Sustainability

U-M wins $19.5 million solar power research center

By Newsroom

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April 29, 2009

Most people think wind when they start to talking about investment in alternative energy in Michigan. President Barack Obama's administration doesn't necessarily adhere to that train of thought. It named the University of Michigan and Michigan State University as two of the 46 Energy Frontier Research Centers being established across the U.S.. Over 260 applications were recieved.What does that mean? Well, U-M and MSU will each get $19.5 million to research how to improve the conversion of solar energy into electricity. Think the advanced scientific research that the U.S. Dept of Energy funds. This $19.5 million will pay for five years of research at the Solar Energy Conversion in Complex Materials. There, top U-M scientists will be studying complex material structures on the nanoscale to identify their potential use to convert solar energy and heat to electricity. They'll also work on developing materials to facilitate this conversion. The hope, of course, is that this research will be capable of producing spin-off businesses.Twenty-two U-M faculty researchers will be part of the center, specializing in a variety of areas, ranging from electrical engineering to physics. Six of these are faculty fellows in the Michigan Memorial Phoenix Energy Institute.Of the 46 EFRCs selected, 31 will be led by universities. Source: University of MichiganWriter: Jon Zemke

Latest in Sustainability

RADIO CONCENTRATE: U-M Graduates Michigan’s Next Generation Of Green Leadership

By Chris McCarus

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Education

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April 22, 2009

A few days from now, U-M student Leslie Garrison will buck at least two trends: She’ll have remain in Michigan after graduation (though she's not a native). And she’ll take part in a growing local industry. Garrison thinks this state has what it takes to lead the nation in sustainable innovation. Right down to the first composting toilet. Michigan Now’s Chris McCarus reports.

Ann Arbor’s Kerrytown fills up, keeps projects coming

By Newsroom

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Community Development

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April 22, 2009

Karen Farmer has worked in Kerrytown Market for seven years, and there has been a project to improve the facility every year she has been there.The market place has done everything from renovating commercial spaces to making way for ground-breaking start-ups to refitting footage to accommodate coffee shops. It's now eyeing infrastructure improvements and expansion for more retailers."There is an opportunity for at least one more commercial tenant," says Farmer, the general manager of Kerrytown Market & Shops.Recent projects included making more office space for Menlo Innovations in the old Workbench Building facing Fourth Street and building room for Sweetwaters Cafe on Detroit Street. The market most recently allowed Hollander’s to expand into the second floor of the old Workbench building.Management is also looking to update lighting in the shops to make it more energy efficient, as well as improving the bathroom facilities. Kerrytown is currently 100 percent leased. However, there might be an opening for a new tenant or two in the near future. VtoV (Vintage to Vogue) is looking at the possibility of giving up about 4,000 square feet of its space a year from now when its lease is up - an opportunity for yet another project.Source: Karen Farmer, general manager of Kerrytown Market & ShopsWriter: Jon Zemke

Near North aims to provide affordable housing in Ann Arbor

By Newsroom

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Development News

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April 22, 2009

Living in the downtown Ann Arbor area is relatively easy if you A) have been there for years and years or B) have a lot of money. The people behind the Near North want to provide a C) option for those denzins who don’t exactly fit into the first two options. "In our mind this is a perfect place for service workers and entry-level workers in downtown," says Michael Appel, executive director of Avalon Housing. "There is virtually nothing available at the entry-level range in downtown."Avalon Housing and the Three Oaks Group want to build a 38-unit apartment building on Main Street, just south of Summit Street. The 4-story mixed-use structure would also include space for ground floor retail. A small park would go at the southeast corner of Main and Summit where the Summit Party Store currently stands.Twenty four of these apartments would be set aside for entry level workforce for households that make less than $33,000. Think of the restaurant workers and recent college grads who work or want to live downtown but are now often forced to live far outside because of cost and availability. Another 14 apartments will be set aside for permanent supportive housing for the likes of people who are homeless or have disabilities.The building would replace seven single-family houses lining Main Street and the Summit Party Story. However, it will go for gold level LEED certification with such big-ticket items like geothermal heating and cooling systems and green roofs. It would also incorporate a modern design."The younger people appreciate and prefer the modern architecture," says Bill Godfrey, partner in Three Oaks Group. "The people who oppose it are older residents who live in little pink houses. Well, there is more to Ann Arbor than little pink houses."The project has been downsized since it was first broached last year. The latest version is before the Ann Arbor Planning Commission as of the deadline for this story. City planners had recommended disapproving this project. If the city turns it down, Godfrey says developers haven’t determined where to take the project next.Source: Bill Godfrey, partner in Three Oaks Group and Michael Appel, executive director of Avalon HousingWriter: Jon Zemke

A123Systems receives financing, expands Michigan operations

By Newsroom

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Environment & Sustainability

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April 15, 2009

A123Systems' latest announcement to build new lithium ion battery factories may seem on the surface like a win for Novi, where one of the plants will be built.The Massachusetts-based firm also has a research facility in Ann Arbor. The facility has grown significantly in recent years (the company went from 300 to more than 1,000 employees in one year) and expects to mushroom more soon as the company looks to expand in Michigan.The money for this expansion is coming from a $69 million investment from GE. That money will primarily go toward growing the lithium ion battery and smart grid technologies. This is GE's seventh investment in the company, upping its ownership stake to more than 10 percent.A123Systems hopes to use this money to help leverage more investment from federal and state government sources. Billions in federal tax dollars have already been set aside for the development of lithium ion batteries. That has let A123Systems aim to help put 5 million hybrid or plug-in electric vehicles on the road by 2013.Source: A123SystemsWriter: Jon Zemke

Tuning in to Greenovation.TV

By Kelli B. Kavanaugh

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Arts & Culture

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April 15, 2009

Need practical advise on how to green your home? An Ann Arbor couple has launched the world's first Internet TV channel dedicated to helping you green it yourself.

What’s next for Ann Arbor’s Percent for Art Program?

By Newsroom

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Arts & Culture

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April 8, 2009

It took a few years but Ann Arbor got its Percent for Art Program. Now comes the hard part - successfully implementing it.The city recently hired Katherine Talcott to administer the program. Its first big test will be applying it to the construction of the City Hall expansion this year. The new program mandates that at least one percent of the construction budget for public project be put aside for public art installation."The goal is to ensure that arts and culture are an integral part of city vision and planning," Talcott says.Talcott and the Ann Arbor Public Art Commission are set to announce a public forum on the City Hall public art projects later this month. The Annual Public Art Plan, which will set priorities for this year and next, will be released in June.The big project is the proposed rain garden for City Hall. The work will combine both art and sustainability, two of Ann Arbor's favorite pet causes. It will be designed by Herbert Dreiseitl, a world renowned artist and urban planner. The rain garden for the City Hall expansion will be the most visible piece of art in the project.Source: Katherine Talcott, administrator for Ann Arbor's Percent for Art ProgramWriter: Jon Zemke

Downtown Ann Arbor’s Federal Building in line for green upgrades

By Newsroom

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Community Development

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April 8, 2009

The feds are starting to green their buildings and one of the first to undergo these environmentally friendly updates is Ann Arbor’s Federal Building.The downtown structure on Liberty between Fourth and Fifth streets will receive $2.4 million in improvements, including advanced water and electricity meters. A new green roof is also a possibility.The money is coming from the Federal Stimulus bill and is being administered by the U.S. General Services Administration. $5.5 billion has been designated for federal buildings throughout the country.Repeated calls to agency over several days to find out further details were not returned.Source: U.S. General Services AdministrationWriter: Jon Zemke

Team Algal Scientific turns wastewater into energy, seed money

By Newsroom

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Economic Development

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April 1, 2009

Most people want dirty, wastewater to just go away. Not the people at Team Algal Scientific. The University of Michigan/Michigan State University spin-off is hoping the day comes when they simply can't get enough of the stuff.A group of mostly U-M graduate students and a MSU graduate student created a wastewater treatment system that uses algae to remove nutrients from contaminated water leaving the raw materials for biofuels. The idea was good enough to take first place at the inaugural Clean Energy Prize.The competition, hosted by U-M and DTE Energy, offers $100,000 in seed capital to start-ups so young they aren't yet proven enough for venture capital or angel investors. Team Algal Scientific took the grand prize of $65,000, which it plans to use developing its product's first phases.Right now that crew of four co-founders and a slew of advisors have been working on the idea at U-M since November. They hope to move its research to the MBI International technology incubator in Lansing ...and try not spend all of that money in one place."Our one-year plan is to scale up at MBI," says Robert Levine, the chief technology officer at Team Algal Scientific and a PhD student in chemical engineering at U-M. "The second phase is to team up with a brewer or other waste producer to prove the technology."The other team members include Geoff Horst, an ecology doctoral student at MSU, U-M master of business administration students Jeff LeBrun and John Rice.Source: Robert Levine, the chief technology officer at Team Algal ScientificWriter: Jon Zemke

New hybrid buses set to roll into Ann Arbor at end of month

By Newsroom

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Development News

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April 1, 2009

Seven new hybrid buses are set to hit Ann Arbor's streets quickly yet quietly, offering service by the end of this month. The buses, known for their quieter engines, will be the latest shipment to the Ann Arbor Transportation Authority's fleet, giving the transit authority 27 hybrid buses out of its fleet of 69. "They are being manufactured," says Mary Stasiak, spokeswoman for AATA.The hybrid buses are built by Hayward, California-based Gillig Corp and are significantly more fuel efficient. AATA expects to buy at least 80,000 fewer gallons (10 percent) of B10 bio-diesel per year because of them. The hybrid buses also produce lower levels of pollution, making them a key component of Mayor John Hieftje's initiative to make Ann Arbor more environmentally friendly. Recently, the city started a campaign to transition all its facilities to 30 percent renewable energy by 2010.Source: Mary Stasiak, spokeswoman for AATAWriter: Jon Zemke