Goal For The Green

I love receiving this kind of news about reaching mutual decisions, and a willingness to work together that benefits all involved.  Read on and you will see what I mean.

PRESS RELEASE

SK E&S subsidiary, Pyeongtaek Energy Service, purchases 14 PureCell® systems to generate over six megawatts of clean power for the greater Seoul, Korea area.

UTC Power 400kW fuel cell (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

SOUTH WINDSOR, Conn., July 18, 2012 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ — UTC Power, a United Technologies Corp.UTX +1.58% company, today announced that Pyeongtaek Energy Service, a wholly owned subsidiary of SK E&S, has purchased 14 Pure Cell Model 400 fuel cell systems. This project will be completed in two phases and aims to be fully operational by the end of 2013.

The first phase of this project consists of seven Pure Cell systems being installed at the new SK E&S power plant in the city of Pyeongtaek, in Korea’s Gyeonggi Province. Phase I is expected to be completed, with the initial seven Pure Cell systems operational, in the fall of 2012. These Pure Cell systems will help to meet the growing demand for electricity in the greater Seoul area, while also helping to meet Korea’s clean energy vision to deploy fuel cells and other clean and renewable energy technologies. In addition to providing power to help meet South Korea’s Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS), the Pure Cell systems will also supply thermal energy to Godeok International City, a center for business, technology and global exchange. Phase II of this project, the installation of an additional seven Pure Cell systems at the new power plant campus in Pyeongtaek, is slated to start mid-summer 2013.

This news builds on another recent announcement by UTC Power involving six Pure Cell systems to be installed at two separate CBS studios in Studio City, California by the end of this year:
These fuel cells will produce a total of 2.4 MW of power and will prevent the release of more than 2,370 metric tons of carbon dioxide annually – the equivalent of planting nearly 550 acres of trees.
The reductions in nitrogen oxide emissions, when compared to a conventional power plant, are equal to the environmental benefits of removing more than 357 cars from the road.
These Pure Cell systems, which operate in water balance, will also enable CBS to save more than 2.8 million gallons of water annually, enough to fill  4 1/2 Olympic swimming pools.

“This is a very exciting project for UTC Power. Our Pure Cell systems will be putting power into the grid to provide clean energy to the growing Seoul, Korea metropolitan area,” said Joe Triompo, Vice President and General Manager of UTC Power. “The environmental benefits offered by these highly efficient Pure Cell systems are a great match for South Korea’s progressive environmental standards. We’re pleased to be a part of their green solution.”

The Pure Cell system is proving to be a game-changing technology for utility companies and energy efficient buildings alike. Compared to typical central generation and other fuel cell offerings, the Pure Cell system offers customers lower energy costs, reduced emissions, an industry-leading 10-year cell stack durability and up to 90 percent system efficiency. This range of benefits is unique to the Pure Cell system and is unmatched in the fuel cell industry.

All 14 fuel cells will be supported locally by UTC Power’s South Korean subsidiary, UTC Power International Services – Korea, a Seoul-based company made up of highly trained Pure Cell aftermarket service technicians.

“This first RPS project is an important milestone for the Pure Cell system, and is a testament to its proven performance and reliability for multi-megawatt class installations,” said Eric Strayer, General Manager of International Sales at UTC Power. “We are proud to be playing a role in Korea’s clean energy future and developing local capabilities for service and installation with our customer.”

SK E&SSK E&S, is the leading comprehensive energy service provider of Korea that conducts city gas, power, district energy and LNG business. The company’s City Gas business possesses a massive supply system through its city gas distribution subsidiaries in seven major regions throughout Korea. SK E&S has the number 1 market share in Korea’s city gas market, and supplies approximately 22 percent of the nation’s gas demand. The Power business produces and supplies electricity through the operation of Gwangyang LNG Power Plant. The company is currently constructing Pyeongtaek LNG Power Plant with the target to go into commercial operation in 2012. For more information please visit skens.com

UTC Power, is part of United Technologies Corp. which provides energy-efficient products and services to the aerospace and building industries. Based in South Windsor, Conn., UTC Power is the world leader in developing and producing fuel cells that generate energy for buildings and for transportation, space and defense applications. UTC Power has designed, manufactured, and installed more than 300 stationary fuel cells in 19 countries on six continents. For more information, please visit utcpower.com  Together they are working toward many better tomorrows!

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It’s been awhile since I posted about Green Spring Cleaning Agents, but the truth is, vinegar is quite the unleashed powerhouse in your pantry, that you can use anytime, and in so many ways.

If you use Vinegar for cleaning, it doesn’t matter what kind you use, except for Brown (apple cider) Vinegar, which is more for eating and your health.  It is known to stain porous materials, so therefore, white distilled vinegar is the wisest to use for cleaning purposes.  So, make smart choices and use vinegar wisely!

Do you know what all vinegar can do?  It serves a purpose in just about every room of the house. There are also dozens of household and personal use products that vinegar can replace, saving you money. Best of all, it’s cheaper, better for the environment, and better for your health and home, because it eliminates harsh and unnecessary chemicals.

Vinegar, in general is a natural, powerful and inexpensive disinfectant. It can be used on almost anything except marble, and porous materials.

You can make a great all purpose cleaner by mixing 2 parts vinegar to 1 part water.  Or, I often pair it  straight with baking soda and use it to clean my bathroom tubs and sinks. This combo also works great to unclog a drain, or clean your oven and drip pans. For this job, it is best to let it rest in the bottom of your oven overnight, no muss, no fuss, and NO harmful fumes.

Here are a few more of my favorite uses for vinegar. Hard water stains and mineral deposits like those that are often found behind your faucet are stubborn and hard to remove. Take a cloth soaked in vinegar and place it on the hard water stain or mineral deposit for a few hours. Then wipe clean with a soft dry cloth.

Clean your coffee maker, washing machine or dishwasher by running vinegar through it, followed by two rinses of water. It reduces soap buildup, mineral deposits, and scale and keeps everything in great working order.

I love this one- to remove labels from glass jars,  just saturate the labeled area in vinegar and scrape the stickiness right off. No more sticky residue.

Clean and crisp up your veggies by soaking them in a mixture of cold water and a tablespoon or so of vinegar. Bugs lingering on your produce will be whisked away, and your limp celery will come to life again.

Eliminate onion odor off your hands by rinsing them in vinegar. This also  works with other smelly parts of your body, such as your underarms and feet.

To eliminate smoke odor in a room, put a bowl of vinegar near the source. Let sit overnight in a closed room. If you would like to reduce icky smells throughout your house, but would rather not have the  room smell like vinegar,try adding some fragrant spices to your bowl of vinegar and leave it in the warmest corner of the room. Next day the smoke odors will be gone!

For personal use, vinegar will also remove soap scum and buildup from your hair. Rinse with a pitcher filled with ½ a cup of warm water and ½ a cup of vinegar ( I like to use the apple cider vinegar in this application). Your hair will be shiny and free of buildup. This same treatment also works as an effective dandruff treatment. Just use a higher concentration of vinegar to water. You should notice improvement in about two weeks.

As an acne treatment, just apply equal parts vinegar and water to problem areas. Using vinegar as a facial toner, is a great and inexpensive alternative to using harsh alpha hydroxy based products, that are often drying and irritating to the skin. Vinegar, is also effective in taking the sting out of a sunburn. Use the same type of dilution as for the hair rinse, only use cool water.You will find it to be quite soothing.

As you can see, there are these, and hundreds more uses for vinegar. When it comes to making home made cleaners,vinegar is by far the more economical choice. Most recipes make about a gallon, and you probably already have the ingredients on hand right now, in your pantry. For pennies, you can make your own, and there is no waste, and harsh chemicals involved. Once you start using vinegar, I’m quite certain you won’t go back to commercial cleaners again.  You’ll be green and save green, while your house is spotless.

If you prefer to buy ready made cleaners, look for brands such as Seventh Generation, Ecos, Simple Green, and the line of green cleaners from Clorox, just to name a few earth friendly alternatives.  Give vinegar a try though, and I think you will be surprised at the great job it does on just about everything. Together, we are working toward a better tomorrow.

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