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Windpower and sustainable landscape planning | Gardenvisit.com Blog

I know of one excellent publication on the physics of sustainable energy David MacKay’s Sustainable energy without hot air (though his website suggests he lacks expertise in graphic design!). He calculates that ‘If we covered the windiest 10% of the country with windmills (delivering 2 W/m2), we would be able to generate 20 kWh/day per person, which is half of the power used by driving an average fossil-fuel car 50 km per day.’ Current energy consumption is about 125 kWh/day and MacKay calculates that, because of wind-speed variation, if the entire UK was covered with wind turbines it would be possible to generate 200KWh/day.  I do not think we should do this. The sensible steps towards more-sustainable energy use are (1) plan cities for cycle commuting (2) insulate buildings properly (3) tax bottled mineral water as heavily as alcoholic drinks.

But how can air conditioning costs be reduced in hot countries? Ideas welcome! Here are some suggestions (1) We used to have a refrigerator which was operated by dripping water onto a porous outer casing. The latent heat of evaporation cooled the inside.  Could this work for buildings? (2) In West Asia windcatchers (Persian: بادگیر ) have long been used for sustainable air conditioning. This is now the part of world with the best supplies of oil, but the technology could be exported  (3) apply even higher insulation standards than in cold countries, to keep the heat out (4) use heat pumps to refrigerate buildings - and generate electricity from the waste heat (5) use vegetation to shield the building from direct solar radiation

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Global Solar Technology - Tanner Creek Energy announces the ...

Tanner Creek Energy, a general contractor and project developer of Commercial and Industrial scale solar electric systems, announced today the completion of a 33.6 kW grid-tied solar system at Pacific Landscape Management. Pacific Landscape Management, one of the leading landscape contractors in the northwest, reports that the solar system generates 95% of its electricity usage. The Hillsboro, OR company contracted with Tanner Creek in its efforts to lessen its environmental impact via energy efficiency improvements and the use of renewable energy. The effort is part of Pacific Landscape Management's Sustainable Landscape Solutions initiative, which in addition to solar, includes reengineering its landscaping services practice, greening its facility and expanded recycling programs. Bob Grover, one of Pacific Landscape's founders said, "We were more than pleased with Tanner Creek Energy. They were professional, efficient and were flexible in working around our daily warehouse operations during the installation." One of the deciding factors in the commercial landscaping company's decision to work with Tanner Creek Energy to design and install its roof-mounted system was its commitment to the local Oregon economy. Alan Hickenbottom, founder of Tanner Creek Energy stated, "We're excited about our work with Pacific Landscape Management because they're truly committed to sustainability. Their impact on the local quality of life and environmental stewardship goes beyond their internal business practices. They're providing innovative, earth-friendly landscaping services to their commercial and industrial customers in the Northwest."

Source: Global Solar Technology - Tanner Creek Energy announces the ...