December 2009
Monthly Archive
Green plastic company uses solar
Posted by admin on 31 Dec 2009 | Tagged as: Solar
Plastic Package, Inc., a manufacturer of recyclable plastic containers that are corn-, not petroleum-based, is now using solar power to manufacture their products.
The new 208 kW system installed on the roof will initially handle all of Plastic Package’s peak demand and assist its local power provider, Sacramento Municipal Utility District in reducing its summer peak loads during the hottest part of the day.
With solar, the production peaks simultaneously with energy demand. As the sun heats up into midday, power demand increases. With the sun higher in the sky the output from the rooftop solar system is increased. With the addition of a white membrane roof, the unique cylindrical solar panels boosts production even further.
Veterans to get help for LEED exams
Posted by admin on 30 Dec 2009 | Tagged as: LEED
The Veterans Administration and the Green Building Certification Institute will reimburse veterans, their dependents, and reservists for the cost of taking the LEED exam.
Individuals planning to take a LEED professional exam must apply directly to the VA for reimbursement. Under this agreement, the VA will cover up to $2,000 per exam. Anyone who took a LEED Professional Exam after Dec. 3, 2008 is eligible for reimbursement.
Solar-powered plane being tested for night flight
Posted by admin on 28 Dec 2009 | Tagged as: Solar
A 70-member Swiss team is working on a solar-powered plane’s test flight around the world in 36 hours.
The aircraft, bearing call sign HB-SIA, has a weight of only 1,600 kilos but has a wingspan of 63 metres, length of 21.85 metres and 6.4 metres height.
Its weight can be compared to a family car and the engine power to a scooter’s.
It generates power from 11,628 photovoltaic solar cells spread over the wings having a span of an Airbus A-340.
Rope companies benefit from growth of wind power
Posted by admin on 27 Dec 2009 | Tagged as: Wind
Wind turbines need to be serviced, and rope companies are meeting the challenge of fixing these turbines.
Starting a rope company is not easy. Turbine owners and manufacturers generally demand to see an established safety record. Liability and workers’ compensation insurance can be hard to get, and climbers typically need a certain level of certification from the Society of Professional Rope Access Technicians, a trade group, before they are allowed to work on the turbines.
NASA gets first LEED Gold
Posted by admin on 26 Dec 2009 | Tagged as: LEED
The Flight Project Center in the Jet Propulsion Laboratories earned NASA its first Gold LEED certification.
In 2008, NASA created a new mandate that all newly constructed NASA buildings will need to attain, at minimum, a LEED Silver rating. The Flight Projects Center at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) was built on a LEED Silver budget but earned LEED Gold certification. The Flight Projects Center is the first LEED Gold title for the space agency.
Air Force spending billions on conservation
Posted by admin on 25 Dec 2009 | Tagged as: Conservation
The U.S. Air Force plans to spend $2.3 billion on energy and water conservation.
As part of the initiative, the Air Force intends to increase use of renewable energy to 3 percent of all electricity used on bases. As a percentage of all electricity used by the Air Force, the goal is for renewables to account for 10.5 percent by 2015.
Iceland looks at osmotic, tidal energy
Posted by admin on 24 Dec 2009 | Tagged as: Ocean Energy, Osmotic
Iceland plans to build prototype tidal and osmotic power plants in the West Fjords within the next few years.
When you have a saline mass of water on one side and freshwater on the other, chemical energy separates these masses. The system uses a special diaphragm which lets the freshwater through from one side but does not let the saline water through in the opposite direction. This means that the freshwater penetrates into the saline with a resulting increase in pressure on the saline side,” the professor said.
This pressure is consequently used for powering a generator. The pressure can amount to 100 m of water column and can subsequently be used to move a generating wheel linked to an electric generator,’’ Sigfusson said. “At an estuary, two such masses of water meet. If you constantly design a situation where the freshwater and saline waters meet, you can harness this set pressure difference.
Scientists develop glitter-sized solar cells
Posted by admin on 23 Dec 2009 | Tagged as: Solar
Sandia National Laboratories scientists have developed glitter-sized photovoltaic cells that use 100 times less silicon and generate the same amount of energy as conventional solar cells.
The cost reduction is due partly to the fact the microcells don’t need a lot of material to become highly efficient and well-controlled devices. They are just 14 to 20 micrometers thick – a human hair is approximately 70 micrometers thick – and are ten times thinner than a conventional 6 x 6 inch solar cell, however they are capable of being used in large-scale power production. This could mean a reduction in the manufacturing and installation costs when compared to current photovoltaic techniques.
99% of survey respondents would recommend biodiesel
Posted by admin on 22 Dec 2009 | Tagged as: Biofuel
The Biodiesel Alliance surveyed more than 500 biodiesel users, 99% of whom would recommend biodiesel to others.
Respondents own, operate or manage a total of 4,025 diesel vehicles. They identified themselves as 46 percent motorists, 8 percent farmers, 7 percent fleet managers, 4 percent petroleum distributors, 4 percent truck drivers, and 28 percent other. The average respondent had used biodiesel for four years, and 89 percent reported little to no engine and/or fuel quality problems using biodiesel.
Airlines sign pact to buy biofuel
Posted by admin on 20 Dec 2009 | Tagged as: Biofuel
Fourteen international airlines have signed an agreement with AltAirFuels of Seattle, Washington, to potentially buy camelina-based biofuel.
The plant-based fuel will be blended with petroleum jet fuel and piped to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport for use in aircraft and heavy machinery. AltAir said it expects the initial production capacity of the facility to be 75 million gallons per year, which could replace 10 percent of the petroleum-based fuel consumed annually at Sea-Tac. Mitchell said AltAir is targeting a price to airlines of about $2.50 U.S. a gallon.
