The LUKERG Renew partnership has placed a “firm and unconditional” order with German firm Vestas for 36 wind turbines for the Topolog Dorobantu wind farm project in Tulcea, Romania. The turbines will have a combined capacity of 72MW and LUKERG has kept open the option to buy a further 12MW worth of wind turbines from the engineering firm, headquartered in Hamburg, Germany.
The turbines are due for delivery in the second half of 2013, but Vestas did not give a figure for the value of the order.
Vestas Central Europe President Thomas Richterich said the project marks another important milestone in further the developing the promising Romanian wind energy market. The order reinforces Vestas place in the Romanian market “as a leading player with the strongest local presence and the largest operational fleet,” according to Vestas managing director for Romania Catalina Dragomir.
Vestas also added to the recent comments from the renewable energy sector on the planned reduction in green certificates awarded, following recommendations from Romania’s energy authority ANRE. Chief sales officer Juan Araluce said his company is hoping for speedy clarification from the Romanian government on renewable energy incentives policy, saying that short-term energy price concerns should be balanced with keeping investment in the sector feasible.
When complete, the Topolog Dorobantu plant will produce over 200GWh per year; enough energy for 60,000 households and a saving of 110,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions, according to Vestas.
Vestas is an engineering firm specialized in producing wind turbines. Its Central and Eastern European division is headquartered in Hamburg, Germany and the company has created employment for 18,000 people worldwide. The company has so far installed wind turbines in 73 countries.
LUKERG Renew, a joint venture between Russian Lukoil and Italian energy group ERG. The new group took over the Romanian wind park end-2012.
The buyer planned at the time to invest some EUR 135 million in this new project and planned to start construction at the wind park in the first quarter of 2013. LUKERG also plans to have the project running in 2014.
ERG Renew and LUKOIL-Ecoenergo signed a joint venture agreement in 2011 for LUKERG Renew, based in Vienna. The joint venture will initially focus its operations on Bulgaria and Romania, followed by Ukraine and Russia, according to previous announcements. The recent deal is the second transaction for the JV, after buying a 40MW operational wind farm in Bulgaria from Raiffeisen Energy & Environment.
ERG Renew (ERG Group) is active in the generation of electricity from renewable sources, above all in the wind sector. As regards Italy, there are currently 8 wind farms in operation, with a total installed capacity of 246 MW; in France, subsidiary ERG Eolienne France S.a.s. owns 6 wind farms, with a total installed capacity of 64.4 MW.
2013年4月10日 星期三
Yom Hashoah in Sydney
More than 900 guests packed Sydney’s Moriah College as the NSW Jewish community commemorated Yom Hashoah and the 70th anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising.
Following the screening of a video on the history of the Warsaw Ghetto, the combined choirs of the Emanuel School and Mount Sinai College sang Eli Eli before Michael Jaku the Chair of the Shoah Remembrance Committee welcomed the guests.
Lena Goldstein who witnessed the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising was one of the main speakers . Here is her story…
“I remember the Germans announcing to the Jews in the Warsaw Ghetto that each of us would be given a loaf of bread and a portion of jam when we presented ourselves at the Umschlagplatz for transfer to the East. Many Jews volunteered for this transfer as they were hungry —-they believed, or they wanted to believe that the Nazis were telling the truth. Whole families presented themselves hoping to escape the cruel reality of starvation in the Ghetto.
But over time fewer and fewer Jews volunteered for transfer and forced deportations began. With forced deportation came Selektion. To the right meant to stay and work, to the left to be deported. Each person was allowed only one suitcase, except that in some suitcases there was no clothing. There were in fact
little children whose parents were trying desperately to prevent separation by sedating them and concealing them inside the suitcases.
We also believed that if we worked for the German war machine we could avoid deportation. German factories, or rather conglomerates, employed Jews as slave labour. There were tailoring factories, shoe factories, fur and leather workshops and a laundry.
The biggest conglomerates were Schulz and Tobbens. My parents managed to get a job in the Schulz laundry washing German uniforms. But working for the Germans did not prevent deportation. This was a deception. My parents were deported after two separate selections and I managed to hide myself under a pile of bloody uniforms when my mother was taken away. Then, in order to exist, I managed to take over my mother’s job.
While I was working in the factory, a few escapees from Treblinka managed to come back to the Ghetto. That opened our eyes to the real purpose of the deportations. We discovered that there were no labour camps in the East; just gas chambers. Once you got on the train there was no return.
One of the escapees knew my father and he looked me up in the ghetto. He had met my father in Treblinka when all the men were lined up naked waiting to enter the gas chambers. My father led the Kaddish for the women and children who had already gone in before them. Somehow this man escaped. My father told this man that he worried about me. My father, waiting to die, was worried about his daughter having no money and no-one to care for her. I never saw this young man again. Succeeding in escaping death once did not bring an assurance of survival.
The Polish National Army declined to help us, and the Polish People’s Army that said it would support Jewish fighters demanded exorbitant prices for each revolver and each round of ammunition. To pay for the guns and ammunition, the resistance fighters decided to collect money – a tax – from the wealthy ones who were still in the ghetto.
The money was collected during the night after curfew, moving between the buildings through holes in walls, attics and cellars. As my building did not have a common wall on one side, sometimes fighters spent the night at my home until morning when the curfew was lifted.
Following the screening of a video on the history of the Warsaw Ghetto, the combined choirs of the Emanuel School and Mount Sinai College sang Eli Eli before Michael Jaku the Chair of the Shoah Remembrance Committee welcomed the guests.
Lena Goldstein who witnessed the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising was one of the main speakers . Here is her story…
“I remember the Germans announcing to the Jews in the Warsaw Ghetto that each of us would be given a loaf of bread and a portion of jam when we presented ourselves at the Umschlagplatz for transfer to the East. Many Jews volunteered for this transfer as they were hungry —-they believed, or they wanted to believe that the Nazis were telling the truth. Whole families presented themselves hoping to escape the cruel reality of starvation in the Ghetto.
But over time fewer and fewer Jews volunteered for transfer and forced deportations began. With forced deportation came Selektion. To the right meant to stay and work, to the left to be deported. Each person was allowed only one suitcase, except that in some suitcases there was no clothing. There were in fact
little children whose parents were trying desperately to prevent separation by sedating them and concealing them inside the suitcases.
We also believed that if we worked for the German war machine we could avoid deportation. German factories, or rather conglomerates, employed Jews as slave labour. There were tailoring factories, shoe factories, fur and leather workshops and a laundry.
The biggest conglomerates were Schulz and Tobbens. My parents managed to get a job in the Schulz laundry washing German uniforms. But working for the Germans did not prevent deportation. This was a deception. My parents were deported after two separate selections and I managed to hide myself under a pile of bloody uniforms when my mother was taken away. Then, in order to exist, I managed to take over my mother’s job.
While I was working in the factory, a few escapees from Treblinka managed to come back to the Ghetto. That opened our eyes to the real purpose of the deportations. We discovered that there were no labour camps in the East; just gas chambers. Once you got on the train there was no return.
One of the escapees knew my father and he looked me up in the ghetto. He had met my father in Treblinka when all the men were lined up naked waiting to enter the gas chambers. My father led the Kaddish for the women and children who had already gone in before them. Somehow this man escaped. My father told this man that he worried about me. My father, waiting to die, was worried about his daughter having no money and no-one to care for her. I never saw this young man again. Succeeding in escaping death once did not bring an assurance of survival.
The Polish National Army declined to help us, and the Polish People’s Army that said it would support Jewish fighters demanded exorbitant prices for each revolver and each round of ammunition. To pay for the guns and ammunition, the resistance fighters decided to collect money – a tax – from the wealthy ones who were still in the ghetto.
The money was collected during the night after curfew, moving between the buildings through holes in walls, attics and cellars. As my building did not have a common wall on one side, sometimes fighters spent the night at my home until morning when the curfew was lifted.
2013年4月8日 星期一
Inspector backs Lincolnshire wind farm
Energy developer Energiekontor lodged an appeal with the Planning Inspectorate against East Lindsey District Council's non-determination of the application for the eight-turbine wind farm at Gayton le Marsh in November 2012. A public inquiry was subsequently held in January 2013.
In his report, published late last week, inspector David Pinner found that the area's local plan was of "considerable age", contained no saved policies relating to wind energy development and did "not provide a realistic context for considering wind farm schemes".
Pinner said that the area's regional plan contained policies supporting renewable energy schemes whilst also aiming to protect the landscape, which was "consistent with the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF)".
Pinner also found that the need to meet renewable energy targets was a major factor in allowing the application.
He said: "I have found that the scheme represents sustainable development and there is therefore a presumption in favour of granting planning permission in accordance with the National Planning Policy Framework. The very recent UK Energy Roadmap Update illustrates the tough challenges of meeting the 2020 renewable energy targets and reaffirms the government's support for onshore wind."
"Furthermore, the 2020 targets do not represent the end of the process and the campaign to tackle dangerous climate change by reducing greenhouse emissions will continue for decades beyond that. Whilst failure to make the 2020 targets would be a major setback, there would be no harm in exceeding the targets if possible – that would be a good thing".
Despite recognising that the scheme would have some negative visual impact on the area, Pinner concluded: "I doubt that, in the short term at least, alternative technologies for renewable electricity generation will mature to the level that would be necessary to make wind energy unattractive as part of the overall mix.
"It is therefore my overall conclusion that, under these circumstances, the additional harm to the local landscape which would arise from the appeal scheme would be within the bounds of acceptability, especially bearing in mind that after 25 years, the wind farm would be decommissioned and there would be no lasting landscape impact".
East Lindsey District Council's portfolio holder for economic regeneration Craig Leyland said the inspector had "made the wrong decision".
He said: "Along with the community, the council put forward what we felt was a robust argument for this not to be approved. The basis of the argument was the impact these 115-metre turbines are likely to have on the local area, affecting the quality of life for local people and landscape. We are already looking closely at the appeal outcome and considering what options are available to us."
In his report, published late last week, inspector David Pinner found that the area's local plan was of "considerable age", contained no saved policies relating to wind energy development and did "not provide a realistic context for considering wind farm schemes".
Pinner said that the area's regional plan contained policies supporting renewable energy schemes whilst also aiming to protect the landscape, which was "consistent with the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF)".
Pinner also found that the need to meet renewable energy targets was a major factor in allowing the application.
He said: "I have found that the scheme represents sustainable development and there is therefore a presumption in favour of granting planning permission in accordance with the National Planning Policy Framework. The very recent UK Energy Roadmap Update illustrates the tough challenges of meeting the 2020 renewable energy targets and reaffirms the government's support for onshore wind."
"Furthermore, the 2020 targets do not represent the end of the process and the campaign to tackle dangerous climate change by reducing greenhouse emissions will continue for decades beyond that. Whilst failure to make the 2020 targets would be a major setback, there would be no harm in exceeding the targets if possible – that would be a good thing".
Despite recognising that the scheme would have some negative visual impact on the area, Pinner concluded: "I doubt that, in the short term at least, alternative technologies for renewable electricity generation will mature to the level that would be necessary to make wind energy unattractive as part of the overall mix.
"It is therefore my overall conclusion that, under these circumstances, the additional harm to the local landscape which would arise from the appeal scheme would be within the bounds of acceptability, especially bearing in mind that after 25 years, the wind farm would be decommissioned and there would be no lasting landscape impact".
East Lindsey District Council's portfolio holder for economic regeneration Craig Leyland said the inspector had "made the wrong decision".
He said: "Along with the community, the council put forward what we felt was a robust argument for this not to be approved. The basis of the argument was the impact these 115-metre turbines are likely to have on the local area, affecting the quality of life for local people and landscape. We are already looking closely at the appeal outcome and considering what options are available to us."
2013年4月7日 星期日
Out with the old
There's a revolution several hundred years in the making, and several Colorado companies are participating at a time that could be a major tipping point.
It started with movable-type printing in the 15th century, but today's Johannes Gutenbergs are printing more than ink; they're printing objects via 3D printing. It is because 3D printing has a real opportunity to improve our world that it faces threats from status quo institutions like governments and incumbent businesses, which often have shared incentives. But if status quo institutions are successful in thwarting this industry, we'll all be worse off.
Here's how 3D printing works: An engineer digitally designs an object as a CAD (computer aided design) file. The file then instructs a printer to produce the object based on the specifications in the file. Pretty simple, right? The chain can be understood by its two links: software and hardware, both of which are rapidly evolving.
Software is becoming easier to use, so more people can create files, and open-source alternatives to expensive enterprise software are more capable than ever. Meanwhile, file-sharing makes it easier to distribute files online.
Hardware, including printers and scanners, is stratifying to include anything from industrial machines that cost hundreds of thousands of dollars down to do-it-yourself hobbyist machines that cost a little over $1,000. With hardware stratification comes increased capabilities. Their "ink" is expanding to include hard plastic, wood filament, nanocomposites of blended plastic and powdered metal and more. Scanners are increasingly able to scan physical objects and convert them to digital formats that are then capable of being reproduced through printers.
3D printed products are being used in an inspiring number of ways, from prosthetics and aerospace to jewelry and other consumer accessories. For example, a five-year-old South African boy named Liam was born with Amniotic Band Syndrome, which caused amputation of the digits on his right hand before birth. Ivan Owen in Bellingham and Richard Van As in South Africa designed 3D printed prosthetic digits for Liam dubbed Robohand (available in the public domain), which he's now using to play, eat and brush his teeth.
On the consumer end, Nokia recently released a file with a case design for its new Lumia 820 that can be edited, customized and printed.
The burgeoning 3D printing industry is captivating because it unleashes our freedom to create and share, just like movable type printing unleashed our freedom of speech (and thought) in the 15th century.
Colorado features innovative companies like Loveland-based Aleph Objects, which manufactures open-source hardware printers. Then there's the Denver-based 3D Printing Store, which has consumer focus on custom orders and hosting events. There are numerous more 3D printer re-sellers, software developers and other entrepreneurs contributing to the industry with each passing day.
Unfortunately, the industry's captivating potential is exactly what puts it at risk. It's not that the people in status quo institutions are ill-willed; they're not. It's just that new institutions change the environment that status quo institutions used to.
If you think this concern is overwrought, think about how difficult it has been for a company like Uber, most recently here in Colorado. Uber is simply an application that connects people who want transportation with people who want to provide transportation. The drivers pick customers up exactly where they want in clean vehicles. They are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and they use advanced payment systems to make the exchange seamless.
Uber has fought costly legal battles against public utility regulators and existing transportation service providers in state after state over its ability to provide this straightforward service. In January, Colorado's Public Utilities Commission sought transportation rule changes that would effectively prevent Uber from operating in the state.
It started with movable-type printing in the 15th century, but today's Johannes Gutenbergs are printing more than ink; they're printing objects via 3D printing. It is because 3D printing has a real opportunity to improve our world that it faces threats from status quo institutions like governments and incumbent businesses, which often have shared incentives. But if status quo institutions are successful in thwarting this industry, we'll all be worse off.
Here's how 3D printing works: An engineer digitally designs an object as a CAD (computer aided design) file. The file then instructs a printer to produce the object based on the specifications in the file. Pretty simple, right? The chain can be understood by its two links: software and hardware, both of which are rapidly evolving.
Software is becoming easier to use, so more people can create files, and open-source alternatives to expensive enterprise software are more capable than ever. Meanwhile, file-sharing makes it easier to distribute files online.
Hardware, including printers and scanners, is stratifying to include anything from industrial machines that cost hundreds of thousands of dollars down to do-it-yourself hobbyist machines that cost a little over $1,000. With hardware stratification comes increased capabilities. Their "ink" is expanding to include hard plastic, wood filament, nanocomposites of blended plastic and powdered metal and more. Scanners are increasingly able to scan physical objects and convert them to digital formats that are then capable of being reproduced through printers.
3D printed products are being used in an inspiring number of ways, from prosthetics and aerospace to jewelry and other consumer accessories. For example, a five-year-old South African boy named Liam was born with Amniotic Band Syndrome, which caused amputation of the digits on his right hand before birth. Ivan Owen in Bellingham and Richard Van As in South Africa designed 3D printed prosthetic digits for Liam dubbed Robohand (available in the public domain), which he's now using to play, eat and brush his teeth.
On the consumer end, Nokia recently released a file with a case design for its new Lumia 820 that can be edited, customized and printed.
The burgeoning 3D printing industry is captivating because it unleashes our freedom to create and share, just like movable type printing unleashed our freedom of speech (and thought) in the 15th century.
Colorado features innovative companies like Loveland-based Aleph Objects, which manufactures open-source hardware printers. Then there's the Denver-based 3D Printing Store, which has consumer focus on custom orders and hosting events. There are numerous more 3D printer re-sellers, software developers and other entrepreneurs contributing to the industry with each passing day.
Unfortunately, the industry's captivating potential is exactly what puts it at risk. It's not that the people in status quo institutions are ill-willed; they're not. It's just that new institutions change the environment that status quo institutions used to.
If you think this concern is overwrought, think about how difficult it has been for a company like Uber, most recently here in Colorado. Uber is simply an application that connects people who want transportation with people who want to provide transportation. The drivers pick customers up exactly where they want in clean vehicles. They are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and they use advanced payment systems to make the exchange seamless.
Uber has fought costly legal battles against public utility regulators and existing transportation service providers in state after state over its ability to provide this straightforward service. In January, Colorado's Public Utilities Commission sought transportation rule changes that would effectively prevent Uber from operating in the state.
2013年4月6日 星期六
Ireland’s ambitious wind-energy plans
Plans to pepper the Irish midlands with giant wind turbines exporting the electricity they generate to Britain are not driven only by Tory concerns about a popular revolt in the English shires against wind-energy projects. They are part of a much wider agenda to reduce Europe’s dependence on Russian gas and oil.
Everyone remembers with a shiver when Russian energy giant Gazprom cut off the gas supply to Ukraine on January 1st, 2009: and then Vladimir Putin extended the ban to gas being piped through the former Soviet state to Hungary, Slovakia, Greece, Turkey, Bulgaria Romania, Bosnia, Serbia and Macedonia.
In freezing winter weather, Slovakia declared a “national emergency”, Austria and Italy reported that their supplies of Russian gas had fallen by 90 per cent, and France and Germany were also hit by Putin using gas as a political weapon. The London Independent heralded it as a “new cold war in Europe”.
The EU imports one-third of its gas from Russia, of which 80 per cent is pumped through Ukraine. In 2007, four EU member states – Estonia, Finland, Latvia and Lithuania – were 100 per cent dependent on Russian gas, while France and Germany were its largest importers, accounting for almost half of the EU total.
The rest comes primarily from Norway, which is perceived as highly reliable, and Algeria, which isn’t. But the EU is so dependent on imports of both oil and gas, it needs secure supplies. A proposed pipeline to Europe from Iran is not on the agenda because of sanctions against Tehran relating to its nuclear programme.
Hence the importance of the Supergrid, an EU initiative to integrate renewable energy production across Europe – to “decarbonise” electricity generation, allow power to be traded between one country and another, strengthen energy security and create opportunities for European companies to export their know-how.
The core elements of the Supergrid would consist of concentrations of huge offshore wind turbines in the North Sea, the Baltic Sea and the Irish Sea. These would ultimately be supplemented by vast arrays of solar-power generators in the Sahara and by wave- or tidal-energy installations, now being tested at a micro level.
A report in 2010 produced by the European Climate Change Forum, the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, the International Institute for Applied System Analysis and global accountants PwC even put forward a realistic roadmap to achieve “100 per cent renewable electricity” in Europe and North Africa by 2050.
Since 2009, the EU has been committed to boosting the share of renewables in the energy mix to 20 per cent by 2020, both to make a contribution to combating climate change and cut back on Europe’s dependence on imported oil and gas. Both Ireland and Britain face real challenges in meeting their targets under this programme.
After the two governments committed to this “programme of work”, Rabbitte said: “Ireland has the potential to generate far more wind energy than we could consume domestically. The opportunity to export this green power presents an opportunity for employment growth and export earnings which we must seize if we can.”
As for what this new “export industry” could mean for employment, a press release from his department suggested a 3,000-megawatt project would generate “in the order of 3,000 to 6,000 jobs” during the construction phase and an unspecified number of jobs in “ongoing maintenance” of turbines over a 20-year period.
“Further employment opportunities could also arise in both countries from the manufacture of turbines, cables and other technology,” it said – without mentioning that none of the components of the 1,200 wind turbines installed here so far (towers, blades, nacelles, gears, generators and other parts) were made in Ireland. Or, at least, in the Republic. Belfast’s Harland & Wolff shipyard has diversified into producing turbines for offshore wind farms such as Robin Rigg, off the west coast of Scotland, and another in the Irish Sea, off the Lancashire coast. With so many more turbines planned here, a local manufacturing facility is essential.
Everyone remembers with a shiver when Russian energy giant Gazprom cut off the gas supply to Ukraine on January 1st, 2009: and then Vladimir Putin extended the ban to gas being piped through the former Soviet state to Hungary, Slovakia, Greece, Turkey, Bulgaria Romania, Bosnia, Serbia and Macedonia.
In freezing winter weather, Slovakia declared a “national emergency”, Austria and Italy reported that their supplies of Russian gas had fallen by 90 per cent, and France and Germany were also hit by Putin using gas as a political weapon. The London Independent heralded it as a “new cold war in Europe”.
The EU imports one-third of its gas from Russia, of which 80 per cent is pumped through Ukraine. In 2007, four EU member states – Estonia, Finland, Latvia and Lithuania – were 100 per cent dependent on Russian gas, while France and Germany were its largest importers, accounting for almost half of the EU total.
The rest comes primarily from Norway, which is perceived as highly reliable, and Algeria, which isn’t. But the EU is so dependent on imports of both oil and gas, it needs secure supplies. A proposed pipeline to Europe from Iran is not on the agenda because of sanctions against Tehran relating to its nuclear programme.
Hence the importance of the Supergrid, an EU initiative to integrate renewable energy production across Europe – to “decarbonise” electricity generation, allow power to be traded between one country and another, strengthen energy security and create opportunities for European companies to export their know-how.
The core elements of the Supergrid would consist of concentrations of huge offshore wind turbines in the North Sea, the Baltic Sea and the Irish Sea. These would ultimately be supplemented by vast arrays of solar-power generators in the Sahara and by wave- or tidal-energy installations, now being tested at a micro level.
A report in 2010 produced by the European Climate Change Forum, the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, the International Institute for Applied System Analysis and global accountants PwC even put forward a realistic roadmap to achieve “100 per cent renewable electricity” in Europe and North Africa by 2050.
Since 2009, the EU has been committed to boosting the share of renewables in the energy mix to 20 per cent by 2020, both to make a contribution to combating climate change and cut back on Europe’s dependence on imported oil and gas. Both Ireland and Britain face real challenges in meeting their targets under this programme.
After the two governments committed to this “programme of work”, Rabbitte said: “Ireland has the potential to generate far more wind energy than we could consume domestically. The opportunity to export this green power presents an opportunity for employment growth and export earnings which we must seize if we can.”
As for what this new “export industry” could mean for employment, a press release from his department suggested a 3,000-megawatt project would generate “in the order of 3,000 to 6,000 jobs” during the construction phase and an unspecified number of jobs in “ongoing maintenance” of turbines over a 20-year period.
“Further employment opportunities could also arise in both countries from the manufacture of turbines, cables and other technology,” it said – without mentioning that none of the components of the 1,200 wind turbines installed here so far (towers, blades, nacelles, gears, generators and other parts) were made in Ireland. Or, at least, in the Republic. Belfast’s Harland & Wolff shipyard has diversified into producing turbines for offshore wind farms such as Robin Rigg, off the west coast of Scotland, and another in the Irish Sea, off the Lancashire coast. With so many more turbines planned here, a local manufacturing facility is essential.
2013年4月2日 星期二
This town was almost blown off the map
Dixson credits community meetings in the first days following the tornado for putting people on the same page. “It was critical right off the bat that we start meeting in a big tent outside of town,” he says. “We did everything out there.” Each entity in town, from hospital higher-ups to city officials and nonprofit leaders, would share their thoughts inside that tent in a space where everyone could hear. “That helped tie everything together, so we were working together,” Dixson says.
The early rebuilding efforts generated a tremendous amount of energy, and some remarkable examples of eco-friendly ingenuity. Local resident Brad Estes says greening Greensburg “was a 24/7 job.” Early on, many were unsure if they wanted to spend, in some cases, over twice as much in building costs to do it the green way. However, Estes notes that those that made a commitment to a sustainable rebuild “feel like it’s paying back in lower energy prices and better conservation of resources.”
Estes is now the director of wind operations for BTI Wind Energy, a local wind turbine company that was born from the aftermath of the tornado. The business sells small-scale turbines for residential and commercial use. Over the past few years, it’s expanded from being just a local supplier to installing and servicing turbines in other states and Canada — the perfect inverse of the Keystone XL tar-sands pipeline.
On a larger scale, the city of Greensburg teamed up with John Deere Renewable Energy and the Kansas Power Pool to build a production-scale wind farm five miles outside of town. Estes describes the wind farm the same way some dude at the bar might describe his ’67 Pontiac GTO: “Yeah, there are 10 units of 1.25 megawatt Suzlon turbines, generating 12.5 megawatts in total.” The juice flows into the Kansas Power Pool, which feeds a number of local municipalities, but Greensburg receives renewable energy credits and the bragging rights to getting 100 percent of its power from the wind.
That 100 percent wind power only refers to what is imported from elsewhere, however. Estes estimates that around 8 percent of Greensburg’s energy is generated from assorted wind turbines and solar panels scattered around the town itself. That’s thanks to Greenburg’s net-metering policy, which which allows resident to install rooftop solar panels or backyard wind turbines, feed any leftover power right into the grid, and then get paid for it — the full retail price. This allows residents to pay off the up-front cost of panels and turbines more quickly, bringing the cost of renewables within reach of more of the populace.
And thanks to all the new high-efficiency buildings, including the hospital, the local John Deere dealership, and the arts center, Greensburg is saving $200,000 annually in energy costs on 13 of its largest buildings, according to a recent study by the the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. Private residences got into the act — examples here, here, or here — and there’s this cool map showing all of Greensburg’s sustainable building projects.
Greensburg is understanding sustainability in its own terms. “Being green” in Greensburg is not a primary motivator, but a product of respecting resources for future generations, working toward self-sufficiency, and adapting to the economic and physical climate.
The true test of the new approach, however, will come with time. Will the new green infrastructure attract businesses and jobs, or will Greensburg become what Mayor Dixson calls a “green ghost town”? On that front, it may still be too soon to say, but there are positive signs. While the population was nearly halved after the tornado, those that stayed seem to be sticking around, and many of the businesses have returned: the hardware store, the coffee shop, banks, the pharmacy.
The early rebuilding efforts generated a tremendous amount of energy, and some remarkable examples of eco-friendly ingenuity. Local resident Brad Estes says greening Greensburg “was a 24/7 job.” Early on, many were unsure if they wanted to spend, in some cases, over twice as much in building costs to do it the green way. However, Estes notes that those that made a commitment to a sustainable rebuild “feel like it’s paying back in lower energy prices and better conservation of resources.”
Estes is now the director of wind operations for BTI Wind Energy, a local wind turbine company that was born from the aftermath of the tornado. The business sells small-scale turbines for residential and commercial use. Over the past few years, it’s expanded from being just a local supplier to installing and servicing turbines in other states and Canada — the perfect inverse of the Keystone XL tar-sands pipeline.
On a larger scale, the city of Greensburg teamed up with John Deere Renewable Energy and the Kansas Power Pool to build a production-scale wind farm five miles outside of town. Estes describes the wind farm the same way some dude at the bar might describe his ’67 Pontiac GTO: “Yeah, there are 10 units of 1.25 megawatt Suzlon turbines, generating 12.5 megawatts in total.” The juice flows into the Kansas Power Pool, which feeds a number of local municipalities, but Greensburg receives renewable energy credits and the bragging rights to getting 100 percent of its power from the wind.
That 100 percent wind power only refers to what is imported from elsewhere, however. Estes estimates that around 8 percent of Greensburg’s energy is generated from assorted wind turbines and solar panels scattered around the town itself. That’s thanks to Greenburg’s net-metering policy, which which allows resident to install rooftop solar panels or backyard wind turbines, feed any leftover power right into the grid, and then get paid for it — the full retail price. This allows residents to pay off the up-front cost of panels and turbines more quickly, bringing the cost of renewables within reach of more of the populace.
And thanks to all the new high-efficiency buildings, including the hospital, the local John Deere dealership, and the arts center, Greensburg is saving $200,000 annually in energy costs on 13 of its largest buildings, according to a recent study by the the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. Private residences got into the act — examples here, here, or here — and there’s this cool map showing all of Greensburg’s sustainable building projects.
Greensburg is understanding sustainability in its own terms. “Being green” in Greensburg is not a primary motivator, but a product of respecting resources for future generations, working toward self-sufficiency, and adapting to the economic and physical climate.
The true test of the new approach, however, will come with time. Will the new green infrastructure attract businesses and jobs, or will Greensburg become what Mayor Dixson calls a “green ghost town”? On that front, it may still be too soon to say, but there are positive signs. While the population was nearly halved after the tornado, those that stayed seem to be sticking around, and many of the businesses have returned: the hardware store, the coffee shop, banks, the pharmacy.
2013年4月1日 星期一
For world's makers, production tools at fingertips
In the popular press and the populace's collective imagination, entrepreneurship these days is all about social media, mobile apps, online games and the like. Anyone with a good idea, a credit card and a high-speed Internet connection can become the next Mark Zuckerberg, or so it seems.
What's exciting about the current world of "stuff," though, is how it's coming to be made and sold. Today, creative people are taking the tools and lessons of the Information Age and applying them to the realm of product development and manufacturing of real goods. Chris Anderson, the longtime editor-in-chief of Wired magazine, details this fundamental shift in his recent book, "Makers: The New Industrial Revolution."
America has always been a nation of tinkerers. Just think of Ben Franklin, Thomas Edison and the phrase "Yankee ingenuity." In fact, our heritage of continuous mechanical improvement is discussed in another recent work, "The Tinkerers: The Amateurs, DIYers and Inventors Who Make America Great," by Alec Foege.
In "Makers," though, Anderson describes how newly available technologies and new ways of working collaboratively combine to drastically decrease the barriers to entry so as to allow nearly anyone to make the move from inventor to entrepreneur in a short period of time and at low cost. Tools such as 3-D printers, laser cutters and CNC (computer numerical control) machines, which have been used in large-scale industries for decades, are now accessible from the consumer's desktop.
All around the country, too, communal workspaces, known as "hackerspaces" or "makerspaces," are being organized, allowing members to share in the costs of tools and materials, and, most importantly, the necessary physical space for building individual or collaborative items. Examples in Indiana include Bloomington's BloomingLabs and Club Cyberia in Indianapolis.
Granted, digitally fabricating a prototype on a 3-D printer is not exactly mass production. But desktop production is only now where desktop publishing was in the late 1980s. The tools will only get better, and the Web, as it has everything else, will only speed up the process of product development and creation. Time to market will be measured in weeks, days or even hours, rather than years or months.
When Karl Marx wrote about power inherent in those who control the means of production, he had no way of knowing that would eventually mean and include most of us. "Makers of the world, Unite!" might be Marx's rallying cry if he were around today.
The machine also has the option of either a 12 or 16 position tool carousel. One particular feature that has surpassed expectation is the performance of the live tooling facility, which has proved highly beneficial in improving productivity as milling operations that would have required transferring of parts to other machines has been completed in a single set-up on the Tongtai.
"The milling capability is much better than we anticipated," says Gordon Burnett. "Our initial intention was just to use the live tooling to perform drilling operations on PCs and to produce lifting holes for the heavier components. However, we have been using it for much more than this and have been pleasantly surprised by the machines performance in this area. The overall performance of the machine has been outstanding and our initial concerns about stepping up to this type and size of machine were quickly put to one side as the machine is achieving all of the tolerances and repeatability targets that we had set for it and it has not let us down once. Our productivity and throughput is improving thanks to the capabilities of the Tongtai machine and we are eliminating many additional operations."
What's exciting about the current world of "stuff," though, is how it's coming to be made and sold. Today, creative people are taking the tools and lessons of the Information Age and applying them to the realm of product development and manufacturing of real goods. Chris Anderson, the longtime editor-in-chief of Wired magazine, details this fundamental shift in his recent book, "Makers: The New Industrial Revolution."
America has always been a nation of tinkerers. Just think of Ben Franklin, Thomas Edison and the phrase "Yankee ingenuity." In fact, our heritage of continuous mechanical improvement is discussed in another recent work, "The Tinkerers: The Amateurs, DIYers and Inventors Who Make America Great," by Alec Foege.
In "Makers," though, Anderson describes how newly available technologies and new ways of working collaboratively combine to drastically decrease the barriers to entry so as to allow nearly anyone to make the move from inventor to entrepreneur in a short period of time and at low cost. Tools such as 3-D printers, laser cutters and CNC (computer numerical control) machines, which have been used in large-scale industries for decades, are now accessible from the consumer's desktop.
All around the country, too, communal workspaces, known as "hackerspaces" or "makerspaces," are being organized, allowing members to share in the costs of tools and materials, and, most importantly, the necessary physical space for building individual or collaborative items. Examples in Indiana include Bloomington's BloomingLabs and Club Cyberia in Indianapolis.
Granted, digitally fabricating a prototype on a 3-D printer is not exactly mass production. But desktop production is only now where desktop publishing was in the late 1980s. The tools will only get better, and the Web, as it has everything else, will only speed up the process of product development and creation. Time to market will be measured in weeks, days or even hours, rather than years or months.
When Karl Marx wrote about power inherent in those who control the means of production, he had no way of knowing that would eventually mean and include most of us. "Makers of the world, Unite!" might be Marx's rallying cry if he were around today.
The machine also has the option of either a 12 or 16 position tool carousel. One particular feature that has surpassed expectation is the performance of the live tooling facility, which has proved highly beneficial in improving productivity as milling operations that would have required transferring of parts to other machines has been completed in a single set-up on the Tongtai.
"The milling capability is much better than we anticipated," says Gordon Burnett. "Our initial intention was just to use the live tooling to perform drilling operations on PCs and to produce lifting holes for the heavier components. However, we have been using it for much more than this and have been pleasantly surprised by the machines performance in this area. The overall performance of the machine has been outstanding and our initial concerns about stepping up to this type and size of machine were quickly put to one side as the machine is achieving all of the tolerances and repeatability targets that we had set for it and it has not let us down once. Our productivity and throughput is improving thanks to the capabilities of the Tongtai machine and we are eliminating many additional operations."
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