Wednesday, May 6, 2009
DESIGN OF ZERO ENERGY COMMUNITIES
An exciting new concept in sustainable urban and regional planning is the building of zero-energy communities. This is not a theoretical concept as one community has already done it. This community is the Island of Samso in Denwark. In size, it is approximately equal to the size of Nantucket. What Samso did was to implement an integrated system of alternative energy systems at the community level, with the entire community sharing in all the costs and benefits. District heating plants use straw waste to provide steam heat to buildings throughout the island. Biofuel fuel is used to replace the use of oil in automobiles. Wind turbines and solar photovoltaic sells are used to generate electricity. Improved methods of building construction and insulation have reduced the cost of heating and cooling buildings, while geothermal heat pumps which draw on the constant temperature of the underground air have proved to significantly reduce the cost of heating and air-conditionig buildings. Samso has been so successful that it now is a zero-energy community that exports energy to surrounding areas. Following are examples of renewable atlternative energy sources that can be used to help a community make itself into a zero-energy community.
Biofuels
Biofuels are plant materials or waste that can be converted to solid fuels or liquid fuels such as ethanol. Even food cooking waste oil can be collected and, after being filter, can be directly used as a fuel in specially converted biodiesel vehicles.
Monday, May 4, 2009
Geothermal Power
Geothermal energy production is a renewable energy source that extracts the heat from the earth's interior. The cost of geothermal energy production is greatly dependent upon how close to the earth's surface are located geothermal vents. In locations such as Iceland and Hawaii where there exists active volcanic activity, geothermal energy is an attractive source of renewable energy. Pictured above is a geothermal power plant built in Iceland.
Solar Power Plants
Solar power, or energy from the sun, is by the earth's most abundant renewable energy source. Unfortunately, while having great potential, last year solar energy production accounted for only 0.02 percent of the world's energy consumption. With concern about global warming, however, governments are providing financial incentives for solar energy production, which helps to create demand and bring down the cost of solar energy technologies. Also, new approaches for solar energy production are being developed, such as that illustrated above where solar rays are concentrated in a single collecting mirror that allows for the building of large solar energy power plants. Examples of such solar energy power plants include the 46 MW Moura solar power plant in Portugal, the 40 MW Waldpolenz solar power plant in Germany, and the 11 MW PS10 solar power plant (illustrated above) in Seville, Spain.
Wind Energy Farms
Wind energy is another form of renewable energy. Modern wind turbines have become very efficient at transferring the energy of the wind to electricity. To demonstrate the potential of wind energy, electrical generation from wind turbines grew by 28.8 percent world-wide last year. Two innovative new uses of wind energy are: (1) specially designed new wind turbines that can be mounted on the roofs of urban buildings; and (2) the idea of creating a smart grid where wind energy can be exported from areas of high winds to urban areas needing the energy. Another innovative proposal is to build a grid of wind turbines in the upper midwest of the U.S. to provide cheap energy to extract natural gas from lands containing oil shale.
DESIGN OF SUSTAINABLE "GREEN" BUILDINGS
The heating, cooling and lighting of our buildings accounts for 48 percent of all U.S. energy consumption. As such, building energy usage is the greatest contributor to green house gases and global warming. This will only increase as the world becomes more urbanized and the built environment represents a greater and greater portion of our environment. Stormwater runoff from buildings is also one of the greatest non-point sources of water pollution, while the manufacturer of synthetic materials used in the construction of buildings leads to hazardous waste and an increasing number of "sick" buildings. One example of a community that has made a commitment as part of its sustainable urban and regional planning to attempt to convert all buildings in the community to sustainable "green" buildings is the town of Greensburg, Kansas. After being devastated by a tornado, the town enlisted the support of various corporate sponsors and enlisted the help of the non-profit studio 804 of the University of Kansas to help rebuild the community with "green" buildings. Following is a discussion of methods of constructing "green" buildings so as to promote a more sustainable environment.
Green Roofs
Green roofs are one of the most visible ways to build more sustainable, "green" buildings. A study conducted for Toronto, Canada estimated that the installation of green roofs on buildings could: reduce the heat island effect of urban areas by 1 to 2 degrees C, reduce smog alerts in cities by 5 to 10 percent, absorb CO2 emissions from automobiles and thus reduce green house gases, reduce the energy needs of buildings for heating and air conditioning, filter storm run-off and thus reduce water pollution, and expand recreational and open space in urban areas by creating roof-top gardens.
Solar Photovoltaic Panels
Solar photovoltaic panels are used to convert the sun's energy into electricity. A converter is used to convert the electricity from DC to AC electricity. Any excess electricity can be stored in batteries or exported to the electrical grid and sold to the local electrical utility.
Solar Hot Water Systems
Solar hot water systems are systems that absorb the heat of the sun to heat water for the use within a building.
Passive Solar
Passive solar is any means to use the heat from the sun to provide for the heating or energy needs of a building without any means of mechanical assistance. The easiest method of passive solar involves the proper siting of a building to take advantage of the sun when it is at a low horizon or angle, but to provide shading when the sun is at its highest during the hottest part of the day. Another means of passive solar design is to build the floor of a building with some type of thermal mass such as concrete that absorbs the heat - and releases the heat at night when it is cooler.
Wind Turbines on Buildings
Previously, wind turbines as an energy source were typically not located on building or within urban areas. With the concern about green energy and global warming, however, new technologies have recently been developed to allow wind turbines to be built on top of buildings -- and be able to deal with the shifting wind directions typical of urban areas. As such, wind turbines are increasingly a part of sustainable green buildings.
Recycled Cellulose Insulation
Traditional fiberglass insulation is harmful to the environment both in its manufacturer and in its use. A more eco-friendly type of insulation is recycled cellulose insulation. The cellulose can come from such diverse sources as recycled newspapers or recycled blue jeans.
Geothermal Heating and Cooling
Geothermal heating and cooling involves the use of ground source heat pumps to take advantage of the fairly constant ground temperature to reduce the cost of normal heat pumps to provide for heating and cooling. Wells are dug to a depth of typically 200 feet to obtain a source of air that is approximately 55 degrees year around. This reduces the need for cooling the outside air for air conditioning in the summer and for heating the outside air in the winter, and thus provides for a more efficient form of heating and air conditioning of buildings.
Natural Ventilation - to Vent Hot Air
Another method of sustainable green building design is to incorporate means of natural ventilation into a building to vent hot air in the summer time, and thus reduce the need for energy used for air conditioning.
EXAMPLES OF SUSTAINABLE "GREEN" BUILDINGS
Following are examples of "green" buildings incorporating sustainable design principles.
Sustainable Proposed Eco-Laboratory Building in Seattle, Washington
One example of a proposed sustainable "green" building is the Ecolaboratory building to be built on the 7,200 square foot P-patch in the Belltown neighborhood of downtown Seattle. Conceived by Weber Thompson, it is proposed that the main living units of the building be constructed of recycled shipping containers. All water, including black and gray water, is to be recycled for the use of residents and landscaping water needs. Residents will be able to individually control the amount of their natural ventilation by the design of what are referred to as "earth tubes." Solar hot waters panels will provide for the heating of hot water. Also providing energy for the building will be photovoltaic solar panels, biomass conversion, and even hydrogen fuel cells - to generate electricity.
Eco-Laboratory in Seattle, Washington - Green Building
Another illustration of the Eco-Laboratory building in Seattle, Washington, conceived by Weber Thompson.
Duke University's Sustainable "Smart Home" - Green Building
To demonstrate how a sustainable home can be constructed, Duke University in conjunction with Home Depot has built a sustainable "smart home" demonstration. It has received a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) platinum rating, the highest level rating. It includes solar water panels for hot water heating, 18 photovoltaic solar panels that generate 3 kW of electricity, a vegetated green roof planted with sedums that are drought tolerant and capture and filter rainwater while providing roof insulation, rainwater collection for irrigation of the grass of the site, Energy Star appliances, and recycling of construction waste materials.
Environmental Nature Center in Orange County, California - Green Building
An example of a sustainable green building that takes advantage of natural ventilation is the Environmental Nature Center in Orange County, California.
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Proposed Independence Station Building in Oregon - Green Design
The proposed Independence Station building claims that, when constructed, it will be the highest rated Platinum LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) building in the world. It will include almost all of the various approaches to green building design (green roof, photovoltaic solar panels to generate electricity, passive solar hot water heating, geothermal heating and cooling, rainwater harvesting, etc.)
Platinum Rated - Clinton Presidential Library in Little Rock, Arkansas
The Clinton Presidential Library in Little Rock, Arkansas is the first presidential library to be designed green. When it opened, it received a silver LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) award, but has since been upgraded to the highest award level -- i.e. a platinum award. It has a green roof with approximately 90 different types of plants, solar panels, and includes a wetlands next to it that is protected as part of the library.
Living Roof of the California Academy of Science in San Francisco
One of the best examples of a building design with a green roof is the "living roof" of the newly constructed California Academy of Science in San Francisco.
BedZED Eco-Village
The BedZED Eco-Village located in Wallington, South London, England is intended to be a zero-energy, carbon neutral community development. Opened since 2002, it is designed to house 100 families, community facilities, and office space for 100 workers. Developed by Peabody Trust in conjunction with Bioregional Development Corporation and designed by architect Bill Dunster, its homes are designed to use only 10 percent of the energy of a typical home.
The Brighton "Earthship" - Experimental Sustainable Green Building
The Brighton Earthship is an experimental sustainable building near Stamner Park, Brighton, East Sussex, England. Its walls are made from recycled tires and it is built semi-underground to use the insulation properties of the earth itself. It includes a windmill and passive and active solar heating, as well as geothermal heating and cooling.
Greensburg, Kansas Arts Center - Platinum Green Building
The first LEED (leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Platinum rated "green building" constructed in the state of Kansas is the Greensburg, Kansas Arts Center. Designed by the non-profit 804 Studio of the University of Kansas and constructed as part of the rebuilding of the town of Greensburg after it was devastated by a tornado, the building has 3 Kestrel wind turbines that produce 600 watts of electricity. In the basement is a Xantrec converter that transforms the electricity from DC to AC electricity that is either used to provide electricity for the building, is stored in a bank of 12 batteries for future use, or is sold to the city. The building also has 8 photovoltaic solar panels on the roof that also produce electricity. Finally, the building also has three 200-feet deep geothermal heating and cooling wells that draw cool 55 degree air from the ground in the summer and use the same 55 degree air for heating in the winter. The building exterior incoporates passive solar design in the form of specially designed tempered glass that is 10 times stronger than a car windshield that blocks UV rays while the building floor consists of 4 inches of concrete to absorb and retain heat in the winter. Skylights in the roof provide natural lighting while sensors automatically turn off the lights in the center if no one is in a room. The roof itself is a "green" roof covered with sedum, a succulent plant that helps to absorb UV rays and thus keep the building cool in the summer. Similarly, the soil medium helps to keep the building warm in the winter and filters the rainwater which is collected from the building in 1500 gallon cistern, with the rainwater then used to water the native buffalo grass lawn. To further promote sustainability, the building itself is insulated with a cellulose insulation made from recycled newspapers.
Friday, May 1, 2009
SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORTATION
Transporation accounts for twenty-eight percent of our current energy usage. This is primarily in the form of oil/petroleum products such as gasoline and diesel fuel. The use of such oil products adversely contributes to carbon emissions, and thus global warming. It also accounts for the primary sources of smog. As such, to design a more sustainable future requires us to rethink our current methods of transportation and new, improved methods to reduce air pollution and energy usage.
Non-sustainable Transportation
The above photograph illustrates the non-sustainable nature of our current transportation system where our society is primarily dependent upon gasoline powered automobiles which dominant our cities and communities, creating air pollution and a dependence upon foreign oil.
Example of Non-sustainable Current Transportation
Agove is another example of non-sustainable current transportation design.
Walkable, Pedestrian-Friendly Streets
All transportation begins with pedestrians. At some point, we must get out of our cars or other means of transportation and walk from place to place. Unfortunately, not enough attention has been given in the past to the creation of walkable, pedestrian-friendly streetscapes. If we want to reduce air pollution and energy usage from transportation, however, we need to reclaim our streets to include a place for pedestrians.
Bicycling
If we want to build more sustainable communities, we need to provide for every form of low-impact transportation, including bicycling.
Solar Cell Car
One emerging method of reducing air pollution and energy usage from transportation are cars powered by solar energy cells.
Mass Transit
Mass transit is another method that we can reduce air pollution and energy usage from transportation. Mass transit includes buses, trains and light-rail mass transit.
Low Emission Electric Hybrid Cars
Plug-in electric hybrid cars are still another way to reduce air pollution and energy usage from transportation. Electric hybrid cars are eco-friendly because they combine gasoline engines with electric batteries. The electric batteries are recharged by plugging in at night. When driving using the electric batteries as power, the cars emit no emissions. When combined with solar panels at homes to recharge the batteries, they present an eco-friendly car.
Hydrogen Fuel Car Cars -- Zero Emission Vehicles (ZEV)
The ultimate new green transportation technology to allow us to reduce air pollution and energy usage from transportation are hydrogen fuel cell cars. Using hydrogen fuel made from water and air, the only emissions from hydrogen fuel cell cars is water vaor.
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