FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 12/16/09 EDITOR'S NOTE: An image is available at http://www.news.wisc.edu/newsphotos/schneider_urban09.html CONTACT: Annemarie Schneider, 608-890-0557, (hotel Tuesday-Thursday during meeting: 415-616-6500), aschneider4@wisc.edu NEW PROCESS LEADS TO SMALLER ESTIMATE FOR GLOBAL URBAN AREA MADISON - Urbanization is one of the most important trends of the 21st century, yet we don't have a good idea of how much land cities occupy. Different studies vary by as much as a factor of six, which confuses efforts to understand how urbanization is affecting farming, conservation, climate and essential "ecosystem services" like watersheds. More than half of the global population now lives in cities (according to recent United Nations estimates), making the impact and importance of urban areas greater than ever before. In a presentation today (Dec. 16) to the American Geophysical Union fall meeting in San Francisco, Annemarie Schneider, an assistant professor at the Center for Sustainability and the Global Environment at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, described results based on 2001 data from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on the Terra and Aqua satellites. Cities, defined as places dominated by the built environment (including all non-vegetated, human-constructed elements, such as buildings, roads and runways), covered 657,000 square miles in 2001. That estimate is up to six times smaller than other calculations, Schneider says. Still, based on recent trends, she expects the area of urban land to double between 2000 and 2050, and notes that 90 percent of population growth during the next 30 years is expected to occur in cities. Schneider uses seven wavelengths of visible and infrared light from the MODIS instruments. "For the global scale of this study, we can't just rely on spectral data," Schneider says. "Instead, we use temporal information to pull out the urban signal. We have 46 snapshots from MODIS over the years, and we can use these to look at how vegetation changes from season to season." Vegetation reflects strongly in the near infrared, Schneider says, but she is less interested in pure vegetation than in the mix of vegetation and impervious, highly reflective surfaces, such as roofs and pavement. "Every city has tree cover for shade and parks, and we can capture this mixed signal with satellite data. The core of the city - downtown areas that may be only 10-15 percent of a city's land footprint - are the only locations that are fully impervious or 'bare.' The rest of the city has a unique mixed vegetation-urban signal that is quite distinct from crops and forests outside the city." The study starts with detailed images from Google Earth, where each pixel records roughly 16 square meters of land surface, and then jumps in two steps to the 0.25 square kilometer pixels recorded by MODIS. "This is a ground-up, not a top-down approach," Schneider says. "We start with the highest resolution data available, so we can be certain that the samples we collect are truly built up or urbanized land." Schneider, with Mark Friedl at Boston University and David Potere at Princeton University, then search the MODIS data for patterns resembling those seen in the views with more details, and generate a map of urban areas around the world. A key issue is encroachment on farmland, says Schneider. "Cities are almost always located on our most productive agricultural lands, and as a result, rapid or unplanned urban growth quickly eats up some of our most precious natural resources. Although cities are expanding, I don't think we are 'paving over the world.' With a global map of built-up lands, we can look at where cities may threaten our best farmland in different parts of the world and start to plan accordingly." A second topic involves global warming, Schneider says. The United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is developing new global scenarios for economic and population growth, on which a wide range of climate change analyses and modeling will be based. "Tracking historic and future changes in urban growth will be an important component of future IPCC scenarios, so that growth must be accurately assessed," Schneider says. "We can do a better job of understanding where urban areas are now and where they may be in coming decades. If we understand how cities expand, we can start estimating the impacts of urbanization at regional levels, and provide information for policymakers who want to influence city growth in a more sustainable direction." ### **************************************************** For questions or comments about UW-Madison's email news release system, please send an email to: releases@news.wisc.edu For more UW-Madison news, please visit: http://www.news.wisc.edu/ University Communications University of Wisconsin-Madison 27 Bascom Hall 500 Lincoln Drive Madison, WI 53706 Phone: (608) 262-3571 Fax: (608) 262-2331
A personal quest to promote the use of wind energy and hydrogen technology in the Great Lakes area of the United States. The Great Lakes area is in a unique position to become an energy exporting region through these and other renewable energy technologies. *Update 2014: Just do it everywhere - Dan*
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
UW-Madison News Release--Smaller Estimate for Global Urban Areas
Google Alert - hydrogen, wind, power
http://gl-zephyr.blogspot.com/ - Great Lakes area Wind Power & Hydrogen, renewable energy news.
From: Google Alerts
Sent: Wednesday, December 16, 2009 5:16 AM
Subject: Google Alert - hydrogen, wind, power
Google News Alert for: hydrogen, wind, power
Warren County Technical School students compete in hydrogen fuel cell car races | ||
| Spotlight on CO2 emissions at climate conference | ||
| awsl's 47.5%-Owned Hybridyne Power Systems Canada Inc. and Change Energy Inc ... | ||
| Securing American Primacy While Tackling Climate Change: Toward a National ... | ||
| The wrong way to Copenhagen | ||
Future of Fuel Cells Hinges on Asia Action |
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Google Alert - hydrogen, wind, power
http://gl-zephyr.blogspot.com/ - Great Lakes area Wind Power & Hydrogen, renewable energy news.
From: Google Alerts
Sent: Tuesday, December 15, 2009 5:11 AM
Subject: Google Alert - hydrogen, wind, power
Google News Alert for: hydrogen, wind, power
| Climate change could still be Gordon Brown's great legacy | ||
On Green Technology, Germany Is the Envy of the World | ||
| For Scientists, Icy Weather Crystallizes Great Ideas | ||
| NASA launches spacecraft that will map stars, galaxies, asteroids | ||
| Spinning the Earth: The real battle at Copenhagen | ||
| Goal set to cut energy emissions 30% | ||
| Africa aims to reduce carbon emissions | ||
| Is "Clean Coal" A Dead End? |
Google Alert - hydrogen, wind, power
http://gl-zephyr.blogspot.com/ - Great Lakes area Wind Power & Hydrogen, renewable energy news.
From: Google Alerts
Sent: Sunday, December 13, 2009 5:11 AM
Subject: Google Alert - hydrogen, wind, power
Google News Alert for: hydrogen, wind, power
| Power play is under way |
| ENVIRONMENT-ICELAND: Do-it-Yourself Renewable Energy Catches On |
| Tackling Energy Deficit : India can gain from Africa |
Google Alert - hydrogen, wind, power
http://gl-zephyr.blogspot.com/ - Great Lakes area Wind Power & Hydrogen, renewable energy news.
From: Google Alerts
Sent: Monday, December 14, 2009 6:15 AM
Subject: Google Alert - hydrogen, wind, power
Google News Alert for: hydrogen, wind, power
SCIENCE AND THE LAYMAN | ||
| FUEL CELLS PROVIDE DISTRIBUTED ELECTRICITY, HEAT AND TRANSPORT FUEL | ||
| UK green light boosts low carbon cars | ||
| Copenhagen another costly UN failure? |
Monday, December 14, 2009
UW-Madison News Release--Structure Could Produce Efficient Lasers
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 12/14/09 CONTACT: Dan Botez, 608-265-4643, botez@engr.wisc.edu; Luke Mawst, 608-263-1705, mawst@engr.wisc.edu NEW STRUCTURE COULD PRODUCE EFFICIENT SEMICONDUCTOR LASER SOURCES MADISON - University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers have achieved a nanoscale laser structure they anticipate will produce semiconductor lasers in the next two years that are more than twice as efficient as current continuous-wave lasers emitting in the mid-infrared. "The novel structure will produce lasers with more power and that are more efficient, reliable and stable," says Dan Botez, Electrical and Computer Engineering Philip Dunham Reed Professor. He created the new structure with electrical and computer engineering professor Luke Mawst. These next-generation lasers could benefit a wide range of industries, as they could be used in biomedical devices, environmental monitoring devices, missile avoidance systems and even food packaging processes. This wide range of applications is possible because the researchers have all but eliminated the temperature sensitivity for lasers operating in continuous-wave mode, meaning the laser emits uninterrupted, coherent light. "For example, current mid-infrared laser technologies for detecting explosives can detect from only approximately 30 feet away," Botez says. "With these lasers, devices could detect explosives at more like 300 feet away." Also important is that the researchers created the new laser structure via a scalable industrial process. Called metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD), the process involves exposing a substrate to high heat and chemicals, causing the formation of layers on the substrate in an atomic-lattice configuration. Unlike previous crystal growth techniques, MOCVD allows manufacturers in addition to laboratory scientists to fabricate laser structures with varying compositions. Varying the layers' composition is important in building a structure that prevents electrons from escaping the laser structure, a process called carrier leakage. "By suppressing carrier leakage, there is about 2.5 times less heating in the device while the laser is in continuous-wave operation," says Botez. "This is a dramatic improvement that means the device will be almost temperature insensitive." The result will be continuous-wave lasers that Botez anticipates will achieve at least 20 percent wall-plug efficiency, which is the electrical-to-optical power efficiency of a laser system. Twenty percent efficiency would be roughly double the current world record for practical continuous-wave quantum cascade lasers. Botez and Mawst are actively interested in commercializing the technology, which is covered by two issued and one pending U.S. patents. For a more detailed story about the structure Botez and Mawst have created, visit http://www.engr.wisc.edu/news/headlines/2009/Dec07.html. ### - Sandra Knisely, 608-265-8592, knisely@wisc.edu **************************************************** For questions or comments about UW-Madison's email news release system, please send an email to: releases@news.wisc.edu For more UW-Madison news, please visit: http://www.news.wisc.edu/ University Communications University of Wisconsin-Madison 27 Bascom Hall 500 Lincoln Drive Madison, WI 53706 Phone: (608) 262-3571 Fax: (608) 262-2331
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Google Alert - hydrogen, wind, power
http://gl-zephyr.blogspot.com/ - Great Lakes area Wind Power & Hydrogen, renewable energy news.
From: Google Alerts
Sent: Saturday, December 12, 2009 5:11 AM
Subject: Google Alert - hydrogen, wind, power
Google News Alert for: hydrogen, wind, power
Modelling, simulating and testing of renewable energy technologies | ||
| Tesla Roadster To Take On Winter, 'Range Anxiety' With 2700-mile Road Trip | ||
| Scott Bittle & Jean Johnson: Three Flawed Ideas that Could Mean a Cold ... |
Johann Hari: Leaders of the rich world are enacting a giant fraud
Every delegate to the Copenhagen summit is being greeted by the sight of a vast fake planet dominating the city's central square. This swirling globe is covered with corporate logos – the Coke brand is stamped over Africa, while Carlsberg appears to own Asia, and McDonald's announces...Full Story
Friday, December 11, 2009
Why We Really Need To Re-Think The Model For Electric Vehicles...
Electric vehicles are incredibly efficient, and drastically reduce pollution when compared to gasoline and diesel-powered vehicles. They also can have stunning acceleration performance. In addition, I've seen one report that stated you could power 75% of the current U.S. vehicle fleet on the electricity wasted by power plants idling overnight when electricity demand is low, without emitting another pound of carbon into the air.
That said, electric vehicles aren't the dominant form of car because their range is so severely limited compared to gasoline and diesel vehicles. Even the best, most expensive electrics are topping out at just over 200 miles driving on a charge, where gasoline vehicles easily can do 350 - 450 miles on a tank of gas.
There is the rub. Without drastically better battery and/or engine technology, carbon-based fuels for vehicles take the endurance prize - and therefore the market share.
The question, however, is, does it really have to be that way?
Why aren't we investigating laying magnets in roadway beds, so that the vehicles themselves have to produce less on-board power to move themselves? If the roadways were embedded with either electromagnetic tracks that the vehicles could pull against, or power induction systems, (Like a scaled-up electric toothbrush charger.) couldn't most of the power be put into the roadway itself instead of heavy batteries on the vehicles? Would this allow electric vehicles configured to use such a system to achieve even greater range than gasoline-powered vehicles?
It seems to me that such a system could be done with long-distance highways, starting with the Interstate system, and then following with the older two-lane highway system.
Urban streets might be a much longer-term project with much greater challenges involved, but current battery technology can handle most jaunts across town. It's the cross-country driving that is a problem for electrics. Ok, EXTENDED city driving would be an issue as well, but most of us aren't joyriding much anymore with the current prices of gasoline.
An alternative method might be to have "car ferry" trains or semi trailers running along the interstate highway system for electrics. Pay $50.00 or whatever the cost breaks down to, and catch the 07:00 a.m. car-hauler from Chicago to St. Louis. Once you get there, you're back on batteries.
If it was done with trains running in the meridians of the interstate system, you could haul electric vehicles or gasoline vehicles, thus reducing the pollution emitted by the cross-country gas-car trip through the efficiency of scale that trains have. Especially since modern trains are almost all diesel hybrid-electrics.
Using tactics like these, you could improve the market demand for electrics and slash vehicle pollution for cross-country travel fairly quickly, but buffer the rate of change veghicle drivers would have to face in order to facilitate the gradual transition to electrics.
After all, no one wants to have to trade in their brand-new car.
Anyway, there's my two cents. Thank you for reading.
Dan
That said, electric vehicles aren't the dominant form of car because their range is so severely limited compared to gasoline and diesel vehicles. Even the best, most expensive electrics are topping out at just over 200 miles driving on a charge, where gasoline vehicles easily can do 350 - 450 miles on a tank of gas.
There is the rub. Without drastically better battery and/or engine technology, carbon-based fuels for vehicles take the endurance prize - and therefore the market share.
The question, however, is, does it really have to be that way?
Why aren't we investigating laying magnets in roadway beds, so that the vehicles themselves have to produce less on-board power to move themselves? If the roadways were embedded with either electromagnetic tracks that the vehicles could pull against, or power induction systems, (Like a scaled-up electric toothbrush charger.) couldn't most of the power be put into the roadway itself instead of heavy batteries on the vehicles? Would this allow electric vehicles configured to use such a system to achieve even greater range than gasoline-powered vehicles?
It seems to me that such a system could be done with long-distance highways, starting with the Interstate system, and then following with the older two-lane highway system.
Urban streets might be a much longer-term project with much greater challenges involved, but current battery technology can handle most jaunts across town. It's the cross-country driving that is a problem for electrics. Ok, EXTENDED city driving would be an issue as well, but most of us aren't joyriding much anymore with the current prices of gasoline.
An alternative method might be to have "car ferry" trains or semi trailers running along the interstate highway system for electrics. Pay $50.00 or whatever the cost breaks down to, and catch the 07:00 a.m. car-hauler from Chicago to St. Louis. Once you get there, you're back on batteries.
If it was done with trains running in the meridians of the interstate system, you could haul electric vehicles or gasoline vehicles, thus reducing the pollution emitted by the cross-country gas-car trip through the efficiency of scale that trains have. Especially since modern trains are almost all diesel hybrid-electrics.
Using tactics like these, you could improve the market demand for electrics and slash vehicle pollution for cross-country travel fairly quickly, but buffer the rate of change veghicle drivers would have to face in order to facilitate the gradual transition to electrics.
After all, no one wants to have to trade in their brand-new car.
Anyway, there's my two cents. Thank you for reading.
Dan
Google Alert - hydrogen, wind, power
http://gl-zephyr.blogspot.com/ - Great Lakes area Wind Power & Hydrogen, renewable energy news.
From: Google Alerts
Sent: Friday, December 11, 2009 5:11 AM
Subject: Google Alert - hydrogen, wind, power
Google News Alert for: hydrogen, wind, power
| In Energy Innovation, Everything New Is Old Again | ||
| Hornblower Hybrid will be available for harbor tours & charters in January 2010 | ||
| Energy Summit Details Coal's Importance, Challenges | ||
| Research for alternative fuels needed: Expert | ||
Talking Energy blog 7: going nuclear | ||
| FuelCell Energy Inc. F4Q09 (Qtr End 10/31/09) Earnings Call Transcript | ||
| Alberta's oilsands: well-managed necessity or ecological disaster? | ||
Africa demands free technology transfer | ||
Turning sawdust into gasoline |
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Google Alert - hydrogen, wind, power
http://gl-zephyr.blogspot.com/ - Great Lakes area Wind Power & Hydrogen, renewable energy news.
From: Google Alerts
Sent: Thursday, December 10, 2009 5:17 AM
Subject: Google Alert - hydrogen, wind, power
Google News Alert for: hydrogen, wind, power
| States Use Incentives to Attract Renewable Energy Business | ||
| Carrots to spark Shanghai's new energy | ||
| UK research is pioneering a low carbon future | ||
| Miracle light: Can lasers solve the energy crisis? | ||
| Report: Green jobs booming in California | ||
Green Fuel-Cell Makeover for Future Power Plants | ||
| Full Range Of AREVA CO2-Free Energy Solutions On Display at Power-Gen 2009 | ||
| Weekly News Roundup |
Wednesday, December 09, 2009
Certified Sustainability Training in Chicago
Untitled Document
Having trouble viewing this email? Click here 
Green Exchange would like to inform you of a workshop being offered by the Centre for Sustainability & Excellence (CSE), a member of the Green Exchange tenant community.
CSE is a leading advising organization & think tank with offices in Chicago, Athens, Brussels and Cyprus specialized in providing sustainable development solutions to corporations and institutions.
For more information regarding this event,
contact CSE at 773.714.5065 or at info@cse-northamerica.org.
Please see below for more information about this unique workshop.
2-Day Certified CSR Practitioner Workshop:
A Globally Unique Course for Becoming a Qualified CSR Practitioner
Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment (IEMA) ApprovedFebruary 9-10, 2010
The Talbott Hotel
20 E Delaware Place | Chicago, IL 60611
Cost: $1,795 (Includes food + beverages for both days)
Register by 12-15-09 for 15% off.
Additional 10% off for 2 or more registering from the same organization.
To Register call 773.714.5065 or email info@cse-northamerica.orgThis challenging IEMA-approved 2-day course equips participants with the skills and competencies required to become qualified CSR practitioners. Nikos Avlonas - Sustainability Strategist and Reporting Expert - leads two days of specialized, detailed and highly focused sessions; providing all the tools and framework for addressing every aspect of CSR. Upon completion, you will be confident in all levels of CSR from effective development and implementation to reporting and communication.
Each participant will have the opportunity to be assessed at the end of the 2-day workshop to receive a certificate issued by IEMA designating them as a Qualified CSR Practitioner. This IEMA approved workshop has been hosted globally in Dubai, Athens, Brussels, and Chicago and has been shown to advance personal careers in the fields of Sustainability and Corporate Responsibility.
Click here for more information about this unique CSR certification workshop.At the end of day one, CSE will host a roundtable discussion titled, "Emerging From the Economic Crisis, Using Sustainability To Transform Your Organization" at 5:30 pm in the Talbott Hotel.
There is no fee to participate in the CSE Roundtable Event.
RSVP required at info@cse-northamerica.org
Google Alert - hydrogen, wind, power
http://gl-zephyr.blogspot.com/ - Great Lakes area Wind Power & Hydrogen, renewable energy news.
From: Google Alerts
Sent: Wednesday, December 09, 2009 5:14 AM
Subject: Google Alert - hydrogen, wind, power
Google News Alert for: hydrogen, wind, power
| A regular musician's guide to climate change |
| Markettelegraph.com: Energy Quest, Inc. & China Wind Systems, Inc. Profiled by ... |
| RIVERSIMPLE'S STRATEGY FOR HYDROGEN POWERED VEHICLES AROUND THE WORLD |
| Mantra to collaborate with Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne's ... |
| UK CHANCELLOR SHOWN POTENTIAL FOR ADVANCED HYDROGEN TECHNOLOGY |
| Coal gasification should be a part of our energy mix |
Tuesday, December 08, 2009
Google Alert - hydrogen, wind, power
http://gl-zephyr.blogspot.com/ - Great Lakes area Wind Power & Hydrogen, renewable energy news.
From: Google Alerts
Sent: Tuesday, December 08, 2009 5:11 AM
Subject: Google Alert - hydrogen, wind, power
Google News Alert for: hydrogen, wind, power
| Bloom Energy Shifts Power via Fuel Cells | ||
| Senate Panel to Take Up Carbon Capture, Biofuels, Research Bills | ||
| Dept. of Energy hands out $100M more to risky biofuel, battery and carbon ... | ||
Greenhouse gas ruling sends message to world | ||
| Veterans Want Passage Of Cap and Trade Bill |
Google Alert - hydrogen, wind, power
http://gl-zephyr.blogspot.com/ - Great Lakes area Wind Power & Hydrogen, renewable energy news.
From: Google Alerts
Sent: Monday, December 07, 2009 5:11 AM
Subject: Google Alert - hydrogen, wind, power
Google News Alert for: hydrogen, wind, power
| Agriculture must be rebuilt ahead of oil's 'noble' limits | ||
Copenhagen climate summit: businesses need a clear signal to start investing | ||
| Paradise Hobbies finds niche |
Saturday, December 05, 2009
Google Alert - hydrogen, wind, power
http://gl-zephyr.blogspot.com/ - Great Lakes area Wind Power & Hydrogen, renewable energy news.
From: Google Alerts
Sent: Saturday, December 05, 2009 5:11 AM
Subject: Google Alert - hydrogen, wind, power
Google News Alert for: hydrogen, wind, power
| California utilities push for solar, wind and carbon-capture projects | ||
| Nailing Down Nickel for Electrocatalysis | ||
Let's accelerate pace of new energy technologies | ||
| How green is your conference? |
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