Urban Energy

URBAN RENEWABLE ENERGY

It has long been understood that diminishing fossil fuel resources and a rapidly growing global population will mean a turn to alternative energy sources. Urban areas have been slower to respond than more rural areas likely due to the cost and technological limits of environmental improvements. Wind farms are becoming common in America’s farming communities, though people are hesitant to see enormous whirling blades spinning above a densely populated cityscape. New designs are making it possible for wind turbines to make an appearance in cities.

            The most common and recognized type of wind turbine is a horizontal axis wind turbine, which is sensitive to different types of turbulence. Because of this they are best suited for open areas with few obstacles. However, vertical axis wind turbines are now bringing the possibilities of renewable and affordable energy closer to cities.

            Vertical axis turbines are developed almost exclusively for urban environments. Since the Vertical axis turbine does not have to be facing the direction of the wind, they are more versatile, however they give up some of their efficiency this way as well.

            New solar energy techniques are also making it possible for urban environments to possibly start leading the way in clean energy production. There is more surface area in a city with tall buildings than there is in a farming community where the tallest structure is likely a grain silo or a church. With new photovoltaic cell technology architects can literally give a building a ‘skin’ that is capable of producing nearly constant energy. Instead of a few panels on the roof or solar receptive windows, the entire façade of the building could become a source of energy.

            Current projects including the Chicago Solar Tower by Zoca Zola are furthering innovation in this field by using a field of solar collectors on arms that track the sun’s movement throughout the day. This increases energy production by up to 40% compared to fixed arm systems. The EDITT (Ecological Design in the Tropics) Tower may soon bring Singapore a world class ecobuilding. Designed to be 26 stories constructed of recycled and recyclable materials, the EDITT Tower would include the maximum number of photovoltaic cells its size permits while having half of its exterior skinned in native vegetation.

Read more at

http://webecoist.com/2010/09/27/solar-powered-towers-13-super-sunny-skyscrapers/

www.urban-wind.org/pdf/SMALL_WIND_TURBINES_GUIDE_final.pdf

Tagged: Colin Coyle

Linked from Truthout

SUSPICIONS ON DIESEL GAS


And, as Melzer reports, diesel is the only chemical used in fracking that's currently regulated under the Safe Drinking Water Act. That companies have been sneaking it into the ground does not strengthen the industry's case for independence.

Global Warming: Bees and Flowers

Global warming is having a deleterious affect on the 20,000 known species of bees around the globe. And destruction of natural habitat has been rampant in recent decades. There are over 5,000 native species of bees in North America that are responsible for pollinating the lion's share of plants between the Arctic and the trees of the Sonoran desert.
Bumblebee populations have been hit particularly hard. Since 1999, the rusty-patched bumblebee, whose habitat spanned from Quebec to Vermont, has disappeared along with four other bumblebee species. Franklin's bumblebee of northern California and southern Oregon is also now believed to be extinct. Large populations of western bumblebees that inhabited the entire west coast of North America have severely declined in the past decade.

Fostering progress on a finite planet

Dueling budgets are now out from House Republicans and The White House, and particularly intense fights are already under way over what to slash and what to preserve — whether your interest is enviromental protection and heat assistance for the poor.

As some observers have noted, the programs that are at the heart of America’s long-term insolvency, but sacrosanct, seem to be largely absent on both parties’ cut lists.

The lack of political will for tackling core problems will, as always, put far more pressure than is deserved on relatively small, and often highly effective, programs aimed at fostering global progress

http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/02/14/fostering-progress-on-a-finite-and-budget-strapped-planet/

Warmer Arctic is Hindering Polar Bears

The unusual weather patterns in the winters of the Arctic has taken a toll on the wildlife there and will only continue to get worse if this climate change continues. Polar bears are enduring stress with the weather which is forcing the bears ashore sooner and delaying their return to the ice later than usual. The bears are also getting less time to fatten up, which means less energy stored in their bodies. This is particularly an issue for female polar bears; without enough energy stored up, they will not be able to reproduce. The polar bear population in Hudson Bay Canada has already decreased by 20%.

http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/02/10/requiem-for-the-bears/?ref=globalwarming

Despite East Coast freeze, global warming is for real

No single weather event can be directly attributed to climate change. But as the globe warms up, Americans can expect more storms like the one bearing down on much of the United States, scientists say.

That's not because the Feb. 1 storm can be linked to rising atmospheric carbon dioxide levels or increasing global temperature – again, such a connection is impossible to make – but, according to climatologists, an increased propensity for winter storms is exactly what you'd expect in a warming world.

"There's no inconsistency at all," Michael Mann, the director of the Penn State Earth System Science Center, told LiveScience. "If anything, this is what the models project: that we see more of these very large snowfalls."

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/41393090/ns/technology_and_science-science/

Will Buildings Survive Climate Change?

Under the weight of record snows, roofs across the Northeast have been buckling this winter, raining debris on children skating in ice rinks, crushing cows and tractors in farmers’ barns and even flattening a garage full of antique cars. In December, nearly 18 inches of new heavy snow brought down the roof of the Metrodome in Minneapolis, forcing the Vikings to temporarily relocate to Detroit.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/13/weekinreview/13rosenthal.html