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Solar System Installation a Real Winner

Installation of a new solar photovoltaic (PV) system at Seco Tools’ plant in Lenoir City, TN is a win for the plant, the environment, and the state of Tennessee. The new 29.61 kW solar PV system was developed, designed, and constructed by Efficient Energy of Tennessee, LLC (EETN).

Installed at Seco Tools’ Lenoir City production facility, the system is comprised of 126 Sharp solar modules manufactured in Memphis, using AGC Flat Glass manufactured in Kingsport. Seco Tools was awarded energy grant funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which was applied to the total system cost.

The Sharp NU-U235F1 solar modules deployed in this 29.61 kW top-of-pole mount PV system were installed with the support of the Lenoir City Utilities Board (LCUB) and Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) under the TVA Generation Partners Program. The solar power array is expected to generate 37,067 kWh of clean, emissions-free energy annually -- equivalent to powering more than 3 average Tennessee homes annually.

Green Leadership

“Globally, Seco Tools has focused a great deal of attention on minimizing our impact on the environment,” says Kurt Nordlund, president of Seco Tools, Inc. “The efforts undertaken at our facility in Lenoir City are representative of our company’s dedication to being an industry leader in terms of green production and operation.”

The installation originated when Seco Tools participated in a free energy seminar presented by the Loudon County Economic Development Agency in conjunction with Sam Hart, technology and manufacturing consultant for the Knoxville Chamber of Commerce. The seminar provided an opportunity for participants to ask questions about taxes, grants, and installation and production of solar PV systems.

As a result of this presentation, Seco Tools requested a solar PV financial proposal from solar installer EETN. The resulting technical proposal included design, engineering, cost, grants, available incentives, performance, and return on investment. EETN’s proposal helped Seco Tools make the decision to take a leadership role in renewable energy and environmental stewardship through a clean energy investment made in East Tennessee. As a result, numerous jobs were created or protected because of the variety of grant funding and incentives available.

Partnering for Progress

“In this new economy, companies have to look at ways to become more efficient in their business practices in order to reduce expenses while maintaining quality and competitiveness in the marketplace,” says Pat Phillips, president of the Loudon County Economic Development Agency. “The addition of the solar PV system at Seco Tools provides an excellent example of how investing capital in new technologies can help to achieve a competitive advantage while also protecting the environment.”

Seco Tools’ combination of energy grants paid for 60% of the total system cost, providing clean energy at considerably less cost for the business. Grants included the U.S. Dept. of Treasury Renewable Energy Grant and the Tennessee Solar Institute Installation Grant. The installation of this solar system provided jobs and support to the growing solar energy industry in the state of Tennessee.

Seco Tools is providing clean energy to east Tennessee and making a profit doing so. As a participant in the TVA Generation Partners Program, the company will be paid a premium for the electricity it generates from the solar PV system for at least the next 10 years. Seco Tools’ system is warranted to produce up to 80% of its generating capacity for the next 25 years, and should continue producing power for another 25 years or more beyond that.

The U.S. Dept. of Treasury Renewable Energy Grant will pay 30% of the total cost of a solar PV system, without any cap. This federal grant requires a simple application to be submitted online after the system has been completely installed and commissioned. Businesses investing in renewable energy technology may apply for the grant if they begin construction on their system before December 31, 2011.

The Tennessee Solar Institute Installation grant paid $2 per watt for this 29.61 kW solar PV System. This funding has been fully allocated.

The TVA Generation Partners Program is a 10-year contract between TVA, the local utility, and the business owner. As an incentive to sign up for the program, TVA will credit the business $1,000 on the company’s utility bill. In the contract, TVA agrees to purchase the clean energy produced by the system for the retail rate plus an additional $0.12, effectively cutting the payback of a solar system in half.

Using grants to purchase a solar energy system goes beyond a good business investment. Having undertaken global green initiatives in recent years, Seco Tools was motivated by the opportunity to benefit the environment by producing clean energy.

“Seco Tools’ solar system is a huge accomplishment for both Seco and EETN and is a perfect example of the grant funding at work in the state of Tennessee,” said Harvey Abouelata, VP Sales and Marketing for EETN. “EETN uses Sharp solar panels, which are produced in Memphis, TN, creating and protecting jobs in our state. Additionally, Sharp uses AGC Flat Glass, which is produced in Kingsport, TN, further creating and protecting Tennessee jobs. Our company also benefits from the installation. Seco Tools benefits from a reduction in energy costs. The environment is improved by reduction of pollution and CO2. TVA benefits from a slight reduction in its load. The positive ripple effect is far-reaching, affecting jobs, the environment, and profits, resulting in an all-around victory.”


UV Technology Leads to Wastewater Compliance

Under pressure to start disinfecting its wastewater, the Wilsonville Power Systems Development Facility (Wilsonville, AL) turned to Aquionics, a leader in UV disinfection technology, for help. Now the facility is in compliance with state regulations -- in four years of operation, contaminants have been kept within permit limits with minimal maintenance.

The Wilsonville Power Systems Development Facility (PSDF) is a research and development center that tests various processes, mainly coal-based technologies, before they are implemented at power supply facilities. In 2006, the growing plant employed 200 people and produced a wastewater flow of about 25 gpm. With its size expected to double in the near future, the facility was required by state and local regulators to start disinfecting its wastewater. Since the existing wastewater treatment facility in Wilsonville was too far away for the facility to connect, the PSDF decided to build its own wastewater treatment facility.

Finding the Right System

After evaluating competing products, Wilsonville PSDF decided that Aquionics’ OpenLine 30 UV disinfection system most closely met their specifications and budget requirements. The OpenLine open channel disinfection unit uses low-pressure, high-output UV lamps to destroy microorganisms’ reproductive abilities on a cellular level. The facility installed the OpenLine system in 2007 as the last item in the plant process, providing final treatment of the water before it is discharged into a local river.

The state-issued permit required that no single grab sample of water leaving the facility could have more than 200 fecal colonies per 100 ml. The OpenLine system has provided the necessary disinfection required to meet the site’s permit.

In addition, the system offers a compact footprint and requires virtually no maintenance. The OpenLine has operated for 21,000 hours since installation, meeting disinfection requirements without needing UV lamp replacement.


New Energy Saving Circuit Configuration Reducing Power Consumption in Mobile Equipment

Toshiba has unveiled its newly developed Flip-Flop circuit configuration using 40nm CMOS process which company claims would reduce power consumption in mobile equipment. For example, the measure data that has been recorder when the new configuration has been applied to wireless LAN verifies that the power dissipation of the new flip-flop is up to 77% less than conventional flip-flop, furthermore, it achieves a 24% reduction in overall power consumption. As an essential part a SoC design, a flip-flop is a circuit that temporarily stores one bit of data during arithmetic processing by a SoC which is incorporated within mobile equipment as well as other digital equipment. Normally, is responsible to incorporate a clock buffer to produce a clock inverted signal required for operation of circuit. The clock buffer consumes power when triggered by a signal from the clock, even when data is not changed. In order to reduce this power dissipation, a power saving technique by the name of clock gating is used in order to cut delivery of clock signal to unused blocks; however by applying this power saving technique, the flip-flop active rate is only 5-15%, leaving room for further power reduction. To further reducing the power consumption, Toshiba has changed the structure of the conventional flip-flop and has eliminated the clock buffer all together.

This approach, would normally, causes data collision between data writing circuitry and the state holding circuitry in the flip-flop, but Toshiba has overcome this issue through addition of adaptive coupling circuitry , combination of an nMOS and a pMOS transistors to the flip-flop, which results in weakening of state-retention coupling and prevents collisions. In spite of the addition of adaptive coupling circuitry, the transistor count has been reduced from 24 to 22, making the cell area smaller that of the conventional flip-flop.


Saving Energy with Integrated Solutions

A wide range of technologies can be employed to provide customized, cost-efficient, and eco-friendly drive solutions. These include regenerative braking, automatic magnetization adjustment, copper rotors, 87 Hz operation, and intermediate circuit coupling. One company leading the way in this area is NORD, which develops, produces, and markets drive technologies and is an international supplier of all-in solutions. In addition to standard drives, NORD supplies application-specific concepts and solutions, addressing such special requirements as energy-saving drives and explosionproof systems.




Reusing Excess Energy
When machine motions must be slowed down repeatedly or regularly, the released braking energy is not utilized in conventional frequency inverter applications. Instead, it is consumed by resistors and emitted as heat. Drives that reuse excess energy via intermediate circuits or regenerative braking provide a more efficient and eco-friendly solution. While a regenerative braking unit can feed other components elsewhere in a larger installation, energy generated and retained in a dc intermediate circuit can be consumed by the connected components directly, without loss. In effect, less power is drawn from the mains.

Intelligent Control
Intelligent control is another way to save. Operating with asynchronous motors, frequency inverters generally maintain the level of magnetization required for yielding the full torque over the whole speed range, thus causing unnecessary loss during partial load operation. NORD SK 200E, SK 500E, and SK 700E series frequency inverters can save resources by automatically reducing magnetization when the motor is operated under partial load. Users can thus save up to 30% on energy.

Furthermore, compared to grid-powered constant-speed units, inverter-operated asynchronous motors can be run at higher output frequencies in order to increase efficiency. Motors with 230 V/400 V star-delta wiring, for example, can be operated at up to 87 Hz in delta connection using a 400 V inverter, thus enabling the motor to run at a higher speed (up to 87 Hz) while maintaining the nominal torque. Raising the frequency to up to approximately 100 Hz will increase motor efficiency by up to 5%.

Materials Play a Role
To improve motor efficiency, NORD has also developed new concepts around materials, such as using copper rather than aluminum for the rotor squirrel cage. Copper with its smaller ohmic resistance allows for more economic drives of a given size. Alternatively, the motor power can be increased, maintaining size and efficiency, making it easier to fit stronger motors into small installation spaces. An optimized synchronous motor with a high-quality permanent magnet on the rotor side can make for an even larger increase in performance, all along maintaining very high efficiency.


Release of LED Lighting Connectors With Special Attention to Safety and Heat Resistance

SMK has released a series of LED lighting connectors which company stressed that has been developed with special emphasis on safety and heat resistance in compliance with IEC standards and the Electrical Appliance and Material Safety Law.

The three models that are for base and line lighting are designed with emphasis for assembly safety through its anti-electric shock structure. The three models comes in Horizontal type connector (LT-1 series), bridge type board to board connector for LED boards that are fixed to frame (LT-2 series), and LT-3 series type connectors that are structured for easy alignments using a smaller LED pitch than the LT-2 series.

The other series the LT-4 and LT-5 series are for LED lamps and are one piece card edge type connectors that directly connect power boards and LED mounting boards, resulting in harnessless assembly, while contributing to reduced man-hours.


Introduction of Cotton Fiber in Automobile Interior Surface Materials

In an effort to reduce petroleum-based materials such as PET fiber in cars interior, specifically in car interior surface materials, Mitsubishi Motors has developed a new interior surface materials that incorporates cotton fibers in PET (Polyethylene terephthalate) materials, capable of attaining high standards required for automobile parts due to its effective original structural design and a flame retardant treatment.

The newly developed material can be used in not only automobile seats but also in other area including ceilings and trim surfaces. The initial calculation by company shows reduction of CO2 emission by 20% compared to conventional products. The new fiber is a new addition to the “Green Plastic” lineup of Mitsubishi Motor.


Industry’s First Mass Production Technologies help Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastic to go Mainstream

Up to now carbon fiber-reinforced polymer were used extensively in high-end racing cars due to its high manufacturing cost. However, the material’s unprecedented strength-to-weight ratio as well as its low weight made it an essential material to use in high-performance racing automobiles. The high cost of carbon fiber-reinforced polymer, equipment, as well as relatively limited pool of expert individuals how are capable of working with it ,up to now has been a major factors in introducing the material in mass-produced cars.

The Carbon fiber-reinforced Polymer has a wide applications ranging from aerospace and automotive fields consumer equipment such as laptops, tripods, fishing rods to name a few. Introduction of Carbon fiber-reinforced Plastic (CFRP) in future EV vehicles has been in many car manufacturers agenda, where its use in automobiles body frame/ cabin frame as well as other parts can play a significant role in manufacturing next generation energy efficient EV vehicles. To respond to this challenge, Teijin Limited has announced new mass production manufacturing technologies for CFRP which significantly reduces the cycle time that is required for molding automotive cabin frame to just less than a minute, paving the way toward use of carbon fiber for mass produced automobiles as well as other types of products.

Teijin newly developed technologies produces three intermediate materials which are made of thermoplastic resin instead of conventional thermosetting resin for molding type of CFRP. In addition to this Teijin has developed such technologies for welding thermoplastic CFRP parts together as well as bonding CFRP with materials such as steel, both of which will help in reducing the use of metal in manufacturing processes. The three intermediate materials are; unidirectional intermediate which is an ultrahigh strength material in a certain direction, isotropic intermediate offering balance of shape flexibility and multidirectional strength and long-fiber thermoplastic pellet, a high-strength pellet made from carbon fiber which is ideal for injection molding of complex parts. Teijin in an effort to demonstrate its cutting-edge new technology has developed a conceptual electric vehicle (EV) featuring a cabin frame made entirely from thermoplastic CFRP, weighing only 47 kilograms, which is approximately one fifth the weight of a conventional automobile frame. This conceptual 4-seat EV is capable of speeding up to 60 km/h with a cruising range of 100 km, embodies Teijin’s vision of super lightweight EVs that are made with CFRP.


Development of World’s First Fuel Cell Technology Allowing Power Generation through Direct Forming of Methane Fuel at Temperature lower than 450 Degrees Celsius

With a high hope to become the next-generation energy sources, due to their high energy conversion efficiency, fuel cells have been developed through use of different materials, which among them, SOFCs have scored the highest energy conversion efficiency, consisting of ceramic and are operated at high temperatures from 700 to 1000 degrees Celsius, but so far their application has been limited to large power generation systems. However, new applications of SOFC are being developed which includes distributed power sources for residential applications, power supplies for mobile electronic devices as well as auxiliary power units for vehicles.

Key factors in development of these new applications are; a micro-SOFC modularization technology, allowing quick start, and a multi-fuel technology, allowing low-temperature operation with hydrocarbon fuels. Based on this, AIST and Colorado School of Mines in US have jointly developed a micro solid oxide fuel cell (micro-SOFC) with a catalyst layer capable of using various hydrocarbon fuels through direct reforming, which allows power generation through direct reforming of methane fuel at temperature lower than 450 degrees Celsius ,world’s first.


How Technology can go Green

It is not very uncommon to hear a person use the term “going green” when they talk about making changes within their living means. When it comes to “going green” many people are making an effort to help preserve our natural resources and help improve the state of our planet. Right now one of the worst influences on the planet is pollution and our cars are to blame. Recently new car technology has been released so that the public can now drive more fuel efficient and “green” cars. Take a look at some of the methods that technology is using in order to get to the “green” side

Many people today will tell you that they cannot survive without their cars. People need cars in order to not only to get to and from work, but to get around town in general. If you live in a city like Los Angeles you rarely see the full light of day. This is simply because most of California is covered in a ring of smog. Due to the high levels of traffic each day, the pollution rate has increased.

Car developers have taken on a “green” take to this in order to reduce the amount of smog that we have.
The Toyota Prius is the perfect example of a “green” car that people have found true use for. This is the type of car that uses the technology that allows us to utilize alternative fuel. Not only that, the car does give off less pollution into the air, which makes its very “green”. In fact, most companies are coming out with vehicles that can also run on alternative fuel. Of course the decision is always up to the buyer when it comes to actually utilizing the alternative fuel method.

The way that we watch television has also gone “green”. There are models of LCD televisions that are being created that do not use nearly as much energy as the aver television. If you think about the amount of energy and electricity that we use on a daily basis, the television is a big factor. Phillips is one of the top leaders when it comes to creating technology that is “green”. They have employed some of the best techniques ever heard of in order for you to get the “green” viewing pleasure you want.

The fact is, most people are under the impression that if we do not change our ways now, our world could be in trouble. The technology that we have is being utilized in a way that will help conserve energy and protect our Earth. Now, there are more efficient ways to get around your town and vehicles are becoming more fuel efficient and environment friendly. Over the next few years we will see a spike within the technology world and even more devices and products that we use each day will be “going green”. It will all be coming around the corner, sooner than you realize so make sure you keep your eyes peeled.


GreenGeeks Web Hosting Review

Using renewable energy to power your server is a technology called green web hosting. Some may wonder that what has it got to do with a computer or thing that we do online could pollute the environment. Well, this is something that GreenGeeks will help you to understand more.

One of the hosting out there that is using this technology is GreenGeeks. It is a company that is running at a 300% green hosting level. So, it is just not a regular provider but it is aiming to leave a mark on the advancement for this industry. It is doing more by providing green services for website owners. It furthers its services by putting effort in finding solution for the global energy issues that the world is facing. This means that every customer that signs up a package with GreenGeeks is contributing to a better cause.

However, customers will not be getting services that are not comparable with non-green hosting companies. In fact, they get 24/7 of customer support which means that users who are facing with problems can call in no matter what time it is in the day or night. Their problems will be attended by the support staff. Therefore, GreenGeeks's customers can have a peace of mind when using their services.

By providing multiple domain hosting, users can register their websites all in one control panel. This way, there is no need to remember all the different passwords from each website. Users can manage everything from one location making it convenient for them. This is important because many online business owners are looking to build more than stream of income on the internet and by having this option, webmasters can manage their businesses effectively.

When there is a surge in data transfer, your website will still be able to handle it because GreenGeeks do not limit your website's performance. All this comes with their unlimited storage and multiple email address that can be registered with their accounts. These are all important ingredients for a business to be successful.
So, this web hosting solution is one choice that you should not miss as it can probably the solution that you have been seeking for in this industry that is filled with choices and competition. Therefore, watch out for GreenGeeks because they might be an upcoming name to be reckon with in the ever competitive web hosting industry.

Final Tips For Green Hosting Shoppers

There is no other web host that can be as 'Green' as GreenGeeks. The web host bought 3x of green energy for each power unit it spent, making themselves a true 300% green hosting. With thousands of satisfied customers all around the globe, there are plenty of positive GreenGeeks user reviews on Internet. If you enjoy reading this, you may also enjoy like WebHostingSecretRevealed.com's Greengeeks Review.


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