Energy Newsbriefs
Articles for November 1, 2010
ENERGY NEWSBRIEFS is a weekly current awareness service provided by the WSU Extension Energy Program Library and written by Angela Santamaria, WSU Energy Library Manager, to assist users in tracking developments in the energy field. To view past issues or to subscribe to receive an email notification of the publication of a new issue, go to the Energy Newsbriefs home.
Please be aware that although every URL is checked for accuracy prior to the publication of Energy Newsbriefs, URLs are, for various reasons, subject to change. Further, servers sometimes fail to connect to working URLs.
BIOENERGY
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory has released the BioEnergy Atlas, which includes two interactive maps, the BioFuels Atlas, funded by the U.S. Department of Energy Biomass Program, and the BioPower tool, funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Each gives the locations of existing bioenergy facilities and possible future ones.
"Beyond the Hype," by Anna Austin, Associate Editor, Biomass Magazine, appeared in the September issue of that publication. This is an examination of why biochar has not made much of an impression on the market, to date, and a discussion of how new, promising research may change that. This article is based on the scholarly article, "Sustainable Biochar to Mitigate Global Climate Change,” by Dominic Woolf (Swansea University, UK), et al., which appeared on August 10, 2010, in the online journal, Nature Communications.
BIOPLASTICS RESEARCH
"INL Scientists Help Harness Bacteria Power to Brew Eco-Friendly Plastic from Waste," by Sandra Chung, INL Research Communications Fellow, describes the INL (Idaho National Lab) research that may result in huge energy savings. Some bacteria that naturally occur in wastewater can gorge on unrefined waste and convert it into energy for immediate use and into polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA), a biodegradable plastic, for future use. In the research lab, plastic wood has been developed that is one-third sawdust, one-third dead bacteria cells, and one-third PHA. Outdoors, these boards are as resilient as any plastic wood made with petroleum-based plastic. However, in compost, the same boards break down completely in three to six months, not several hundred years. Scientists involved in the research believe that they have developed a way to inexpensively use bacteria and their PHA to make biodegradable, plastic wood on an industrial scale. The article includes a link to the complete, 172-page, research paper, published March 2010, Final Report: Development of Renewable Microbial Polyesters for Cost Effective and Energy-Efficient Wood-Plastic Composites, by David N. Thompson et al.
LEED BUILDINGS
"Life Begins after LEED" is a two-part article, by Greg Zimmerman, Executive Editor, Building Operating Management, published in the September 2010 issue of that trade journal:
Part 1 is Data Management for Continuous Improvement. A bank in Washington D.C., has earned LEED Platinum certification in the category for Existing Buildings: Operations & Management (LEED-EBOM). Its facilities manager explains that this is just the beginning of even more efficiencies. He and other facilities managers show how energy data management is the key to saving more energy dollars.
Part 2 is Engaging Staff, Occupants for Sustainable Success. New technological developments may bring new ways, or enhance old ways of saving energy. Additionally, new ideas from employees about doing things in different, more sustainable ways can be just as important.
"Nature as the Teacher: Manassas Park Elementary School and Prekindergarten" was written by Wyck Knox, AIA, LEED AP, VMDO Architects Project Manger and Co-Project Architect for MPES; and Steve Davis, AIS, LEED AP, Director of Sustainable Design for VMDO Architects. The authors describe a new school, built to a LEED-Gold standard and designed to incorporate its many sustainable features into the education of its students. It was published in the September 2010 issue of High Performance Buildings.
"Concrete Pioneers," by Roy Diez, Executive Vice President, James O. Ahtes Inc., was Web-posted on the
ED+C (Environmental Design + Construction) site on September 22, 2010. This case study features a new Platinum LEED building, a credit union branch constructed of 100% recycled content.
"The Cornerstone of a Healthy Environment" is a case study of the new corporate headquarters for a health insurance company in Providence, Rhode Island, whose designers aimed for a LEED-Silver certification. It was published in the October 2010 issue of ED+C (Environmental Design + Construction).
PHOTOVOLTAIC (PV) NOISE BARRIERS
"Solar Power Wall in Germany Generates Electricity and Keeps the Peace" is an October 13, 2010, posting by Isabelle de Pommereau, Correspondent, Christian Science Monitor, in that newspaper. The article describes a creative use of solar by a German town just southwest of Frankfurt. A neighborhood is shielded from nearby highway noise by a noise barrier wall that includes PV panels. There are other examples of this PV/noise-barrier approach. The PV Database, an IEA effort that features urban-scale PV projects, includes the following, both in the Netherlands, PV Noise Barrier A9 and PV Noise Barrier A27.
RESIDENTIAL EFFICIENCY STRATEGIES
EnergySavers.gov: Stay Warm, Save Money is a website, revised (and re-named) seasonally, from the Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Office of the U.S. Department of Energy. The site is now offering many tips for energy savings for the fall and winter.
SPRING ENGINEERING – COILED WIRE AND MACHINED
“How Do You Rate Your Springs?” by James G. Skakoon, General Manager, Vertex Technology LLC, was published in the September 2010 issue of Mechanical Engineering. It describes the different types of coiled wire springs and focuses on why each is more appropriate for which applications.
"Which Spring to Choose: Coiled Wire vs. Machined, a Comparison," by Gary L. Boehm, Senior Research Engineer, Helical Products Co., is an undated but recent (likely, September 2010) article on the Mechanical Engineering website. It thoroughly describes the two types including how they are made, how they work, and under which conditions each performs better. There is, also, a cautionary discussion about commonly-available calculations for closed form solutions that are applicable for coiled wire springs. These calculations are not, across the board, applicable to machined springs; instead quality Finite Element Analysis (FEA) is recommended.
Two websites, Spring Makers Resource and Planet Spring offer technical information about springs, in addition to providing purchasing opportunities for them. All Things Springs: Resources Online is another undated, but likely September 2010, article on the Mechanical Engineering website that summarizes how these websites are organized and some of the more important things they have to offer the website visitor.
THERMAL TECHNOLOGIES – WIND
"Comparison of Carburizing-Furnace Technology for Long-Cycle Processes in Wind-Energy Applications" was written by John W. Gottschalk, Director, Special Products, Surface Combustion, Inc. and published in the September 2010 issue of Industrial Heating.
Past issues of Energy Newsbriefs are available here.
Generally, subscription information for the journals cited above can be found at the home page of their web sites.
© 2010 Washington State University Extension Energy Program. This publication contains material written and produced for public distribution. Permission to copy or disseminate all or part of this material is granted, provided that the copies are not made or distributed for commercial advantage, and that each is referenced by title with credit to the Washington State University Extension Energy Program. Copying, reprinting or dissemination, electronic or otherwise, for any other use requires prior written permission from the Washington State University Extension Energy Program.