As a weapon against global warming, it sounds so simple and low-tech that it could not possibly work. But the idea of using millions of buckets of whitewash to avert climate catastrophe has won the backing of one of the world’s most influential scientists.
Steven Chu, the Nobel prize-winning physicist appointed by President Obama as Energy Secretary, wants to paint the world white. A global initiative to change the colour of roofs, roads and pavements so that they reflect more sunlight and heat could play a big part in containing global warming, he said yesterday.
Speaking at the opening of the St James’s Palace Nobel Laureate Symposium, for which The Times is media partner, Professor Chu said that this approach could have a vast impact. By lightening paved surfaces and roofs to the colour of cement, it would be possible to cut carbon emissions by as much as taking all the world’s cars off the roads for 11 years, he said.
Building regulations should insist that all flat roofs were painted white, and visible tilted roofs could be painted with “cool-coloured” paints that looked normal, but which absorbed much less heat than conventional dark surfaces. Roads could be lightened to a concrete colour so they would not dazzle drivers in bright sunlight. “I think with flat-type roofs you can’t even see, yes, I think you should regulate,” Professor Chu said.
Pale surfaces reflect up to 80 per cent of the sunlight that falls on them, compared with about 20 per cent for dark ones, which is why roofs and walls in hot countries are often whitewashed. An increase in pale surfaces would help to contain climate change both by reflecting more solar radiation into space and by reducing the amount of energy needed to keep buildings cool by air-conditioning.
Professor Chu said that his thinking had been influenced by Art Rosenfeld, a member of the California Energy Commission, who drove through tough new building rules in the state. Since 2005 California has required all flat roofs on commercial buildings to be white; the measure is being expanded to require cool colours on all residential and pitched roofs.
Dr Rosenfeld is also a physicist at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California, of which Professor Chu was director. Last year Dr Rosenfeld and two colleagues from the laboratory, Hashem Akbari and Surabi Menon, calculated that changing surface colours in 100 of the world’s largest cities could save the equivalent of 44 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide — about as much as global carbon emissions are expected to rise by over the next decade.
Professor Chu said: “There’s a friend of mine, a colleague of mine, Art Rosenfeld, who’s pushing very hard for a geo-engineering we all believe will be completely benign, and that’s when you have a flat-top roof building, make it white.
“Now, you smile, but he’s done a calculation, and if you take all the buildings and make their roofs white and if you make the pavement more of a concrete type of colour rather than a black type of colour, and you do this uniformly . . . it’s the equivalent of reducing the carbon emissions due to all the cars on the road for 11 years.”
The US needed to increase its investment in clean energy research, he said, citing high-tech industries that spent 10 to 20 per cent of their income on research. The US was spending $1 trillion on generating electricity, but “nothing like” the $100 billion to $200 billion on research that would meet that standard, he said.
Readers of The Times can make their own contributions at the Science Central blog.
Related article from Yahoo Green.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Friday, May 22, 2009
Decorative Metal Snow Guards - SnowCatcher Colors
New in 2009. SnoBlox-Snojax Decorative Metal Snow Guards are based off of the SnowCatcher that resembles the popular SnoBlox and SnoJax models. The shapes currently available are a Maple Leaf, Sun Burst, Fleur-de-lis and the Mustang. Each decorative guard is made from 304 grade stainless steel, with 50 available TGIC Polyester powder coated colors. The large forward mounted 4.5” Wide face provides a generous holding field and the 1.9” wide base fits most 36” panels with 9” flats. The Professional test results show these snow guards hold up to 1866 pounds and the durable construction does not get brittle like cheap fabricated cast guards. Please visit their website click here for more details.
Friday, May 15, 2009
Commercial Buildings: Energy Efficient Building Practices
The commercial building market encompasses a diverse mix of structures and purposes – from small retail establishments to corporate office parks, from neighborhood schools to regional hospitals, and from multi-family apartment buildings to universities.
Despite their differences, commercial buildings share a large and growing appetite for energy. They account for 18 percent of total U.S. energy consumption. In a typical office building, energy use accounts for 30 percent of operating costs, the largest single category of controllable costs.
The design and construction of energy-smart buildings offers tangible benefits to building owners and occupants and our nation as a whole.
•Building owners can lower their energy costs by 50 percent or more while lessening maintenance and capital costs.
•Building occupants realize increased comfort, health and productivity.
•Our nation conserves energy resources and enjoys cleaner air and a healthier environment.
Realizing energy savings requires knowledge of best practice guidelines, which are based on Department of Energy research, including collaborations with private-sector partners. The Department of Energy is committed to driving continuous improvements in energy efficient technologies and practices.
The guidelines summarized on this site address each step of the design and building process, giving an integrated, or whole building, approach to new construction and renovation. Whole building design integrates each building system so all the components work together for maximum efficiency.
The guidelines cover the planning and financing of new construction or renovation projects, the design and construction phase, and operations and maintenance. For building owners who want more dramatic reductions in purchased energy, there are opportunities for on-site energy production such as photovoltaic systems, geothermal, and other forms of renewable energy.
In addition to detailed best practice guidelines, this site discusses issues and opportunities for specific building types as well as considerations related to climate zones. The site offers an array of information including commercial building success stories, and energy related software and publications. It is aimed at building owners, facilities managers, architects, engineers, and builders who seek to incorporate energy efficient building practices into a new or existing commercial building.
Learn more about the Department of Energy's efforts to improve commercial building efficiency through research and partnerships. Visit the Net-Zero Energy Commercial Building Initiative for resources, information, and tools
Despite their differences, commercial buildings share a large and growing appetite for energy. They account for 18 percent of total U.S. energy consumption. In a typical office building, energy use accounts for 30 percent of operating costs, the largest single category of controllable costs.
The design and construction of energy-smart buildings offers tangible benefits to building owners and occupants and our nation as a whole.
•Building owners can lower their energy costs by 50 percent or more while lessening maintenance and capital costs.
•Building occupants realize increased comfort, health and productivity.
•Our nation conserves energy resources and enjoys cleaner air and a healthier environment.
Realizing energy savings requires knowledge of best practice guidelines, which are based on Department of Energy research, including collaborations with private-sector partners. The Department of Energy is committed to driving continuous improvements in energy efficient technologies and practices.
The guidelines summarized on this site address each step of the design and building process, giving an integrated, or whole building, approach to new construction and renovation. Whole building design integrates each building system so all the components work together for maximum efficiency.
The guidelines cover the planning and financing of new construction or renovation projects, the design and construction phase, and operations and maintenance. For building owners who want more dramatic reductions in purchased energy, there are opportunities for on-site energy production such as photovoltaic systems, geothermal, and other forms of renewable energy.
In addition to detailed best practice guidelines, this site discusses issues and opportunities for specific building types as well as considerations related to climate zones. The site offers an array of information including commercial building success stories, and energy related software and publications. It is aimed at building owners, facilities managers, architects, engineers, and builders who seek to incorporate energy efficient building practices into a new or existing commercial building.
Learn more about the Department of Energy's efforts to improve commercial building efficiency through research and partnerships. Visit the Net-Zero Energy Commercial Building Initiative for resources, information, and tools
Monday, May 11, 2009
Are you in a Solar America City?
Through the Solar America Cities partnership, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has awarded financial and technical assistance to 25 cities pursuing city-wide solar energy initiatives. The 25 Solar America Cities are partnering with more than 180 organizations and have committed $11.9 million in funding to match $11.2 million in DOE assistance, for a combined investment of $23.1 million.
•Have a population of 100,000 or more
•Demonstrate a commitment to city-wide adoption of solar power.
The cities that received awards are geographically and demographically diverse, and they represent solar markets at varying levels of maturity.
Solar America Cities accelerate the adoption of solar energy nationwide by helping cities address a wide variety of market issues and build solar power capacity. They also facilitates peer-to-peer networking, so solar cities can benefit from each others' experiences as they develop solar infrastructures within their jurisdictions.
Solar America Cities Goals
Each of the Solar America Cities aims to:
•Integrate solar technology into city energy planning
•Streamline city-level regulations and practices
•Promote solar technology among residents and local businesses.
•Serve as a model for other cities interested in promoting the use of solar energy technologies.
Visit the Solar America Cities Web site to learn more about the program and its activities.
Solar America Cities
These are the 25 Solar America Cities selected by DOE:
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Austin, Texas
Berkeley, California
Boston, Massachusetts
Denver, Colorado
Houston, Texas
Knoxville, Tennessee
Madison, Wisconsin
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Minneapolis - St. Paul, Minnesota
New Orleans, Louisiana
New York, New York
Orlando, Florida
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Portland, Oregon
Sacramento, California
Salt Lake City, Utah
San Antonio, Texas
San Diego, California
San Francisco, California
San Jose, California
Santa Rosa, California
Seattle, Washington
Tucson, Arizona
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
