 Data centers need a lot of energy. Dairy farms create a lot of methane. Now a team from HP Labs has done the math to show that one could be used to support the other. The research appears in a paper presented today at the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) International Conference on Energy Sustainability in Phoenix, Arizona.
“There is an industry need to explore new concepts in data center design,” says Tom Christian, Senior Research Scientist in HP’s Sustainable IT Ecosystem Lab, and project lead. And while the idea of cow-powered data centers may sound esoteric, says Christian, “there’s a lot of value to be found in challenging conventional wisdom to solve issues faced today and ten years from now.”
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 GE Energy Storage Technologies, a unit of GE Transportation, introduced today its Durathon battery for critical backup power.
The battery can be used in uninterruptible power supply (UPS) applications for large data centers, hospitals, and other areas where a continuous supply of power is necessary. A UPS is an electrical apparatus that provides emergency power when utility mains fail; unlike a standby generator a UPS provides instantaneous protection for power interruptions.
“GE’s Durathon battery has been designed to fit into modern UPS applications where continuous power is a must,” said Ganesh Balasubramanian, Product Manager GE Energy Storage Technologies. “This advanced industrial battery technology has the potential to set new standards for service life, compactness and sustainability.”
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 General Compression, Inc. is developing a near-isothermal compressor/expander module to create 2 MW to 1,000 MW, 8 to 300 hour discharge, compressed air energy storage (CAES) projects. General Compression Advanced Energy Storage (GCAES™) projects enable renewable generators to output energy to almost any power curve required by a customer. The GCAES™ system is designed to use the same well-defined geologic storage features that have been targeted by traditional CAES projects and the natural gas industry, including salt formations, saline aquifers and depleted gas fields. GCAES™ units require no fuel to turn stored air into power — reducing operating and permitting costs compared to other CAES technologies, and expanding the number of potential project sites.
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 Altergy Systems, announced that its Freedom Power™ Systems turned the red carpet “green” at this years 82nd annual Oscars® by supplying the first clean hydrogen fuel cell power systems used to power numerous applications at the Academy Awards® ceremonies.
Altergy’s Freedom Power™ Systems provided clean “off the grid,” electricity to fulfill various power requirements at the Oscars® red carpet ceremony. Additionally, another Altergy 5kW fuel cell was used as the power source of a unique new portable lighting system which was also employed throughout the week for specific lighting demands at Hollywood’s biggest awards ceremony.
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 Standing before solar panels that were made in Delaware and could help power the state, Governor Jack Markell last week announced his intention to seek legislation that will put more people to work, help homes and businesses secure locally-generated power and expand emerging industries such as wind and solar power in Delaware to create new long-term careers for the state’s citizens.
“The purpose of the initiative – the Delaware Clean Energy Jobs Act – is simple: to create quality jobs, expand local manufacturing and establish Delaware as a national leader in the adoption of renewable energy,” Markell said.
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 Leading wind energy industry executives called on Congress this week to pass a strong national Renewable Electricity Standard (RES) as the best way to save and create U.S. jobs.
“We need to drive demand in a stable, predictable way,” said Vic Abate, Vice President for Renewables, GE Energy, the largest supplier of wind turbines in the U.S. market. “For the jobs to grow the Renewable Electricity Standard is critical.”
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 Siemens technologies took first place in two categories of the first Innovation Prize for Climate and Environment awarded by Germany’s Federal Environment Ministry and the Federation of German Industries (BDI). German Environment Minister Norbert Röttgen and BDI Director General Werner Schnappauf presented the awards – totaling €125,000 – to winners in five categories in Berlin on Thursday. For the world’s most efficient gas turbine, Siemens Energy placed first in the “Green products and services” category. For the first dishwasher to use special minerals for speeding up the drying process, BSH Bosch und Siemens Hausgeräte GmbH was awarded first place in the category “Innovation for climate protection – products and services.”
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 Semprius, Inc. and Siemens Industry, Inc. have announced that they have entered into a joint development agreement to co-develop and deploy plug-and-play demonstration systems based on Semprius’ Solar Module Arrays and Siemens’ automation and control components. The systems are slated to be installed at numerous test sites around the world, including major utilities, commercial sites, international test locations and government facilities.
Semprius is developing concentrator photovoltaic (CPV) modules for large-scale solar power generation. Semprius’ proprietary micro-transfer printing technology enables CPV modules constructed from a large array of very small gallium arsenide-based, multi-junction solar cells. Module cost is minimized by using high concentration ratio. Inexpensive optics concentrate 1,000 suns onto the high-efficiency solar cells, which only cover 0.1% of the module area.
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 NextEra Energy Resources, LLC, a subsidiary of FPL Group, Inc. and North America’s leading generator of wind power, has announced that it has expanded its product offering through the creation of U.S. wind carbon offset credits – verified emission reductions (VERs). NextEra Energy Resources is the first wind developer, owner and operator to create and offer this type of carbon offset credit.
The VERs will be sourced from NextEra Energy’s Capricorn Ridge Wind Energy Center located in West Texas. The Capricorn Ridge Wind Energy Center is the first wind project in the U.S. to create VERs under the Voluntary Carbon Standard protocol. The Capricorn Ridge project reduces greenhouse gas emissions by displacing fossil-fueled power plants that emit carbon dioxide. It is estimated that the project will generate approximately 212,000 metric tons of offset credits per year beginning in 2010.
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 The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is supporting the construction and operation of a coal-fired integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) power plant in the People’s Republic of China (PRC), the first such plant in a developing nation.
The ADB Board of Directors today approved a $135 million loan to build a 250-megawatt IGCC plant in Tianjin City that can generate up to 1,470 gigawatt-hours of electricity every year.
PRC is the world’s largest coal producer and consumer. Its heavy use is causing serious pollution, including sharply lowered air quality and widespread acid rain. The large coal usage is also causing global concerns due to rising greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. In response, PRC has launched a clean coal power generation program, GreenGen, to sharply reduce pollution as well as lower the GHG emissions, with the Tianjin project being the cornerstone of the first phase.
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 41 Industrial energy efficiency projects announced for US companies
Firber Optic nano technology allows for solar generators that are foldable,concealed and mobile.
Coal to Urea Plant being built in Vietnam |
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Data centers need a lot of energy. Dairy farms create a lot of methane. Now a team from HP Labs has done the math to show that one could be used to support the other. The research appears in a paper presented today at the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) International Conference on Energy Sustainability in Phoenix, Arizona.
