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Atmospheric CO2 Continues To Increase Rapidly, Despite Global Economic Downturn

The Author — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 14:19:45 +0000

Despite reduced industrial output and transport due to the slumping global economy, scientists in Norway are still measuring record high levels of atmospheric CO2. There are fears that the CO2 concentration is actually increasing rapidly.

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The Newest Tesla Is Rolling Out! (Probably Isn’t What You Were Expecting)

The Author — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 16:47:02 +0000

Though it may not have Tesla’s signature good looks and sleek styling on the outside, what’s powering this all-electric walk-in van (WIV) on the inside is signature Tesla. Actually, it’s one of the first projects resulting from the Daimler-Tesla deal, that had many skeptics saying was a waste of money, which has bore fruit. While the WIV is designed and largely developed by Freightliner, the Tesla Motors battery pack is what gives a heartbeat to this ubiquitous van.

From the Freightliner press release:

Freightliner Custom Chassis Corporation (FCCC) continues its legacy of engineering alternative-power products for the commercial vehicle industry with the introduction of its highly anticipated plug-in all-electric walk-in van (WIV) chassis. The new chassis model is the only one domestically engineered and the first in the industry to be completely all-electric (includes HVAC system) in North America.

The all-electric chassis, developed in partnership with Enova Systems (NYSE:ENA and AIM:ENV and ENVS), a leading developer and producer of electric and hybrid-electric drive system technologies for commercial vehicle OEMs, is built on the popular FCCC MT-45 WIV chassis platform.

On select delivery and service routes, studies show that customers will save up to $15,000 per vehicle annually compared with traditionally powered walk-in vans. The quiet operation of the all-electric chassis also makes for an enjoyable driver experience. This new chassis has a flat-leaf spring front and rear suspension, allowing for a smooth, solid ride that minimizes cargo shifts on uneven road surfaces.

The development program with Enova involved the engineering and integration of Enova’s 120kW all-electric drive system technology into the new MT-45 chassis. Ideal for the pickup and delivery market, the MT-45 chassis boasts a GVWR of 14,000 to 19,500 lbs. The durable steel straight-rail chassis frame reduces flex and bowing to minimize chassis stress while carrying heavy payloads.

The Good: A delivery van that is all-electric and can get the same job done as its smelly and polluting counterparts. Developed and manufactured in America.

The Bad: Initial cost of the vehicles is likely to be high and widespread outfitting in the delivery company fleets low.

The Bottom-Line: A hopeful first step toward a new fleet of cleaner delivery vehicles.

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RecycleBank Rewards Los Angeles Residents For Recycling

The Author — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 16:08:30 +0000

By now, everyone should know the overall benefits of recycling most things. Though many things we often think of as being ‘recycled’ are often downcycled into a material or product of ‘lower worth or usefulness’, the habit and practice of a more ‘use/re-use’ mentality is an important first step towards a more sustainable way of consuming things (I know oxymoron) that produce ‘trash’.

One city in America that already recycles and/or reuses more of its trash(65% to be exact) than any other major metropolitan in the country is Los Angeles. While this number is impressive, LA’s mayor, Antonio Villraigosa, wants people to recycle even more, which is why he has implemented a RecycleBank pilot program, set to begin on April 5th, that will initially serve 15,000 residences in the West Valley and North Central regions of LA.

Cash For Trash

RecycleBank is a company that, among other things, offers a curbside recycling program that rewards participants for the amount and weight of their recyclables. Curbside recycling bins are outfitted with special ID tags that are scanned each time the bins are emptied. The recorded weight is then uploaded to a participants account where points are accrued that can be redeemed for a wide range of product and services from over 1000 participating retailers. The program even allows you to convert your points into charitable donations which RecycleBank will often match.

RecycleBank currently serves 20 U.S. cities as well as many regions in the U.K. In addition to its curbside recycling program, RecycleBank also will accept many forms of electronic devices, or e-waste, for which it will also reward points, and also has plans to financially reward people for using renewable energy. The company is also involved in many charitable/environmental endeavors as well such as the Green Dimes program as well as RecycleBank’s own Green Schools program. From its website:

At RecycleBank, we are defining and building the 21st century Gconomy. It is a place where communities, companies and individuals are financially rewarded for positive green actions that create economic efficiencies. We started in 2005 by financially rewarding households for the amount that they recycle, because recycling enabled us to connect with every home in every neighborhood. We are now expanding our service to financially reward people for additional green actions that include using solar and wind power, using water efficiently, riding public transportation, and buying products that are manufactured from recycled content.

The Good: An incentivized system that rewards people for participating in environmental best-practices like recycling. Reward points can also be converted into charitable donations.

The Bad: The program rewards people for recycling their trash by essentially supplying them with the opportunity to acquire more ’stuff’ that produces more trash. Direct incentive programs often unrealistically condition peoples’ expectation of reward for doing something that they should be doing in the first place. This program is being implemented in a city that already has the highest recycling rate in the country?!

The Bottom-Line: A well developed program that is likely to be met with great enthusiasm and participation, but the material incentive driving the interest in the program somewhat contradicts its intended purpose.

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New HEMI Hybrid Ram Allows ‘Manly Men’ To Go Green Without Fear

The Author — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 15:49:42 +0000

Production of the new Dodge Ram 1500 hybrid is scheduled to begin in late 2010. So line up all you macho dudes who up until now were to afraid to show your ‘greener’ side.

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World’s 2nd Largest Solar Power Plant Attached To Largest Fossil-Fuel Power Plant In U.S.?

The Author — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 15:37:41 +0000

courtesy of the NY Times

Somewhere in West Palm Beach, Florida, occupying the former site of undisturbed swampland, sits a seemingly endless field of mirrors (190,000 to be exact). When completed next year, these mirrors will constitute a big chunk of the world’s second largest solar powered power plant. While this in and of itself would be newsworthy on its own, the solar plant’s immediate neighbor, to which it’s actually connected to, is another “world’s largest” power plant holder; only this power plant is powered by fossil-fuel.

Gray On Green

That’s right, the FPL Group utility, owner of both the solar and natural gas-fired power plants, is trying a new experiment in hybrid utility-scale energy production. By grafting the production of the solar array onto the existing natural gas power plant (the largest in the U.S.), the company is trying to see whether or not conventional power generation can be complimented in a practical and economical way with renewable energy. The end result of course being a less environmentally harmful power production facility that is cheaper to run.

While many solar power plants already incorporate small scale gas turbines to augment their power output on cloudy days, this is the first time such a large scale solar array has been placed into service for the benefit of a conventional fossil fuel power plant. Since the variable and intermittent nature of power output from renewable energy sources. such as wind and solar, is probably their biggest shortcoming at the moment, the West Palm Beach ‘hybrid configuration’ (known officially as the Martin Next Generation Solar Energy Center) aims to show that when connected to a production facility that can provide demanded power instantly, solar makes more practical and economical sense from a utility scale perspective.

What It Can Do

The solar array itself is capable of producing 75 megawatts of power, enough to power 11,000 homes, which sounds like a lot; until you look at its neighbor’s capacity of 3,800 megawatts. From the NY Times:

The solar panels concentrate the sun’s rays into a vacuum-sealed tube that contains a synthetic oil, which heats up to 748 degrees Fahrenheit. The oil is then used to produce steam that is fed into an existing turbine to produce electricity. Using small sensors, the mirrors will be able to rotate during the day to track the sun’s movement. In case of a hurricane, they will flip upside down for protection.

So why would FPL invest almost $500 million dollars on a project to get such a relatively small energy production return? There are a couple of reasons.

Why Would A Utility Go Solar?

First, a fairly large percentage (around 20%) of generation capacity from power plants is essentially wasted by never really being used. This is because the grid, to which these plants are connected, is also feed power from renewable sources as well. These renewable sources do not supply power to the grid at a constant rate like a conventional power plant and therefore require the latter to operate at almost the same capacity it would have if the renewable energy sources were not there in the first place. What this really means is that these plants have to remain idle and ready to fire up at a moments notice to meet demand. Keeping a plant ‘idle’ costs money, and the always industrious utility companies would love to save about 20% in their operation costs.

The second reason a project like the FPL hybrid project exists is due to utilities taking preemptive action toward a federal mandate about to be passed, but currently stalled…like everything else in Washington, by Congress that will require all utilities to have at least 25% of the power generation come from clean renewable sources. 29 states have already passed similar requirements, so for the utility companies; the writing is on the wall.

Lastly, the environmental PR for a utility company is worth far more than the project costs. Considering utilities are the largest contributor to greenhouse gases, they need all the ‘green press’ they can get. The West Palm Beach FPL project is expected to have some fairly significant environmental benefits. Again from the Times:

FPL estimates it will cut its natural gas use by 1.3 billion cubic feet each year, the consumption of 18,000 American homes. It will also cut carbon emissions by 2.75 million tons over 30 years, the equivalent of taking 19,000 cars off the road.

The Good: A huge solar array that will help compliment the energy produced at its symbiotic natural-gas-powered neighbor. This type of ‘hybrid’ configuration may allow for significantly reduced run times for fossil-fuel-based power plants, thereby reducing emissions, cost, and environmental impact.

The Bad: The setup up is the ‘Yukon Hybrid’ of power production. Yes, it has some ’shades of green’, but in the end, it’s still a fossil-fuel-based facility that produces CO2 emissions. This type of setup is somewhat geographically dependent and requires a lot of acreage in uninhabited and/or sparsely populated parts of the country. Location displaced local flora and fauna native to area swamps.

The Bottom-Line: Like hybrid vehicles, this hybrid power production setup is ‘less bad’; therefore, given the current metrics by which endeavors such as this one are measured, more environmentally friendly (good).

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Arctic Release Of Methane Much Faster Than Expected. Runaway Warming Risks Increase

The Author — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 15:54:27 +0000

Methane traps 30 times more heat in the atmosphere than CO2. Unfortunately for us, millions of tons of it may be coming to the surface faster than expected in the arctic; increasing the chances of runaway warming to occur.

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World’s First LEED Platinum Certified Convention Center Goes To…Vancouver

The Author — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 17:17:37 +0000

While I myself am a LEED AP and work on many LEED certified projects, the vast majority of them would quite frankly be better served, from a sustainability perspective, spending the thousands of certification dollars on more sustainable building elements. Unfortunately, we don’t live in an ideal world where the quality, worth, and importance of something is judged solely by the sum of its parts and/or performance. So an easily digestible and outwardly simple to understand ‘certification’ scale needs to be in place, i.e. LEED, to convince the general public that a building that is claiming to be ‘green’ is indeed green.

While the LEED system certainly is not a direct indicator of a building’s true environmental benefit, to the contrary more times than the USGBC would like to admit actually, the upper levels of certification (gold and platinum) are usually good indicators of a building that really does have some deeper shades of green to it.

One such example is Vancouver’s new Vancouver Convention Centre West which is the first convention center in the world to achieve LEED Platinum certification. Designed by Seattle-based LMN Architects, the convention center is over 1.2 million square feet of indoor conditioned space and served as the HQ for the international media during the Olympics.

Having achieved LEED Platinum certification, the highest possible certification in the LEED program, one would expect the center to have some fairly robust sustainable features; and it does. One of it’s most prominent and immediately recognizable features, at least from the air, is its enormous 6-acre living greenroof which is the largest non-industrial greenroof of its kind in North America. The roof consists of over 400,00 plantings of native grasses and sedum that serve to not only regulate the buildings indoor temperature, but also are apart of the center’s stormwater recycling system and landscape irrigation.

Some other features of the center include:

Restored marine habitat that is part of the building’s foundation
- On-site black water treatment and desalinization systems that are projected to reduce potable water use 60 to 70 percent over typical convention centers
- A heat pump system that takes advantage of the constant temperature of the adjacent seawater to produce heating and cooling
- Extensive use of local materials, including Douglas fir and Hemlock wood finishes harvested from Vancouver Island and the Sunshine Coast
- Energy efficient fixtures and advanced energy management systems
- Natural daylighting and ventilation

There are no commissioning details as of yet about the buildings energy performance, which is the most crucial aspect of any ‘green’ structure, but with new LEED guidelines in place, performance data should be around the corner.

The Good: An extremely large structure that has been constructed with sustainability as its core building principle. Greenroof is one of the largest in the world.

The Bad: Energy consumption data is still not available and although energy efficient design and systems are in place in the center, only time will tell if the structure lives up to its lofty certification (seeing as energy-efficiency is really at the core of any ‘green’ structure…or at least should be).

The Bottom-Line: It’s an amazing structure that has obviously put its development dollars to good use. Now if only all convention centers were built like this…

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Japan Says It Won’t Comply With Bluefin Tuna Ban…Imagine That

The Author — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 16:34:25 +0000

It really does seem like Japan has a strong aversion to anything roaming the seas. First, it has it’s ongoing refusal to stop killing whales. Now, it is also refusing to recognize the ban on close to extinct bluefin tuna.

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Porsche Introduces The 918 Spyder Plug-In. Stunning, Sexy, And 78 MPG!?

The Author — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 15:25:12 +0000

That’s right folks; no bs…78 miles per gallon. I wouldn’t lie to you (unless Porsche is lying to everyone). Finally, an exoctic sports car hybrid that does more than simply add an extra mile to the gallon or give it’s maker some sort of translucent green hue. LAMBORGHINI…sorry I sneezed.

The 918 Spyder is a concept, aren’t the ones everyone wants always, but that doesn’t take away from the fact the car seems to have it all. Anyhow, here are all the juicy tidbits courtesy of Carscoop revealed at the Geneva Motor Show earlier this week.

The 918 Spyder, a plug-in concept with claimed emissions of 70g CO2/km, is said to provide the Marty McFly’s kids with a fuel economy of 78 mpg US (3L / 100 km) while lapping the ‘Ring in 7:30, hitting 100km/h in 3.2 seconds, and peaking at 320 km/h (198 mph). That’s supposed to get you hooked.

Its engine is a 9,200 RPM-reaching, 500-horse out-putting, 3.4 liter-displacing V8 which is electro-enhanced by way of motors that supposedly add another 160 kW (218 hp).

All-wheel-power hits the ground via a 7-speed PDK, energy is stored in a liquid-cooled lithium-ion battery behind the passenger, the brakes are regenerative, and the carbon-fiberized plastic body panels keep weight around 1,490 kilos (3,285 lbs). But you say you want variety?

According to Porsche, the 918 has four different modes of power delivery:

“A button on the steering wheel allows the driver to choose among four different running modes: The E-Drive mode is for running the car under electric power alone, with a range of up to 25 km or 16 miles. In the Hybrid mode, the 918 Spyder uses both the electric motors and the combustion engine as a function of driving conditions and requirements, offering a range from particularly fuel-efficient all the way to extra-powerful.”

The Sport Hybrid mode uses both drive systems, but with the focus on performance. Most of the drive power goes to the rear wheels, with Torque Vectoring serving to additionally improve the carís driving dynamics.

In the Race Hybrid mode the drive systems are focused on pure performance with the highest standard of driving dynamics on the track, running at the limit to their power and dynamic output. With the battery sufficiently charged, a push-to-pass button feeds in additional electrical power (E-Boost), when overtaking or for even better performance.”

Inside the Spyder, people will be able to preview Porsche’s future interior design/tech ideas. Prime examples include the already-popular lighting variations (Eco mode is green, Sport is red, etc.), a very-Ferrari multi-function steering wheel, and Range Manager, a nav-system-based program that A) shows the car’s current range – on a map – when driving, and B) shows the car’s electricity-only range when in a city, along with potential filling stations.

Porsche says the 918 Spyder can even beat the Carrera GT on the Nordschleife.

^^^^^I Don’t know what this means, but it sounds serious^^^^^^

The Good: An exotic car company producing an exotic car that delivers on it’s signature wow factor in the performance and looks department, but also in the fuel-efficiency department as well.

The Bad: I have a better shot at getting a date with Angelina Jolie than this car does of ever seeing production. Full disclosure: my odds are slightly less than impossible .

The Bottom-Line: It’s an amazing looking car that I will now be driving in all of my dreams involving transportation in a future sustainable utopia.

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MoMA Exhibit Showcases Possible Solutions For NYC’s Impending Flood

The Author — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 14:29:39 +0000

If you’ve ever been to New York City and have gone down to where the edge of the city meets the water, you’ll notice that almost the entire downtown portion of the city barely sits above sea level; in many places, no higher than five feet. This doesn’t bode well for the city seeing as many climate scientists, as well as the recently convened New York Climate Action Council, predict sea level rise of 1-2.5 feet in the next 90 years; 5 feet or more if the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets melt entirely.

Needless to say that this would be a catastrophe for not only New York City, but pretty much any low-lying coastal region of any continent. As a way to ‘get the creative juices flowing’ on addressing this matter, at least in NYC and New Jersey’s case, a conceptual project called Rising Waters” was initiated by the Latrobe Team from Princeton University and the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s design and architecture department. The teams chosen to take part in the project were given space at MoMA’s P.S. 1 location in Long Island City to set up shop and begin work on their concepts.

What came out of these brainstorming and work sessions are some fairly intriguing, and dare I say, practical ideas that somewhat address the potential problem New York and New Jersey will likely face on some scale in the future. From New York Magazine:

The five teams produced innovative ways of returning New York to a time before we paved over mudflats and salt marshes, poisoned the waterways, and clogged up the coastline with landfill. In the last decade, the city has recycled swaths of waterfront wasteland into a ribbon of park and piers. The future could involve dismantling the seawall, ringing the harbor with wetlands, and embracing the city’s maritime identity. This seems at first like surrender—throw open the floodgates, let in the tides—but it’s more like jujitsu engineering. A mushy, absorbent coastline is nature’s defense against storm surges, and it doesn’t need a tryout: We know it works.

The proposals seem quixotic and expensive, but consider the reality of the Henry Hudson Parkway today, which after a moderate rainstorm often floods, narrowing to a single amphibious lane. Now imagine sitting in your car when the post-ice-melt storm surge comes muscling over the embankment, turning your Suburban into a submarine. Suddenly, you could find yourself wishing for an oyster reef.

The exhibit, “Rising Currents: Projects for New York’s Waterfront,”opens on March 24th at the NYC MoMA and will be showcased on the 3rd floor. Go see it in person!

Under-street pipes that would channel water out of low-lying areas

Problem areas in NYC area

Oyster farm in Brooklyn used as a breakwater and food source

Municipal water plan

Jersey re-imagined after the water rises

Areas likely to be affected by flood waters...basically half of Manhattan

Sunset Park in Brooklyn imagined as a mini Amsterdam

Artificial reef constructed of tens of thousands of recycled glass bottles

The Good: Ideas on possible solutions to an impending problem being worked out further than the mere brainstorming process. Some solutions seem practical.

The Bad: Some of the solutions are a little to impractical and/or overly costly.

The Bottom-Line: Though no concrete solutions are presented in this show, it is an important real first step toward addressing what’s sure to become a more pressing matter for the inhabitants of the New York City area.

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Sincerely Sustainable

Atmospheric CO2 Continues To Increase Rapidly, Despite Global Economic Downturn

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The Newest Tesla Is Rolling Out! (Probably Isn’t What You Were Expecting)

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