Purdue’s Nobel Winner Wants Energy Solution

A Purdue University professor who will receive the Nobel Prize in chemistry in Sweden next week is deciding how he’ll use his new prominence, though he appears focused on finding solutions to energy and food shortages. Professor Ei-ichi Negishi – who is getting offers to speak and teach around the world – said the unfulfilled job of chemistry is to find a safe, renewable energy solution.

“I don’t think chemists can stop wars. That is someone else’s job. But we chemists can definitely solve energy-related issues,” he said.

Negishi, 75, grew up in Japan and has been a member of Purdue’s faculty since 1979. The Nobel committee in October awarded the prize to him and two other scientists for their development in the 1960s and ’70s of new ways to bond carbon atoms together, methods now widely used to make medicines and in agriculture and electronics. Read more from AP.

Maine Could Join Other States in Carbon Cap-and-Trade Initiative

The State of Maine is among 10 Northeastern states considering joining a carbon market trading system that includes California and New Mexico, in addition to some Canadian provinces. Maine is already part of the so-called Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative--or RGGI--with 9 other Northeastern states. Under the proposal now being considered, the region's carbon cap-and-trade program would be aligned with ones being considered in California and Mexico, and might include several Canadian provinces, according to Bloomberg News.

Major Investment in Biogas and Public Transport in Örebro

On 1 October 2009 the Municipality of Örebro put into action, in conjunction with other public sector organizations, local trade and industry, and local farmers, several parts of a widespread scheme to increase the production and use of biogas (methane). On the same day, new buses using biogas began operating in Örebro. A new and expanded bus route network was introduced just six months later. Read more.

Sweco Planning New Eco-Friendly Annex at University Hospital in Linköping

Sweco has been awarded a major healthcare contract in collaboration with L.E.B Consult. Building service systems consultants from the two companies will be responsible for planning HVAC and plumbing systems in the new annex to be built at University Hospital in Linköping. The new annex will house facilities such as patient wards, emergency care units and clinics for specialist care. The contract covers an area of approximately 53,000 square metres of new construction, all of which is subject to stringent energy targets.

“The goal is for energy consumption in the hospital facilities to amount to less than half of the applicable requirements according to the Swedish National Board of Housing, Building and Planning’s regulations. We are therefore studying solutions for both solar heating and free cooling,” says Björn Kleist, Team Leader at Sweco in Linköping. Read more.

University of Delaware to Save $30,000 a Year with Solar Power System

Cleantechnica reports that The University of Delaware has the oldest solar lab in the nation and is now looking to deck its rooftops with solar panels. The University of Delaware has announced that its new solar system will save the University over $30,000 a year. This is 1/3 of the cost of the system (which has a price tag of $90,000), meaning it will pay for itself in 3 years. Read more.

Swedish Clean Tech Export Numbers Going North

Swedish clean tech exports increased 4,8 percent, from approximately SEK 37 Billion to SEK 39 Billion, between 2008 and 2009, according to statistics from Swentec.

SAGA Monthly Report for November Has Been Released

Read the latest issue here.