Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory has announced an ambitious plan to hire a whopping 300 new employees, with the goal of achieving “innovative solutions to the nation’s most important challenges in strategic security, energy, and the environment.” While perhaps best known for its work in weapons, nuclear and laser technology, the lab also pioneered research into environmental remediation and climate change modeling among many other sustainability-related subjects, so it’s a safe bet that a good chunk of those 300 new jobs will be in green fields. For hiring info visit https://careers.llnl.gov and don’t forget to dream big!

Lawrence Livermore Laboratory and Nuclear Fusion

Perhaps the most exciting thing going on at Lawrence Livermore is the imminent startup of the National Ignition Facility, which will be the first ever nuclear fusion ignition in a laboratory. It represents a key milestone in “clean” nuclear energy that could help accelerate a global shift out of fossil fuels.

Green Jobs at Lawrence Livermore

Just over the past few years, researchers at Lawrence Livermore have come up with a dizzying array of new developments in fields related to alternative energy and sustainability. Some of the highlights include foundational research into biofuels based on an analysis of zinnia leaves, a non-petroleum lubrication system for advanced flywheels designed to store energy from solar arrays and other intermittent sources, and a fast acting, energy efficient “steam-cleaning” system for Superfund sites.

Recovery Act Funding

The lab received $3.6 million in Recovery Act funding for carbon capture research in May, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Last August, the Obama administration designated $327 million in Recovery Act funding for science and technology research at universities, non-profits, private firms, and government labs, with Lawrence Livermore getting a $37.8 million share.

Science Funding Uncertain After the November Elections

One of our two major parties has adopted a blanket anti-government position for years, which could put further research funding in doubt depending on the outcome of the upcoming elections, especially because they’ve added an anti-science layer in the form of a slate of candidates who are virtually in lockstep as climate change deniers. For example, one Wisconsin candidate for the U.S. Senate opposes the kind of government-business cooperation that Recovery Act funds promote, and attributes global warming to sunspots. If you like the idea of more funding for more green jobs, don’t forget to vote this November – and put your vote behind candidates who are more likely to represent your interests.

Image: Frieze by x-ray delta one on flickr.com.

According to a new study of food waste in the U.S., it takes the equivalent of 1.4 billion barrels of oil to produce get a year’s worth of food to the market, but about 350 million barrels of that goes down the drain in the form of wasted food. The study, reported by The American Chemical Society, is noteworthy not only for what it includes about food-related energy, but also for what it leaves out.

Save Food, Save Energy

Food production consumes a big chunk of energy in the U.S., ranging from 8 percent to almost 16 percent according to some estimates, so achieving even a modest percentage of energy conservation in this sector could yield significant results. Actually, there is a lot of room for improvement, because the U.S. Department of Agriculture has estimated that about 27% of food is wasted in the U.S. The authors of the study picked apart the data to calculate the figure of 350 million barrels, which translates into about 2 percent of U.S. energy consumption. That might not sound like much but it’s on par with, or better than, other important energy conservation measures.

Food and Energy

The researchers  based their calculations on energy consumption in agriculture, transportation, processing, food sales, storage, and preparation. Interestingly, by relying on the Department of Agriculture’s figure of 27% waste, the analysis errs on the side of caution. That figure basically includes only food that makes it to the market. It leaves out food that is wasted while still on farms, fisheries, and processing plants. In addition, although the estimate is fairly recent some of the data is at least 30 years old, and based on rising production and consumption the researchers note that they expect the embedded energy in food to have increased since then.

Save Food, Save Energy

Cutting down on food waste is just one way to conserve food-related energy. Reclaiming energy from food waste is another way. For example San Francisco is converting food waste into biogas by sending it to a biogas facility at a sewage treatment plant, instead of sending it to a landfill. Researchers are also looking at ways to convert recovered waste grease from sewage treatment plants into biofuel, and then of course there’s always the potential for converting more food waste into compost.

Agriculture and Food Waste

According to the U.S. Geological Survey, water use has actually declined slightly in the past 25 years, even though the population has increased by 30%, mainly thanks to water recycling in power plants and agricultural water conservation.  That could serve as an indicator of the potential for a significant reduction in farm food waste, either as compost or biogas. It’s already starting to happen: farmers are beginning to install biogas equipment (and take in food waste from nearby communities, too), and researchers are beginning to look at orange peels and other food waste as a biofuel feedstock.

The name of the study, by the way, is “Wasted Food, Wasted Energy: Embedded Energy in Food Waste in the United States.”

Image: Food by 46137 on flickr.com.

If I was Morpheus I could just say “Well, we can’t tell you what it is, you’d have to see it for yourself,” and this post would be over, but that would be lame, so here goes. The MATRIX is a new lithium-ion battery that will help reduce the need for truck idling, thereby making a huge dent in the amount of greenhouse gas, nitrogen oxide and particulate emissions spewed forth by parked trucks.  The technology was developed by California-based Quallion with an assist from the U.S. Department of Energy – thanks to Recovery Act funding, of course.

The MATRIX

MATRIX is Quallion’s proprietary lithium-ion battery. It’s based on a modular design, which lowers costs by reducing the need to customize new units for different uses. A typical unit consists of masses of small cells linked in a way that keeps the system operating even if some of the cells fail. The small size of the cells also enables the system to dissipate heat more quickly, which helps reduce safety risks related to high temperatures.

Truck Idling

The Department of Energy estimates that the nation’s fleet of 460,000  long-haul trucks averaging six hours of idling per day account for about 838 million gallons of diesel fuel annually. The MATRIX battery is part of a new anti-idling system for class 6-8 heavy duty trucks, which Quallion unveiled at the San Jose Battery Show last week. The system was designed to provide up to ten hours of battery power for cooling. Along with saving fuel, the use of a battery prolongs the life of an engine, and the MATRIX battery is far lighter than conventional lead-acid batteries, saving additional fuel and engine wear.

Recovery Act Funds and Green Jobs

Quallion built its new MATRIX battery factory right here in the U.S.A., in California, with the help of Recovery Act funds through the Department of Energy. The company is currently working with DOE on further testing that will lead to a commercially viable system. DOE has been pumping significant Recovery Act resources into domestic next-generation battery production in the U.S., including funds for new factories in rust belt states like Michigan that could sure use a boost from new green jobs.

More Anti-Idling Technology Coming Soon

Truck stop electrification can be used to funnel electricity from the grid to parked trucks, and it could also leave the door open for installing solar panels at truck stops.  Onboard solar panels for buses and fire trucks are also being tested as a means of reducing idling, and this could be adapted for heavy duty truck use. The maritime industry is being targeted for anti-idling programs relating to tugboats, which spend a significant amount of time idling or performing tasks with low energy requirements. Many of these programs would not be advancing without the help of federal and state clean energy and anti-pollution funds, both of which could be in jeopardy if obstructionists carry the day in the upcoming election. So, stay tuned (or better yet, don’t forget to vote).

Last week the U.S. Department of Energy released a new report detailing the potential opportunities for offshore wind power development in the U.S. The figures are mighty impressive. Along with generating 4,000 gigawatts, a full blown U.S. wind power development program would create thousands of new green jobs and reduce electricity costs in key coastal areas. Things are already starting to move forward on a grand scale, with eastern seaboard states joining in a new cooperative wind power development effort, called the Atlantic Offshore Wind Power Consortium. The question is, will things keep moving forward after the upcoming election?

Clean Energy and Government Support

What it all boils down to is federal funding and support. Take a look at any major component of the U.S. economy, and you will see massive public support in the form of various federal government  subsidies, tax breaks, and regulatory structures. Railroads, seaports, agriculture, our national defense infrastructure, highways, and fossil fuel production — these are all transformational developments that make the modern U.S. what it is today, and they would not have happened without a federal framework. That’s exactly the kind of muscle needed to push us forward, and out of the increasingly risky and unstable fossil fuel economy. President Obama got things started with tens of billions in new federal funds for clean energy programs that help businesses create new green jobs, but depending on the results of the upcoming election the future of federal support for sustainable energy doesn’t look all that secure.

What’s Up with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce

You would think that strong federal support for new jobs and new business opportunities would get props from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, but there you’d be exactly wrong. Clean tech companies, companies with strong sustainability profiles and major utilities have been been protesting and outright quitting the Chamber due to its obstructionist policies on climate change. The Chamber has always lobbied representatives in Congress but now it’s gone a step beyond and is also investing heavily in campaign ads, including attack ads, in support of candidates who are opposed to climate action. Apparently the Chamber is comfortable with supporting candidates who are likely to challenge, block, suspend or de-fund President Obama’s sustainable energy initiatives, even though it means waving good-by to new green jobs and new opportunities for business owners.

All Politics is Local…Except When it’s Not

One explanation for the motivation behind the Chamber’s partisan focus against clean energy can be found in last week’s explosive Think Progress report on the Chamber’s recent campaign activities. According to the report, the Chamber has been soliciting funds from overseas businesses and foreign governments, including oil-rich nations. The Chamber has apparently commingled these foreign funds with domestic funds in an account from which it draws campaign advertising expenditures. There’s a potential for some serious violations of federal election law, and Congress is now investigating. In the mean time, if you haven’t gotten all that excited about any of your local candidates for the upcoming election, it would be worthwhile to check out their position on clean energy, climate legislation, or the need for federal support for new green jobs. If you like what you see, by all means go out and vote.

Image: Offshore wind farm by m.prinke on flickr.com.

Researchers from Brown University have come up with a simplified process for converting used French fry oil and other used vegetable oils into biofuel. The process take place in a single vessel, which makes it far less expensive. Though the research has a way to go before it’s commercially viable, it does offer the potential for a faster, cheaper biofuel production process that could help ease our way out of peak oil. And there are some other goodies, too.

A Better Way to Make Biodiesel from Waste Vegetable Oil

In conventional biodiesel production, two separate reactions are needed. That’s because the two chemicals used to convert two components of vegetable oil (free fatty acids and triacylglycerols) are not compatible with each other. The Brown researchers focused on finding chemicals that are compatible and cheap. They settled on two metals commonly used in organic chemistry, bismuth triflate and scandium triflate.

More Goodies from Single Vessel Biodiesel Production

Using a microwave reactor, the researchers converted waste vegetable oil into biodiesel in about 20 minutes. That’s far less than the two hours it would take in a conventional heater, without catalysts. The short reaction time means that the process also uses less energy. Also helping to lower costs, the two metal catalysts can be recycled up to five times while maintaining a conversion efficiency of 97 per cent.

The Future of Biofuel

Waste vegetable oil is just one of a growing number of feedstocks for biofuels that do not interfere with food crops. Waste oil is a particularly attractive source because it also solves a waste disposal problem. With an established market for waste vegetable oil, commercial food facilities will have a good incentive to keep oils out of the sewers, which will help ease sewer system and wastewater treatment costs. For that matter, researchers are also developing methods to refine biofuels from “trap grease,” which is the gunky stuff that gets skimmed off at sewage treatment plants.

Image: Vessel by cliff1066TM on flickr.com.