July 2009
Monthly Archive
LEED Platinum golf course opens
Posted by admin on 31 Jul 2009 | Tagged as: LEED
The United States’ first Platinum LEED-certified golf course has opened in North Shelby County, Tennessee.
The $16 million renovation of what was formerly called, the Old Big Creek Golf Course, includes: irrigation and drainage systems that reuse and maximize the use of rainwater; use of native grass areas and waste bunkers reduce the amount of property that must be maintained, and; the inclusion of more lake areas and recirculating streams to support wildlife.
Airborne solar cells to power unmanned Air Force vehicles
Posted by admin on 30 Jul 2009 | Tagged as: Solar
Scientists at the University of Washington’s Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative are working on dye-sensitized solar cells that would coat the skin of unmanned US Air Force vehicles.
The new airborne solar cells are made by blending a flexible film and a thin glass coating with transparent conductive electrodes. Taya has discovered that DSSCs made from organic materials, which use (dyes) and moth-eye film, are able to capture photons and transform them into synthesized electrons capable of harvesting high photon energy.
Liquid fuel created from sunlight
Posted by admin on 29 Jul 2009 | Tagged as: Solar
Cambridge, Massachusetts’ Joule Biotechnologies has developed a way to use microorganisms to convert sunlight into liquid transportation fuel.
The Cambridge, Mass.-based start-up, which is backed by its founders and venture-capital firm Flagship Ventures, has developed a technology using microorganisms that make fuels and chemicals from the photosynthetic conversion of sunlight and CO2. Joule’s scientists incorporated solar converters into the technology to optimize the process that makes what the company calls “solar fuel.”
MIT working on fast-charging electric car
Posted by admin on 28 Jul 2009 | Tagged as: Electric car
MIT’s Electric Vehicle Team is working on an electric car that would rival gasoline models.
The team’s goal is to build an all-electric car with similar performance capabilities of gasoline-only counterparts, which includes a top speed of about 161 kph, a family sedan capacity, a range of about 320 kilometers and the ability to recharge in about 10 minutes. They hope to complete the project, which they chronicle on their blog, by the third quarter of 2010.
Chicken feather biofuel: improvement on all sides
Posted by admin on 27 Jul 2009 | Tagged as: Biofuel
Chicken feather meal is used for fertilizer and animal feed. If the fat is extracted and used for biofuel, the non-fat chicken feather meal is a more nutritious animal food and more nitrogen-rich fertilizer.
The biodiesel process, which involves extracting fat from feather meal with boiling water, has the potential to generate 153 million gallons of biofuel in the U.S. and 593 million gallons of biodiesel worldwide based on the amount of poultry waste produced each year. According to the researchers, feather meal biofuel is of comparable quality to other popular biofuel feedstocks. And apparently, chicken feather meal sans fat makes both a more nutritious animal feed and a better nitrogen source for fertilizer.
Florida dentist reaping benefits of solar power
Posted by admin on 26 Jul 2009 | Tagged as: Solar
Florida dentist Chan Wilku installed a 10,752 watt solar system on his office roof. He has cut back significantly on energy costs and on days the office is closed, he sells sells excess power back to the grid.
The solar panels convert sunlight into electricity, which is fed into a pair of power inverters. Wilkhu will receive a credit for the electricity he feeds into the system that powers nearby homes. The credit per kilowatt equals what he pays per kilowatt.
LEED silver required in Baltimore
Posted by admin on 25 Jul 2009 | Tagged as: LEED
As of July 1, 2009, Baltimore, Maryland requires all new construction and major renovations to conform to LEED Silver standards.
Baltimore’s new law effectively makes LEED part of the city’s building code for any new free-standing structures or additions to existing buildings. Lawmakers asserted that the new code would benefit the people by lowering energy costs and creating higher air quality. However, a range of reports have shown that building to LEED standards can add up to 12% to the construction cost of a building. People are concerned that the law will make large renovations more costly and larger in scope than building owners wish, or that the LEED standards might interfere with renovations of Baltimore’s historic buildings.
Greenland shark could be source of biofuel
Posted by admin on 24 Jul 2009 | Tagged as: Biofuel, Biomass
Thousands of Greenland sharks are caught and die in fishermen’s nets every year. Danish scientists are exploring ways to convert the animal’s oily skin into biofuel.
Biofuel based on sharks and other sea products could supply 13 percent of energy consumption in the village of Uummannaq with its 2,450 inhabitants, according to estimates.
The project could help the many isolated villages on the vast island to become self-sufficient in terms of energy.
Tuvalu to be first 100%-solar country
Posted by admin on 23 Jul 2009 | Tagged as: Solar
Tuvalu will become the world’s first nation to rely completely on solar power, a goal the country expects to achieve by 2020.
Instead of just leaving, however, Tuvalu’s 12,000 residents have decided to fight back. The world’s fourth-smallest nation recently announced that it would power the entire island with 100 percent solar energy by 2020. The ambitious project is expected to only cost around $20 million (not bad for an entire nation — but still a hefty $1,666 per resident!) and serve as a model of sustainbility for the rest of the world.
World’s first biofuel-powered flying car can now be ordered
Posted by admin on 22 Jul 2009 | Tagged as: Biofuel
The world’s first biofuel-powered flying car, the ParaJet Skycar V2, is expected to go on sale in 2010. Orders (and deposits) are now being accepted.
The Parajet SkyCar, the world’s first bio-fueled flying car, has been under development for several years, and in January, it made a successful air voyage from Europe to Timbuktu. While finished development and testing are still in the future, you can put a down payment on your very own SkyCar today. For around $16,338 (10,000 pounds) you can reserve a SkyCar, which is priced at $81, 700 (50,000 pounds) and expected to be ready for delivery in 2010.
