Green Options » university of illinois

Illinois College Saves $5 Million Thanks to Energy Efficiency

Becky Striepe — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 07:00:48 +0000

[University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. Creative Commons photo by jdickert]

Not only has the University of Illinois, Urbana outpaced its goal to reduce energy consumption by 10% by the 2010 fiscal year, they’re expecting to save $5 million dollars in energy costs to boot!

ZapRoot: Google Causes Global Warming?

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 19:29:08 +0000

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This week at ZapRoot: Is Google destroying the planet one search at a time? The recycling market has gone bust. And check out “That’s Just Weird.”

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Ethanol Made From Grasses Reduces Greenhouse Gases

Nick Chambers — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 20:37:13 +0000

If non-food cellulosic ethanol — “celluline” — is the future of sustainable biofuels, what are the best non-food crops to use to make it?

In a new study, researchers have shown that growing perennial grasses to make celluline rather than using corn stover or sugar cane is better for the environment because it increases soil health and stores much more carbon in the soil, thereby reducing greenhouse gases.

Current first generation ethanol is produced by fermenting the starch in corn kernels. This has become a controversial source of biofuel due to food vs. fuel concerns and the relatively low energy gain from the whole process.

But celluline represents a true departure from these concerns in that significantly more liquid fuel energy can be harvested from non-food portions of the plant — the stems and leaves. Celluline is still in the research and development stage, but many people have hung their hats on it as the holy grail that will replace corn ethanol and bypass concerns over food vs. fuel and energy gains (PDF).

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New Solar Cells Can Be Rolled Up Like a Carpet

Ariel Schwartz — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 19:24:44 +0000

Researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Northwestern University have developed a new type of silicon solar cell that is flexible enough to be used on a curved surface or fabric. Currently, most solar cells are rigid due to the use of plastic in their production.

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