Cole McDowell

http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/12/13/green-heating-not-so-impossible-after-all/?partner=rss&emc=rss
By: Elisabeth Rosenthal

Summary: The article I have read this week is about using biomass for heating. In Kristianstad Sweden (an area known for its farming in Sweden) the government has converted the city from oil and coal heating the biomass and food waste. Kristianstad and its people have changed the way they live and now pay less for heating and is one of the most environmentally friendly cities in Sweden. The town has cut their per-capita carbon dioxide emissions to 4.1 tons per person because of their new way of heating their homes. In other towns of Sweden they have also adapted to using wind, tidal, and hydroelectric power as their sources of energy. If wholes towns in Sweden can heat their homes with an alternative energy, why can't we?

Opinion: I think this article tells a great story of how a town used their waste from farming, and converted it to energy for heating their homes. This is a great and clever idea that can be used wherever there is farming. If farms and houses in the United States used biomass and waste for heating they could cut their bill down and use a lot less oil and natural gas. I future years, I hope that people will take alternative ways to make energy and make them even better as years progress.

Questions:
1. What source of renewable power can we use?

2. Do you think more towns will use this source of energy?

3. Can you think of a weird alternative energy?

US Energy Secretary Warns of 'Sputnik Moment' in Green Technology Race

US Energy Secretary Warns of 'Sputnik Moment' in Green Technology Race

November 29, 2010

By: Suzanne Goldenberg

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/nov/29/us-green-technology-energy-investment

Summary: The United States is at risk of falling far behind advances by China and other countries in the global cleanenergy race. US energy secretary Steven Chu said that the US urgently needed to invest in research and innovation, much like it responded the the Soviet Union's launch of the first space satellite in 1957. Chu is a Nobel prize winner in physics and he said that over the last 15 years the United States has been losing ground to China and India in research and hi-tech manufacturing. For the first time ever last year, the majority of US patents were awarded to inventors based outside America. Meanwhile, China has emerged as the world's largest producer of wind and solar power and was breaking ground on 30 new nuclear reactors. He said that America still has the opportunity to lead the world, we just essentially need a new industrial revolution.

Opinion: This is actually a very frightful story. America is tumbling down in the world rankings for the most part. If we really are on a downslide during one of the greatest economic crisis's of our nation, then we are in trouble. We need to right the ship and get back to our former status of being the greatest nation in the world. We have seemed to of lost that rank to either China or India. Hopefully our nation will be able to get back to where we belong.

Questions:

1. Will America recover from this?

2. Do you believe China will be referred to as the most powerful nation in the world soon?

3. Who is more powerful in research, America or China?

High tech to low, world's green methods are many

Diana Magnay, Frederick Pleitgen, Emily Chang and Jennifer Eccleston





Freiburg, Germany, is in the midst of an environmental revolution. The city is known to have converted its sources of energy from fossil fuels to solar panels. Citizens of Freiburg are running on solar energy these days. The stadiums are also run by solar energy and energy from woodchips. It is said that these people are producing more energy than using it, and use the extra to create utilities and such. However, this new method of energy consumption has led to a world-wide shortage on silicon, the material used for solar panels. However, people have rediscovered a new way to insulate houses. By filling the walls with clay covered hay-bundles, people have found it easier to keep the heat in. On top of that, Beijing, China, is also undergoing the process of an environmental revolution. The Chinese government is planning to change Beijing into an eco-city, the first of its kind. And it does not stop there. Different cities all over the world are also thinking about changing their source of energy from non-renewable to renewable, in order to make the world a cleaner place.





I think that it is a very postive step forward that cities all over the world are changing their source of energy. Freiburg for one seems to be the leader in this transtion as of now. I've always known of solar panels but never knew they could be so productive. If everyone made more energy than they used, then energy shortages would no longer be a problem. But as the article stated, silicon is now on shortage world-wide. However, the article also said there are different ways to conserve heat. Clay covered hay-bundles are new to me and I find them an interesting and efficient way to conserve heat and energy. I also think Beijing's environmental change will bring new positive differences, considering that China is one of the biggest pollution emitters with all the factories. As for the other cities, I think that if more and more cities join in on the revolution, it will bring a whole new generation of technology and energy shortages will be a thing of the past.



Questions:
1.) How long do you think it will take for the whole world to convert over to renewable energy sources (not just solar but hydroelectric, geothermal, etc.)?
2.) What are some problems to a new source of energy?
3.) What are your thoughts on the idea of clay covered hay-bundles?

High tech to low, world

High tech to low, world

Algae: The World's New Alternative Energy Source?

Algae: The World's New Alternative Energy Source?

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/07/11/algae-the-worlds-new-alte_n_642184.html

Published 7-11-10

Summary:

A group of students and profesors from the College of William and Mary are investigating a new technique to harvest energy. They have discovered a way to use a floating dock to trap algae and certain nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorous. The invention will be able to produce six to eight gallons of dry algae every 2 weeks. Although this is obviously not enough to fix American's energy issues, the group is working to find the way it can make biodiesel in the most cost effective way. Also, this experiment could reduce up to 20% of a lake's toxic material. Many other colleges are also investigating the possiblity of algae becoming a new enery source.

Opinion:

I thought that using algae to produce energy was extremely intriguing. I never knew there were many positive aspects of algae, but this could prove to be very beneficial. If one team of students and professors came up with this technique, and there are other colleges investigating even more methods to find renewable energy, we will be less dependent on oil in no time. I believe that this could become very sucessful if it was used on a larger scale. For now, it cannot help much because it is on such a small level, but if it was put into effect on a larger scale, algae could make a huge difference. Reading this article reminded me of how we learned about the algal blooms that choke out life in many bodies of water. The blooms reproduce very quickly and take over the area in a very short period of time. If the algal blooms are able to have such a negative impact, we should use these fast-growing blooms to make something positive out of it.

Questions:

1. Do you think this method will ever be used on a larger scale?

2. Do you see any downfalls to using algae for energy?

3. Why do you think this method not being put into action all over the world currently?

Melissa McNeil

Three Totally Cool, Out-of-the-Box Alternative-Energy Sources
April 9, 2009
By: Luke McKinney
Publication: The Daily Galaxy

Summary:
This article explains three different kinds of interesting alternative energy sources. The first source has to do with wind power. Wind farms around the world have ran into many problems. They are expensive, take up a lot of room, and have people whining over the plants taking over the coal-burning plant. A group of engineers thought of a solution for this. They thought that they should just make the wind plants a thousand times better. An idea for making them better is using permanent magnets to float the turbines which would make them easier to turn. Chinese developers claimed to have achieved this. Another way to make the wind farms better would be a safe and friendly nuclear reactor in every backyard. A hydrogen atmosphere surrounds a uranium hydride core, the whole thing is encased in concrete and then buried somewhere to power 25,000 homes for up to five years. Although its a cool idea, the probability of this scheme being approved is slim to none. The last idea is 'taming tornadoes.' A retired engineer, named Louis Michaud, has filed a patent for a device that would generate tornadoes and then harness them for power generation. Basically it is an Xtreme version of wind power. This device would set up the conditions that create a tornado and harvest the energy that it has naturally grown. This man suggests that we could make it even more environmental friendly by using hot water generated by a nearby nuclear plant to provide the conditions.

Opinion/Reflection:
This article was very interesting to me. I couldn't believe the three unique things people around the world have thought of as alternative energy sources. The last idea, 'taming tornadoes,' stuck with me the most though. I couldn't believe that you could actually create a tornado AND use the energy! Out of those three ideas I think the tornado idea would work best. It is very environmentally friendly and could potentially change the way we power our homes, buildings, etc. Researching alternative energy sources reminded me of the time I did a project in middle school on wind power. When I did that project I thought wind power was really cool but now I know that there are a lot more choices of obtaining our energy.

Questions:
1) Of the three new ideas, which one do you think would be most successful? Why?
2) Do you think 'taming tornadoes' could actually work in our cities today?
3) What is another alternative energy source?