Author Archive

Maggie Puniewska

Maggie Puniewska is a freelance writer based out of the greater Chicago area. She has a B.A. in communications from University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana. In addition to Please Conserve, she currently writes for the buzz, an entertainment magazine on campus. She has written and published on a wide range of subjects and her specialty for Please Conserve is conservation and environmental topics.

Feelings gassy- Researchers at the Penn State University have gas. And a lot of it. Late last year they discovered a way to convert carbon dioxide to methane, the main component of natural gas. The key to their discovery was using tiny microorganisms called ‘methanogens’. These creatures produce methane from water and CO2 when zapped with an electrical current. When a fuel cell is built around them, energy can be harnessed. Although the process is still experimental, it can shed light on another source of renewable energy.

http://www.engr.psu.edu/ce/enve/logan/bioenergy/technical_magazines/ES&T_Electromethanogenesis_52009.pdf

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090330111257.htm

The average person loses half a liter of sweat each day. All this sweat is usually left in the underarm creases of white crisp shirts. But Swedish engineers are not letting this go to waste. They have found a way to harness, not the sweat per se, but the body heat given off by commuters and use it to heat buildings. Although the capturing of body heat to be later used as energy is not a new concept (it is used at the Mall of America), the Swedes have innovated this practice through the ability to transfer the heat from one building to another. Talk about hot technology.

The logistics of the system are not that complicated. A Time article from April 15, 2010, looked into the process. Here a simple rundown: the heat generated by commuters at the Stockholm train station is captured by the station’s ventilation system and used to warm water in underground tanks. The water is then pumped into pipes and transferred to a 13 story building 100 yards away. What makes this system great is that it is environmentally friendly but also pays for itself. The building’s energy bill will decrease as much as 20% each year and it will receive about 15% to 30% of its heat from the station.

Using innovative and alternative methods such as this one is very popular in Sweden and other European countries that are way ahead of the US when it comes to adapting green technologies. In Denmark, for example 20% of the countries energy is generated from alternative sources such as wind, whereas in the United States it is a mere 3%. But the article mentioned that such alternative systems as the body heat capturing one would not be seen as valuable in the United States as in Sweden or other European countries. Why? The United States has relatively low energy prices compared to other countries. Low prices allow the consumption of more energy without seeing financial repercussions when the utility bill arrives. Because Europeans don’t enjoy such generous pricing, they have to search for new ways to bring down costs, which much alternative energy provides. While using the system in Europe may show clear and deep cuts in cost, in the US, after installation, the system may not reap the same financial benefits.

But we shouldn’t allow economy to trump ecology. The environmental profits that the system will provide should be enough of an incentive to implement it. And despite the fact that the financial aspect will not be as prominent, the system does reduce energy costs, which will eventually pay for the cost of all the installation. For both the wallet and the environment, it’s a win: win.

SunPower Corporation has reinvented the traditional solar panel, making it more efficient for capturing the sun’s rays. Their back contact silicon PV panels are designed so that the electrical contacts are in the back of each cell. This allows more area to be dedicated to catch the sun. The panels are rising in popularity because they are 50 percent more efficient than traditional panels. The U.S. Department of Energy was so impressed with the design that they covered the roof of their headquarters in D.C. with these panels in September of 2008.

http://investors.sunpowercorp.com/releasedetail.cfm?releaseid=179418

Mirrors are now more than a narcissist’s best friend. A California-based company, Ausra, is using them to generate energy. The system is an array of flat, rotating mirrors that are used to reflect sunlight to boil water in an elevated tube. The rotation is necessary because it allows for the maximum amount of sunlight to be captured. The boiled water produces steam that drives a turbine to generate electricity. Pacific Gas and Electric, one of California’s utility companies has agreed to purchase power from a plant that Ausra will complete in 2010. Outfitted with 1 square mile of solar collectors, Ausra’s planned plant in Southern California will produce enough emissions-free energy to power 120,000 homes.

http://www.ausra.com/technology/

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=sunny-outlook-sunshine-provide-electricity

A company called Solar Bridge Technology has tackled a problem that arises with the use of solar panels. Solar panels traditionally convert solar energy to DC power, but many home appliances and electronics use AC power. A converter is available but it loses a lot of energy in the process and can be costly. The solution? A device called a ‘microinverter’. Each device is connected to individual solar panels along with a wireless monitoring system that allows the performance of each panel to be monitored.  This micro approach allows energy to be distributed in a more efficient and reliable way.

http://www.solarbridgetech.com/products/our-solution/microinverter
http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/earth/4287132.html?page=2

Scientists in Japan have come up with a new ‘biomass charcoal heater’ that uses the conventional coal heater but without the traditional coal. The new coal they developed contains a variety of waste material including trimmings from an oak tree, coffee waster, and soybean fiber. In relation to other biomass heaters in Turkey and the United States, this bio-heater is 60-80 percent more efficient. This heater could lead to increased efficient and cost savings in home heating.

http://pubs.acs.org/doi/pdf/10.1021/ie8006243?cookieSet=1
http://http//www.physorg.com/news153064410.html

Canada has been putting up with a lot of emotional abuse. Often labeled as a bunch of hockey-loving, beer-drinking, plaid-wearing socialists, many people can’t take our Northern neighbor seriously. But it’s time to cut the junk. The host of the last Olympic Games is actually much cooler than you think. And the reason has nothing to do with maple syrup.

Canada’s cool factor can be attributed to a really innovative production of Olympic medals. A February third article from Bloomberg describes the green process. The recent awards included metals from old televisions, circuit boards, monitors and electronic waste. Talk about trash to treasure. The metal was produced in a Vancouver based company called Teck Resources, Ltd, which is Canada’s largest base-metal producer which plans of processing 15,000 tons of e-waste this year, up from 2,100 in 2006. The company plans on augmenting its electronic stash to include DVD players, fridges, and light bulbs in an effort to re-use even more items that are just wasting away in dumps.

Although the whole Olympic process can wear down a few resources, Canada proves that eco-friendly elements can be incorporated. Not only does the production of these medals give Canada some good publicity, it shows that recycling is easy and just takes a little creativity. Including what would normally be considered “junk metal” in the production of other metals will help us reuse all those old TVs and fridges that are just hanging out in dumps. The junk can even be used to produce more of the same product, just with more recycled manner. Think of it as an e-reincarnation. So let’s toast our dear Canadians and take a hint toward more green production.

A Houston-based company, Hydro Green Energy, also uses current to generate electricity, but in a different way. The company uses the force produced by a hyrdroelectric dam to turn a 12-foot, 3-blade fan. This concept is similar to using ocean currents to turn turbines, but this flan is optimized to function with current flowing in one direction. This plant is the first hydrokinetic (using the motion of water) project that is federally licensed in the US.

http://www.hgenergy.com/technology.html

http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS142130+05-Jan-2009+PRN20090105

Motion of the ocean-Carnegie Corporation has developed a method of converting energy from passing waves to drive a turbine onshore and to create desalinated water. The process begins with a series of large buoys that are placed in 49-131 feet of water, attached to piston pumps. The rise and fall of passing waves moves the pumps, generating water pressure of up to 1,000 pounds per square inch. This pressure propels a turbine which forces the water through a membrane that removes the salt. Right now this process is only utilized in Australia, but other countries such as the U.K. are signing up for projects.

http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSTRE51401720090205?feedType=RSS&feedName=environmentNews&pageNumber=1&virtualBrandChannel=00

Poo. This three letter word makes foreheads crease and bodies cringe. It’s gross, it stinks, but you might never have guessed that this small smelly beast can be used power an entire farm. Sound like something out of a sci-fi flick? Well, you better believe it’s more like a reality show. An article published in the February 2009 issue of Popular Mechanic describes this messy, yet eco-innovative procedure.

The chosen one is Shawn Saylor. This Pennsylvania farmer uses the 18,000 gallons of manure produced daily by his cows to power a generator on his farm. Once the waste hits the ground, it goes through an extensive 16-day digestion process before it can be converted to actual energy. The manure begins its journey by being stored in a 19,000 gallon tank. It then travels through a U-shaped pipe where it is digested with bacteria that break the waste into a biogas containing 65% methane. The gas that is produced drives a natural gas engine which propels a 130kW generator.

18,000 gallons of manure daily may sound like a tremendous amount of number 2, and it is. Last year this method produced 1.2 million kWh of electricity, enough to power the farm and several homes nearby. Saylor saved about $60,000 in utility bills- a hefty amount of savings.

On the same note, a University of Texas-Austin study calculated that there is about 1 billion tons of manure produced in the United States annually. This amount could generate about 88 billion kWh of electricity-enough to account for 2.4 percent of annual US consumption.

It’s time, America, to stop making disgusted faces at the mere thought of poo. Who knows? Maybe one day it will be used to power your home.