NEWS : TECH (NFPC)

Pollution Levels At Your Fingertips

Pollution is invisible and knowing how much is around you is not always easy. But a new system called Citisense, which consists of a mobile air quality sensor and smartphone app, could one day give people real-time information about the air around them. 

"Asthmatics, who number in the millions, would find this valuable to their immediate health," said William Griswold, a computer science professor at UC San Diego, who lead the group that developed the system. "What we found is that people are very interested in their personal exposure, even if they are not asthmatic."

The system, which is still in the research stages, has a mobile sensor that a person wears while walking or biking around a city. The sensor detects the levels of pollutants in the air and sends the information to a server that uses machine learning to analyze the information for the app. Users with the app can see maps that display levels of pollutants, estimates of a user's exposure to those pollutants as well as a color-coded scale for air quality that uses EPA standards, i.e. green for good and purple for bad.

NEWS: See How Purchases Directly Impact Climate Change

The sensors were tested for four weeks by 30 people all over San Diego, most of them faculty at the university. According to the press release, one tester found that she was exposed the most to pollutants while she rode her bike to work. 

Griswold said in the release that, “The people who are doing the most to reduce emissions, by biking or taking the bus, were the people who experienced the highest levels of exposure to pollutants.” The field tests also found that pollution levels varied throughout the day, depending on variables like traffic.

For the most part, the sensors are mobile and proximity to them is necessary for the app to receive data. However, Griswold said in an email to Discovery News that if enough sensors were put out into an area, personal sensors wouldn't be necessary to receive feedback on the pollutants nearby. "With the machine-learning component in the backend," he said, "it will be possible to get an estimate of your exposure from the machine learning estimates, even if you don't have a sensor."

Toward the end of the testing phase, a few fixed sensors were tested, but Griswold said that they didn't affect the user experience enough to continue.

One of the hurdles facing the project now is battery life. The data exchanges between the sensors and mobile devices takes up a lot of power. When testing, users had to carry around two chargers, one for the sensor and one for the smartphone. Currently, the team is experimenting with replacing constant updates by spacing out times when data is transferred to every 15 minutes to save battery life, or making it a transfer that occurs on demand.

Griswold said in an email that sensors like this will be start appearing on mobile phones in about a decade or so.

via CleanTechnica

Credit: Jacobs School of Engineering

---

Email:

---

The World's First Net-Zero Energy Stadium

The London 2012 Olympic games were probably the most eco-friendly games yet. But Brazil, whose hosting 2016, could have the world's first net-zero energy stadium.

What's net-zero? According to the U.S. Department of Energy, it's one that consumes no energy and emits no carbon on an annual basis. Upgrades to the existing Estádio Nacional de Brasília will help it achieve that goal, but the modifications are in places few visitors will see: the roof.

NEWS: Why Sea Levels Fell, Only to Rise Again

A ring of rooftop photovoltaic panels will collect energy to power the stadium. A photocatalytic membrane will collect air pollution and break down the chemicals to remove toxins from the air. These and other upgrades like rainwater collection for landscaping and plumbing will earn the stadium a LEED Platinum status.

The construction will cost over $400 million, but the returns from investing in this kind of renewable energy should even out in about 10 to 12 years. The stadium should be finished by the end of the year, two years ahead of its first major event, the 2014 World Cup.

via CoExist

Credit: Blue Ant

---

Email:

---

Shower Doubles as a Washing Machine

 

You do all you can to help the environment. You recycle, use compact fluorescent bulbs and even keep your home slightly balmier than you'd like on a hot summer day. The one thing that's really hard to tone down? The nice long shower at the end of a hard day. Four Industrial Design students from Turkey feel your pain, so they developed Washit.

NEWS: Jacket Shushes Your Phone For You

Washit is a shower and washing machine all in one. Two waters pumps, three different kinds of filters (carbon, organic and chemical), UV filters and a water heater make up this double-use appliance. Don't get weirded out, here's how it works: The shower stall takes gray water that collects at the bottom during a shower, filters it, puts it through a UV cleaning phase and then sends it to a water tank. When a user wants to do laundry, she can access the washing machine from outside of the stall and use the filtered water to clean her clothes.

The Washit is still in design mode, but it did win the IF Concept Design Award. After such a big win, the creators are now working on a usable prototype.

via DVICE

Credit: Ahmet Burak Aktas, Salih Berk Ilhan, Adem Onalan, Burak Soylemez

---

Email:

---

Fuel Cells Turns Waste Into Electricity

Waste not, want not...even when it comes to electricity.

Waste treatment plants may soon have a new way to treat wastewater that will also generate electricity. Oregon State University has developed a method using microbial fuel cells that can generate 10 to 50 times more electricity from waste treatment plants than methods that use similar cells. 

DNEWS VIDEO: GREEN ENERGY

ANALYSIS: Fuel Cell Uses Brain Power

Currently, waste treatment plants use a process called "activated sludge" to speed up the decomposition process of solids in waste water. This uses microbes to break down organic material. During this process, anaerobic organisms (that don't require oxygen) convert organic materials to methane.

It's effective but has environmental drawbacks because methane is a greenhouse gas.

OSU's microbial fuel cell uses microorganisms to break down the particles directly on an anode, which generates electrons and protons. These transfer from the anode to a cathode (terminals where electricity flows in and out) inside of the fuel cell which creates an electric current. 

Engineers on the project say the method was improved by reducing the space between the anode and cathode and using advanced microbes. This made it possible to produce more than two kilowatts per cubic meter of waste.

NEWS: Antarctic Moss Lives Off Penguin Poop

So, why is this important? According to a press release from OSU, 3 percent of electrical energy in the United States and other countries is used to treat waste water. Most of that electricity comes from coal, oil or gas.

A fuel cell process could make it so that waste treatment plants can create their own electricity to power their facilities.

If this process is put into place, treatment plants could even sell the excess electricity. Now we can't just focus on the wonders of sewage, this process can also be used for breweries, animal waste, dairy byproducts and water treatment plants.

A full pilot study will be underway soon in the hopes of moving the concept towards commercial use.

via Engadget

Credit: Oregon State University 

 

---

Email:

---

Environmental Efforts Power the Olympics

We’re seeing a lot of gold at this year’s Olympics, but behind the scenes, it’s all green. From environmentally responsible energy to recyclable venues, the London 2012 Olympics could be one of the most eco-friendly games yet. Two areas stand out when talking about sustainability and the Olympics, transportation and architecture, and here’s a few ways London is keeping them green:

Transportation

BMW is providing two-hundred zero-emission electric cars comprised of 160 ActiveE First Drive and 40 Mini Cooper Mini Es (right). GE has placed 120 of their DuraStation EV chargers throughout the Olympic Village to keep the cars juiced and ready to go.

An even cuter “mini-er” Mini Cooper (right) is being used to transport athletic gear. According to Edmunds Inside Line, the radio-controlled electric vehicles are small enough to carry equipment like a single discus or two javelins, which can be accessed through a sunroof. Charging up in about 80 minutes, the cars can carry up to 18 pounds and have a range of around 109 yards.

Architecture

All of the structures built for the London 2012 Olympics were done so with environmental sustainability and energy consumption in mind. Both the Velodrome (above), home of indoor cycling, and the Copperbox, venue for handball and badminton, collect rainwater from their sloped roofs for indoor plumbing usage, which cuts water consumption by 40 percent annually. Using a natural ventilation system, outdoor air is used to keep the more than 6,000 visitors to the Velodrome cool -- no A/C needed.

Two buildings in Olympic Park won’t last long after the closing ceremonies -- and that’s ok. The Water Polo Arena (right) and the Basketball arena will be torn down immediately after the Olympics are over. Both structures were built with PVC fabric that’s highly recyclable and will be reused for other construction projects. The wings of the exterior of the Aquatic Center will also be removed and the main structure will be used for other London community events. 

So, whether you’re watching at home or from the stands, remember that not only are these games making athletic history, they are also making environmental history. 

Credits: Edmund Sumner/View/Corbis (top); BMW North America (middle); London 2012 (bottom)

---

Email:

---

'Smart Village' Sets Example for Poverty Relief

A model village in Mayalsia is changing the way communities tackle poverty. Rimbunan Kaseh, a rural village sitting on 30 acres of land near Kuala Lumpur, was built to serve as an example of how to address rural poverty issues by promoting environmental sustainability with technology. The project was detailed at this year's Global Science and Innovation Advisory Council meeting in San Jose, Calif. The GSIAC is made up of international leaders from several countries to find ways to build sustainability and a stronger economy for the Asian country.

BLOG: Movie Frames Saved to Atomic Vapor

The community offers education, training and recreational facilities, as well as 100 affordable post- consumer material built homes, selling from $16,000 to $20,000. A closed-loop agriculture system is a big part of the community, providing food and income for its residents. ‘Closed loop’ means that everything in the community is inter-connected, for example: An aqua-culture system raises fish for a protein-rich food supply, waste from the fishtanks is then used to irrigate plants to grow fresh produce. The produce is grown in hydroponic pots that can detect soil moisture, which makes it easer to water plants accurately without wasting water. All of these processes come together to provide reliable food supply and augment resident’s income by $400 to $650 a month. Sustainability is also supported with the communities solar power capabilities, biomass energy and mini-hydro electricity.

Ribunan Kaseh offers everything typical communities do like schools, playgrounds and places of worship, with a high-tech twist. Educational facilities are equipped with 4G Internet service that supports e-learning and e-health services. Ellis Rubenstein, President and CEO of the New York Academy of Sciences, said at the GSIAC meeting, “Integrated smart communities could transform services available to Malaysia's citizenry while creating thousands of jobs, complementing GSIAC's unprecedented alliance to improve education in that country at every level from cradle to career.”

More “smart villages” are planned for the area, with up to 12 sites in the near future. While it’s centralized to Malaysia for now, this example could set a new precedent in creating change for people experiencing poverty all over the world.

Credit: MiGHT

---

Email:

---

France to Boast World's Biggest Tidal Energy Farm

Looking to harness the power of tidal flow in the English Channel, Irish technology company OpenHydro and French utility company EDF are teaming up to build the world's largest tidal energy farm.

DNEWS VIDEO: GREEN ENERGY

PHOTOS: Wind Power Without the Blades

The $55 million project, slated for completion in 2012 off of France's northern coast near Paimpol, Brittany, will boast four 850-ton turbines that will provide enough energy to power 4,000 homes in the region.

OpenHydro will provide the 2-Megawatt turbines, which are 72 feet in diameter and will be anchored to the seabed 115 feet below the water's surface.

The company's innovations in marine turbine technology and renewable energy have recently garnished some awards. Last month, OpenHydro won the Engineers Ireland Continuing Professional Development Company of the Year award. On Monday, they took home top honors in the Best of Renewable Energy category at the 2011 Later Stage Awards, put on by the Global Cleantech Cluster Association (GCCA), known as the global voice of clean technologies.

BLOG: Wave Hello To Tidal Power

“In each category, these companies are making both broad strides in their global industries, as well as working closely with their regional clean-tech clusters to build sustainable green economies and jobs," Ben Taube, Chairman of the GCCA, said in a press release.

[Via Inhabitat]

Image: OpenHydro

---

Email:

---

Skylight Harvests Sunlight, Reduces Energy Costs

It's not even up for discussion: adding a skylight to any building or home immediately ups the aesthetic value to the space. Who doesn't want to be bathed in the sun's rays and be relieved from the harsh incandescence of artificial light? 

BLOG: Solar Panels For Your Pants

Aesthetics are nice, but they can't pay the electricity bill when a skylight lets in too much light and heat, causing the air conditioner to work overtime. Or can they?

DNEWS VIDEO: GREEN ENERGY

Enter California-based EnFocus Engineering, who's found a way to covert a skylight's "oohs" and "ahhs" into cold, hard savings on the utility bill. They've launched Diamond-Power, a line of hybrid skylight solar power panels.

Designed for commercial use, Diamond-Power allows occupants to enjoy the soft glow of natural light while the panels harness and convert sunlight into electricity. Each 100-pound panel can generate 288 watts of electricity and 720 kilowatt-hours per year. Potentially, this could reduce a building's annual heat load by 2.1 million BTU's -- offloading as much as 50 percent of grid electricity and paying for itself in savings within five years.

Not bad for a device that would only take up 5 percent of roof space.

Each panel contains small lenses that concentrate sunlight by 400 times onto strips containing gallium arsenide photovoltaic cells. Dual-axis trackers follow the sun's trajectory.

BLOG: Blue Jeans For Solar Panels

"We want to offer an effective, as well as complementary, technology to PV panels by using limited real estate on the roof to offload from the grid at a significantly lower cost in comparison to grid power, all while enhancing the human experience at the workplace with premium daylighting," said Jason Lu, founder and president of EnFocus Engineering, in a press release.

EnFocus will get a chance to prove Diamond-Power's money saving technology this September when Google plans to install skylights at one of its Silicon Valley offices.

[Via GizMag]

Credit: EnFocus

---

Email:

---

Europe's First Wind- and Solar-Powered Billboard

Much attention has been paid to how electric and hybrid cars are making motorways more green, but what about the coveted advertising space on the sides of those motorways? Is it possible to make billboards more green?

BLOG: 100 Percent Renewable Energy Is Possible By 2030

Ricoh Europe, an eco-friendly office solutions company in Europe thinks so. They recently launched an 'eco-board' powered 100 percent by wind and solar power. The first of its kind in Europe, Ricoh uses five individual wind turbines atop the eco-board and 96 solar panels below it to illuminate the sign only when enough power has been generated.

Besides reducing their carbon footprint, Ricoh hopes their eco-board serves as a conscious reminder for all those who see it.

DNEWS VIDEO: GREEN ENERGY

“Our ethos is to go beyond simply meeting regulatory requirements relating to sustainability by proactively promoting environmentally responsible practices in our own business and for our customers. The launch of the eco-board takes us one step further by reminding wider public audiences to act in a sustainable way and think beyond the obvious when it comes to protecting natural resources,” Steve Saito, Chairman and CEO of Ricoh Europe said in a press release.

NEWS: Solar or Wind Power? Why Not Both?

To get their message out, Ricoh placed their eco-board on one of Europe's busiest thoroughfares: London's M4 motorway that runs from the heart of the city to Heathrow airport.

This isn't the company's first foray into alternative-energy billboards. Last year, Ricoh launched a solar-powered billboard in New York City's Time's Square.

[Via Treehugger]

 

---

Email:

---

Floating Golf Course Has Underwater Tunnels

Normally those hitting the links try to avoid water hazards, but designers of a new floating golf course are hoping golfers actually want to tee-off surrounded by one.

Plans are already underway to build an 18-hole course 250 miles off the southwest coast of India, among the islands of the Maldives. The course will consist of a series of floating platforms that contain two to three holes each, built by world-renowned floating technology company, Dutch Docklands.

No, you won't have to swim to each platform - they'll be connected to one another and surrounding hotels by clear underwater tunnels, similar to those you'd find at an aquarium. 

Unlike other floating islands and resorts guzzling energy off the coast of Dubai, course developers call their project a "scarless development" which will have a zero carbon footprint on the Maldives ecosystem. To do so, developers are banking on the islands' sunny locale near the equator to generate energy through floating solar blanket fields. Developers will also employ sustainable techniques to desalinate and cool water.

 

Because the Republic of the Maldives' highest point of elevation is only 7.5 feet above sea level, the island nation is expected to be significantly impacted by the rising sea-levels associated with climate change. As such, Maldivian president, Mohamed Nasheed has been a staunch investor and activist for carbon-neutral developments.

In 2009, he pledged the Maldives islands would be carbon neutral within the decade. That same year, to publicize the threat climate change poses on his nation, Nasheed presided over the world's first underwater cabinet meeting where participants donned scuba gear and gathered around a desk on the the sea floor.

Nasheed has also announced that he's looking to purchase new land in other countries to resettle Maldivian refugees potentially affected by climate change. To fund those efforts, the government is looking to further boost revenues from the nation's largest economical contributor: tourism.

Managed by Troon Golf, the $500 million floating golf course project anticipates doing just that: bringing a wealth of ecological tourism and investment to the Maldives. The project is due to be completed by 2015.

Illustrations: Koen Olthuis Waterstudio.NL/Dutch Docklands

---

Email:

---