Biomass gasification

At the E3 conference on November 7, 2011, Lowell Rasmussen from the U of MN Morris spoke about the 15 million BTU biomass gasification plant which uses corn cobs and wood chips to provide steam heat and chill water for the 1 million square foot campus. The process of getting the boiler up and operating was not easy as caked mineral deposits had to be physically removed from the boiler when the temperature of the operation was not properly controlled.

Initial research had focused on the use of loose corn stover as a fuel.  There were problems as this material needed to be compacted to burn properly.  As the cost of natural gas has come down, they needed a material that could be used without additional processing.   Corn cobs were the best fit.   The cobs could be stored during the winter, they did not require additional equipment during harvesting and the cobs remove fewer nutrients out of the soil than the corn stover.   The contract with the farmer fixed the price of the corn cobs  to the BTU cost of natural gas. The farmer supplying the corn cobs reapplies the char left over from the process to the soil to reduce the soil nutrient loss.

For a virtual tour of the biomass facility go to this link from the web site on U of MN Renewable Energy Initiatives.

Model of the biomass facility

Green chemistry and sustainable polymers

Marc Hillmyer gave a talk on green chemistry and sustainable polymers at the IREE conference at the U of MN on November 8, 2011.  Marc is the director at the Center for sustainable polymer research at the U of MN.   He outlined the economic benefits for green chemistry in the US.  He argued that we need plastics that harness nature's complexity. We need to use non petroleum based sustainable bioresources for our polymers.   The materials need to be functional and then degrade rapidly after they are used.  He pointed to the Pacific Garbage Patch that contains plastic designed to last for a long time. 

http://www.blippitt.com/researchers-head-to-great-pacific-garbage-patch/

EPA surveys brownfield sites for renewable energy

Fox News reports that the EPA and NREL (National Renewable Energy Laboratory) is surveying the country for renewable energy sites at former landfills and other blighted sites including a copper mine in New Mexico.  This has the potential for converting eyesores into an area with productive land use.  If the Vikings stadium is not built in Arden Hills this could be another use for that site. 

New Mexico copper mine - Photo from emnrd.state.nm.us

Powering the Dream

Alexis Madrigal, a writer for the Atlantic Monthly, spoke at the E3 conference at the U of MN McNamara Alumni Center on November 8, 2011.  He suggested that we deal with climate change not as an effort to save the planet but as an effort to save civilization.  He opened with a photo of a snow storm that shut down New York last winter.  If climate change will result in more extreme weather events then there will be a push to slow it down because the extreme weather events make it difficult for civilization to work as designed.  Alex is the author of the new book Powering the Dream - the history and promise of green technology.

U of MN Wind turbine research at Rosemount

On October, 25, 2011 the wind turbines were started at the U of MN U More Park in Rosemount, MN.  The turbine will be used to research issues with operating a turbine in a cold climate.  Additionally, research into radar interference, ice buildup, wind blade design and wind farm design will be conducted.  The turbine will be able to supply energy for up to 600 homes. 

John Bonner's slime mold movies

Princeton University Professor, John Bonner made time lapse slime mold movies.  Because the post on slime mold has been the most popular on this blog, I've included a brief movie below.

Tesla's electric cars sold out for 2012

Fox News reports that the luxury electric car company Tesla has sold out its 2012 electric cars through a preorder system.  It had planned to produce 5,000 cars and it has orders for 6,500.  The company plans to reveal electric SUV prototype in January, 2012.

Tesla car - photo Fox News

Cutting the cords on electric cars

New technology is in the works to charge electric hybrid cars without using a plug in.  Rachel Kaufman discusses the Scientific American article with NPR's Robert Segal.  A specific frequency electromagnetic frequency is used to eliminate problems with magnetic fields and other equipment.  It may also be possible to include the charging as part of the roadway but that is in the more distant future.  There are also some technical and cost problems to overcome.   The home charging is already being tested with a roll out expected within the next ten years.

Photo U of Michigan from Scientific American Article

GE website on energy efficiency

The Ecomagination web site has a good assortment of information on the latest technological innovations to improve energy efficiency while highlighting new sources of energy.  One of the articles highlights Greenstart, a business that provides seed money and mentoring to clean tech start ups in the San Francisco area.  Applications for a new round of funding started in October, of 2011.

Greenstart - GE Image

Sustainable community in Silver Bay, MN

The University of Minnesota Duluth Center for Sustainable Community Development has partnered with the city of Silver Bay, MN to form VICTUS Farms.  It is a self sustaining ecosystem using algae, fish tanks and a greenhouse.  A power point presentation is available at through Silverbay.com.  The ground breaking ceremony took place on October 24, 2011.

The CHP facility at VICTUS - Photo Silverbay.com