Green Tech

BOSTON--While hundreds of other companies are trying to make a better battery, start-up SustainX Energy Solutions is trying to find better ways to compress and store air to help utilities take full advantage of intermittent sources of energy like wind.

Dax Kepshire, president of SustainX, sketched out the company's technology and product plans here Thursday at the Fifth Annual Conference on Clean Energy. SustainX was spun out of Dartmouth College last year and received $4 million in funding from Polaris Venture Partners and Rockport Capital in August of this year. It now has 10 employees.

There are already a few compressed-air facilities in the world where off-peak electricity is used to pump air underground for storage. During peak-demand times, the air is released and pushed through a turbine to make electricity.

It's a method that's getting more attention now as a way to store several hours worth of wind power, for example.

Traditional compressed air storage uses underground formations to store compressed air, which is released when needed to make electricity. Click on the image for a photo gallery of other types of energy storage.

(Credit: PG&E)

The primary difference with SustainX's approach is that it doesn't need an underground salt dome or limestone cavern to store the compressed air. Instead, it proposes storing the compressed air in off-the-shelf tanks. Its technical goal in two years is to cram 4 megawatt-hours worth of stored energy in a 40-foot long container, said Kepshire. The tank-filled container would be able to deliver 1 megawatt of power.

In the near term, it plans to build a 100 kilowatt hour pilot system to test the efficiency and then to validate the larger model in 2011, Kepshire said.

Its technology is also very different from the existing compressed-air storage facilities. With traditional compressed-air energy storage, a machine called a compressor compacts air and pumps it underground. To make electricity, the air is released and run through special turbines and a generator to make electricity.

SustainX is designing a system that uses a hydraulic piston to compress air. When the air is released, it moves a hydraulic motor which is attached to a generator to make electricity, Kepshire explained.

The key to making the overall system is to reduce the energy loss that happens in the compression and decompression of air, he said. He expects the first pilot system to be about 50 percent efficient but the full system to be more around 70 percent efficient overall.

Compressed air energy storage has a lot of potential because it's relatively inexpensive and because utilities can store many hours worth of electricity. Pacific Gas & Electric is investigating locations for compressd-air storage capable of delivering 300 megawatts of electricity for 10 hours, or 3,000 megawatt-hours. By contrast, utility-scale battery storage systems in use now deliver 1 or 2 megawatts for a few hours.

SustainX doesn't have any customers yet, but Kepshire said the company is targeting utilities looking to use more renewable energy. The company's technology, if it proves efficient enough, can be scaled to stored many hours of energy and deliver large amounts of power, he said.

Project managers, architects, NASA officials, and Lt. Governor John Garamendi break ground Tuesday on Sustainability Base, a new building at NASA Ames Research Center, which will showcase sustainable technologies.

(Credit: James Martin/CNET)

After decades of developing technology to explore space, NASA is bringing its expertise in self-sustaining systems back to Earth.

The NASA Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, Calif., hosted a groundbreaking ceremony for Sustainability Base, a research center that will be a net zero energy building.

A dedication plaque, written on a solar panel, at the site of Tuesday's Sustainability Base groundbreaking.

(Credit: James Martin/CNET)

The project aims to be a proof-of-concept for sustainable design and a number of green technologies developed at NASA.

The building will be powered by ground-source heat pumps from 72 geothermal wells, considered the most efficient way to heat and cool buildings.

There will be solar hot water collectors and a network of sensors to react to changing conditions, such as sunlight, temperature, wind, and energy usage. Data on the building's mechanical systems can be monitored via a Web-based console.

NASA expects that the "high-performance building" will cut water usage by 90 percent compared to an equivalent-size building. NASA also hopes to significantly reduce maintenance costs. The structure itself will be built on top of steel frames and use natural daylighting extensively.

NASA had contracted the architecture firms of famed "cradle to cradle" William McDonough and Swinerton Builders was hired to complete construction on the project.

The $20.6 million building is expected to be completed by the end of 2011. NASA expects to get the Platinum level LEED certification from the U.S. Green Building Council, the highest level.

Three of the people who spoke at Tuesday's event: June Grant, architect at AECOM Design, left; Simon P. "Pete" Worden, NASA Ames Center director, center; and Lt. Governor John Garamendi, right.

(Credit: James Martin/CNET)

Updated at 4:00 a.m. PT to clarify roles of architecture firms.

(Credit: Prepara)

It's hard to ignore the incessant messages to buy local, plant a garden, check for organic labels, and lead a sustainable lifestyle, yet most of us dismiss these suggestions as practices that require too much money, time, and effort.

And it's true--they really do.

Last summer I went through a green phase, heading to the plant store to purchase soil, seeds, shovels, pots, and everything else that Martha Stewart suggests I buy. Well, $120 and two weeks later, I had forgotten I'd even planted a garden and deemed my project a failure.

Thankfully, there is hope for busy and forgetful people like me. The Prepara Power Plant doesn't require any soil, planting, or high maintenance. Herbs, small vegetables, fruits, and salad greens grow quickly, as the container provides the seeds with the right amount of nutrients and water.

It's not completely care-free, though--you must water the container and place it in sunlight (such as a window sill). But unlike outdoor gardens, the Power Plant Mini is always visible, so don't bother with excuses for neglecting your innocent plant.

Fresh food without bugs, dirt, digging, and worrying sounds like the perfect package. (Plus I can tell all my friends how green and sustainable I am.) Prepara lists the product for $39.99, but it can be purchased on Amazon for $29.99.

Google's goat army.

(Credit: Official Google Blog)

The economy is still in shambles, we're all panicking about the bacon fever, and even those bright and shiny "green" initiatives might not be so green. Sad!

But did you know that Google is conserving energy by cutting its Mountain View, Calif., lawns with adorable goats?

Yes, it's true. The company has enlisted an innovative start-up called California Grazing to bring some of the Google greenery a more carbon-friendly, less polluting alternative to lawn mowers. It sounds like the use of goats is confined to peripheral fields where weeds and brush could cause wildfires, so it's not like Googlers run the risk of having goats wander into their office buildings. No word on whether they pay the goats in leftover free food from the company mess halls.

"A herder brings about 200 goats and they spend roughly a week with us at Google, eating the grass and fertilizing at the same time," a post on the official Google blog read. "The goats are herded with the help of Jen, a border collie. It costs us about the same as mowing, and goats are a lot cuter to watch than lawn mowers."

Happy Friday!

Despite the economic downturn, companies are still planning to invest in long-term sustainability projects and want to make sure that their customers--and anyone else who asks-- knows it.

The American Marketing Association and public-relations firm Fleishman-Hillard sponsored a small survey (PDF) to determine whether companies were still keen to invest in sustainability practices despite economic downturn and what influenced them in their decision.

(Credit: American Marketing Association/Fleishman-Hillard)

To give you an idea of where the economy was when people were asked about their commitment, the survey was conducted by the AMA during January and February 2009, and included 270 people spread about equally throughout large, medium, and small businesses.

About 58 percent of participants said their company had plans to increase emphasis on sustainability initiatives over the next two to three years, and 43 percent said their company has plans to incorporate news of their green efforts in "marketing, advertising, and communications with external audiences."

(Credit: American Marketing Association/Fleishman-Hillard)

Answering another question, 73 percent agreed one motivator in adopting sustainability practices over the next two to three years is "corporate reputation."

Asked if President Obama's policies will accelerate the adoption of sustainability programs, 63 percent of the respondents said yes, 14 said they disagreed with that assessment, and 23 percent said they had no opinion on the matter.

"Forty-three percent of those surveyed say they will increase their focus on sustainability because it is the right thing to do, customers are asking for it, a sustainable approach supports their organizational culture and, equally important, sustainability offers a clear, distinct business advantage," the report said.

While the respondents seemed to have faith in their companies' commitment to sustainability--or at least wanted to appear to surveyors that they did--they were not as sure about the commitment from consumers.

About 49 percent disagreed with the sentiment that "even in tough times, consumers will pay more for products that are green."

This was originally posted at ZDNet's Between the Lines.

SAP on Monday unveiled a multifront sustainability push including the launch of an EHS--or environment, health, and safety--management application.

The company unveiled its plans at CeBit (statement). Among the moving parts:

• SAP has teamed with TechniData to offer line of EHS applications, dubbed SAP Environment, Health and Safety Management. The goal of the EHS application is to make sure corporate sustainability policies are met and ensure a company is meeting its regulatory targets. In other wordis trying to align business processes with the enterprise's green IT talks, SAP .

• SAP said it plans to cut its greenhouse gas emissions 51 percent from its 2007 levels by 2020. If successful, SAP will cut its carbon dioxide levels to year 2000 levels.

• And SAP announced that Peter Graf, will be the company's first chief sustainability officer. Graf will report to SAP Executive Board member Jim Hagermann Snabe.

In a blog post, Graf said:

Sustainability is about much more than environmental concerns or "being green". It's the ability to holistically manage economic, social and environmental risks and opportunities for increased profitability.

I'll be curious to see how this line of software sells amid weak IT spending.

Eric Schmidt demonstrates how Google Earth can help people learn about the effects of global warming at the Corporate EcoForum.

(Credit: Stefanie Olsen/CNET News)

Correction: This story originally misstated Schmidt's total energy savings projections. He said that the U.S. would save $2.1 trillion of $2.7 trillion.

SAN FRANCISCO--Google CEO Eric Schmidt outlined an energy plan Monday to reduce America's dependence on oil and create green jobs.

At an event called the Corporate EcoForum, Schmidt laid out Google's energy plan to sustainability executives from Coca-Cola, Motorola, Clorox, Microsoft, and dozens of others. In characteristic Schmidt-Google fashion, he backed up the idea with some calculations. The plan could be compared to something like energy efficiency = savings (or E2=$).

"It's just a math problem," Schmidt said to a crowd of executives here at the Fairmont Hotel.

He said that, if by 2030, the U.S. were to adopt renewable energy sources for 100 percent of its power generation, replacing energy production from coal-fired plants, and replace at least half of its cars with plug-in hybrids, then it could cut carbon emissions by half. (And potentially avert a global warming crisis.)

No easy feat. But if the plan is adopted, Schmidt calculated that the U.S. would save 77 percent of $2.7 trillion in energy spending over the next 22 years. So expenditures would only be $600 billion; or assuming an 8 percent discount rate (factoring interest rates), the government could save even more in that time.

Google is taking its own advice. He said the company's plan is to reduce global demand for oil and help to generate new white- and blue-collar jobs by investing in solar, wind, and geothermal energy projects.

So far, Google.org has invested $10 million in geothermal energy and another $10 million in wind technologies. There are 500,000 jobs in wind companies alone, Schmidt said.

Google has chosen to bet on those renewable energy sources because they have the proof points to back up their viability, he said. It has avoided nuclear power as an investment because of security concerns, he said, but Google may consider wave power as a fourth or fifth investment in its plan.

Google has filed patents on a floating barge of network computers that would be powered by wave energy--a move that was disclosed this week. Schmidt said that as far as he knows that the company is not developing anything like it now, but he said, "You never know at Google."

"The model you have is...one of a distributed renewable power structure. It's a matter of how long is the payback?" he said.

For example, Schmidt said that years ago he considered the fact that 40 percent of carbon emissions originate from buildings. At the time, he asked his facilities people what they could do to mitigate the problem, and they had estimated that it would cost $5 million to make Google's buildings more energy efficient. The company would reap the benefits after 2.5 years, he said.

"So what else could we do?" Schmidt said. Google outfitted a dozen buildings and a couple of carports with solar panels a year and a half ago, and it now has a dynamic internal system that measures energy savings by building.

"The question is: can any one of you make a difference...Of course we can," Schmidt said. "But we must have a policy."

Smart garages
He attributed the current climate crisis to a "total failure of political leadership." Leaders are shortsighted about the benefits of technology to solve issues of global warming, he said. When asked which presidential candidate he supported, Schmidt declined to comment.

He talked about changing government incentives for business owners so that they're encouraged to create energy efficiencies. And for consumers, he said the trick will be in creating a "real-time information loop," such as household smart meters so that people can see how much money they're spending on energy.

Google Earth is a means to help people see the scope of the climate change problem with the use of data and graphics, according to Schmidt. For example, he showed the North Pole without ice in 2050 if current projections of climate change stay on course and temperatures there rise to 40 degrees C.

Google is also board member of a new group called Climate Savers Computing Initiative, a coalition that aims to reduce computing power consumption by half by 2010. It will do that largely by encouraging member companies like Google to turn off computers when they're not in use. Schmidt said that if it reaches its goal, it would be the equivalent of taking 11 million cars off the road.

The power grid is also a problem and area for innovation, he said. There's a 9 percent efficiency loss in the current grid infrastructure, which could be offset with smart technology systems, he said. For example, a plug-in vehicle's batteries could be charged at night and then send surplus energy back into the system during the day, shifting power back to the grid at peak energy-usage times, he said.

"I could imagine a smart garage where I would plug in my car and the computer handles it. I could even make money by cost shifting," he said.

"It sure sounds to me like a problem for the Internet...and personal computers. It's the largest opportunity I could possibly imagine," he said. "It solves energy security, energy prices and job creation...and by the way, climate change."

CORONADO, Calif.--There's more than one kind of "green" in the eyes of the world's corporations.

Mark Turrell of Imaginatik and Prith Banerjee of HP Labs listen to Steve Di Biase of JohnsonDiversey (left to right) discuss sustainability at FIRe 2008.

(Credit: Tom Krazit/CNET News.com)

More and more companies are starting to realize that they can enjoy the PR benefits of turning "green," by reducing their carbon footprint through energy savings or changes to their products. But every CEO always has another shade of green somewhere in the back of his or her mind. Companies need to reduce their impact on the environment, but that doesn't mean they can afford to implement every single green idea, or that they even know where to start, according to panelists at the Future in Review conference.

The goal should be "sustainability," or the idea that individuals and organizations should be working on ways to make sure any environmentally friendly improvements or changes they make to their businesses should be sustainable over the long term, or they shouldn't be done at all. But developing and implementing sustainable ideas is harder to accomplish in real life than it is to discuss in luxury resort hotels yards from the Pacific Ocean.

That's where "innovation software" companies like Invention Machine and Imaginatik come in. Mark Atkins, president and CEO of Invention Machine, helps manufacturing companies develop clever ways to make their products more environmentally friendly without killing their cost structure. Some of his clients are starting to realize that they'll have to overhaul as much as 70 percent of their products within the next five years to meet sustainability goals, he said.

Imaginatik CEO Mark Turrell described a project his company did for Wal-Mart helping it unlock sustainable ideas from its own employees. Wal-Mart is notorious for its laser focus on cost reduction, and has started to realize that it can save money by reducing energy consumption in its stores. But the company was having trouble recognizing simple, achievable ideas suggested by employees.

After adopting tools developed by Imaginatik, Wal-Mart was able to collect thousands of ideas from employees that were getting lost in the old "suggestion box," and wound up implementing $38 million in cost savings from just four days of idea gathering, Turrell said.

Hewlett-Packard is using Imaginatik's software to help make improvements to the company's Labs division, said Prith Banerjee, the new director of HP Labs. Sustainability research is one of the new core components of HP Labs' research, and it shows up in products that help HP and its customers reduce cooling and power in their huge data centers.

This is a classic example of sustainability: reducing the amount of power used in data centers helps conserve energy, but it also reduces the costs to operate those data centers. For all the talk thrown out there by corporations as green thinking has become trendier, everything still comes down to the bottom line, said Steve Di Biase, senior vice president and chief scientific officer for JohnsonDiversey, a cleaning products company.

"If you can't be profitable, sustainability doesn't make sense," Di Biase said.

This prototype water distiller uses the heat of the sun to boil water. Pictured is Alberto Fonts, one of the students who worked on it.

(Credit: Elsa Wenzel/CNET Networks)

SANTA CLARA, Calif.--Bringing clean technologies to the developing world may not be the top priority for Silicon Valley deal makers, but interest is expanding, according to entrepreneurs, scientists, and venture capitalists meeting Tuesday at Santa Clara University.

An event backed by the California Clean Tech Open "start-up in a box" competition and the university chapter of Engineers Without Borders encouraged students to address problems shared by the world's poorest people.

As tech heavy hitters such as Microsoft founder Bill Gates throw their weight behind "creative capitalism," similar interest appears to be growing among small companies focused on sustainability.

California Clean Tech Open program director Brian Payer said he and others considered adding a category for projects for the developing world. He and judging chair Rebeca Hwang noted that they are seeing more start-ups with proposals to serve the world's poor.

However, good intentions won't get far if entrepreneurial hopefuls fail to maintain humility and respect local ingenuity, warned Ashok Gadgil, a senior scientist at Lawrence Berkeley Labs. He invented the portable UV Waterworks purifier, which the lab licensed to Water Health International.

Inventive solutions for rural areas include the Q-Drum, a water container that can be rolled down the road.

(Credit: Q-drum)

And figuring out the right business model is tricky because people at the bottom of the economic pyramid don't necessarily want handouts, but they can't pay high upfront fees either. Gadgil praised Solar Electric Lighting Company, or SELCO, in India, because its novel financing model requests small monthly payments for its solar-powered lights.

Getting cooperation from local people in power is also key, said BuildFast President Patrick Freeburger. His plans to sell eco-friendly house kits that could be built in a day to last 100 years got a boost from the mayor where the first project will launch in Mexico, he said.

Although engineers are abundant in some developing countries, clean-tech companies abroad have a hard time finding skilled leaders and managers, said some entrepreneurs.

Providing safe drinking water brings particular challenges, agreed many at the event. One-fifth of the world's people lack access to safe water, a threat set to spread in the coming decades to populations of all income levels due to the effects of climate change, according to the United Nations.

"Clean water is important. Clean air is important. But it means nothing to you if you can't get food and shelter," said John Rockwell, managing director of venture capital firm Element Partners, which has poured more than $300 million into clean-tech companies. Many people will choose pollution and a job over no pollution and no job, he added.

Solar energy start-ups may be hot, but water services remain overlooked in clean tech, according to many industry observers. The Cleantech Group has pegged water technologies as a major future area of growth.

Santa Clara's engineering undergraduate students showed off projects aimed to improve access to clean water in villages abroad.

One team built a model distiller that would use heat from the sun to boil water, killing microbes in up to 22 liters each day, three times the amount of most solar stills. The students hope to test and perhaps eventually bring the creation to Karheda, India, a 2,500-person village in India with 52 wells of lead-contaminated, saline water.

Another student team used software modeling to create a system that would pipe spring water to crops in a Nicaraguan village.

The California Clean Tech Open has helped launch companies including BuildFast and GreenVolts. Its categories cover air, water, and waste; energy efficiency; green building; renewable energy; smart power; and transportation. Each of the six winning companies receives $50,000 cash and support such as office space and marketing services.

Applications for the 2008 California Clean Tech Open are due June 14.