, the U.S. Pew Research Center found that only 45% of Americans answered "Yes" when asked: "Do scientists agree Earth is getting warmer because of human activity?"

The level of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere has reached 400 parts per million, the highest it’s been since the dinosaurs! Droughts, floods, and rising sea levels are expected to ravage our very way of life. Is the government doing enough to protect us?

NRGLab has your back. My developing clean, renewable sources of energy and improving upon existing methods of fuel production, we’re working to eliminate carbon-emissions from the equation altogether. Want to know more? Visit nrglab.asia for more info on our innovative SH-Box and gasification techniques.

Living off the grid: financially, spiritually, and environmentally responsible

Our modern world has jaded the population into believing we need certain things in order to survive. The internet, for one.  A cell phone. A car. But what if I told you a person could have all of these things, and still live off the grid?

It’s a trend that’s becoming increasingly popular in developed countries like the United States, where an estimated 750,000 Americans have been living without governance and dependent public utility for the better half of a quarter century. They grow their own food. They harvest their own energy. Cash means nothing to these people who’ve sworn a pact to uphold communal harmony. And so they trade. They cooperate and share and live off of the land. Some may call this way of life, ‘primitive,’ yet these self-reliant pioneers continue to lead free and happy lives.

Why break away from the government, you ask? Why live off the grid?

Financial, spiritual, environmental– people are driven to escape the norm for any number of reasons.  Nick Rosen, author of Off the Grid: Inside the Movement for More Space, Less Government, and True Independence in Modern America, says: "You can't get off all of the grids all the time. It's a question of which grids you choose to get off of and in what way and for how long. [But] going off the grid is not a game. It’s real life and a real choice for real people."

From a few months to a lifetime, people choose to break away from basic utilities, stay attached to what Rosen refers to as the "car, supermarket, or bank grid."

Sure, these people may escape society for personal reasons, but ultimately, they have a positive effect on the environment. A majority of off the grid communities are in areas where nature plays an integral role in social sustainability. "You become much more aware of the sun and the wind because you need it to power yourself," says Rosen, who goes on to explain that the average consumer is “consuming too much. One of the big motivations for off-grid living is a weariness of the consumer society. It's not necessarily anti-consumer, but post-consumer."

Think of all the unnecessary luxuries we enjoy. Three-car garages. Big-screen TVs. Air-conditioning. Even heated steering wheels in our cars! Rosen estimates that the average off-gridder uses about 20% less energy than the average U.S. household.

However, some people go off the grid to get away from the stress of urban living. Rosen claims that the “biggest motivation is a loss of trust in the government and the ability of social networks to look after us.”

That’s because the government is monitoring our emails and text messages. They’re patrolling the skies with killer robots. They’re forcing fossil fuels down our throats, not for the greater good, but because fossil fuels offer the highest return on consumer investment.

The best part is – you’re capable of much more than you give yourself credit for! In fact, you could escape the government’s stronghold with as little as a half an acre, "as long as it's the right half-acre,” says Rosen. “The era of 40 acres and a mule has been replaced by the era of a half an acre and a laptop and a solar panel.” Just enough to grow a few crops and harvest a few kilowatts. But ultimately, “the best way to get off-grid is to go off with others in a group of families, so each have half an acre and share resources and skills. One is tending livestock and one is growing vegetables, while a third is looking after the power supply for everybody else."

Many off-the-grid communes are actively seeking new members willing to relocate. "There's a huge generation of 1970s back-to-the-land movement people who are now getting pretty old and they're sitting on these huge tracks of land that can't be broken up,” says Rosen. "The idea of land trusts is being used as a way these older people can get some new residents to help look after them and then work on the land or take over part of the land as the older generation dies out."

NRGLab provides those looking to live an alternative, environmentally friendly lifestyle with the opportunity to own a carbon-free electrical generator. Weighing only a few pounds, the SH-Box is the most affordable and efficient option out there today. You don’t have to give up your Wi-Fi or iPhone or Benz after all.

If you’re interesting in going off the grid, or just joining in the independent energy revolution, visit nrglab.asia for more info on how you can come to own an SH-Box.

Green energy windmills killing tens of thousands of birds!

There are a number of green energy projects vying for market share. Solar. Natural gas. The SH-Box by NRGLab, to name a few. But only one source of energy is killing over 83,000 birds each year – wind.

Bald and golden eagles, hawks, and falcons are but a few of the species of birds being victimized by the mills’ massive turbines. Grainger Hunt, an authority on the subject, explains why the birds are susceptible: “There’s nothing in the evolution of eagles that would come near to describing a wind turbine,” he says. “There’s never been an opportunity to adapt to that sort of threat.”

Although these birds of prey are no longer on the endangered species list, their populations are still considerably low compared to numbers from the turn of the 20th century. Disturbing their habitats, stealing their eggs, or killing an eagle is, in accordance with the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act of 1940, punishable by up to two years in prison and a $500,000 fine.

Yet the United States seems to hold certain sectors of their energy industry to a double standard. BP paid $100 million in fines for harming migratory birds during the 2010 Gulf oil spill. The previous year, PacifiCorp, the northwest U.S.’s leading utility supplier, paid $10.5 million for electrocuting 232 eagles in their power lines.

However, not a single wind farm has faced criminal prosecution since President Barack Obama took office in 2008!

In Altamont Pass, California, wind farms are responsible for more than 60 avian deaths per year, while more than 573,000 birds across the country have been killed so far. That number could even be substantially higher, since most companies are reluctant to admit how many birds they’ve butchered.

Wildlife advocacy groups are up in arms about the Obama administration’s indecisive double standard. “It’s the rationale that we have to get off of carbon, we have to get off of fossil fuels, that allows them to justify this,” says Tom Dougherty, formerly with the National Wildlife Federation. “But at what cost? In this case, the cost is too high.”

If the U.S. enforced federal laws concerning murderous wind mills, then green energy companies would be forced to regard avian populations and migratory patterns before starting construction on new farms. Even so, experts agree it’s unlikely that birds and wind mills will ever co-exist peacefully. Can you blame them? Giant metal blades whirling at incredible speeds versus creatures with hollow bones -- doesn't seem like a fair fight.

NRGLab is against bird murder! We developed a source of alternative energy that’s carbon-free, compact, and completely safe for your home, office, or bird sanctuary. It’s called the SH-Box -- a poly-crystalline electoral generator set to revolutionize the way people think about energy. Follow us on Facebook, and visit nrglab.asia for more information on our next SH-Box auction.

U.S. energy sector hacked by cyber terrorists from the Middle East

Following a series of cyber-terror attacks on their energy sector, the United States defense department is heightening security and cracking down on potential threats. The New York Times cites two senior government officials who believe the attacks came from somewhere in the Middle East.

You may remember the U.S. accusing China of hacking into corporate networks and stealing propriety information several months ago. “By contrast, the new attacks seek to destroy data or to manipulate industrial machinery and take over or shut down the networks that deliver energy or run industrial processes,” write David Sanger and Nicole Perlroth of the Times. “Two senior [U.S.] officials who have been briefed on the new intrusions say they were aimed largely at the administrative systems of about 10 major American energy firms, which they would not name.”

But is this simply a case of the U.S. government getting a taste of their own medicine? Hacking into a foreign nation’s industrial network is exactly how the U.S. destroyed Iran’s nuclear program years ago.
 
Trend Micro, a global leader in online content security, recently conducted an experiment by creating an alluringly-vulnerable ‘dummy utility corp’ in the U.S. energy sector. Within seconds, cyber terrorists began attempting to infiltrate the corporation’s system, “doing things that would change the water pressure, or temperature, or stop the flow on a water pump,” said a Trend Micro employee.

With over 20 years of experience, Trend Micro is recognized as the world leader in server security, delivering top-ranked solutions that identify threats faster and protect data in physical, virtual, and cloud-based environments.

Luckily, NRGLab protected its propriety secrets like the revolutionary SH-Box. The carbon-free electrical generator is geared to take the energy sector by storm. Offering a range of power outputs fit for the home, office, or a manufacturing plant, the SH-Box produces electricity for as little as $0.03 per kW. Learn more about the money you could be saving on energy bills by visiting nrglab.asia.

And remember – in this digital age, metal locks are obsolete. Make sure you and your personal information are safe by investing in file security. Make sure you and your family’s financial futures are safe by investing in the future of clean energy.

Higher education is failing. Enter the Internet to save the day!

The cost of higher education around the world is simply too high to have a positive impact on our children’s futures. Sarah Lawrence College in New York tops the list of the world’s most expensive institutions, coming in at a mind-boggling $61,236. That’s $45,900 for basic tuition, $14,312 for room and board, and another $1,024 in miscellaneous fees.

Seriously – who can afford to pay that for a four-year degree in an economy where no job is guaranteed? Are we really willing to burden the next generation with an insurmountable debt?

In Mexico, higher education costs range from $11,777 to a mere $527. In Japan, the average student pays $11,865. Only 33% of Australian families can afford to send their children to college, while in countries like England and Wales, that number drops to around 21%.

That’s only addressing the developed world. In places like Afghanistan, Honduras, and Somalia, higher education is the last thing on the agenda. These countries are busy fighting wars on numerous fronts – against disease, poverty, and tyranny, to name a few.

So do we give up and leave these developing countries to educate themselves? Over two-dozen prestigious universities in the U.S. and abroad say, “No.”

Brown, Columbia, Emory, Vanderbilt and Wesleyan now offer free courses online, joining the likes of the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, Berklee College of Music, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, University of British Columbia, University of London, University of Melbourne, and Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.

The internet is reshaping the way the world views education. Coursera, an online platform that features some 200 courses from 33 institutions, has drawn over a million students across the globe. Another site called EdX was founded by Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to allow absolutely ANYONE with an internet connection to complete independent certification programs.

Still, we have to remember that not everyone in the world has access to regular electricity, let alone an internet connection. That brings us back to our original question:  do we just give up and move on?

NRGLab doesn’t believe quitting is ever an option. We’ve dedicated ourselves to developing a clean, cost-efficient system of power generation with the aim of bringing electricity to the third world.

Because electricity is the seed from which all modern innovation flourishes. With an SH-Box generator in every home, on every island, across the driest deserts and wettest wetlands, not only can we can give people the security of energy independence, we can give them an opportunity to better themselves through education.

Not everything has to cost an arm and a leg in such uncertain economic times. See how affordable an SH-Box can be by visiting nrglab.asia and learning when we’ll be holding our next auction.

The things in life we take for granted

Imagine living in Honduras. The streets are cluttered with uncollected garbage. Diseases like malaria run rampant. In fact, your next door neighbor just died of a mosquito bite. Every so often, you have to hike to a fresh water supply miles away. Electricity? Not a chance. Traffic accidents are solved by quick cash exchanges because the police couldn’t care less. Children can’t get to school because the only bridge out of the village just collapsed. And the storms! Lackluster government warnings result in thousands of people losing their homes on a semi-regular basis.

Now stop imagining.

 

Remember that you are you. You’re a citizen of the first world. You live in an apartment, house or condo. Trash day is every Thursday. If you get sick, you take a trip to your doctor, who writes you a prescription and that’s that. Your next door neighbor hasn’t returned your leaf blower in months. He might be a deadbeat, but he’s definitely not dead. Tap water? Ew. Gross. You only drink bottled, or water that’s been through a Britta filter. You complain when your Smartphone doesn’t keep its charge. The police seem to be lurking behind every blind spot along the highway, waiting to catch you going 5 mph over the speed limit. A big yellow bus picks your son or daughter up for school every morning. And storms usually knock out the cable, but not much else.

Oh, the things in life we in the developed world take for granted!

The Earth is a big, big place, and the sooner people come to this conclusion, the sooner we can begin to address global issues. 

More often than not, politics get tangled up in subcommittees. Narrow-mindedness and personal vendettas result in nothing getting done. Sure, everyone wants to pay lower taxes. Everyone wants better schools and smoother roads. But aren’t these issues trivial compared to spreading equality and ensuring basic human rights throughout the world? 

Liberals and conservatives have their philosophical differences, but surely there are some things everyone can agree upon. We want to protect our children and afford them every opportunity to succeed. We want to feel safe in our own homes. We want to watch our children grow up, and their children, and their children after that.

 

NRGLab hasn’t forgotten the little things in life. That’s why we want to bring sustainable clean energy to the developing world. We believe that if you were born in Honduras, you should have the same opportunities as if you had been born in the United States. With the SH-Box, a low-cost, zero-emissions generator, EVERYONE can have access to reliable power. And that’s only the beginning. 

We have the ability to make the world a better place. First, we need to appreciate the things in life we take for granted. Then, and only then, will our leaders feel truly compelled to put aside politics and work towards world peace.

Be happy, people. Be happy and good to one another. 

The American dream now a recurring nightmare

For centuries, the world has looked upon America with envy. It was an oasis where the individual was judged not by his or her parents, but by his or her willingness to succeed. Freedom, democracy, and the ‘American dream’ were alive and well. Yet over the last several decades, that dream has become a recurring nightmare. Will Americans ever wake up?

Citizens are bogged down by social stagnation reminiscent of medieval feudalism. The top 1% controls a majority of the country’s wealth and resources. They concentrate power within their families, passing it down from silver spoon to silver spoon. So why do the other 99% continue to oppose tax increases on the top tier?

Because everyone wants to be rich! In fact, most people expect it. The American dream basically culminates with entry into the 1%, and who would want to pay a higher tax rate then?

Nobody.

So although raising taxes on the wealthiest few could create breathing room for the majority fighting to stay afloat, world leaders have turned a blind eye and succumb to the will of their constituents.

Call it forward-thinking. Call it ambition. Call it what you will. But in reality, the American dream has glorified greed on an epic scale. Instead of telling people to explore what makes them happy, what gives them a sense of fulfillment and pride, the government preached free-market capitalism and buy, buy, BUY! Sell, sell, SELL!

Because THINGS will make you happy, people were told. Possessions = stature. Stature = power. Power = more possessions. Americans were sold on this viscous cycle. They ignored the toll on the environment and the rest of the world and took pride in simply being American. The title was enough.

But that shouldn’t be the case. Where you live shouldn’t dictate who you are, nor should your family’s bank account. True democracy is the freedom to have your voice heard. To wake up each morning not having to fear for your life. That’s freedom. Not a shopping or shooting-spree.

How can Americans wake up from this nightmare?

First, they need to realize that happiness is the ultimate goal, and that happiness is relative. One must learn to be happy with what they have – plain and simple. Material possessions fade with time. They break. The human spirit doesn’t have to.

Second, Americans must remember that societies are judged by how they treat the least of their people. And just as everyone sees themselves becoming rich, anyone – with one wrong turn – can end up living on the streets.

Think of citizens like cells in the body. Each one different. Some aggressive. Some passive. Some more prone to cooperate than others. But each cell serves a distinct purpose, and only by working in harmony do they survive.

Lastly, making the wealthy pay more than their fair share sets a shining example for the rest of the population. Yes, success is good – but reaching out to others to elevate them is by far nobler. What good is success if everyone else fails?

NRGLab believes happiness means living relatively stress-free. With the SH-Box, a portable generator that produces low-cost electricity for your home, office, or industrial facility, you can forget about that monthly utility bill. You can forget about your carbon footprint, too. The SH-Box is emission-free, powered by an all-natural polycrystalline core.

To learn more about how you, your friends, and family can achieve energy independence and take the next step towards stress-free living, check us out on YouTube, or visit nrglab.asia.

Regionalization & the electric car: facts, or fictions?

The economic crisis has broken all of the rules developed countries play by on the global market. As a result, the world is undergoing a reverse process of globalization called “regionalization.” A United States intelligence agency recently identified regionalization as a potential threat to the country’s stronghold on global markets. (http://gt2030.com). The emergence of new financial and industrial centers in developing countries is expected to rattle the status quo.

“We do not expect global growth to be much higher this year than last,” said Christine Lagarde, Head of the International Monitory Fund, who voiced her concerns on the real economy. Although business and industry is flocking to the third world, the local population hasn’t benefited, financially or by any other means. “In far too many countries,” said Lagarde, “Improvements in financial markets have not translated into improvements in the real economy—and in the lives of people.” (Economic Club of New York, New York, April 10, 2013).

We can delay regionalization by embracing revolutionary breakthroughs in science and technology like high-quality renewable energy and low-cost cargo output to Low Earth Orbit. These kinds of breakthroughs not only excite the public and ignite the imaginations of millions, they also add real value to bubbles in banking and manufacturing markets.

Sadly, we simply do not have these miraculous new technologies available today. What we do have, however, is an abundance of ambition in the automotive industry. American car companies were hit especially hard by 2008’s economic collapse. Now they’re looking to revive the market and raise quotes again. How? By tantalizing the public with promises of eco-friendly, cost-efficient, high-capacity batteries. Every year there’s another dozen commercials for the latest innovation in hybrid technology, or a new electric car that promises you’ll only have to stop for gas once a month!

But, as the past several decades have demonstrated, these “innovations” weren’t ready for mass production. They were merely marketing ploys – a way of getting the public to trust the automakers again after a pattern of gross mismanagement in the years preceding the financial crisis. Electric vehicles will never gain market share with a limited battery range and limited infrastructure of charging stations in place.

The automotive market has become saturated with hybrid vehicles. All the while, car companies have shifted focus away from concept designs and the production of prototypes. Instead of thinking long-term about staying competitive on a global scale, they’ve settled for temporarily satisfying the public’s soft-spot for cross-overs.

Following the economic crisis, most of the top managers in the western auto industry faced a dilemma: they could either file for bankruptcy, or come up with a PR-trick claiming to have made another technological breakthrough. The latter would distract investors from their ineptitude while earning government subsidies at the same time. Not a bad alternative to bankruptcy.
 
After 2008, investors and regulators began to closely monitor and trace the potential for financial bubbles in the industry. Sounds easy, but in fact it’s quite a difficult task in a real economy. Outsourcing makes it challenging for private and corporate investors to accurately analyze and predict how technical components will pan out on the market.

So where does all of this leave the electric car? Should we expect to see another PR campaign on TV? Indeed, we’re being told of a possible breakthrough relating to the incorporation of an isotropic polycrystalline generators (SH-boxes), which convert electricity from environmental heat, into a line of zero-emission vehicles. NRGLab PTE Ltd., based out of Singapore, was the first to generate energy via polycrystals in an anisotropic media with a thermoelectric merit figure of 0.8 (ZT). The resulting electrical capacity exceeded that of thermoelectric converters based on carbon nanotubes (0.02 ZT).

Let’s hope this technological breakthrough will add some REAL value to the real economy for once.

U.K.'s energy industry on the verge of collapse?

The United Kingdom’s energy industry risks collapse if the government isn’t able to come to terms with EDF Energy on the price-point for electricity from the planned £14 billion nuclear power plant at Hinkley Point.

According to Lord Hutton, chairmen of the Nuclear Industry Association, the strained negotiations could scare future investors away from other energy projects. "If a deal cannot be struck for new nuclear, can it be struck for offshore wind or carbon capture and storage?"

If negotiations do collapse, the future of EDF’s influence in Britain would be uncertain. Currently, EDF controls eight nuclear power plants, employs over 20,000 people and handles 5.7 million customer accounts across the U.K. But these existing plants are projected to stop generating electricity within the next ten years. What then?

Lord Hutton is meeting with senior executives of the French-owned EDF, as well as U.K.’s Energy secretary, Stephen Lovegrove, and Treasury minister, Lord Deighton. The negotiations center on a guaranteed price-point for electricity over the next 30 years – a price which the government plans to subsidize through an energy tax.

However, the two sides appear far apart on the operating costs for the power plant, and the return rate EDF is entitled to. Hutton estimates that roughly £3 billion could but cut from construction costs due to the previous design and development of U.K.’s other nuclear facilities. “Time is of the essence,” he stressed. “EDF Energy has spent £1 billion already and the project is at present costing the company £1 million a day.” (That’s over £100 million EDF’s spent since they missed their December deadline to get the deal done!)

Last week, CEO of EDF Henri Proglio was quoted as saying he expects the two sides to come to an agreement “within a month.” This after EDF missed their March deadline, too.

Critics of the deal with EDF say any agreement will enslave consumers for years to come, forcing them to pay billions of pounds to the French. They also cite recent progress in the natural gas industry as, potentially, a more affordable long-term solution.

Yet nuclear and natural gas are both CARBON-EMITTING sources of energy. If either becomes the predominant industry in the U.K., it will only be contributing to the spiraling effects of global warming.

“Left to its own devices, the market would not choose to invest in capital intensive low-carbon infrastructure,” said Hutton. “This would lead us to a precarious, high-carbon future increasingly dependent on imported gas. This would be absolutely the wrong direction for us to take and is why we must not lose sight of this in the current negotiations.”

He’s right. Just because we’ve relied on fossil fuels since the Industrial Revolution doesn’t mean we should be forced to give-in to the unreasonable demands of greedy corporate executives. The free market should be exactly that – free. People should be free to choose their own energy providers. They should be fear-free to invest in innovative new technology.

Technology like the SH-box by NRGLab. Learn more by visiting nrglab.asia, before the energy crises reaches you and your home.