Articles

A preliminary decision by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) not to define nonhazardous secondary materials (byproducts, if you will) recycled by manufacturers for heat recovery as solid waste has set off a brouhaha....

Utility-grade turbines can be constructed of as many as 22 major component groups and 8,000 subcomponents, creating a multitude of manufacturing opportunities. Here, ironworker John Hammack installs components for Blattner Energy on a NextEra...

This article is a continuation of “ Anatomy of a wind turbine .”   Work Large Gears for utility-scale wind turbine applications are very large in diameter—up to 70 inches—and have face widths up to 56 in....

A fuel cell is an electrochemical device that combines hydrogen fuel and oxygen from the air to produce electricity, heat, and water. Photo courtesy of FuelCell Energy, Danbury, Conn. Stationary fuel cells increasingly have been making...

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A motor efficiency controller cut the average kilowatt consumption on escalators in Caesars Palace and Bellagio casinos by more than a third. The same technology improves energy efficiency in conveyors, elevators, crushers, and shredders....

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Situation Gage Products Co. is a supplier of sustainable solvent manufacturing and remanufacturing systems located in Ferndale, Mich. When the company decided to build a new chemical solvent tank farm in a densely populated...

Situation HelioVolt, based in Austin, Texas, is a new company that produces thin-film solar PV modules for commercial rooftop, utility-scale ground mount, residential, BIPV, and custom installations. The copper indium gallium...

Situation A Texas-based oil and gas company recently formed a team to focus on coolant cleanliness as a means to cut costs and increase plant safety and ecofriendliness. As coolant runs through machinery, it picks up metal fines...

Situation The Greenfield South Power Plant, being developed in Mississauga, Ont., Canada, by Eastern Power Ltd., will supply power to greater Toronto. The 280-MW facility is a combined natural gas plant that nets extra efficiency by...

Myth: Biodiesel is an experimental fuel and has not been thoroughly tested. Fact: Biodiesel is one of the most thoroughly tested alternative fuels on the market. A number of independent studies performed by the U.S. DOE,...

Earlier this year Miller Bonded began construction of its new pipe fabrication facility, which managers expect will achieve gold-level LEED certification. Miller Bonded’s new pipe fabrication plant will have ample bicycle...

Situation Rexburg, Idaho-based machine builder AMET Inc. is a developer and integrator of welding systems. The company recently began designing a new generation of custom welding systems to create 300-ft.-tall wind turbine...

Efforts apparently have fallen short—at least near-term—to include an amendment providing rebates to manufacturers that purchase energy-saving lighting, cooling, and heating equipment for their production facilities that result in...

AGS Technology President Christopher Racelis says the company has developed the most sustainable—and cost-effective—way to mold quality plastic components using recycled raw material. When most people see McDonald’s golden arches,...

Until recently the perception has persisted that electric and hybrid electric vehicles could not parallel the power and the speed of combustion engine-powered vehicles. Then along comes a gleaming, powerful, strap-yourself-in hybrid...

Situation A large U.S. manufacturer of thin-film solar panels recently had a requirement to automate the optical inspection of glass solar panels using a specialized camera. To meet this requirement, the company required a multiaxis...

If an image is not displayed, click the hyperlinked figure number to view it. The methyl ester (biodiesel) formed by transesterification is decanted in two large horizontal vessels to separate it from the glycerin byproduct....

Situation The color coat line at the Corus (formerly British Steel) Shotton Works in Flintshire, U.K., produces painted steel strip by applying paint and drying it in an oven system. The finished materials are used in the construction...

Situation Federated Co-operative Ltd., a retail cooperative with members throughout western Canada, operates retail shops, fueling stations, building material supply centers, and refineries, occupying numerous warehouse spaces to...

Situation Pyron Solar III LLC, based in San Diego, manufactures the Pyron Solar Triad, a patented solar concentrator photovoltaic (CPV) system that harnesses the sun’s energy with high energy conversion and unlimited scalability....

If an image is not displayed, click the hyperlinked figure number to view it. Figure 1 This SWIFT Wind Turbine is a prime example of a building-mounted wind turbine. The turbine is 7 feet in diameter and has a 16-ft. aluminum...

If an image is not displayed, click the hyperlinked figure number to view it. Figure 1 Gary Williams, DMI Industries general manager, Tulsa, Okla., facility (left), and Stefan Nilsson, the company president (right), stand before...

Upgraded lamps, ballasts, fixtures, and smart controls in your plant can reduce energy consumption substantially. Updating and upgrading your facility’s lighting system is an excellent way to cut costs and reduce your...

Craft brewer Boulevard Brewery is located in a turn-of-the-century brick building on Kansas City, Mo.’s historic Southwest Boulevard. You might say the building has been recycled—or at least, reused. It’s not surprising, then,...

Figure Paul Rak, president of VeriForm, an industrial capital equipment manufacturing company, said his one-time investment of $46,186 between 2006 and 2008 has reduced energy costs by more than 58 percent—$89,152...

Situation Aqua Lung is a manufacturer of recreational diving and snorkeling equipment with headquarters in Vista, Calif. The company wanted to reduce its utility costs and improve working conditions for employees by...

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) will fund two new building energy efficiency research programs—both of them offshoots of innovative DOE programs that have gotten under way in the past few years. One is a $130 million program to...

First Solar Rooftop Installation Three thin-film solar panel manufacturers are depressing solar energy costs with continuous manufacturing processes, roll-to-roll deposition, and ingenious building integration installations. Photo courtesy...

Biodiesel cuts CO² emissions by 78 percent, is made from renewable resources and can be operated in any diesel engine with little or no modification to the engine or the fuel system. 1. What is biodiesel? Biodiesel is the name...

Biobased fuels and materials need to match oil in scale, as well as costs and properties, according to Lux Research Inc. Biofuels and biomaterials are hotly pursued for strategic and environmental reasons, but for them to replace...

Minimum quantity lubrication (MQL) and near-dry machining eliminate excess lubricant by applying only a small amount of quality lubricant directly to the interface between the cutting tool and workpiece. The use of fluids and...

If an image is not displayed, click the hyperlinked figure number to view it. DMI Industries has become a premier wind tower manufacturer in North America, supplying utility-scale wind turbine manufacturers. (Photo courtesy of DMI...

If an image is not displayed, click the hyperlinked figure number to view it. Superefficient motors, such as this one operating a centrifugal fan, can save substantial energy and meet new legislative standards. Motor...

Figure 1 A regenerator is installed at an industrial facility. The device can produce electricity from the exhausted air of dust collectors. Anyone who's read Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged is familiar with the question and probably will...

Extension of Green Tax Credit for Manufacturers Likely Both President Obama and members of Congress seem resolute about replenishing the green tax credit for manufacturers approved as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act...

Rooftop solar arrays are best installed on a large, flat roof. They can be either penetrating (shown) or nonpenetrating installation systems. (Photo courtesy of Borrego Solar Systems, El Cajon, Calif.) Solar energy is hot!...

Paul Bosler, Fuchs Lubricants Minimal Impact. Simple answers and simple categories don’t necessarily spell out the entire spirit and purpose of green initiatives.In a nutshell, a green lubricant is one that is manufactured, used,...

Situation In fall 2008 Colson Caster Corp. of Jonesboro, Ark., saw layoffs and company closures begin to hit local businesses and its own customers nationwide. The company, a manufacturer of standard and custom application...

Manufacturers that are interested in being ecoresponsible sometimes are wary that their efforts and resulting changes may be costly. They fear that modifying their facilities and processes to reach greener pastures will require expensive...