Emerging Technology : Development News

This week the Minneapolis Public Schools (MPS) district is celebrating its energy strides thanks to the new 5kW solar arrays that are up and running at four local schools.

The systems were showcased this week with a rooftop tour at Pillsbury Elementary School in Northeast Minneapolis, where a solar display is highly visible, plus a demonstration of related curriculum.

Minneapolis, Chicago, Seattle, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C. schools got solar arrays through a $1.2 million "Solar Schools" grant from several donors, according to Clyde Kane, who is the MPS assistant director of facilities and manager of design and construction.

"Solar Schools" funders include Walmart, NEED, and the Foundation for Environmental Education.  

Pillsbury, South High School, Seward Montessori, and Floyd B. Olson Middle School installed the solar arrays in November 2010, though the celebration was postponed until the weather improved, he says.

District officials chose the recipient schools based on their science focus, while also striving to represent several quadrants of the city, he says.

Besides the environmental and financial benefits, the solar arrays are a teaching tool. As a part of the program, 30 Minneapolis teachers from the participating schools were trained on the related curriculum that helps students understand how solar energy works, he says.

Through the curriculum's interactive components, students can monitor their school's energy savings and even check on its progress alongside othe  schools across the nation.

Pillsbury's data for example, is posted online, which links to other Solar Schools.

Since the beginning of the year, Pillsbury has saved $1,317 in electricity costs, according to Kane. It's also reduced its carbon dioxide emissions by 4,773 pounds, the website shows.

Altogether the four MPS schools have saved $5,491 since January, he says.     

Source: Clyde Kane, assistant director of facilities and manager of design and construction, Minneapolis Public Schools
Writer: Anna Pratt
 


 

The $4.8 million Emerge Career and Technology Center will help address a growing digital divide in North Minneapolis.  

Emerge Community Development will redevelop the former North Branch Library at 1834 Emerson Avenue North, to make way for the center, which will offer a wide variety of programming pertaining to emerging careers, with an emphasis on green jobs, according to Emerge executive director Mike Wynne.

Training will deal with entrepreneurship, job skills, and career learning, while several learning labs, computer kiosks, multi-use conference rooms, and offices will be available.    

So far, Emerge has secured about $3.3 million for the center. Recently the project was listed by a City Council committee as a top priority for transit-oriented design funds from the county.    

In 2009, Emerge acquired the historic building from the Geneva Services Co., a salvage company that will stay in the building until the renovation starts, according to Wynne. The 13,000-square-foot building was a library from 1894 until 1977.    

Calling the building an architectural jewel, he says, "It's the oldest standing building that was erected solely as a library in the state and it was the first branch library in Minneapolis," adding that the project has attracted support from historic preservation groups, government agencies, and other funders.

Emerge's fundraising campaign highlights the legacy of Gratia Countryman, who headed the Minneapolis library system for several decades in the early 1900s, according to Wynne. She was well known across the country for her work starting up children's reading rooms and the bookmobile, which originated at the branch library, according to Emerge information.

As a part of the project, the old bookmobile garage and classrooms will be repurposed for the career tech center while some of Emerge's partners will move into the building to support its operation. "This community asset needs to be returned," says Wynne, adding, "It's a purpose that's accessible" to individuals and big and small groups.   
 
Emerge plans to wrap up the fundraising aspect in 2011 and begin construction before the year ends. "It's been a challenging time to hold a capital fundraising effort, but we continue to see progress," he says.  

On a broad level, the development contributes to the revitalization of the West Broadway commercial corridor. "At a time of great disparities in joblessness in North Minneapolis and communities of color, this is a chance to bring a support mechanism that works in a very direct way."

Source: Mike Wynne, executive director, Emerge Community Development
Writer: Anna Pratt

The University of Minnesota is lobbying during this year's state legislative session for funding for a new $83 million nanotechnology and physics lab on its Minneapolis campus.

Gov. Mark Dayton has made it a priority in his bonding bill this year, following in the footsteps of former Gov. Tim Pawlenty. Last year the legislature ended up dedicating $4 million for planning for the lab, according to Steven Crouch, who is the dean of the university's College of Science and Technology.

Even though it's not officially a bonding year, some university officials hope the funding will come through. "If funding was available through the session we could start construction this summer," Crouch says. "It's ready to go."

He says the lab will allow the university to expand its research capabilities in the nano science and engineering areas.

The university's plan includes 40 new research laboratories that would accommodate 200 faculty, graduate students, and visiting researchers, according to project information. It would also have 43,000-square-feet for physics labs and support space with 15,000 square feet devoted specifically to nanotechnology.   

Crouch says a couple examples of everyday products that were developed through nanotechnology include fast drying, extra-durable paints and machine tools that are "tougher and harder."  

A new 5,000-square-foot "clean room," where conditions such as dust, temperature, humidity, and vibrations are tightly controlled, would enable the university to work with soft and biological materials, providing opportunities for collaboration with medical school researchers.

"We're talking about working with living cells and materials that help for targeting drug delivery, including ways to deliver vaccines and stave off infections and tumors," says Crouch, adding that nanotech is about "manipulating matter at the molecular level."

Its existing 20-year-old "clean room" is restricted to work with hard materials.

Additionally, the lab will help attract top talent to the school and help it secure research dollars.  

"This is an important thing for keeping Minnesota in the innovation hunt with other states around the country," he says. "We're optimistic and very enthusiastic about the prospects."


Source: Steven Crouch, dean of the University of Minnesota's College of Science and Technology.
Writer: Anna Pratt

Last weekend a couple of local sports teams opted for wind energy to power their games on Feb. 19 and 20 at downtown St. Paul's Xcel Energy Center.

The Minnesota Swarm and Minnesota Wild are the first to take advantage of Xcel's Windsource Events program at the arena, according to Jim Ibister, vice president of facility administration for the Minnesota Wild and general manager of Saint Paul RiverCentre.

Windsource, which both venues began offering last fall, delivers energy from 20 wind farms across the state, making it one of the largest programs of its kind nationwide, according to Xcel information.

The program helps groups join its efforts for sustainability. "It's something that people are willing to pay more for," though it's surprisingly affordable, he says.

"Windsource is delivered to the [energy] grid," he says. "It's very simple for the client," which "makes it an easy choice to make."

More and more businesses are seeking out such programs at rental venues. "We're finding more and more people are making choices based on sustainability efforts," he says. "It's a way to have a greener event."  

Windsource is one of several sustainability initiatives underway at the multiple-building campus. The centers jointly have a plan to increase energy efficiency by 20 percent and shrink its carbon footprint by 80 percent within three years.

In the fall of 2009, the centers initiated a plan to dramatically reduce waste, which Ibister describes as its "most public and most interactive" initiative.      

More recently, the RiverCentre started installing a large solar thermal array on its rooftop as yet another way to reduce its carbon footprint.  

It's trying to get the programs to be part of the culture and language at the venues, with as much involvement from workers and visitors as possible early on. "[If] you make it difficult to fail" it can lead to bigger steps, Ibister says.  

Source: Jim Ibister, vice president for facilities administration for the Minnesota Wild
Writer: Anna Pratt  

Numerous solar-powered pay machines that resemble ATM's are cropping up in and around downtown Minneapolis.

Throughout several phases, the city is installing a slick 'smart' parking meter system much like those in bigger cities such as Chicago or Los Angeles, according to city information. They're replacing the old meters, which are getting too old to use.  

The multi-space parking meters, which link to the city's wireless network, can accept credit cards, not just coins.   

So far, 46 pay stations that relate to about 430 spaces have gone into the North Loop area. A couple have also been placed near the Minneapolis Convention Center. Another 400 will follow in 2011 and 2012.

Ultimately, they'll cover about 4,500 of 6,800 metered spaces throughout the city, according to city traffic engineer Tim Drew. 

People will pay for numbered spots at any nearby multi-space meter, which will usually be located mid-block. The arrangement will come in especially handy when someone needs to add money from a distance or if a machine breaks down, he says.

The new machines track meter time, which can also be checked from any pay station. Parking time limits will be the same as before. "It tells you when you need to be back," he says, adding that with step-by-step prompts, the machines are self-explanatory. 

Further, the new pay stations will reject money during restricted times. For instance, in the tow-away zones, "It tells you it's rush hour," he says, adding that it won't take payment. As a result, he says, "It's much harder to get towed."  
The new meters also streamline the city's collection process. First, money from the meters will be retrieved monthly instead of weekly. The machines will report wirelessly when vaults are full, which is likely to be less often because of the credit card option.

Overall the $6.6 million project will be paid within three years by the revenue it generates, Drew says.
 

Source: Tim Drew, Minneapolis Public Works
Writer: Anna Pratt

Construction of the leading solar thermal energy project in the Midwest, the scale of which is comparable to two-thirds the size of a football field, recently began at the downtown Saint Paul RiverCentre.

On the convention center's 30,000-square-foot rooftop will soon be 144 commercial-grade solar thermal panels, which run 8 feet by 20 feet individually, according to project materials.   

The $2.1 million rooftop array will kick out 1 megawatt of energy and decrease carbon-dioxide emissions by 900,000 pounds yearly, materials state.    

District Energy St. Paul, which operates a biomass-fueled hot water district heating system and a combined heat and power plant and supplies the convention center's energy, will run it.

Solar thermal energy derives from heating water, explains District Energy project manager Nina Axelson. "It's a very efficient and effective way to use energy," which, she adds, outperforms solar electric power. 

Additionally, the RiverCentre's system stands out for its "fuel flexibility," Axelson says.

Extra energy will be shared with the rest of the District Energy system, which includes 80 percent of city buildings, through a grid of heating pipes. Even though similar scenarios are common in Europe, she says, "We never found any other systems like this in the U.S."

As a heating company that has a goal to eventually become 100 percent renewable, Axelson says, "It's a critical part of what we're trying to do here."

The system will be up and running sometime in January thanks to a $1 million stimulus grant from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), which District Energy matched. It's the first project that will reach completion as part of a broader DOE initiative called "Solar America Cities," which includes 26 cities--Minneapolis among them--that are tackling various solar energy technologies.    
 

Source: Nina Axelson, project manager, St. Paul District Energy  
Writer: Anna Pratt

One of the Eastside Food Coop's objectives is to minimize its environmental impact.  

Early on, though, the food coop, opened in Northeast Minneapolis in 2003, had accrued a lot of debt, according to its general manager, Amy Fields.

While the coop wanted to invest in energy-saving infrastructure, its bills made it difficult to go there.

But it wasn't long before the coop, which is housed in an old, largely cement building in the Audubon neighborhood, underwent an eye-opening analysis of its energy use. The study showed there was plenty of room for improvement.

It pushed the coop to get creative to reduce its carbon footprint and increase efficiency. After doing some digging to find energy-saving solutions, architect Brandon Sigrist, who is a coop member, along with the local Sundial Solar Consultants, proposed a solar photovoltaic array--which converts solar radiation into electrical energy--for the coop's 12,000 square foot rooftop, Fields says.

A combination of Xcel Energy rebates, including one for Minnesota-made solar products, plus a U.S. Treasury Green Energy grant, helped make the $167,000 project doable.

The coop was able to get a cutting-edge photovoltaic solar panel array from the Bloomington-based company, TenK Solar, which specializes in the contraptions. Six rows of 18 panels with reflectors, all on tracks, will put out about 28,000 kilowatt hours a year, which accounts for between five and 10 percent of the store's electrical costs.

The system is 50 percent more productive than traditional photovoltaic systems because the inverted-V-shaped panels can handle direct sunlight. It's effective even on overcast days, Fields adds.

It'll save the coop several thousand dollars annually and decrease its carbon emissions by 20 tons a year. Over the next five years, the system, which will soon be running, will pay for itself, says Fields.  

"Part of what excites me," he adds, "is that now 3,200 [coop members] in Northeast Minneapolis own a piece of solar. Hopefully it'll open us up to more alternative energy from all of us."


Source: Amy Fields, general manager at Eastside Food Coop
Writer: Anna Pratt

The Twin Cities are showing a fresher face to the online world after Google recently updated its local Street View images.

According to Google spokesperson Deanna Yick, "it usually takes several months from when the photograph is taken until it appears on Google Maps," where the Street View feature is available.

Observers variously reported via Twitter that Google's trucks made the rounds last year in St. Paul and this year in Minneapolis. Google gathered its first round of pictures in 2007, stitching them together to create a virtual local landscape on the internet.

The company isn't keeping images from its initial Street View sweep of the Twin Cities publicly accessible, once newer ones replace them. The goal, according to Yick, is to give online visitors current views so they can feel "as if they're there in person."

A local landmark widely noted when the Twin Cities first joined Google's Street View universe in late 2007 was the former I-35W bridge over the Mississippi River in Minneapolis, captured intact before its collapse in August that year. Street View visitors now can virtually drive over the new I-35W bridge, but views also remain showing the old span from beneath.

People in the Twin Cities can count on Google to blur faces and legible license plates, Yick says. But that isn't enough for some people in Germany, according to University of Minnesota sociology professor Joachim Savelsberg, who is on sabbatical in Berlin. He reports that "debate about Google Street View reflects attitudes that differ substantially from those in the United States." A history of dictatorial governments spying on citizens there has led people there to gain the right to have Google take images of their homes out of its Street View system. Savelsberg notes, however, that "only a small percentage of Germans have made use of this right."
 
Sources: Deanna Yick, Google; Joachim Savelsberg, University of Minnesota
Writer: Chris Steller

They have overrun suburban strips and main streets in small cities. Now there is a move afoot at Minneapolis City Hall to stop the proliferation of digital signs throughout neighborhood commercial districts.

Electronic sign technology first popped up in Minneapolis in downtown's entertainment district, soon spread to billboards in industrial locations overlooking freeways, and then progressed to smaller signs at neighborhood businesses.

But Minneapolis is getting ready to roll back the last of those three changes to city code, says council member Gary Schiff, who chairs the city council's zoning and planning committee.  

The council approved commercial LED signs in neighborhoods as part of an overhaul of city ordinances last year, but without realizing what so-called "dynamic" signs really were, says Schiff.

"Now we have a year's worth of these signs in place," says Schiff, citing an Uptown hardware store as an example of the new wave he's hoping to stop. If every store in a neighborhood commercial zone were to convert to a digital sign like Frattalone's, he warns, it would be a "drastic change for the character of the neighborhood business districts."

Schiff wants to prevent what he observed recently in Mankato, where "every bank, every church" has a digital sign, creating a "mini-Las Vegas."

The city planning commission will hold a public hearing on removing the provision that has allowed electronic signs outside businesses, varying in size with the amount of street frontage the business has. If approved, the measure would then move to Schiff's committee and the full council over the next few months.

Source: Gary Schiff, Minneapolis City Council
Writer: Chris Steller

With installation of its citywide wi-fi system now complete, Minneapolis last week turned on more than 100 free outdoor wi-fi hot spots.

The idea is for city government to provide "good internet access to as many people as possible," says Mayor R.T. Rybak. "Some can't afford it." Many of the free hot spots are located in areas where people have fewer resources. (See a map of locations here.)

A credit card is required to use the free hot spots, a requirement insisted upon by local law enforcement agencies, who wanted to be able to track down lawbreakers using the system.

The free hot spots are part of the city's 10-year contract with USI Wireless--an arrangement that Rybak, who has a background with internet-based business, credits with helping Minneapolis lead the way nationally on internet access for its citizens.

"In a lot of cities, [wi-fi systems] are either totally city or totally private. We thought the best way would be a hybrid, requiring the private sector to deliver community benefit."

Other community benefits are a digital inclusion fund and the Civic Garden--free access to Minneapolis government and other public-service websites throughout the city's public wi-fi system.

Rybak says this isn't the end to the innovations for wireless users in Minneapolis. "I love the image of a city where in the new information age, people can move seamlessly from office to home," he says. Rybak vows that Minneapolis will "continue pushing the envelope," testing out concepts at the cutting edge of technology.

Source: Mayor R.T. Rybak, City of Minneapolis
Writer: Chris Steller