Green Building & Manufacturing Articles
New Solar Energy Conversion Process Could Double Solar Efficiency of Solar Cells
ScienceDaily (Aug. 2, 2010) - A new process that simultaneously combines the light and heat of solar radiation to generate electricity could offer more than double the efficiency of existing solar cell technology, say the Stanford engineers who discovered it and proved that it works. The process, called "photon enhanced thermionic emission," or PETE, could reduce the costs of solar energy production enough for it to compete with oil as an energy source.
Stanford engineers have figured out how to simultaneously use the light and heat of the sun to generate electricity in a way that could make solar power production more than twice as efficient as existing methods and potentially cheap enough to compete with oil.
Unlike photovoltaic technology currently used in solar panels -- which becomes less efficient as the temperature rises -- the new process excels at higher temperatures.
Called "photon enhanced thermionic emission," or PETE, the process promises to surpass the efficiency of existing photovoltaic and thermal conversion technologies.
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BIM: Paperless planning
The 10-story headquarters of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Nebraska in Omaha will save an estimated $5 million in design and construction costs by using new high-tech tools that save time, reduce waste and boost productivity.
The $98 million project at 67th and Frances Streets in the Aksarben Village development illustrates the construction industry's embrace of computer technology as it migrates from architect's desk to craftsman's tools in the field.
Consider the savings:
» A project this size would have generated thousands of pages of blueprints and construction documents. Instead, a computer program integrates plans electronically, automatically updating information for contractors and subcontractors.
» Software "builds" three-dimensional computer models before the first nail is pounded. The virtual building shows "clashes" where beams, pipes or other structures try to occupy the same space, so they can be moved before work begins. The system also can resolve potential safety hazards early on.
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Building Information Modeling: Risks and Rewards
Building information modeling software is a powerful tool with enormous potential to streamline the construction process. According to the American Institute of Architects, a building information model " ... is a digital representation of the physical and functional characteristics of the project."
Architects initially hold the power of BIM, though they must share its capabilities to enhance construction efficiency. BIM not only allows a project's design to be viewed in three or more dimensions, but also it can demonstrate the means by which a building should be constructed, locations for crane placements, manpower loading, and other means and methods issues. Utilized appropriately, BIM can reduce construction time, costs, and claims.
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Energy Efficient Windows Melt Vinyl Siding
BOSTON -- Deb Vincequere's home in Worcester, Mass., is a mess because her vinyl siding is melting.
"It's so upsetting I could cry. I'm not kidding you. I cry all the time. It's buckling, it's lifting off the house, it's curling up, it's just totally ruined," Vincequere told Team 5.
Carolyn Dillon of Watertown, Mass., is also upset with the way her home looks.
"I'm horrified. I think it was almost a $10,000 job," said Dillon, who installed different vinyl siding but experienced the same melting problem. "About 15-16 pieces have dents or rolling areas in them."
In both cases, local building inspectors said the damage was caused by sunlight bouncing off double-pane energy efficient windows on nearby homes.
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China Overtakes U.S. as Saudi Arabia of Wind Power
The United States has been called the Saudi Arabia of wind. But for the first time ever, China has exceeded the U.S. in newly installed wind capacity.
In a report released Wednesday, the U.S. Department of Energy details how all old records of wind power have been broken. In 2009, the U.S. added roughly 10,000 megawatts of new capacity--that's 40% more than was added the previous year.
To put those numbers in perspective, the solar power industry added just 481 megawatts of new capacity during that period, a far cry from the growing wind market. Wind now contributes to 39% of all new electrical capacity in the U.S.
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Selenium Makes More Efficient Solar Cells
ScienceDaily (Aug. 6, 2010) - Call it the anti-sunscreen. That's more or less the description of what many solar energy researchers would like to find -- light-catching substances that could be added to photovoltaic materials in order to convert more of the sun's energy into carbon-free electricity.
Research reported in the journal Applied Physics Letters, published by the American Institute of Physics (AIP), describes how solar power could potentially be harvested by using oxide materials that contain the element selenium. A team at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in Berkeley, California, embedded selenium in zinc oxide, a relatively inexpensive material that could be promising for solar power conversion if it could make more efficient use of the sun's energy. The team found that even a relatively small amount of selenium, just 9 percent of the mostly zinc-oxide base, dramatically boosted the material's efficiency in absorbing light.
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New York Tackles 'Brownfields' Cleanup
Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and Pete Grannis, the commissioner of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, announced an agreement Thursday morning that paved the way for the city to start cleaning up "brownfields," or light-to-moderately contaminated areas that are not toxic enough to qualify for federal or state Superfund cleanup programs. About 7,000 vacant or underused acres around the city could be readied for new development under the program, city officials said.
In 2008, the city created an Office of Environmental Remediation to run the program, which will kick off on a half-acre property at Stillwell Avenue and Pelham Parkway South in the Bronx. One of an estimated 1,500 to 2,000 brownfields around the city, it has been chosen as the site of Pelham Parkway Towers, an affordable housing complex.
City officials said the brownfields program, which offers financial incentives to developers to offset some of the costs of cleaning up properties, would speed the cleaning process and put an end to "self-directed cleanups" managed by the developers without government oversight. (For more on the city's preparations, check out this progress report on PLANNYC, a long-term effort by the city to assure a sustainable environmental future.)
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Toward a Cleaner and Greener New York
It was like Earth Day for the New York City Council on Thursday as members passed legislation to improve air quality and expand recycling programs.
As announced earlier this week by the City Council speaker, Christine Quinn, and Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, one of the new laws will halve sulfur levels in a common type of home heating oil, No. 4, starting in October 2012. The law also will require that biodiesel fuel make up at least 2 percent of all grades of petroleum heating oil.
With the enactment this month of a New York State law that will drastically reduce the sulfur content in No. 2, the most common type of heating oil, the city's action is expected to make an important dent in soot pollution and asthma cases.
The City Council also approved a package of bills ushering in the first major overhaul of recycling laws adopted in 1989. The new laws will increase plastics recycling, put more recycling bins in schools and public areas and allow residents to recycle hazardous waste like paint.
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Group of architects push for 'green architecture'
MANILA, Philippines-As typhoons, floods and other disasters continue to threaten Metro Manila, a group of architects are pushing for the promotion of "green architecture," integrating environmental protection with urban planning.
In a press forum on Thursday, Mike Guerrero of the Green Architecture Advocacy of the Philippines described green architecture as "designing with nature." That is, "designing according to what is around you…ecological and aesthetic harmony," he said.
Green architecture focuses on sustainable site development, improvement of indoor air quality, water management, energy management and solid waste management, green materials and preservation of cultural contexts.
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BrightSource to build largest concentrating solar power plant
On August 4th, 2010, Brightsource Energy Inc., an Oakland, California-based developer of utility-scale solar thermal power plants, announced that the California Energy Commission's (CEC) siting committee recommended approval of what will be the world's largest solar energy project. The project, called the Ivanpah Solar Energy Generating System (ISEGS), consists of a three-plant, 392-megawatt solar electric generating system located in California's Mojave Desert. After a 30-day comment period passes, the final permits allowing the commencement of construction will most likely be issued.
Additionally, Brightsource Inc. has received a conditional commitment from the U.S. Department of Energy for $1.37 billion in loan guarantees to fund the project.
The electric power that the plants generate will be contracted to two utility companies, Pacific Gas & Electric Co. and Southern California Edison Co., under separate long-term contracts that will deliver more than 2,600 megawatts of electric power. Impressively, Ivanpah will double the amount of solar thermal electricity currently produced in the U.S. Additional benefits of the project include:
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Insurance Companies Find There Is Money to Be Made in Green Technology
HONG KONG - Every day, national and local officials, municipal utilities, corporations, homeowners and consumers are weighing the risks and rewards of adopting renewable energy. The up-front costs can be daunting.
Sure, putting solar panels on my house might be good for Mother Earth and could save me money in the long term, but what if they break in two years and I'm out $5,000 before I have recouped my investment?
Unfortunately, good karma points are not going to pay the power bill. But insurance might.
Increasingly, insurers are stepping in to bridge the gap between green intentions and actual capital outlays on green technology.
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Innovation: Reinventing urban wind power
With the environmental movement gathering momentum, many are thinking of installing wind turbines to generate their own electricity. Unfortunately, wind speeds in urban areas are usually too slow and turbulent to make micro wind generation cost-effective.
So while the strict planning regulations that have prevented homeowners from erecting domestic turbines in the UK are expected to be relaxed next month, city-dwellers may find manufacturers reluctant to sell them their turbines for fear that poor performance will reflect badly on a young and vulnerable industry.
However, researchers at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, believe that the problem is not with the low wind speeds after all, but with the methods used to harvest wind power. Cities have plenty of wind energy we can use, they say, but to harness it requires a different tack. It's time to reinvent the urban wind turbine.
Moving away from traditional electromagnetic generators and turbines may seem like a radical step, but on a small scale and with low wind speeds, piezoelectric generation looks like an attractive option.
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The Simple BIM Concept
Building Information Modeling (BIM) enables unprecedented Team Work of building design and constructability. The power of BIM to bring together the client, architect, engineer, and contractor into a singular team, centered on project execution, will transform our industry.
The design team's mission for a BIM project should be to create a realistic simulation of working conditions necessary to produce a realistic BIM Model that will enhance time and effort to produce construction documents, maximize time available for design development and optimization, and thereby provide our clients with a better project development process.
The BIM deliverable focus should center on how, not, who, when, where or why. For the design team to have an effective deliverable, they should involve the client in team communication during every phase of design. Part of the process should be to hand the client a model viewer and supply training on use of the viewer, so that the BIM model can be viewed as the model is being developed. The team focus should be on delivering not only a quality BIM model, but a quality, high performance building, that will be functional for the client.
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10 Million Solar Roofs Bill Moves Forward
If the legislation is eventually approved, it is expected to create hundreds of thousands of jobs and cut greenhouse gas emissions immensely.
"We are losing the race for solar jobs, and falling behind other nations in solar installations," said Sanders. "That must change. The question is whether we will take advantage of clean, renewable solar energy or let other countries create solar jobs using technology developed in America. I think we can lead. This bill will help us do that."
Sanders also mentioned the deflating fact that though the U.S. invented the solar cell, countries like Japan, Germany, and Spain have surged ahead of us in the use of this technology.
If the bill goes through, it will offer $250 million for competitive grants in 2012 and $500 million a year after that until 2021.
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Efficiency Retrofits for Commercial Buildings Could Save $41.1B
Instituting a 10-year retrofit program for the country's commercial spaces could save $41.1 billion in energy expenses every year, according to a new report by Pike Research.
According to the report, as of 2010, more than 80 percent of commercial buildings in the U.S. were more than 10 years old. Pike estimated that a 10-year retrofit program would cost a total of $22.5 billion over its 10-year span.
Commercial buildings cover a total of 79 billion square feet and are one of the leading sources of energy consumption and carbon emissions, according to the report.
However, despite these promising numbers, Pike Research's analysis found that the actual market for energy efficiency retrofits is only a small fraction of the potential.
The best-funded opportunities for retrofits today are major upgrades in institutional buildings, especially in federal buildings. This market, already strong because of federal policy mandates and creditworthiness, received a boost from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).
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Insurance from floods underwater
Nation's flooding safety net is $18 billion in the red, much from repetitive claims
WASHINGTON - The first warning sign was a house in Humble.
Between 1977 and 1995, the National Flood Insurance Program paid out $806,591 for repeated storm damage to a suburban Houston home that was valued at $114,480. If you think the math doesn't add up, you're not the only one.
The federal government's program to protect coastal residents from nature's devastation has coughed up more than $8 billion over the past 15 years for more than 150,000 troubled properties that have filed multiple claims for storm damage.
And that's just one problem for a program that was designed to be an essential economic safety net to hundreds of thousands of coastal residents but has come under attack for the way it manages its money and fulfills its mission. Critics say the program, rather than acting as a safety net against catastrophic damage from hurricanes, has become a taxpayer-funded subsidy to coastal home owners and real estate interests to build and buy homes in high-risk areas.
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