Heat from Commuters in Stockholm’s Central Station Serves Nearby Office Block

Swedish ngineers have found a way to recover the excess heat generated by commuters in Stockholm’s main train station and use that energy to heat a nearby office block.

The technology is not all that different from typical heat exchangers … this application is well suited to climates like Sweden where the winters are quite cold and the cost of petroleum based fuels is quite high.

Check out this video of more details … 

 

Lennar PowerSmart Energy Efficient Homes

Lennar PowerSmart

Lennar builds the PowerSmart home in several states.  These homes have efficiency and energy savings build it.

" ... PowerSmart home by Lennar. ... green home designed to save you money while ... saving the environment. ..."

• Features include " ... Tight construction ... Improved Thermal Systems ... 
• High Efficiency power vented gas water heater ... High- Efficiency Toilets ... Low- Flow Faucets ..."

Via: Lennar ™ LINK

EPOC Engine Layout

EcoMotors International has developed the OPOC engine - opposed-piston opposed-cylinder engine.  This engine can run on a number of fuels and is lighter in weight and produces more power than a conventional engine.

The basic engine "unit" has 2 pistons per cylinder and multiple "units" can be coupled for a more powerful engine - or one or more "units" can be turned off at idle or during highway speeds.

" ... demonstrate, in 2010, the automobile industry's first 5-passenger car capable of 100 mpg on the EPA highway cycle."

" ... ground-breaking internal combustion engine ... eliminates the cylinder-head and valve-train components ... lighter, more efficient and economical, with lower exhaust emissions compared with conventional designs...."



Via:  EcoMotors International  LINK

Braxton's Animal Works (Devon, PA) Goes Green with LED Lighting

Braxton's in Devon, PA (western suburbs of Philadelphia) is a 3rd generation family business.  We buy a lot of our dog stuff there ... one day I noticed a sign outside touting their "green-ness" by installing LED lighting.

Their lighting solution came from LED Saving Solutions of Devon, PA..
After installing LED lighting their electric  bill went from over $750 / month to around $100 / month.  Projected lifetime savings are over $260,000 as well as eliminating 100,00 lbs of carbon emissions.


Via: LED Saving Solutions LINK

University of New Hampshire - Energy Leadership

The University of New Hampshire ranked in the top 5 percent in a recent DOE study for energy efficiency among a group of 180 colleges and universities.   Comparing their energy expenditures to the average they save approx. $7 million per year in energy costs (and it gets cold in New Hampshire in the winter)

" ...  in 2000. In our peer group, UNH was in the top five percent for energy efficiency. ... one of the most energy efficient colleges that offers 4 year programs through post-Doctoral research."

" ... on-going energy efficiency program for the past 25 years. ... energy awareness programs to encourage energy conserving activities ..."



Via:  University of New Hampshire  LINK

IBM's Water Cooled Aquasar Technology Reduces Carbon Footprint

IBM has developed a water cooled supercomputer that uses the extracted heat to heat a building.  Normally A/C is needed to remove the excess heat to prevent damage to computer systems.

The A/C to remove heat can use almost as much or more energy than that used to power the computers ... resulting in lots of wasted energy and extra carbon footprint  What a waste !!

" ... Aquasar, consumes up to 40 percent less energy than a comparable air-cooled machine. ... carbon footprint is reduced by up to 85 percent."

" ... micro-channel liquid coolers which are attached directly to the processors, where most heat is generated. ..."



Via:  IBM  LINK

NYC Community Preservation Corp - Money to Make Your Home Greener and Smarter with Energy

The Community Preservation Corp (NYC) is making significant funds ($1 billion) available for energy efficiency and sustainability improvement.

" ... the non-profit Community Preservation Corp. (CPC) in New York is doling out up to $1 billion in construction and mortgage loans for multifamily home owners (aka apartment building landlords) looking to complete energy efficiency or sustainability property improvement ... "

" ... funds are being backed by insurance from the State of New York Mortgage Agency."

" ... figures it can ... increase the energy efficiency in buildings it finances by 20 percent ... aiming to help support the retrofit of up to 15,000 apartments in “the next few years.”  Since being founded 35 years ago, CPC has financed more than 136,000 units. ..."


" ...CPC plans to monitor the impact of the building retrofits so that it can be used to help model and inform similar programs in other regions of the country. ... [green renovations including] ... Right-sizing the heating system ..more efficient heating and water controls ... better showerheads or low-flush toilets ...  New window, wall or roof installations ... Replacement of certain appliances with Energy Star models"

Via: SmartPlanet LINK

Google - Leads in Energy Efficient Data Centers

Google has been at the forefront of energy efficiency quite some time.  They recently were written up for their large rooftop solar array.  Google has lots of data and metrics to determine the average energy "impact" per search.

Read on to learn more about Google current initiatives.

" ... Data centers ... account for most of Google’s energy needs ... take our energy use seriously and, from the very beginning, Google has focused on designing systems that use as little energy as possible ... operating what we believe to be the world's most efficient data centers."

" ... Google-designed data centers use about half the energy of a typical data center ... energy used per Google search is very small ... currently use about 1kJ (0.0003 kWh) of energy to answer the average query ... roughly .2g of CO2 ... often take the place of more carbon- and time-intensive activities, such as driving a car to a library or spending hours navigating shopping malls."

" ... commitment to sustainability goes beyond just electricity and carbon ... two Google

facilities currently run on 100% recycled water, and by 2010 we expect recycled water to provide 80% of our total data center water consumption ... share our own data center best practices and are encouraging our industry peers to do the same ..."

" ... if all data centers operated at the same efficiency as ours, the U.S. alone would save enough electricity to power every household within the city limits of Atlanta, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Washington, D.C."



Via: Google LINK

Home Fuel Cells Coming to Japan

" ... Matsushita ... will claim first place in the race to put commercial home fuel cells on the market ... "

" ... can optimally provide 70 percent of the energy needs for a 1,280 square foot house with four people ... can reduce energy consumption by 22 percent and CO2 emissions by 12 percent as compared to all other power sources ... ".

" ... in this case, the cogeneration home fuel cell hooks up to the city’s natural gas lines, extracting hydrogen from the gas in a fuel-processing device ... hydrogen is combined with oxygen through a series of polyelectrolyte membranes, a process that creates electricity, heat, and water ... home fuel cell produces between 500 watts and a 1 kilowatt of electricity and captures the heat to warm a tank of water, used for showers, dishes etc."

" ... a contribution to Japan’s goals of reducing global CO2 emissions 50 percent by 2050."

" ... fuel cells require a great deal of energy; for example, this unit contains more than 2,000 components. Whether the production of the units negates the energy and CO2 savings gained by customers is unclear."

Check out this video ...

Via: Mother Nature Network LINK

Efficiency Stickers for Buildings

Here is an interesting idea ... what if buildings came with carbon stickers .. much like cars that have mpg and emissions stickers.  Such a mechanism would allow for consumers to shop for the more environmentally friendly building.

" ... every car has a sticker that tells you its fuel consumption ...sticker is also an effective policy mechanism for controlling the overall fuel consumption of all cars, and hence their carbon emissions ... "

"Why don't we do the same for buildings? Buildings account for around 40% of total carbon emissions in North America, while SUVs account for just 3%. Imagine the impact if we could put an efficiency sticker on buildings and halve their emissions over 10 years. Cutting building emissions in half would save 1.14 billion tons of carbon in the U.S. in one year alone."

"We know very little about the energy efficiency of our buildings, and there is no overall benchmark for building performance. ... we don't have a policy lever to reduce building carbon emissions the way we can with cars."

Follow the link below to read the full story ... a very intersting and worthwhile copncept.

What do you think ?





Via: Forbes.com LINK

Sugar as Renewable Energy

Claren Power, a Arlington, Virginia company, " ... partners with sugar mills in Brazil to build modern, cogenerational ... facilities. The fuel comes from sugar cane waste—called bagasse... "

" ... using the waste product of the sugar after the stalks are crushed, ground and shredded and the juice is squeezed out. ... use ... as the fuel for our boiler, which heats water ... to generate steam. This pressurized steam drives a turbine, which is connected to a generator that converts this energy into electricity. ..."

"Most plants consume about a third of the energy (steam and electricity) that we generate during the harvest, leaving the other two-thirds to export to the electrical grid. Our goal is to help make plants more efficient so that we have more excess energy. We’re using the same resources but providing three times more energy."

Via: SmartPlanet  LINK






















'

" ... using the waste product of the sugar after the stalks are crushed, ground and shredded and the juice is squeezed out. ... use this as the fuel for our boiler, which heats water ... to generate steam. This pressurized steam drives a turbine, which is connected to a generator that converts this energy into electricity. ..." "Most plants consume about a third of the energy (steam and electricity) that we generate during the harvest, leaving the other two-thirds to export to the electrical grid. Our goal is to help make plants more efficient so that we have more excess energy. We’re using the same resources but providing three times more energy."

Via: SmartPlanet  LINK Via: SmartPlanet LINK

Business Goes Green Conference

What can GREEN IT bring business in the way of energy savings? Listen to the panel discussion with members from IBM, Cisco and VMware talking about what each of their organizations is doing to help green the enterprise.

" ... Business Goes Green conference in San Jose, Calif., on June 6, Forrester Research Senior Vice President Christopher Mines moderated a discussion on data centers and the green technologies that panel members believe will have the most significant impact in the future ... "

There are some rather simple things that can reduce energy consumption like straightening cables under the floor so A/C can flow better to reduce A/C load.  







Via: ZDNet LINK

US Department of Energy L Prize (L = Lighting)

The US Department of Energy is sponsoring a competition, the L Prize Competition, to build a better lightbulb.  The 60 Watt incandescent replacement will use less than 10 Watts

" ... competition will substantially accelerate America's shift from inefficient, dated lighting products to innovative, high-performance products. ... the L Prize will drive innovation and market adoption. ...

is the first government-sponsored technology competition designed to spur lighting manufacturers to develop high-quality, high-efficiency solid-state lighting products to replace the common light bulb."

"If every socket in the U.S. converted their 60W incandescent lamps to the 10 W L Prize winner, the country would save approximately 34.0 Terawatt-hours of electricity in one year, and avoid 5.6 million metric tons of carbon emissions.... enough electricity to power the lights of 17.4 million U.S. households, or nearly twice the annual electricity consumption of the city of Las Vegas."



Via: lightingprize.org LINK

Philips USA Green Solutions - "asimpleswitch.com"

" ... green solutions throughout the home – from energy saving lighting to TVs, home theaters, kettles and more. ... Our energy savers offer up to 80% energy saving and up to 8 times longer life. We offer sustainable lighting solutions ..."

" ... advances in addressing power consumption,... dimming backlights, ambient light sensors and image processing intelligence that calculates where energy consumption can be reduced ..."

" ... simple innovations like packaging and easier disassembly for recycling, to rechargeable batteries which last 20% longer without charging, ... "

" ... A Simple Switch Program, we will work with you to assess, evaluate and implement energy efficient solutions designed to meet your specific performance and financial requirements."





Via: Philips USA LINK

Kenworth Hybrid Tractors for Coca Cola

"Kenworth ... announced today its largest ever hybrid truck order ... from Coca-Cola Enterprises, ... for 150 Kenworth T370 diesel-electric tractors and 35 Kenworth T370 hybrid trucks, Kenworth T370 tractors (rated at 55,000 lb. GCW) are the largest hybrid delivery truck on the road in North America."

" ... deploy the Kenworth hybrid tractors to Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, Montreal, New Orleans, New York, Portland (Ore.), San Antonio, San Francisco, Seattle, Tampa, Toronto, Vancouver, and Washington, D.C. ... hybrid trucks (rated at 33,000 lb. GVW) will be deployed to Albuquerque, Boston, Cincinnati, Columbus (Ohio), Jacksonville (Fla.), Knoxville, Las Vegas, Missoula, New Orleans, and Seattle, joining CCE’s fleet of 120 Kenworth 12-bay hybrid delivery trucks."

" ... Advanced powertrain controls ... select the ideal power mode, smoothly switching among electric only, combined diesel and electric, and diesel only power modes. Electricity generated through regenerative braking is stored and used for acceleration, assisting the diesel engine...."

Via: Kenworth LINK

Ford "Start-Stop" Fuel Efficient Technology

Many years ago I recall VW offering "Start - Stop" engines in the US. Basically the engine turned off at stop lights and fired back up when the accelerator was pushed. Automatic "Start - Stop" systems eliminate wasteful idling at lights and other stops.

Ford is bring this technology to it's fleet over the next several years.

" ... start-stop systems ... shut down the engine to prevent idling ... in the US, only hybrids have that capability ... Barb Samardzich, VP of Global Powertrain engineering stated that over the next several years all Ford vehicles will get the auto-stop capability. Currently, only the Escape, Mariner, Fusion, and Milan hybrids have it here ..."


Via: autobloggreen LINK

Dilbert's Ultimate House (DUH) is Green

Dilbert's creater, Scott Adams, is building Dilbert's Ultimate House (DUH for short). This ahs some interesting GREEN features. In addition to eliminating wasted space like a large foyer or rarely used dining room there are the usual energy efficient design elements and appliances.

"... building the greenest home in the area ... for its size ... definition of green isn't about giving up what you want so much as finding the greenest way to do it ... energy-saving features include ... Solar panels ... Clay roof with lighter colors for best reflective properties ... Thermal barrier in roof ... Windows minimized and shaded on the hot West side ... Efficient lighting ... Energy Star appliances ..."

" ... goal was to get our use of AC use down to a few days per summer ... my current office ... I have to run the AC full-blast for about 9 months a year."

" ... back yard will be artificial turf. Water is a big issue in California. ..."

Via: Dilbert's Blog LINK

Fat Spaniel Technologies - Monitor and Track PV Solar Panels in Real Time

So you have decided to go green and install solar panels on the roof. How do you know that they are working - or specifically their efficiency and minute to minute generation. How do you anticipate problems before they happen? How do you really see what is happening with your PV solar system?

Do what Jay Leno (link to Jay Leno case study) did when he covered his garage with solar panels .. get Fat Spaniel!

" ... Fat Spaniel provides ... an industrial-grade, Software-as-a-Service renewable energy plant management system that enables plant operators to: ... Manage renewable energy plants in real-time ... Communicate and interact with mobile personnel ... Generate revenue utilizing back-end services for regulatory agency reporting, renewable energy certificate (REC) registration, and environmental reporting"

Fat Spaniel allows you to see, in real time ... "... total power generated by ... day, week, month, or year ... local irradiance, cell temperature, and ambient temperature ... avoided greenhouse gases (CO2, NOx and Sox) over the lifetime ..."



Via: Fat Spaniel Technologies LINK

Green Home and Business Consulting / Audits

I found this link from a MainLineNeighbors.com email ...

" ... we strive to reduce Home and Business Owners expenses by providing strategies for reducing your energy utility costs. Every dollar saved on utilities is an inherently Green practice with less energy and CO2 produced. ... Andrew Horning Consulting LLC provides Efficiency Consultation Services for both the residential and commercial markets. ... provide a menu of recommendations for energy saving eco-friendly strategies. ..."



Via: Andrew Horning Consulting LLC LINK

PNC Green Branch® Facts

In an earlier post I mentioned the PNC has the most green buildings of any company on the planet and that they have a drive to build green bank branches - and have trademarked the term "Green Branch".

Here is some more info about their LEED certified branches / buildings ... " More than 50 percent of the branch, including floors, wall covering and furniture fabric, is made from recycled or “green” materials., ... Carpet is made from 51 percent recycled material and is 100 percent recyclable into new carpet backing. ... Cabinets are wheatboard, a byproduct of wheat processing, instead of plywood. ... Entry way flooring is made of animal hair and reduces dirt/dust tracked inside. ... Energy usage is reduced 50 percent or more compared to a
traditional branch due to high-efficiency systems and insulation along with maximum use of natural light, ... Water usage is reduced by 6,200 gallons a year. ... walls are insulated above code to improve efficiency. ... construction waste, such as wood, steel and cardboard, is recycled or salvaged, reducing landfill waste by 150 tons per branch. "

Via: PNC.com LINK