Category Archives: advanced energy structures

Energy Conservation According To Google – Mixed record

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Google has this Feeling Lucky button that just sucks when it comes to energy issues. The company itself has a mixed bag. They helped push an energy fuel cell of a dubious nature by installing 3 of them on their main campus. They do like solar and wind and have both in operation or have bought energy from those sources. But this button is just rotten. I am usually bored with posting when I do this now, but in the beginning I was excited. I know you say, “How could Doug be bored with the exciting field of residential conservation”? I guess I want another oil spill or maybe Russia to catch fire again. Sick isn’t it. The first three you get if you used the regular search are not much better:

  1. Residential Energy Efficiency

    www.ServiceMagic.com Get an Energy Audit For Your Home. Free Auditor Listings. Search Now!?

  2. Residential Energy Efficiency

    www.Dow.com/HealthyHome Show Us How By Sharing a Video. Win A Renovation Makeover Package!

  3. Energy Efficient Building

    www.energyefficientbuilders.com Green construction & contracting Save 50-80% on heating and AC

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I mean DOW?

And too my surprise you can not even use the get lucky button anymore. Really? Why do they even have it up there. Apparently the “read your mind” algorithm they just introduced broke the get lucky thingie because as soon as you type in a single letter that option goes away. But when you just click on it empty it thinks you want to get lucky about the google LOGO. These people are dorks.

http://www.businessinsider.com/google-just-effectively-killed-the-im-feeling-lucky-button-2010-9

Google Just Killed The “I’m Feeling Lucky Button”

Nicholas Carlson | Sep. 8, 2010, 1:35 PM
Google just effectively offed one of it’s oldest, quirkiest features – the “I’m Feeling Lucky” button.

The good news is that in the process, Google added at least another hundred million dollars in revenue.

It used to be that you could go to Google.com, type a search query into the search box and then, by clicking “I’m feeling lucky,” go directly to the page that would have been listed as the top search result.

But then today happened, and Google announced “Google Instant.” Now, when you go to Google.com and start typing a search into the search bar, Google instantly begins showing search results. Users no longer have a chance to click the “I’m Feeling Lucky Button” before they begin seeing search results. Yes, the button is still there on Google.com – but essentially, the feature is dead.

So, how does killing the “I’m feeling lucky” button gain Google more than $100 million?

In 2007, Google search boss Marissa Mayer estimated that 1% of all Google searches go through the I’m Feeling Lucky button – skipping Google’s search results pages entirely

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More Tomorrow

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Alternative Roofs – The idea spreads

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http://www.expressmilwaukee.com/blog-5602-the-green-alternative-to-asphalt-roofs.html

The Green Alternative to Asphalt Roofs

In Section: Green Life Posted By: Kathleen Wills

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For centuries, it hasn’t seemed like much of a problem to dig out the earth, erect structures and cap them with impervious asphalt roofs. But with population growth and ensuing urban development, it has become extremely problematic. Storm-water runoff, flooding, polluted watersheds, violent temperature contrasts, increased heating and cooling energy consumption and costs, gusting winds and stripped habitats are all by-products of the replacement of earth with concrete.
Of these complications, storm-water runoff has been the most challenging. When rain falls on our waterproof concrete jungles it picks up pollutants as it flows off roofs, walls and gutters and runs straight into storm drains and on to its final destination – our lakes, rivers and oceans. With nothing to slow down heavy downpours, wastewater systems flood, dumping raw sewage into local bodies of water.

The other major problem to contend with is the urban heat-island effect. Asphalt rooftops can reach 150oF, contributing to warmer temperatures in cities than their surrounding regions – a 10o difference in some areas. This translates to higher energy consumption and costs to cool buildings.

How to mitigate these environmental extremes is something city planners and architects worldwide have been grappling with for years. The solution? Green roofs!

Green roofs, also called living roofs, solve the flooding and water pollution problems by mimicking meadows. Soil composites and vegetation absorb water, filter and cleanse it, slow it down, and even store some of it for use during dry spells. They help the energy consumption quandary by acting as insulation thus reducing energy costs by as much as 20%. They even improve air quality by absorbing carbon dioxide. Water savings also come in to play in buildings where rainwater is collected and reused for watering exterior plants or flushing water for toilets.

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More next week.

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Illinois Solar Tour Oct. 3RD – Wish I could give you more

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But the links don’t work so well. The place in Springfield is the FitClub Gym.

http://www.illinoissolar.org/

10/2/10:
The Illinois Solar Energy Association (ISEA) is hosting a Solar Tour where home owners and businesses across the state welcome visitors to explore how to use renewable energy systems to reduce utility bills while minimizing the environmental impact of their buildings. If you’re interested in learning more about the practical application of solar power check out the ISEA website for locations and more information.

Solar Tour Website:http://tour.illinoissolar.org/

To find the location of an open house near you click here:http://tour.illinoissolar.org/directory-of-buildings

If you have questions contact Lesley McCain atLesley.McCain@CommunityEnergyInc.com

Illinois Solar Tour
October 2, 2010
10 am – 3 pm
FREE
Interested in renewable energy and have questions?  Then this is the place to start learning.

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More next week.

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Ceramic Roofs – An alternative roofing material for some

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This is a great site and this is just some of the discussion

http://www.permies.com/permaculture-forums/2414_0/alternative-building/alternative-roofs

Posts: 79
November 01, 2009, 12:12:24 AM
Hi

I’d like it if we could talk about other types of alternative roofing, other than living roofs. Living roofs are NOT suitable to a large part of the world, including mine.  What I would like to talk about are ceramic tile roofs.

There are more than one type of ceramic tile roofs. Most people in the US think of the Medeterraininan style of curved tiles. But I would like to find info on the flat roof tiles used in areas of Northern France–type of clay used, installation, roofing bracing/trussing to support the weight (tile roofs are pretty heavy in comparison to most modern roofing materials). And can anyone tell me if a ceramic tile roof like this can be used as part of a rain cachement system?

Why ceramic tile? I’m a ceramic artist, I live in a state where earthernware clay is plentiful, and where a living roof would curl up and die, then become a fire hazard.

Leigh
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Joel Hollingsworth
Posts: 1724

zone 10: Oakland, CA
November 01, 2009, 03:06:29 AM
I am actually most familiar with the California style of tejas. And of course, there are also some amazing styles from Asia.

I think a ceramic roof is probably the best sort of roof for a rain collection system.  As long as none of your glazes are particularly toxic, it will work great.

It sounds like ceramic is perfect for you, but I suspect that purslane or a similar plant (spreading succulent) might work as a green roof in most hot, dry climates.
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“the qualities of these bacteria, like the heat of the sun, electricity, or the qualities of metals, are part of the storehouse of knowledge of all men.  They are manifestations of the laws of nature, free to all men and reserved exclusively to none.” SCOTUS, Funk Bros. Seed Co. v. Kale Inoculant Co.
Leah Sattler
Administrator
Posts: 2603

oklahoma
November 01, 2009, 07:44:49 AM
ceramic seems like a great alternative. around here it would probably succumb to hailstorms though. somewhere I thought I read that there needs to be extra reinforcement of the structure to support the increased weight load.
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“One cannot help an involuntary process. The point is not to disturb it. – Dr. Michel Odent
bdswagger
Posts: 79
November 01, 2009, 05:39:21 PM
I’m in Oklahoma too.

Succulants wont work hetre, because we do get rain, in buckets, but only at certain times of the year–spring being the main rainy season, with fall a secondary rainy season. They would drown out. The problem in the rest of the year, when you get no precep at all from the end of May until mid-September. Lots of humidity but no rain. As well as high winds, and grass fires.

Sure, you use food-safe glazes on the tiles, same as if you’er making functional pottery.

Hail could be a problem, breaking tiles, but hail is a problem with just about any kind of roofing material. If your using highfire tiles, rather than earthernware, they might hold up better. I’m thinking about the mideaval church in Northern France that has a ceramic flat tile roof that is over 300 years old, surely that has been through more than a few severe storms, besides all the wars.

This piece of crap is screwing up and not working right. Every time I type a letter in, it bounces around so I dont know if its working or not.
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bdswagger
Posts: 79
November 01, 2009, 05:46:45 PM
Okay, lets try this again. Apparently, the program doesn’t want to post very many lines per post. &%@#* if I know why.

Okay, yeah, the roof would need extra bracing, thats one of the things its vertually impossible to find out about. Anything to do with ceramic tile roofs, period, is impossible to learn about. Its like the alternative building community has a real blind spot where roofs are concerned. The only acceptable roof is a living roof, and I for one think that is a really short-sighted attitude. Concidering that there are numerous types of ceramic tile roofs around the world, in vernaculare archetecture, we really need to take a more serious look at this kind of roofing.
Leigh
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paul wheaton
Administrator
Posts: 5662

missoula, montana
November 06, 2009, 12:38:00 PM
bdswagger, please take a look at this thread:  http://www.permies.com/permaculture-forums/2199_0/tinkering-with-this-site/problems-typing-stuff-in
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tc20852
Posts: 24
November 20, 2009, 06:44:19 PM
Its Great to have an artist thinking about this. You could have all sorts of fun designing new types of roofing tile.

Where I grew up all the houses used red clay “pantile”. This tile has a S-shaped cross section, in effect each tile curls up over its neighbor to shelter the joint from weather. I am sure there are lots of alternative shapes that would still function. Have you thought about making different shaped tiles that could work together on the same structure?? you could get all sorts of new textures designed into the roof. Umm…this has got me thinking.

You might have something well worth patenting.

The main thing to think about, as far as the structure goes, is weight. A tile roof is far more heavier than the asphalt shingle you see in USA. Not only does the roof timbers have to be stronger, the walls also have to withstand the extra compression *and* the force tending to push the walls outwards.

Hence you find houses in the UK will have tile roofs and brick or stone walls. Stick built can still be found, but only for chickens! really!

I noticed in Japan that tile was used a lot, but they quite often used a glaze as well. Often a dark blue. Don’t really know why. Some of the older structures were very impressive. Massive pole barn type of construction with curving, overhanging rooves.

Keep us informed on your progress….and give us some pictures!

Thomas
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Joel Hollingsworth
Posts: 1724

zone 10: Oakland, CA
November 23, 2009, 02:22:01 PM
Not only does the roof timbers have to be stronger, the walls also have to withstand the extra compression *and* the force tending to push the walls outwards.

Have you ever seen Gaudí’s model of the Sagrada Familia?  It’s an amazing case of art as engineering.

The model is upside down, built of thin cords and bags of shot.  The bags of shot are filled to proportionally represent the weights of the various structural members and sheathing materials, and since the cords all follow lines of tension, the angles in the model naturally tend to those that keep all members of the finished building in compression.

It’s the sort of thing a computer model would be used for today, but I really like the elegance of the old-fashioned way.

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Go there to add your voice to the discussion. More tomorrow.

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ECOBuild In Britain – These events are so cool

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In memoriam of Richie Hayward one founder of Little Feat It is Jam Band Friday…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1FekVR_SC5M

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http://www.ecobuild.co.uk/2010-review.html

Ecobuild 2010 was a huge success with more than 1,000 exhibitors, over 41,000 visitors, and dozens of new attractions, initiatives and special events. Here are just some of the highlights…..

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Milliband launches Pay As You Save initiative

Secretary of State for Energy & Climate Change, Ed Milliband, chose the opening day of Ecobuild to launch the Government’s new Pay As You Save initiative.  After the announcement, the Minister went on to meet some of Ecobuild’s 1,000 exhibitors.

Watch the announcement

First stage of Saint-Gobain’s solar decathlon completed at Ecobuild

The collaboration between Saint-Gobain and Nottingham University to design, build and operate Europe’s most attractive, effective and energy efficient zero carbon solar powered house came to fruition at Ecobuild with the debut of the Nottingham HOUSE (Home Optimising the Use of Solar Energy).  The structure now moves on to Madrid for the final of the Solar Decathlon Europe competition.

Watch the Nottingham HOUSE video

2010 BREEAM awards winners announced

BRE Global announced the winners of the 2010 BREEAM awards at Ecobuild, each building representing exemplary sustainable design and construction.

Click here for all the winners and case studies

Hundreds of new products launched

Ecobuild was the launch platform for hundreds of new sustainable construction products.

‘Ecobuild was extremely good, with near continuous traffic to the stand. With a good mix of customers and the right media present it was a great vehicle to launch our new products.’ Richard Hartley, Monier Ltd

Click here to see more products launched at Ecobuild 2010

Award for best innovative sustainable construction product

Winner of the Green Shoots Best Innovative Sustainable Construction Product award, Thomas Lipinski of Green Structures, received a cheque for £5,000 from Green Shoots sponsor, Neil Morgan, Lead Technologist – Low Impact Buildings, Technology Strategy Board.

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More next week.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ns9jGWiF8d0

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Britain Wants “Warm Homes Greener Homes” – Hands out road map to get there

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Tomorrow I will do a piece on the ECOBuild Conference where this was announced in Britain but first the policy.

http://www.herefordshirenewleaf.org.uk/warm-homes-greener-homes-governments-strategy-household-energy-management

Warm Homes, Greener Homes: The Government’s strategy for Household Energy Management

Submitted by ali on Thu, 04/03/2010 – 11:53am

The Government has today published its Household Energy Management Strategy Warm Homes, Greener Homes, setting out its plans for meeting its target for a reduction of 29% in carbon emissions from the household sector. The strategy responds to the consultation conducted on Heat and Energy Saving last year.

The vision:

  • the intention is for every home where it is practical to have loft and cavity wall insulation by 2015;
  • every home in Britain to have a smart meter and display to help them better manage their energy use;
  • up to 7 million households to have had an eco-upgrade which would include advanced measures such as solid wall insulation or heat pumps alongside smart meters and more basic measures;
  • people living in rented accommodation to enjoy higher levels of energy efficiency as landlords – private and social – take action to improve the fabric of properties;
  • wider take up of district heating in urban areas, such as in blocks of flats, in new build and social housing, and in commercial and public sector buildings;
  • a core of up to 65,000 people employed in the new industry of energy efficiency, and potentially several times more down supply chains. Jobs will include installing and manufacturing energy saving measures or providing home energy advice.

Elements of the strategy:

  • New community partnerships and an enhanced role for local authorities, including from 2013, following CERT, a requirement on energy companies to consult with local authorities to deliver local area based programmes; and support for district heating. Where a local authority has a Local Carbon Framework covering household energy efficiency, companies will be obliged to agree with the local authority that their plans are in line with this framework before acting. Some local authorities may provide their own incentives, such as council tax rebates. The ambition in the longer term is that all authorities will take on responsibility for saving carbon from energy use in the homes in their area.

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Please read the rest of the article and go to these links to learn more:

To read the press release click here: http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/news/pn2010_037/pn2010_037.aspx

For more details and to download the Strategy click here: http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/what_we_do/consumers/saving_energy…

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More tomorrow

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What Is New In Renewables – What to do while holding your breath about the hurricane in the gulf

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http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2010/07/renewables-are-growing-fast-whats-new?cmpid=rss

Renewables are Growing Fast: What’s New?

Published: July 21, 2010

Paris — If you’re looking for a comprehensive resource for renewable energy installation figures, look no further: The Renewables Global Status report was released last week, and it provides a great snapshot of where and how renewables are being developed around the world.

The report was released by the Renewable Energy Policy Network for the 21st Century, also known as REN21, and it provides an upbeat picture for renewables, despite the murky outlook for the global economy.

The report was originally released in 2005. Since then, solar PV has grown by 60 percent annually, wind by 27 percent, solar hot water by 19 percent, according to the authors. In 2009, renewables made up more than half of investment in global power generation. And that’s with depressed oil and gas prices, lenders being very choosy about projects and individual consumers facing their own financial problems. Total investment in the industry was about $150 billion last year.

Other than the stellar investment figures during a slow year for most other industries, there’s not much surprising in the 2009 report. The industry continues to move along – increasingly in developing countries – driven largely by robust public policy. Where policy lacks, investment does too.

Perhaps the most important trend is the role of China in the global renewable energy market. According to the report, the country produces about 40 precent of solar PV panels, 30 percent of wind turbines and 77 percent of solar hot water systems globally. The Chinese presence will impact investment decisions of companies as they work to compete with “The China Price,” and decide where to locate manufacturing facilities.

Many organizations like the International Energy Agency and the Energy Information Administration put together yearly figures on renewables. But none do it quite as comprehensively and clearly as the REN21 folks do. It’s worth keeping around as a go-to resource for figures on the industry.

Here are some other highlights taken straight from the report about the various renewables sectors:

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More tomorrow.

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Windows That Generate Electricity – Right ON

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http://www.marketwatch.com/story/new-energy-to-unveil-worlds-first-of-its-kind-see-thru-glass-solarwindow-capable-of-generating-electricity-2010-07-20?reflink=MW_news_stmp

press release

July 20, 2010, 9:15 a.m. EDT · Recommend · Post:

New Energy to Unveil World’s First-of-Its-Kind See-Thru Glass SolarWindow Capable of Generating Electricity

University of South Florida Research Foundation Grants New Energy Exclusive, Worldwide License for Technologies to Enable Commercial Development of SolarWindow(TM)

BURTONSVILLE, Md., Jul 20, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) — New Energy Technologies, Inc. /quotes/comstock/11k!nene (NENE 0.53, +0.03, +6.00%) is pleased to announce that researchers developing its proprietary SolarWindow(TM) technology have achieved major scientific and technical breakthroughs, allowing the Company to unveil a working prototype of the world’s first-ever glass window capable of generating electricity in the upcoming weeks.

Until now, solar panels have remained opaque, with the prospect of creating a see-thru glass window capable of generating electricity limited by the use of metals and various expensive processes which block visibility and prevent light from passing through glass surfaces.

New Energy’s ability to generate electricity on see-thru glass is made possible by making use of the world’s smallest working organic solar cells, developed by Dr. Xiaomei Jiang at the University of South Florida. Unlike conventional solar systems, New Energy’s solar cells generate electricity from both natural and artificial light sources, outperforming today’s commercial solar and thin-film technologies by as much as 10-fold.

Click here to view press release, announcing test results which show New Energy’s see-thru SolarWindow(TM) cells surpass thin-film and solar in artificial light: http://www.newenergytechnologiesinc.com/NENE20090624.html

New Energy’s SolarWindow(TM) technology is under development for potential application in the estimated 5 million commercial buildings in America (Energy Information Administration) and more than 80 million single detached homes.

“We’re always keen to see innovations in our laboratories turn into meaningful commercial products,” stated Valerie McDevitt, Assistant Vice President for Research, Division of Patents and Licensing, University of South Florida. “We very much look forward to the commercial development of New Energy’s SolarWindow(TM) technology, which, if successful, could literally transform the way in which we view the use of solar energy for our homes, offices, and commercial buildings.”

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More tomorrow.

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Carbon Neutral, Energy Neutral, And Carbon Set Asides – The world can be soooo confusing

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Everybody wants to be green but nobody wants tell you what that means exactly.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon_offset

Carbon offset

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search

Wind turbines near Aalborg, Denmark. Renewable energy projects are the most common source of carbon offsets.

A carbon offset is a financial instrument aimed at a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. Carbon offsets are measured in metric tons of carbon dioxide-equivalent (CO2e) and may represent six primary categories of greenhouse gases.[1] One carbon offset represents the reduction of one metric ton of carbon dioxide or its equivalent in other greenhouse gases.

There are two markets for carbon offsets. In the larger, compliance market, companies, governments, or other entities buy carbon offsets in order to comply with caps on the total amount of carbon dioxide they are allowed to emit. In 2006, about $5.5 billion of carbon offsets were purchased in the compliance market, representing about 1.6 billion metric tons of CO2e reductions.[2]

In the much smaller, voluntary market, individuals, companies, or governments purchase carbon offsets to mitigate their own greenhouse gas emissions from transportation, electricity use, and other sources. For example, an individual might purchase carbon offsets to compensate for the greenhouse gas emissions caused by personal air travel. Many companies (see list[3]) offer carbon offsets as an up-sell during the sales process so that customers can mitigate the emissions related with their product or service purchase (such as offsetting emissions related to a vacation flight, car rental, hotel stay, consumer good, etc.). In 2008, about $705 million of carbon offsets were purchased in the voluntary market, representing about 123.4 million metric tons of CO2e reductions.[4]

Offsets are typically achieved through financial support of projects that reduce the emission of greenhouse gases in the short- or long-term. The most common project type is renewable energy, such as wind farms, biomass energy, or hydroelectric dams. Others include energy efficiency projects, the destruction of industrial pollutants or agricultural byproducts, destruction of landfill methane, and forestry projects.[5] Some of the most popular carbon offset projects from a corporate perspective are energy efficiency and wind turbine projects.[6]

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http://ezinearticles.com/?Carbon-Neutral—What-Does-It-Mean?&id=339090

Carbon Neutral – What Does It Mean?

Recently, there have been a lot of environmental buzzwords floating around. It can be difficult to find a clear definition. I’ll explain what the term “carbon neutral” means, and why it’s important.

You might think that carbon neutral simply means that something does not release any carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. This is true to an extent, however it is too simple a definition. It is possible to release CO2 into the atmosphere and still be carbon neutral, so long it is balanced by a CO2 reduction elsewhere.

Biofuels are carbon neutral, even though burning them releases CO2. How can this be? Well, the carbon in the biofuel comes from photosynthesis, where CO2 is captured from the atmosphere by a plant and turned into glucose. The glucose can then be turned into more complicated molecules such as sugars, starches, oils and proteins. Sugars and starches can easily be converted into bioethanol, while oils can be converted into biodiesel. Carbon is removed from the atmosphere, stored in plants for a few months, then released when the biofuel is burned. For every gram of CO2 released by burning a biofuel, there was a gram removed from the atmosphere by photosynthesis just a few months ago. This perfect balance is why biofuels are carbon neutral.

Alternatively, the term carbon neutral can be used to describe energy that does not cause the release of any CO2 at all. For instance, solar cells, wind turbines and hydroelectric turbines generate electricity without releasing CO2. Nuclear power does not release CO2 during the generation process either.

There is a problem with this, however. Currently, virtually all forms of carbon neutral energy actually involve the burning of fossil fuels. The crops for biofuels are harvested using machinery that burns fossil diesel. This is because fossil fuels are a great deal cheaper than biofuels. Some ways of producing biofuels are controversial because so much fossil fuel has to be used in the production process. Some sources of bioethanol are in this grey area. Solar cells, wind and hydroelectric turbines are all produced and transported using fossil fuels to some extent. The technology exists to make these things truly carbon neutral, but it is hopelessly uneconomic at this time. Nuclear power involves the burning of fossil fuels in the mining and transport of uranium, the building of power stations, and the disposal of waste. When uranium becomes scarce, mining it will consume even more fossil fuels:}

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http://www.leonardo-energy.org/meaning-zero

The meaning of ‘zero’

By Bruno De Wachter / Published on Wed, 2010-05-05 05:30

‘Zero energy building’ and similar terms

Picture by Ian Britton on FreeFoto.com

Picture by Ian Britton on FreeFoto.com

You would think that no word has a more unambiguous meaning than ‘zero’: nothing is nothing. Not so in today’s world of green building. Labels like ‘zero energy building’, ‘nearly zero energy building’, and ‘zero carbon building’ are frequently used, but lack any standardised or official definition. The same can be said of the expression ‘bâtiment à énergie positive’ that is used in France.

‘Zero energy’ might play well commercially, but it is a clumsy label from a scientific point of view. No house or building can be built and maintained without energy. Strictly speaking, even manpower should be considered energy, and it brings along carbon emissions via food production and by the simple act of breathing. This illustrates that the meaning of ‘zero’ depends entirely upon where you draw the system’s boundaries.

The most narrow and also the most deceptive definition is to take only the electricity consumption of the building into account. The annual electricity production of the PV cells on the roof equals the annual electricity consumption of the building, and hey presto, you have a zero energy building. Who cares about the natural gas boiler in the basement?

Nearly zero energy

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Nearly zero..ha..haha…more tomorrow.

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