Environmental service of urban trees

Forest Service research shows that urban trees store an estimated 21 million tons of carbon, which translates to an environmental service valued at $1.5 billion in economic benefit. Annual net carbon uptake by these trees is estimated at 21 million tons and $1.5 billion in economic benefit.

“With expanding urbanization, city trees and forests are becoming increasingly important to sustain the health and well-being of our environment and our communities,” said U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell.

States in forested regions typically have the highest percentage of urban tree cover. States with the greatest amount of carbon stored by trees in urban areas are Texas (49.8 million tons), Florida (47.3 million tons), Georgia (42.4 million tons), Massachusetts (39.6 million tons) and North Carolina (37.5 million tons). Find the whole list of all states at US Forest Service.

Unfortunately more urbanization does not necessarily mean more urban trees. Last year it was found that urban tree cover is declining nationwide at a rate of about 20,000 acres per year, or 4 million trees per year.

Therefor the important mission of the U.S. Forest Service is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the nation’s forests and grasslands to meet the needs of present and future generations.

Posted in Environment | Tagged , , , , |

Wind turbines learn how to swim

Large offshore wind parks in the North and Baltic Sea will produce hundreds of megawatt of energy in the near future and are, together with the onshore turbines, the basis of the energy revolution.

FLOATGENThe winds are stronger, more consistent and more predictable further away from the coast. However, common fixed-bottom offshore wind turbines are too expensive at high water depths.

Scientists at the Stuttgart Chair of Wind Energy (SWE), University of Stuttgart now research on floating offshore wind turbines that can be installed in water depths of more than 130 feet.

Such turbines are not anchored to the ground using fixed steel or concrete foundations but rather are mounted to a floating platform that, depending on the concept, can extend over hundred meters below the sea water level. A mooring system is attached to the platform and the seabed to prevent the turbine from floating away and to ensure stability. In 2015 prototypes of multi-megawatt floating offshore wind turbines are installed in Southern European waters.

These are additional benefits:

- Floating offshore wind turbines can be placed more flexible. They can be installed far away from the coast to minimize the visual impact.

- The energy yield is higher due to stronger, more consistent and more predictable winds.

- Installation close to big cities like Tokyo and New York is possible resulting in minimal transmission line costs and electrical losses.

- Critical environmental, commercial and military zones can be avoided easily.

- Even the maintenance of large components may be simplified due to the fact that floating turbines may be towed to a safe harbor for necessary repairs to avoid the rough sea.

The project with the name FLOATGEN (Demonstration of Two Floating Wind Turbine Systems for Power Generation in Southern European Deep Waters) is the largest project in offshore wind energy ever co-financed by the European Commission.

 

Posted in Energy, Environment, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , |

Green Commercial Kitchen Certification

cgcklogoKatie at Food Service Warehouse alerted us to a new program they are offering to certify restaurants as having a Green Kitchen.

Their program covers five key areas:

•Energy Conservation
Using  ENERGY STAR® qualified equipment and learning how to save even more money by operating machines and appliances only when needed.

•Water Conservation
Implementing Energy-efficient dishwashers and low-flow pre-rinse sprayers are two examples of reducing water usage.

•Waste Reduction
Learning to reduce the amount of waste by composting food scraps, recycling whenever possible and investing in reusable products.

•Green Cleaning
Using green cleaning supplies will reduce the harmful chemicals that enter our air and water.

•Education
“Teaching the teacher”. Learn how to thoroughly train your staff and set positive examples of environmental stewardship.

While any restaurant can take part in the effort and achieve Green Certification, Foodwarehouse customers can get an added benefit of their rewards program, which includes:

•Energy Conservation – One year extended warranty on all equipment
•Water Conservation – Parts at wholesale for the life of the equipment.
•Waste Reduction – 10% permanent discount on eco-friendly disposables.
•Green Cleaning – 10% permanent discount on eco-friendly cleaning supplies.
•Education – Help marketing your organization as a Green Leader.

See Food Service Warehouse for more information and details of the program.

Posted in Economy, Energy | Tagged , , , , |

A Day of Glass

Corning has produced a video showing the fictional day-in-the-life of a typical family at some point in our future.  The video predicts an ominpresent glass screen technology that is with us from the time we wake up until the time we go to bed.  Techno nirvana or techno nightmare?  Watch the video and decide for yourself.

Posted in Energy, Home, Transportation |

Self-organizing traffic lights save fuel

A new patent may revolutionarize traffic control. It promises to save fuel, reduce travel times and emissions.  this truly “green” innovative idea will have drivers waiting less and help us preserve our environment. How does it work/

As Stefan Lämmer at the Institute of Transport & Economics of TU Dresden, Germany and Dirk Helbing of ETH Zurich, Switzerland have recently shown, we could reduce traffic congestion markedly by re-thinking the way we try to control how traffic flows.According to these researchers less orderly patterns of traffic lights could be far more efficient, reducing travel times for all, and making traffic jams far less frequent. they wondered if traffic lights might devise better solutions on their own, if given some simple traffic-responsive operating rules and left to organize their own on-off schedules.

They gave each set of lights sensors that feed information about the traffic conditions at a given moment into a computer chip, which then calculates the flow of vehicles expected in the near future. It also works out how long the lights should stay green in order to clear the road and thereby relieve the pressure. In this way, each set of lights can estimate for itself how best to adapt to the conditions expected at the next moment.

Computer simulations demonstrate that lights operating this way would achieve a significant reduction in overall travel times and keep no one waiting at a light too long even when the lights are going on and off in a seemingly chaotic way.

We consider this idea as really innovative and creative. We’ll keep an eye on its further development.

Posted in Energy, Environment, Transportation | Tagged , , |

500,000 roofs delivering power

The potential is gigantic: More than 500,000 roofs of Berlin, Germany could deliver approx. 3.2 million megawatt hour power per year if all suitable roof surfaces were strictly equipped with solar modules. The power generated from solar energy could cover theoretically about 77% of the private power consumption in Berlin.

These surprising data is delivered by the Berlin Digital Environmental Atlas, a presentation of work from the entire urban development and environmental administration in Berlin.

Currently there are only about 8,000 solar panel installations on the roofs of Berlin. Economic senator Harald Wolf explains: “The use of solar energy is worthwhile for everybody. The installation of solar panels can help house owners to supply themselves with energy regardless of the energy prices. It creates as well additional mandates for research, economy and the whole solar industry of Berlin.”

Berlin’s example highlights the huge potential for renewable energy in big cities.

Posted in Economy, Energy | Tagged , , , |

A wind turbine’s inner life

We drive by so many giant wind turbines watching their moves in the wind. Did you ever wonder how such a wind turbine looks assembled? On the website of Wind Power Siemens I found a great animated description of all important parts of a wind turbine such as

Blades: New aerodynamic profile helps with redistribution of loads. Flat back airfoil opens up the trailing edge of the blade giving increased lift.

Generator: Permanent magnet outer rotor, form winding and totally enclosed.

Nacelle: Simple bedplate structure, strongly reduced complexity with 50% less parts. Direct internal access to hub and totally enclosed.

Cooling systems: Top-mounted passive cooling radiators. Two-stage cooling as function of power.

Today, the increasing energy demand and the need for clean power generation leads everyone’s mind to the concept of renewable energy sources. With highly efficient, solid and reliable wind turbine Siemens Wind Power offers a solution to meet energy needs and environmental awareness.

Posted in Energy | Tagged , , , |

Prototype lunar greenhouse

Researchers at the University of Arizona Controlled Environment Agriculture Center, known as CEAC, have built a prototype lunar greenhouse demonstrating that plants from Earth could be grown hydroponically (without soil) on the moon or Mars.

The prototype represents the last 18 feet of one of several tubular structures that would be part of a proposed lunar base. The tubes would be buried beneath the moon’s surface to protect the plants and astronauts from deadly solar flares, micrometeorites and cosmic rays. The membrane-covered module can be collapsed to a 4-foot-wide disk for interplanetary travel. It contains water-cooled sodium vapor lamps and long envelopes that would be loaded with seeds, ready to sprout hydroponically. It includes sensors that gather data, algorithms to analyze that data and a control system to optimize performance. The researchers also trying to devise a remote decision-support system that would allow an operator on Earth to intervene.

But where is the CO2 and water coming from? The scientific answer is: Carbon dioxide is fed into the prototype greenhouse from pressurized tanks, but astronauts would provide CO2 at the lunar base just by breathing. Similarly, water for the plants would be extracted from astronaut urine, and the water-cooled electric lights might be replaced by fiber optic cable – essentially light pipes – which would channel sunlight from the surface to the plants underground.

“We turned the greenhouse on about eight months ago to see how it would operate and that test run will be completed on Sept. 30,” the researchers said.

The UA researchers are funded by NASA and collaborating with two Italian firms on this project: Thales Alenia Space, a company that builds hardware for the International Space Station, and Aero Sekur, which builds inflatable structures.

The research also could lead to plant colonization in another traditionally hostile environment – large urban centers. This is really an exciting research which we will observe in its development.

Posted in Economy, Energy, Environment | Tagged , , , , |

News from an organic coffee farm

Proponents of organic farming often speak of nature’s balance in ways that sound almost spiritual provoking criticism that their views are unscientific. At the other end are those who see farms as battlefields where insect pests and plant diseases must be combatted with the technology of modern agriculture such as pesticides and fungicides.

Which position is more accurate?

A 10-year study of an organic coffee farm in Mexico suggests that keeping nature’s balance and harmony is more effective. Ecologists John Vandermeer and Ivette Perfecto of the University of Michigan and Stacy Philpott of the University of Toledo have uncovered a web of intricate interactions that buffers the farm against extreme outbreaks of pests and diseases.

The study shows that the collaboration of the Azteca ants (Azteca instabilis) with the lady beetles (Azya orbigera) protects the coffee plants of different coffee pests. As the research team continues to discover more species that are part of the web and more complex direct and indirect interactions among all the members, it’s increasingly clear that the “naïve” view of nature working in harmony closely matches the scientific facts.

“Our view is that interaction webs of this sort will prove common in agro-ecosystems in general,” said Perfecto, professor of ecology and natural resources.

Posted in Economy, Environment | Tagged , , |

Extracting energy from winds at altitude

The Macani Power Inc. company in Alameda, CA is developing Airborne Wind Turbines (AWT) to extract energy from powerful, consistent winds at altitude. Makani AWTs will produce energy at an unsubsidized real cost competitive with coal-fired power plants, the current benchmark of the lowest cost source of power.The Macani wing and a conventional wind turbine operate on the same aerodynamic principles.

The Macani wing is transformed into a kite by tethering it to the ground. The aerodynamics remain the same but the wing can harness the energy in the wind by pulling against the tether. The onboard avionics computer navigates the wing in a circular path that mimics the tip of a wind turbine blade.

The advantage of the Macani wing lies in the effectivity. The tip of a wind turbine is the most effective part. In some cases the last 25% of the blade is responsible for 75% of the energy generated. The Macani wing captures all of the benefit of the blade tip using a fraction of the material. At a wingspan comparable in length to one wind turbine blade, the Macani wing can move higher in the sky and access 10x as much energy.

Energy is extracted from the Macani wing with small rotors driving high-speed generators. The electricity is transmitted to the ground via conductors in the tether. There it is converted to grid-quality power and connected to the grid.

On the website of Macani Power you can see the Macani wing in motion with all technical details. It is an interesting and innovative new idea around wind energy.

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