http://www.purdue.edu/dp/energy/ Energy Center News RSS Feed http://www.usda.gov/ BISMARCK, North Dakota, August 27, 2008 - Agriculture Secretary Ed Schafer today announced that 639 individuals and businesses in 43 states and the Virgin Islands have been selected to receive $35 million in grants and loan guarantees for renewable energy systems or to improve energy efficiency in farm and business operations. Funding will help 639 small businesses and farmers save energy, improve operations. http://www.purdue.edu/uns/x/2008b/080825RidgwayGreenweek.html August 25, 2008, WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Purdue University will sponsor Green Week on Sept. 15-19 to raise environmental awareness on campus and in the Greater Lafayette community. Each day will focus on one aspect of preserving the environment and practicing conservation. There will be opportunities for students, faculty and staff, and community members to participate throughout the week. http://news.uns.purdue.edu/hp/ShaverIndygo.html August 22, 2008 - A report prepared by Purdue University indicates that buses now running on a fuel containing 10 percent biodiesel are likely to help Indianapolis mass transit reduce pollution without compromising fuel economy. The report also suggests introducing more diesel-electric hybrid buses and a fuel containing 20 percent biodiesel would further reduce emissions and petroleum consumption. The university's Technical Assistance Program at the Purdue Research Park arranged for the engineers to prepare the study for IndyGo Public Transportation Corp., which provides mass transit in Indianapolis. The report was presented to Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard earlier this month at Purdue's Ray W. Herrick Laboratories in a visit organized by the university's Energy Center. http://news.uns.purdue.edu/x/2008b/080820JanleSigma.html August 20, 2008 - Peter Raven, director of Missouri Botanical Garden and the George Englemann Professor of Botany at Washington University in St. Louis, will be the first speaker in the Purdue chapter of Sigma Xi's series of distinguished lectures on climate change and global sustainability. The lecture, which is free and open to the public, is at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 2 in Loeb Playhouse in Stewart Center. http://blog.google.org/2008/08/enough-geothermal-energy-to-power-globe.html 8/19/2008 - As part of our Renewable Energy Cheaper than Coal initiative, Google.org announced more than $10 million in investments and grants in Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS) technology. EGS expands the potential of traditional geothermal energy by orders of magnitude. The traditional geothermal approach relies on finding naturally occurring pockets of steam or hot water. The EGS process, by comparison, replicates these conditions by fracturing hot rock, circulating water through the system, and using the resulting steam to produce electricity in a conventional turbine. http://www.boilergreen.com/files/3a871e10ff8152de49b5dbe1be27583b-15.html Boiler Green Initiative is having Alternative Transportation Week (9/15-9/19)-- Boiler Green Initiative ~ Going Green, One Step at a Time: Boiler Green Initiative is also pleased to announce the second annual Alternative Transportation Week the of September 15th. Look for more details to come in the upcoming weeks. http://www.energy.gov/news/6477.htm WASHINGTON, August 12, 2008 – U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy John Mizroch announced today that DOE will invest up to $24 million in Fiscal Year 2008 and beyond—subject to the availability of funds—to develop solar energy products to significantly accelerate penetration of solar photovoltaic (PV) systems in the United States. The Solar Energy Grid Integration Systems (SEGIS) projects will provide critical research and development (R&D) funding to develop less expensive, higher performing products to enhance the value of solar PV systems to homeowners and business owners. These projects are integral to President Bush's Solar America Initiative, which aims to make solar energy cost-competitive with conventional forms of electricity by 2015. Increasing the use of alternative and clean energy technologies such as solar energy is critical to diversifying the Nation's energy sources to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and dependence on foreign oil. http://hydrogenroadtour08.dot.gov/ US Dept of Transportation: August 11, 2008: America Gets New Glimpse of Hydrogen Powered Future During Historic Two Week Road Tour Across the United States -- Americans will have a unique opportunity to see what the future holds for hydrogen in the United States with the launch of an historic two-week, cross country trek of a fleet of clean, efficient hydrogen vehicles. Nine auto manufacturers, the U.S. Department of Energy, California Fuel Cell Partnership, National Hydrogen Association, and U.S. DOT are sponsoring the Hydrogen Road Tour to show that hydrogen vehicle and fueling technologies are approaching commercial availability, even as new research and development breakthroughs continue. http://news.uns.purdue.edu/x/2008b/080804T-KulatungaPower.html Homeowners and businesses often waste power because they aren't aware of all the steps that can be taken to reduce their electricity consumption to lower bills and help ease strain on the nation's power grid, says a Purdue University expert. "We need to help consumers more than we do," says Athula Kulatunga, an associate professor of electrical and computer engineering technology and a certified energy manager. "Studies have shown that people want to be more conscientious of their energy usage but don't know how they can make a difference." Kulatunga says simple actions such as installing a digital thermostat, insulating water heaters and adding insulation to a home's attic and walls can result in significant savings. There also are new technologies being used and researched by utility companies that can go even further. http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/07/led-lights-technology-breakthrough-purdue-university.php July 22, 2008: The incandescent lightbulb that wastes 90% of the electricity as heat is dying, we all know that. But a new breakthrough in solid state lighting might also kill compact fluorescent lightbulbs (CFLs) faster than some expected. Scientists at Purdue University have figured out how to manufacture LED solid-state lights on regular metal-coated silicon wafers (more details below). What this means is: much lower costs. http://www.purdue.edu/dp/energy/pdfs/FehsenfeldChair_at_Purdue.pdf The Fehsenfeld Family Professorship is an endowed professorship for a senior faculty member holding the rank of a full Professor within the College of Engineering http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/17/AR2008071700244.html July 18, 2008: Former vice president Al Gore yesterday called on Americans to convert all electricity generation to wind, solar and other renewable sources within 10 years and end their reliance on fossil fuels for the sake of the U.S. economy and the world's climate. He says power grid could go renewable in 10 years. http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/story?id=53152 July 25, 2008: In June of this year, the Oregon Institute of Technology (OIT) graduated its first student with a Bachelor of Science in Renewable Energy Systems, the first such degree in North America. The school set up the program to keep up with the industry's growth in the state. Currently, there are 55 students enrolled in the Renewable Energy Systems Degree Program, which is located on the university’s East Portland campus and also in Klamath Falls. Graduates of the program will be prepared to enter fields including solar photovoltaics, wind, biomass, hydropower and geothermal energy, the school said. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/45827516-5767-11dd-916c-000077b07658.html Financial Times, July 22 2008: The US rush into wind power has enabled the country to pass Germany to become the world's biggest generator of such energy, according to estimates for the first half of 2008 from the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA). The US had not been expected to reach this milestone until the end of next year. It achieved this early, while still running behind Germany in total installed capacity, because its average wind speed in significantly stronger. Nonetheless, with growing attention on wind energy in the US, the AWEA says the country could well take the world lead in installed capacity as well by the end of this year. http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usdahome July 22, 2008 — Agriculture Secretary Ed Schafer today announced that 27 individuals and businesses in seven states have been selected to receive $6.9 million in loans and grants for renewable energy systems or to increase energy efficiency in farm and business operations. The funds are being provided under USDA Rural Development's Renewable Energy Systems and Energy Efficiency Improvements Program. Funding will help rural farmers and business owners save energy and improve operationswill support a variety of energy-production and energy-saving efforts. http://www.jncasr.ac.in/nano-energy/index.html August 19-21, 2008 Workshop: Joint India-US Workshop on Scalable Nanomaterials for Enhanced Energy Transport, Conversion and Efficiency Workshop, at General Electric's John F. Welch Technology Centre, Bangalore, India, August 19-21, 2008 http://www.insideindianabusiness.com/newsitem.asp?ID=30363 July 11, 2008: A Purdue University study suggests corn stover could be the next significant source of liquefied energy in Corn Belt states such as Indiana. The research suggests corn stover could be harvested less expensively than switchgrass, which is considered another source for cellulosic ethanol. The Purdue study compared the costs and returns of harvesting corn stover to the growing and harvesting of switchgrass for Indiana ethanol production. Purdue Agricultural Economist Wally Tyner is the study's lead researcher. He says it might be tough to convince people to invest in the technology without policies to ensure against the possible drop in oil prices, which have hit 147 dollars a barrel on global markets. http://news.uns.purdue.edu/x/2008b/080707TG12-TynerEthanol.html July 7, 2008: Demand for biofuels, grain and farm land is driving a revolution in American agriculture, a Purdue agricultural economist says. Wallace Tyner says the demand for corn to use for ethanol production means farmers are transferring more land from other land uses into corn production. Even larger corn crops will be raised for ethanol production until the federal goal of 15 billion gallons of ethanol by 2015 is reached, he says. http://www.insideindianabusiness.com/newsitem.asp?id=29733 July 7, 2008: A Purdue University agricultural economist believes a great change is taking place when it comes to energy prices. http://news.uns.purdue.edu/x/2008a/080624HirlemanFriedman.html June 24, 2008: Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author Thomas L. Friedman, the foreign affairs columnist for the New York Times, will speak at Purdue University on Sept. 19 about his upcoming book "Hot, Flat, and Crowded: Why We Need a Green Revolution - and How It Can Renew America." Friedman, whose talk will begin at 7 p.m. in the Elliott Hall of Music, has reported on the current Middle East conflicts, the end of the Cold War, U.S. domestic politics and foreign policy, international economics, and the worldwide impact of the terrorist threat. The College of Engineering - including its Division of Environmental and Ecological Engineering, Global Engineering Program, and School of Mechanical Engineering - has partnered with the Center for the Environment, Energy Center, Office of the Provost and Purdue Climate Change Research Center in sponsoring his speech and related activities that week. The speech is free and open to the public, but tickets are required in order to reserve a seat. Tickets can be picked up at the Elliott Hall of Music after Aug. 25. http://www.insideindianabusiness.com/newsitem.asp?id=29269 May 8, 2008: Purdue agricultural economist Wally Tyner says the current spike in gas prices is being driven by the shift to a warm weather gas formulation and the summer driving season in addition to the increase in crude oil prices. Wally Tyner says there is always a bump of seven to 10 cents a gallon in May because of the switch to a summer gas formula with a lower evaporation rate. It is more expensive to produce and those costs are usually passed along at the pump. Tyner says $4 a gallon gasoline will arrive around Indiana this summer if the price of crude on global markets does not come down. http://news.uns.purdue.edu/x/2008a/080501HoBook.html May 1, 2008: Purdue University researcher Nancy Ho is among 60 of the world's leading scientists, writers, artists, business and civic leaders whose essays were published in a new book edited by veteran TV journalist Mike Wallace. The book, entitled "The Way We Will be 50 Years from Today: 60 of the World's Greatest Minds Share Their Visions of the Next Half-Century," appeared in April. http://news.uns.purdue.edu/x/2008a/080501BraltsNuclear.html May 1, 2008: Nuclear engineering is becoming a hot career thanks to concerns over global warming, greenhouse gases and pollution. "While the demand is mounting, we have a shortage of nuclear engineers," said Vincent Bralts, interim head of the School of Nuclear Engineering at Purdue University. "The shortage is exacerbated by the fact many of those in the field are now retiring." http://www.purdue.edu/dp/energy/pdfs/Kramer-Biomass-Hydrogen-WorldEnergyConf-Apr08.pdf April 30, 2008 Presentation: Presentation by Robert Kramer, Purdue University Calumet, at the World Bio Energy Conference, Chicago, April 30, 2008 http://news.uns.purdue.edu/x/2008a/080423T-GoreHydrogen.html April 23, 2008: Rising petroleum prices and environmental concerns are highlighting the need to develop alternative energy technologies. http://www.ree.usda.gov/news/bead/USDA_REE_strat_plan.pdf March 2008: Securing America's energy future is among the most important challenges today, and agriculture can play an important role in bringing about energy solutions. The USDA Research, Education, and Economics (REE) mission area strives to create public benefi t through both internal activities and partnerships with other USDA agencies, Federal agencies, university partners, nongovernmental organizations, and the private sector. To this end, REE has developed a Strategic Energy Science Plan for Research, Education, and Extension (the Plan), which is presented here. The Plan builds upon the many excellent energy-related activities and programs undertaken by the REE agencies and partners. http://www.purdue.edu/dp/energy/pdfs/insight_sp08.pdf Spring 2008: Energy Efficiency and Reliability Center advances region by seeking to solve energy problems http://news.uns.purdue.edu/x/2008a/080414MikesellBoiler.html April 14, 2008: The Purdue board of trustees on Friday (April 11) approved constructing a new clean-coal technology boiler using a novel procurement method that can shorten construction time and lower costs. Purdue will use the design-build method, which by Indiana law allows higher education institutions to hire a single contractor for both design and construction services. Typically, design and construction work are bid separately. http://news.uns.purdue.edu/x/2008a/080317GoreEnergy.html March 17, 2008: Jay P. Gore was named Monday (March 17) as director of the Energy Center at Purdue's Discovery Park. http://news.uns.purdue.edu/Clips/2008/mar/080312MosierTrash.html March 12, 2008: The water bottles, plastic foam plates and other trash discarded by American troops in Iraq's mess halls may soon be serving double-duty--as an unlikely power source to illuminate barracks and power up laptops, courtesy of novel machines Purdue University scientists helped build.