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Captain's LogAugust 8th, 2005 Tomorrow is the 2nd annual "Solar Jam". This year we decided to honor the 10th anniversary of the death of Jerry Garcia and make the Solar Jam a tribute to his music. We have a few musicians lined up to play in downtown Burlington VT. The concert will be solar powered, of course. Thanks again to Mark Nigels for setting up the sound this year. Unlike last year, there will be no vendors. Just a stage and music. The press has been very kind to us and the radio stations seem to be mentioning it a lot. July 20, 2005 Today we began the transformation of the fuel system of the Solar Bus. At some point in the near future, the Solar Bus will run on pure vegetable oil. Until now we've been running on biodiesel, which can be used in any diesel engine without modification. Biodiesel is a great alternative to petroleum, as it is derived from vegetable oil. But availability is a problem and it is more expensive than regular fuels. The work we began today will enable us to run the bus on any kind of vegetable oil, most notably, used vegetable oil that restaurants normally throw away. June 18, 2005 Today we began the transformation of the fuel system of the Solar Bus. At some point in the near future, the Solar Bus will run on pure vegetable oil. Until now we've been running on biodiesel, which can be used in any diesel engine without modification. Biodiesel is a great alternative to petroleum, as it is derived from vegetable oil. But availability is a problem and it is more expensive than regular fuels. The work we began today will enable us to run the bus on any kind of vegetable oil, most notably, used vegetable oil that restaurants normally throw away. April 17, 2005 The Solar Bus was invited to come to Colchester Elementary School for the day. It was exhilirating, with a constant flow of 1-4th graders. I had to come up with a 20 minute presentation and repeated it about 12 times for each class. It's amazing how much little kids can understand, though, if you teach it right. Here's a photo: 
April 2, 2005 The snow has thawed and it seems like a nice day to fire up the Bus. I charged up the battery and it started right up like it ran yesterday. I think this is going to be a good summer for the Solar Bus. We have plans to go to many festivals and do some upgrades on the bus as well. August 28, 2004 The Solar Jam & Rally went great. We had one rain that lasted only about 5 minutes. The Mayor Clavelle (now running for Governor) came and spoke over the solar powered microphone. He spoke about his desire to help Vermont lead the nation towards energy independence. If you favor solar & wind overr nuclear, coal and oil, vote for Clavelle! The music was great and the vibe was great. Check the photos page for photos soon. We'll do it again next year :) August 27, 2004 It's the night before the Solar Jam & Rally that I put together. It's a small grassroots event in downtown Burlington VT. At first the plan was to not promote it at all, and just drive the Bus to a park in Burlington and set up some music equipment and attract people walking by to learn about solar energy. But I decided to invite the local environmental groups to come and set up a table. Then it started to snowball a bit and the Democratic nominee for Governor of Vermont accepted an invitation to come and speak. The stage will be powered by the Solar Bus and I've gotten several environmental goups to come and set up a table. It is the night before and of course I'm up all night connecting the last few wires on the other two solar panels that have been waiting to be mounted on top of the bus. I think it's appropriate that the first amps of energy that the solar panels produce will be used to amplify music. We're praying for sun, but the weatherman says scattered thunderstorms. July 18, 2004 The Solar Bus goes to Camp Seneca Lake in upstate NY, a summer camp for kids. There the environmental hobbie group got a lesson about solar energy from the Solar Bus. And in the evening, the Solar Bus participated in a "mass program" acting as a time machine. July 10-12, 2004 The Solar Bus goes to SolarFest. It was a beautiful drive down to Poultney, especially running on pure biodiesel fuel. The event was great. Hundreds of people came by the bus to learn about solar energy, and what the project is all about. July 7, 2004 The Solar Bus failed inspection, due to an aging steering box. We had to order the part from California and now we're happy to report all is well and we have a new inspection sticker good for another year of solar driving! The steering box cost $700 by the way. Consider donating to the Solar Bus to help keep it on the road! July 2, 2004 The Solar Bus powered the projector for the Green Film Festival in Richmond Vermont. The system performed flawlessly! Many people came by the Bus to ask questions about solar energy. July 1, 2004 It's the night before the first solar powered movie that we're doing. This summer the Solar Bus has agreed to power the Green Film Festival in Richmond VT. There are 6 movies on consecutive Friday nights. After several long nights of hard work and some help from a volunteer or two, the core of the electric energy system in the Bus is connected and working. Ultimately most of the components will be in different places, as soon as we build the new battery box. But for now they're fine where they are. The first thing I did after the inverter was connected was plug in my guitar amp and played "I Can See Clearly Now." Two of the four solar panels are mounted, we'll have to add the others sometime after the first movie. June 15, 2004 Thanks to Evergreen Solar, Outback Power Systems, and Real Goods, we now have all the equipment we need to install a real demonstrational solar energy system on the Solar Bus. Over the next few we'll be installing the system. May 1, 2004 After several months of hibernation, we turned the key on the Solar Bus. It started right up like someone had just warmed it up! Went for a test drive and she was obviously happy to be back on the road. There's a tiny bit of fuel left in the tank that is probably about 85% biodiesel, and we're going to run it down to empty so we can put in B100 and be petroleum free from this point on. October 28th, 2003 The second potluck dinner, at Ken's house in Huntington. This time we had 15 vegetable oil cars in the driveway, and the Solar Bus was one of them. After a few festivals and two potlucks, we're starting to get to know each other and it feels great. We spent a lot of time checking out the vehicles again. This time it was warmer than last time, and thankfully it wasn't raining. Already starting to talk about the next potluck. September 23rd, 2003 The first Solar Bus potluck dinner, hosted at Gary's house in Richmond. People in the Burlington area who are interested in biodiesel and vegetable oil cars gathered together and brought yummy food. It was amazing, we had 10 vegetable oil cars in the driveway at once. Even though it was dark, cold, and raining, we all walked around with flashlights and checked out each others' vehicles. Ken brought a vehicle that he had just converted to vegetable oil for a client. Food was great. August, 30-31st, 2003 The Solar Bus goes to the Garden of Eden Music Festival. This is the first time we took the Bus to a pure music festival, not a renewable energy festival. At the other events many people were already familiar with biodiesel. This festival was great because so many people had never heard of biodiesel, solar energy, or any of the stuff that we promote. People's eyes lit up (sometimes in disbelief!) when we explained what we are doing. The event was two days long so there was plenty of time for people to relax, sit down, read a book, or just talk. Special thanks to Mark (again) for all his help. Be sure to see the photo gallery for pictures. August, 28th A local biofuel "club" is formed. Starting to plan our first potluck/party and a group purchase of biodiesel fuel. Live in the Burlington VT area? Let us know if you want to come to our next potluck. August, 23-24th 2003 The Solar Bus attends the Vermont Alternative Energy Festival. The entire event is off-the-grid. The music stage, with bands playing all day and well into the night, is powered by generators running on biodiesel fuel. Hundreds of people came to check out the Solar Bus. Many people were given tours and got to see the new energy system inside. A Vermont State senator came on board and was really excited to learn about biodiesel fuel. Connections were made with many enthusiastic people. Be sure to see the photo gallery for pictures. August, 20th 2003 This week we have installed bunk beds (the bus now sleeps 4 comfortably) a table, and a demonstration energy system. The energy system has a deep cycle battery, 12-volt outlets, an ammeter to measure energy useage, and a 400-watt inverter for AC appliances. Everything is in full few for people who want to learn about renewable energy systems. August, 15th 2003 Article appears in the Richmond Times (a Vermont newspaper) about the Solar Bus. July 12th, 2003 The Solar Bus has been painted and has attended its first festival - SolarFest. The event went great. We made many connections people in the industry and folks who are interested in renewable energy technology. Pictures in the photo gallery. July 11th, 2003 The Solar Bus's tank is filled with 50% biodiesel fuel for the first time! It started right up and drove perfectly! July 9th, 2003 The Solar Bus has been painted (mostly). We are still painting the logo on the sides, front, and back, and looking for a real artist to paint a big sun on the front top. June 11th, 2003 The Solar Bus passes inspection! June 9th, 2003 Paint is purchased. Color: Forest Green. It was raining so we couldn't begin painting. May 28th, 2003 Bus is registered in Vermont May 9th - 14th, 2003 Bus is driven to Vermont. A few photos from the trip: See here for a great slideshow of the trip.
May 9th, 2003 Bus is purchased from A-Z Bus Sales in California. | |||