- 2.5 gallons: The amount of water per person much of the world is allocated.
- 400 gallons: The amount of water per person used by the average American citizen; 30 percent of this is used for outdoor purposes, such as watering the lawn.
- 70 percent: The amount of worldwide water use that is allocated to farming; most of these farming irrigation systems operate at only 40 percent efficiency. According to a 2002 article by Lester Brown, aquifers are depleting all over the world—in China by 2-3 metres per year. In the US, the Ogallala aquifer is shrinking rapidly. In India, aquifers are going down by 3 metres per year, in Mexico by 3.3 meters per year.
- 263: The number of rivers that either cross or demarcate international political boundaries, in addition to countless aquifers. According to the Atlas of International Freshwater Agreement, 90 percent of countries in the world must share these water basins with at least one or two other states. Major conflicts such as Darfur have been connected to water shortages, and lack of access to clean water.
- 1430: Gallons of water per capita in the United States; only 100 gallons of that is household use per person as most is used for agriculture, according to water expert Peter Gleick.
- 88 percent: Of deaths from diarrhea are caused from unsafe drinking water, inadequate availability of water for hygiene, and lack of access to sanitation; this translates to more than 1.5 million of the 1.9 million children under five who perish from diarrhea each year. This amounts to 18% of all under-five deaths and means that more than 4,000 children are dying every day as a result of diarrhoeal diseases.
- $11.3 billion: The amount of money required to provide basic levels of service for drinking and waste water in Africa and Asia.
- $35 billion: the amount of money spent on bottled water in the most developed countries in the world.
- 1.5 million: Barrels of crude oil used for making PET water bottles, globally. This is enough oil to fuel 100,000 American cars for a year.
- 2.7 tons: The amount of plastic used to bottle water. 86 percent become garbage or litter.
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Water conservation fact
Give credit to planet green
Water conservation
Give credit to planetgreen .discovery.
Where does it come from?
The water cycle is the process by which water circulates around, over, and through the Earth. It is driven by the sun, evaporating water from the oceans, rising through the atmosphere and condensing as pure water or snow. About 505,000 cubic kilometers of water fall on the earth each year, 398,000 over the oceans. The pure water is stored as ice, as water in lakes, and in aquifers that have taken thousands of years to fill. 97% of water is stored in the oceans; 2% in the ice caps; only 1% is in lakes, groundwater or other useable sources. We draw on surface water (lakes and rivers) subsurface (groundwater through pumping) and a small amount is made (very expensively) through desalination. Read more about the water cycle at Wikipedia.
What is done to it?
Sometimes very little. Where the water sources are pure, like in New York City, very little is actually necessary. Other municipalities put their water through a three stage system of Primary Treatment (collecting and screening), Secondary Treatment (removal of solids and contaminants using filters and coagulation), and Tertiary Treatment (carbon filtering and disinfection). It is then stored in reservoirs or water towers so that it can be gravity-fed through the system.
Is it really pure?
While the consensus is that, overall, tap water is better than bottled water for you and the environment, there are some concerns. Older houses and apartment buildings may have lead plumbing which can contaminate it via pipes, solder, and old brass fittings. There is also a growing convern about low levels of antibiotics from agriculture and people disposing of medication down the toilet. Gender-bender hormones from birth control pills, along with phthalates from vinyl, are entering the water system and changing the sex of fish http://www.raysapoint.com/contra.html , lowering the sperm count of men, and doubling the number of annual male breast reduction surgeries.
Where does it go?
Too often, waster is just dumped. Often it enters combined systems that are overwhelmed when it rains. Where there is sewage treatment it is of variable quality, but a properly run modern plant can produce results that are fairly effective. The systems are designed to mimic natural treatment processes where bacteria consume the organic contaminants, and it can then be returned to lakes or as groundwater. Unfortunately, in sub-Saharan Africa almost no waste water is treated; in Latin America only about 15% is. The price is paid in diarrhea, typhus and cholera.
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Total energy optimization
Give credit to megtac.com
MEGTEC offers heat recovery systems to improve equipment performance, process improvements and reliability with efficiency:
MEGTEC offers heat recovery systems to improve equipment performance, process improvements and reliability with efficiency:
- Minimize plant energy consumption through optimized air flow management
- Increase productivity through process machine enhancements
- Reduce operating costs
- Improve performance
- Energy audits to help maximize process capacity and optimize process integration
- Secondary heat recovery
- Process and plant heating/cooling
Building energy optimization program
Give credit to pse.com
Building owners and managers can take advantage of PSE’s program for Building Energy Optimization which offers funding to evaluate the operation of existing building systems to provide you with cost-effective energy-efficiency recommendations. PSE’s Building Energy Optimization can make existing buildings more energy efficient without any major capital expense.
Building Energy Optimization program for commissioning of existing buildings
Overview
Changes in occupancy and use can challenge the original operation of building systems. System settings and changes made to address small problems and comfort issues can create inefficiencies that impact your energy bill.Building owners and managers can take advantage of PSE’s program for Building Energy Optimization which offers funding to evaluate the operation of existing building systems to provide you with cost-effective energy-efficiency recommendations. PSE’s Building Energy Optimization can make existing buildings more energy efficient without any major capital expense.
Process
Professional commissioning agents, working as a team with your operating staff, will investigate energy use patterns, lighting and HVAC system performance, along with operational and maintenance practices to identify efficiency recommendations. Implementing these recommendations will often be so cost effective that payback is less than two years.PSE’s Building Energy Optimization program consists of six components, with the greatest financial incentives for building owners who complete the entire process:
- Scoping (is Building Energy Optimization appropriate for your building?)
- Investigation and recommended improvements
- Implementation of improvements
- Verification of improvements
- Systems manual and training for facility staff
- First year energy performance monitoring and persistence of improvements
Benefits and incentives
- Incentives of up to 100 percent of commissioning fees
- Low-cost improvements with payback of less than 2 years
- Expected energy reduction of 5-20 percent
- Systems manual and training to help facilities staff maintain efficient operations over time
- Improve your building’s ENERGY STAR® rating
- Reduce your annual energy costs
How to turn your facilities green
Give credit to maintenance world.com
How to turn your facility green
By Cassie Quaintance, Energy Market Segment Manager, Schneider Electric
posted 1-26-09
Industrial facilities are going “green” in increasing numbers. This is good news for the environment, but with energy prices the way they are, it’s more likely that many sustainability initiatives in the industrial market are being driven by companies’ bottom lines. In many cases, internal sustainability projects won’t get senior management approval based solely on a positive environmental impact. Going green very often must mean saving green, and this is possible when you successfully implement energy efficiency initiatives that reduce energy consumption.
Front-End Analysis And Setting Goals
A good first step in any energy optimization project is to perform a comprehensive energy analysis, where energy experts examine the energy usage patterns and demands of a facility and identify opportunities to improve energy efficiency. Projects are then prioritized based on the initial cost and expected payback period, and those with the greatest potential savings and quickest payback should be among the first to be undertaken. Another factor to consider is that with higher energy prices, the expected payback time of energy efficiency initiatives has dropped by 30 percent in the last five years, expanding the list of viable projects to implement.
Getting management approval to undertake those identified energy efficiency projects is not always an easy task. Find out ahead of time what financial model your company uses to make investment decisions, then present projects within that framework. If this isn’t possible, explain other advantages such as reduced maintenance costs, increased comfort, and indoor air quality, and translate proposed savings into environmental goals such as potential greenhouse gas (GHG) reductions. Documenting these side benefits increases your chances of getting a project approved.
After projects begin, facility managers should report new energy usage patterns and the resulting savings on a monthly basis. Schedule a quarterly conference call where energy teams at each of the facilities share information or set up meetings once a year to discuss best practices that have been established and how they can be replicated companywide. Don’t be shy about communicating results from energy efficiency initiatives companywide in order to generate support for future projects.
Fix The Basics: “Passive” Energy Efficiency Initiatives
Typically, a complete energy analysis will include recommendations to improve the most basic electrical issues. Examples of this may be to replace existing equipment with lower consumption devices and to fix leaks and add insulation. Oftentimes energy efficient lighting upgrades are among the first projects undertaken, largely because of their quick return on investment. Also, adding insulation in major heat loss areas is one of the easiest and most effective areas for improvement.
Power reliability also remains a major concern among industrial manufacturers as electrical supply disruption can cost a plant millions of dollars due to lost production time and equipment damage. It’s important to ensure all upgrades improve the efficiency and maintain or even increase the system reliability. Of course, power reliability means more than just a steady supply of electricity, it also means ensuring a high level of power quality, free of spikes, sags, swells, harmonics, or other transients that can damage equipment or cause it to fail prematurely.
Maximizing Savings Through “Active” Energy Efficiency Initiatives
Some of the first energy-saving steps a facility can take are also some of the simplest and least expensive. Often requiring little or no investment, a focus should be placed on possible behavioral changes such as shutting down production equipment and lighting when not in use to reduce energy. However, you may find that asking people to modify their behavior does not return reliable results. Instead, consider installing devices that automate the control of equipment, such as turning off devices when not needed and regulating motors or heating at the optimized level. This is known as implementing active energy efficiency initiatives, and typical energy savings for these initiatives can be up to 30 percent.
For example, lighting controls can represent significant savings in your facility. Consider installing occupancy and light-level sensors in conjunction with lighting control software so that lights are automatically turned on and off using either a predetermined schedule or based on input devices.
Motor loads often represent the largest opportunity for energy savings and it is a good idea to look at ways to reduce the power consumption of the motors used in HVAC systems and manufacturing processes. Consider installing variable frequency drives, which provide improved control over motor operations and the ability to run at only a percentage of the motor speed, resulting in less power being used in the application.
Use Monitoring For Better Energy Management: “System” Energy Efficiency Initiatives
It’s likely that numerous energy efficiency projects will be considered and implemented in your facility to contribute to overall energy savings. In order to maximize these savings and know which projects to implement first, it is vital to benchmark energy consumption and track savings by project. Be sure to install circuit monitors, which allow for up-to-the-minute energy usage and quality readings in addition to long-term trending. Metering is critical to identifying demand savings opportunities and gives managers the data necessary to identify energy efficiency opportunities and validate savings.
If you already have a power monitoring system, one way to take it to the next level is to integrate those devices into an energy management software system. For plant managers, such software can help manage energy in financial terms, as well as benchmark and compare facility performance across all its operations to identify energy inefficiencies or losses. This type of software is also beneficial in meeting corporate environmental stewardship goals and even has the ability to monitor greenhouse gas emissions – by collecting pertinent data and converting energy reductions to equivalent carbon emissions.
A Case Study In Energy Efficiency
In 2004, Schneider Electric began an energy optimization project employing the actions and ideas above, focusing primarily on 21 of its facilities spread across the United States, Mexico, and Canada. The program set out with an ambitious goal of reducing energy consumption per employee by ten percent from 2004 to 2008.
Using many of its own products and solutions, Schneider Electric was able to realize an energy savings from 2005 through August 2008 that totaled more than $5.1 million. In addition, the company’s goal of reducing energy consumption per employee by ten percent by 2008 was met two years ahead of schedule.
Beyond the cost savings, Schneider Electric looked at its results and equated the savings into something other than money. It was figured that the energy initiatives avoided 5,454 tons of CO2 emissions and a ten percent reduction in greenhouse gases. In other words, the company saved enough electricity to power 655 average homes, or the equivalent of annual emissions from 906 passenger vehicles, or 11,506 barrels of oil.
For companies willing to invest the time and resources to energy efficiency initiatives, the payback can be dramatic to both your bottom line, but also to your impact on the environment
Energy Optimization
How to turn your facility green
By Cassie Quaintance, Energy Market Segment Manager, Schneider Electric
posted 1-26-09
 Going green very often must mean saving green, and this is possible when you successfully implement energy efficiency initiatives that reduce energy consumption. |
Front-End Analysis And Setting Goals
A good first step in any energy optimization project is to perform a comprehensive energy analysis, where energy experts examine the energy usage patterns and demands of a facility and identify opportunities to improve energy efficiency. Projects are then prioritized based on the initial cost and expected payback period, and those with the greatest potential savings and quickest payback should be among the first to be undertaken. Another factor to consider is that with higher energy prices, the expected payback time of energy efficiency initiatives has dropped by 30 percent in the last five years, expanding the list of viable projects to implement.
Getting management approval to undertake those identified energy efficiency projects is not always an easy task. Find out ahead of time what financial model your company uses to make investment decisions, then present projects within that framework. If this isn’t possible, explain other advantages such as reduced maintenance costs, increased comfort, and indoor air quality, and translate proposed savings into environmental goals such as potential greenhouse gas (GHG) reductions. Documenting these side benefits increases your chances of getting a project approved.
After projects begin, facility managers should report new energy usage patterns and the resulting savings on a monthly basis. Schedule a quarterly conference call where energy teams at each of the facilities share information or set up meetings once a year to discuss best practices that have been established and how they can be replicated companywide. Don’t be shy about communicating results from energy efficiency initiatives companywide in order to generate support for future projects.
Fix The Basics: “Passive” Energy Efficiency Initiatives
Typically, a complete energy analysis will include recommendations to improve the most basic electrical issues. Examples of this may be to replace existing equipment with lower consumption devices and to fix leaks and add insulation. Oftentimes energy efficient lighting upgrades are among the first projects undertaken, largely because of their quick return on investment. Also, adding insulation in major heat loss areas is one of the easiest and most effective areas for improvement.
Power reliability also remains a major concern among industrial manufacturers as electrical supply disruption can cost a plant millions of dollars due to lost production time and equipment damage. It’s important to ensure all upgrades improve the efficiency and maintain or even increase the system reliability. Of course, power reliability means more than just a steady supply of electricity, it also means ensuring a high level of power quality, free of spikes, sags, swells, harmonics, or other transients that can damage equipment or cause it to fail prematurely.
Maximizing Savings Through “Active” Energy Efficiency Initiatives
Some of the first energy-saving steps a facility can take are also some of the simplest and least expensive. Often requiring little or no investment, a focus should be placed on possible behavioral changes such as shutting down production equipment and lighting when not in use to reduce energy. However, you may find that asking people to modify their behavior does not return reliable results. Instead, consider installing devices that automate the control of equipment, such as turning off devices when not needed and regulating motors or heating at the optimized level. This is known as implementing active energy efficiency initiatives, and typical energy savings for these initiatives can be up to 30 percent.
For example, lighting controls can represent significant savings in your facility. Consider installing occupancy and light-level sensors in conjunction with lighting control software so that lights are automatically turned on and off using either a predetermined schedule or based on input devices.
Motor loads often represent the largest opportunity for energy savings and it is a good idea to look at ways to reduce the power consumption of the motors used in HVAC systems and manufacturing processes. Consider installing variable frequency drives, which provide improved control over motor operations and the ability to run at only a percentage of the motor speed, resulting in less power being used in the application.
Use Monitoring For Better Energy Management: “System” Energy Efficiency Initiatives
It’s likely that numerous energy efficiency projects will be considered and implemented in your facility to contribute to overall energy savings. In order to maximize these savings and know which projects to implement first, it is vital to benchmark energy consumption and track savings by project. Be sure to install circuit monitors, which allow for up-to-the-minute energy usage and quality readings in addition to long-term trending. Metering is critical to identifying demand savings opportunities and gives managers the data necessary to identify energy efficiency opportunities and validate savings.
If you already have a power monitoring system, one way to take it to the next level is to integrate those devices into an energy management software system. For plant managers, such software can help manage energy in financial terms, as well as benchmark and compare facility performance across all its operations to identify energy inefficiencies or losses. This type of software is also beneficial in meeting corporate environmental stewardship goals and even has the ability to monitor greenhouse gas emissions – by collecting pertinent data and converting energy reductions to equivalent carbon emissions.
A Case Study In Energy Efficiency
In 2004, Schneider Electric began an energy optimization project employing the actions and ideas above, focusing primarily on 21 of its facilities spread across the United States, Mexico, and Canada. The program set out with an ambitious goal of reducing energy consumption per employee by ten percent from 2004 to 2008.
Using many of its own products and solutions, Schneider Electric was able to realize an energy savings from 2005 through August 2008 that totaled more than $5.1 million. In addition, the company’s goal of reducing energy consumption per employee by ten percent by 2008 was met two years ahead of schedule.
Beyond the cost savings, Schneider Electric looked at its results and equated the savings into something other than money. It was figured that the energy initiatives avoided 5,454 tons of CO2 emissions and a ten percent reduction in greenhouse gases. In other words, the company saved enough electricity to power 655 average homes, or the equivalent of annual emissions from 906 passenger vehicles, or 11,506 barrels of oil.
For companies willing to invest the time and resources to energy efficiency initiatives, the payback can be dramatic to both your bottom line, but also to your impact on the environment
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