|
UN's Ban in Solar Car Makes Hot Air But Shows
Promise of Electric Planes
Byline: Matthew Russell Lee of
Inner City Press at the UN: News Analysis
UNITED NATIONS,
September 12 -- Surrounded by
doubts about diplomatic and management failures, UN Secretary-General
Ban
Ki-moon on September 12 took his short drive to work in what was called
a solar
car. Inner City Press interviewed the car's driver and inventor, Louis
Palmer,
who said that there had been two or three gasoline-powered cars of
security
accompanying Mr. Ban. Palmer also said that the ride was not in fact
fueled the
sun. Rather, the car had been plugged in to "the wall" overnight. And
how is that electricity made? Skeptics were sensing greenhouse gasses.
As
designed, the two-seat car is open air and has a long trailer, covered
with
solar panels. "Makes parallel parking kinda hard," one journalist
remarked. Another asked Palmer if there had been any security concerns
about
the Secretary-General riding in an open air car, without even a door to
protect
him. Palmer shrugged and said, "New York is a safe city" -- the day
after the Nine Eleven memorial, the journalist later snarked.
More
seriously, Palmer told Inner City Press that his car design would be in
mass
production if not for the oil industry's opposition to it cutting into
their
profits.
Ban in solar (well, electric) car at 1st Ave
& 48th St, security cars not shown
So, the
journalist remarked, Palmer may be at more risk, or at least
be more dangerous, than the Secretary-General.
Inner City
Press asked Palmer if he can envision similar solar, or at least
electrical,
airplanes. Yes, he said, if as much research money goes into battery
technology
as fossil fuel refining. Just as more and more information can be
stored on smaller
and smaller chips, work is need to allow more and more power to be
stored in
lighter and lighter batteries. Palmer continues next to Montreal. We
wish him
and his dream well.
Watch this site, and this (UN) debate.
* * *
These
reports are
usually also available through Google
News and on Lexis-Nexis.
Click
here
for a Reuters
AlertNet piece by this correspondent
about Uganda's Lord's Resistance Army. Click
here
for an earlier Reuters AlertNet piece about the Somali
National
Reconciliation Congress, and the UN's $200,000 contribution from an
undefined trust fund. Video
Analysis here
Feedback: Editorial
[at] innercitypress.com
UN Office: S-453A, UN, NY 10017
USA
Tel: 212-963-1439
Reporter's mobile (and
weekends):
718-716-3540
Other,
earlier Inner City Press are listed here, and some are available
in the ProQuest service, and now on Lexis-Nexis.
Copyright
2006-08 Inner City Press, Inc. To request
reprint or other permission, e-contact Editorial [at]
innercitypress.com -
|
