7.07.2010

The Fastest Solar on Wheels

Published: July 2, 2010

Oklahoma, United States -- Participants in The American Solar Challenge raced their solar powered cars across the Midwest this week. Twelve teams drove out of Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, but only one went home a winner: The University of Michigan with its Infinium car.

Infinium crossed the finish line 2 hours, 12 minutes and 9 seconds ahead of the second place team Minnesota. Over the course of 6 days, Infinium traveled 1,100 miles and averaged 40 mph on surface streets and in traffic. The race crew only had 15 minutes on the side of the the road making a minor electrical repair.

This is Michigan's 3rd straight National Championship and 6th overall. The official standings can be found here.

The second place team for the 2010 American Solar Challenge was the University of Minnesota. With an elapsed time of 30 hours, 26 minutes and 53 seconds, there were only a bit more than 10 minutes separating them from the third place finisher. The third place team for the 2010 American Solar Challenge was the Hochschule Bochum. With an elapsed time of 30 hours, 34 minutes and 50 seconds.

The teams traveled across four states in six days, making seven stops at the checkpoints listed below.

Broken Arrow to Neosho – June 20th
Neosho to Topeka – June 20th – 21st
Topeka to Jefferson City – June 22nd
Jefferson City to Rolla – June 22nd – 23rd
Rolla to Alton – June 24th
Alton to Normal – June 24th – 25th
Normal to Naperville – June 26th

The American Solar Challenge (ASC) is a competition to design, build and race solar-powered cars in a cross-country event — designed to bring greater awareness and understanding of solar.

RenewableEnergyWorld.com was at the start line as the teams left Broken Arrow. Watch the video below to hear from event organizers and team members from both Michigan and Hochschule Bochum.

Video http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2010/07/the-fastest-solar-on-wheels?cmpid=WNL-Wednesday-July7-2010

Ten Ways to Cut Summer Fuel Costs

By Jack Lee, Provided by Scotts Contracting St Louis Renewable Energy

It's summer and as predictable as barbeques and family vacations gas prices are creeping up. It seems the price at the pump increases with demand, and for gas-reliant companies this can be as painful as a sunburn. The resident "gas guy," Bob Van Der Valk, was asked about summer gas prices, and he gave some insight.

"In the short term prices will continue to go up another 25 cents per gallon between now and middle of August. After Labor Day prices will ebb down slowly and by Thanksgiving go back down to about where they were last year at the same time. This past spring brought forth a renewal for oil refinery profits. This was in the form of increased demand for gasoline after dismal first quarter results in 2009. And now the oil companies are looking forward to those summer breezes peeking just around the corner. Prices have fluctuated, but expect them to be on the rise, even though the price of crude has dropped. The reason is blowing in the wind... in this case the oil companies are stocking up in case those summer breezes change into hurricanes," Van Der Valk said.

So be prepared. And to help, here are 10 ways to help cut those high summer fuel costs for utility companies:

Train and educate utility drivers: It starts with the people who have their foot on the gas pedal. Drivers can control fuel consumption each time they fire up their engines, and proper training can improve fuel efficiency, economy and emissions. Hard acceleration, speeding and idling are the biggest causes of fuel waste. Initiate a training course for drivers and reward participation.
Decrease idling: Be aware of the time engines idle. Machinery and equipment can't be left running all day long. Stop the engines! Excessive idling adds to fuel costs by as much as 50 percent and can shorten the life of engine oil by 75 percent, adding more costs. Initiate a campaign to reduce idling time and reward participants. Allowing an engine to idle more than 3 minutes causes expensive damage, which harms efficiency, shortens engine life and increases maintenance costs. It all adds up.
Start off slower: This is another lesson drivers must be taught. Jackrabbit starts waste fuel and save less than 3 minutes per hour driving, but can result in using 40 percent more fuel and increase toxic emissions by 400 percent! What's the rush? Ease up on the gas pedal and efficiencies will improve.
Slow down: Speeding is dangerous—it wastes fuel and creates higher levels of toxic emissions. Speeds over 100 km/hour drastically impact fuel efficiencies—cars travelling at 120 km/hour use 20 percent more fuel. Trucks travelling at 120 km/hour use 50 percent more fuel and they also emit 100 percent more carbon monoxide, 50 percent more hydrocarbons and 31 percent more nitrogen oxides.
Lose weight: Excess weight places unnecessary strain on the vehicle's engine and greatly affects its fuel efficiency. By removing as little as 100 pounds the gas mileage can be significantly improved. Check each vehicle and pitch out that unnecessary weight!
Use a fuel management system: This is the most powerful way to lower fuel costs and increase productivity. Available systems range from basic onsite refueling (which saves up to 20 minutes in wasted time and fuel each fill, per vehicle) to automated fuel tracking (which details every liter pumped into every vehicle by date, time, quantity and fuel type) to telematics (which measures overall fuel efficiency and vehicle performance, and tracks fuel waste due to idling, speeding, etc. and identifies critical areas to improve efficiency and reduce fuel costs and emissions.) The technology exists so utility drivers can become fuel managers and stay on top of their fuel consumption, one vehicle at a time.
Upgrade the fleet: Whenever possible, invest in modern, fuel-efficient vehicles. Modern diesel engines are far more fuel-efficient and perform better with modern diesel fuels such as ultra-low sulphur diesel and biodiesel. Though it may seem expensive, new diesel vehicles can save thousands of dollars in maintenance, fuel and productivity per vehicle. Measure each piece of equipment for fuel efficiency and get rid of the bad ones! Replace and upgrade equipment regularly. It may hurt now but it will pay back.
Tune-up vehicles regularly: Does the utility company have a stringent, well-managed maintenance policy? Many companies "fix it when it breaks." This attitude costs too much in wasted fuel. A well maintained vehicle performs better, improves fuel efficiency, reduces toxic emissions and, in the long run, will cost less to maintain.
Pump it up: Proper tire inflation improves gas mileage. At 4Refuel the statistics show improperly inflated tires can cost up to 2 weeks worth of fuel per year! How big is the utility's fleet? Two weeks per year per vehicle adds up to thousands of dollars in lost profits! In addition, proper inflation results in improved vehicle and braking performance, and increases tire life.
Implement total fuel management technology: Wow, that's a mouth full! Utility drivers can measure and manage their fleet better when they have the right information. Tracking miles traveled, average speed and engine efficiency is critical to cutting fuel costs. This information will help drivers and managers optimize routes with better planning. Mapping software and GPS will eliminate thousands of unnecessary miles per week. Less time on the road means less fuel consumed, less wear on vehicles, decreased expenditures and overall increased productivity, plus lower toxic emissions!

If Van Der Valk's predictions come true this summer, these tips will help utility companies cut fuel costs and save money. And if not, utility companies will save even more!

5 Ways to Build Affordable Green-Energy Star-Rated Houses

Various Green Building Techniques for Energy Star Rated Homes. As the Green Building Trend continues to rise. This article shares various tips on Designing and Building a Green Home.

Scotts Contracting is available to assist in your Green Building Projects Large or Small.

Click here to schedule a Free Green Site Evaluation for your next Project.

South Carolina builder captures green buyers by spending just $1,000 more per house.

It's hard to ignore the juggernaut that the energy-efficient green construction has become in the home building industry, but it's also difficult not to seem traumatized by the added cost that's often associated with it. "The green thing gets a lot of press ... but there aren't a lot of folks that are fully equipped to build efficiently," observes Jeremy Graves, a builder in South Carolina that is determined to do just that.

His company, FirstCoast Homes, bucks the "green costs more" trend, managing to build Energy Star-rated homes that are 20% to 30% more efficient than standard homes at a cost of just $1,000 more per house than the builder's previous methods.

Based in Charleston, S.C., FirstCoast is a five-year-old company that builds primarily starter homes and first-time move-up product. Prices are on the low end, starting at $129,000 and only reaching as high as $209,000, but this does not prevent the company from building for efficiency. Sensing that affordable energy-efficient construction could be the future of home building, the company in 2007, announced a plan to build only Energy Star-qualified homes.

"One of the most important things we have to deal with today is our energy usage," explains Graves, the company president. "I decided that it was time to put our money where our mouth is and bring this to market." Reducing energy consumption in this country is an important issue, he says, because buildings account for almost 40% of the demand.

To increase the energy efficiency of its homes, FirstCoast now builds every home with effective insulation, high-performance windows, sealed ducts, efficient heating and cooling systems, and energy-efficient appliances. Specifically, that means the company upgraded to Johns Manville insulation at R-13 for walls and R-30 for ceilings, high-performance low-E windows, Comfortmaker high-efficiency 14 SEER heat pumps, and Energy Star-rated Whirlpool appliances, among other moves. It also conducts duct blaster and blower tests on all homes to ensure there are no leaks.

These practices, the builder says, create energy-efficient homes, which help protect the environment by reducing air pollution because lower demand for energy equates to less greenhouse gas emissions from power plants. But even more important than the "why" behind FirstCoast's green efforts is the "how," since the builder has been able to accomplish this at relatively low price points, simply by making small changes to its processes and procedures.

Curious? So were we. Here are FirstCoast's five strategies for building Energy Star rated homes that make going green affordable for buyers and builders alike.

1. Back to Basics

There are many technologies and products available that can help you build a super efficient house, but many of the options are pricey. "All that stuff is prohibitive," Graves says. Instead, FirstCoast uses typical building methods and improves upon them until the home meets Energy Star requirements. One way the company does this is with proper installation and third-party evaluation of many of the systems in the house.

2. The Great Seal

Perhaps one of the most important parts of building an efficient home is the tightness of the building envelope. To do this, FirstCoast uses Home Energy Solutions of Charleston to perform methodical sealing of the shell. "We typically do a combination of foam sealing and caulking throughout the exterior of the building envelope," says Claude St. Hilaire, principal of the company. "We use foam to seal the wire and plumbing penetrations through the OSB sheathing, caulk at the base plate and corners, and low-expansion foam around the doors and the windows." This sealing package, St. Hilaire says, reduces the potential air infiltration to the home by about 30%, which "has a direct correlation to air conditioning sizing."

3. Proper Insulation Installation

Spray foam insulation is all the rage because of its effectiveness at sealing a building, but builders complain that the added cost is significant. Because FirstCoast implemented sealing procedures, the company sticks with fiberglass insulation, but stresses proper installation. "The thing with the insulation is not so much that there is an increase in cost, but you have to make sure that you're holding your sub fully accountable for installing the insulation properly," says Bruce Kiriloff, purchasing and estimating manager at FirstCoast. Kiriloff continues: "There is no price increase. You're just making sure people are doing what they're supposed to do per the scope of work or insulation installation guidelines."

4. Strategic Cost Savings

Even with all the upgrades, FirstCoast realizes savings from strategic moves. The company upgraded its windows to low-E high-performance units, but it reduced the number of windows it uses, which reduces costs. "When we increase costs, we subtract maybe two windows," Graves says. He continues: "We look at where we're going to increase costs, and then we try to be smart about our design. So rather than just build the same old thing a new way, we look at where we could eliminate some of the large [cost] impacts." Sealing the building envelope, proper insulation installation, and upgraded windows allowed the company to reduce the air-handling needs of the air conditioning unit by one ton. This move alone saved between $400 to $800 per house.

5. Look for Back-End Deals

FirstCoast says regional programs may also help defray the added costs of shifting to Energy Star building practices and recommends builders connect with local power companies for rebate programs and other benefits. "Check with your local utilities and municipalities and see where your back-end deals are for being energy-efficient," Kiriloff says. "I think you'll find that the cost [of building Energy Star] is not what you think it is." Graves agrees. "Quite a few of our homes are in [electric] co-ops and by doing some of their prescriptive requirements we've been able to off-set some of that cost," he says.

Nigel Maynard is senior editor, products, at BUILDER magazine.From: BUILDER By: Nigel F. Maynard

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