http://www.federalsustainability.net/images/fnslogorss.gif http://www.federalsustainability.net Wed, 17 Mar 2010 13:40:35 -0400 Sustainable Practices Update http://www.federalsustainability.net/archives/sustainablepractices.php webmaster@federalsustainability.net (Laura Kemp) en-us 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 23 24 Saturday Sunday The energy and mineral-rich state of Western Australia has agreed to build the nation's first commercial wave energy farm. It will use a system called Ceto, developed by WA's Carnegie Company. The technology consists of anchoring submerged buoys to the seabed, driving pumps by the motion generated by waves. The pumps push water under pressure to drive hydroelectric turbines on shore. Carnegie claims a number of key advantages for the system, including the fact that submerged buoys are not affected by storms and are able to adjust to a wide range of wave heights and directions. Carnegie also says that, unlike wind, waves can be predicted days in advance, allowing operators to match supply to demand. (New Zealand Herald, 2009) Fri, 18 Dec 2009 00:00:00 -0500 1371 418 http://www.federalsustainability.org/archives/SP/spcatresult.php?issue=418 Wind power producers have adapted quickly to Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) protocols designed to help incorporate increasing amounts of wind energy into the grid. BPA is now exploring fine tuning options that would give wind plants more flexibility in meeting grid reliability standards. The Protocols are designed to keep sudden fluctuations in wind generation from exhausting BPA’s ability to absorb these changes. BPA dispatchers have successfully applied the protocols several times since their October 2009 effective date. These included instances when the wind fleet has over-generated and when it has under-generated. (Bonneville Power Administration Journal, December 2009) Fri, 18 Dec 2009 00:00:00 -0500 1372 418 http://www.federalsustainability.org/archives/SP/spcatresult.php?issue=418 A Japanese company, euglena Co., has announced the success of field tests using exhaust heat from a thermal power plant for the cultivation of Euglena, a chloroplast-producing single-celled organism that is capable of photosynthesis. With only water, minerals, sunlight and carbon dioxide, Euglena is able to produce a host of nutrients that are useful to humans. Euglena can absorb high concentrations (15-20%) of CO2. Flue gas from a Japanese thermal plant was used for the Euglena cultivation. The CO2 concentrations in its flue gas are about 400 times higher than those in the air. Results showed that when exhaust gas was injected into the tank, growth of Euglena was accelerated up to 20 times as compared with air. (Japan For Sustainability, November 23, 2009) Fri, 18 Dec 2009 00:00:00 -0500 1373 418 http://www.federalsustainability.org/archives/SP/spcatresult.php?issue=418