The Lighting Issues in Terms of Efficiency and Sustainability - Assignment Example

ONLINE NEWS ARTICLES ON ENGINEERING AND SUSTAINABILITY ARTICLE An article in Wisconsin Dells Events discusses the lighting issues in terms of efficiency and sustainability. In brief, since energy costs are increasing, there is a progressive effort to increase efficiency and decrease costs and pollution. One such is the mentioned annual happening in Wisconsin Dells and Lake Delton, wherein residents switch of the lights for one hour to reduce pollution during the spring migration of birds. But this may not help and a sustainable solution for the problem has been to use LED (Light Emitting Diodes) lights. The current wastage in night time lighting is 30 percent and this is due to the fact that they burn brighter and longer than required. But LED lights however, in the words of Leibl a pollution prevention specialist, use no more light than they need to in order to reach the eye. LED lights are a sustainable form of alternative to normal lights for the simple reason that they use lesser energy than conventional lights. Moreover, they do not cause nearly as much pollution as the currently used lightings. Even though it provides a dimmer light, a cause of concern for safety, in the long term there should be a solution with LED lights addressing the energy, pollution and safety problems. ARTICLE 2: The cover article of the April 7, 2008 issue of Chemistry & Sustainability, reports chemical engineer and National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER awardee George Huber of the University of Massachusetts-Amherst (UMass) and his graduate students Torren Carlson and Tushar Vispute, announcing the first direct conversion of plant cellulose into gasoline components. This, according to the article is a breakthrough technology in the development of “Green gasoline”, a liquid identical to standard gasoline created from sustainable biomass sources like switchgrass and poplar trees. The method that they have found is a compact way to treat a large amount of biomass in a short time without requiring any external energy. There will be no footprint of carbon at the end of the process since the excess heat released can be recovered and used to produce electricity. In comparison with bio-ethanol, the “green gasoline” requires lesser energy and is cheaper to produce. Also, the life cycle green house gas problems associated with corn ethanol and soy bio-diesel is solved by the production of green gasoline from cellulose sources, such as switchgrass and poplar trees. Thus, the direct conversion of plant cellulose to gasoline is cheaper, energy-efficient and also, pollution free. Further, the resource has a longer lifetime and hence, sustainability. ARTICLE 3: The third news article is from www.telegram.com, which reports the attempt by 11 students of Worcester Polytechnic Institute under Professor David J. Olinger, to provide non polluting power to parts of the world where grid generated electricity is unavailable. Their design, which is going to be unveiled in the National Sustainable Design Expo in Washington this month, basically is used to convert the up and down motion of a massive tethered kite into electrical energy using a power converter mechanism with generator on the ground. The principle is primarily that of a wind turbine converting wind energy to mechanical energy and in turn converting it to electrical energy. However, this is an economical idea. Further, the kite can operate at higher altitudes, eliminating the problem of slow wind speeds at lower altitudes for wind turbines. Bird kills and noise pollution which are associated with wind turbines are also eliminated with the kite. Like the wind turbine, there is no pollution caused with this device. The cost incurred in the making is less than that of making huge turbine blades. In terms of sustainability, the form of apparatus meets the basic human need for electricity particularly in those parts where other generation methods have not worked out and that, in an economical and eco-friendly manner. ONLINE GRADUATE ENGINEERING JOB ADS AD 1: Energy Cranes located at Houston, Texas, is looking for a graduate engineer to provide technical support to the Engineering Services business group within the company. The incumbent must be familiar with the requirements of the Quality Management System and the Company’s Safety Policy. It is important for the incumbent to have a co-operative attitude towards being assigned alternative or additional tasks to which he is primarily employed. The incumbent must have good communication skills to be able to conduct internal meetings on the development of ongoing, urgent or overdue issues. He must be able to provide a liaison with the technical group team members to ensure the project meets the milestones or deadlines. He must also be able to provide a liaison with clients, sub-contractors, suppliers and company staff as required. The candidate for the job has to have an Engineering Degree, Qualified in Structural, Civil, Mechanical or Electrical Engineering. He must be good at both written and verbal communication. He also needs to have good computer skills. Another key attribute is the ability to perform tasks independently with minimum supervision, as well as within a team environment. Besides that, the incumbent must have the ability to multi-task and effectively manage work across multiple projects. AD 2: Koch Performance Roads Design Inc., located at Wichita, is looking for a recent college Civil Engineering graduate or December 2007 graduate to become the Pavement Performance and Warranty Assistant Manager. The employee is expected to share Koch Industries core values of humility, integrity, and respect for others. These values also include a discovery mentality, reflected in the employee’s initiative and desire to learn. The new civil engineer graduate required needs to be able to perform economic analysis of performance models and to suggest options to optimize warranty project portfolio. In addition, he needs to have excellent verbal and written communication skills. He has to have a solid understanding of traffic engineering, pavement engineering, and engineering economics. A good skill in using Microsoft Excel, Word, and CAD is another significant requirement. He must also have the ability to manage contracts and construction. The qualification for the job has been specified as a B.S. in Civil Engineering or within one semester of graduation. Engineer-in-Training certification, working toward P.E will be favourable. The academic performance record is particularized to a GPA of 3.0 or higher. The company prefers 1-2 years experience in Construction materials, specifications, plans, special provision and drafting skills or an experience in Construction and Contract Management. An understanding of pavements, pavement design, material properties, and pavement condition assessment will be another factor for preference. REFERENCES 1. Kupfer Trevor 2008. ‘New lights can save environment, money’, Wisconsin Dells Events, 7 April,[online], viewed 7 April 2008. 2. ‘Money Doesnt Grow on Trees, But Gasoline Might’, www.oilandgasonline.com 2008. [online] available at http://www.oilandgasonline.com/content/news/article.asp?docid=5f6e4de7-794a-4c13-ad78-c5408238b7ec&atc~c=771+s=773+r=001+l=a&VNETCOOKIE=NO accessed 7 April 2008. 3. Hill Laquidara Jean 2008. ‘High-flying energy’, www.telegram.com, 7 April, viewed 7 April 2008. http://www.telegram.com/article/20080407/NEWS/804070567/1005/RSS01&source=rss 4. ‘Civil Engineering Jobs’, www.engcen.com 2008. [online] available at http://www.engcen.com/jobad.asp?JobID=24989 accessed 2 April 2008. 5. ‘Career Center’, www.kochcareers.com 2008. [online] available at http://koch.hrdpt.com/cgi-bin/c/highlightjob.cgi?jobID=334792 accessed 2 April 2008. Read More