Buzz

Cincinnati is getting smart with Duke Energy's $1-billion Smart Grid gas and electric initiative, reports Soapbox.

The Cincinnati-based energy provider in early September installed seven "intelligent" switches on power poles on the west side of Cincinnati, along Queen City Avenue. These switches allow Duke, the third largest electric power company in the United States, to more accurately pin point electricity outages and quickly manage them.

Original source: Soapbox
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Researchers at Ohio State University are experimenting with polymer semiconductors that absorb the sun's energy and generate electricity, reports Science Daily. The goal: lighter, cheaper, and more-flexible solar cells.

Researchers have discovered that adding tiny bits of silver to the plastic boosts the materials' electrical current generation. Without silver, the material generated 6.2 milli-amps per square centimeter. With silver, it generated 7.0 -- an increase of almost 12 percent.

Original source: Science Daily
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E.F. Bavis & Associates says that the drive-thru is powered by a 26-inch by 40-inch solar panel that is designed specifically for Ohio sunlight conditions and will charge a 12-volt battery. The battery will then be used to power the drive-thru's non-pneumatic delivery system which uses "an intelligent sensor monitored, positive-drive conveyor tape delivery system engineered to use less than one-tenth the normal amount of electricity required by normal pneumatic tube delivery systems."

Original source: Soapbox
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A $1-billion expansion project for the Ohio State Medical Center campus has received final approval from the OSU board of trustees, reports The Lantern.

The revamped plan, which was unanimously approved by the university Board of Trustees, is estimated to save at least $50 million over the initial plan and create 10,000 full-time jobs in central Ohio by 2015, officials said. The expansion is the largest building project in university history.

Original source: The Lantern
Ready the full story here.

Northwest Ohio soon will be home to one of the largest solar energy fields in the eastern United States, reports The Blade.

Construction will begin as early as next month on an 83-acre solar field outside of Upper Sandusky. It will use over 165,000 panels from First Solar Inc. to supply electricity to 6,000 homes. First Solar, born in Toledo but now based in Arizona, has its only North American solar-panel making plant in Perrysburg Township.

Original source: The Toledo Blade
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An Ohio partnership wants to set up a series of retail biodiesel fuel stations along U.S. Route 33 between Columbus and the Ohio River, reports Biodiesel Magazine.

Non-profits Rural Action Inc. and Clean Fuels Ohio along with Hocking College Energy Institute are promoting the use of biodiesel along the highway corridor. The objective is to have at least six retail biodiesel fueling points and buses from at least three school districts using biodiesel along the four-county route.

Original source: Biodiesel Magazine
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An 8-year-old cheetah at the Cincinnati Zoo is now the world's fastest animal thanks to a speedy 100-meter sprint time, an official linked to the zoo says.

Cathryn Hilker, who founded the Cat Ambassador Program at the Cincinnati Zoo, said in a zoo release that Sarah the cheetah broke the previous world record twice Wednesday with 100-meter runs of 6.16 seconds and 6.13 seconds, The Cincinnati Enquirer reported.

Original source: United Press International
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A writer for the New York Times had nothing but high praise for Cleveland in a recently published Travel Section article. The subject of the recurring "36 Hours in�" feature, Ohio's north coast metropolis scored big in areas of art, music, dining and entertainment.

"A fiercely blue-collar ethos endures," writes Brett Sokol. "But instead of abandoning the city, local entrepreneurs and bohemian dreamers alike are sinking roots; opening a wave of funky boutiques, offbeat art galleries and sophisticated restaurants; and injecting fresh life into previously rusted-out spaces."

Original source: The New York Times
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