Wind powered energy is an essential part of any green energy solution for the United States.  However, one problem with using land-based turbines is that movement from the Earth causes friction and turbulence that cuts down on their overall efficiency.  To help overcome this limitation, NASA is experimenting with an approach that solves the problem by locating the turbines 2000 feet in the air, where high-velocity winds will keep them suspended like a kite.

Two Types of Airborne Power Systems

The space agency is currently looking at a pair of systems.  One relies on a spinning windborne design to rotate the generating turbine.  The resulting energy is fed to the grounds by a conducting tether.  The other uses a large, commercially designed kite attached to a land-based spool.  Electricity is created by a cable that reels in and out continuously as the kite gains and loses altitude.

The concept relies on the fact that 90% of the power generated by turbines is created by the outer edges of the blades because they spin faster than the sections closer to the hub.  This allows the spinning kite to act as a single blade tip.  It also takes advantage of the fact that winds are much stronger and steadier at 2000 feet than at ground level.

Kept in the Air by Software

Unlike conventional kites, which are usually flown by enthusiastic children on a windy day, the NASA versions will be controlled by pattern recognition software that will keep them continuously moving in a figure-eight pattern.  The application that controls it is similar to Microsoft’s Kinect.  It alters speed, position, and orientation on a second-by-second basis to keep the device airborne and operating at peak efficiency to produce the most wind powered energy.

NASA’s freedom from corporate ties allows it to experiment with unusual ideas that may not have the immediate payoff expected by private enterprise.  Commenting on this, NASA engineer David North said, “we have the luxury of focusing very specifically on problems, and not having to worry about getting a commercial product fielded by a certain date.”

The prototype models used thus far have a 10-foot wingspan, but plans call for commercial models to stretch 200 feet across.  The project is based at Langley Research Base in Virginia.  Test flights thus far have been done at relatively low altitudes, but NASA is seeking permission to conduct them at a 2000-foot height, considered by engineers to be the “sweet spot” for airborne power generation.

Private Effort Underway in Italy

An Italian firm is in the midst of constructing their own version of a kite-driven generator near Berzano, Italy.  Power yields so far are in the 1 GW per hour range, roughly equal to the output of a small nuclear reactor but with much lower operating costs.  It is estimated that the facility could stay in operation 80% of the time over the course of a year, at a 90% cost savings benefit over more conventional sources.

Projects Rely on Continuous Bands of Wind

The power that can be harvested from wind increases by the velocity cubed.  In simple terms, this means that doubling wind speed results in eight times as much energy that can be generated.  This is why airborne power systems have such great potential.

A pair of massive wind bands continuously circle the earth at high altitudes, one in each hemisphere.  This is free energy that literally blows right past us every moment of every day.  By harnessing just a fraction of it, humanity’s electricity needs could be met by wind powered energy for centuries to come, without a trace of greenhouse gases formed in the process.  To take advantage of this resource requires only that we have the vision to do so.

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Perhaps the oldest form of renewable energy is the one that has driven windmills, flown kites, and guided sailboats for thousands of years.  Yet, most people in the US are unfamiliar with the benefits of wind farms, which include:

• The creation of tens of thousands of stable, high-paying jobs.  The Department of Energy (DOE) estimates that by 2030, offshore and land-based wind projects could create in excess of 500,000 such positions across the country.
• The potential to harvest vast amounts of green energy.  The feasibility of wind farming has been demonstrated in Europe, where offshore farms capable of generating 4,000 MW of power have been built.  That’s enough electricity to meet the needs of 1.3 million typical US households.  By 2020, European nations will have the capacity to create 40,000 MW from their offshore facilities alone.  That would power almost 13 million US homes
• Offshore wind farms will be used to generate power for coastal cities and Great Lakes states, which together consume 80% of the electricity generated in the United States.  Additionally, a 2007 DOE study showed that developing land-based farms from northern Texas to the Canadian border could supply 20% of the nation’s power needs.
• Wind energy can greatly reduce the amount of greenhouse gasses released into the air from power plants.  Currently, wind farms generate around 10 million MWh annually in the United States.  To create the same amount of electricity using traditional sources would release 1.8 million tons of CO2 into the atmosphere.  That’s enough carbon to fill 18,000 rail cars.
• Offshore wind farms actually run better during heat waves. Given some of the current weather plaguing various parts of the US, this is one of the major benefits of wind farms.

Ocean breezes are more powerful on hot summer days, making wind power an excellent way to meet increased demand during the months from June through August.  This was proven in 2011, when farms located off the Gulf Coast helped to fill emergency needs in Texas caused by unusually hot temperatures.

There are plenty of other reasons for the United States to launch a major wind farm initiative.  For example:

• Wind power can act as a cushion against the economic shocks associated with price spikes in energy costs.  Since wind is free, utilities can lock in their prices for as long as 20 years.  There will be no more stock markets panics due to instability in oil production.
• Large US population centers will benefit from vastly improved air quality.  Traditional power plants that depend on fossil fuels spew billions of tons of particulate matter into the atmosphere, which contribute to respiratory and other diseases.
• The economic benefits of wind farms will be concentrated in areas where jobs are few and far between, such as isolated rural communities in the Midwest.  This will raise the standard of living for millions of Americans and offer their families a brighter future.

• Wind farms create no air pollutants or soil contaminants.  They require no mining, radioactive materials, or other threats to the environment.  Tapping into the unused power that blows past our homes and businesses every day can make the world a cleaner, safer, better place to live, for us and for generations to come.

At Burnham Nationwide, we’re proud to be part of the movement towards adopting eco-friendly building and power creation methods.  We offer a wide range of services, including sustainability training, assistance with code compliance, and solar facility inspections.  Browse our site and see what we have to offer; then, contact us with any questions or concerns you may have.

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As leaders in the field of progressive thought, it is no wonder that many colleges and universities are striving to incorporate LEED sustainability efforts into their campus buildings and dormitories. Taking this step allows an academic institution to improve their energy efficiency, conserve their resources, and enhance the environmental quality of their buildings. When a project manager who is working with buildings at a higher institution decides to pursue LEED certification, they have several avenues that they may work within.

When working on new construction or major renovations, they may apply for LEED-NC. That kind of project on a college campus can, of course, apply for and receive credits within the five LEED categories: Sustainable Site, Water Usage, Energy and Atmosphere, Materials and Resources and Indoor Environmental Quality. However, most project managers will discover that they will also be able to also achieve a lot within LEED’s sixth category: Innovation and Design. This category allows the project manager to explore environmental categories like education and community enhancement. These categories can be uniquely dealt with on a college campus.

LEED certification can also be invaluable when applied to existing buildings. The LEED-EB certification is ideal for dormitories. This certification helps buildings become better stewards of the environment, but it also helps them become healthier places for their occupants. This is especially relevant when considering older structures like dorms that were built decades or even a century ago. Because students live in and spend much of their time in these buildings, campus directors should look closely at how they can be improved.

However, making a campus more sustainable does not just lie in the realm of changing individual buildings. In fact, a lot of LEED credits can be earned by implementing new campus-wide efforts. College and universities can apply sustainability efforts to the entire life cycle of their campus. They can draft plans that address everything from the campus’s master development plans to the campus’s operations and maintenance.

The goal for any university or college should not be to create one new LEED certified building or to make one old building greener. Ultimately, their goal should be to institutionalize the LEED sustainability efforts and reduce the campus’s carbon footprint overall.

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At Burnham Nationwide, we can provide our clients with green building consultants whose job it is to work directly with project managers, building owners, architects, and engineers. Their role is to advise these professionals about the best ways of integrating green technologies into their next building project. Their advice concerns how to meet USGBC’s LEED certification standards as well as how to integrate green technologies that will save the building’s owner money and increase the property’s ultimate resale value. We can tailor our advice to fit the needs of your particular project.

When you speak with our green building consultants, you will discover things that you may have never realized about green technologies and methods. Some of the emerging technologies are simply too expensive to be useful right now. However, every day technologies have become more pervasive and more affordable. Our consultants can help you discover which ones are right for your project. Their experience gives them the necessary skills to crunch the numbers regarding each technology. For instance, they can help you figure out how much it will cost to implement certain technologies. These technologies could be anything from toxin absorbent paints to green roofing materials that help filter air to certain types of solar energy panels. After they help you estimate installation costs, our consultants can assist you with ascertaining the long-term value of these efforts. When looking at the long-term value, they will consider things such as how much energy you will save, how the technology will affect the security of the building’s occupants, and how it will eventually affect the property’s value.

At Burnham, we are committed to pursuing environmental excellence and creating structures that are more welcoming, more energy-efficient, more attractive, and finally, more profitable than their non-green counterparts. We extend this level of commitment to our clients so that their next project can achieve these goals. Our consultants are also trained in LEED certification standards, and we ensure that we take you through all of the necessary steps so that you receive all of the relevant tax credits and recognition that are associated with this program.

At Burnham, we believe in tailoring our offerings to your needs. If you are interested in educating your team members about the benefits of our green building practices, we can offer that to you as well. We are interested in providing professionals with information on the benefits of green building and giving them the knowledge that they need to implement these practices into their commercial or residential buildings. In addition to providing education, we can help the designers of your project add green elements.

When it comes to being green, our business model is built around a serious set of principles. We are one of the nation’s leaders in the progression of the green building movement. We serve all kinds of clients, and we offer services that address the needs of almost all types of buildings and projects. If you want someone to work with you on your next project, we would love to speak with you. Our green building consultants use proven methods, and they have the experience and organizational skills to be with you through every step of your project from drafting the plans to filing the paperwork to completing it all. We have helped many of our clients earn their LEED certifications. We have worked with projects that have focused on everything from building schools to revamping existing apartment blocks to meet contemporary green standards. To see some of our achievements, you only need to browse through our website and look at our client testimonials. We have a formula for success that allows us to help our clients execute even the most difficult and innovative projects.

Because we have been working with clients in so many capacities for so many years, we know what will help them the most. We have close relationships with the building officials in most cities. This makes the entire process of applying for permits much more streamlined and straightforward. In addition, we have also worked closely with the officials of the USGBC, and we understand what needs to be completed and filed for a project to earn their LEED certification. We let our connections and experience work for you.

At Burnham, we do not want to just sell you a service. Instead, we want to provide you with value. We give this to you in the form of our collective experience. Our experience provides the necessary leadership and technical knowledge for your next project. Our staff consists of renowned professionals with extensive knowledge about architecture, engineering and design. We are committed to facilitating and educating our clients to affect real change in the building industry. At Burnham, we believe that green buildings should be more than just the right design or a certain construction. We believe that they should be high-performing spaces that benefit their owners and their occupants. This belief allows us to help create buildings that offer more than they consume. It allows us to help create buildings that give back to the environment and the economy of their communities.  These are the commitments that you will get when working with any of our consultants.

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Everybody knows that solar power is better for the environment than many other traditional forms of energy. This is due to the fact that it does not create green house gases like fossils fuels do when they are burned. However, there are many other facts about solar energy that may surprise you. We at Burnham Nationwide have gathered together some interesting facts about solar energy and the history of solar energy.

1. Cost. Sunlight, of course, is free. However, it must be collected in cells and then stored in batteries; those items can be expensive. The batteries must be able to store the energy so that it can be used when it is needed. That storage system and the technology that converts the sunlight into direct currents allow it to be used at night and on cloudy days. As solar power continues to become more widely used as an energy source, its price will start to fall. Currently, many consumers are concerned about climate change. Thus, they are turning to solar power. Some of them are making these changes after being encouraged by global legislation.  In fact, in 1985, there was only a 21MW demand for this type of energy, and now, there is approximately a 5.9GW demand per year, representing a significant increase.

2. Usage worldwide. Right now, the United States ranks third in the world for solar power usage. Spain is first in the world, and they used 285% more of it last year than the year before. Germany has recently moved from first place to second place. Korea takes fourth place and is followed by Italy and Japan. At sixth place, Japan is actually further back than it has ever been. Japan used to account for about fifty percent of the global demand for solar power only a few years ago.

3. Electricity availability. Currently, about two billion people have no access to electricity. When they start to use electricity, it may be solar, and it will be a new chapter in the history of the world and its energy sources. As the cost of implementing solar energy decreases, there is potential to bring it to more remote areas and villages.

4. Nuclear power. Energy from the sun is based on nuclear power. However, it utilizes a nuclear power plant that is about ninety-three million miles away from earth. That is correct; the sun’s energy is created by nuclear reactions on the sun!

5. History of solar energy. Leonardo Da Vinci used the sun’s rays to heat water at the Vatican. By building a system of concave mirrors, he was able to effectively heat water with them. He is notorious for many things, but some of his inventions, such as the airplane, were never built during his lifetime. Years after his death, the first airplane was built. Now, it is even possible for some of these planes to run off of energy from the sun. In 1990, a solar powered aircraft flew across the U.S. without using any other fuel. The trip took 121 hours of flying and required the plane to stop about twenty times. There are other world records that show that planes have been able to fly up to twenty-six hours without stopping.

6. Fossil fuels. If you think about it from a scientific standpoint, fossil fuels are actually forms of solar power. Fossil fuels, such as coal, oil, and gas, all formed millions of years ago from the decomposition of plants. Those plants were reliant on the sun for their growth and for their very existence. Thus, without the sun, these plants would have never formed fossil fuels.

There are so many facts about solar energy to consider. The entire planet relies on the sun for its survival, and as solar power becomes more prolific, we will rely also on it for our lights, our warm showers, and our central heating, among other things. New discoveries in the coming years will continue to bring new and exciting innovations in the field of solar energy.

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By Diana Urlaub, LEED AP

In February 2009, Burnham Nationwide began greening its Chicago headquarters by participating in the Department of Environtment’s very first round of the Chicago Green Office Challenge.  We took this challenge on along with 160 other office tenants, 14 property management companies and 45 buildings in the Central Business District.

The Green Office Challenge (GOC) was started as a way to engage the business community in the implementation of the Chicago Climate Action Plan.  To guarantee success, the City partnered with the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI) to develop and deliver the program.  The ICLEI Local Governments for Sustainability is an international association of local governments as well as national and regional local government organizations who have made a commitment to sustainable development.

The provided tenant scorecard is broken down into 5 categories: Outreach, Energy, Waste, Transportation and Property Manager Engagement.  There is a maximum of 100 points, which are broken down into 4 tiers.  In the beginning Burnham started with a total 0f 31 points (Tier 3,) because some initiatives were already in place such as: providing reusable dishes in the break room, on-site bicycle parking for employees and a pre-tax transit benefit program.

For 12 months our Green Team looked for greener alternatives to implement and brought awareness to our coworkers on what they could do in the office and at home.  We adjusted many settings on our computers and printers to save energy and encouraged everyone to turn off their monitors at the end of the day.  Burnham participated in the World Wildlife Foundation’s (WWF) Earth Hour, Active Transportation Alliance’s Bike to Work Week, the Ronald McDonald House Pop Tab Collection Program and created the Burnham Nationwide Green Office Policy to ensure our initiatives continue beyond the GOC.  During this time we discovered that our building, the Burnham Center, was about to expand their recycling program from just paper to include plastic, glass, and aluminum.  One initiative we’re particularly proud of here is our Electronic Waste (E-Waste) Recycling Day, which we plan on making an annual event.  For this event we collected batteries, cell phones, computers and hard drives from the office and home, diverting a total of 750 pounds of electronic waste from the landfill.

In January 2010 we submitted our final scorecard, finishing with 54 points, placing us in Tier 2.  The Green Office Challenge was the perfect opportunity for us to look at ways to make our operation more sustainable.  The suggested strategies are reasonable, affordable, and don’t require a lot of time.  We highly recommend that you get your office involved in the next Green Office Challenge round.

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By David Anderson

Any permanently installed green feature such as vegetated green roofs or renewable energy systems including solar photovoltaic panels, wind turbines and geothermal systems must be reviewed by the City of Chicago’s Green Permits division of Developer Services prior to a permit intake meeting. This is not just for projects that are part of the Green Permit Program but any project with these elements.

To Avoid delays and frustration, check with Developer Services with your renewable energy features well in advance of scheduling any intake meeting with the city. Wind turbines will require a separate zoning approval.

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A couple weeks ago, Diana Ulraub, one of our LEED APs and a big friend of the planet, attended the Delta Institute’s (partnered with the ReUse People of America) Rebuilding Exchange grand opening. The Rebuilding Exhange is green economy intitiative aimed at facilitiating the reuse of building materials from deconstruction projects by collecting these materials and then reselling them to the general public. The Rebuilding Exchange is located in Chicago’s Brighton Park neighborhood. Here’s what Diana had to say about the Rebuilding Exchange:

“Not only can you save hundreds of dollars and help save the environment but also you have an opportunity to make your space really unique, maybe by refurbishing old cabinets or a bath tub.  According to the Construction Materials Recycling Association, at least 1/3 of the U.S. waste stream is comprised of construction and demolition debris.  That’s a huge number and so much of it is still usable after it’s been deconstructed.”

For more information on the Rebuilding Exchange, visit their website or join the conversation on their blog.

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As a society, our demand for forest products has exploded over the last 10 years, especially in our homes.  We have hardwood floors, kitchen cabinets, furniture and don’t forget about the framing.  This isn’t something that’s going to change, since our population is rapidly growing, but we do need to stop and think about where the wood comes from and the impacts the process has on the environment.  Take your wood floor for example; it may have come from a rainforest in Brazil that was irresponsibly harvested which exacerbates erosion, may cause social conflict, may extinct plants and animals, and contributes negatively to climate change.  That’s just the first step in it getting to your home.  The problem is, not only are we using an excessive amount of resources but the ways in which we’re acquiring them is very irresponsible.

So what’s the solution?  Selecting wood based products that come from sustainable forests.  According to Wikipedia, these forests create a balance between society’s increasing demands for forest products and benefits, and the preservation of forest health and diversity.” Sustainable means something is “capable of being maintained at a steady level without exhausting natural resources or causing ecological damage.” We should be following the principles of sustainability in many aspects of life.  Sustainable forest management maintains biodiversity and productivity.  It prevents extinction of plants and animals and it sustains the local and global economies.

So next time you need to replace your cabinets, flooring or a piece of furniture look into where it’s coming from and think about the resources and energy that went into making it.

Posted by Diana Urlaub, Sustainability Consultant

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