Pt. 1 "The SolarTaxi" Interview with Louis Palmer

Sherry Beall, Environmental Journalist and Host of "Healthy Planet, Healthy Me!" interviews Louis Palmer, a Swiss solar pioneer and inventor, who is completing an ambitious tour traveling around the world in his solar-powered vehicle called the "Solartaxi."

Join Sherry Beall Every Friday LIVE from 2pm - 3pm PST for "Healthy Planet, Healthy Me!" on KPFK 90.7FM!

Want More? Check out:
www.SolarTaxi.com
www.HPHme.com
www.AtHomeNaturally.com
www.KPFK.org

Category:

Nonprofits & Activism

Tags:

• Sherry
• Beall
• Solar
• Taxi
• Energy
• Green
• Louis
• Palmer
• Alternative
• Organic
• Natural
• Earth
• Renewable
• Power
• Interview
• Radio
• 90.7
• FM
• KPFK
• Technology
• Los
• Angeles
• California
• automobile
• car
• program
• highlights
• ceri
• williams
• sean
• stearley
• vito
• max
• d'ambrosio

[geiler1980]

i saw this men with his solartaxi today in the school !!! He was in Steckborn, Switzerland.

[cdltpx]

TWO SP Integrate a solar oven among other things I want a home that can withstand the severe weather of a tornado and is energy efficient low maintence and is innexpensive only domes fit that bill. The AI domes can at least tell you what they would cost b/c they sell a kit home they are strong and very well insulated. I learned about these when I was in electronics school.

[cdltpx]

ONEI have been to Italy TX and to the AI domes place in Fl. Just to see first hand what these places looked like. The one I liked for residential use was the AI domes. MDI can make a dome that could fit 3 superdomes in them. I intend to pay off this land then I will do the dome. Still a toss up on which to build b/c now MDI rents the tools needed to build one greatly reducing the cost to DIY. I might build an eco dome and straw bale the outside then stucco. I plan to use fiber optic lighting.

[TroyOi]

Don't have one at the moment - my ex got it. Just living in an apartment now.

Why? I was just curious about whether you were something of a student of Buckminster Fuller, and his inventions, philosophy, etc. I used to be fascinated by him when I was in school.

[cdltpx]

What is your home made of?

[TroyOi]

About the dome home - Are you talking about Buckminster Fuller's geodesic dome? Are you into those, too? Got one?

[TroyOi]

Yeah, I'm aware of his carbon-neutral thing. In general, it works when the electric company allows for consumers to send energy back to the grid. Some do, some don't, but I'm sure it'll catch on.

Hey, if it works for you, that's great. Not so sure about the 10/1 ratio if you consider current battery cost and lifetime, but I'm sure amazing advances are in store for battery costs and technology, as well as photovoltaics.

I hope this will be our country's new "moon shot". We're overdue for one.

[cdltpx]

When he is home in Switzerland he plugs into a grid tied home and he doesn't use the sp on the car he uses just the car the sp are for those longer than average trips he plugs in every night. He is carbon neutral since he has all those sp on his home grid tied so he is being true to the earth. My current needs are a car that can go 100 miles no charge 62 top speed for 30 min. We will see families with 2 cars one family ice another commuter electric the comm car will outlast the family 10/1.

[TroyOi]

Also, are you gonna drag along a trailer full of SP's? (Remember, even with that trailer, Palmer had to rely on the grid.)

Sorry, I don't mean to keep throwing a wet towel on your vision. I assure you I'm at least as enthusiastic about independence from the major energy producers as you are. And I'm not as pessimistic about governments resisting revolutionary technologies just b/c they challenge the old order. I think the momentum is building for great things to happen.

[TroyOi]

Again, the problem is that the tech specs on this car are hard to come by. Do you have any? I noticed you wrote the car uses 1/3 the energy of a normal car - did you see that written somewhere?

Also, it would help to know the range of the car on a full charge. And how long does it take to fully charge the batteries from the solar panels?

Keep in mind, btw, that the car has to be charged during daylight hours. (So don't expect to stop at a motel for the night & wake up to a re-charged car.)