If you are interested in exploring alternative energy solutions, come take of tour of area (south-central region) homes and businesses that have incorporated wind, solar and geothermal technologies into their design and energy production--electricity, space and water heating.
On Saturday, October 2, business and home sites will be open from 10:00 AM until 4:00 PM.
(All tour sites are free and open to the public; stop by and chat with business and home owners about how they have made that transition to renewable solutions to their energy needs).
For more information, visit the Midwest Renewable Energy Association Solar Tour Web site.
Of related and local interest, Madison Gas & Electric and Focus on Energy supply guides and tip-sheets for home and workplace energy-saving efforts.
And, should you wish to get started on assessing your own home energy use, be sure to check-out one of the portable energy meters available from Steenbock Library. While there has been considerable demand, please do not hesitate to add your request to the queue by using the "Place Request" feature from the MadCat record.
Thanks to Madison Gas and Electric, students, staff and faculty can check out "portable energy meters" from Steenbock Library. The model for the two available energy meters is the "Watts Up?" Standard. (These are the same type of meters that are also available from Madison area public libraries). Use the meters to identify the cause, or source, of high-energy use in your home, school or workplace and factor your potential savings by implementing change. Change is often as simple as unplugging your appliances when not in use or shutting off a power strip to which several may be attached. Madison Gas and Electric supports an energy meter website with a video demonstrating the use of these energy meters.
The meters can be checked out for two weeks at a time, and you can use the "Place Requests" feature in MadCat to have them sent to the campus library of your choice.
The Schwerdtfeger Library (space science and engineering) also has energy meters; these meters are the "Kill a Watt" model.
Of related interest, consult MG&E’s publications (print copies available at Steenbock):
Madison Gas and Electric supports an energy meter website with a video demonstrating the use of these energy meters.
The meters can be checked out for two weeks at a time, and you can use "Place Requests" in MadCat to have them sent to the campus library of your choice.
The Schwerdtfeger Library (space science and engineering) also has energy meters; these meters are the Kill a Watt model.
While the conference is open to everyone, pre-registration is required by Monday, April 13. The $45 registration fee ($25 for students) covers all materials, a continental breakfast, lunch and refreshments.
The conference will be hosted at the Monona Terrace, Wednesday, April 22.
View conference program
(Note: There will not be an on-site registration).
If you are interested in exploring alternative energy solutions, come take of tour of area (south-central region) homes and businesses that have incorporated wind, solar and geothermal technologies into their design and energy production—electricity and space and water heating.
On Friday, October 3, business sites are open from 10:00 AM until 4:00 PM.
Homes sites are open for tours on Saturday, October 4 from 10:00 AM until 4:00 PM.
(All tour sites are free and open to the public).
For more information, visit the Midwest Renewable Energy Association Solar Tour web site.
Of related interest, Wendt Library staff has recommended the following e-book titles:
Crystalline Silicon Solar Cells
Designing Indoor Solar Products: Photovoltaic Technologies for AES
Handbook of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
Handbook of Photovoltaic Science and Engineering
Modelling Photovoltaic Systems Using PSpice
Nonimaging Optics in Solar Energy
Agroterrorism, Climate Change, Energy, Pandemic & Avian Influenza, and Security, Food & Fuel, are among the Featured Topics in the full text Homeland Security Digital Library (HSDL). (The link to Featured Topics is found in the Highlights box to the right on the opening page).
The HSDL collection provides quick access to some 57,000 important U.S. policy documents, presidential directives, and national strategy documents as well as specialized resources, such as theses and reports, developed by various universities, organizations and local and state agencies.
To access this resource, visit the UW Libraries home page and select the E-Resource Gateway.
Enter "Homeland Security" in the Find Resources by Name search box.
Click on the title, Homeland Security Digital Library (HSDL) to launch the resource.
Click Featured Topics to browse by the subjects listed above or search the collection (a search of the general collection on the term “biofuels” nets 297 full text reports!)
With thanks to librarian, Barbara L, for this blog post.
The Energy Information Administration, created in 1977 as a statistical agency of the US Department of Energy, has released three reports of interest.
Annual Energy Review, 2007
Report includes data on total energy production, consumption, and trade; overviews of petroleum, natural gas, coal, electricity, nuclear energy, renewable energy, international energy, and financial and environmental indicators.
Annual Energy Outlook, 2008
Report presents projections and analysis of US energy supply, demand and prices through 2030.
International Energy Outlook Highlights, 2008
Report presents the EIA’s assessment of the outlook for international energy markets through 2030.
Of related interest, do consult the EIA’s Country Energy Profiles.
The Sci-Bytes column from ScienceWatch has recently supplied a table comparing the citation impact of journals in the subject category of energy and fuels during three time periods. Data for the 2007 impact factor has been drawn from the current edition of Journal Citation Reports.
According to Journal Citation Reports, "the journal impact factor is the average number of times articles from the journal published in the past two years have been cited in the JCR year."
Journal Citation Reports can be accessed from the campus libraries' E-Resource Gateway.
The Biomass Document Database provides access to public documents made available by the Department of Energy Biomass Program.
The database includes documents prepared by the Biofuels Technology Program, documents from the Biomass Program, generally, and selected, related documents considered relevant to the Biomass Program.
Available full-text documents are attached to records as PDF files. Do consult with a campus librarian for document or resource availability in the absence of this online full-text.
Going green and need some inspiration? Check out the list of speakers and discussion forums, activities and campus service projects during Green Week, April 11-22.
There will be events every day; some selected ones include:
Clean Car Show and Fair-trade Coffee and Chocolate Tasting
(11:00AM - 4:00PM)
Library Mall
It's Not Easy Being Green: The Role of Narrative and Myth in Ecological Economics with speaker, Professor Timothy F.H. Allen
(beginning at 6:00 PM)
180 Science Hall
Conscious Consumerism Discussions
(three during the week with first meeting at 4:00-5:00PM)
Memorial Union, Lakefront on Langdon
Wednesday, April 16
An Inconvenient Truth tailored to Wisconsin-specific environmental issues
(5:00-6:30PM)
Room 1A, Gordon Commons
Saturday, April 19
(noon-5:00PM)
Grainger Hall
Sunday, April 20
Earth Festival
Music, performances and information tables
(9:00AM – 5:00 PM)
Library Mall
Film Screening of The 11th Hour
Film explores how humanity impacts the earth's ecosystems and what can be done to change a destructive course. Narrated by Leonardo DiCaprio.
(2:00 PM)
Memorial Union, Play Circle Theater
Imagine what would happen if we all did it at the same time?! By participating in Earth Hour and putting out the lights for an hour, we can reflect upon the more apparent stars in the sky and some methods for how we may reduce our energy toll.
More than just an hour--suggestions for reducing your energy consumption.
And, of related interest:
Take Action List, from StopGlobalWarming.org
