Bank of America: Setting the Standard

In One Bryant Park, located in New York, the Bank of America has invested 20 billion dollars in their new skyscraper that could be the beginning of a energy revolution. This exponentially high cost is due to the buildings green features. The Bank of America Tower is said to be one of the most efficient and environmentally friendly business buildings in the world.

There are many aspects in the design of The Bank of America Tower that makes it the standard for commercial businesses worldwide. New York City gets approximately 4 feet of rain each year, and this tower captures that rain, and uses it throughout the building. Additionally, the building creates ice at night, when energy consumption is low, and uses that ice to cool the building during the day. It is projected that the building will reduce water and energy consumption by 50%. A 5.1 megawatt co-generation system is going to take on 70% of the tower's yearly needs, and around 3.4 million gallons of water will be conserved.

Not only does the this ingenious design help the environment, it also benefits the people inhabiting it. The building will filter clean air throughout the building, as well as allow a large amount of sunlight into working areas. This results in happier, healthier employees and customers. With happy employees, productivity is increased.

The Bank of America could be starting a trend of green integration into commercial buildings. By spending 20 billion dollars, they are making a statement, and that is that a change must take place around the world. We cannot revert our old ways. We have to start new, fresh, and enthusiastic if we want to make a difference in the direction buildings are headed. One building alone will not change the world, but it can provoke ideas and actions that could result in a revolution of green architecture and engineering that could make that change. The Bank of America is taking a step, and taking a stand.

http://environment.bankofamerica.com/article.jsp?articleId=Tower

Space Observatory (NASA)

The Integrated Science Instrument Module (ISIM) was built from scratch, without the engineers having past experience to build something like this because it is so new. The ISIM can withstand temparatures as cold as 27 Kelvin (-411 degrees Fahrenheit). Jim Pontius said, "It is the first large, bonded composite spacecraft structure to be exposed to such a severe environment." This can be a great new observatory module for NASA. What do you think about the ISIM?

Check out more details and a clip at this Web Site

Plans for the Largest Wind Farm in the World

http://www.energydigital.com/sectors/renewables/13-billion-loan-develop-world-s-largest-wind-farm

The initial steps for creating the largest wind farm in the world were recently taken as announced by the U.S. Energy Secratary, Steven Chu. He publicized a conditional commitment for a partial gaurantee for the government loan of $1.3 billion to finance the Caithness Sheperds Flat wind project. The plans for the project include 338 wind turbines to be located in the eastern area of Oregon, producing 845 megawatts to be completely sent to southern California. The wind farm is predicted to reduce 1.2 million tons of carbon dioxide annually and create jobs.

This is a major step in the current U.S. administrations, partly as a result of the Recovery Act, plan to make the U.S. a leader in alternative and renewable energies in the world and to double current production in this area. Such a project is definitely very expensive; however, it certainly helps stimulate the economy in still difficult times and once the wind farm is fully operational, it will be able to make significant contributions to the large energy demand of the west coast. The wind farm, if constructed obviously, will become one of the most significant and renown features of Oregon and the United States. It has tremendous appeal and fits perfectly into the green and clean energy movement. Hopefully, the wind farm is successfully installed and is not too controvertial amongst the locals.

Chevron Energyville

I found this cool game that is sort of like Sim City but with a focus towards energy. It is provided by Chevron and is a fun and quick way to learn about different energy options. You can probably play through the game in about 30 minutes. The objective is to optimize where your city gets its power from. Although the game is very short it can be replayed a few times as the crises that occur are random and will change each time you play. Be sure to click the "Learn More" buttons throughout the game to get info on particular energy sources. Click the picture above to play the game. The challenges that the player will face are the same things that governments and society as a whole are having to evaluate today as decisions along with compromises must be made with regard to our energy future.

"Humankind cannot gain anything without first giving something in return. To obtain, something of equal value must be lost. That is alchemy's First Law of Equivalent Exchange."A quote I came across while researching energy and found a sort of fantasy version of energy manipulation. Now on a more serious note, at least pertaining to the assigned post due; someone in class mentioned a light bulb on for over 100 years. It is a hand-blown bulb with carbon filament. Approximate wattage-4 watts. Left burning continuously in firehouse as a nightlight over the fire trucks it has now reached it's 109th continuous burning year. Just thought I would give some insight into this since I thought it was a myth at first. For more facts and research done go to http://www.centennialbulb.org/facts.htm

The effect of Wind Energy on local weather

Wind Energy is on the rise across the globe, with a big increase in the number of turbines installed in the U.S. in the last few years. With all energy sources, the big question is about the effect on the environment. The production of wind energy releases no greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide, into the atmosphere. This article from the Scientific American was interesting because it referenced to a study that discovered that wind turbines change the air temperature around them. With global warming progressing, this could turn out to be a problem. But there are some points to be made about this report. The study was based on data from 1989, and the turbines used were very small, 23 meters in height and with blades that were just 9 meters in length. The study discovered that the air around the turbine was cooler during the day and warmer during the night compared to normal temperatures. But, they don't have any data for the huge turbines that are installed today, that are 4 times bigger than those in the study. Also, this temperature increase and decrease cancels out, so there is no increase in the overall temperature during the day. There is actually a positive that comes from this. Many farmers need warmer air temperatures during the night, because their crops will frost over if it gets too cold. So by hypothetically installing wind turbines on their farmlands, they can help avoid frost. While this isn't proven and with bigger turbines this effect is unpredictable without more data, this could be a positive effect on the environment. With wind energy predicted growing even more in the near future, the effects on the environment need to be looked at closely.

Source: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=how-wind-turbines-affect-temperature

$1.4billion Ivanpah solar project

"The developers of the $1.4 billion Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System have secured the last permit they need to build the facility in California’s Mojave Desert." <-- click for link

In California's Mojave Desert, Ivanpah project plans to build a 392- megawatt solar power plant over 3,500 acres of land. This power plant is projected to provide energy for 140,000 homes in California.

This projected is favored by many because it is a "clean energy." It is projected to have less pollution compared to the coal-plants currently used for energy, provide 1,000 jobs in construction, build a clean energy economy, reliable, and most of all, it's renewable.

Even though this may create another source of energy in California, is this worth it?

For the amount of land, destruction of the desert habitat, the loss of jobs after construction, and the high cost, is it profitable to deliver 2,600 mega-watt of energy to California's utilities?

Moreover, what if there's a better way to produce solar power tomorrow?