Environmental Engineering Commons^™

2010 Fall Engr333 Project Final Report, 2010 Fall Engr333

ENGR 333

Calvin College dorms have a chronic issue with wasting energy. The dorms have little insulation, high infiltration rates, and are heated by low efficiency boilers. These existing characteristics combine for a larger required heating load and increased energy usage. The excess heat, due to poor temperature control, is often vented out through the windows whenever students deem necessary. This project will attempt to reduce wasted energy and efficiently distribute heat as needed.

The Thermal Systems Design class of 2010 was challenged with retrofitting the Bolt-Heyns-Timmer (BHT) dorm to decrease energy consumption and improve efficiency. The class was presented with the …

Agenda: 2010 World Energy Justice Conference: Emerging Solutions For The Energy Poor: Technological, Entrepreneurial And Institutional Challenges, University Of Colorado Boulder. Center For Energy & Environmental Security, Colorado Journal Of International Environmental Law And Policy

2010 World Energy Justice Conference (November 5)

This conference is a sequel to the 2009 World Energy Justice Conference (WEJC 2009) which began examining ways of mainstreaming safe, clean, and efficient energy for the world's Energy Poor (EP). The EP number two and a half billion people living on less than $1-2 a day who have no access to modern energy services. WEJC 2010 more fully develops these themes. WEJC 2010 will explore how the next round of global warming meetings in Cancun could design new flexibility mechanisms that give credits, for example, for the reduction of black carbon by the adoption of cookstoves, and embrace small …

Culvert Material Cost Comparison, New England Environmental Finance Center

Water

The following tables provide a detailed look at the role that culvert material and culvert diameter play in the overall cost of a culvert replacement project.

Culvert Material Cost Comparison, New England Environmental Finance Center

Economics and Finance

The following tables provide a detailed look at the role that culvert material and culvert diameter play in the overall cost of a culvert replacement project. Table 1 displays the cost per foot purchase price arranged by diameter size for the various culvert materials that are currently available. Table 2 displays the average additional culvert pipe material cost (increased cost to upsize minus original in-kind replacement cost) that would be incurred when upsizing a given diameter of culvert with a 50 foot length by factors of: 200%, 250% and 300%.

2010 Fall Engr333 Project Assignment, Matthew K. Heun

ENGR 333

The Fall 2010 ENGR333 project focused on heating and air-conditioning in campus dormitories, which are notoriously leaky and inefficient.

I asked the students “What would it take to retrofit the Bolt-Heyns-Timmer (BHT) dormitory heating and air-conditioning systems in a manner that achieves LEED certification?”

Customer

The customer for this project was Calvin’s VP for finance Henry DeVries.

Construction Cost Models, Barry Dikeman

Economics and Finance

The following are a series of cost estimate models similar in format to a typical engineer’s estimate that were developed in support of our financial impact assessment report for LD 1725. The models us current material costs, labor costs, and equipment costs for the region to provide a comparative cost analysis of seven culvert replacement scenarios. The models provide information about what the cost impact of LD 1725 would be for typical culvert replacements in Maine. However, due to the inherent restrictions of the cost modeling framework we were not able to include the abundance of variables that would be …

A Life Cycle Cost Analysis Of Large-Scale Thermal Energy Storage Technologies For Buildings Using Combined Heat And Power, Kenneth Gaine, Aidan Duffy

Conference Papers

Buildings account for approximately 40% of energy consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in developed economies, of which approximately 55% of building energy is used for heating and cooling. The reduction of building-related GHG emissions is a high international policy priority. For this reason and because there are many technical solutions for this, these polices should involve significant improvements in the uptake of small-scale energy efficient (EE) systems. However the widespread deployment of many technologies, must overcome a number of barriers, one of which is a temporal (diurnal or seasonal) mismatch between supply and demand. Costeffective thermal storage solutions have …

2010 Spring Engr333 Project Final Report, Eric Ledy, Rachel Jelgerhuis, Jasper Gondhi, Michael Gondhi, Steve Brink, John Mantel, Kyle Harvey, Jim Vanleeuwen, Jacob Speelman, Mitch Brummel, Tyler Van Dongen, Nathan Van Heukelum, Lynette Hromada, Jen Meneely, Matthew Brouwer, Marc Eberlein, Steve Demaagd, Tim Opperwall, Andrew Dejong, Joel Love, Alex Boelkins, Amanda Hollinger, Betsy Huyser, Jason Dornbos, Jason Handlogten, Justin Karsten, Matt Milan

ENGR 333

Calvin is developing plans for a new data center to provide business continuity and quick recovery in the event of a disaster. The new data center will not replace the existing data center; rather, it will provide redundancy for the operations of the campus. Because of the energy demands of data centers, there is a worldwide push for energy efficiency. So-called “green data centers” provide the same functionality as a normal data center with reduced energy usage and reduced energy costs. Calvin, like most organizations, must weigh the long-term economic benefits of energy efficiency projects against higher initial cost. The …

2010 Spring Engr333 Poster 1, Eric Ledy, Rachel Jelgerhuis, Jasper Gondhi, Michael Gondhi, Steve Brink, John Mantel, Kyle Harvey, Jim Venleeuwen, Jacob Speelman, Mitch Brummel, Tyler Van Dongen, Nathan Van Heukelum, Lynette Hromada, Jen Meneely, Matthew Brouwer, Marc Eberlein, Steve Demaagd, Tim Opperwall, Andrew Dejong, Joel Love, Alex Boelkins, Amanda Hollinger, Betsy Huyser, Jason Dornbos, Jason Handlogten, Justin Karsten, Matt Milan

ENGR 333

Calvin is developing plans for a new data center to provide business continuity and quick recovery in the event of a disaster. The new data center will not replace the existing data center; rather, it will provide redundancy for the operations of the campus. This new data center will be placed in the Spoelhof Complex. Because of the energy demands of data centers, there is a worldwide push for energy efficiency. So-called “green data centers” provide the same functionality as a normal data center with reduced energy usage and reduced energy costs. Calvin, like most organizations, must weigh the long-term …

2010 Spring Engr333 Poster 2, Eric Ledy, Rachel Jelgerhuis, Jasper Gondhi, Michael Gondhi, Steve Brink, John Mantel, Kyle Harvey, Jim Vanleeuwen, Jacob Speelman, Mitch Brummel, Tyler Van Dongen, Nathan Van Heukelum, Lynette Hromada, Jen Meneely, Matthew Brouwer, Marc Eberlein, Steve Demaagd, Tim Opperwall, Andrew Dejong, Joel Love, Alex Boelkins, Amanda Hollinger, Betsy Huyser, Jason Dornbos, Jason Handlogten, Justin Karsten, Matt Milan

ENGR 333

The new redundant data center requires that Network Operations Center personnel are able to monitor certain conditions within the data center for the safety of the server equipment. Server equipment will fail if it gets too hot or if the surrounding environment becomes too humid, therefore the baseline instrumentation design must monitor both temperature and humidity in the data center. The system must also be capable of remotely alerting NOC personnel when there is a problem.

2010 Spring Engr333 Project Seminar Presentation, Eric Ledy, Rachel Jelgerhuis, Jasper Gondhi, Michael Gondhi, Steve Brink, John Mantel, Kyle Harvey, Jim Vanleeuwen, Jacob Speelman, Mitch Brummel, Tyler Van Dongen, Nathan Van Heukelum, Lynette Hromada, Jen Meneely, Matthew Brouwer, Marc Eberlein, Steve Demaagd, Tim Opperwall, Andrew Dejong, Joel Love, Alex Boelkins, Amanda Hollinger, Betsy Huyser, Jason Dornbos, Jason Handlogten, Justin Karsten, Matt Milan

ENGR 333

File for student presentation, given by students in the Spring 2010 class of ENGR333.

Sustainable Portland: Implementation Series 3, New England Environmental Finance Center

Climate Change

This report is the third in a series of efforts by students at the Muskie School of Public Service, Community Planning and Development Master’s program, in a core class called “Sustainable Communities.” In this course students seek to understand principles of sustainability and how efforts to implement Sustainability programs can become more successful. The report assembles term papers students completed on particular efforts by municipalities, universities, and other groups to achieve sustainability goals. Students worked on each project in a service learning format with real world clients. They were asked to fashion their papers around lessons learned by other organizations …

Input-Output Analysis Of Irish Construction Sector Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Adolf Acquaye, Aidan Duffy

Articles

Ireland is committed to limiting its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to 113% of 1990 levels over the period 2008-12 and to 84% of 2005 levels by 2020 under the Kyoto Agreement and the EU’s ’20 20’ by 2020 respectively. National policies have targeted many industry sectors but have failed to directly tackle GHG emissions associated with construction activity. This paper estimates energy and GHG emissions intensities of the Irish construction sector and subsectors and estimates its contribution to Irish national emissions. This information is used to identify and assess the impacts of policy measures which would result in a reduction …

2010 Spring Engr333 Project Assignment, Matthew K. Heun

ENGR 333

The Spring 2010 ENGR333 project assessed options for the design of a redundant data center for the Calvin campus.

I asked the students “What would it take to build a redundant data center at Calvin that is 30% more energy efficient than the existing data center?”

Note: Because I was on sabbatical in Fall 2009, ENGR333 was moved to Spring 2010.

Customer

The customer for this project was Calvin’s VP for finance Henry DeVries.

Municipal Solid Waste Management In Selected Malaysian Islands., Nagendran Periaiah

Student Works (2010-2019)

Rapid developments and tourism related activities in Islands have increased the per capita waste generation that led to increased waste disposal at landfill. To date, islands in Malaysia are generating approximately 400 metric tons of MSW. Approximately 60% of the waste are collected and disposed off in non-sanitary landfills. The remaining 35 % were illegally burned/ dumped and 5 % were dumped into ocean. 100% of landfills in Malaysian islands operate as mere open-dumps that lack proper lining system and without leachate treatment facilities. The vicinities bordering non-sanitary landfill sites became highly polluted due to certain harmful gases/ leachate generated …

Renewable Energy Integration: An Approach For Micro-Grid Optimization., Nicolas Lopez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This thesis explores the Renewable Energy Integration Problem beginning with a literature review on the different sources of electrical energy classified as Non-Renewable and Renewable, stating that the integration of renewable sources within the pre-existing Power-Grids is a current worldwide problem that is being addressed with different approaches.

The impossibility to exactly model the different equations relating the electric output of the renewable energy sources as they relate with meteorological factors, makes the renewable sector a stochastic component of the overall mathematical model, where it can be concluded that most of the problem is in the area of the forecast. …

The Very Basics Of Sustainability - An Alternative Viewpoint (Slides With Audio) (Large File! To Speed Up Download, Right-Click On "Download" Link To Save To Own Pc.), Jim Mcgovern

Other resources

This presentation sets out the very basics of ‘sustainability’, although a definition of sustainability is not attempted. Some of the very basics are the context in which the Earth and humankind exist in space and time, the Earth’s climate, the Earth’s population and humankind’s options and choices. The author advocates keeping an open mind on all available options, including the use of oil, gas, coal, tar sands, carbon capture and sequestration, nuclear power etc., as well as the technologies that are more widely considered ‘green’. The author also argues that, in addressing the challenges that humankind faces, globally concerted effort …

Assessment Of The Embodied Co2eq In Buildings Towards A Sustainable Building Design And Construction, Adolf Acquaye, Aidan Duffy, Biswajit Basu

Conference Papers

Research studies have shown that the initial energy embodied in a building can be as much as 67% of the operational energy over a 25 year period. With growing global concerns over material and resource consumption and the emissions of CO2 into the atmosphere, the energy embodied in buildings constructed in town and cities becomes important and one of the key issues that needs to be tackled in the design stages in order to strive towards sustainable buildings design. In this paper, a hybrid embodied carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2eq) methodology used to assess the CO2eq embodied in buildings is presented. …

Land Conservation And Land Use In New England: Trends, Challenges & Opportunities, Amanda Loomis, Tom Devine, Andrea Small, Brittany Howard, Brett Richardson, Stephanie Dulac

Land Conservation

Sprawling development patterns accelerated across the New England landscape in the last three decades and consumed the region‘s forests, farms, and open spaces at an unprecedented rate. New England‘ers in all six states formed land trusts, supported statewide conservation organizations, and collaborated with state and federal partners to protect some of their most-prized recreation lands, wildlife habitats, and working lands. The current economic recession has slowed development pressures across the region and offers an opportunity to build on recent successes. The time is right to plan a coordinated New England conservation strategy that protects and links the region‘s natural assets. …

South Burlington Vt: New Urbanist South Village, Jack Kartez, Richard Barringer

Planning

The 220 acre master plan for South Village, the largest project in the City of South Burlington’s history, encompasses multiple housing types and innovative provisions for affordable housing. It integrates housing with open space and natural resource conservation, including a major Community Supported Agriculture project developed by a nonprofit partner, the Intervale Foundation. While not a mixed-use project (that is, commercial as well as residential development), South Village nonetheless represents a qualitative change in approach for South Burlington by incorporating large-scale open space preservation as part of development and multiple housing-types in one project. The case study recounts events leading …

Sustainable Portland: Implementation Series 2, New England Environmental Finance Center

Climate Change

The Portland Municipal Climate Change Working Group prepared a report in March 2008 that outlined several recommendations as a commitment by the City to address greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) produced during daily municipal operations. The Municipal Climate Action Plan was written in partnership with Clean Air – Cool Planet and Portland officials, and acknowledges under Recommendation #2 that an employee energy efficiency program would provide significant positive impact on the City’s reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. Best practices from three cities show that focus on the greening of City Hall is critical in developing a program that promotes partnerships, community …

2008 Fall Engr333 Project Final Report, 2008 Fall Engr333

ENGR 333

The Calvin College Engineering 333 class of 2008 was challenged with the question, “What would it take to implement an energy efficiency fund at Calvin?” Before addressing this question, another had to be asked: “What is an energy efficiency fund?” An energy efficiency fund is a revolving fund which takes seed money from donations, tuition, or grants and invests it into projects that save energy. Energy cost savings from the projects are routed back to the fund to help it grow and enable it to finance future projects. In order to begin this, the senior engineering students began organizing and …

2008 Fall Engr333 Project Assignment, Matthew K. Heun

ENGR 333

The Fall 2008 semester ENGR333 project assessed the feasibility of a Green Revolving Fund for Calvin College. I asked the students “What would it take to implement a Calvin Energy Efficiency Fund (CEEF)?”

The project emerged from the work of the previous year’s students who uncovered the concept of green revolving funds.

Immediately after the Fall 2008 semester, I went on sabbatical to South Africa for all of 2009. While I was away, the Calvin administration established the Calvin Energy Recovery Fund (CERF). Over the next decade, CERF saved hundreds of thousands of dollars in energy costs and was …

Sustainable Portland: Implementation Series 1, New England Environmental Finance Center

Climate Change

When the Sustainable Portland Task Force Report was released in November 2007, under the leadership of Mayor Jim Cohen, Portland Councilor Kevin Donoghue had the idea that students at the Muskie School of Public Service might be able to help implement recommendations from the report. It may have helped that Kevin was himself a graduate of the Community Planning and Development Master’s program at the Muskie School, but it was a good idea nevertheless. He approached Professor Sam Merrill in the CPD program, who spoke with the new Mayor Ed Suslovic about a possible partnership between the City and the …

2007 Fall Engr333/Biol354 Project Final Report, 2007 Fall Engr333, 2007 Fall Biol354

ENGR 333

The students of Calvin College’s Engineering 333 and Biology 354 classes were given the task of determining “What would it take to make Calvin College Carbon Neutral?” At first glance, it would not appear that classes on Advanced Thermal System Design and Investigations in Plant Ecology would have much in common. However, the biology and engineering students comprising these classes banded together to tackle the problem. Coming to a satisfactory conclusion would require:

• Creating an inventory of Green House Gas (GHG) emissions and sequestration potential
• Coming up with detailed solutions to achieve Carbon Neutrality
• Working out a practical schedule to …

2007 Fall Engr333/Biol354 Project Solutions Poster, 2007 Fall Engr333, 2007 Fall Biol354

ENGR 333

A carbon footprint is term which refers to the net amount of greenhouse gases produced to directly or indirectly by human activities and is usually expressed in terms of metric tons of carbon dioxide. The Calvin community places a strong emphasis on practicing good stewardship, including stewardship of Creation. Reducing Calvin’s carbon footprint is crucial because carbon dioxide is a major greenhouse gas and contributes heavily to global climate change. In a previous portion of this project, the carbon footprint of Calvin College was calculated to be about 66,400 MTCE (Metric Tons Carbon dioxide Emitted). The goal of this portion …

2007 Fall Engr333/Biol354 Project Footprint Poster, 2007 Fall Engr333, 2007 Fall Biol354

ENGR 333

The students of Calvin College’s Engineering 333 and Biology 354 classes were given the task of determining “What would it take to make Calvin College Carbon Neutral?” At first glance, it would not appear that classes on Advanced Thermal System Design and Investigations in Plant Ecology would have much in common. However, the biology and engineering students comprising these classes banded together to tackle the problem. Coming to a satisfactory conclusion would require: Creating an inventory of Green House Gas (GHG) emissions and sequestration potential Coming up with detailed solutions to achieve Carbon Neutrality Working out a practical schedule to …

2007 Engr333/Biol354 Project Assignment, Matthew K. Heun

ENGR 333

The Fall 2007 semester ENGR333 project involved a collaboration with students in BIOL354, taught by my colleague Dave Warners. We asked our students “What would it take to make Calvin College carbon neutral?”

This project resulted in the first-ever carbon dioxide emissions and sequestration assessment of Calvin College, attached below.

The student presenters animated the pie charts, and an audible gasp filled the hall when the imbalance between carbon emissions and carbon sequestration became clear.

The students also studied potential routes to carbon neutrality, one of which was a green revolving fund.

This class project resulted in a co-authored publication …

Selected Lid Projects In New England, New England Environmental Finance Center

Planning

Examples of low impact development (LID) projects in each state in New England.

The Potential For Ch4-Enriched Biogas As A Transport Fuel In Ireland, Niamh Power

Theses

Ireland needs a biofuel industry- to aid compliance with the Kyoto Protocol, the Biofuels Directive and to secure its energ>' supply. The overall aim of this work is to assess the potential of CH4-enriched biogas as a transport fuel in Ireland. Biogas is produced during the anaerobic digestion of biomass. This work investigates biogas production from two different feedstocks; biodegradable municipal waste and agricultural crops. To assess the potential for biogas as a transport fuel the alternatives to biogas are investigated and compared. Thus digestion and composting of biodegradable municipal waste, and biogas and ethanol production from agricultural crops …