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Lessons in waste management from Sweden
Piyush Bakshi Waste Management & EnvironmentalWhat is the one country in the world actually imports garbage from its neighbors? Sweden. Why? Because its waste management system is so efficient that less than 5 percent of the nation's waste enters landfills. Less than 1 percent of household waste reaches landfills.
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EPA Clean Power Plan not as radical as it appears
Stefanie Heerwig Natural ResourcesThe Aug. 3 announcement of the EPA Clean Power Plan was not only met with surprise, but also huge opposition. Being in some respect stricter than previous targets, the plan could set an example for other countries at the UN Climate Change Conference beginning in November in Paris. However, it may also fail in its implementation right from the start.
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UK heat pump industry warns ‘technology may die’
Andrew Gaved ManufacturingYou may recall I wrote previously about the alarmed reaction of the U.K. HVAC industry to the new government's systematic "ungreening" of its flagship green-building policies. I described how the new Conservative administration had halted funding of the Green Deal program of energy efficiency measures and rowed back from its zero-carbon building targets on the grounds of "saving taxpayers money."
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The ever-expanding road ahead in wind energy applications
Don Rosato EngineeringWind energy provides significant growth opportunities for composite plastic materials. The global market for composite materials in wind turbine production is projected to reach $4.7 billion by the end of 2015. Carbon fiber and other advanced composites are expected to play an increasing role in wind blade production, owing to the expansion of offshore installations and the adoption of larger-scale turbines that call for stiffer and lighter materials.
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As UK strips away green policies, HVAC sector takes a big hit
Andrew Gaved ManufacturingIn a time when economic prudence is necessary, the United Kingdom's new Conservative Party government installed in May has wasted no time in taking an ax to policies it believes will be costly to the taxpayer. However, a number of these are high-profile "green" policies, designed to reduce the energy consumption of its building stock. This has seen the new government crossing swords with the HVAC sector, along with the combined might of environmentalists, the construction industry and the renewable energy business.
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How smart technology can put an end to thermostat wars
Michael J. Berens Facilities & GroundsWashington Post columnist Petula Dvorak hit an icy nerve with her recent piece on gender disputes over thermal comfort in office spaces. "Every single woman I talked to in downtown Washington on a hot, humid July afternoon was thawing out," Dvorak writes. "It's the time of year desperate women rely on cardigans, pashminas and space heaters to make it through the workweek in their frigid offices. And their male colleagues barely notice."
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European manufacturers get all worked up over energy labels
Andrew Gaved ManufacturingThe cooling and heating industries in Europe have come together in a rare alliance with their compadres in the lighting sector to voice their concerns over the European Commission's latest initiative. The EC's proposal, announced this week, will "recalibrate" its decade-old energy-labeling scheme. But rather than improving consumer-driven energy efficiency, which is the intention, the EC could actually be fostering confusion with its policy, these groups suggest.
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Plastics technology revitalizing wind energy trends
Don Rosato EngineeringIn wind energy, the trend is to create larger and lighter blades to capture more wind and lower rotational inertia. New technology is being developed to build enormous turbine blades, while also eliminating the need for molds and the transportation problems typical with large blades.
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Is fracking really a waste of water?
Stefanie Heerwig Natural ResourcesOne of the critiques against hydraulic fracturing (or fracking as it is commonly called) is that the process uses millions of gallons of water per well, far too much for arid areas like Dimmit County in Texas.
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Scientists develop new applications for carbon nanotubes
Alan Kelsky EngineeringNanotechnology is great, and every day researchers are discovering new ways to use it in manufacturing. One of the leading frontiers in nanotechnology is the use of carbon nanotubes — superthin sheets of carbon rolled into a tube that demonstrate amazing physical properties.
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