Sunny days draw New Yorkers to Coney Island, the "working man's Riviera" where, for the cost of a round trip subway ride, anyone can laze on the beach, swim, and stroll the boardwalk. (And for a few dollars more, chow down on a hot dog from Nathan's Famous or ride the Cyclone roller coaster).
But seekers of summer pleasures on the cheap may not realize that as they get on and off the D, F, Q, and R lines beneath the three arching vaults of the Stillwell Avenue Station's train shed, the same sun which lured them to the very southern end of Brooklyn is also providing the raw material to power about half of the station's electricity needs, from lights to MetroCard machines.
The 2,700-module solar power system incorporated into the station's 76,000 square foot train shed has made the transit terminus a landmark: it is the largest of its kind in a train station anywhere in the world.
The system generates around 250,000 kilowatt-hours, or kwh, per year of electricity -- equivalent to the power needed for about 40 homes. And it's helping to ease the city's negative impact on the climate.
"To produce 1 kilowatt-hour of electricity from coal creates about 2.117 pounds of CO2," says Neil Chambers, who was the project architect with the engineering team that designed the train shed. (1 kwh is enough energy to light a 100-watt incandescent light bulb for one hour.)
"So each year, the 250,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity from the Stillwell Avenue Station represents the elimination of more than 236 tons of carbon" from entering the atmosphere -- equivalent to cutting gasoline use by about 4,500 gallons per year, he says. "Not bad, huh?"
It also translates to New Yorkers breathing in less sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, mercury, other toxics, and particle pollution -- all byproducts of burning coal for electricity.
The array was installed as part of the Metropolitan Transit Authority's $294 million renovation of the Stillwell station. The entire subway system uses an estimated 1.8 billion kwh of electricity a year.
Stillwell's system was created using photovoltaics, or PV, an energy technology that converts light directly into electricity. It uses "thin-film" PV sandwiched with clear glass into custom-designed roof units, a design that balances energy generation with sheltering the platforms and providing them with natural light.
"The way we used [thin film PV] as a material, it actually is the roofing," says Chambers, and adds to the train shed's durability. "We had to do projectile testing on it, because the glass was tempered. It's a really strong material -- it's like stone, it's that strong."
Chambers says that his team "greened" the station during renovation in another way as well: by streamlining the design of the steel trusses that hold up the train shed. Without sacrificing strength or safety, they cut the amount of steel needed for Stillwell's renovation by about 30% from the original plans. "The final design allowed us to reduce the carbon footprint of the project by about 20 tons" of atmospheric carbon, he says.
Although the renovation was completed a few years ago, Chambers still describes the project with unmistakable enthusiasm. "New York City Transit saw the potential with this terminal to be a way to landmark the Coney Island area," says Chambers, "and to be a catalyst for the area's revitalization... it's really amazing how they were willing to do this."
THINK City electric cars will offer fast charging in 15 minutes. That quick enough?!
Back in January, THINK electric vehicle company announced that its working with AeroVironment, Inc. (AV) to develop high end charging or fast charging for the THINK City electric vehicle (EV). AV is one of the leaders in fast charging worldwide for electric cars. As you can imagine, this is intended to jump-start the fast-charge infrastructure in the United States. This is a huge development for the company since it will currently provide EV owners the opportunity to fast charge their car like they would refuel their vehicle. I might take slightly longer, but it's cheaper and zero tailpipe emissions.
Call it what you will: Pre-loved, gently used, recycled, vintage, or just plain old, it's never been easier to find and buy (or trade) used stuff. And while there are lots of great sites that help us reuse instead of trash our no-longer-wantables, the biggest player has been - and will likely continue to be eBay. Who hasn't bought or sold on this great, easy-to-use site? I have done both and I've found some great stuff (and gotten rid of some great stuff), from the comfort of my own home.
Email
Sunny days draw New Yorkers to Coney Island, the "working man's Riviera" where, for the cost of a round trip subway ride, anyone can laze on the beach, swim, and stroll the boardwalk. (And for a few dollars more, chow down on a hot dog from Nathan's Famous or ride the Cyclone roller coaster). 
