Environmental Aspects

1: Stop Air Infiltration- Air infiltration is a major cause of increased energy usage. When a home is not properly sealed and weatherized, it will loose heat during the winter and loose air conditioning during the summer, creating higher heating and cooling cost. The solution is to perform a pressurization test to locate air leaks and then use a combination  sealants and weatherization techniques to seal those air leaks in your walls, ceiling, doors and windows.

2: Kill Phantom Electrical Loads - phantom electrical loads are those unforeseen “standby” electrical loads that rob about 11% of annual energy consumption. Most electrical products have standby electrical loads which use electricity even when the product is turned off. DVD players, TV’s, Computers, phone chargers, and many other products all use electricity on a constant basis. The solution is to plug these things into surge protector strips and turn the strip off when they are not in use.

3: Change Lights - Incandescent lighting is responsible for wasted electricity and added heat gain. These light bulbs of yesterday are slowly being phased out for more energy efficient Compact Florescent bulbs and LED lightbulbs. A new energy efficient CFL bulb can save about 150 kWh of electricity annually and save you approximately $37 over the life of the bulb. LED lightbulbs, although more expensive up front, will last much longer than CFLs and use less energy as well.

4: Window Renovation - Windows are generally the most significant energy sink in almost every home due to lack of insulation. In cooler climates gas filled double pane windows with high R-values are excellent and well worth the cost of replacing old single pane windows. In hotter climates, these same windows are not as effective as they only reduce convective and conductive heat gain but fall short in stopping radiant heat gain. Stoping radiant heat gain in hotter climates requires exterior shading elements or the use of an energy film which helps to block the suns UV rays. Window energy films are applied directly to the glass with soap and water and will essentially make an existing window perform like that of an energy star rated double pane gas filled window.

5: Control Radiant Heat - Radiant heat is the most efficient form of heat transfer and in order to increase a homes heating and cooling efficiency, radiant heat transfer must be stopped. Radiant heat is responsible for excess heat gain in the summer and heat loss in the winter. The most cost efficient way to stop radiant heat transfer is by using a radiant barrier, which is a sheet of low emisivity, high reflectivity foil. Although radiant barriers come in many shapes and sizes, but be sure to find a well made, durable, two sided (for winter and summer protection), perforated radiant barrier. I highly recommend Ra-flect radiant barrier as a cost effective, high strength, high quality product.

By Jerome Goldstein
Courtesy of Biocycle - Advancing Composting, Organics Recycling & Renewable Energy

Firms make use of Renewable Portfolio Standards, farm-to-fuel investments and availability in lower-cost feedstocks to achieve better results.

THE FARM-TO-FUEL Investment Act was recently introduced by U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, Iowa’s Tom Harkin of the Senate Agriculture Committee, and Kent Conrad of North Dakota, chair of the Senate Budget Committee. The act would encourage farmers to produce cellulosic energy crops and provide transition assistance for farmers to grow dedicated energy crops. Participating farmers would agree to adopt conservation practices for soil and water quality and would be given incentives to produce native perennial energy crops such as prairie grass mixtures because of their tremendous conservation benefits.

Meanwhile, voters in Washington State have passed the Clean Energy Initiative - a set of policies that move to energy independence while combating global warming. The law includes a renewable electricity standard that requires the state’s largest utilities to generate 15 percent of their electricity from renewable resources such as bioenergy, wind and solar by 2020. By 2025, these policies could reduce annual warming emissions by 4.6 million metric tons. Washington is the 21st state to adopt a renewable electricity standard and the second to do so via ballot initiative. Colorado was first in 2004.

A Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) requires utilities to generate an increasing percentage of their electricity from renewable resources. U.S. Representative Tom Udall of New Mexico and others have introduced legislation to establish a national RPS of 20 percent by 2020. This legislation would generate such benefits as a 15 percent reduction in power plant emissions of carbon dioxide; $49 billion in consumer savings on natural gas and electricity bills; more than 350,000 new jobs; more than $16 billion in new farm income; and more than $72 billion in capital investments for renewable energy facilities in rural communities.

PLASMA TORCH GASIFICATION IN KOOCHICHING COUNTY, MINNESOTA

A $400,000 grant has been awarded to the Koochiching Economic Development Authority (KEDA) in International Falls, Minnesota through a bill signed by Governor Tim Pawlenty, to determine the feasibility of a plasma torch gasification facility that would process 35,000 tons per year of municipal solid waste. Paul Nevanen, Director of KEDA, says that his agency will provide fiscal management of the grant, with Coronal LLC , KEDA’s partner in the project, providing overall management. �We have identified at least six engineering firms that will be given an opportunity to respond to our RFP to be issued in June, to evaluate sites, feedstocks, emissions, financing, business models, and plasma torch technologies,� explains Nevanan. �Although Coronal has been working with Westinghouse’s plasma technology, as well as Siemens for process controls, there are a couple of other plasma technologies that will be reviewed. Our governor recently signed a bill to require energy utilities to get a certain percentage of their energy from renewable sources, and the state is being very supportive of this project.

Minneapolis-based Coronal proposed the $30 million plasma gasification project more than two years ago, and has since gained significant state and county support. A full-scale operating plant in Utashinai, Japan - being cited as an example for Minnesota - was commissioned in 2004, and employs the Westinghouse plasma technology, processing 200 tpd of MSW. It generates 7.9 MW of electricity, which is enough to power 7,000 households. Nevanen says that he and other county officials hope to tour a recently opened plasma gasification plant near Ottawa, Ontario during the feasibility study. A plasma torch consists of two copper electrodes with very high direct current passing between them, and an inert gas like nitrogen injected through the electrodes, ionizing the gas and generating a flame with temperatures of 20,000�F. The high temperature breaks down organic waste into its basic molecular components of hydrogen and carbon monoxide. In addition to tipping fees, potential revenue streams from the project include syngas that will be sold as fuel, steam for use by companies such as Boise Cascade’s paper mill in International Falls, electricity, and vitrified slag that can be used as road aggregate, or rock wool, an ingredient of acoustic paneling. The feasibility study should come up with several different designs for the project.

COFFEE ROASTERS IN VERMONT

Green Mountain Coffee Roasters in Waterbury, Vermont makes big profits by selling individual servings of ground coffee in white cups that are filled by a hissing, clanking production line. Now it’s found a way to spend $150 to $200 to install an efficient blower to cool the laser and cut Green Mountain’s electric bill by $200 per laser, of which there are 40. The improvement was made with the coaxing of the Vermont Energy Investment Corp. which is under contract with the state to find energy savings. �Opportunities like this abound in the commercial and industrial sectors, requiring no new research or technology,� notes The New York Times. The easiest way to cut carbon emissions and air pollution is to focus more on efficiency, claim experts in renewable power.

In many states, utilities promote efficiency because they have relationships with their users, but in Vermont many utilities are too small to have efficiency programs. Vermont took the approach of hiring Vermont Energy Investment, doing business as Efficiency Vermont. In most places, the traditional ways of making energy still turn out to be easier to do than to save it, but the incentives for energy efficiency are growing.

�When we started talking in the 1990s about energy efficiencies vs. coal energy, we were talking four cents a kilowatt-hour for coal and four cents for energy efficiency,� says Neal Elliott of the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy. �Today we’re talking optimistically, without carbon taxes, 10 cents for coal. With carbon taxes, we may be talking 20 cents for coal. And energy efficiency is still four cents or less.�

GREEN BUILDINGS COME OF AGE

New office and commercial towers are being touted as saving money and helping to save the planet. The U.S. Green Building Council has certified 741 buildings since the program was launched in 2000. The largest single category is commercial/office with 197; 400 more are classified as office. Two projects included in the Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) ratings set the nation’s standards for sustainable design.

When completed this year, the Durst Organization and Bank of America’s 54-story Tower in Manhattan will be the world’s greenest high-rise office building. In Philadelphia, Liberty Property Trust’s Comcast Center will be the nation’s tallest LEED-certified building. The economics work out well also. Energy costs will be reduced by 15 percent per year.

The Bank of America Tower’s greenest energy-efficient features include a 5.4-megawatt cogeneration plant and a recycling system that captures rainwater and reuses it to supply traditional functions, like flushing toilets. Sustainable solutions also include waterless urinals and a pioneering filtered underfloor displacement ventilation system that improves air quality and provides floor-by-floor control of air, making heating and cooling more efficient.

Comments Douglas Durst, co-president of The Durst Organization: �It’s always easier to build exactly the way you did before. The greatest challenge is getting developers to work in different ways with different materials. It still takes a lot more thinking and time to build green, but that will change and, eventually, all buildings will be green.�

POULTRY LITTER FEEDSTOCK FOR MINNESOTA BIOMASS PLANT

At a plant in Benson, Minnesota to begin full-scale production next month, some 750 tons of turkey litter will be turned into electricity at a $200 million power plant. According to Associated Press writer Steve Karnowski, the 55-megawatt Fibrominn LLC plant will be the first poultry litter-fired power plant in the U.S. using a combination of droppings, wood chips, seed hulls, shed feathers and spilled feed. The plant will consume about 40 percent of the turkey litter that Minnesota generates, turning about 500,000 tons per year into electricity. Fibrowatt LLC is planning projects in several other major poultry states like North Carolina, Arkansas, Maryland and Mississippi.

Turkey farmer Greg Langmo said that selling litter for fuel gives poultry growers a new way to add value. Most producers who contract with Fibrominn will get $3 to $5 per ton, and the litter will be removed all at once.

According to Terry Walmsley, environmental vice president for Fibrominn, the company is working with the poultry industry to meet their needs. �Our goal is to design a flexible process that can meet demands and provide a valuable service.�

BIOMASS CONVERSION AT PURDUE OFFERS THREE TIMES FUEL YIELD

Managed by Purdue University’s engineering professor Rakesh Agrawal, a research group has developed a proposal that would generate three times the fuel from the same amount of biomass - focusing on improving results with biomass utilization. The researchers will use hydrogenation, where supplemental hydrogen is added to the gasification process. Hydrogen extracted from electrolyzed water would bond with carbons released during gasification - with power for electrolysis coming from carbon-free sources.

This technique converts all carbon discharged from the synthesized feedstock to liquid hydrocarbon fuel either through suppression of carbon dioxide formation or recycling of the carbon dioxide back into the gasifier. As explained in the proposal, a pathway is suggested where neither coal nor biomass is treated as a sole source of energy to produce liquid hydrocarbon fuel. Suppression or recycling of carbon dioxide from coal processing is significant since its carbon emissions would heavily contribute to the greenhouse effect.

The research team will be invited to speak at the BioCycle Seventh Annual Conference on �Renewable Energy from Organics Recycling.� The Conference will be held at the Radisson Hotel City Centre in Indianapolis, Indiana, on October 1, 2, 3, 2007. See the program in this issue for details.

BIODIESEL PRODUCTION SITE IS LAUNCHED IN WISCONSIN

In mid-May, Sanimax Energy shipped its first large-scale load of biodiesel to Progressive Farmers Cooperative in Northeast Wisconsin. �This is an exciting time for the Bio Industry in Wisconsin, and we’re excited to contribute to the fuel needs of our state’s consumers,� says Sanimax plant manager Russ Read in DeForest. Adds John Schmidt of the Progressive Farmers Coop: �We primarily sell biodiesel blended with 95 percent regular diesel, but for those people who want 100 percent biodiesel, we do have supplies available.�

Another founding member of the Wisconsin Bio Industry Alliance (WBIA) - BEST Energies - is constructing an eight million gallon biodiesel plant in Cashton, and Utica Energy is adding biodiesel capabilities to its ethanol plant in Johnson Creek. Meanwhile, North Prairie Productions is constructing a 45 million gallon plant in Evansville, and Midwest Biofuel is building a 10 million gallon plant in Clinton.

The Wisconsin Bio Industry Alliance is the state’s first alliance of top leaders in the development of biobased renewable energy, power and products. Businesses, environmental groups and statewide and local organizations have joined to build public and legislative awareness.

Biodiesel Fuel

If you have an interest in being environmentally friendly, then no doubt you’re aware of the damage fossil fuels are doing to our environment. Not only that, but at some point they will run out. Add in the recent jump in gas prices, and it’s hardly surprising that more people are talking about making their own biodiesel fuel. Although it sounds like a great idea, you need to consider a few points before going ahead and making your own biodiesel fuel.

What Is Biodiesel?

To start with, let’s take a look at what biodiesel fuel actually is. At its most simple, biodiesel fuel is made from either vegetable oil, animal fat, or mixture of the two. It’s a clean burning fuel that is made from renewable resources hence the name biodiesel.

Generally, biodiesel fuel is made from straight vegetable oil, sometimes referred to as SVO. So if you want to make your own biodiesel fuel, you’ll need to have an adequate supply of the basic ingredients. Unfortunately, most households don’t produce enough waste animal fat or vegetable fat to come anywhere close to making enough biodiesel fuel to keep the family car running.

Using Recycled oil

This has led to a whole new industry, with the basic aim of sourcing much larger quantities of raw product. They get together with restaurants, bakeries, and any other business that uses a deep fryer, so that they can collect the used oil for recycling. The oils are then blended and used as the basis for biodiesel fuel. The processes are the same as you’d use to make biodiesel fuel at home, but by having access to a much larger supply of raw products, these companies can produce biodiesel in quantities that are more viable.

Can I make it at Home?

One thing to remember is that it’s not quite this simple! Used vegetable oil needs to be mixed and stored, which can be quite a problem if you have large amounts of it. You also need to dewater, filter and deacidify the waste oil before it can be used for making biodiesel. This makes the production of biodiesel fuel at home a lot more complicated.

Having said that, it’s certainly still quite possible to make biodiesel fuel at home, simply by buying straight vegetable oil, rather than using waste products. Even though it will cost you a lot more, when you compare it to the cost of buying the necessary amount of gas to run your car for a year, you can still save an enormous amount - somewhere around 75 percent. Even better, you’re saving the environment too.

Can I mix it with Petroleum?

The short answer is yes! It can be blended with petroleum in any percentages and used as fuel. There is a fuel called B20 which is 20 percent biodiesel that has shown significant environmental benefits. It can be used in an existing diesel engine with either little or no modifications. The only thing to be aware of is that biodiesel acts as a solvent and can remove old deposits on on your fuel tank walls and your fuel lines. This may lead to a clogging of your filters so care should be taken. But hey - then you have a clean system!!

So if you’re interested in saving money and helping out the environment, look at the option of making biodiesel fuel at home. It takes a little bit of effort, but the rewards are definitely worthwhile.

About the Author:

Steve Dolan is an environmentalist concerned about global warming and non-renewable resources. Biodiesel may form part of the answer. Find out more by clicking BioDiesel and Alternative Fuels

Hydrogen is the most abundant element in the universe and powers our greatest energy production source, familiar to all of us - the SUN. Hydrogen itself makes up 75% of the universes elemental mass, obviously not all of it is on earth.

But how can we use hydrogen as a fuel. Hydrogen, like fossil fuels is an explosive gas. When it combines in an explosive reaction with oxygen it produces only one element - WATER. In other words there are no toxic outputs.

It is not all rosy though for our friend Mr Hydrogen, since there are cost and efficiency factors involved in making hydrogen fuel a reality. There are a number of possibilities, such as producing hydrogen from bio-products like manure and waste material, producing hydrogen from water and others.

Some researchers in Australia are looking at a radical new way of using a catalyst (a substance that encourages a chemical reaction by its own properties) - titanium dioxide - to assist hydrogen and oxygen from separating within water to produce pure hydrogen gas. This hydrogen is then used to power fuel cells and make electricity.

The initial power source is our old friend Mr Sun. Simply it works like this. The sun power and the catalyst split the water H20, into hydrogen and oxygen, so we now have H2 plus 02. This hydrogen is then used to power a fuel cell, which produces electricity.

The advantage of the catalyst is that it requires much less solar energy to bring this about, making the whole reaction more cost effective.

This is only one method that is being explored at the moment, but it is a step towards exploring the factors involved in producing hydrogen efficiently for our global well being.

Get your own rentable solar panel system today. There are not installation cost, no equipment cost, no maintenence fees and you can lock in your current electricity rate for up to 25 years.

Go Solar Today!

About The Author:

Green building design process grows out of a connection with natural landscape. A set of informed decisions that consider the site and materials to reduce cost, maintenance and energy usage Green homes are healthier, safer, and more comfortable and cost less to operate. They connect people to the land and community around them. The following are seven green building ideas:

Passive Solar Design

Passive solar design for natural heating and cooling is in practice the world over. As energy costs rise, it is critical to use building orientation, window placement, stone floors, reflective barriers and other technologies to control natural solar energy. Some tips to passive solar design.

In warm climates, face the broad side of the home to the north or south to avoid excessive heat gain as the sun rises and drops in the horizon. Use deep overhangs and solar sunscreens to shield glass areas from direct sun. Avoid sky heights or greenhouse rooms as they allow too much heat gain.

In colder climates, solar heat can be captured or stored in materials such as concrete or stone to be slowly released during the evening.

An open floor plan optimizes the effect of passive solar heating / cooling.

Doors and windows should be placed to catch the prevailing breeze and allow cross ventilation.

Lower inflow and higher outflow windows keep air moving as hot air rises.

Double glass panes provide an insulating air space between the panes reducing heat transfer.

Ventilate Attic Space

In hot climate, attic spaces can accumulate heat, transferring it to living room below. AC ducts located in the attic will absorb the heat.

In cold climates, moisture can accumulate in unventilated attic spaces

Lighter color of roof materials absorb less heat

High insulation in attic and exterior walls is crucial for comfortable indoor temperature.

Optimize Heating / AC Systems

An oversized system will cool too quickly and leave the room clammy. Smaller systems run long enough, reach the desired temperature and clear the air of humidity

A smaller system lasts longer, doesn’t cycle on and a off frequently and costs less to purchase.

Check for leakage in duct, around windows, doors and electric outlets

Use programmable thermostats to regulate energy usage

Reduce Water Needs

Native landscaping suited to the rainfall in your area is fundamental to building green spaces

Water previous materials like crushed granite, open paving blocks as they allow water to percolate in the ground

Rainwater catchments use RWP and gutters to catch and store water that falls on roof and terrace.

Front loading washing machines use less energy and water

Low flow toilets and shower heads reduce water usage

Use Renewable and Recyclable Materials

Use locally produced and easily renewed materials wherever possible

Consider alternative building materials such as rammed earth, straw bales or structural insulated panels

Concrete floors utilize the foundation materials as finish floors, saving material and labor costs

Recycled wood floors are very attractive flooring materials

Bamboo floors are made from a rapidly renewable resource, as bamboo can grow several feet per day

Hard surface floors do not hold dust, moulds or allergens and are very durable

Site Safeguarding

Trees, vegetation and bird habitats on site should be protected during building construction

Reduce impact to the building site as much as possible

Dispose construction waste properly. Do not bury them on site

Native trees, grasses and rocks can be incorporated into landscaping design or as natural drainage

Use of Safe Materials

Look out for green labels on carpets and other home décor products

Use products that are biodegradable, non-toxic, water based and cold water compatible.

Avoid products containing dyes, ozone depleting chemicals (CFC), heavy metal etc.

Avoid solvent based finishes and particle boards, adhesives, fuzzy carpets and other products that release volatile chemicals into the air.

Green building is a common sense approach available to all home owners and implementation of green practice shall make the home more cost effective, enjoyable and sustainable to live in.

One step you can take today to make your home green, is to rent a solar panel system. The benifits of renting is that there are no equipment cost, no installation cost and you can lock in your current electricity rates for up to 25 years.

Get Your Solar Panels Today!

About The Author:

I agree with the opinion that we, as a nation and even worldwide, must begin to control environmental conditions. It is becoming more and more obvious that our current and continual downslides are just as important to attempt to control. The environmental conditions of our world are just as the continued production of any other industry essential to the survival of human beings, if not more.

More and more one hears of the environmental issues that have risen as well as the ways in which to help improve the environment. Many people are coming to appreciate the fact that we are destroying our world, and that we must take steps to improve the environment and environmental threats that surround us.

Wind turbines collect energy from natural air flow. When this happens, due to the function of wind turbines, the air slows down and then spreads, diverting it around the wind turbine device or devices.

Here is a condensed idea of how the wind turbine works:

1. The Betz Limit

o Betz Law or, the Betz Limit determined that the use of a wind turbine can generate almost fifty-nine percent of the energy that would flow straight through the cross section in the construction of a turbine.

o No matter what kind of wind turbine or wind turbines one has, regardless of design, the Betz Limit applies.

o Albert Betz, a physicist from Germany, discovered this fact: that a wind turbine works (almost universally) as an incredibly effective kind of energy net for wind power.

o Albert Betz made this discovery in the year 1919.

2. The Unpredictability of Windy Weather

o Because windiness varies no matter where you live, it is impossible to predict exactly how much wind can be generated over a significant period of time such as the yield per year.

o In addition, different places have different probabilities of amounts of wind distribution.

o The most frequently used piece of equipment used to determine the wind speed distribution is a two – parameter Weibull distribution monitor.

o This piece of equipment is used to determine what have been termed “distribution shapes” from Gaussian to exponential.

For example: The Rayleigh model

This is a specific form of the Weilbull distribution function. In such a case, the distribution shape should be a parameter that equals two. Imitating or mirroring the distribution shapes, the Rayleigh model of the exact hourly wind speeds and patterns of a particular area.

3. Higher Wind Speed

o Because in certain places there is so much wind power to draw from, a lot of the wind in such places comes in gusts or short bursts.

o Here’s a good example:

When comparing the size of fueled power plants to the potential power of wind turbine farms, one will find that 10000 kW of wind turbine power is theoretically enough to produce as much power and energy as approximately one half of that, in power generation that is coal — fired.

o Despite unpredictability, the annual reports of wind turbine energy output usually vary by only a few points from year to year.

4. Turbine Sitting – when location is key:

o The general rule is that when a location has an average wind speed of ten miles per hour it is a perfect location for wind generators.

o Meteorology plays a very important part in the determination of exactly where to set up a wind farm or any other kind of wind turbine generator.

o Ideally, one wants a location with a constant stream of wind as opposed to turbulent, gusty high mph winds.

o The wind will virtually always blow faster at higher altitudes because of reduced drag from the sea or land, as well as the subsequently lower amounts of viscosity in the wind current.

o Very flat lands with smooth average speed winds are great locations for wind turbines as well.

5. Wind Parks and / or wind Farms of have many wind power turbines installed.

o Utility-scale wind turbine generators have to have limits for the operating minimum.

o This can prevent the application of a wind power generation system in especially cold areas

o There are, however, many experiments in the making. There are internal heaters, heating lubricants, and minimum temperature monitors to consider in the installation and use of wind turbines.

More and more one hears of the environmental issues that have risen as well as the ways in which to help improve the environment. Many people are coming to appreciate the fact that we are destroying our world, and that we must take steps to improve the environment and environmental threats that surround us.

Professionals have estimated that 1% to 3% of the Sun’s energy, the energy that hits the earth, transforms into wind energy. To give you an idea of how much energy this is, in simple terms: it is about fifty to one-hundred times the amount of energy that is produced by plant life and biomass over the entire earth.

If you would like to harness the power of the sun, but you just dont have enough money to buy an entire solar panel system outright for your home. Please consider renting your solar panels. We offer the entire system with zero up-front cost and you can lock in your current electricity rates for up to 25 years, making inflation a thing of the past.

Do your Part and Go Solar Today!

About The Author:

It is not difficult to become a believer in global warming. According to the U.S. National Climatic Data Center 2001 was the second warmest year on record and it was the 23rd consecutive year of above normal temperatures. Perhaps most troubling is the fact that the rate of temperature increase is accelerating. Add to this the data just released from insurer Munich Re stating that deaths from natural disasters were more than double in 2001 versus 2000 and insured losses were up more than 50%.UNEP estimates that the extra economic costs of disasters attributable to global warming are running at more than $300 billion annually.

Some 180 countries are proceeding toward an expected ratification of the Kyoto Protocol by the end of this year. Of the six gases it will control CO2 is by far the largest contributing nearly 90% of the global warming impact. The primary source of CO2 is the burning of fossil fuels. Therefore the focus on energy will continue to increase.

Throughout the world different methods are being used to encourage reduced energy use. Japan has enacted the Energy Conservation Law in 1999 mandating huge efficiency improvements by 2004 for nearly all air conditioning products. The U.S. has revised ASHRAE Standard 90.1 for buildings to raise the minimum COP level for centrifugal chillers from the current value of 5.2 to 6.1 effective in October 2001. DOE and Green Seal have revised their recommended efficiency levels to an even higher level of 6.27.

Some countries use laws. Others use codes and standards. An increasing number of countries are using environmental costing which increases the price of energy thereby increasing the financial attractiveness of high efficiency products. European countries have been using such “carbon taxes” for more than a decade. However a rapidly growing trend in developing countries is the reduction of subsidies to energy industries “so prices more accurately reflect environmental impacts” according to OECD’s Environmental Strategy for the First Decade of the 21st Century.

China has shown leadership by reducing subsidies to the coal industry from $24.5 billion in 1990 to $10 billion in 1996 resulting in 7% emissions reduction while seeing a solid economic growth of 36%! China is now moving aggressively into environmental costing with the just announced (1/13/2002) 5-year environmental plan that commits 700 billion yuan ($84 billion) to help protect the environment. The government will provide the fist 65 billion yuan to initiate the project but will apply the “polluter pays” principle for the rest. The “environmental protection authorities will collect funds from the pollution-producing companies”. The impact on the price of energy is not known at this time. However it is clear that the addition of environmental costing will increase energy prices. According to a European Research Commission Report of July 2001 “The cost of producing electricity from coal or oil would double if costs such as damage to the environment and health were taken into account”.

The global movement to high efficiency is accelerating just like the rate of temperature increase. But this is not all that is changing. This second environmental threat of global warming is making it clear that we need to give combined consideration to ozone depletion and global warming. But more important is the need to focus on the real issue which is the total environmental impact not address each individual environmental threat in isolation. This includes the concept of environmental risk exposure, which recognizes that there are other environmental threats that are less well understood today. However, there are “no regrets” decisions we can make today (such as minimum refrigerant charge, minimum atmospheric life refrigerants, etc.) to minimize these risks.

Combined consideration would place more emphasis on reducing the use of CFCs, which are still being produced in developing countries until 2010 in accordance with the Montreal Protocol. Little attention is being given the large contribution to global warming from CFCs. Actions which cause confusion and delay the phaseout of CFCs cause increased environmental damage rather than lessening the environmental impact.

The other rapidly changing factor in the HVAC industry is the shift to becoming a hermetic industry, where refrigerant is contained throughout the life of a chiller and recycled for further use when the chiller is replaced. This simple understanding that “if it doesn’t get into the environment it does no harm” is a powerful argument, which will lead to the continued use of the most efficient refrigerants in such closed hermetic applications as chillers. In just 15 years annual refrigerants emissions from chillers have been reduced from 25% to well below 1% today. This defines a whole different world than that which existed when the Montreal Protocol was crafted some 15 years ago.

But perhaps the most important change coming to our industry is the realization that there are no new or “perfect” refrigerants waiting to be discovered. There are eight elements that can be combined for use in a vapor compression cycle. All feasible combinations of these eight have been evaluated. The reality is “what we have now is all there is”.

This recognition is why we are now seeing a shift from the search for a perfect refrigerant to a search for the right refrigerant(s) for the right application. Said another way, the highest efficiency refrigerants for the lowest emissions applications. Many in our industry call this “Responsible Use”.

About the Author:

Larry Butz
LButz@gea-consulting.com

Larry Butz is a business globalization and energy efficiency expert for GEA Consulting. GEA Consulting is a global resource dedicated to developing practical solutions that drive client revenue, efficiency, and operational productivity. GEA Consulting can be found online at http://www.gea-consulting.com

Do your part and reduce your environmental footprint. Go solar!
-No Equipment cost
-No Installation Fees
-No Maintenance worries
-No Monitoring
-Lock in Rates for 25 Years

Click here to “Do your Part” and get more information about Solar.

Green homes are eco-friendly homes that are energy efficient and use ecological design and sustainable resources. There has been a tremendous increase in awareness of the benefits of green building in America among builders and home owners alike. With home builders finding it easier to construct green homes, the number of green homes constructed throughout the country has gone up remarkably.

Ecological concerns and the increasing awareness of the advantages of green homes have led to an upsurge in green homes in the country. Concerns about the impact their homes have on the environment have prompted some homebuyers to opt for green homes.

Building green homes is no longer a remote concept these days. Over disturbing facts about global warming and indoor air pollution, today, the top priority of the National Home Builders Association and the American Institute of Architects is constructing green buildings.

There is sufficient data around that indicate that the building of green homes is on the rise. According to the figures provided by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) (who developed the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) green building rating system), the number of buildings with LEED status in America has increased from 38 in 2002 to 669 now. Green buildings are progressively entering the mainstream with more and more buildings getting LEED certification.

Given that green buildings do not cost very much more than traditional buildings, and that they actually reduce energy bills, the building of green homes is on the rise. A green building is not only less expensive to live in but also spikes in value by 7.5 percent on average and improves return on investment by 6.6 percent on average.

Green building concepts begin to rise everywhere as the number of individuals who want to remodel, build or buy green homes are rapidly increasing. Architects and developers are responding to satisfy this growing demand. Green buildings have been found to appreciate faster than traditional buildings.

What was once a patchwork of green buildings in several cities has now increased to encompass whole communities and neighborhoods. According to a McGraw-Hill Construction survey in 2006, about two-thirds of builders would be building green homes in America this year. Green buildings are firmly mainstream now with federal government and 15 states requiring new public buildings to meet the LEED standards. In fact, four U.S. states and 17 cities offer incentives for private buildings built to LEED standards.

With rising government initiatives, consumer interest and the number of green developers and builders, the green building revolution is all set to go to a new level. And now, with a solar revolution on the horizon, home owners will be able to have solar power without any equipment cost. Find Out How!

About The Author:

San Diego Condos Rancho Bernardo Real Estate Rancho Penasquitos Condos

With the issue of global warming taking on international importance in recent years, unsurprisingly the focus has fallen on car drivers, with cars seen as one of the major contributors towards global warming. Green cars have been held up as a potential solution, one that motorists should be embracing.

But are green cars actually ‘green’?

Firstly, let’s take pure electric cars. Unfortunately these electric cars are anything but good for the environment. The electricity that they run on is produced in power stations, where only 30-40% of the energy is converted into electricity. Transferring this electricity along electric cables then results in a further 30% being lost to heat energy. So by the time this electricity reaches an electric car a huge amount of the energy has already been lost. Good for cutting down inner city pollution but efficient it certainly isn’t.

Recently hybrid cars have been preferred, cars that contain both an electric motor and a petrol engine. The battery for the motor is powered by the energy generated from braking. When it comes to being ‘green’ these cars in theory offer many more environmental benefits.

In practice this isn’t necessarily the case. Consumer magazine Which? tested four hybrid cars by driving them throughout London. The results were disappointing, as mentioned by George Marshall-Thornhill, senior researcher for Which?, “Some of these should have performed much better.” And this is all without mentioning how to dispose of troublesome electric batteries.

Then there’s the cost of hybrid cars. The Toyota Prius is the most popular hybrid car and can be purchased for around $23,000. However, with fuel economy claims in doubt and 55% of people believing that green cars are too expensive, there is still some way to go before green cars arrive on a large scale.

The facts are that green cars use more energy to produce, are harder to dispose of, their fuel economy claims have been doubted, and they are simply too expensive. The age of the green car has not arrived yet.

However, solar power has “arived” and you can get your own solar panel system without having to spend anything on equipment. Go Solar Today!

About the Author:

Charles Cridland founded the car parking site YourParkingSpace.co.uk, where you can rent a parking space or find a parking space or garage to rent.