There are some things that every soldier should know about and there are things that every American citizen should be proud of. Not only should we be thankful for our soldiers time in enlistment but be proud that the Army is taking huge steps in the effort to use sustainable energy like solar power. The Army Times is a newspaper that not only enlisted members can subscribe to but the public as well.  The paper features on a regular basis the next best thing with solar usage. These feature articles can be for various sustainable technology with different things in the field and what’s new on base relative to going green. Solar highlights are right next to various articles applauding the brave and the more inspiring stories of how equal standards are for all military members now. As you can see, the Army holds reducing a logistics foot print with solar power in high regard.

One of the ways they are using solar technology in the field is to have a battery free sniper finder. The Hostile Fire Detection Sensor nicknamed Firefly is a 360- degree surveillance apparatus that can study enemy fire, locate where it came from, and then direct the soldier on exactly where to take aim. This aids the soldier directly in finding sniper attacks in Afghanistan. This Firefly sensor can be attached to a wall or onto a soldiers’ back and uses a combination of acoustics or shortwave infrared detectors to work. This Firefly unit combines with the RENEWS technology which is already in place in the field. The acronym stands for Reusing Existing Natural Energy, Wind & Solar system. This is a kit that uses solar or wind to recharge battery packs soldiers use in the field. Changing power sources can be a hazard on the field. It only makes sense for the Army to utilize solar in a mobile way by having RENEWS kits provide the sensors with 1.2 kilowatts of continuous energy. The connection of these two systems has aided in further study of hopefully making other small unit power collaborations and have them be all the more “ARMY STRONG”.  Thank you Army for your service to our country and I am proud to hear about the progress to use more sustainable methods in the military.

For more Solar News check out the website below for the Army Times. Use the search feature for ‘solar’  and you can see a number of cool articles pop up.

http://www.armytimes.com

“Five things every soldier should know about battery-free sniper finder.” Army Times. 1 July 2013: Page 3.

Any thing to help stop illegal logging is extremely important. There is now technology for smartphones combined with solar power to help watch over the rainforest and catch the bad guys. It’s always a challenge to watch over big amounts of land for banned logging activity. So, any kind of advancement towards combating these problems is a breath of fresh air. There is going to be a combined network of solar smartphones listening in to the noises of the rainforest and distinguishing the sound of chainsaws. They will be placed around the rainforest sporadically and work continuously. The phones can hear chainsaw motors in an area over .5km radius and this real time data will be sure to catch illegal logging.

It takes no time at all for some illegal logging to take a huge toll on protected ecosystems. Current methods can take time because its just using satellites to look for swaths of cleared land. This is slow and only useful after the damage is done. By the time someone can attempt to stop the chainsaws the loggers are well on their way. Having the real time network set up of smartphones all equipped to listen to audio frequencies gives conservation agents a fighting chance. These smart phones will then send out alerts when the audio of chainsaws gets picked up. A non-profit called the Rainforest Connection will be utilizing this first in Western Sumatra. They will be the ones in charge of an internet- based central database but alerts get sent to agents in charge of individual sections of forest.

Rainforest Connection will start out with 15 Android phones but hopes to create a stream of reuse by accepting outdated smartphones for this project. That is such a great way to not only save the rainforest but keep electronic waste out of the landfill. The main goal is to not only save the forest but to allow expansion of new technologies by allowing crowd sourced projects. The more systems set up the better! If you send your contact information along with the phone donation, Rain Forest Connection will be able to tell you exactly where your phone is being put to use.

To donate your old phone send it to:

Rainforest Connection

799 Clayton Street

San Francisco, CA, 94117, USA

article review by Julie Glenn

This is the link to give you more information about this clever innovation.

http://www.treehugger.com/gadgets/smartphones-used-monitor-rainforest-illegal-logging.html

 

A cute little establishment in Saint Louis is making that big leap to going solar and they are going about it in a unique way with the help of Ameren UE, which is a power company! They are building solar canopy carports in their parking lot adjacent to the Ameren property in Saint Louis. Vin de Set is a French restaurant in a historic building that dates to 1876 and owned by Paul and Wendy Hamilton.  The building is known as the Centennial Malt House and originally it housed the Schnaider Brewing Company.  There are other things currently housed in this building such as Moulin event spaces and a PW Pizza as well. Vin de Set is the place to be for that view of downtown Saint Louis, view of the Arch, good food, fancy drinks and now a chance to see a Solar Panel array.  Solar technology on this historic premise is to be deep in progress by the end of September. The photovoltaic system is expected to be 25- kilowatts and the carport canopy will cover a long row of vehicles. This canopy backs up to the east side of the lot and Ameren UE will buy any extra power from the restaurant. The cost of the project will be $98,000 but there are a lot of things in place currently to help lower the cost. Some federal help will be through the Solar Investment Tax Credit and Ameren offers a $2 per watt of installed solar capacity. Ameren will offer this amount up to $50,000 via project installment.  If you are ever in Saint Louis be sure to stop by this fun restaurant called Vin de Set and treat mom or your significant other to good eats. Of course the ultimate treat in my books would be to check out the Solar Carport Canopy and sip on some wine!!

Check out the Ameren UE website and get in contact with them before you do your own solar project! There very well could be rebate programs connected with this awesome utility company. They even have a get started page to really help your home or business along.

http://ameren.com/Solar/Pages/Home.aspx

Restaurant website: www.vindeset.com

By Julie Glenn

On our Chameleon house we have use of an awesome material called BASF© EnerShield©. It is a system that creates a pretty good air and water- resistive barrier on most wall assemblies. Enershield goes on in a liquid manner by just being painted on. Quick application with a paint roller is quiet luxurious. For such an easy application this sustainable material accomplishes a lot. Utilizing the EnerShield is a step to reduce use of extra insulation like products. Some bragging rights we will have with this product is that the air barriers really do reduce building energy consumption by up to 40%. We are very proud of the fact that its water based and when being applied was not undergoing any scary exothermic reactions and not flammable in liquid form. The usage of this helps to reduce emissions that much more. The Enershield has VOC levels that are below maximum levels allowed by USGBC LEED program.  This has been painted all around the exterior of our house in a couple of layers and does have a fairly nice consistency.  Here are some pictures of before and after shots.  To see all the methods and watch some “how to videos” please check out the company website. The site even goes into detail with how to treat joints when using Enershield. http://www.wallsystems.basf.com/en/enershield/Pages/default.aspx

Blog by Julie Glenn

 

 

Solar Power in the AIR!!!

Something exciting flew into the Midwest and it has to do with what we love most: Solar Power!!! An airplane named Solar Impulse made a stop in Saint Louis.  This is a solar powered airplane that made a grand tour of America in an attempt to circle the globe. It made a pit stop in Saint Louis and the plane was in lay over for a few days in early June to allow people to view it. It’s the first solar plane to fly day and night. For the U.S trip it flew more than 3500 miles. This is a Swiss made plane and with a 208 feet wingspan, it appears to look like a big glider. There are about 12,000 solar cells on this thing to power four electric motors. These motors will in turn drive the propellers. The engines will collectively create 40 horsepower and the plane requires 2,000 feet of runway to take off with. It will lift off the ground at 22mph.  With all of the lithium batteries included and the carbon fiber materials too, the plane weighs only 3,500 pounds.  Unfortunately, it mostly maintains a 40 mph speed but I say because of the fact this thing can fly at night, clean technology truly is reliable! That’s ok about speed because with the way technology makes leaps and bounds hopefully one day that Boeing 747 © you board for flight will have no need for fuel expect the clean energy from the sun. Sustainable technologies need to be encouraged so be sure to check this plane out on their website and continue to push for innovation!

www.solarimpulse.com

Blog by Julie Glenn