washington – the federal emergency management agency will end its efforts to build emergency energy infrastructure in puerto rico by may 18. but because of a federal law that prohibits updating infrastructure, the energy system that fema built is still inadequate for puerto rico’s needs, as wednesday’s island-wide power outage demonstrates.

before wednesday’s blackout, 50,000 customers remained without power, most in the mountainous regions of the island. 

fema intends to hand off the permanent restoration project next month to the puerto rico electric power authority, an agency with a $9 billion debt and insufficient rebuilding plans to ensure a stable grid. 

the robert t. stafford disaster relief and emergency assistance act prohibits modernizing equipment with federal funds, saying the money is designated for emergency aid, not long-term improvements. that means the infrastructure projects fema and other federal agencies replaced after hurricane maria are only temporary fixtures that resemble what stood in place before the storm.

“the stafford act does not contemplate, as it’s written, rebuilding an electric system,” said bruce walker, electricity delivery and energy reliability assistant secretary at the department of energy. “by virtue of the way the stafford act is written, it contemplates things being put back the way that they were.”

fema contracted the army corps of engineers for 42 hurricane maria-related assignments, with a budget of $3.4 billion. emergency recovery included installing over 2,000 temporary generators, but only 1,150 have been replaced with permanent power sources and four makeshift micro grids remain in service.

basav sen, climate justice project director at the institute for policy studies, said congress needs to overhaul the stafford act so that disaster recovery is easier in the future.

“in the short run you could save some money by not improving the infrastructure, but merely restoring it,” sen said. “but in the longer run, you are not learning lessons. you are not improving the infrastructure to be able to withstand a disaster in the first place and you are setting yourself up to do those same set of repairs in another three years.”

sen also said federal agencies should remain as the leaders of rebuilding infrastructure on the island. 

“this gesture of saying that the problem is solved before it really is is a way of sweeping it under the rug,” he said. “proclaiming that they are done, mission accomplished, when very clearly you have a problem, that in and of itself is an issue.”

charles alexander, the army corps of engineers’ director of contingency operations and homeland security, said the temporary power system is better able to withstand a storm than the pre-hurricane system, but a permanent replacement system is outside the bounds of stafford act regulations. it’s also outside the bounds of puerto rico, which has a $73 billion debt and is in the 11th year of a recession.

“it’s not the resilient grid that we all recognize is needed, but it’s in much better condition,” alexander said.

alexander said the corps will take on an advisory role to prepa after may 18. a spokesman said the energy department also will offer advice to prepa and the puerto rican government in the recovery process.

“we want to continue to provide and offer expertise from the department and national labs on ways that they can strengthen the resilience of their grid. we can’t provide bulldozers or cranes or anything, but we can provide expertise and provide studies with our partners over there,” the spokesman said.

at a recent house oversight hearing, rep. jimmy gomez, d-calif., said, “i’m concerned that these are temporary measures, and you guys are leaving. we haven’t fully restored yet, and i hope the transition is adequate.”

rep. susan brooks, r-ind, also inquired about plans to prevent further disasters. 

“what have we done in preparation for the next hurricane, or what kind of plans do we now have in place, because the plan we had was incredibly frustrating,” she said.

jeffrey byard, fema’s associate administrator for response and recovery, told the oversight hearing that the only way to provide funding for permanent energy solutions for puerto rico would be to authorize full federal funding – which would require changes in the law to avoid violating the stafford act.

even if that happened, walker said, prepa doesn’t have a model of a reliable, organized energy system.  

“we’re building it for them, but it’s a model that they (should) normally have,” he said.

according to the institute for energy research, a 2015 study showed that roughly 10% of the total u.s. energy supply comes from renewable sources. many cities already have plans to convert to 100% renewables in the near future — and four cities already have been successful in doing so.

why make the switch? with climate central reporting that the 10 hottest years globally, all of which have occurred since 1998, we have reached a pivotal moment in history. it’s becoming more and more obvious that human activities have caused a dramatic change in the global climate. some of the damage already may be done but it is up to our generation to put us on a better path. and luckily, we are starting to see these changes happen here in the u.s.

greensburg, kansas

the first u.s. city to reach 100% clean energy was greensburg, kansas. however, it took a traumatic incident in order for this city to evolve. with a population of only 771 people, according to the u.s. census bureau, greensburg is as small-town-america as it gets. the name may sound familiar because in 2007 the town was hit by a major tornado, which destroyed 95% of the town and resulted in 11 deaths.

during reconstruction, the city council decided that the entire town would be run on green-energy, adopting the motto: “rebuilding…stronger. better. greener.” as of 2013, the city’s energy comes from a 12.5 megawatt wind facility.

the story of greensburg is somewhat symbolic. it paints a picture of what the future holds if humans around the world continue down a path of environmental exploitation. with the disappearance of the polar ice caps and destruction of the world’s coral reefs, humans have no choice now but to evolve.

aspen, colorado

another small city that has reached 100% clean energy comes as no surprise: aspen, colorado. as a ski resort town, aspen’s entire economic success rides on the environment. aspen’s utilities and environmental initiatives director david hornbacher said, “…we are powered by the forces of nature, predominantly water and wind with a touch of solar and landfill gas.”

the aspen times reports that prior to the switch to clean energy, the town already was running on 75% to 80% renewable energy.

burlington, vermont

burlington, vermont — a city of more than 42,000 — also has achieved 100% renewable energy. according to the boston globe, the burlington electric department had purchased a hydroelectric plant on the winooski river. the burlington electric department with the washington electric cooperative collectively now supply the city with 100% renewable sources.

the manager for burlington electric, ken dolan, said, “the transition in thought from 2004 to 2008 was ‘we want to do this’ to ‘this actually makes economic sense for us to do this.’”

the boston globe also reports vermont is on a statewide mission to push for 90% renewable energy for electric, heating, and transportation by 2050.

georgetown, texas

looking toward texas, it would seem very unlikely that this oil-rich state would harbor one of the largest cities to reach 100% renewable energy, however georgetown, home to some 67,000, has done just that.

a city that lies about 30 miles north of austin, decided to make the switch after their power contract was up in 2012, according to ari shapiro from npr. shapiro reported city managers came to realize that wind and solar energy are much more predictable in prices, compared to that of oil and gas.

surprisingly, the switch to renewables was due in part to rick perry, who implemented changes to texas’ electrical grid, allowing georgetown to receive its energy from wind farms in west texas.

georgetown mayor dale ross said in the npr interview, “it’s a great economic development tool because there’s a lot of high-quality companies in this country that have robust green energy policies.”

so while the switch to renewables was motivated by economic factors, georgetown demonstrates that renewable energy can be a better economic decision than fossil fuel sources.

the switch to renewable energy is not an easy one. each u.s. city has its own unique circumstances and there is not one set path in seeking green sustainability. greensburg, aspen, burlington, and georgetown have showed us that the switch is not impossible, and in some cases it’s even beneficial for the town’s economy.

according to business insider, san diego, san francisco, and san jose in california; rochester, minnesota; grand rapids, michigan; and east hampton, new york, all have adopted plans to make the switch to 100% renewable energy within the next 20 years. what all these cities have in common is that the push to go green is local. while the federal government may not be passing renewable energy legislation anytime soon, citizens can motivate their local governments to begin the switch themselves.

what many people don’t realize is that a power strip with no switch functions the same as the wall outlet. the power strip doesn’t just magically save energy, you have to actually turn it off. even writing this, i realize i’m personally guilty of forgetting to turn my power strips off. i will admit that i, too, thought that somehow the energy star label on my strip meant that it would miraculously solve my phantom energy woes. but the real solution is the act of flipping the “off” switch that functionally unplugs all those devices at once.

the good news is that you can save energy for under $10. you don’t need to go buy a fancy power strip when a cheap one will serve the same function just as well. if you don’t want to buy a power strip with a switch, you can simply unplug the whole strip from the wall for roughly the same effect. of course if you want some high-end tech, there are advanced power strips that can even manage your devices for you.

(image at top by firstfreddy/creative commons)

•  panasonic aiming for battery-powered homes by 2011
•  battery breakthrough technology could power homes for pennies per kilowatt hour

we talk about battery-powered cars. why not battery-powered homes? these super batteries could even be fuel cells. it’s time to take innovation from the car to the home. it’s time. but, utility companies and government seem to conspire on discouraging homes to be off the grid.

but, as the u.s. power grid is already challenged, why not encourage houses to have the option to go off the grid during certain times of overload, when the house can subsist off the batter or fuel cell instead?

and as appliances get smarter, use less power, this surely seems possible today or in the next few years. the fuel cell or super battery that powers the home could get charged from the grid initially and/or through a combination of solar, wind, water, geothermal, natural gas and/or more.

the time is now, as millions every year go through more and more power outages due to severe weather. and, power outages can be quite harsh and even deadly in extreme heat or cold. as we become a wireless communication society with fewer and fewer landlines, why not evolve homes to have wireless electricity?

gearturbine project
atypical inflow thermodynamic
technology proposal submission
innovative [turbo-rotary] novel fueled motor engine type

*the gearturbine comes from the contemporary ecological essential global needs of a efficient power plant fueled motor engine.
-power thrust by bar (tube); air, sea, land and power generation, work use application.
-have the similar simple basic system of the “aelopilie” heron´s steam turbine device from alexandria, [10-70 ad] one thousand nine hundred years ago. because; the circular dynamic motion, with 2/two opposites power [polar position] lever, and is feeds from his axis center.

http://gearturbine.260mb.com

-desirable contemporary innovation, with the possible [efficient] invention. -mechanical [thermodynamic] universal human history evolution. [unlike] epic technology revelation. -next step powerplant new design form function device change.

*8-x/y thermodynamic cycle – way steps:
1)1-compression / bigger
2)2-turbo 1 cold
3)2-turbo 2 cold
4)2-combustion – circular motion flames / opposites
5)2-thrust – single turbo & planetary gears / ying yang
6)2-turbo 2 hot
7)2-turbo1 hot
8)1-turbine / bigger

*innovation technology breake barrier / paradigm [broken-seal] solution. state of the art. innovative turbo-rotary concept top system.
-with retrodynamic dextrogiro vs levogiro phenomenon effect. / rotor-rpm vs inflow / front=> to <=front; “collision-interaction type” – inflow vs blades-gear-move. technical unique dynamic inovative motion mode. [retrodynamic reaction = when the inflow have more velocity the rotor have more rpm aceleration, with high (xy position) momentum ] which the internal flow (and rotor) duplicate its speed,when activated being in a rotor (and inflow) with [inverse] opposite turns. a very strong novel concept of torque power thrust. at field explanatory example with a metaphor is like if a sailboat take the wind from his prow front to move; wind/inflow + knots/rpm + wind/inflow + knots/rpm + wind/inflow + knots/rpm + etc… = aceleration x aceleretion = exponential aceleration. whereas it has more movements forwards, it receives a frontal impulse still but to move more forwards.
-shape-mass + rotary-motion = inertia-dynamic / form-function wide [flat] cilindrical shape + positive dynamic rotary mass = continue inertia cinetic positive tendens motion / all the complete rotary motor mass weight is goin with the power thrust move circular direction.
-non-waste parasitic looses system for cooling, lubrication & combustion; -lubrication & combustion, inside a conduit radial position, out way direction, activated by centrifugal force-fueled injected. -cooling; a)in-thermomix flow, & b)out-air thermo transference.
-combustion 2two [inside-rotary-dynamic] continue circular [rockets] flames. like two dragons trying to bite the tail of the [ying yang] opposite other.
-increase the first compresion by going of flow reduction of one big circumference blades going pass to 2two reduced, very long distance (total captive compression) inflow [inside propulsion] conduits [long flow interaction] [like a digestive system] start were ends, in perfect shape balance in perfect equilibrium well balanced, like a snake bite his own tale. -4 turbos rotary [inside-rotary-active] [in-flow, out-flow] total thrust-power regeneration [complete] power system. -mechanical direct 2two [small] “planetary gears” at polar position. like the ying yang simbol/concept. wide out the rotor circumference were have much more lever [high torque] power thrust. -military benefits, no blade erosion by sand & very low heat target profile.
-3 stages of inflow turbo compression before combustion; 1)1-turbine, 2)2-turbos 3)2-turbos. -and 3 points of power thrust; 1-flow way, 2-gear, 3-turbine.

*the most innovative power plant motor engine project today. higher efficient % percentage. next trend wave toward global technological coming change.
patent; dic 1991 impi mexico #197187 – carlos barrera. – individual designer – inventor and project owner. / all rights reserved. – monterrey nl mexico.

rooftops of buildings in cities are largely underutilized, yet they offer true potential as living spaces because of their direct access to sun, wind and water. designed for flat rooftops of existing mid-rise residential or commercial buildings, team new york’s solar roofpod enables eco-conscious urban dwellers to live sustainably, as stewards of a more resilient urban environment: cost-effectively collecting and providing solar power, cultivating roof gardens, and recycling stormwater. our modular, flexible penthouse design uses lightweight, durable, renewable materials, smartly incorporating photovoltaic technologies and high-efficiency lighting. innovative solar thermal collectors supply clean energy for hot water, heating and cooling.
we have conceived a way of contributing power to urban environments in a distributed manner, with sophisticated control systems. collectively, solar roofpods, green roofs, and rooftop pv arrays can form a new layer of resilient urban infrastructure, with multiple benefits, many specifically addressing the challenges laid out in planyc 2030, new york city’s comprehensive sustainability plan. city residents already have a much lower carbon footprint than suburbanites; our roofpod will make the cities we value perform even better. we hope to demonstrate the technical feasibility and many environmental benefits of individual “smart system” roofpods and gardens as well as the new infrastructural system they would form. as architecture and engineering students, we are the future custodians of new york city. many of us in team new york came here as immigrants from all over the world; we see tremendous potential to enhance our diverse and vibrant global city through innovative design.

visit the solar decathlon category page!

looking to keep track of team new york?

click here to view the previous idea submission from new york’s solar decathlon team. for access to the entire archive of new york solar decathlon 2011 videos: visit the member page

while residential density is known to reduce carbon footprints (especially when, as in new york, automobile use is low), even more gains in energy efficiency can be achieved with innovative designs. team new york examined the claritas prizm marketing analysis tool to identify a target market profile. the particular segment we selected is “bohemian mix,” comprised of urbane, ethnically diverse and progressive singles, couples and young families. other urban market segments that could find the roofpod lifestyle and the considerable utility savings appealing are empty-nester “cosmopolitans” and “american dreams” immigrant families. the “bohemian mix” couple we envision living in the prototype roofpod are motivated to live an eco-conscious lifestyle, committed to urban revitalization and sustainability; we imagine their professions as building manager and urban gardener. while the engineer husband manages the host building, including energy flow, his biologist spouse tends the green space. together, they are engaged with emerging green technologies and are proactive in upkeep of the pod, the garden, and the host building.

the roofpod design accommodates this market segment’s needs foremost by adding new, live-work dwelling units to vibrant urban neighborhoods. the benefits that the host building and the municipality would realize could subsidize construction costs and rent. the opportunity to perform a stewardship role, in exchange for reduced rent, would be highly appealing to the target market of educated, eco-conscious urban professionals. the open unit plan, spacious roof garden, amazing views, and the elaborate system of smart controls are all aspects of the roofpod’s design that would accommodate the needs and desires of these clients, and would provide them opportunities to productively apply their skills and knowledge to “give back” and form bonds in their neighborhood.

visit the solar decathlon category page!

looking to keep track of team new york?

for access to the entire archive of new york solar decathlon 2011 videos: visit the member page