Solar Power: Connecting You to the Utility

2011-10-25T08:33:00.001-07:00

My first post

Looks like China may be looking to the US for Renewable Energy.

2010-12-06T11:31:00.001-08:00

Really?

Looks Like it!

BEIJING, December 6 (Xinhua) -- A senior official of China's National Energy Administration (NEA) encouraged Chinese firms to invest in the renewable energy market of the United States to boost their competitiveness in the international market. See More: http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/xinhua/2010-12-07/content_1344263.html

More on Recycling.

2010-09-20T13:26:00.000-07:00

It seems the perfect match. The nation that consumes the most has built itself a large and growing recycling industry. What comes in the front door, new and shiny, eventually goes out the back as trash to be thrown aside or hopefully used again in another life.

The United States now has a recycling industry with annual sales of $236 billion. By an amazing comparison, U.S. auto sales in the recession-ravaged year of 2009 reached an estimated $250 billion. Auto sales should eventually increase as the nation’s economy recovers. However, the recycling industry is set to grow no matter what happens to the economy. The world is clamoring for new sources of materials, recycled included.

The reasons for near guaranteed growth in the recycling industry are laid out in a report from Canaccord Genuity, the global capital markets division of Canaccord Financial, a financial services firm. The report, “Green is the color of money; Playing the recycling “mega-cycle” says, “Starting as a fledging environmental movement in the 1960’s, the recycling industry has grown to become a significant and vital part of the global economy today.” Report authors Eric Prouty and Eric Glover say that confluence of events and trends in the world today are creating a “perfect storm” scenario for the recycling industry. A perfect storm is one that is strong and not to be ignored.

The extensive 50-page report supports this scenario:

--- Recycling Today Makes Economic Sense. Not always, but in many cases, recycling is highly profitable. It is less costly to recycle some metals than it is produce them as new, virgin metals from mining;

--- High Energy Prices are a Long-Term Catalyst for Increased Recycling Rates. The energy savings – 95 percent – in recycling aluminum is one example. Throughout the recycling industry energy is saved compared with producing new materials. Energy costs globally are high and thus encourage the recycling industry to move forward;

--- Emerging Markets Depend on Recycled Materials. About 25% of all scrap that is collected in the US is exported. Producers, particularly in Asia and the Middle East are demanding a steady supply of raw materials, including recycled materials, to manufacture everything from automobiles to electronics to newsprint;

The demand for recycled materials is growing globally.

--- The Scarcity of Natural Resources and the Cost of Mining Them Create Incentives to Recycle. The demand for raw materials is growing faster than the earth can supply them. Recycling is becoming a necessity to feed economic growth. Some nations are hoarding, or attempting to hoard, some raw materials by limiting exports of them. China is an example as are South Africa, Turkey and India;

--- Growing Environmental Concerns Underscore the Necessity of Recycling. Mining can cause the pollution of ground water. Producing raw materials can consume fossil fuels and pollute the air and contribute to greenhouse gas emissions. Recycling is cleaner on all fronts.

The report goes on to offer background and a general overview of the recycling industry as well as cover four sectors within the recycling industry: iron and steel, paper and paperboard, plastics (and its problems), nonferrous metals particularly aluminum. Further, the report looks ahead to growing opportunities in recycling such as single stream recycling (the curbside pickup of all recyclables at once) and e-cycling (recycling electronics) as well as looks at eleven companies within the US recycling industry that Canaccord feels could offer investment opportunities.

Yet there is more to the recycling industry than one report could cover.

Recycling is perhaps the original “green job” and likely the most prominent, with 1.1 million Americans working the recycling field. Job creation is one factor that should encourage more communities to begin, expand recycling programs and encourage more people and businesses to recycle waste materials. Not all recycling programs are direct money makers for the community: The community may not realize any income from the sale of recycled material. Often the benefits to the community are indirect. Where land is scarce to expand landfill dumps, or outsourcing dumping is expensive, recycling can cut those traditional waste disposal costs. Even if recycling isn’t a money maker, creating new business opportunities in recycling can add to a community’s tax base; creating new job opportunities is always a political plus.

Communities that have existing recycling programs can expand them at little cost. More participation by homeowners and businesses will increase the flow of recycled materials and force the increase in the size of recycling and sorting operations while sending a greater flow of recycled materials into the marketplace for them. More participation can be led by greater public outreach, which need not have a high cost.

In short, the recycling industry can grow and prosper by simply doing more of something that many already do.

There are also emerging technologies in recycling. Notable is Plastinum Polymer Technologies method to recycle mixed-plastic streams to produce a hi-tech hybrid virgin plastic. This technology and more end uses for recycled materials in general will lead to a greater market for those raw recycled materials.

High cost, scarcity and growing demand for raw materials as well as job creation and new recycling technologies all combined will continue to aid the growth of the entire recycling industry. Someday the world’s largest consuming nation could become the world’s largest recycling nation and build an even greater recycling industry than it has now.

Recycling - taken to the next level.

2010-09-20T13:11:00.000-07:00

Okay, so maybe everybody isn't going to live on a floating island. All the same, its this sort of thinking that could one day maybe save our planet :)

Enjoy having a look at this fun video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Afp_jobnsNg

Solar Power in Pennsylvania!

2010-08-02T10:56:00.000-07:00

P.A. is leading the way in renewable energy sources, check out this article.
http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/08/01/pennsylvania.pocono.raceway/index.html
"Several hundred thousand dollars a year is what our electric bill is," said Igdalsky, standing next to one of 39,690 solar panels on the farm. "We're spending almost $16 million to put this project in. We're not going to have an electric bill anymore, and we'll also be benefiting the grid when we're not drawing power and supplying energy to the grid that will go to our neighbors' homes ... almost close to a thousand homes with this project."

The Time for Solar Power is Now.

2010-06-14T09:12:00.000-07:00

Lately, it seems like a movement toward green energy sources is becoming mandatory, especially with the limited supply of fossil fuels dwindling now at an exponential rate (*thanks BP*). Headlines voice fears of a slow cleanup, a crippled economy, and devastating effects on our environment. The real question is, once the hole is plugged and the water is cleaned up, how are we going to provide electricity to households and corporations both here and overseas. Once again, the prospect of Solar Power looks bright.

from: http://solarpowerpanels.ws

The BP Oil Spill is spurring discussions on a number of levels – perhaps most importantly with respect to renewable energy. A new webite, www.solarspill.com is encouraging solar energy
alternatives in response to the gulf oil spill disaster.

Created by a group of Florida business people, solarspill.com aims to educate the public about the tremendous solar energy potential. As stated on the site:

The sun “spills” enough energy onto the Earth every 4 minutes to make electricity to meet the needs of the current world population. It is time for solar energy to play a leading role and stop being the under-funded and under-developed understudy.

Instead of continuing to feed our energy needs with dangerous, polluting oil, we could – and should – turn to abundant solar energy alternatives. Enough solar electricity could be generated by covering existing commercial rooftops in America with existing solar technology to address more than 1/3 of our energy demands. If we did so, we’d be ahead of the curve with respect to many states’ renewable portfolio standards that require a certain percentage of electricity to be generated by renewable energy by specified deadlines (for example, California’s renewable portfolio standard requires 33% of its energy to be from renewable sources by the year 2020).
Solar panels

When will solar panels on rooftops become the norm?

According to Yann Brandt of Advanced Green Technologies in Fort Lauderdale, even though its not realistic to expect that 100% of our energy could be from solar power,

“the premise that solar energy cannot play a large role is a falsehood. We could use today’s technology and cover 9,500 square miles of land with solar panels and produce the earth’s electric needs, this area represents about 8% of the New Mexico land and the size of the BP oil spill slick as of May 21st.”

Solar spill.com hopes to raise awareness about the possibilities of solar energy alternatives. I cannot imagine that anyone would believe we can afford another BP oil spill.

Visit www.solarspill.com or www.agt.com for current information, studies, and links concerning solar energy. The site will feature frequent updates of solar energy possibilities compared to the amount of oil spilled in the gulf from the BP disaster.

Doctor Computer

2010-03-29T11:27:00.001-07:00

If your computer is seeking the attention of a professional, we strongly recommend

Doctor Computer
www.doctorcomputer.com
(877)-HELP-MY-PC

IEEE event coming soon!

2010-02-08T09:59:00.000-08:00

Had an great experience at last year's event. Be sure to check it out this time around!

University of Buffalo leads mission to analyze structures in Haiti January 22, 2010

2010-01-25T11:14:00.000-08:00

(courtesy of www.gostructural.com)

BUFFALO, N.Y. — The powerful aftershock that hit the already devastated city of Port au Prince on Jan. 20 has only intensified Haiti's need for French-speaking structural engineers who can immediately determine which of the structures left standing may still pose a threat to human safety. One of the first such missions has now begun, led by Andre Filiatrault, PhD, University of Buffalo professor of civil, structural and environmental engineering and director of the Multidisciplinary Center for Earthquake Engineering Research (MCEER), headquartered at UB. Filiatrault is working in partnership with Appropriate Infrastructure Development Group (AIDG), a national organization that helps provide developing countries with affordable renewable energy, sanitation and clean water.
Filiatrault together with a team of 10 architects and engineers from U.S. educational institutions and private engineering firms will embark on a mission to determine which of Haiti's most critical structures - particularly its hospitals and ports - are safe to enter, and which pose a danger.
"We are going to Haiti at a time when the need for skilled, French-speaking engineers is dire," says Filiatrault. "A key piece of the recovery process depends on assessing the physical safety of critical infrastructure."
Filiatrault notes that while MCEER has conducted numerous reconnaissance missions since its inception in 1986, this AIDG-MCEER Haiti Earthquake Engineering Relief Mission is the first direct relief mission in which MCEER has been involved; MCEER's primary focus is conducting multidisciplinary, multi-hazard research and education.
"The sole purpose of these missions is humanitarian, to ensure the safety and welfare of Haitian citizens," he says. "We are taking the knowledge of earthquake engineers at MCEER, UB and in the engineering profession at large, and applying it at a time when it is most urgently needed."
On Jan. 15, Filiatrault and his colleagues began an intensive effort to identify and screen French-speaking civil and structural engineers willing to travel to Haiti in the coming days and weeks to perform inspections of key buildings.
After reaching out to more than 3,000 MCEER constituents in the U.S. and Canada earthquake engineering community, Filiatrault and MCEER colleagues received an overwhelming response; more than 150 French-speaking engineers were willing and able to go.
Over the weekend, MCEER and AIDG put together the initial team; of its 10 members, at least three are native Haitian engineers, who also speak Creole, the official language of Haiti.
Travel arrangements are being coordinated by MCEER and UB staff working with AIDG, the United Nations Development Programme, Food for Health and other international relief agencies working in Haiti.
Additional teams may depart in the coming weeks as well.
Once in Haiti, the engineers will provide recommendations for tagging buildings as either safe or unsafe, according to the tagging methodology that follows the U.S.-based Applied Technical Council's ATC-20 Post-Earthquake Safety Evaluation of Buildings.
Filiatrault said that in the U.S. such inspections are typically performed by government agencies, such as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
MCEER has translated into French the signage that team members will take with them to Haiti, signage that describes whether or not a building is safe to enter.
"In Haiti, the damage the country has sustained to its infrastructure and to its population is so extensive that it is largely up to the international community to conduct these inspections," he says. "Once we have assessed the safety of the most critical structures, then those facilities that are deemed safe can be fully utilized for relief efforts, in particular hospitals, food storage and distribution centers and ports."
He says that Haiti's ports -- which sustained major damage – are particularly critical to the nation's economic recovery. A pioneering experiment on the ability of port container cranes to withstand damage from earthquakes was conducted recently in UB's Structural Engineering and Earthquake Simulation Laboratory by Reginald DesRoches of Georgia Tech, one of the AIDG-MCEER team members traveling to Haiti.
MCEER has provided each team member with information on preparing post-disaster reconnaissance kits, which must include supplies of water and water purification tablets, steel-toe shoes, dust masks, sleeping bags and first aid kits, among many other items. The center also is providing each team member with information on safety, health and security concerns.
"We are extraordinarily sensitive to the fact that we are going into a situation where people are desperate," says Filiatrault. "Our purpose is to provide the country with our expertise as efficiently as we can so that Haiti's recovery effort can proceed as rapidly as possible."
Donations for this mission are being accepted through MCEER's Web site.
Founded in 1986, MCEER, the Multidisciplinary Center for Earthquake Engineering Research, headquartered at the University at Buffalo, is a national center of excellence in advanced technology applications dedicated to reducing losses from earthquake and other hazards nationwide. One of three such centers in the nation established by the National

Government Contracts: time to sharpen the prospecting shovel

2009-10-30T14:50:00.000-07:00

So you want to get your company off the ground? Guy Timberlake, the Chief Visionary and Chief Executive Officer of The American Small Business Coalition (The ASBC), recently posed the big question: How Do You Ensure You Get In On The Action? The question assumes there is some 'action' to join. Relationships between firms requires time - and projects - to develop. Here are some of the responses:
http://www.linkedin.com/answers/government-non-profit/government-contracts/GOV_GCT/118686-247152

Connecting your solar system to the utility

2009-10-05T09:19:00.000-07:00

Once you’ve selected your solar panel system and have committed to the installation, the installer will require an electrical permit for installation. In New Jersey, a licensed electrician with a business permit is required to install solar panels and to connect the system to the utility. Your certified solar technician cannot apply for a construction permit unless he or she possesses the proper electrical qualifications as defined by the State. The Uniform Construction Code (N.J.A.C 5:23-2.15(b)2) instructs that electrical work shall not be undertaken except by persons licensed to perform such work (except in the case of a single family homeowner on his or her own dwelling).Similar requirements exist in NY and PA as well.

Here is why: Solar Photovoltaic (SPV) systems are inherently electrical work since they are a series of components that generate, transmit and utilities electrical energy.

Additionally, if your SPV system is for building structure Groups other than R-1 (single family residential), the Code enforcement official may require signed and sealed engineered drawings as part of the permit application to show how the system connects to the utility meter and the building electrical system. These drawings address different electrical issues from the SPV drawings that are prepared by solar system vendors.

If you require engineered sealed electrical drawings, contact us at info@milestoneseng.com or give us a call at 973.794.3445. Our engineers are licensed in NJ, NY and PA.

August News

2009-08-12T11:37:00.000-07:00

Somerset Medical Facility called MEPC to discuss the requirements for various electrical upgrades throughout the facility.

June Newsletter.

2009-06-22T07:54:00.001-07:00

Here at Milestones, we are dedicated to the future, which to us means an earth friendly, green approach to engineering. We are excited about our next project, the details of which will be made public soon! For the time being, check out these excellent articles on solar energy, and get in touch with us if your project could benefit from the latest technology of money-saving sustainable design.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_thermal_energy

http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/Investing/SuperModels/ItsSolarPowersTimeToShine.aspx?page=1

http://www.powerfromthesun.net/Chapter10/Chapter10new.htm

-MEPC

San Francisco IEEE / IAS Seminar

2009-05-06T14:53:00.000-07:00

Energy Efficiency – Green Design Considerations
http://www.e-grid.net/docs/0905-green.pdf.

Networking Night & Awards Reception at NJIT

2009-04-21T10:26:00.000-07:00

Haila will support the Faculity, Staff and SWE members to greet the Fall 09 students and their families at the Networking Night & Awards Reception held Thursday April 30 in the Faculty/Staff Dining Hall in the Campus Center from 5:30 to 7:30P.M.

NJIT Panel Speaks out for the Planet

2009-04-04T10:33:00.000-07:00

Haila participated in the “Women Taking the Lead in Saving Our Planet” panel discussion held at NJIT on March 30, 2009.

I think we're just natural entrepreneurs

2009-04-04T10:06:00.001-07:00

In this business, you have to embrace the unknown and run with it. We found these very links refreshing. Someone out there understands!

http://www.chelseagreen.com/content/from-learned-helplessness-to-empowered-entrepreneur-in-six-steps/

http://www.odemagazine.com/doc/62/recession-and-entrepreneurship/

Press for MEPC.

2009-03-30T07:51:00.000-07:00

Haila Hudson - Interview / Award:

"In honor of her achievements, the Newark College of Engineering (NCE) recently gave Hudson an Outstanding Alumna Award. In this interview, Hudson discusses her degrees, her business and her path breaking career." - New Jersey Institute of Technology

Check out the whole article here: http://www.njit.edu/features/alumni/hailahudson.php

Check out Volunteer engineers turn a house into a home. from Real Estate Weekly. Where MEPC does volunteer work in New Jersey with the The Rebuilding Together Organization http://www.allbusiness.com/operations/facilities-commercial-real-estate/205162-1.html

Check out the Article on entrepreneur.com here: http://www.entrepreneur.com/tradejournals/article/print/121209276.html

MEPC 2009

2009-03-23T12:07:00.000-07:00

Hello and welcome to the website!

Milestones Engineering is a full service engineering firm located in northern New Jersey.
We are committed to delivering high quality results, within budget, and on aggressive deadlines - our goal is to exceed our client's expectations with every job we take on.

Have a look at our portfolio, and get in touch if you feel that we are a good fit to work together.

Yours Truly,
MEPC