Green Options

The National Science Foundation has just awarded researchers at UC San Diego a $1million grant to develop small robotic devices that will drift with the ocean currents to study the mechanisms that support plankton and other tiny marine creatures.  Swarms of the autonomous underwater explorers (AUE’s) could provide a window into the underlying factors that drive broader ocean processes, by more precisely focusing on localized data on currents, temperature, salinity, pressure, and other properties.

The robots could also some day patrol and monitor protected marine areas, provide early warnings of potential hazards such as algae blooms and oil spills, and even scout out plane crashes and other ocean-going emergencies.  Depending on how the devices are powered, the robot swarms could also provide a more sustainable means of accomplishing oceanic research compared to the use of ships and other fossil fuel-powered equipment.

The University of California, San Diego, in support of its ambitious goal of being the greenest university in the U.S., are installing a 1.2 MW solar electric system as part of its comprehensive sustainable energy program. This system will contribute approximately 1.5 million kW hours of clean energy to the university per year and be one of the largest non-utility solar arrays in California. The project is just part of a university effort to become energy independent, and should be finished and functionally running by the end of the year.