Recall of Champion Portable Generators Sold at Costco

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission announced a voluntary recall of about 8,600 portable generators manufactured by Champion Power Equipment, of Santa Fe Springs, CA. The cause of the recall is gasoline can leak from the generator's carburetor, posing a fire hazard. There have been 11 reports of fuel leaking from the generators, including eight reports of the generators catching fire. The recalled model numbers are 41332 (8250 watt) and 41532 (9000 watt). These models were made in China and sold at Costco.

Hurricane Sandy- Interactive Map with Latest Information

Google has created an interactive map for Hurricane Sandy. You can zoom in the map, select a location and find the latest information on the storm location, forecast track, shelter addresses, power outages, and other related data. Just check or uncheck options in the layers menu. You can also switch between a map and a satellite view. And if you lost power, remember- never run a portable generator indoors and in direct rain.

Google and Green Renewable Energy

Google is increasingly using renewable energy. Previously they've announced their commitment to carbon neutrality in 2007. They have already invested $94 million in four solar photovoltaic (PV) generators near Sacramento, CA. (See what is PV generator and how it works). These projects have PV systems with a total capacity of 88 MW. Now Google signed an agreement with their utility to supply their Oklahoma data center with 48 MW of wind energy from the Canadian Hills Wind Project.

So, let's do a little math. Depending on the utility's territory, the green power generally costs from 0.5 to 2.5 cents per kilowatt hour more than regular electricity. Assuming the best deal, which is extra $0.05/kWh, each MWh is extra $50. Then 48 MW adds extra 50x48=$2400 each hour. Over an entire year 48 MW of green electricity may cost Google 2400x24x365=$21 million dollars more. In reality, their losses may be less because renewable energy systems rarely work at their maximum capacity. On the other hand, they can be as much as $100 million is they will be charged extra 2.5 cents per kWh. Read more about Google "green" energy activity.