Green Career Central Blog

Green Career Trends: Cogenra Solar Using Hybrid Method, IBM to Measure Water Use in Iowa, Supply Chain Management Industry Expected to Grow

By combining sun light and heat collection into one solar unit, companies such as Cogenra Solar are able to efficiently collect energy from the sun.  Cogenra's system uses mirrors to focus sun light on solar cells as well as on a tube that contains a glycol based fluid that absorbs the suns heat and then transfers it to a holding tank.  As states increase their requirement that utilities get more and more of their power from renewable energy, expect to see more companies using this hybrid system. Here are career openings at this Mt. View, CA based company.

How much water do you and your home use in a day? a week? or a month? IBM has teamed up with the city of Dubuque, IA to install 300 water meters that will let home owners know just how much water they are using. The information collected will be used to determine if consumers will make behavioral changes to reduce consumption, control costs and repair leaks.

Between 2010 and 2015 the global supply chain management industry is expected to go from $5.90 billion to $8.5 billion. IBM is now offering a new consulting service to companies that will help them evaluate their suppliers by using environmental metrics such as energy use and impact.

Green Career Trends: CARB Regulation May Spread Renewable Energy in the West, Sandia Labs Improving Solar Panel Efficiency, Sustainability Consortium Assisting Companies with Goals

Last week the California Air Resources Board instituted a renewable energy standard that requires the state's utilities to get 33% of their power from renewable sources like wind and solar.  Renewable energy power producers in other Western states could benefit by selling credits to California utilities to meet their mandates. States like Montana and Wyoming could see an increase in wind power production, New Mexico and Arizona may see an increase in solar power production.

In order to better predict the amount of energy produced by solar panels, researchers at Sandia National Labs have developed a wireless system to send sensor data about cloud activity to stations that monitor power production. The La Ola solar farm in Hawaii is currently testing the system. 

As the drive for increased corporate sustainability regarding green house gas emissions, origins of materials, and other compliance and image issues continues, the non-profit Sustainability Consortium was created to assist members with sound scientific based information about tools and practices that help them achieve their sustainability goals.  The Consortium is jointly administered by Arizona State University and the University of Arkansas. 

Green Career Trends: Photos from the Plug-In Electric Vehicle Conference in San Jose, CA

Recently my husband went to the Plug-In  Electric Vehicle Conference in San Jose, CA.  Here are some photos of the vehicles, their batteries and charging stations that were on display there.

This is the Ford Focus all electric.  It is being charged by the Coulomb Technologies Charge Point Electric Vehicle charger.  

These are the lithium-ion battery packs from the Nissan Leaf.  You are looking at it from the rear trunk area.  The rear seat of the Leaf is slightly elevated to allow room for the battery pack underneath. The rest of the batteries are located under the front seat.   

You may have seen advertisements for the Leaf on television, one with Lance Armstrong and another with a Polar Bear.

 

 

This view is of the driver's seat of the Chevrolet Volt.  The Volt uses a small gasoline engine to generate electricity to power the car after the lithium-ion batteries have discharged their load.  The photo below is of the front end of the Volt.

 

 

 

To the dissapointment of electric car fans, the Tesla Roadster or the coming soon, Model S were not at this event.  In 2011 the event will be held in North Carolina.

Green Career Trends: Solar Thermal Power Plants Approved, Regenerative Energy Being Stored at Subway Station, IBM Developing Water Quality Solutions

The Abengoa Mojave solar thermal project has been approved and can now move ahead to start construction of the plant that will produce 250 megawatts of power.  It will be located on 1,700 acres of private land in San Bernadino County, about 100 miles northeast of Los Angeles.  Also approved was the Beacon Solar Energy Project, a 250 megawatt solar thermal plant located on the western edge of the Mojave Desert.

The Pennsylvania Energy Development Authority has awarded Viridity Energy a partial payment of $900,000 to build a system that will capture the energy from subway cars as they brake to enter a Philadelphia station.  The regenerative braking energy collected from the cars will be stored in a large capacity battery at the station.  The stored energy can be used to power trains as they leave the station and also sold back to the grid, thereby lowering the costs of operation.  

Using their World Community Grid (a volunteer network of 600,000 PC computers), IBM is developing techniques to improve water quality and water safety. Some of the initiatives include, simulating how human behaviors affect watershed areas like Chesapeake Bay, improvements to water filtering and cures for water borne illnesses.  Here is a five minute video with more information about what IBM is doing. 

Follow the Green Money: Gevo Files for IPO, DOE Solicits Companies for Green Products, Samsung Invests in Nanosys

Denver, CO based Gevo, a next generation biofuels developer, has filed for an initial public offering (IPO).  The company hopes to raise up to $150 million to continue research into developing isobutanol, a second generation biofuel.  They have career openings here.  Another biofuel maker, Solazyme, has received $52 million from investors to continue to develop its own algae-based biofuel.

The Department of Energy announced a loan solicitation program for manufacturers of renewable energy components.  Companies involved in the manufacture of components for wind turbines, solar panels or energy storage devices are encourage to apply for a loan guarantee.  Up to $750 million will be available to pay credit subsidy costs as a result of this solicitation.

Electronics giant Samsung has invested $15 million in Nanosys, a company that specializes in nano materials for use in the electronics industry.  The collaboration could result in more efficient solar panels, energy efficient computer screens, new LED's and improved computer memory. 

Follow the Green Money: Soladigm to Spend $130 Million for Factory, Xtreme Power Raises $30 Million, SynapSense Secures $5 Million

A manufacturer of energy efficient windows, Soladigm has announced plans to spend $130 million over the next six years to build a large scale factory in Olive Branch, MI.  Soladigm develops glass windows that can control the amount of heat and light that enter them by tinting.  The glass remains transparent while the windows are tinted.  Currently Soladigm has a test facility in Milpitas, CA and has career openings, primarily for engineers.

Branching out into utility energy storage, Xtreme Power, based in Austin,TX, is expected to announce it has raised nearly $30 million from investors.  Xtreme Power uses non-exotic metals to create batteries that are capable of storing large amounts of power and releasing that power when needed.  They can be used in conjunction with wind farms and utility scale solar power plants.

Based in Folsom, CA, SynapSense has raised $5million from existing investors and General Electric.  Using a system of wireless sensors, SynapSense employs a system to measure the effects of cooling on data centers and make corresponding changes that reduce energy usage.

Green Career Tip - Plastiki Eco-Expedition: Raising Awareness about Waste and Illustrating Green Careers

A crew of visionaries arrived in Sydney Australia last weekend…not amazing news until you consider that their sail boat was built entirely from 2 liter plastic bottles and other recycled materials.

All equipment is powered through a combination of wind, solar, bicycle generators, and trailing sea turbines.

The purpose of the eco-expedition is to draw attention to the ways in which plastics and other waste is impacting the oceans. An innovative, inspiring model of increasing environmental awareness.

Read more in this week's Green Career Tip.

Green Career Trends: GE Offering $200 Million for Smart Grid Ideas, Envision Solar Creating Solar "Trees", Synthetic Genomics Opens Biofuel Test Lab

General Electric along with four venture capital firms announced a competition with prizes totaling $200 million to seek ideas that will make improvements to the Smart Grid.  The evaluation committee, composed of employees from GE and its investors, will decide, along with web votes, which projects will be funded. 

One of the ideas often expressed about solar power is putting panels up in parking lots.  Envision Solar has taken this idea and is making it a reality.  In an effort to make the panels highly efficient, they are working on cost effective ways for the panels to follow the sun during the day and batteries to store the energy for use at night.  There is one other problem needing a solution.  The orientation of the cars in the lot is not always the same as the orientation needed to follow the sun.  (The videos on the Envision site are worth a look.)

Synthetic Genomics a biofuel start up company that uses genetically engineered strains of algae along with the financial help of oil giant Exxon, has opened a test facility in La Jolla, CA.  In May, Synthetic Genomic founder Craig Ventner and his team, created the first synthetic bacterial cell, the first artificial life form.  How quickly can the biofuel be created and the process scaled up to meet the billions of gallons of current demand is still unknown.

Green Career Trends: Will Geothremal Renewable Energy Take Off?, Creating Electrical Energy from Osmosis, Is Fungus A New Source of Biofuel?

The Department of Energy has made a conditional loan of $102 million to US Geothermal to build a 22 megawatt power plant at Neal Hot Springs in southeastern Oregon.  There are some in the investment community that are picking geothermal energy to be the renewable energy winner once the Gulf oil spill disaster is contained.

By capturing the power in locations where fresh and salty water meet, Osmotic Power faces many challenges before becoming a serious competitor to fossil fuel or renewable energy.  Electrical power is created when salt water and fresh water are put in adjoining chambers separated by a membrane that creates a pressure buildup. 

The ongoing Gulf oil spill and disaster may motivate the creation of non toxic, non food source of biofuel.  While algae is currently being developed, scientists have started looking at another source, fungus, specifically Mucor circinelloides.  The oil generated by this fungus may produce commercial grade quality and growing the fungus could be scalable.

Green Career Trends: Kevin Costner Builds Oil Spill Clean Up Company, Executive Salary Compensation Tied to Environmental Metrics, Home Depot Selling LED Light Bulb

In reaction to the Exxon Valdez oil spill, the actor Kevin Costner wanted the world to be ready for the next oil spill.  In 1995 he purchased technology that would separate oil from water and using $24 million of his own money Ocean Therapy Solutions was born.  BP and Ocean Therapy officials are working together to determine where in the Gulf to test the machines.  If the tests go well and BP approves, Ocean Therapy machines could be operating soon.

Companies looking to make an environmental difference as well as a return on investment, are using incentives to pay their managers for achieving sustainability metrics. Twenty five percent of the incentive pay for Xcel Energy executives is based on sustainability goals. The idea of paying executives is also popular among European companies such as ING, Akzo Nobel, and DSM.  

Home Depot has started selling LED light bulbs that use 9 watts of power and produce the equivalent of a 40 watt incandescent bulb for around $20.  Other manufacturers are expected to offer LED light bulbs soon.  Are consumers ready to spend between $20 and $50 for a light bulb that could last 25,000 hours or more?