November 9, 2009
12:47 pm | 0 recommendations | Be the first to comment
It's relatively easy to quantify the sustainability of commercial buildings thanks to the U.S Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system, which has been giving its seal of approval since 1998. Up until now, landscapes have lacked a similar rating system. The Sustainable Sites Initiative, a so-called "LEED for Landscapes" designed by the American Society of Landscape Architects, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, and the U.S. Botanic Garden, aims to change that.
After 4 years and $2 millon worth of research, the certification is ready for prime time. The Sustainable Sites Initiative, which rates the sustainability of the design, construction, and maintenance of landscapes, is suitable for everything from suburban backyards to college campuses. Landscapes are awarded points based on their proximity to public transportation, use of energy efficient materials, waste treatment, water use, and more. The full list of guidelines and performance benchmarks is available here (PDF).
What's the big deal about landscapes? They have the potential to positively impact our environment in a multitude of ways--cooling and shading from vegetation, CO2 captured from trees and plants, control of invasive species, general health and well-being, and the list goes on. There's a reason that vertical gardens have become so popular as of late.
Anyone interested in becoming part of the Sustainable Sites Initiative pilot program has until February 15, 2010 to submit an application. The minimum project size is 2,000 square feet.
[Via Greenbiz]
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November 9, 2009
09:42 am | 0 recommendations | Be the first to comment
Autodesk, a popular architecture design software company known for its AutoCAD software, is no stranger to green building techniques. But its new methodology for tracking corporate carbon emissions, dubbed C-FACT (Corporate Finance Approach to Climate Stabilizing Targets), is revolutionary. And the company is releasing it to anyone that wants it for free.
Unlike other carbon accounting methods that may punish a company for
continued growth, Autodesk's methodology measures CO2 emissions
proportional to a company's contribution to the global GDP. "We are
trying to communicate that companies are emitters of greenhouse gases
but also providers of economy," said Emma Stewart, senior program lead at the Autodesk Sustainability Initiative. "They should aim to
reduce emissions proportional to what they give."' The methodology is,
according to Autodesk, proportional, verifiable, flexible, compatible,
and fair.
The company has also practiced what it's preaching. C-FACT sprouted out of Autodesk's efforts at calculating and setting goals for its own carbon emissions--it plans to cut its yearly carbon emissions by 4.52% in fiscal 2010. It already emits relatively little CO2 compared to companies with larger supply chains. "We ourselves are not big energy users. The way I see it, the biggest impact we can have is inspiring change in others," Stewart explained.
There is a catch to Autodesk's generosity--the company hopes that by offering up C-FACT to customers, they will be more likely to seek out Autodesk's design software solutions for help in cutting down on CO2 emissions.
[Autodesk]
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November 6, 2009
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Algae is one of the hottest new biofuel materials, with over a dozen companies attempting to make the slimy stuff a viable feedstock. Most of them rely on the natural simplicity of the organism--sun and water turn CO2 from algae into fuel--and a few, including OriginOil, use LEDs to grow algae in the dark. Now a group of researchers from the Missouri University of Science and Technology wants to take OriginOil's technique a step further and grow algae in abandoned mines.
Old mines are actually an ideal location for algae. When algae are grown in outdoor ponds, scientists often fear that
invasive species could escape. That's not a problem in an underground
mine, where algae can't survive long without LED light. The mines are also inexpensive because mining companies long ago prepped the sites for use, and they have constant temperatures--a plus for efficiently growing algae. In addition to saving algae-harvesting companies cash on infrastructure, abandoned mine-grown algae can also save mining companies on cleanup since algae sequesters metals.
Still, there are some downsides. LEDs are expensive and require lots of electricity to run, so there is a danger that more energy could be used in the lighting process than is ultimately generated by the algae. That isn't stopping the Missouri researchers. The team is experimenting with algae in artificial mines, and a real mining operation is scheduled to go online sometime in the next two to three years.
[Via Scientific American]
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November 6, 2009
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The U.S. Army has proven its dedication to sustainability through biofuels and alternative energy, but we still never thought the day would come for a hybrid Humvee. It's coming thanks to a partnership between between lithium ion battery maker EnerDel and the Army.
EnerDel recently signed a $1.29 million, 18-month contract to build hybrid batteries for the clunky High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV, or Humvee). As part of the contract, EnerDel will send potential batteries through extreme performance simulations at the U.S. Army Tank Automotive Research, Development, and Engineering Center (TARDEC). The company is focusing on two battery chemistries: lithium-manganese spinel, which is ideal for extending an EV's range, and lithium-titanate, a chemistry designed for hybrids that require hard acceleration and braking.
The Army isn't just building a hybrid Humvee for green cred. The vehicle could potentially be used as a temporary power plant in emergency situations, and the nearly silent hybrid engine is ideal for hiding from the enemy, as anyone who's nearly stepped out in front of a hybrid taxi cab in a busy urban metro will attest.
Army contract aside, EnerDel parent company Ener1 is already a major player in the lithium-ion battery industry. The company has partnerships with Think Global, Fisker, and Volvo, and EnerDel runs the two only commercial-scale, automotive-grade, lithium-ion battery manufacturing facilities in the U.S.
[Via CNET]
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November 6, 2009
03:29 pm | 0 recommendations | 1 comment
Is hooking up electronics to a phone jack unethical? Maybe, but the RJ11 lamp can at least save some cash. The lamp, which features 8 LED bulbs, gets power from your phone socket instead of the grid or a USB port.
It's a sneaky way to skirt around power meters, but it does siphon cash from the local telco. Still, the RJ11 does bring a new use to increasingly-abandoned landline jacks. And while the lamp may be incredibly ugly, the $4.69 product is a worthwhile science experiment at the very least.
Before trying to hook up all your electronics to the phone line, think twice: the voltage that runs through phone lines isn't intended to provide significant amounts of current, and your phone service could get terminated for abuse. But if you're still interested, the video below provides some more details on just how the RJ11 (and similar devices) work.
[Via Wired]
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November 6, 2009
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Geothermal technology is the ugly duckling of the renewable energy industry--it's not nearly as flashy as wind or solar, and it deals with the most unsexy of materials: rocks. But Australian company Geodynamics just got a big push to make its geothermal technology a reality, with $90 million from Australia's Renewable Energy Demonstration program.
The company's Hot Fractured Rock (HFR) technology, which is based on a method previously used by the oil industry, siphons off heat from broken granite three kilometers down into the earth's crust. Geodynamics plans to pump high-pressure water into a heat exchanger, which sends the water back up to the surface into another heat exchanger once it hits 200 degrees C.
Geodynamics' technology might not be as sexy as a shiny silicon solar panel. But unlike both solar and wind, it can operate 24/7 because rocks are always hot. HFR isn't suitable for just anywhere, however. Only certain locations (like Australia) have enough underground hot rocks, but Geodynamics could potentially bring HFR to the American southwest, which has already seen geothermal success. Of course, the Australian government's grant is only good for that country. So hint, hint, U.S. government: Consider giving this company some cash if all goes well Down Under.
[Via VentureBeat]
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November 6, 2009
11:48 am | 0 recommendations | 6 comments
The world's most efficient electric car isn't much to look at--yet. Designed by Gordon Murray (the design mind behind the tiny T25 city car) and Zytek Automotive, the T27 EV will supposedly be incredibly efficient thanks to its low weight (1,653 lbs), "clean sheet design," and bank of lithium ion batteries that can deliver a 60- to 70-mile range.
The vehicle will be manufactured using Murray's iStream process, which uses computer designs and welding instead of stamped-together metal sheets. The process is so streamlined that iStream factories can be just a fifth of the size of normal plants. Overall, Murray believes that the process can lower the T27's life-cycle emissions by 67% compared to an average car and 27% compared to the closest EV rival.
The T27 isn't quite ready to go to market, though--Murray still has to design a motor, gearbox, mounting system, and inverter for the three-seat vehicle. And of course, the T27 needs a body. But Murray and Zytek have a $7.48 million boost from the U.K.'s Technology Strategy Board that will help them produce four prototypes in the next 16 months. That means we probably won't see a commercial version for at least 2-3 years. Considering the fact that Murray is still working on getting his T25 vehicle to market, it might take even longer.
[Via UK Daily Mail]
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November 5, 2009
06:03 pm | 0 recommendations | Be the first to comment
Your employees have agreed to sacrifice their comfort in exchange for energy savings. You turn down the thermostat, everyone dons a sweater, and it's all good, right? Not so fast. A new study from energy efficiency company Johnson Controls shows that while 69% of U.S. office workers (in an 800-person survey) are willing to forgo comfort for the sake of energy conservation, 78% of workers feel that their productivity lowers when the temperature is uncomfortable.
That's a whole lot of uncomfortable, unproductive people--98% of workers surveyed also said that their office is too hot or too cold at some point. And in the end, a turned-down thermostat often doesn't even save energy, since many employees turn to quick fixes like space heaters and personal fans. And when it's really hot or cold, 30% of workers will take a walk. So what can be done to gain back all that lost productivity without giving up on energy efficiency?
According to Johnson Controls, the answer is simple: Separate a building into different zones, and allow employees in each zone to use individual workstation controls to tweak the temperature, air flow, lighting, and other environmental conditions as necessary. Sure, the study is biased--Johnson Controls sells a Personal Environments desktop control unit (we've also recently reported on EcoFactor, a wireless thermostat rigged up to a DSL or cable box that adjusts to weather info). But the zoned approach makes sense. And in the end, it could save big bucks--3% productivity gain in a 500,000-square-foot office translates into $2,925,000 in productivity savings, nothing to sneeze at.
[Via Business Green]
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November 5, 2009
02:06 pm | 0 recommendations | 1 comment
Lithium-ion batteries will most likely power the next generation of electric vehicles, but Arizona-based startup Fluidic Energy is already looking further into the future. The company, which is betting on a metal-air ionic liquid battery, has received a $5.13 million research grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to kickstart its plan.
Metal-air batteries aren't exactly new, but existing models use water-based electrolytes that are prone to evaporation, and in turn, premature battery failure. Water-based batteries also start to decompose when the cell exceeds 1.23 volts, making existing metal-air models virtually useless for EVs.
But Fluidic Energy thinks a simple fix-- swapping water-based electrolytes for liquid salts (AKA ionic liquids)--can supercharge metal-air batteries so that they have 11 times the energy density of lithium-ion batteries and cost a third of the price. A car running on metal-air could potentially travel 400-500 miles on a single charge, making an extensive EV charging infrastructure a luxury rather than a necessity.
Still, metal-air ionic liquid batteries aren't quite ready for prime-time. Ionic liquids are expensive because they are often made in small quantities. That could easily change if metal-air becomes the battery of choice for EVs, but until then, Fluidic Energy faces a cost barrier. And with lithum-ion battery facilities ramping up production around the world, it's unlikely that an entirely new type of EV battery will find its way into facilities any time soon.
[Via MIT Technology Review]
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November 5, 2009
01:13 pm | 0 recommendations | 2 comments
When BP gave itself the tagline "Beyond Petroleum" in 2000, few environmentalists took the company seriously. Just one year later, Mother Jones magazine named BP as one of the 10 worst corporations for its environmental and human rights records, and in 2006, the company faced criminal charges for spilling 270,000 gallons of crude oil in the Alaskan tundra. Even more recently, BP was nominated for a Climate Greenwash Award. But despite all this, BP might actually live up to its tagline with a plan to become the first major energy company to initiate commercial-scale production of cellulosic ethanol.
The company claims it could launch commercial-scale production as early as next year, in a partnership with Verenium Corporation, which does the dirty work of breaking down cellulose into sugar. Verenium already has a demonstration plant, and the company plans to use grass as a feedstock when the commercial plant comes online.
The Verenium partnership may be BP's most immediate biofuel endeavor, but it's far from the only one. The company is also engaged in a biobutanol pilot project with DuPont using wheat as a feedstock. The $200 million project is expected to have the same emissions and cost as ethanol. And BP is working on a $10 million project with Martek Biosciences for microbial biofuel production (either using algae or another efficient microbe).
BP isn't the only oil company with biofuel aspirations. Exxon recently invested $600 million in a partnership with algae fuel manufacturer Synthetic Genomics, and Chevron has invested in both Solazyme and LS9.
[Via Reuters]
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