2nd Green Revolution

I Don’t Understand Parking Lots

In an op-ed a few months back I alluded to the coming diatribe against parking lots. As a form of land use, parking lots make no sense to me. Conversely, ...

The Angry Pedestrian: An Introduction

Let me say first off that I own a car. I drive. I don't drive a ton, I don't drive everyday, I don't drive to my job, but I understand ...

What Will It Take to Make Mass Transit the Norm?

Will people start consistently riding mass transit when gas prices stay above $5 per gallon? $10? What about when we are paying the true cost of driving (i.e. emissions, disposal)? ...

Designing Cities with People in Mind

I'm not a city planner. I took one class in college, so I don't even pretend to be qualified. However, living in a city and trying to commute without a ...

Earth Day 2012

Celebrating the 42nd Earth Day and 4.5 billion years of earth. Image from NASA Johnson Space Center

Call for Photo Submissions

by Justin Manger on August 10th, 2009

At 2nd Green Revolution, we are always looking for unique and interesting photos to put with our posts. We’ve made it a practice to link to the image’s source but we’d also like to expand our web of personal contacts from which quality photos could be collected and exhibited. Peruse through our previous pictures and posts to see what kind of images we use. If you have original photos or artwork that relate to our content, send us a copy at info@2ndgreenrevolution.com and we may put it up on the site. We will recognize the chosen submissions and link to an online repository of your work, website, or information of your choice (though final decisions on content and appropriateness will be made by 2nd Green Revolution).
- Justin & Eric

[Image Credit: http://futurefocusblog.com/2009/05/29/countdown/]

Denver’s (Bio)Diesel Powered Stimulus Projects

by Eric Wilson on August 9th, 2009

Blue Sun Biodiesel Months after President Obama signed the “American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009″, also known as the stimulus bill, in Denver, Colorado, the city has begun benefiting from the legislation. 2nd Green Revolution wrote about the initial signing, significant for its choice of location. Some of the funds have been allocated for a number of projects in and around the Denver area.

A number of the projects revolve around measures for conserving regular petroleum based diesel while increasing the amount of bio-diesel used by the city.

U.S. Energy Consumption Dropped in 2008, Renewables Increased

by Eric Wilson on August 8th, 2009

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California, part of the United States’ Department of Energy, announced last month that the total energy consumption in the US decreased during the 2008 calendar year. Measured in quads (representing a quadrillion BTUs – a “British Thermal Unit is a unit of measurement for energy, and is equivalent to about 1.055 kilojoules”), the lab reports that the total energy consumed in the United States fell from 101.5 quads in 2007 to 99.2 in 2008. According to the report

Americans used more solar, nuclear, biomass and wind energy in 2008 than they did in 2007, according to the most recent energy flow charts released by the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. The nation used less coal and petroleum during the same time frame and only slightly increased its natural gas consumption. Geothermal energy use remained the same.

However, nonrenewable sources of energy still dominated American energy consumption.

Five Friday Facts

by Justin Manger on August 7th, 2009

The following are about the Sidwell Friends School’s Green Building. Sidwell Friends is a private school located in northwest Washington DC where the Obama daughters go.

93% reduction in use of water supplied by Washington DC by treating our sewage on site in our constructed wetland and reusing the water, as well as through water efficient landscaping
78% of our building materials were manufactured regionally to minimize energy needed to transport them to our site
5% of our electricity is generated by the sun and harvested by the photovoltaic array on our rooftop
60% less energy is used through energy efficiency and passive solar design including ventilating and shading naturally to reduce air conditioning load, and managing lights with occupancy sensors and photosensors.
60% of the waste generated during construction was diverted from landfills and recycled

- 2nd Green Revolution

Concentrated Solar Power Project in North Africa

by Eric Wilson on August 6th, 2009

Last month, 2nd Green Revolution brought you news of DESERTEC, a project aimed at tapping into the vast potential solar energy in the Sahara desert. The plan brought together various conglomerations from Europe with an eye on transmitting the power from Northern Africa to European countries. In a follow up to a recent story on concentrated solar energy (which 2nd Green Revolution wrote about the other day), Public Radio International’s program “The World,” reported on this venture. The story claims that the purported project to install concentrated solar power would cost more than 500 billion (USD), including transmission lines sunk at the bottom of the Mediterranean to carry the power north to Europe. The upfront funding would be provided by a European consortium. Reporter Jerry Hadden cited a statistic claiming that the world’s deserts “receive enough solar radiation in six hours to power all of human civilization for a year.”

According to “The World,” Africa’s first photovoltaic power plant, located in Morocco, went online two years ago. It provides enough energy to power a mere 50 homes. The hope is that DESERTEC could promote technological advancements in North Africa

2 Upcoming Events from Rocky Mountain Institute

by Eric Wilson on August 5th, 2009

Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI), one of the nation’s leading energy research firms and think tanks, is holding their “Revolutionizing Engineering: Better Design for a Better Tomorrow” lecture in Aspen, Colorado on August 11th.

RMI poses the question, “What if something could be designed to run not one, not two, but ten times more efficiently—or more?” At the lecture, they will present answers to this query. Their project, Factor 10 Engineering, or 10xE, has been set up to figure out ways to increase efficiency of current energy systems by ten fold. “By inspiring designers to think in new ways, 10xE will radically improve the way we use energy and resources. Enabling simpler, more profitable whole-system solutions, 10xE will offer both seasoned practitioners and engineering students a better way to create a sustainable world.” Registration is open for interested parties. The program is complimentary.

Future events on RMI’s schedule include their October 1st through the 3rd symposium titled “RMI2009: From Ideas to Solutions”.

Nissan Rolls Out the All-electric “Leaf”; To Hit Market Next Year

by Justin Manger on August 4th, 2009

Nissan may be a small player compared to Toyota when it comes to hybrids but it is pushing the envelope when it comes to all-electric cars by betting they will be the way of the future. Nissan’s new lithium-ion battery-powered Leaf is a medium-size hatchback that seats five adults and can travel more than 100 miles on a single charge, at a top speed of 90 miles per hour. It comes with a quick charger that can replace up to 80% of its full capacity in just under 30 minutes. Charging is estimated to take approximately eight hours using a 200V outlet at home. The car is slated to cost between $25,000 and $30,000.

Using some of the U.S. government loans that were also given to Tesla and Ford Motor Company, Nissan will be adding manufacturing capacity for the first of its line of electric vehicles at a plant in Smyrna, TN, while most of the batteries and cars will be produced and assembled in Japan. CEO Carlos Ghosn was upbeat at the announcement, “We have been working tirelessly to make this day a reality — the unveiling of a real-world car that has zero, not simply reduced, emissions,” (from the car itself) Ghosn said in a statement. “It’s the first step in what is sure to be an exciting journey – for people all over the world, for Nissan and for the industry.”

Solar Thermal Energy Production Returns Home

by Eric Wilson on August 3rd, 2009

Public Radio International’s program “The World” reported on solar thermal electricity generation’s long trip across the globe last week. Originally invented in the United States, solar thermal (also known as concentrating solar power), was developed in the 1970s by Arnold Goldman. Designed as a disruptive technology, concentrated solar power uses the same general principle as nuclear power plants and coal fired electricity: steam is used to spin a turbine which generates electricity. In concentrated solar power’s case, long concave mirrors focus the sun’s thermal energy on a single tube filled with a liquid, usually oil. As the oil heats up, the energy is transferred to water which boils, becomes steam, and causes the turbine to spin.

Goldman built nine power plants in the California desert using this technology by the end of the 1980s. According to “The World”, the end of the energy crisis led to decreased interest. Currently, Spain is the leader in this technology, thanks in part to subsidies from the Spanish government.

How Sustainable are the Hawaiian Islands?

by Eric Wilson on August 2nd, 2009

After a recent visit to Hawaii’s Oahu and a meeting with a LEED AP (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Accredited Professional) Principal in the architectural firm Architects Hawaii Limited (AHL), 2nd Green Revolution came away with a deeper appreciation for many of the unique sustainability issues facing the Hawaiian archipelago. Obviously resource availability, including freshwater and raw materials, plays an enormous role in the islands’ ability to be self-sufficient. As one land developer pointed out in a conversation, there is no lumber on the islands, which are all volcanic rock. There are stores of bamboo, but for high-rises, the materials needed to produce steel and concrete (coal, iron, cement, etc.) are nonexistent.

The National Association of Industrial and Office Properties (NAIOP) reports that “Hawaii [house bill] 1880 and [senate bill] 1985 establish a tax credit for the acquisition of environmentally-friendly green technology facilities” (PDF). Separate legislation to mandate residential projects achieve similar standards faced heavy opposition from developers who see green building requirements as too limiting.

NASCAR’s Place in a Clean Energy Future

by Eric Wilson on August 1st, 2009

In April of this year, ESPN reported that the National Association of Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) planned to use a hybrid-gasoline electric vehicle as its pace car. “A hybrid will be the official pace car for the first time in NASCAR when Toyota lends a Camry for use in next month’s Coca-Cola 600.” While this news was significant for an organization known for consuming excessive amounts of fuel, one major change on the horizon could originate from the race tracks themselves. According to The New York Times, Pocono Raceway in Pennsylvania has plans to install nearly 40,000 photovoltaic panels “on 25 acres across the street from the racetrack on property that had been used as a parking lot for races. The solar farm is expected to generate three megawatts once it is completed, in early 2010, making it Pennsylvania’s largest such facility. . . . The project is expected to cost $15 million to $17 million but more than pay for itself over time.” The article stated that electricity deregulation threatened to increase the annual energy costs by 40% to approximately $500,000.

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