Global Warming, Energy & Economy Predictions
Education:
B.A., Civil Engineering, City University of New York - May 1972
Professional Engineering License: 1973
Work Experience:
Joe LaStella has been a corporate executive or business owner of multiple public and private companies over a 21-year period. Focus of activities have included development of electric and hybrid electric vehicles, super-efficient engine research, alternative fuels, emission control equipment, recycling technology, mining technology, power generation and agricultural engineering. Business activities now and business and work activities in the past include the following:
President
Green Star Products 1992 to Present
GSPI is a public company with approximately 10,000 shareholders and a market valuation of $18-million. As President, Mr. LaStella was able to complete numerous R&D projects related to alternative fuels and integrate technologies into production operations in the US and globally. This has included creating research or strategic alliances with major corporations including Lockheed Martin (Industrial Offset Program), Daimler Benz/VW consortium DAUG (licensing) and others. Mr. LaStella was responsible for the R&D and engineering of electric vehicles that in 1994 EVB American testing (Dept. of Energy evaluation of electric vehicles ready for fleet use) were able to get top performance in more than half of the major categories. GSPI holds world records for longest distance traveled by an electric vehicle on a single charge, vehicle in cold weather on a single charge and electric bicycle on a single charge. Technology developed has included electric vehicles, lubricants and emission control devices. In 1998, Mr. LaStella was nominated Entrepreneur of the Year by Merrill Lynch.
In 2003, Green Star was invited to participate in the World Challenge Michelin Bibbendum event, which is held one a year in different countries around the world. Only the most advanced cars compete, including the Prius by Toyota, Insight from Honda and the best and most efficient cars by most of the major automakers (Daimler Chrysler, Ford, G.M.) including fuel cell autos.
At the 2003 event, Green Star competed against the best of the best and took top awards with its VW Jetta running on biodiesel. Green Star Products will again compete in the 2009 event.
Mr. LaStella has also published many editorials, most recent and noteworthy are his published editorials on "Peak Oil Reality" and "Global Warming."
Over the years Mr. LaStella has been a pioneer in many alternative energy fields including:
1) Cellulosic ethanol from non–food feedstocks.
2) Biodiesel form algae and other non–food products.
3) The biorefinery concept of waste products in, fuel and energy out.
4) Energy conservation including — super lubricants to cut friction and associated energy loses, etc.
5) Many other advanced engineering to include E-Diesel, organic food crop booster, etc. See GreenStarUSA.com for further information.
6) Mr. LaStella volunteers most of his time to giving free lectures and writing editorials concerning global warming, peak oil, food shortages, etc.
Consolidated Edison Company 1958-1978
Mr. LaStella worked for Consolidated Edison Company in New York City over 20 years in various engineering and management positions. Mr. LaStella achieved a prominent position in the company as Technical Superintendent. This included supervision of design and field installation of all the vertical networks in high-rise buildings in Manhattan. Mr. LaStella directed the activities of over 70 design and field engineers that installed vertical networks that ranged from 1 to 10 MW each. Other major activities included supervision of the operation of 2,800 MW of gas turbine generators in five boroughs in Westchester County. Mr. LaStella was also a research liaison for the company in connection with specific research projects detailed below.
Research Projects:
Consolidated Edison
DOE Large Fuel Cell Research 1976-78
Mr. LaStella has published many papers and editorials. He presented several of these papers at national conventions. At the Energy Technology Five Expo held in Washington, D.C. in 1978 he presented a paper on fuel cells titled "Role and Status Dispersed Electric Utility Fuel Cell Power Plants." Although the paper was written over 25 years ago, the primary objectives of the paper are as true today as they were then at the time Mr. LaStella was the operation and test manager representing Consolidated Edison Company of New York in connection with a 1 MW research and demonstration project that was a consortium effort with United Technologies and was funded by the Dept. of Energy. Funding of $100 million was used to build a phosphoric acid fuel cell operating with its own reformer running on naphtha fuel. The unit was built and operated successfully for one year and served the basis for designing a 5 MW module unit.
Mr. LaStella also developed the product TVT 24-7, which is a new age lubricant additive.
The original TVT product has been produced in the US and marketed in nine provinces on China. In the past four years it has clicked over 500,000,000 miles on autos in China without an engine failure.
Green Star Products along with its marketing partners, NRG Resources, developed an improved formula and is now marketing TVT 24-7 around the world. The new TVT 24-7 product line also includes many other products including many water-soluble cutting oils and advanced cutting oils for the aerospace industry.
Consolidated Edison
Gas Turbine Research 1972-76
Consolidated Edison had set up a set of gas generators designed to handle peak loads and to avert blackouts. Due to a power emergency in New York City in 1972, gas units designed to operate only several hundred hours per year were put into continuous operation to provide base load power. This represented a research opportunity due to extreme operating conditions this placed on gas turbine engines of all types. Mr. LaStella was a liaison between Consolidated Edison and numerous gas turbine manufacturers and suppliers and tested a wide variety of new technologies to keep units operational and improve performance. This included high efficiency air filters, turbine blade coatings, bi-metal blades, and methods for cleaning compressors and blades and other technology. The first multiple parameters monitoring system in operation was developed in conjunction with Teledyne and Pratt & Whitney during this power crisis to continuously monitor all critical parameters of gas turbine engine operation. Many new gas turbine technologies were developed from data gathered during this period.
Mining Engineering
Applied Mining Research 1978-1988
Mr. LaStella set up a metallurgical laboratory to evaluate various methods to identify and extract minerals from ore. State-Of-The-Art cyanide leaching processes were investigated. An underwater unmanned submarine was developed that would permit extraction of ore from the seabed without requiring a dredge operation. The system allowed for sorting and extraction of precious metals on the sea floor with minimal environmental impact. Mr. LaStella designed and built numerous turnkey modular plants to process precious metals that were installed in locations worldwide.
Recycling Engineering
Applied Research 1990
Mr. LaStella developed a system of sorting aluminum cans using electronic technology. The system was successfully installed in several major recycling locations in the US.