EcoGeek

Gowanus Canal to Become "Sponge Park" for Storm Water Runoff

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 20:42:13 GMT

As the EPA begins its decades-long superfund clean-up of the Gowanus Canal in Brooklyn, NY, a landscape architect has plans to make the area a beautiful, natural sponge for storm water runoff. The designs for creating the Sponge Park out of the 1.8-mile long canal was just approved by the city's Design Commission on January 30.

The first phase of the park has begun, which will include a series of bioswales leading up to a bioretention basin at the end of Second Street. These initial natural elements will allow the park to absorb 4,500 cubic feet of water from Second Street on a rainy day, which easily meets the demands of nine out of 10 typical storms that shower New York, without the need for costly new underground tunnels and tanks. The cost of traditional storm water infrastructure upgrades is a major motivation for the city to try and implement some new, greener options.

The next phase will include planting a variety of plant species that can handle large amounts of rain, periodic drought and also help remediate the toxicity of the soil surrounding the site. Some of the species that have been chosen include tulip poplars, northern blueflag iris, holly, yarrow, honey locust, American sweetgum, switchgrass, sunflowers and sassafras. The plants will not only serve a great environmental benefit, but also make the current eyesore a nice place to take a walk.

The Gowanus Canal could be just one of 100 of these sponge parks put in place throughout the city over the next 20 years, which could save the city $2.4 billion over traditional storm water infrastructure.

via Huffington Post Green

Image via dlandstudio

Solar Panel Startup Achieves Amazing 33.9% Efficiency

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 20:12:54 GMT

Semprius, a startup company manufacturing tiny concentrated solar cells that forgo any cooling systems has achieved a truly amazing leap in solar cell efficiency. The company was able to hit 33.9 percent efficiency with their solar panel, the first time a commercially-viable solar technology has passed the one-third mark.

Semprius's solar cells use gallium arsenide, rather than silicon, which is able to absorb sunlight and dissipate heat far better. The solar panel that scored this major efficiency record is made up of hundreds of these tiny cells that are about the width of a pen-drawn line. Lenses atop the cells concentrate sunlight 1,000 times.

To capture a better chunk of the solar spectrum, Semprius uses three layers of gallium arsenide, each one tweaked to convert a different part of the spectrum into electricity. Silicon solar cells, by contrast, only absorb a narrow band of sunlight and have efficiency rates that typically fall somewhere in the sub-15 percent area. The record for silicon cell efficiency is 22.9 percent and the previous record for commercial-level solar technology was 32 percent.

Possibly the greatest thing about the Semprius solar panel is that it's not some far distant future technology. It's been designed to be commercially produced and a factory opens this summer to start manufacturing the cells.

via MIT Tech Review

Wireless EV Charging Could Be Embedded in Highways

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 20:56:27 GMT

Stanford University researchers are working on a wireless EV charging technology that could eventually lead to highways that automatically charge vehicles as they drive over them. Such a technology could lead to a basically infinite range for EVs.

The wireless power transfer that the scientists are working on uses magnetic resonance coupling. Two copper coils are placed a few feet apart and tuned to resonate at the same frequency. One coil is connected to an electric current that generates a magnetic field that causes the other coil to resonate. This process leads to an electric current being transferred invisibly from the first coil to the second.

Previous studies have found the technology to be safe. The current is only transferred between the two in-tune resonators. People or objects standing near or between the coils would not be affected at all and even with obstacles in between, the two coils will still transfer the current without interruption.

MIT researchers have already been working on a stationary version of this technology for EV charging that transfers 3 kW to a parked car, but the Stanford researchers are taking the concept and modifying it to transfer 10 kW over a distance of 6.5 feet, or enough to charge an EV cruising down the highway. A series of coils connected to a current would be embedded in the highway with a receiving coil installed on the bottom of an EV. The receiving coils would resonate as the car drove along the road, continuously feeding the battery.

After running different mathematical models, the researchers figured out that a coil bent at 90 degrees and attached to a metal plate can transfer 10 kW to a twin coil 6.5 feet away. They say the efficiency of this wireless power transfer is 97 percent!

The researchers have filed a patent and will now move on to testing it in labs and then in real-world driving conditions to make sure it's completely safe and doesn't have any negative affects on other cars or drivers. Check out a video explaing the technology above.

via Physorg

Nissan Builds Energy-Efficient Car Transport Ship

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 14:12:57 GMT

Nissan has unveiled a new energy-efficient cargo ship for carrying its cars around the world. The Nichioh Maru features solar panels for powering the ships LED lighting system, a low-friction coating on the hull and an electronically-controlled diesel engine that optimizes fuel consumption. Compared to a conventional car carrier of its size, the Nichioh Maru will save 1,400 tons of fuel and prevent the emission of 4,200 tons of CO2 each year.

The Nichioh Maru is the first Japanese cargo ship to be outfitted with solar panels. The ship's deck is covered by 281 panels for powering the LED lights through the hold and crew quarters, eliminating the need for a diesel-fueled generator. The ship began its first voyage on January 27 and will begin carrying as many as 1,380 cars along the Japanese coast to Oppama Wharf, Kobe and Kyushu.

This isn't Nissan's first foray into energy-efficient car carriers. It also uses The City of St. Petersburg ship to transport its LEAF vehicles around Europe. That cargo ship is designed to reduce fuel use by 800 tons and cut CO2 emissions by 2,500 tons per year compared to carriers of its size.

via Nissan

Warmer Temperatures Will Slash Wheat Yields

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 19:29:12 GMT

Rising temperatures around the world are affecting many food crops and according to a new study done by a Stanford University scientist, wheat will be particularly vulnerable.

David Lobell looked at nine years-worth of images captured by the MODIS Earth-observation satellite to analyze the growing season of wheat in the Ganges plain of India. What he found was that in the years with higher average temperatures, the wheat fields turned brown earlier meaning that they were no longer growing.

Previous studies have predicted that wheat yields would fall by about 30 percent by 2050 in places like India, but Lobell thinks that realistic yield losses could be about 50 percent greater than existing models show. That's a scary figure since other studies have shown a need for wheat yields to increase by 50 percent in order to feed a growing global population.

One solution is breeding for wheat plants that have bigger roots and are less stressed by dryer and warmer conditions. Another option is to breed for plants that are slower growing and can be planted earlier in the season. That way the wheat could be harvested before the high spring temperatures while retaining its hardiness. Scientists are already working on these solutions, but either approach will need to have a breakthrough soon to keep up with growing demand and warming temperatures.

via New Scientist

NASA Releases Updated Video Showing Warming Temperatures Since 1880

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 14:06:59 GMT

Last year was the ninth warmest year on record (since 1880). Global average surface temperatures has continually risen since 1950, when the average global temperature was 0.92 degrees F (0.51 C) cooler than in 2011.

An updated video compiled by NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies illustrates this warming trend in colorful detail. Red in the video represents temperatures higher than the average during the 1950 - 1981 baseline period while blue represents temperatures lower than that average.

While 2011 was the ninth warmest year, 2010 was the warmest year on record. The difference in average temperature between 2010 and 2011 was 0.22 degrees F (0.12 C). Temperatures may fluctuate slightly from year to year, but, as this analysis shows, the overall trend of rapid warming continues.

via NASA

U.S. Could Get 15% of Energy from Wave and Tidal Sources by 2030

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 14:27:31 GMT

Two recent studies done by the Department of Energy found that wave, tidal and other water power sources could provide 15 percent of U.S. energy needs by 2030.

The reports called the "Mapping and Assessment of the United States Ocean Wave Energy Resource( PDF)" and "Assessment of Energy Production Potential from Tidal Streams in the United States (PDF)," calculated the maximum kinetic energy in waves and tides that could be used for energy production. Our country currently uses about 4,000 TWh of electricity per year and the studies show that waves and tidal currents could potentially generate up to 1,420 TWh of electricity per year, but not all of that energy could realistically be developed.

The DOE plans to release additional resource assessments for ocean current, ocean thermal gradients, and new hydropower resources later in the year so that we'll have a full picture of the water power potential in the U.S.

The findings have been incorporated into NREL's searchable U.S. Renewable Energy Atlas.

via DOE

Tesla Model X Will Be Unveiled February 9

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 21:25:44 GMT

Tesla won't be producing its all-electric SUV until 2014, but luckily we'll get a look at the design far sooner than that, though later than originally announced. Tesla is set to unveil the Model X prototype on February 9 at its design studio in California, just a few short days away.

In a filing with the SEC, Tesla said that it was "designing the Model X to incorporate the functionality of a minivan with the consumer appeal of a sports-utility vehicle." This leaves quite a bit of room to imagine its design. With both the Roadster and the soon-to-be-launched Model S, the carmaker pulled right from the luxury car style sheets. No doubt that the Model X will have that luxury feel too, but it will be very interesting to see what details Tesla will add to set it apart.

Even more importantly, what new performance specs will we get when the prototype is revealed? Check back on February 9 to see what we learn.

via Inside Line

Image via Tesla Motors

UK Installing "Wind Farm Friendly" Radar

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 03:55:39 GMT

New radar facilities are being installed in Great Britain in order to "unlock" large sections of potential wind farm area for development. Because of potential interference, dozens of wind farm projects have been blocked by the Ministry of Defence (MOD). But now, the MOD has tested these new radar systems, and is satisfied that they will not suffer adverse effects from wind turbines.

One recent installation of a new Lockheed Martin air defense radar has let to the Ministry withdrawing its objection to five offshore wind farms that had been stalled over the issue. Wind farm developers are underwriting the cost of these new radar systems, but that investment could allow them to build as many as 4 gigawatts of additional wind farms.

image: CC-BY 2.0 by Ken Hodge

via: NA Windpower

Japanese Solar Panel Owners Sold $1.2 Billion Worth of Surplus Power Back to Grid Last Year

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 00:46:37 GMT

Japanese home and business owners with solar power installations sold 2,150 GWh of electricity back to their power utilities last year, a huge 50 percent increase over the amount sold back to the grid in 2010. The sellers collectively made a nice $1.2 billion off their surplus electricity.

The Japanese government has a feed-in-tariff scheme that requires the utilities to purchase the extra power which was small beans compared to the average 884,000 GWh of electricity that those utilities sell to customers per year.

The government is set to introduce even more subsidies for domestic renewable energy power developers. The new scheme will include electricity from solar, wind, small hydroelectric, biomass and geothermal plants, but only solar panel owners with systems of 10 kW or less will still be able to sell their excess power.

via Reuters