H.A.E. Blog

Navy’s Green Hornet Breaks Petroleum Barrier

Fri, 7 May 2010 14:22:41 -0500

The Navy’s F/A-18F Super Hornet has been in use since 1999. It’s versatility has officials predicting it will be in use at least until 2024. Now the Pentagon has announced it’s remaining years will be much greener.

This past Earth Day, President Obama stood in front of the plane before it made it’s first supersonic flight.

The new biofuel composed of oil refined from the seeds of the Camelina sativa replaces 50% of the petroleum that powers the plane. This reduction is very significant since the F/A-18F squadrons’ consumption is the greatest percentage of the Navy’s total annual use of 60-75 million gallons. Despite only being 50% of the fuel mixture, tests at Michigan Technical University demonstrated an 84% reduction in carbon emissions.

The biofuel is created by Sustainable Oils of Seattle, thus reenforcing the Navy’s goal of reducing its reliance on foreign oil. This is just one example of how the Navy plans to achieve Secretary Ray Mabus’ goal of having 20% of its energy consumption come from alternative sources by 2016.

There was much testing needed to assure that pilots would not notice a change in performance because of the fuel switch and that the aircraft would not need to be overhauled mechanically because of the different chemical properties.

Read more from the source.

Earth Day Marks 40th Anniversary

Fri, 23 Apr 2010 17:36:17 -0500

April 22 was designated Earth Day in 1970 by Senator Gaylord Nelson from Wisconsin who was a staunch proponent of environmental reforms. The link above to the Department of Energy’s Earth Day website is a comprehensive source for information on how to reduce your energy usage.

An inexpensive and cost effective means of reducing your energy load that we most commonly provide is the installation of an solar powered attic fan.

Heartland Alternative Energy provides energy audits that will provide a detailed outlook of how your energy usage can be lowered at your home or place of business.

Renewable energy sources such as wind or solar have many requirements that we will go over with you if you contact us and provide some basic information about yourself and your building. Spring and summer is the best time for installation since energy usage typically peaks at this time.

EECBG Awards Announced in Missouri

Wed, 31 Mar 2010 11:42:48 -0500

The Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant was created in 2007 by the Energy Independence and Security Act but did not having any funding until the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act was passed in 2009.

During the summer of 2009, as this blog reported, the awards to each state were announced. It was divided into two parts, funds for projects the state would manage and funds to be distributed based on a competitive qualification process to state municipalities and county governments.

Through a collaborative effort, Heartland Alternative Energy and the cities of Manchester and Ballwin are proud to announce that a portion of the EECBG, now referred to as the Energize Missouri Communities Program, has been awarded to the cities in order to implement projects that range from adding insulation and photovoltaic arrays, to replacing outdated, inefficient indoor lighting and HVAC equipment.

The Missouri Department of Natural Resources, who was administering the grant money for the state, reports that early estimates show 105 jobs will be created as a result of this funding, as well as 47,750,000 kilowatt-hour saved per year and 11,6567 tons of CO2 reduced, or the equivalent of 2,022 cars removed from the roads.

St. Louis Home & Garden Show Feb. 25-28

Thu, 25 Feb 2010 13:13:41 -0600

The 33rd annual St. Louis Home Builder’s Home & Garden Show is coming to America’s Center and the Edward Jones Dome this weekend. This event is coordinated by the Home Builder’s Association of St. Louis & Eastern Missouri.

All displays will be available for viewing from 10 am - 9 pm Thursday - Saturday and 10 am - 5 pm Sunday. We are booth #1437 located in the Green Section. There are over 600 knowledgeable exhibitors from many industries available to answer your questions.

This is a great opportunity to see some of our products (tubular skylights, solar powered attic fans, solar hot water heaters) first hand as well as view other energy conscious products available. If you can not attend, please Contact Us to set up a personal appointment to discuss various ways of lowering your energy costs or installing your own alternative energy system.

Open PV Project Will Catalog Systems

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 20:21:47 -0600

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory of the Department of Energy is collecting logistical information on every photovoltaic installation in the country in order to monitor industry trends and estimate capacity. Almost 60,000 systems are currently in the database and more can be added by the public at the Open PV Project. The solar panel array’s location, size, cost, and date of installation are requested. Other information can also be submitted such as the brands of panels and inverters used. Photos of the project can also be uploaded. The average cost of the arrays is $8.88 per DC watt of installed capacity after all incentives.

The NREL supports the advancement of all types of renewable energy from alternative fuels to electricity generation and storage.