National Chain’s Expansion to Middletown, RI

Friday, October 1st, 2010 | No Comments »

Northeast Engineers & Consultants was selected to provide engineering and municipal permitting services for the construction of a new Town Fair Tire service center in Rhode Island. The parcel is currently vacant but was formerly developed. Previous uses of the site include retail stores, apartments, a car rental business, and an ice cream parlor/restaurant.

The owner proposes to construct a 7,186 SF single-story Town Fair Tire, tire sales and service center at the corner of the property. Access to the facility will be from two new curb cuts, one on each of the adjoining roadways. This reconfiguration will serve to make vehicular access safer and more efficient. Along the eastern edge of the site, a vegetated water quality depression will be constructed to intercept runoff from the majority of the property. Additional proposed site features include landscaping, aesthetic street trees and vegetative screens.

Salty Brine Beach Wind Turbine

Sunday, August 1st, 2010 | No Comments »

Salty Brine Beach Wind TurbineNortheast Engineers & Consultants has completed the construction of a 10kW wind turbine at the Salty Brine Beach in Narragansett, RI. The turbine will provide power to the newly constructed, energy efficient Bath House.

We worked closely with our client, The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management, to contract the specified wind turbine and a monitoring system that will show beach visitors the historical and instantaneous power output of the turbine.

Construction began with the assembly of the 100 foot lattice tower, which was constructed on it’s side, in the adjacent parking lot. The turbine was then assembled and attached to the top of the tower with the use of a 100-ton crane. After the completion of the electrical system, the tower and turbine were hoisted and placed on the concrete foundation. The state of Rhode Island will enjoy this renewable energy project for years to come.

The grand opening ceremonies for the new facility took place on May 24, 2010. The event was open to the public and attended by Governor Donald Carcieri, Senator Jack Reed, Congressman Jim Langevin, Wally Brine, Jr., and other state and federal officials.

Condition Appraisal and Structural Engineering Services

Thursday, July 1st, 2010 | No Comments »

Condition Appraisal and Structural Engineering Services
NE&C was retained by the City of Buenaventura, CA to conduct a condition appraisal, prepare an existing conditions report and construction documents for repairs of the beachfront public parking garage.

Built in 1972, the parking garage is constructed of prestressed, post tensioned, reinforced concrete. It is four stories high, with continuous ramping occurring within the structure. The reinforcement of the existing spandrel wall at the rooftop (fourth level) of the Promenade parking structure had corroded to a condition where the structural adequacy of the reinforcement has failed. The existing condition caused a grave threat to the public’s safety. The successful rehabilitation plan depended on a well-organized program of investigation and analysis leading to an effective repair solution.

NE&C’s program consisted of a comprehensive concrete condition survey, several levels of structural analysis, and a detail repair program.

The structural analysis was an essential tool to determine if the damage was due to accidental overloads or possible design errors. These errors could range from insufficient steel reinforcement, poor detailing, inadequate provisions for drainage and insufficient travel in expansion joints. A good understanding of the structural mechanism of the parking structure was essential in deciding the appropriate repairs.

The proposed repairs will restore the structural integrity of the parking structure and arrest the deterioration of the structure, particularly by preventing further corrosion of the reinforcing steel.

The Next Clean Energy Source: Hydrokinetic Power

Tuesday, December 1st, 2009 | No Comments »

Hydrokinetic power[1] is the power generated by capturing the energy from natural flowing water, such as tides, currents, and waves. It is similar to conventional hydroelectric power, or hydrostatic power[2], in that it harnesses energy from moving water to create electricity. However, unlike dams, hydrokinetic power devices do not disturb the natural flow of water with manmade barricading structures, thus have a minimal impact on the surrounding environment. Continue reading blog post

Green Buildings and LEED

Tuesday, December 1st, 2009 | No Comments »

Sustainable or green buildings consume fewer resources, have lower impact on the environment, and promote healthier spaces to its occupants compared to conventional buildings. However, the design, construction and operation of these green buildings require specific strategies that improve their environmental performance. Continue reading blog post

What Makes a Good Solar Site

Wednesday, June 17th, 2009 | No Comments »

To assess the feasibility of installing a solar system, several factors have to be considered:

  • Orientation
  • Structure
  • Distance to transmission lines

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What is NET Metering?

Thursday, May 28th, 2009 | No Comments »

Net metering programs adopted in many states offer the potential for businesses to realize financial benefits from installing renewable energy systems. Net metering allows consumers to offset the cost of electricity they buy from a utility by selling renewable electric power generated at their businesses back to the utility.

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Funding and Incentives for Renewable Energy

Monday, May 25th, 2009 | No Comments »

The cost of investing in wind energy is now in a range that is competitive with power from new conventional power plants. Even though the up-front, capital cost of wind energy is more expensive than that of some traditional power technologies such as natural gas, combined short and long-term costs (including cost of capital, cost of fuel, and cost of operations and maintenanceover the lifetime of the plant) of wind energy can now be very competitive with that of other energy sources.

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What Makes A Good Wind Site

Tuesday, May 19th, 2009 | No Comments »

To assess the feasibility of installing a wind turbine on a site, several factors have to be considered:

  • Wind speed
  • Topography and accessibility
  • Surface roughness
  • Distance to transmission lines

Continue reading blog post