1. What is the cost involved vs. old way? 2. Does it help the environment? 3. How does it help the environment? 4. Is it feasible in small communities? 5. Can you do a little at a time, then expand? 6. Can it be individual or must it be 'whole' community involvement?
I also wondered about #6. I remember watching a TV series on the building of Greensburg and remember there being some disagreement among the community.
I would almost think you would have to do a little at a time...Greensburg had an advantage in a way because it was completely rebuilt. Other communities wouldn't be able to go green all at once because the cost and the interruption to services. Maybe I am wrong??
I like your questions! Where do you find the people who know how to do this? I doubt if they are listed in the 'yellow pages' under Wind Energy....but maybe they are now since it is in more demand than previously. How long does the average project take...say for two wind turbines?
I think my largest concern would be your question #2. At least around here you never hear commercials or ads that state a contractor/builder has consultants for this type of job. Is it seriously as easy as just calling any builder and they will have someone who can consult for this type of building?
Rhonda, I was wondering the same thing about the fossil fuels. I just keep going back to the FHSU turbines. I know that they will produce whenever there is enough wind. Sometimes this will be during the peak hours and sometimes it won't be. Since they can not store the energy right now they are selling it for less than they can buy it back for. I wonder if Greensburg and other green cities are doing the same. I also wonder if Greensburg is really keeping all the energy it makes or if it is producing it to be sold out of state like the energy made at the Ellsworth Wind Farm.
Really like your questions!...especially number 3,4 &5. I doubt if any community can completely rely on renewable energy but it is a goal to aim for. Out here in rural America, small towns would have to work together to be able to do this, I would think. I wonder what distance would be feasible?
I think question 3 will be a determining factor on whether our little NC Kansas communities can go green. Cost sharing attitudes and combined work force will be very important to the projects and make it feasible. I'm glad you mentioned it Rhonda.
Initial ESS analysis: E = Families in a 5 mile North Central rural country radius could work together to create a sustainable environment that is economically feasible. E>A = Atmosphere would have to be improved because pollution would be less using renewable energy. E>H = Local hydrosphere would be minimally affected due to size and location involved. E>B = Solar, gothermal and wind energy would have minimal effect on the flora and fauna locally. E>L = Lithosphere would have some disruption due to type of renewable energy source used.
Does Waconda lake have a dam? How is the lake fed? I know to produce hydroelectric power the water has to be moving. In Tulsa the river has a low water dam which water moves rapidly across. There are also larger dams located at the lake which feeds the river. Webster lake near Stockton has a dam which allows water to be released for irrigation. There isn't enough water flowing into or out of that lake to make it practical for generating electricity though (or at least I don't think there is!!)
Assignment Two: Questions about “Building a Sustainable Energy Community” 1) What is meant by sustainable energy community? 2) Just because the energy is produced locally does it always stay? Like in Greensburg…do they have a way to store energy they produce or do they sell some of it and then buy energy from other sources during peak times? 3) How practical is it to develop sustainable energy in a community? Can this be done in communities that are already established or do you need to basically rebuild like they did in Greensburg? 4) What types of sustainable energy are available and how do they compare to each other in terms of cost, production, and lifespan? 5) What environmental impact does the installation of green energy sources have? Is the long term benefit enough to justify disturbances to the environment?
Laurie, I also wonder about the cost of green vs. traditional. I wonder if it would make sense to go green as communities expand. For instance Hays is growing...would it make sense for them to add green energy as their community expands and they have increased demand? Would they be willing to do this?
Pre-Research ESS analysis: E=Developing sustainable energy sources in my community E>A= Adding sustainable sources like wind turbines could possibly reduce our reliance on the current electric generator during peak times and outages. This would put less pollution into the air. E>G= If we relied less on our generator and more on alternate energy such as a wind turbine then we would consume less fossil fuels. If we relied on geothermal we would have to drill into the earth. E>H= Trying to use the lake and the dam at the lake to generate electricity would not be practical. The lake is already below conservation and they are releasing thirteen more feet out. There isn’t enough water being returned to the lake to make it practical to try to use it for energy production. E>B= There would be temporary disruption to plant life during the installation of turbines or geothermal energy sources. Animals could also be affected. My community is in Western Kansas, I wonder if we are a place where prairie chicken habitat would be a concern? People are also part of the biosphere. The people in our community would benefit economically however, some people would be opposed due to noise concerns. A>E= Because of the construction of a new airport in the region it might not be possible to install turbines. The original site which was considered interferes with the air space for the airport. G>E= I know that people in my community already use geothermal energy. I wonder if it would be possible to use this to power a larger part of the town. (Not really sure how this source works at all)I assume if it is available on a small scale it might be available on a larger scale. H>E= Our lake currently has a dam and water is released for irrigation. Not enough water flows into the lake to maintain its level. It would not be practical to try to release water for the purpose of generating electricity. I think water is involved somehow in geothermal electricity production. If so water might be the limiting factor which made that impractical. B>E= Humans in the community are opposed to wind farms because some people will make money while others do not (can we say JEALOUS!!).
Your first question is interesting to me. What is the percentage of green energy and building products that must be used to qualify a community as "green"?
I thought it was interesting your comment on the prairie chicken in western Kansas. The July 22, 2013, publication of the High Plains Journal, page 7B, had a fascinating article entitled, "Study: Wind Power does not Strongly Affect Great Prairie Chicken." Research led by KSU ecologist Brett Sandercock, "discovered that wind turbines have little effect on greater prairie chickens, and that these grassland birds are more affected by rangeland management practices and by the availability of native prairie and vegetation cover at nest sites. Unexpectedly, the scientists have found that female survival rates increased after wind turbines were installed." Woo-Hoo!!!! I was so excited to find this article and it totally tied in with the conversations we had a the workshop in June. For more information on the study, the article shared a website http://www.osti.gov/bridge/product.biblio.jsp?osti_id=1080446
I share your questions about cost. At what point is it worth it to a community to invest the money to completely change something rather than repair it? I am not sure this is economically feasible.
Questions I have: 1. What are the options available for clean energy? 2. Do these options change according to the location of your community? 3. What percentage of energy must come from clean sources to be considered "green"? 4. What is the cost of converting an existing community? 5. Is the infrastructure really there to move a community from traditional energy sources to green? 6. What would the impact to the economy be with the loss of jobs associated with traditional energy?
E - Making a commiunity sustainable E>A The use of wind, solar, and geothermal energy would benefit the atmosphere by decreasing emissions from the local power plant which burns coal, also the fossil fuels burned to bring that coal to Western Kansas by train or truck. A>B Cleaner air would benefit the biosphere E>L The use of wind and solar energy do not require drilling for fossil fuels or mining for coal, so the lithosphere will benefit. I do not know enough about geothermal energy to know how this affects the lithosphere. L>B More ground is available for growing crops and natural prairie grasses, allowing for the maintenance of wildlife. E>H Water would not be pumped out of the ground for well drilling and fracking, benefiting the hydrosphere. E>B The economy could be damaged by the loss of jobs associated with oil/natural gas drilling, coal mining, etc.
1. What options are available for 'clean energy' besides the obvious solar and wind power? 2. What would the cost be for 'retro-fitting' a community vs. building from scratch? 3. How would jobs in the community be affected? Would they be created or lost with an overall net gain or not? 4. How would the community afford to do this without massive govt. subsidies? 5. What other green communities are out there (besides Greensburg), and what types of technologies are they utilizing?
Initial ESS Analysis: E = Building a sustainable community E > A Clean energy means less pollutants entering the atmosphere from traditional energy sources like coal. E > B Living things will be affected in many ways, from humans to fish a cleaner atmosphere = healthier living. E > H Fewer pollutants in the atmosphere means less chance of acid rain and pollutants in the Hydrosphere. Also, by recycling more (which I'm assuming a green community would do there would be less trash in a landfill and less chance of toxic chemicals being leached into the water system). E > L More green energy means less impact on the earth in the form of fracking or mining coal.
*Are some types of renewable energy more functionable/reasonable/worthwhile in some areas than others? *Are there cons to NOT converting to renewable energy? *Building codes – Are there some older communities, versus places like Greensburg that had to start from scratch anyway, that can transform existing buildings to green without having a tremendous burden from renovation costs? **--Are there building codes that will only allow new construction that have green components as part of the design? *Are there certain parts of the US in which green components are more readily available, making the cost much more affordable in that area, when taking into account shipping and transporting? *Do contractors have to be green certified? What would that mean? *Who makes the guidelines for this certification?
Event: Making an existing community sustainable E-H Community involvement in recycling programs can help keep down pollution, costs in building and rebuilding (reclaimed goods), and put more money into the community. E-A Over time, the air would be cleaner for all living organisms, meaning freer of toxins that were previously emitted during non-renewable energy emissions. E-B Humans would see a greater benefit to health. E-L Rock and soil of the community would be kept more intact, sustaining topsoils, habitat, lessening of mining and drilling for non-renewable resources.
1. What is the cost involved vs. old way?
ReplyDelete2. Does it help the environment?
3. How does it help the environment?
4. Is it feasible in small communities?
5. Can you do a little at a time, then expand?
6. Can it be individual or must it be 'whole' community involvement?
good questions,Cyn. I am also interested in the cost. Can any community large or small afford to "go green".
DeleteI also wondered about #6. I remember watching a TV series on the building of Greensburg and remember there being some disagreement among the community.
DeleteI would almost think you would have to do a little at a time...Greensburg had an advantage in a way because it was completely rebuilt. Other communities wouldn't be able to go green all at once because the cost and the interruption to services. Maybe I am wrong??
DeleteI think you are right on....they were forced to do it all at once but realistically most communities couldn't convert all at once.
Delete1. What would the cost be for such a project?
ReplyDelete2. Where do you find consultants for such a project?
3. Can you mix and match forms of renewable energy?
4. What is a feasible time frame for such a project?
5. What is the work force or man power needed for such a project?
I like your questions! Where do you find the people who know how to do this? I doubt if they are listed in the 'yellow pages' under Wind Energy....but maybe they are now since it is in more demand than previously. How long does the average project take...say for two wind turbines?
DeleteI like your question on mixing and matching resources. What makes one better than the other if they are both available?
DeleteI think my largest concern would be your question #2. At least around here you never hear commercials or ads that state a contractor/builder has consultants for this type of job. Is it seriously as easy as just calling any builder and they will have someone who can consult for this type of building?
Delete1. How long is the payback on building a green community?
ReplyDelete2. Are there any other green communities besides Greensburg?
3. Can nearby communities work together to produce renewable energy?
4. What determines whether one type of resource is better than another in a community if they all are available?
5. Can a community rely completely on renewable energy without using fossil fuels?
Rhonda, I was wondering the same thing about the fossil fuels. I just keep going back to the FHSU turbines. I know that they will produce whenever there is enough wind. Sometimes this will be during the peak hours and sometimes it won't be. Since they can not store the energy right now they are selling it for less than they can buy it back for. I wonder if Greensburg and other green cities are doing the same. I also wonder if Greensburg is really keeping all the energy it makes or if it is producing it to be sold out of state like the energy made at the Ellsworth Wind Farm.
DeleteReally like your questions!...especially number 3,4 &5. I doubt if any community can completely rely on renewable energy but it is a goal to aim for. Out here in rural America, small towns would have to work together to be able to do this, I would think. I wonder what distance would be feasible?
ReplyDeleteFeasibility would be the biggest factor. With populations dwindling in the western part of the state, could green energy somehow link towns together?
DeleteI think question 3 will be a determining factor on whether our little NC Kansas communities can go green. Cost sharing attitudes and combined work force will be very important to the projects and make it feasible. I'm glad you mentioned it Rhonda.
ReplyDeleteInitial ESS Analysis
ReplyDeleteEvent = Is it feasable environmentally for nearby communities to be sustained by multiple renewable resources?
E>A
Using renewable resources would reduce the pollutants put into the atmosphere.
E>H
Using renewable resources would reduce the pollutants put into the rivers, lakes, streams, and ponds.
E>L
Using renewable resources would require land for wind turbines, and for digging wells for geothermal.
E>B
Using hydroelectric power may cause a disturbance in aquatic life.
E>B
Using wind and geothermal may cause a disturbance in wildlife.
E>B>A
Using renewable resources would reduce the need for fossil fuels which would reduce the carbon dioxide released into our atmosphere.
E>B>L
Using renewable resources would reduce the need for fossil fuels which will reduce the cause of erosion from mining or drilling ores.
Initial ESS analysis:
ReplyDeleteE = Families in a 5 mile North Central rural country radius could work together to create a sustainable environment that is economically feasible.
E>A = Atmosphere would have to be improved because pollution would be less using renewable energy.
E>H = Local hydrosphere would be minimally affected due to size and location involved.
E>B = Solar, gothermal and wind energy would have minimal effect on the flora and fauna locally.
E>L = Lithosphere would have some disruption due to type of renewable energy source used.
Initial ESS Analysis:
ReplyDeleteE = I am wanting to know if the town where I live in North Central Kansas could be made into a sustainable energy community.
E > A The atmosphere has to be more stable because pollution would be less with renewable energy.
E > H Living by of the largest lakes in Kansas my community would have access to a large body of water.
E > L A wind turbine would more than likely be the source of renewable energy that produced electricity to my sustainable community.
E > B Wind turbines and other structures would need to be introduced into my community.
Does Waconda lake have a dam? How is the lake fed? I know to produce hydroelectric power the water has to be moving. In Tulsa the river has a low water dam which water moves rapidly across. There are also larger dams located at the lake which feeds the river. Webster lake near Stockton has a dam which allows water to be released for irrigation. There isn't enough water flowing into or out of that lake to make it practical for generating electricity though (or at least I don't think there is!!)
DeleteAssignment Two: Questions about “Building a Sustainable Energy Community”
ReplyDelete1) What is meant by sustainable energy community?
2) Just because the energy is produced locally does it always stay? Like in Greensburg…do they have a way to store energy they produce or do they sell some of it and then buy energy from other sources during peak times?
3) How practical is it to develop sustainable energy in a community? Can this be done in communities that are already established or do you need to basically rebuild like they did in Greensburg?
4) What types of sustainable energy are available and how do they compare to each other in terms of cost, production, and lifespan?
5) What environmental impact does the installation of green energy sources have? Is the long term benefit enough to justify disturbances to the environment?
Laurie,
ReplyDeleteI also wonder about the cost of green vs. traditional. I wonder if it would make sense to go green as communities expand. For instance Hays is growing...would it make sense for them to add green energy as their community expands and they have increased demand? Would they be willing to do this?
Pre-Research ESS analysis:
ReplyDeleteE=Developing sustainable energy sources in my community
E>A= Adding sustainable sources like wind turbines could possibly reduce our reliance on the current electric generator during peak times and outages. This would put less pollution into the air.
E>G= If we relied less on our generator and more on alternate energy such as a wind turbine then we would consume less fossil fuels. If we relied on geothermal we would have to drill into the earth.
E>H= Trying to use the lake and the dam at the lake to generate electricity would not be practical. The lake is already below conservation and they are releasing thirteen more feet out. There isn’t enough water being returned to the lake to make it practical to try to use it for energy production.
E>B= There would be temporary disruption to plant life during the installation of turbines or geothermal energy sources. Animals could also be affected. My community is in Western Kansas, I wonder if we are a place where prairie chicken habitat would be a concern? People are also part of the biosphere. The people in our community would benefit economically however, some people would be opposed due to noise concerns.
A>E= Because of the construction of a new airport in the region it might not be possible to install turbines. The original site which was considered interferes with the air space for the airport.
G>E= I know that people in my community already use geothermal energy. I wonder if it would be possible to use this to power a larger part of the town. (Not really sure how this source works at all)I assume if it is available on a small scale it might be available on a larger scale.
H>E= Our lake currently has a dam and water is released for irrigation. Not enough water flows into the lake to maintain its level. It would not be practical to try to release water for the purpose of generating electricity. I think water is involved somehow in geothermal electricity production. If so water might be the limiting factor which made that impractical.
B>E= Humans in the community are opposed to wind farms because some people will make money while others do not (can we say JEALOUS!!).
Your first question is interesting to me. What is the percentage of green energy and building products that must be used to qualify a community as "green"?
DeleteI thought it was interesting your comment on the prairie chicken in western Kansas. The July 22, 2013, publication of the High Plains Journal, page 7B, had a fascinating article entitled, "Study: Wind Power does not Strongly Affect Great Prairie Chicken." Research led by KSU ecologist Brett Sandercock, "discovered that wind turbines have little effect on greater prairie chickens, and that these grassland birds are more affected by rangeland management practices and by the availability of native prairie and vegetation cover at nest sites. Unexpectedly, the scientists have found that female survival rates increased after wind turbines were installed." Woo-Hoo!!!! I was so excited to find this article and it totally tied in with the conversations we had a the workshop in June. For more information on the study, the article shared a website http://www.osti.gov/bridge/product.biblio.jsp?osti_id=1080446
DeleteI share your questions about cost. At what point is it worth it to a community to invest the money to completely change something rather than repair it? I am not sure this is economically feasible.
ReplyDeleteQuestions I have:
ReplyDelete1. What are the options available for clean energy?
2. Do these options change according to the location of your community?
3. What percentage of energy must come from clean sources to be considered "green"?
4. What is the cost of converting an existing community?
5. Is the infrastructure really there to move a community from traditional energy sources to green?
6. What would the impact to the economy be with the loss of jobs associated with traditional energy?
Pre-Research Analysis
ReplyDeleteE - Making a commiunity sustainable
E>A The use of wind, solar, and geothermal energy would benefit the atmosphere by decreasing emissions from the local power plant which burns coal, also the fossil fuels burned to bring that coal to Western Kansas by train or truck.
A>B Cleaner air would benefit the biosphere
E>L The use of wind and solar energy do not require drilling for fossil fuels or mining for coal, so the lithosphere will benefit. I do not know enough about geothermal energy to know how this affects the lithosphere.
L>B More ground is available for growing crops and natural prairie grasses, allowing for the maintenance of wildlife.
E>H Water would not be pumped out of the ground for well drilling and fracking, benefiting the hydrosphere.
E>B The economy could be damaged by the loss of jobs associated with oil/natural gas drilling, coal mining, etc.
1. What options are available for 'clean energy' besides the obvious solar and wind power?
ReplyDelete2. What would the cost be for 'retro-fitting' a community vs. building from scratch?
3. How would jobs in the community be affected? Would they be created or lost with an overall net gain or not?
4. How would the community afford to do this without massive govt. subsidies?
5. What other green communities are out there (besides Greensburg), and what types of technologies are they utilizing?
Initial ESS Analysis:
ReplyDeleteE = Building a sustainable community
E > A Clean energy means less pollutants entering the atmosphere from traditional energy sources like coal.
E > B Living things will be affected in many ways, from humans to fish a cleaner atmosphere = healthier living.
E > H Fewer pollutants in the atmosphere means less chance of acid rain and pollutants in the Hydrosphere. Also, by recycling more (which I'm assuming a green community would do there would be less trash in a landfill and less chance of toxic chemicals being leached into the water system).
E > L More green energy means less impact on the earth in the form of fracking or mining coal.
Questions for creating a green community:
ReplyDelete*Are some types of renewable energy more functionable/reasonable/worthwhile in some areas than others?
*Are there cons to NOT converting to renewable energy?
*Building codes – Are there some older communities, versus places like Greensburg that had to start from scratch anyway, that can transform existing buildings to green without having a tremendous burden from renovation costs?
**--Are there building codes that will only allow new construction that have green components as part of the design?
*Are there certain parts of the US in which green components are more readily available, making the cost much more affordable in that area, when taking into account shipping and transporting?
*Do contractors have to be green certified? What would that mean? *Who makes the guidelines for this certification?
Event: Making an existing community sustainable
ReplyDeleteE-H Community involvement in recycling programs can help keep down pollution, costs in building and rebuilding (reclaimed goods), and put more money into the community.
E-A Over time, the air would be cleaner for all living organisms, meaning freer of toxins that were previously emitted during non-renewable energy emissions.
E-B Humans would see a greater benefit to health.
E-L Rock and soil of the community would be kept more intact, sustaining topsoils, habitat, lessening of mining and drilling for non-renewable resources.