Waves of the Future
As the new millennium advanced, environmentally friendly Boeing technologies began to harness the sun, the wind and the earth for new sources of power.
Boeing had been exploring cleaner ways to use energy since the early 1970s, with the fully automatic personal rapid transit system built in Morgantown, W.Va., and a plan to fertilize crops in the Boardman, Ore., desert using Portland's municipal solid waste. In 1974, Boeing built a group of gigantic MOD-2 wind turbines in the Columbia River Gorge. At the same time, Boeing designed a rectangular satellite that could have produced 10,000 megawatts of usable power -- enough to fill the needs of a million homes.
Tapping the sun's energy today will be Boeing-built concentrator photovoltaic cells, manufactured by Spectrolab Inc. of Sylmar, Calif., a wholly owned Boeing subsidiary starting in 2006.
In 2006, Spectrolab signed a contract to deliver 500,000 concentrator solar cell assemblies to Solar Systems Pty. Ltd. of Hawthorn, Victoria, Australia, for use at power stations that generate renewable energy for small, remote Australian communities. An additional 600,000 solar concentrator cells will go to SolFocus Inc., a California-based renewable energy company that is developing renewable terrestrial energy alternatives. The solar cell assemblies are capable of generating more than 11 megawatts of electricity -- enough to power 3,500 average-sized homes.
On March 30, 2007, Boeing renewed its commitment to Energy Star, a joint program of the U.S. Energy Department and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Known primarily as a consumer program for energy-efficient appliances, Energy Star also works with industry to reduce power use and greenhouse gases.
During the summer of 2007, Boeing crews on a swath of land near the Boeing Portland, Ore., plant, reshaped the topography to construct a wetland that cleans pollutants from storm water before it flows into the Columbia Slough. The 14-acre wetland will be a treatment facility for runoff from a watershed of 800 acres -- equivalent to 800 city blocks -- that can treat 300 million gallons of water annually.
The environmental partnership of Boeing and Virgin Atlantic was announced April 24, 2007. It includes a joint biofuel demonstration aimed at developing sustainable fuel sources for commercial jet engines. The companies also worked together to reduce fuel burn and cut aircraft emissions on the ground by exploring alternatives to traditional aircraft. The agreement also included an order for 15 787-9 Dreamliners valued at $2.8 billion at list prices.
Boeing broke new ground as it explored second-generation biofuel feed stocks and processes that have the potential to reduce greenhouse gases throughout their entire lifecycle. Boeing, Air New Zealand and Rolls-Royce on Sept. 28, 2007, planned a biofuel demonstration flight during 2008 using an Air New Zealand 747-400 equipped with Rolls-Royce engines.
Since the dawn of the 20th century, Boeing has explored and embraced new technologies that improve the way we live, communicate and travel. During the 21st century, the aviation giants that began with Boeing, Douglas, McDonnell, North American and Hughes, united as a global enterprise, continue to successfully define the future of flight on Earth and beyond.