Solaripedia

Should Another Owl Be Killed So This One Can Live?

2011-09-23T14:47:00.000-07:00

Northern Spotted Owl by Hollingsworth/USFWS

Once the West's poster child for endangered species, the Northern Spotted Owl is now threatened by one of its own kind --- a striped cousin called The Barred Owl. The feathers are flying --- among biologists, conservationists and animal ethicists.

The effort to save the northern spotted owl during the last 20 years has helped preserve old-growth forests, even if it sparked the 'timber wars,' battles between conservationists, timber companies and the construction industry. But now the owl faces a new threat: a closely-related cousin, the barred owl. This larger, brasher, faster-breeding transplant from the East Coast has invaded the spotted owl's territory, which ranges from Northern California to Washington State.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is proposing an experiment to selectively take out barred owls, by lethal and nonlethal means, to determine if this would give the spotted owl any advantage. But that's sticking in the craw of some conservationists, birding groups and animal-rights advocates because the experiment alone could mean killing hundreds, if not thousands, of these birds.

The barred owl removal plan poses an ethical question to the public: Does it make sense to kill some species to save others? At what point should we intervene? Or should we step in at all? "Such questions often go unarticulated, even though public agencies confront these hard choices all the time," says William Lynn, a bioethicist at Clark University in Worcester, Mass., who was brought in by the Fish and Wildlife Service to convene discussions with stakeholders on the ethical issues. Even before wildlife officials release their draft environmental impact statement this fall, the controversy is generating hot debate among conservationists, wildlife biologists and animal rights activists.

Francesca Lyman reports for The Sacramento Bee California Forum section September 18th, 2011.

IMAGE: John and Karen Hollingsworth, US Fish and Wildlife Service

Desert Living Center Educates in Las Vegas

2011-05-02T14:07:00.001-07:00

The Desert Living Center (DLC) in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, is showcases green building methods, materials and technologies that are appropriate for a desert climate, such as thick straw bale and rammed earth walls, and evaporative cooling towers that lower heating and cooling energy use. The buildings are also orientated to maximize solar for heat and light using passive design principles, with minimal mechanical systems. Stormwater is collected in this area of very low rainfall so that it can be used to irrigate gardens. Walls are insulated with shredded blue jean material, and salvaged materials include recycled railroad trusses that form a roof structure. Solar panels cover parking areas and are used as design elements in free-standing pole-mounted systems. The five DLC buildings are part of the Las Vegas Springs Preserve, a 180-acre park that features a 1.8 mile trail system with interpretive overlooks, historic structures and archaeological sites; an eight-acre botanical garden with thousands of native and drought-tolerant plants, outdoor classrooms and a cooking demonstration area, and an accessible garden; the Cienega desert wetland that serves as a home for hundreds of native plant, bird and animal species; and a reconstructed cauldron pool depicts the natural springs that once bubbled from beneath the valley floor.

Eko Kuca Is Self-Heating Home in Serbia

2011-03-29T16:05:00.000-07:00

Serbian inventor Veljko Milkovic creates designs for eco-houses along with other energy-saving devices. Using passive solar design principles and earth-shelter techniques, he adds reflective surfaces below windows that unfold to capture and amplify solar gain into the home through the glazing; he also includes reflective surfaces under the eaves that help bring solar gain into the homes during winter. His self-heating eco-house – or Eko Kuca - building concept saves up to 85 percent on heating, 100 percent on cooling, 30 percent on lighting and about 20 to 40 percent on building materials, based on monitoring. The Eko Kuca is covered with a sod roof that sweeps up over the earth-bermed house to provide additional insulation for an energy-efficient envelope. In 2009, the Eko Kuca won a First Place Award for Serbia and Montenegro as part of the international Energy Globe competition for worldwide sustainability.

Software and Online Tools for Sustainable Design

2011-02-19T09:27:00.000-08:00

Solaripedia links more than 230 software and online tools to help with sustainable design. Most of the tools are free for use and some are available by subscription or purchase. The tools can help with solar design, passive design, acoustics, lighting, wind energy systems, PV sizing, psychrometrics, rainwater collection tank sizing, water budgeting, window design and heat gain, shading design and landscape calculating for vegetation and wind breaks. Listed in alphabetical order by name of tool, a brief description helps you figure out if it's the right tool for you, then just follow the link.

Canton Tower Features a Complex BIPV System (China)

2011-02-19T09:12:00.000-08:00

Canton Tower is the tallest tower in the world as of February 2011. Also known as the Guangzhou TV Tower, it is 600 meters tall, twisting over the Haizhu District of Guangzho (formerly known as Canton), capital of Guangdong province in China. One of its most remarkable to me is the BIPV (building integrated photovoltaics) system that sheaths part of the building under its giant lattice framework. The solar power system is comprised of a-Si (amorphous silicon) thin-film modules that are installed on facades under the steel mesh. LED technology is used extensively for all lighting so that the tower consumes only 15 percent of the allowed maximum for facade lighting, further contirnuting to its energy efficiency. The dynamic twisting form of the tower is composed of straight shafts that encircle the core of the structure, creating a cinched 'waist' that is designed to be as small as possible at a span of 15.6 meters while still accommodating the elevator shafts and fire escapes. Designed by Information Based Architecture (IBA), a firm based in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, it includes a park at the tower’s base, an elevated plaza, a pagoda-park, retail facilities, offices, a television center and a hotel.

Apartments Above, Parking Below Yield Grand Views

2011-01-15T18:26:00.000-08:00

One might argue that by providing 480 parking spaces for automobiles, a project is not that sustainable. The Mountain, a housing and parking development in Copenhagen began as two separate projects that would have situated a huge parking structure next to a multifamily residential project - creating a potential eyesore and blocking the sun. Architects Bjarke Ingels Group of Denmark saw it as an opportunity for residents to be elevated above the city with magnificent views, solar access and rooftop gardens, with parking tucked under. The resulting structure is adjacent to bike and walking trails, lightrail, and a canal. It has been a somewhat controversial building, rising out of the flatlands near Copenhagen and swathed in a gargantuan metal mural of Mount Everest. From the south side, the building presents a series of gardens and terraces that slope away from the street - with an organic feel of vegetation and wood trellises. The other elevations, though, provide stark materials that loom high above the human scale.

Off-Grid House in Costa Rica Is Zero Energy

2011-01-03T14:38:00.000-08:00

The Casa ISEAMI is located in the rainforest of Costa Rica, where its humid environment encourages mold and fungi growth on buildings. The architects for ISEAMI - Robles Arquitectos - therefore designed this house using an all-white structure that allows mold and other pests to be revealed immediately. Casa ISEAMI is totally off-grid using an on-site hydropower system plus photovoltaics on the roof - two micro hydro turbines generate 800 kWh per year and a rooftop solar system generates 10,800 kWh annually. The casa utilizes passive solar design with large overhangs for shade and rainwater collection, and its orientation maximizes natural ventilation. Large skylights provide daylighting and an almost direct connection for inhabitants to the sky. A solar thermal system provides hot water. The Casa provides headquarters for Costa Rica-based ISEAMI (Institute for Sustainability, Ecology, Art, Mind and Investigation). The house is situated on a hill above the ocean on the biologically diverse Peninsula de Osa, 30km from the nearest town. The area contains five percent of the world`s biodiversity so it was imperative for the Institute to create a building that has virtually no negative impact on the surrounding environment. Building materials are recyclable at the end of their useful lives. The casa is the first phase of building houses a multifunctional space for ISEAMI (Institute of Sustainability, Ecology, Art,Mind and Investigation) on the ground level, with the second level providing a residence for the Institute`s director.

Spectacular Tent Is Largest in World in Kazakhstan

2010-12-17T14:11:00.000-08:00

In the capital city of Astana, Kazakhstan, rises the largest “tent” in the world – Khan Shatyr Centre. The cable-net, tensile structure soars 150 meters to form the highest peak on the Astana skyline, providing dramatic views over the city and the Steppes beyond. The building encloses an area of more than 100,000 square meters with retail spaces, parks, a beach, restaurants and entertainment facilities. Designed by Foster + Partners of the UK, this urban oasis is designed to withstand the wild temperature extremes of Kazakhstan – from a sweltering 40+ degrees C in summer down to a bone-chilling minus-40 degrees C in winter. Supported by a giant tripod, the tent is covered with a transparent polymer material called ETFE that allows daylight to enter the interiors while sheltering them from weather extremes. Foster, along with engineers at Buro Happold, created a system that harnesses solar gain in winter and releases warm air to the apex in summer. The structure is so large that small weather systems can develop inside because of the extreme conditions outside – this was the big challenge for the designers.

Recreation Center in Germany Powers with Solar

2010-12-05T14:32:00.000-08:00

The Steinhude Sea Recreation Facility building is only about 3,500 square feet with services for public toilets, lifeguard facilities, a small cafe, an observation deck, boat storage and a generator for supplemental power for the kitchen. Its photovoltaic system provides enough power for the building needs, as well as for recharging a fleet of eight solar-powered rental boats. There's even excess power to sell back to the grid. The PV panels (153 square meters in surface area) are integrated into and stretched along a sweeping roof that also provides daylighting with its innovative glazing system. A natural gas turbine generator provides additional power for peak loads associated with the cafe. The project is located on the south shore of Steinhude Sea in north-central Germany; it is on the 46,000 square meter (11.4 acres) Bath Island, attached by a bridge to the mainland.

BedZED Community Success and Lessons Learned

2010-10-12T09:27:00.000-07:00

BedZED was initially developed to become a carbon neutral residential community south of London in Sutton. More than seven years after its completion, the community showed excellent progress towards that goal and learned that some green technologies did not work as planned. For example, one of the original goals was to generate enough electricity with PVs to power up to 40 electric vehicles for 10,000 miles a year (88 Mwh/year). However, as of 2007 there was only one electric vehicle on-site, so the community was at about 20 percent of its original goal. Energy use, however, showed a 45 percent reduction compared to the surrounding Sutton average. Designed by UK architect Bill Dunster, this community continues to provide a great model for sustainable urban development, using recycled materials, a combined heat and power plant, a living machine, passive design with wind scoops for natural ventilation, vegetated roofs and a host of other features. Plus it's fun to see with its colorful rooftop projections. BedZED includes 82 residential homes, 18 live/work units, commercial workspaces, and several on-site facilities.

Malawi Boy Harnessed Electric Wind in Africa

2010-10-01T17:48:00.000-07:00

William Kamkwamba was a young teenager when his family's poverty forced him to give up formal schooling. He found some books at a tiny local library that explained the principles of electricity and physics in pictures and diagrams; because the books were in English, a language he did not speak or read, he studied the images to figure out how he might create a wind machine to generate power. From a nearby junkyard, he gathered scrap metals, an old bicycle dynamo, a tractor fan, a bicycle wheel and frame, and PVC pipe. He assembled them atop a tower from branches that he cut from blue gum trees in his village. He didn't even have tools, but fashioned his own to create his windmill. He ran a wire from his wind generator to his house to power a couple of lightbulbs. Eventually his story became news, he became famous and he became a student at Dartmouth College studying engineering. His windmill has propagated into several windmills and solar panels that provide electricty and irrigation to his small village in Malawi.

The New Old Faithful Center Rocks in Yellowstone

2010-09-18T22:59:00.000-07:00

Yellowstone National Park has 5,000 employees, 2,000 hotel rooms and 2,000 campsites. In 2009 it had 3.3 million visitors with more expected in 2010. Until a few years ago, the thousands of tons of trash generated by all those people were being hauled to a landfill 100 miles away. But, now an aggressive effort to divert, reuse and eliminate the waste has Yellowstone composting and recycling so much that it is diverting 80 percent of its waste (including some 1,200 tons of electronics!) from the landfill. The most prolific item in the waste bins is the plastic water bottle. In 2009, 40 tons of plastic water bottles were recycled and Yellowstone will most likely hit a 90 percent diversion rate by 2011. Even the 10,000 gallons of used cooking oil generated by Park concessioners is recycled and used to create biodiesel that powers everything from hundreds of unmodified vehicles to boilers in the park. And the ubiquitous camp stove propane tanks are now purged of propane that is used to power a generator and a compressor that punctures and flattens the cylinder, which is then recycled as raw steel. So it's only fitting amongst all these wonderful "green" efforts that Yellowstone has constructed a green visitor and education center where the old one stood.

On the Shore of Chesapeake Bay, A "Green" Headquarters Building

2010-08-23T18:05:00.000-07:00

Back in 1997, green building was not mainstream and environmentally-friendly materials were hard to come by. But the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) - an organization that is dedicated to preserving and protecting the Chesapeake Bay and its tributary rivers - needed a new headquarters and did not want to create any pollution by building it. It wanted a "green" building. The result was the Philip Merrill Environmental Center, which opened in 2001. It continues to be one of the world’s most energy-efficient buildings, incorporating natural elements into a fully functional workplace which has minimal impact on its Bay- and creek-front surroundings. Using photovoltaics, rainwater collection, composting toilets and a host of other measures, the building is cost effective and operates in harmony with the land, natural resources, and the Chesapeake Bay. The building incorporates many sustainable features such as siding made from recycled metals, rainwater collection and a 30 percent reduction in energy use.

One Person's Trash Becomes Another's Art

2010-08-10T21:40:00.000-07:00

It's a smallish house a block off a main drag in Ellensburg, Washington, home of Central Washington University. Dick and Jane's Spot was begun about 30 years ago by artists Jane Orleman and Dick Elliott (who died in 2008). They have created a yardful of sculpture and decoration out of junk - old bottles, cans, bottle caps, hub caps, bicycle wheels and especially reflectors. Thousands of reflectors form colorful patterns on fences surrounding the property. Scrap metal is shaped into animals or people or unique figures. Whimsical and cheery, the home seems a fun way to display and reuse old stuff that might otherwise be left in a landfill.

Nine-Foot Cube Provides a Compact Home

2010-08-04T05:45:00.000-07:00

The Micro Compact Home, in use and available throughout Europe, combines techniques for high quality compact 'living' spaces deployed in aircraft, yachts, cars, and micro apartments. It has a timber frame structure with anodized aluminum external cladding, insulated with polyurethane and fitted with aluminum frame double glazed windows and front door with security double lock. The Home measures about 9’ x 9’ x 9’ with a ceiling height of six-and-a-half feet. The entire unit weighs about 2 tons. The Micro Compact Home contains two double beds, storage space, a sliding table for dining for up to five people, a flat screen TV, a shower and toilet cubicle and a kitchen area.

Living Learning Center Goes Zero Net Energy and Wastewater

2010-07-30T21:10:00.000-07:00

Buildings of the future will most likely all behave like the Living Learning Center at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. As part of the Tyson Research Center, this 2,900-square-foot facility is designed to be a zero net energy and zero wastewater building. It captures rainwater and purifies it for drinking, and is powered so efficiently by solar energy that the building pumps energy into the electric grid to be purchased by the local energy company. During construction, a high percentage of construction waste (80 percent or more, depending on the material) was diverted from landfills and most materials were obtained from within a close radius of the construction site to reduce carbon emissions from travel and shipping - a lot of the wood in the project came from trees on the site. Occupational spaces contain operable windows to provide access to fresh air and daylight, and classrooms feature large roll-up doors for indoor/outdoor space.

Prep School in Hawaii Builds a Renewable Energy Lab for Its Students

2010-07-29T15:22:00.000-07:00

Not only is the Energy Lab at Hawaii Preparatory Academy designed and constructed using sustainable principles, it helps students learn how the features work. The building supplies its own energy needs from photovoltaic and windmill sources, using only eight percent of the energy it produces with the rest net-metered to the campus grid. Its rainwater capture system filters and supplies all of the building’s domestic water, and solar thermal panels provide hot water. The building is designed for natural ventilation and uses a natural radiant cooling system instead of mechanical air conditioning. With sensors and monitoring for all systems, students are able to track all building functions - and the building can self-regulate its internal climate.

Washington State Winery Reaches for Sustainable Operations

2010-07-21T20:24:00.000-07:00

Designed by Olson Kundig Architects of Seattle, the Cave B Winery is comprised of the Cave B Inn, Lodge and 15 guesthouses at Sagecliffe, surrounded by estate vineyards and orchards. First planted in 1980, Cave B grows a broad range of varietals that are possible due to the microclimates of its distinctive cliffside location 900 feet above the Columbia River. The placement of multiple buildings on the site and their organization were informed by topographical and geological conditions on the site, particularly the basalt cliffs, and rocky outcroppings and talus. Much of the stone for the buildings was harvested on-site or from nearby quarries. This winery helps educate local school kids about organic gardening and heirloom vegetables, as well as the benefits of eating locally. Its recycling program includes sharing grape skins with a local farm that uses them for feeding dairy cows, and providing old wine bottles to a company that remakes them into wine goblets and other useful items.

Zero Energy Community in California Innovated in 2003

2010-07-19T12:26:00.000-07:00

Back in 2003 a housing development became California’s largest zero energy community with single family homes and an apartment complex powered by solar. Built by Clarum Homes, Vista Montaña in Watsonville was designed to reduce homeowner energy bills by up to 90 percent. Carrying the Zero Energy Home designation from the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), the development housed the largest building-integrated solar electric system in an apartment community in the United States. The 60-kilowatt system by GE made it possible for this community to produce over 90 megawatt hours of electricity annually. In total, Vista Montana has 177 single-family homes, 80 townhouses, and 132 apartments that were built with 1.2 to 2.4 kWp, and with a calculated energy yield of 1400 kWh/kWp.

Historic Solar-Powered Flight - Too Exciting for Words - Almost....

2010-07-09T16:31:00.000-07:00

I am more than excited about the longest and highest solar-powered airplane flight that was just completed in Switzerland. This is one of those events for which I feel privileged to be alive! Back in January, we featured the Solar Impulse experimental solar-powered aircraft on Solaripedia. On Wednesday, 7 June, 2010 the Impulse was launched, and 26 hours later on the next day it landed safely in Switzerland after successfully flying through the night. The historic feat is a step toward the makers' aim of circling the globe using the power of the sun to fuel the plane. The aircraft uses super-efficient solar cells and batteries to stay in the air after the sun's rays are on the other side of the earth. If you're not ecstatic about it yet, please read more about it - the implications are staggering!

Discovery Center Teaches Ecology in Kansas City, Missouri

2010-07-05T13:03:00.000-07:00

A Discovery Center’s near downtown Kansas City, Missouri, USA, provides a teaching tool with interactive exhibits and a landscape that shows how nature works. The building itself uses a form and orientation that optimize daylighting. A geothermal heat pump heats and cools the building. Four PV arrays with 74 collectors reduce annual energy use by about 33 percent over conventional systems. One of the central attractions is the facility’s Living Machine (livingmachines.com) that is a wastewater system that reclaims all water from the building’s toilets, sinks, showers, and drinking fountains for treatment within an exposed greenhouse setting. The treated water is used later for flushing toilets and to recharge the outdoor wetland.

South African Winds Blow Hard for Football (Soccer)

2010-06-21T08:08:00.000-07:00

"The World Cup is an important event for South Africa's future and we wanted to show that renewable energy has a big part to play in that future. We wanted to show the world that it is possible to do renewable energy not just in Europe, but in Africa as well," said Tanguy du Monceau, managing partner at carbon consultancy CO2logic, in an interview with Business Green. Sow the world they did, as Belgium-based wind farm developer Electrawinds won the race to connect its first South African wind turbine to the grid ahead of the opening ceremony on 11 June 2010. It began providing energy free of charge to the Nelson Mandela Bay Football Stadium in Port Elizabeth where many of the World Cup games were scheduled to play in the tournament.

Architect Designs Passively Cooled School in Burkina Faso

2010-06-18T09:28:00.000-07:00

Architect Francis Kere writes that the permeable suspending ceiling, the inclined corrugated sheet roof as well as the completely obvious shaded windows ensure a natural ventilation of the rooms in the L-shaped school addition he designed for Dano, Burkina Faso, in Africa. Compared to conventional construction methods there, for which mechanical air-conditioning is usually required, this is the more sustainable solution in the face of limited fossil resources and increasing energy prices, he says. "This especially applies to a country like Burkina Faso, which is ranked second to last place on the UN poverty list and which has to meet its entire energy demand by importing fuel." Kere uses local workers throughout the construction process - local artisans are trained in new techniques, ensuring that building methods will stay within the community. In an interview with Deutsche Welle, Kere said about his architecture training in Germany, "In the back of my mind, I was thinking about going back to my country later to improve building methods there. That was my idea from the very beginning." As someone from a rural African community where more than 80 percent of the people are illiterate, who got the chance to attend higher education in Europe, he regards it as his duty to use his skills for the benefit of the people of his home continent. The Dano school received a Global Award For Sustainable Architecture. (Image ©2010 Diébedo Francis Kéré Architecture)

Bladeless Wind Turbine Won't Harm Birds

2010-06-10T09:36:00.000-07:00

A bladeless wind turbine whose only rotating component is a turbine/driveshaft could generate power at a cost comparable to coal-fired power plants, according to its developers at Solar Aero. The New Hampshire-based company recently announced its patent on the Fuller wind turbine, which is an improvement on a patent issued to Nikola Tesla in 1913. The bladeless wind turbine is completely enclosed in a relatively small compact unit. Instead of using wind-powered blades to rotate a shaft and generator, the Tesla-inspired design consists of an array of closely spaced, parallel, thin metal disks separated by spacers. When air flows in the spaces between the disks, the spacers are arranged in such a way as to provide inward momentum to the air, causing the disks to move. The disks are connected to a shaft by spokes, so that the rotating disks cause the shaft to rotate as well. As explained in the patent held by Howard Fuller, the turbine design “provides maximum efficiency in converting wind energy to mechanical power.” - by Lisa Zyga

Biodynamic Farm Powers More Than Plants with Sun

2010-06-04T08:25:00.000-07:00

Tani Creek Farm in the Pacific Northwest uses sunlight for more than just growing vegetables. In the misty hills of Bainbridge Island, across Puget Sound from Seattle, Washington, a 25-acre biodynamic farm uses solar power for all its agricultural needs such as irrigation, water movement (pumped from ponds to other uses) and food production, as well as for residential purposes. Contrary to popular belief, solar power in the cloudy Pacific Northwest - where Bainbridge is located - is a viable energy alternative to fossil fuels according to solar contractor Jeff Collum of Sound Power. The farm's 29-kilowatt system covers two outbuildings and are part of the owner's mission to create a self-sustaining farm that uses clean energy.

Victoria's Dockside Green Does It Right

2010-06-01T07:22:00.000-07:00

Dockside Green is located near downtown Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. It is a 15-acre master-planned waterfront community consisting of three neighborhoods designed to incorporate New Urbanism, smart growth, green building and sustainable community design. Dockside Green presents a model of urban regeneration through brownfield reuse, green design, and community building. A model for holistic, closed-loop design, Dockside Green functions as a total environmental system in which form, structure, materials, mechanical and electrical systems are interrelated and interdependent - a largely self-sufficient, sustainable community where waste from one area provides fuel for another. An example is its membrane bioreactor package wastewater treatment plant that recovers heat from sewage, bathwater, and dishwater. Dockside Green is intended to be built over 12 phases in three neighborhoods, with a total of 1.3 million gross square feet (73 percent of which is residential) in 26 buildings, housing 2,500 residents. (There are currently over 450.) Dockside Wharf is the initial neighborhood, with two primarily residential projects and two commercial buildings. The first phase of the Wharf, a LEED Platinum condominium project named Synergy, sold 85 percent of its 96 units in 3 hours with the first residents moving in May 2008.

Key sustainable features:

•The biomass energy system, which uses waste wood as fuel through a gasification process.

•Passive solar heating.

•An advanced building envelope and high-performance window glazing to help prevent heat loss.

•A 100-per-cent fresh air system with heat recovery.

•High-efficiency lighting and occupancy sensors.

•A 65-per-cent reduction in indoor water use with dual flush toilets, low-flow fixtures and use of graywater for sewage conveyance.

•Treatment of 100 per cent of the site’s wastewater in a campus-wide plant, which reuses it in central water features, toilet flushing, and on-site irrigation.

The project is one of a handful in Canada to achieve LEED Platinum and the first master-planned development to target this level of certification.

Thai Resort Brings Kids and Ecology Together

2010-05-13T22:55:00.000-07:00

Organic design features prominently in "The Den" - a Children's Activity and Learning Centre thatis part of the Six Senses Soneva Kiri hotel resort on Koh Kood, an island in the Gulf of Thailand. This project was conceptualized by kids for kids, and then made to work by the creative architecture firm 24-H Architects of the Netherlands.

The Den is located at a rocky slope close to the sea, with its Manta-ray inspired bamboo dome perched in an elevated position that offers magnificent views. http://www.solaripedia.com/13/233/six_senses_ecological_childrens_den.html

Electronic Waste Shipped Overseas

2010-05-12T22:52:00.000-07:00

We've got big problems with disposal of electronic waste. Francesca Lyman shines some light on the issue in her article in Popular Mechanics, republished on Solaripedia with a few additional links and videos.
Consider this:

- There are 500 million obsolete computers in the U.S. alone.

- 130 million cell phones are disposed of annually.

- 20 - 24 million TV’s and computers are stored annually in homes and offices.

- Only 10% of unwanted and obsolete computers are recycled.

The Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition points out that one computer monitor can contain four to eight pounds of lead, which if released can hurt an entire community. The problem has reached crisis proportions because of the sheer volume of global electronic waste.

http://www.solaripedia.com/13/232/e-waste_recycling_ever-changing_landscape.html

PV System Fits into a Suitcase

2010-05-02T12:15:00.000-07:00

This little portable solar electric system provides power so that remote medical clinics have lighting and the ability to charge walkie-talkies or radios for communication. Developed by We Care Solar, a non-profit organization that facilitates safer childbirth in third world countries, this PV device has been assembled by teenagers in Washington, D.C. to send to Haiti. http://www.wecaresolar.com/node/82

California Dreamin' at Claire's Bakery

2010-04-26T07:38:00.000-07:00

A San Diego, California, business carried its mission of serving up organic treats and coffee to a higher level. Claire's on Cedros went for a full-on sustainability assault on site development, water use and energy efficiency of its entire operation. The result is a LEED Platinum-certified suite of small buildings that includes solar panels doubling as carports and awnings to provide shading. http://www.solaripedia.com/13/226/California+Dreamin%E2%80%99+at+Claire%E2%80%99s+Bakery.html

Passive House Standard Imports High Expectations

2010-04-22T13:57:00.000-07:00

Alex Wilson writes about the aggressively energy-efficient Passive House program, imported from Germany. PHUS is a quantitative, performance-based standard for ultra-low-energy buildings—both residential and commercial. A recent Passive House Institute US event in Olympia, Washington, was sold-out, well-organized and informative - who could ask for more? We learned from experts about window placement within the wall (centered - not at outer edge), and how builders in the Pacific Northwest are achieving Passive House, along with many other useful bits of information. Wilson does a good job of distilling and comparing PH. http://www.solaripedia.com/13/221/passive_house_us_imported_from_germany.html

Cooking with the Sun Growing in Popularity

2010-04-16T07:27:00.000-07:00

Imagine the air pollution generated by some three billion people worldwide who cook with dung, wood and charcoal - and the catastrophic effects on the environment. Cookers powered by the sun provide a cheap and clean alternative. Check out the video that begins with Eleanor in California who has been cooking with the sun almost daily for twenty years. http://www.solaripedia.com/13/219/solar_cooking_uses_the_sun_for_fuel.html

Mithun's Green Renovation Ten Years Later

2010-04-04T12:07:00.000-07:00

http://www.solaripedia.com/13/216/architecture_firm_reinvents_pier_56_%28seattle%29.html

in 2000, Seattle's renowned "green" architecture firm Mithun renovated an old warehouse building on Pier 56 in downtown, on Puget Sound. It uses no mechanical air conditioning and features all the sustainable strategies that the designers incorporate into their clients' designs. So how is it faring ten years later? David MacCaulay writes about it in Eco-Structure magazine.

Gardens Planted Under the Glass Atrium of Cleveland Mall

2010-03-27T10:14:00.000-07:00

The Galleria in Cleveland, Ohio, sun glinting on its barrel-shaped glass roof, now harvests sunlight for more than clothes shopping. Vicky Poole, the Galleria's marketing and events director, looked up one day and thought: This place looks like a giant greenhouse. She's now looking forward to fresh tomatoes for sale among the shops and galleries at the downtown Cleveland mall. It might be the first such garden in the US. http://www.solaripedia.com/13/211/cleveland_mall_interior_becomes_gardens.html

Community Center Blends with Desert Environs

2010-03-20T22:46:00.000-07:00

The entire building shell of the Henderson Community Center in Palm Desert, California, including the interior walls, is built from highly insulated panels and covered with high strength concrete. All wall surfaces and a majority of the ceiling surfaces are kept as natural concrete finish which required no paint and no drywall. All floor surfaces are polished concrete, which required no additional finish material to cover the structural concrete. The design provides for a large array of photovoltaic panels on the roof. http://www.solaripedia.com/13/209/henderson_community_center_in_california.html

Ancient Wind Towers Passively Cool Buildings

2010-03-15T07:25:00.000-07:00

Wind towers catch cooler breezes that prevail at a higher level above the ground and direct it into the interior of buildings. Typically, a wind tower is capped and has openings on its sides toward four directions. It will either act as a solar chimney to draw hot air out of the building, or will allow cooler breezes to come down the chimney to cool the spaces below. These ancient structures were originally developed in the Mid-East, constructed mostly of thick adobe or ceramic walls with extremely high insulative values. Also known as windcatchers, wind towers can be located over an underground reservoir of water known as a qanat. Completely shaded from the sun, a qanat aggregates the cold, sinking air of the night, which is then trapped within, unable to rise up to the less dense surface air. The wind tower creates a pressure gradient which sucks at least a small amount of air upwards through the building. This cool, dry night air, being pulled over a long passage of water, evaporates some of it and is further cooled. Some modern buildings are now using wind towers as a strategy to save energy by cooling buildings using this ancient, passive principle of air flow. http://www.solaripedia.com/13/205/wind_towers_catch_the_breezes_%28mid_east%29.html

Osa Rainforest Hosts the Lapa Rios Ecolodge

2010-03-13T16:46:00.000-08:00

Lapa Rios is an eco-resort with a light footprint in Costa Rica. It is vigilant in energy conservation through passive design and renewable sources, and uses a sustainable approach to chemical use, waste, sewage, recycling and water management while respecting wildlife and the natural setting. In fact, no live trees were cut for the construction of the buildings. The pigs on-site are the source for cooking fuel - yes, pig poop is collected from whihc methane gas is extracted for cooking. The owners conserve a 1000-acre nature preserve and offer educational programs and tours on sustainability. They also founded a local school as part of their commitment to the community. http://www.solaripedia.com/13/203/2047/lapa_rios_aerial.html

Solar-Powered Yacht Cruises the Seas on Less Diesel

2010-03-08T21:12:00.000-08:00

Thanks to its innovative hull design, the WHY solar-powered yacht requires less power at cruising speed than a boat of equal size. Its diesel-electric propulsion is the most efficient motorization today, and the surface of the photovoltaic panels - almost 900 square meters - covers most of the boat’s auxiliary system needs.
Its PV power is estimated to save up to 200 tons of diesel per year. http://www.solaripedia.com/13/200/roof_goes_electric_on_solar_why_yacht.html

Rimrock Ranch Offers Shelter from the Storm

2010-02-28T19:51:00.000-08:00

A home in the California desert sports a steel canopy that covers the entire home, offering tempering of the extremes -- days of 100-plus degree heat or flurries of snow. This thoroughly modern, light-filled house was a challenge for the architect to design a house that opened up to the desert yet functioned well in this variously hot and cold environment that can vary as much as 50 degrees in a one day. The roll-up door opens to a deep concrete porch that functions as a stage for bands who play at the ranch, and where audiences can pull up chairs or unfold rugs on the desert floor out front, lie back and hear the set unfold. Architect Lloyd Russell was inspired by a nearby adobe cabin that is kept cool by a shade structure above it, but he has applied a contemporary flair in this modern interpretation of an old idea. http://www.solaripedia.com/13/195/rimrock_ranch_captures_desert_breezes.html

Recycled Home in Portland

2010-02-20T17:38:00.000-08:00

An architect in Oregon takes eight years to realize a passive home built of mostly scrap and waste products, where his designs were not preconceived but rather inspired through available materials. His Portland bungalow yielded studs that were originally cut around 1925, and once de-nailed, ripped, and planed, they revealed beautiful material, he says. The home won the "Greenest Home in America" in 2008.
http://www.solaripedia.com/13/191/oregon_bungalow_is_recycled_and_passive.html

Organic Design Blooms at Sea Ranch Chapel

2010-02-18T09:12:00.000-08:00

After more than twenty years the Sea Ranch Chapel, on the coast of California north of San Francisco, continues to draw visitors from around the world. Designed by architectural sculptor James Hubbell and built by master craftsman Tombe Kumaran, it is a gem of organic architecture that would perhaps have defied computer-aided-design.http://www.solaripedia.com/13/193/Sea+Ranch+Chapel+Organic+Form+%28USA%29.html

Aqua Tower Ripples in Chicago

2010-02-14T15:05:00.000-08:00

Aqua Tower in downtown Chicago uses a rectilinear plan in its reinforced concrete structure, with hotel, rental apartments and condominiums, as well as penthouses on the top two floors. The architect figured out the envelope's curvilinear architectonic forms while working with the building’s rectangular footprint. At the same time, she devised ways it could be energy efficient through sustainable strategies, using passive solar principles. http://www.solaripedia.com/13/188/rippling_tower_undulates_in_chicago.html

Latvian Eco-Development: No Fences Make Good Neighbors

2010-02-12T09:50:00.000-08:00

http://www.solaripedia.com/13/186/eco-development_is_all-natural_%28latvia%29.html
Near each of the 300 unique homes in Sun City, Latvia, is a small lake and forest. Central sewer is laid under the roots of pine and fir trees, along with high-speed Internet, and electricity. The homes use geothermal heat pumps that convert the warmth of the earth into heat for the houses. All-natural materials are used such as wood, stone, log, brick and cane. No fences are allowed so that abundant wildlife can roam freely across the landscape.

Camping Supplies Are Solar Powered

2010-02-06T22:09:00.000-08:00

Solar camping equipment complements the impact-free camping experience.When I was backpacking a couple of years ago in Colorado's Raggeds Wilderness area, friends brought a solar shower. They left it sitting on a rock while everyone was out exploring, and by the time of return, the water had heated to a toasty 125 degrees. The sun can also power lanterns and cell phones via backpacks and some new concept tents.http://www.solaripedia.com/13/182/camping_with_solar_friendly_devices.html

Largest US Solar Farm Soaks up Sun in Florida

2010-02-02T15:06:00.000-08:00

And produces 25 megawatts of electricity! This $150 million plant came in $22.5 million under budget and took just 10 months to build - several months ahead of schedule. Its 92,000 solar panels can withstand 130-mph winds. The Desoto Solar Farm is built to last at least 30 years, and it will take from 25 to 30 years for Florida Power & Light, the owner, to recoup its investment. Construction of this facility also created 400 jobs! http://www.solaripedia.com/13/180/florida_sun_powers_largest_us_solar_farm.html

Modular "Living Homes" Put Solar above the Deck

2010-01-31T12:34:00.000-08:00

http://www.solaripedia.com/13/179/modular_steel_fabricated_into_living_homes.html“Zero Energy, Zero Water, Zero Waste, Zero Carbon, Zero Emissions” is the mantra of developer Steve Glenn of Living Homes. To that end he packed his house with energy-saving technology and sustainable and nontoxic materials. A solar-energy system on the roof is intended to provide 75 to 100 percent of the electricity and 80 to 90 percent of the hot water. There is a graywater system and a storm-water cistern for watering a garden of drought-resistant plants; the irrigation system will tap in to weather telemetry on the Internet to assess when to operate. A rooftop garden is designed to divert storm water and to help with insulation and absorb sunlight, thereby reducing the heat-island effect. Materials are carefully chosen for their healthful and sustainable properties.

Off-Grid and under a Sod Roof at Big Sur

2010-01-29T10:18:00.000-08:00

http://www.solaripedia.com/13/178/cooper_point_shelters_off-grid_home_%28california,_usa%29.htmlThe Cooper Point house rises in a gentle ellipse of green, following the natural contours of the site near Big Sur, California. Designed by architect Mickey Muennig, it’s built like a bunker with massive concrete retaining walls at either end and all-glass walls in between. The roof is a continuation of the Big Sur environment, seeded with native grasses and wildflowers and six to eight inches of sod that makes it relatively fireproof, provides insulation and substantial savings in energy for this completely off-grid home.

Earth-Sheltered Home Hovers over Pacific Ocean

2010-01-28T10:32:00.000-08:00

http://www.solaripedia.com/13/178/Cooper+Point+Shelters+Off-Grid+Home+%28California%2C+USA%29.htmlThe owners of this home near Big Sur, California, estimate that they’ve cut their overall energy consumption by half, if not more. The house is completely self-sufficient and independent from the PG&E grid, with power coming from a bank of solar panels. The house’s long, tapered profile, reduces resistance to the winds that, on occasion, blow more than 100 miles per hour off the ocean. Architect Mickey Muennig of Big Sur, began his education by studying aeronautical engineering at Georgia Tech before switching to architecture.

Hobbit House in Wales Made from Trees

2010-01-22T22:03:00.000-08:00

http://www.solaripedia.com/13/175/low_impact_woodland_home_%28wales%29.htmlThe low impact woodland home built by Simon Dale in Wales conjures images of Hobbits baking bread in tiny hand-made ovens and friendly gatherings among the denizens of Middle Earth. But this extremely natural home also utilizes solar PV technology to bring lighting, music, refrigeration and computing power into this outgrowth of the forest. Dale and his father-in-law spent about four months and $6,000 building the home in 2008. Besides the PVs, they made it as sustainable as possible with oak, straw bale walls, roof and floor, a vegetated roof, and lime plaster on the walls.

Bank of America Towers over Manhattan

2010-01-20T21:31:00.000-08:00

http://www.solaripedia.com/13/173/1725/bank_of_america_tower_ice_tanks.htmlThis ultra-green skyscraper uses power to turn water into ice to chill the building. The cooling system produces and stores ice during off-peak hours in large tanks in the subbasement. Then the ice is used to help cool the building during peak load, essentially operating like giant ice batteries. Ice batteries have been used since absorption chillers first made ice commercially 150 years ago, before the electric light bulb was invented.

Got Portable Solar?? Help Haiti Now

2010-01-16T11:19:00.000-08:00

One of the organizations best placed to make an immediate difference is Partners in Health. They have operated medical facilities in Haiti for more than two decades and have numerous people on the ground. Immediate needs include:

# Help us track down helicopters! That's our #1 need right now is transport. There are thousands of badly injured ppl in Port-au-Prince, and there are PIH hospitals, supplies and teams standing ready to treat them in the central plateau. It's a long, difficult drive over uncertain roads -- OR a 10-min helo ride.

# Satellite phones! Cell communications are mostly down and we can't send docs out into PAP with no way to be in touch

# Donate medicine, food, blankets, supplies ... anyone with in-kind products to donate can write to procurement@pih.org

# Lend your time and skills -- we need experienced trauma surgeons, pediatric trauma surgeons, burn specialists, nurse anesthetists, trauma nurses

# We need solar chargers, generators, fuel for generators

# Water purification that does not require electricity -- so massive quantities of water purification tablets or a system that is standalone such as solar-powered

# Transport -- we have had a few offers of private planes plus a big Air Canada jet -- we are filling them with doctors and supplies and mobilizing

Solar Power Used to Fly Airplane

2010-01-15T13:13:00.000-08:00

Solar Impulse is an airplane powered by the sun. It provides a window for the technologies of the future, but already under development are solar cells offering a better efficiency-weight ratio, intelligent systems of energy management, materials as lightweight as they are resistant and a storage system to rival the most efficient. On earth at midday, each m2 of land surface receives the equivalent of 1000 Watts, or 1.3 horsepower of light power. Over 24 hours, this averages out to 250W/m2. With 200m2 of photovoltaic cells and a 12 percent total efficiency of the propulsion chain, the Solar Impulse airplane’s motors achieve no more than 8 HP or 6kW – roughly the amount of power the Wright brothers had a available to them in 1903 when they made their first powered flight. And it is with that small amount of energy, optimized from the solar panels to the propeller, that Solar Impulse is striving to fly day and night without fuel! Someday, the solutions developed for the solar airplane could find other applications in the building industry where efficiency and reliability are determining factors.

Learning with Sun and Nature at IslandWood

2010-01-13T10:56:00.000-08:00

IslandWood, an outdoor learning center near Seattle, Washington, targets students from schools on free and reduced lunch programs for its School Overnight Program where they are immersed in experiences with nature and sustainability. The site and the buildings are designed to be sustainable, featuring solar meadows and building orientations that maximize passive solar gain. High performance windows optimize solar heat gain and reduce energy consumption. Natural ventilation replaces air conditioning, with operable window openings and skylights for maximum air circulation. Rainwater is collected from the roofs of several buildings and used for landscape irrigation. A Living Machine treats wastewater by using plants to filter impurities. Photovoltaics provide power and water is heated by the sun. Even trees that were cleared to make way for buildings and solar access have been cut, dried and milled and then used for exterior siding and interior trim throughout project.

Building Mimics Processes of a Tree

2010-01-11T15:54:00.000-08:00

Made up of biological and technical 'nutrients' the Bernheim Arboretum Visitor Center building exemplifies the Cradle-to-Cradle approach to design, according to William McDonough, author of Cradle To Cradle and architect of the project. "Imagine a building like a tree; it makes oxygen, sequesters carbon, fixes nitrogen, purifies water, builds soil, provides habitat for hundreds of species, accrues solar energy as fuel, makes complex sugars and food, creates micro climates and changes colors with the seasons. The Bernheim Visitor Center can do all this and more. If a building could be alive it would be this building."

Umbrella House Reborn into Solar

2010-01-10T10:05:00.000-08:00

Pugh+Scarpa Architects of Santa Monica adapted architect Paul Rudolph’s 1953 Umbrella House idea into a renovated California solar home. Rudolph's design used a trellis to shade the home from the hot Florida sun. P+S borrowed the idea of the trellis but installed solar panels into a steel-beam canopy that shades their new house, while providing electricity. The canopy is part of a 4.5-kilowatt solar system that powers almost the entire 1,900-square-foot house and the pool. There are 89 BP Solar amorphous photovoltaic solar panels mounted in the steel-beamed structures, on the roof, and atop the carport. “It’s not rocket science,” says project architect Angela Brooks. “Our system is simple. We used normal electricity. We did the wiring diagrams. It could all be done by a nonprofessional.”

Wisconsin Home Powered by Solar, Wind and Geothermal

2010-01-09T11:32:00.000-08:00

This home on 40 acres in Wisconsin is designed to provide power and water off the grid for its needs. The design incorporates sustainable principles, including solar hot water, a wind turbine, geothermal heating, passive solar, and natural ventilation. Rainwater runoff is collected into a pond that is integrated into the geothermal system. Sustainable materials throughout the home include concrete floors and countertops that are durable, easy to maintain with non-toxic cleaners and provide thermal mass for utilizing passive design principles.

Poland Embraces CO2 Saver Home

2010-01-07T21:22:00.000-08:00

The CO2 Saver House in Lake Laka Poland weathers subzero winter winds and 90-degree summer heat. The home uses a solar water heater above the atrium for hot water that provides 30 to 40 percent in winter and 100 percent in summer. The orientation of the house is specifically designed to expose 80 percent of the structure to light and warmth through the sun’s daily arc. (The total surface area in a conventional building available for solar gain is typically about 65 percent.) The long side of the wedge on the CO2 Saver means there is more surface area to absorb solar energy, plus most of the roof slopes north to south, and all sides of the house have the potential to harvest power.

Floating House Captures Sun for Daylighting

2010-01-04T20:04:00.000-08:00

Architect Robert Oshatz is well known for his unique approach to design and architecture. His creations are expressions of identity and form and this house boat comes as no exception. Oshatz wanted to design a house that would only function if it were situated on water, not something that could work equally well on land. The actual construction of the home had to occur offsite, on the connected Columbia River, then pulled by barge to its mooring. Also, moorings on either side were less than 10 feet away, so the house had to provide privacy despite the close proximity to neighbors.

Envirotorial Cartoons

2010-01-03T23:00:00.000-08:00

Global Swarming produces copyrighted envirotorial cartoons that can be customized for a particular industry, business, client or topic. All cartoons are available to use for a nominal fee per one-time published use. Email info@solaripedia.com for permission.

Massachusetts Beach House Is Zero Net Energy

2009-12-31T17:32:00.000-08:00

The Truro Beach House is a zero energy home, which means that it produces as much energy as it consumes on an annual basis. This high performance home has a super-insulated building envelope, ground (geothermal) source heat pump, and 11.7KW of solar energy on the roof. The geothermal system, coupled with radiant heating and central air, supply the home’s heating and cooling needs throughout the year. A heat recovery ventilator provides fresh air throughout the year while exchanging heat between the incoming and outgoing air steams, minimizing the energy penalty of fresh air ventilation. Since the home is designed as a vacation residence with varying occupancy, it is is split into two volumes – a ‘Living Bar’ and a ‘Sleeping Bar’ - so that half the home can be decommission for the majority of the year to conserve energy.

Wind Farm Brings Employment to Texas

2009-12-30T00:16:00.000-08:00

The Horse Hollow Wind Energy Center, spread across a vast area of West Texas, was the largest in the world when it was completed in 2006. Through three stages of development it reached a total installed capacity of 735 Megawatts (MW), with 421 individual wind turbines. On average, it can supply enough electricity for 180,000 Texan homes. The wind farm has helped boost employment in West Texas, which was in economic decline until the wind industry arrived. In Nolan County, where many of the Horse Hollow turbines are located, the oil wells began to dry up in the 1990s. By 2004, 20% of the population was living in poverty, according to the US Census Bureau.

Largest University Solar Farm Lights Up Florida

2009-12-28T20:34:00.000-08:00

Florida Gulf Coast University’s long-awaited solar field has gone live, with the full 2-megawatt system now powering several main buildings on campus. With a 16-acre field of 10,080 panels, the electricity they generate will be enough to power about 600 homes. FGCU is home to the Center for Environmental and Sustainability Education.

Horse Hollow Wind Farm in Texas Is 735 MW

2009-12-27T22:19:00.000-08:00

The Horse Hollow Wind Energy Center, spread across a vast area of West Texas, is the largest in the world. Through three stages of development it has reached a total installed capacity of 735 Megawatts (MW), with 421 individual wind turbines. On average, it can supply enough electricity for 180,000 Texan homes. The wind farm has helped boost employment in West Texas, which was in economic decline until the wind industry arrived. In Nolan County, where many of the Horse Hollow turbines are located, the oil wells began to dry up in the 1990s. By 2004, 20% of the population was living in poverty, according to the US Census Bureau.

Water Is Purified with Solar Energy in Remote Areas

2009-12-25T00:32:00.000-08:00

Working with the Humanitarian International Services Group (HISG), World Water and Solar Technologies has installed two high-volume, solar Mobile Max Pure (MMP) water filters that use the sun for their power in war-torn Darfur, Sudan. Each unit can generate up to 3.5kW of solar electric power and provide 30,000 gallons of clean drinking water for the many thousands of civilians living in displaced persons camps.

Clear-Cutting the Truth About Trees

2009-12-19T14:23:00.000-08:00

Contrary to what you might hear from energy companies and environmentally conscious celebrities, offsets don’t magically make carbon emissions disappear. Worse, relying on them to stem global warming may devastate our vital forest ecosystems. Read the article from the New York Times by BERND HEINRICH,December 19, 2009. Also, for a good laugh about carbon offsets, see Cheat Neutral

Lighthouse Zero Energy Home (UK)

2009-12-19T14:06:00.000-08:00

The Lighthouse Zero Energy home in the UK has a simple, “barn-like” form with a 40 degree pitched roof that includes solar panels and rainwater harvesting. It boasts high levels of thermal insulation, passive cooling and ventilation and biomass boilers. Biomass boilers run on organic fuels such as wood pellets and count as zero-emission because the amount of carbon dioxide they give off when they are burned is offset by the amount that was absorbed when the crop was grown. The house also has a waste separation system that allows combustible waste to be burned to help provide power.

Open PV Database Tracks US Solar Installations

2009-12-16T10:41:00.000-08:00

The Open PV Project is a community-driven database, fostered by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, of photovoltaic (PV) installations around the US. It collects, organizes and distributes info on location, size, cost and date of every PV installation in the USA. A very cool animation is superimposed on a US map showing all logged PV systems installed since 1998.

Parkview Green in Beijing Uses Passive Strategies

2009-12-14T23:07:00.000-08:00

Energy efficiency savings in the Parkview Green building in Beijing are primarily from well-orchestrated passive systems - with no mechanical air conditioned, the whole interior acts as a solar chimney, with the 89m highest point of the pyramidal form drawing warm air up and out of the building.

Recycling Solar PV Panels

2009-12-13T08:00:00.000-08:00

In its whitepaper "Toward a Just and Sustainable Solar Energy Coalition" the Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition (SVTC) argues that for solar to be truly green, industry must reduce and eventually eliminate the use of toxic materials and develop environmentally sustainable practices.

Wineries and Thieves Go Solar in California

2009-12-13T07:37:00.000-08:00

Solar energy is hot, according to Mike Treleven reporting in the Napa Valley Register (27 November 2009). Not just with wineries attempting to lessen their carbon footprints — but also with thieves. Numerous Napa Valley wineries have been victimized by thieves lurking in the night and stealing their solar arrays. A single panel is worth about $1,000, measures two feet by three feet and weighs around 35 pounds. Between June 2008 and late September 2009, Napa County saw 14 solar thefts and two attempted thefts. Of the 14 thefts, two were in the city of Napa and the rest were at wineries around the valley, Napa County Sheriff’s Capt. Tracey Stuart. More than 400 panels, worth about $400,000, have been stolen.

Wheelchair Accessible Treehouse Uses Solar

2009-12-08T10:40:00.000-08:00

Camp Twin Lakes wheelchair-accessible treehouse features a solar array, a vegetated roof and composting toilets in Georgia, USA. A 1.4-kilowatt, eight-module photovoltaic solar array is mounted on a nearby pole and supplies the treehouse fans and misting system pump with DC power.

The Power of the Sun

2009-12-03T00:09:00.001-08:00

Read about solar in the US by author Robin Rogers on the Eco-Intel.com blog.

Monash Science Building Uses Passive Design

2009-12-02T15:32:00.000-08:00

The Monash Science Centre of Monash University in Australia, utilizes passive and active measures for north-facing windows, manual and automatic louvers for ventilation, thermal chimneys with reversible fans and underfloor hydronic geothermal heating, using the nearby lake as a heat sink.

Lagniappe House Makes Solar Right in New Orleans

2009-11-28T17:18:00.000-08:00

The Lagniappe House in New Orleans was designed with Cradle to Cradle concepts including building orientation for passive and solar energy, selection of materials, management of energy and water, and the features provided to promote passive survivability in the event of another catastrophe.

Forest EcoCentre Employs Passive Design

2009-11-23T09:48:00.000-08:00

Robert Morris-Nunn’s Forest EcoCentre, completed in 2001 in Tasmania, Australia, demonstrates effective climate control through clever orientation, appropriate applications of material, and passive energy use. Learn more

Solar Electric Sails in Space

2009-11-14T17:43:00.000-08:00

For interstellar travel, light-sail craft would depend on extremely large-scale constructions such as huge solar-power relays around Mercury and enormous Fresnel zones in the outer Solar System. Since light applies pressure to surfaces, the stream of photons can be used for propulsion in a near-frictionless environment. This concept is the background for light (or solar) sails. It is a method of space travel that would negate the need for on-board fuel. Sails using the solar wind or only the light from stars are less efficient at larger distance from the Sun. Read more at SOLARIPEDIA.com

Solar Balloons Provide Electric Power

2009-11-13T15:10:00.000-08:00

Instead of large expensive solar panels or costly concentrating mirrors, Cool Earth uses balloons made of metalized plastic films. Half of the balloon is transparent, letting the light in to be concentrated into a small, high-efficiency solar panel by the concave interior, providing from 500 watts to 1 kilowatt. They are supported by cables, leaving the ground below clear and limiting environmental impact. See Cool Earth website

Kurilpa Bridge Is Solar Powered

2009-11-11T20:09:00.000-08:00

The Australian city of Brisbane opened the world's first large-scale solar-powered bridge. The 470m Kurilpa Bridge accommodates pedestrians and bicycles, and sports 84 solar panels that power an array of light-emitting diodes (LEDs). The panels supply between 75 and 100 per cent of the bridge's lighting needs. Read more on Solaripedia

International Space Station All Solar Powered

2009-11-10T22:56:00.000-08:00

The most powerful solar arrays ever to orbit Earth capture the sun's energy and begin the process of converting it into power for the International Space Station (ISS). Eight solar panels supply more than 100 kilowatts of electric power to the station. The panels are mounted on a metal framework 360 feet (109 meters) long. The International Space Station is a large, inhabited Earth satellite that more than 15 nations are building in space. The first part of the station was launched in 1998 and it orbits Earth at an altitude of about 250 miles (400 kilometers). Visit the NASA International Space Station website. See more images at SOLARIPEDIA.com

Appalachian Students Install Wind on Campus

2009-11-06T22:55:00.000-08:00

The Renewable Energy Initiative of Appalachian State University in Boone, NC installed a 100KW wind turbine at the university-owned Broyhill Inn & Conference Center. The project, installed by Alteris Renewables, is currently the largest wind development in the state of North Carolina. The Renewable Energy Initiative committee consists of seven student members that vote on committee decisions and five faculty/staff advisors that assist in the implementation of renewable energy systems on campus. The REI is charged with funds generated by a student green fee that is used towards bringing renewable energy technology to Appalachian State University. Some of the other projects orchestrated by the group are a biodiesel filling station for the university bus system, several photovoltaic arrays, and multiple solar thermal systems. Read more about the student-run Renewable Energy Initiative.

Zero Energy Home near Seattle Opens to Public

2009-11-05T17:02:00.000-08:00

The Zero Energy Idea House at Bass Cove, near Seattle in Washington State, will provide approximately 5 kW of electricity to the home from its rooftop photovoltaics and a vertical axis wind generator. The home’s domestic hot water is also heated by the sun. The floors, walls, and roof of the Zero Energy Idea House are built with structural insulated panels, or SIPs, that are constructed with expanded polystyrene (EPS) foam sandwiched between sheets of OSB (oriented strand board), which is an engineered wood product made from small pieces of scrap wood. Read more at the project website The home is open the weekend of 7 & 8 November 2009. Image by Northwest Property Imaging.

Greening Our White Ski Resorts

2009-11-04T07:50:00.000-08:00

As ski season approaches in the Northern Hemisphere, many resorts continue to find ways to offer more sustainable approaches to one of the favorite outdoor sports. While none is generating 100 percent of its own renewable energy, many are either generating some of their own power or purchasing renewable energy from utilities. According to a report by the National Geographic Society, at least 22 US ski resorts in seven states use wind power credits to supply 100 percent of their electricity use. Sustainable ski programs help you find and select “green” resorts, and provide listings of the sustainable attributes, including efforts in solar and wind power, transportation, water conservation and protection, vegetation and wildlife conservation, and energy efficiency. A few websites help sort through resorts:
Ski Area Environmental Scorecard
Ski Green Guide
Ski Green
Sustainable Slopes

Swiss Alpine Hut Powered by the Sun

2009-11-02T11:27:00.000-08:00

The Monte Rosa Hut above Zermatt, Switzerland, is nicknamed "Mountain Crystal". The innovative building generates over 90 percent of its own energy and will serve the Swiss Federal Technical University in Zurich as an on-going research project in power and building service engineering. 2,883 meters above sea level, the New Monte Rosa Hut is currently the most complex wooden construction in Switzerland. Covered in a shimmering silver aluminum shell and with a photovoltaic system integrated in the southern facade, it generates its own power and is expected to be at least 90 percent energy self-sufficient. Solar collectors installed in the grounds generate solar heat, which provides warm water and heats the ventilation system's supply air to control the temperature in the rooms. In the few months of the year where the ice melts, the water is collected and stored in a cavern to provide the guests with flush toilets and four hot showers. A bacteria-based microfiltration system cleans the sewage; the graywater is then reused to flush the toilet and for washing. See more images at SOLARIPEDIA.com

NYC Plans for Green Jobs

2009-11-01T13:09:00.000-08:00

New Yorkers have turned the vision of a new greencollar economy into a realistic blueprint for implementation that other cities can follow - the NYC Green Jobs Roadmap. The plan recommends and outlines an inclusive green economy that employs thousands in green-collar jobs that help upgrade infrastructure, improve the health of our communities, and reduce our nation’s reliance on imported energy that degrades the environment. It estimates that investment in solar energy would create 42 percent more job-years per dollar than a comparable investment in fossil fuel. The Roadmap assumes that the city needs to adopt a greener, more sustainable economic growth agenda to thrive. As a global city surrounded by water, New York is particularly vulnerable to global climate instability and energy supply volatility. Globally, 634 million people live in areas most vulnerable to rising seas. The Roadmap articulates the steps necessary to make sure that the path leads to strong economic growth, good jobs, and broadly shared benefits for all New Yorkers. Read more on SOLARIPEDIA.com

REI Round Rock Store Employs the Sun

2009-10-31T17:08:00.000-07:00

The REI Round Rock store has an exceptionally efficient heating, ventilation and air conditioning system and building envelope, more than 80 percent reduction of construction waste, green building education program and rooftop solar panel installation. Mounting on the green building success of its previous stores, including one in Boulder, Colorado, this second generation of green prototype store in Round Rock, Texas, is projected to consume 48% less energy than a typical store and generate a portion of its power from a solar panel installation and building integrated photovoltaics. Read about it and see pix on SOLARIPEDIA.com

Seattle Aquarium Retrofits with Solar Hot Water

2009-10-28T15:37:00.000-07:00

The Seattle Aquarium unveiled Seattle’s first solar hot water demonstration project 16 June 2009, a system that will reduce the Aquarium’s use of natural gas by preheating water used in the second floor café. Installed by A & R Solar of Seattle, the five solar panels will shrink the Aquarium’s carbon footprint by 2.5 tons of CO2 each year, and teach the Aquarium’s 800,000 visitors about renewable energy sources. “Sustainable energy is linked to sustainable oceans,” Aquarium Director John Braden said. “Over 200 years of increasing CO2 emissions have carbonated the oceans and increased its acidity, threatening marine food webs, including plankton, shellfish, fish, birds, mammals and humans. With this solar project, we hope to provide a model of sustainability that can inspire our visitors and other zoos and aquariums to do what they can to take Climate Action Now.” Read more and see pix at SOLARIPEDIA.com.

Tethered Sails Power Cargo Ships with Wind

2009-10-27T09:14:00.000-07:00

It’s an idea that has been tested: a giant sail is attached to a heavy cargo ship, or smaller boat, to capture wind power, thereby reducing fossil fuel consumption, costs and pollution. One company, SkySails, reports that its kite sail will help reduce annual fuel costs by ten to 35 percent, with fewer harmful carbon emissions. The large towing kite resembles a paraglider and is shaped like an aircraft wing to enable it to take advantage of different wind directions. It operates at 100-300m above surface level - much higher than a normal sailing craft - where winds are stronger and more stable. The kite can be used in winds of 12-74km/h (7-40 knots) and not just when the wind is blowing directly from behind the ship. At SOLARIPEDIA.com, we look at two different kite systems from two companies, SkySails and KiteShip. Read more and see pix

Solar Retrofit in UK Works Despite Clouds

2009-10-26T12:17:00.000-07:00

Contrary to popular belief, light levels in the UK are sufficient to make photovoltaic cells viable throughout the country, with photovoltaics generating power even on cloudy days. In addition, solar energy works well in built-up urban areas and can be retro-fitted to existing buildings and houses relatively cheaply, to produce truly local power. The CIS Tower in Manchester, UK, provides an example of how a 1962 building was retrofitted with photovoltaics to provide part of the building’s power. The building was clad with a total of 7,244 Sharp photovoltaic panels generating 390kW of energy and began feeding electricity to the National Grid in November 2005. The building also has 24 wind turbines on the roof, and combined with the solar provide 10% of the total power used by the building. Read more about it and see photos at Solaripedia.com.

US Army Begins Huge Solar Plant at Ft. Irwin, CA

2009-10-24T12:03:00.000-07:00

The U.S. Army is preparing to build a 500 megawatt solar thermal plant in the California desert – one of the largest renewable energy plants in the world. This gargantuan solar plant at Ft. Irwin, California will be completed by private developers Clark Enterprises and Spanish building company Acciona. Right now, like many military bases, most of Ft. Irwin’s energy comes from diesel generators—with long, vulnerable lines back to the fuel source. It’s right next to high capacity transmission lines, which means that later, the army can sell most of the excess energy to southern California. At peak, Ft. Irwin only needs 35 megawatts, leaving around 465 to shed. Read the full article in Wired Magazine

LEED versus Passive House Standard

2009-10-23T12:33:00.000-07:00

Check out this article that compares LEED versus the Passive House standard. Titled "Follow or Get out of the Way: The household name in green construction needs to innovate in order to keep up with the competition".
Writes the author, "Imagine if teachers gave out grades on the first day of school based on students’ promises of how hard they each plan to study. Oddly, we use this backward system to grade green buildings in the United States." Commentary is by Jacob Gordon on The Good 100 blog.

Why the Spotlight on Solar?

2009-10-23T09:17:00.000-07:00

PASSIVE SOLAR DESIGN is the first step towards reducing our power consumption in buildings. After that, SOLAR and WIND energy can be used for cleaner, renewable electric power. However, a quick look at the solar power industry shows that cumulative solar energy production accounts for less than 0.01% of total Global Primary Energy demand. Its use is growing, but not so much in the US. Consider:
- Worldwide photovoltaic installations doubled to 5,948 MW in 2008, up from 2,826 MW installed during the previous year. (In 1985, annual solar installation demand was only 21 MW.)
- In megawatt terms, cell production in China and Taiwan reached 3,304 MW in 2008, with Europe at 1,729 MW, ahead of Japanese production at 1,172 MW in 2008. US manufacturers contributed only 375 MW in 2008.

Why Is Solar Power Dim in the US?

2009-10-23T09:15:00.000-07:00

A recent article in BUSINESS WEEK provides some clues: it is usually cheaper to build solar panels elsewhere, partly because many European and Asian nations offer so-called feed-in tariffs that require utilities to buy solar-generated electricity at rates far higher than they pay for power from fossil fuels. This guarantees reliable profits for solar plant developers and operators. Even though US labs produced many breakthroughs in solar cells, China now dominates the $30 billion global solar industry, making 35% of the world's cells and 49% of polysilicon wafers. The US makes only 5%, and solar equipment bought with U.S. tax credits is often imported from China. Also, policies that impact the solar industry in the US are usually created at the state level, in contrast to the other major solar markets. Read Full Article in Business Week 10 Sept 09: Can the Future Be Built in America? Author Pete Engardio.

Solaripedia – Hot Spot for Solar and Wind Energy Info

2009-10-03T11:21:00.000-07:00

SOLARIPEDIA.com (www.solaripedia.com), the hottest online resource for solar, wind, passive and sustainable design and building, has just been launched. The extensive SOLARIPEDIA database is designed to help architects, builders, and homeowners learn more about utilizing renewable solar energy. Thousands of images, files and links to pertinent info are easily accessible via a search tool.

Solaripedia

2009-06-24T18:15:00.000-07:00

Solaripedia.com, a comprehensive website devoted to solar resources. Learn about passive design, solar heating, photovoltaics, wind energy and more. Shop for books in the Solaripedia Bookstore to help support this free online resource.