I am not a big believer in this whole need to go green movement that seems to be encompassing the country. I think that global warming is a big farce...thought up by Al Gore to make a movie and some money and promoted by the "left" to help win elections. It is the liberal's version of a scare tactic...similar to the way the 'right' has used national security in recent years. Though, don't get me wrong, I am not saying that the need for national security is not there because it is in a big way. I follow the green movement because I believe that it holds many lucrative business opportunities...
Anyway, back on track, I came across the following today on MSN:
Toyota may put solar panels on new Prius to power air conditioning
A Japanese newspaper is reporting that Toyota plans to install solar
panels on its next model of the popular Prius hybrid. If the company
follows through, it would be the first major automaker to incorporate
solar power into its vehicles. Even with the panels, though, the
pimped-out Prius wouldn't actually run on solar power (it's still a
gasoline-electric hybrid, yo); instead, the solar panels would
reportedly power the vehicle's air conditioning.
Sources: Reuters, BBC News
I found this to be amusing and interesting at the same time. Like I said, I believe that there are many opportunities out there while the whole green movement is happening...and this may be one. I think that solar power can be used in many different applications and corporate America will begin to explore the true expanse of these applications...not just in cars. I find it to be amusing because I was actually thinking the other day about powering an entire car off of solar power. There are many hurdles to overcome before this can be done...but I think it would be interesting.
Another thought that I had related to alternative energy relating to cars had to do with windmills. What else out there generates more 'wind' than a car going 70 mph down the highway? It gets cloudy sometimes, which will hinder solar power, but you cannot drive anywhere without generating wind. I think it is a no-brainer...will someone else too??
I also have begun to explore mini-windmills that could be placed upon residential roofs in the same manner as solar panels are. The idea is the same and there are definite hurdles...like no wind days...but there are also no-sun days for solar panel users.
