2016 Appalachian Energy Summit

The Appalachian Energy Summit, for those who have not heard of it, is an annual event held at Appalachian State University for the past 5 years. The event is organized by Geb Moody and staff from the Appalachian States Office of Sustainability over 3 days to provide a communication forum for North Carolina's 16 system campuses, plus 3 independent Colleges and Universities. They discuss and share information, ideas, and results on how to save money through sustainable practices. Since the inception of this event, the participants have saved over $499,000,000 in energy costs from implementing many innovative sustainable ideas, along with nine billion pounds of Co2e emissions over the past five years. The event is also open to many companies involved in the UNC system planning or execution of these plans, students, and professionals in the sustainability field. In fact, many of these companies donate the money used to hold this event, thus making it a free event that does not affect the budgets of these Universities. The keynote address was given this year by 350. org Bill McKibben, followed by a question and answer session with him and Amory Lovins from the Rocky Mountain Institute. The theme for this year's event was "Knowledge. Collaboration. Action." and several Universities outside of North Carolina attended this year's event. Although all of the ideas discussed at this event are about producing green energy, energy reduction, waste reduction, and reducing environmental impact. The idea that stood out most to me was the importance of spreading the savings from low-cost / high-payback projects or "low-lying fruit" to offset the cost of larger, more expensive projects. The sustainable concept is about a total change of business, lifestyle, energy usage, and environmental impact, adding importance to the diversification of saving to make these changes more appealing to any entity pursuing the sustainable concept. The growth of this event, coupled with the savings to date, is a testament to how effective sustainability can be. Participation in this event was a gratifying experience, and I hope to be a part of many more of them and many more like it. Sharing knowledge in this field is the only way to provide the opportunity to accelerate a change in lifestyle and move toward reversing the effects of climate change.

Simply put, the technology is available. It is time to use it. Thank you, Appalachian State, for your leadership in innovation once more.

       

Transportation from Fossil Fuel to Electric Again

 The history of the transportation of the American automobile that most people don't know was when cars became available, there were two choices fuel or electric powered. Most people in that period preferred electric because they were quieter and did not omit exhaust fumes. That was until John D. Rockefeller (1839-1937), America's first billionaire, had a new plan. He obtained his wealth from an early investment in the oil industry. He saw an opportunity when Edwin Drake discovered oil in 1859 in Titusville, Pennsylvania, struck oil, and he discovered that crude oil is converted to kerosene. Kerosene was a suitable replacement for whale oil that was used for lamp oil at that time and was rising in price with the whale population dwindling. Rockefeller founded the Standard Oil Company with his brother William, Henry Flagler, Jabez A. Bostwick, chemist Samuel Andrews, and a silent partner, Stephen V. Harkness. This author believes the most significant reason Rockefeller made so much money wasn't that he bought out most of his partners but because he invested in finding new ways to use the byproducts of the refining process. During the refining process, approximately 45% of each barrel of crude oil ends up being gasoline. Rockefeller was primarily interested in kerosene for lamp fuel, which amounted to about 8% of a barrel of crude oil at the beginning of his oil venture, leaving gasoline as the most significant byproduct of each barrel of the natural oil production process. Most refineries' tried dumping the leftover byproducts like gasoline at the time was commonly dumped into rivers and fields only to discover it killed everything from fish to plants. Standard Oil eventually found that gasoline could power automobile engines, so they converted most of the engines in the company's fleet to run off of gasoline. Most fuel power motors ran off from ethanol during that era, and with advancing the timing of the motor, they were able to run off from gasoline. Rockefeller eventually convinced auto manufacturers that gasoline engines were the better choice, and that is how the electric car was phased out 120 years ago. Today the electric vehicle is returning, and with solar panels, the car of tomorrow can be powered by the sun. This is possible with a simple carport and a battery storage system sizes calculated to provide enough energy to run electricity for the ordinary day. Which is around 40 miles a day in an urban setting, and the more the technology is used the more efficient these systems will become. Now that this story has been told, where would technology be if different decisions were made then?

      

Better Transportation with Autonomous Vehicles

The self-driving car is also known as autonomous or advanced cruise control (ACC). May make the roads safe in the future. Researchers believe there are many benefits to the self-driving car idea. For example, the car can be programmed for optimum fuel consumption, save space in cities by being used as taxis, and lower energy and material consumption with fewer vehicles being needed. The number of human error accidents should drop because cars should be able to communicate through computers and sensors, easing congestion through platooning. With the lack of traffic, incidents should reduce the need for police to concentrate on the roads and focus on more critical issues. The parking issues are resolved with cars being able to drop passengers off and park farther away or move on to the next prospective customer. These cars will reduce the need for personal vehicles and be in constant motion conserving more energy with fewer cars needed, being used like a taxi or Uber. This system will enable more elderly, disabled, and handicapped people to be safely independent without driving. These vehicles could reduce the need for infrastructure like mass transit as they stay in transit throughout the city. There should no longer be impaired or drunk drivers operating cars because sensors will detect the alcohol and take over control of the vehicle. The reality is that most cars have the initial sensors needed for these systems, and it is projected that by the year 2020, there will be 10,000,000 self-driving cars on the road. Companies like Mercedes, BMW, and Tesla have already released, or are soon to remove, self-driving features that give the car some ability to drive by itself. With this type of technology, the time involved in transportation can be shifted to a time of rest, communication, learning, or entertainment, thus increasing the overall quality of life for everyone who chooses to travel this way. 

Cradle to Cradle Philosophy

Cradle to cradle is a term developed by architect William McDonough and chemist Dr. Michael Braungart describing a unique approach to design and science, which they laid out in their (2002) book, Cradle to Cradle. The concept is that all materials used in the industrial or commercial process fall into two "technical" or "biological" nutrients. Technical nutrients are man-made materials that can be recycled and reused, creating a continuous cycle. Biological nutrients are the materials that form naturally and are generally recycled through a composting process. There are five basic steps to the cradle-to-cradle design. The system's first part is identifying material health through a color coding system. The material is assessed against criteria and eventually ranked on a scale with green being low risk, yellow being those with moderate risk but are acceptable to continue to use, and red for materials with a high chance that need to be phased out. Grey is used for materials with incomplete data, thus giving environmentally proactive companies another tool to help them make more ecologically sound decisions. The next importance is how well the material can be recycled and reused at the end of its life. Then an assessment of energy required for production, which for the highest level of certification, needs to be based on at least 50% renewable energy for all parts. The rest of the steps address water usage and water quality. Another essential process is managing social responsibility by looking objectively at fair labor practices. Labor is a form of capital. It is the most crustal part of the production. With all things considered, there is no wonder that companies like Ford Motor Company and countries like China have looked at the cradle-to-cradle system. Innovative programs like this one are not a silver bullet to fix the social, economic, and climate issues that the current and future generations face, but it is undoubtedly another building block in a solid foundation of change that our world is starting to move toward.  

Green House Gas Reduction for Humanity

According to the 2014 International Energy Agency, CO2 Emissions from fuel Combustion highlight transportation was responsible for 23% of the world's greenhouse gas emissions (GHG). Climate change has been attributed to the rise in (GHG), and the effects have been prevalent with the increase in violent weather worldwide. The 5 highest polluting countries with (GHG) are as follows: most to most miniature China, Russia Federation, the United States, India, and Japan. All top five emitters have reduced their emissions per unit of GDP between 1990 and 2012, while emissions perceived showed contrasting trends. For example, perceptual emissions decreased significantly in the Russian Federation (21%) and the United States (17%), although each followed very different strategies to achieve those results. The Russian numbers dropped sharply and rose steadily in that period indicating the possible circumventing of the established policies. The United States, on the other hand, has steadily fallen since 2008, indicating a more rigid approach. This will build on the voluntary emissions reduction pledges from the 2015 Paris Treaty that 195 countries around the world signed which were established from COP 21. The Paris Agreement aims to reduce (GHG) to keep the global temperature from rising over 2° C and break the natural checks and balances of the world eco-system out of kilter. The most significant lifestyle changes will have to be made in developed nations. It will start with reconstructing infrastructure, allowing them to operate off renewable energies like solar power and wind. This has been achieved primarily in Germany, which made the change due to the lack of natural mineral resources, and they have become much more energy-independent. These shifts are going to change the world economies, but it is also an opportunity for markets that have seemed to level off on growth. Plus, making these changes is humanity's best choice for future generations. 
        

Embracing Innovation in Transportation

            The end of oil is an outstanding idea in the United States, and Amory Lovins explains it as a common sense fashion. He spoke of technological innovations and profit-maximizing capitalists that can accidentally save whales. Society can reshape the future by drawing from a backlog of technology and breaking everyday molds. His theme goes back to ephemerialization as a first response to making cars more efficient on gas, and very little has changed in the realm since 2005. One possible way to get the public's attention is for someone like ford to remake something like the 69 mustangs out of fiber composite and prove which one outperforms the other, much like the way that a blade for a wind turbine is assembled. Giving both vehicles the same motors, transmissions, and drive train to show performance and fuel differences in just the body weight adjustment and run performance test. This fiber-compost Mustang could have the engine well and underneath designed for electricity, battery, and aerodynamics. This would be interesting to test against an electric motor conversion of an original model 69 Mustang like the Zombie 222. The best innovation of the solar car could come from the fiber composite shell. Make the composite clear and double-layered on all large surface areas like the roof, hood, trunk, and doors, and between each double layer, place solar panels to supply energy to the batteries. When the car comes up to traveling speed, have some regeneration feed form of hydrostatic generator that also feeds the batteries. Another way to bring electric car innovation and public awareness to products like these is to develop a division of racing. Through experimentation, maximum performance testing, and part endurance testing, it becomes an approving ground, creating public awareness and confidence that bring about public demand for this technology, thus expanding the electric car market. Electric car racing is also suitable for sport. In fact that high Co2 levels have been linked to the rise scenery sensitive people and autism. Electric cars are much quieter than combustion engines and can be made simpler than cars in the sixties. The best data on how long they might last is the electric forklift, whose life cycle has been 30 or 40 years with minimal problems. Electric cars are also being made technology rich enough to be fully autonomous in the next 10 years. Which is great for an aging population. An autonomous car provides the opportunity for freedom and safety for everyone else on the roads. The biggest hick-up in the electric car has been battery range, but like all other things, the more they are worked with, the faster battery technology will develop. For now, the content of an electric car is around 200 miles, which is suitable for city driving. According to AAA studies, most people drive 29.2 miles a day; this would mean people who live in a city and are close to work could charge their car as little as once a week, Which could really cut carbon pollution not just in the exhaust, but in the amount of coal burned to provide the needed energy for the oil refining process. Electric cars may not be the only answer to combating climate change, but they sure will help with the solution to climate change. 

            

Kilowatts from Cow-pies Review

            The future of water in an industrial setting is a real problem with the growth in population over the last 100 years. The Earth’s surface is covered with 70% water, and only 2.5% of that water is fresh water. Most industrial facilities cannot operate by using salt water, and the combination of these factors makes fresh water a precious commodity. The film “Kilowatts from Cow-pies” gave some solutions to this problem. The most impressive system set up in the movie to me was the first facility Kaplan Farms. The plan was a complete circle with water cleaning to reuse the cow pies and create methane to run the facility. Another impressive point of the design of their facility was that the land they chose to build on was a brownfield site. They integrated an automated system for gathering cow feces with water and sent the slurry water to an anaerobic digester. The digester would then break down the wastes and release methane. That methane was then collected and piped to an electric generator and burned as fuel, which was used to power the facilities. After that process, the water was drained into one of three separation ponds, where it was cleaned up through settling, algae, and then fish before being pumped back up and reused. The dried feces was then composted with left over from the slaughterhouse to become fertilizer for the fields that grew hay for the cows. This closed system is an ideal example for industrial applications and a possible crossover design for other businesses. Closing the loops in the industry is good for the environment and a sound business practice that increases profits.