by Frankie Berti

Vincent Callebaut, the Belgian eco-architect extraordinaire known for his whimsical and beautiful green conceptual work, has created yet another solution to the manifold environmental and health problems looming toward us with a fairly large ship running on a scattering of alternative energy sources (check out Hydrogenase, his vision for using biofuels instead of fossil fuels).

The Physalia, modeled on the jellyfish known as Physalia physalis, is a 262-foot long vessel created to purify rivers and waterways for the world’s people, from the Danube to the Tigris and Euphrates. It is also completely self-sustainable and a study in integrating multiple alternative energy strategies.

The Physalia produces zero carbon emissions thanks to its hydro-turbines, which transform the river’s energy into hydro-electricity. It is self-cleaning (and also cleans the water surrounding it) thanks to a covering of titanium dioxide. The TiO2 is supposed to absorb and recycle chemical and carbon byproducts produced by boats and industrial plants still running on fossil fuels via photocatalysis. The floating ecosystem also solves the problem of water scarcity via its bio-filtration systems (for a neat company already working on that, click here). The roof features a double pneumatic membrane covered by photovoltaic solar cells, as well as a green roof.

If this baby is ever built to specifications, expect to see the building transform into a cloud. Straight from the firm’s site:

“When the system of automatic irrigation works in “blue hours”, the architecture disappears in favour of an atmosphere. Actually, the project metamorphoses into a fog cloud with evanescent contour. The Physalia becomes therefore a perfumed evaporation space that seems to coil up the visitors in suspension inside.”

No word on the chemical make-up of the fog cloud is to be found, but it’s probably safe to assume that its production is also emissions-free and all-natural.

Though the viability of this solution has left me scratching my head (and many “green” architects create solutions to environmental problems that leave me scratching my head), we have to hand it to Mr. Callebaut for his creativity and focus on improving the world through design. In the meantime, take this futuristic concept for what it’s meant to be: inspiration based on actual technology, a symbol, and a goal.

Photo via Gas2.0

Reprinted with permission from Gas 2.0

by Kristy Hessman

You’ve read the statistics and you know you should be using energy-saving lightbulbs, but you’re still confused on which kind is best for you. Never fear. Consumer Reports just released a comprehensive report reviewing 30 different compact fluorescents and light-emitting diode bulbs.

Their tests show that many of the problems with early CFL and LED bulbs have been solved and now the energy-saving bulbs last longer and use far less electricity than their traditional incandescent predecessors. Whether you are looking for lights for indoor or outdoors spaces, chances are there is an energy efficient options out there for you.

Not surprisingly, the report focused heavily on the United Sates most popular bulb, the 60-watt equivalent CFL and LEDs. The test found that, of the two, CFLs save money faster because of their low cost. It only takes under a year to recoup the cost of most CFL bulbs, according to the report. LEDs can take 4 to 10 years to pay for themselves because of the high price tag.

Another selling point for CFLs is the reduced amount of mercury present, about 60 to 75 percent less than previous versions. When it comes to LEDs, the reports showed that the energy use actually matched or exceeded the products claims, with nearly all the LEDs tested still burn brightly after 3,000 hours.

Photo via Philips

Reprinted with permission from EarthTechling

by Frankie Berti

In a move benefiting both the environment and its bottom line, UPS purchased 100 fully-electric commercial vehicles for use in its California fleet last month from Electric Vehicles International (EVI). Headquartered in Stockton, CA, EVI will be providing CARB-approved walk-in vans (EVI-WI) to replace aging diesel trucks. The EVI-WI’s have a 90-mile range and should displace 126,000 gallons of fuel a year. The 100 class 6 delivery trucks will be deployed early next January around the South Coast Air Basin, San Joaquin Valley, and the Sacramento Valley.

The partnership began tentatively back in September 2010, when both companies undertook a 90 day demonstration period with three 30 day trials. Mike Britt, Director of Maintenance and Engineering for UPS, states “Now we will operate these vehicles in the real world and help establish the future viability of this technology. EVI is aggressive at identifying and utilizing incentive funding to assist customers with fleet modernization employments.” And how. The state of California is providing a $20,000 CARB rebate through the state’s Hybrid Truck and Bus Initiative Project (HVIP).

UPS has long been improving its fleet. Remember UPS’s composite-bodied CV23 truck? Testing of these lighter-bodied vehicles should conclude around December of this year. We’ll keep you posted on whether these trucks did generate a 40 percent increase in fuel efficiency over the UPS C70 diesel models. And last month’s EVI-WI purchase not only serves to reduce consumption of oil, production of CO2 emissions, and noise pollution, as well as provide valuable data, but will also create “dozens” of clean-tech jobs in California. Not bad, UPS. Not bad.

Reprinted with permission from Gas 2.0

Arguably, the most complicated piece of machinery in the automotive world is a transmission. Transmissions transmit the power from the motor to the wheels in a way that prevents the engine from damaging itself while maximizing the power of the engine. Some battery electric vehicles may be able to skip the transmission all together using just two or three simplified set of gears. However, in internal combustion engines (ICE), the transmissions provide the gears to best capitalize on the power curve of the engine (as well as provide the reverse function).

In the quest to snatch every last joule of energy from each drop of fuel, ICE vehicles have been undergoing a lot of interesting developments recently, including turbo charging, lighter weight materials, and revising pistons and fuel injectors. All of these contribute to better fuel economy, but most likely do not have the same impact as an improved transmission.

Transmissions have evolved over the years. When I first started to drive, manual transmissions were considered much more fuel efficient than automatic transmissions. That difference has diminished significantly and now we are seeing automatics that beat or match manual transmissions for fuel economy. In the mid 2000’s, the continuously variable transmission (CVT) emerged as the leader for fuel economy. These transmissions do not have the mechanical gears of a traditional transmission, instead using a chain on two v-shaped pulleys that move in and out making the chain rotate on a larger or smaller “gear.” This allows the transmission to operate at an infinite number of gear ratios, which keeps the engine running at its optimum speed.

However, in the last couple of years, in North America, the CVT transmission has been slipping in popularity. Why? One reason is because they are usually more expensive than comparable, traditionally geared transmissions. Another is that they lose the shifting feel that consumers are used to experiencing in vehicles. Some may view this as a positive, but many apparently do not. In fact, auto companies like Nissan are putting a shifting feel back into their CVTs with software. Finally, there tends to be a torque limit with CVT transmissions which lowers vehicle performance in comparison to geared transmissions making them better suited to small engines.

Meanwhile, transmission manufacturers like ZF Friedrichshafen have been adding additional gears to their transmissions while reducing the lag between shifting. This summer, ZF launched the first nine-speed automatic transmission for passenger cars with transverse mounted engines (typically used in front and all wheel drive cars). ZF’s nine-speed transmissions have very fast shifts with only two open clutch events, all but eliminating the fuel wasting time between shifts. The new transmission is expected to improve fuel economy 15% or more compared to a six-speed transmission and do so with fewer parts.

Dual clutch transmissions (popular in Europe) typically improve fuel economy 4% to 12% over comparable traditional automatics with torque converters according to transmission-builder, Getrag Corporate Group. Getrag explains dual clutch transmissions on their website as “one gear is engaged, the system has already preselected the next. Once the relevant rpm has been reached, one clutch is opened while the second is closed simultaneously, precluding any interruption in tractive force.” In addition, new torque converters and transmissions are being optimized to provide start/stop capabilities to automatic transmissions, all in the name of increased fuel economy.

Thanks to the relationship with Fiat, Chrysler is now going to be licensing ZF technology to manufacture eight-speed transmissions for its vehicles, replacing its current six-speed transmissions. While Ford’s 2012 Focus launched with Ford’s dual clutch six-speed transmission, in June the company announced two new transmissions, an eight-speed automatic aimed for Lincolns, initially, and a new CVT for its next generation of hybrid vehicles. This CVT allows the vehicle to share traction from two separate power plants, an electric motor and gas engine. At the same time, Hyundai has introduced a new CVT for its small cars and a dual clutch transmission that in essence automates manual transmissions.

Does all of this mean that to improve fuel economy we just need to add more gears or another clutch? Is there a 10-or 12-speed automatic transmission in your future? It seems the consensus at the moment is more gears probably won’t help in passenger cars, but perhaps in large engine light duty trucks in years to come. CVTs will continue to appear in various forms, and may have another day in the sun coming as fuel economy restrictions get tougher and the appeal of smaller, low-torque cars grows. Dave Hurst is a senior analyst at market research and consulting firm Pike Research

Hurricane Irene, which knocked out power for approximately six million customers in 13 states and the District of Columbia this week, raises a question: What smart grid technology could have enabled homes, businesses, and mission critical institutions to have played a more vital role in providing reliability, security, and emergency services?

The simple answer is a microgrid, as all of the sensors and sophisticated IT systems that been receiving so much hype would have, for the most part, been rendered useless once power went out. As this moniker implies, a microgrid is a small version of the larger utility grid, but with an important distinction. When there is an emergency – whether that is a huge storm or a terrorist attack – microgrids can keep the lights on, maintaining power internally by sealing themselves off from the large grid, creating islands of energy self-sufficiency.

That’s one reason the U.S. military is so enamored by the technology. In terms of actual online capacity, however, it is college and university campuses that are leading the way, according to a new report from Pike Research. By 2017, for example, Pike Research forecasts the North American education campus environment segment will reach 1,281 MW at a CAGR (2011-2017) of 17.5% in the average scenario. Overall, the North American campus environment sector will reach 1,572 MW out of a global total of 1,642 MW, a world market share that exceeds 95% in the same average scenario.

Typically, these educational institutions already manage energy in a comprehensive way, often integrating within the confines of existing technology for on-site electric and thermal generation and loads. Thus, the leap up to a microgrid configuration is the next logical step in achieving greater autonomy and control of energy futures for these financially secure enterprises. This sector is the largest of the global microgrid market sectors. Like the military sector, it is also dominated by the United States. Annual revenue is projected to reach almost $800 million by 2017 in Pike Research’s average scenario.

One of the two leading states for campus environment microgrids is New York, where three such microgrids have come online since 2009:

The 38 MW Cornell University microgrid

The 13.4 MW New York University Washington Square Park microgrid

The 3.6 MW Burrstone Energy Center microgrid (which encompasses Utica College, and St. Luke’s Hospital and Nursing Home)

Indeed, New York City, due to transmission constraints and a utility – Consolidated Edison – that views microgrids as an opportunity to sell natural gas to combined heat and power (CHP) units, may be the best single urban market for microgrids in the world. The impacts of Irene throughout Con Ed’s service territory may only accelerate efforts to expand this energy management platform through the Eastern seaboard, as well as throughout the United States where hurricanes can cut traditional power supplies.

Nevertheless, the most active state market for this college microgrid segment is on the other side of the country. The 23-campus California State University (CSU) system has, for example, adopted policies mandating renewable energy purchases and installations, conservation, and green buildings. At present, virtually all of the CSU campuses feature some form of a microgrid, though most are fairly primitive, first generation manual systems. At least four CSU campuses are currently entertaining proposals to develop state-of-the-art microgrids incorporating carbon-free renewable distributed energy generation (RDEG), as well as smart grid demand response (DR) and other energy efficiency upgrades.

The vision of General Microgrids, which is negotiating to develop the first four CSU microgrid upgrades incorporating new RDEG, CHP, fuel cell, and advanced storage systems, is to develop a network of microgrids that could serve as the basis for a secondary market for grid operators such as the California Independent System Operator (CAISO). Under this compelling but provocative vision, microgrids can protect and service the larger utility-operated grid and cooperate with adjacent microgrids. Moreover, these microgrids can work independently as well as aggregate their capabilities, thereby becoming integrated systems.

Note that meeting California’s 33% by 2020 Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) goals will require 20,000 MW of new generation capacity. Governor Jerry Brown has signaled that roughly 12,000 MW of this total could be distributed renewable energy resources, an extremely difficult integration challenge for CAISO. Certainly, distribution utilities, primarily the investor-owned utilities (IOUs), have no capability to leverage their distribution circuits in the same fashion as transmission circuits, providing two-way power flow. Thus, to reduce the risks attached to integrating distributed renewables, storage, and load management, General Microgrids is offering the concept of building a secondary market for microgrids, adjacent to CAISO, to support grid reliability. The CSU system could serve as the backbone of this groundbreaking aggregation and optimization network.

Yet according to Len Pettis, Chief of Energy and Utility Operations in CSU’s Chancellor’s office, it is utilities that are standing in the way of progress. He gave this quick example: “A stand-by service charge by a utility is worthless in time of a natural disaster and is a luxury we can no longer afford.” These charges are often rendered by utilities under the presumption that they need to back-up any on-site customer owned power supplies due to their legal obligation to serve. But these charges are also used to make alternatives to utility service uneconomic. During a storm or earthquake, utilities often cannot provide back-up as that is when their grid is most likely to go down.

“We need to develop contract partnerships with utilities, because we’ll be here for decades to come,” said Pettis, noting that at present, CSU is doing grid upgrades on a piecemeal basis. “Instead, our college campus network could integrate excess capacity and islanding functions and solve many of the problems linked with integration of new renewables for the next two decades. We’ve got the technology, but we have a bunch of knuckleheads in Sacramento and San Francisco,” he added, referring to the locations of the State Legislature and California Public Utilities Commission, respectively. With the right regulations in place, college campuses could add two to three times as much new supply as needed on-site, and then export that power locally within the community, reducing the 15% of power lost today due to long-distance transmission of electricity.

Peter Asmus is a senior analyst at market research and consulting firm Pike Research.