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DOE Awards $15 Million to 21 Companies for Efficient Buildings Deepwater Wind to Build Rhode Island Off-Shore Wind Plant GM to Produce New Efficient Engines in Flint, Michigan First U.S. Auction of CO2 Allowances Brings in $38.5 Million DOE Awards $15 Million to 21 Companies for Efficient Buildings DOE announced last week that it has selected 21 companies to receive $15 million as the first phase of awards for the Net-Zero Energy Commercial Building Initiative. DOE’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and National Renewable Energy Laboratory will work with each awardee to design, build, commission, and operate at least one new energy-efficient prototype building. Compared to similar new commercial buildings that meet the minimum requirements of standards set by the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), the new prototype buildings will consume only half as much energy. The two national labs will also work with each company to retrofit one existing building to consume 30% less energy than a retrofitted building that meets the minimum ASHRAE standards. The building projects will use both cutting-edge energy efficiency technologies and on-site renewable power generation to reduce the energy use of the buildings. The awardees for this phase of the award […]
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Economic Stabilization Bill Includes Clean Energy Tax Incentives Continuing Resolution Includes $25 Billion in Automakers Loans DOE Invests $43.1 Million in 21 Enhanced Geothermal Projects DOE Awards $83.3 Million to Develop a Sustainable Biofuels Industry Michigan Requires 10% Renewable Electricity by 2015 GM and Porsche Win the American Le Mans Green Challenge Economic Stabilization Bill Includes Clean Energy Tax Incentives President Bush signed the $700 billion Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 (H.R. 1424) into law last week, which also extended and enhanced critical tax credits and financing relating to renewable energy and energy efficiency. The Energy Improvement and Extension Act of 2008, which was attached to H.R. 1424, provides a one-year extension of the production tax credit (PTC) for wind energy, keeping the credit in effect through 2009. The bill also provides a two-year PTC extension, through 2010, for electricity produced from geothermal, biomass, and solar energy facilities, as well as trash-to-energy facilities, small hydropower facilities using irrigation water, capacity additions to existing hydropower plants, and hydropower facilities added to existing dams. In addition, the bill creates a new PTC for electricity produced by marine and hydrokinetic renewable energy systems (also called advanced water power systems) with a rated […]
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Defense Act Encourages Military Fuel Economy, Renewable Energy Use Operation Change Out Saves $11 Million at U.S. Military Bases Investment Outlook Mixed for Clean Energy Technologies DOE and EPA Release the 2009 Fuel Economy Guide Hybrid Technologies Gain Ground in Heavy Trucks Pennsylvania Requires Utilities to Pursue Energy Efficiency CO2 Emissions Growing Rapidly, Particularly in Asia Defense Act Encourages Military Fuel Economy, Renewable Energy Use A bill to authorize defense spending for fiscal year 2009 includes two provisions that will help create a more fuel-efficient military while encouraging the use of wind and solar energy. President Bush signed S. 3001, the "Duncan Hunter National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2009," on October 15. Section 332 of the bill requires the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) to include fuel efficiency as a key performance parameter when modifying or developing new machinery that consumes fuel, such as tanks or jets. It also requires that the life-cycle cost analyses for new military capabilities include the fully burdened cost of fuel, which includes the total cost of all personnel and assets required to deliver and protect the fuel. Section 333 of the bill also requires the DOD to consider the use of wind […]
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New Reports Note the Potential for Millions of Green Jobs Clean Energy Projects Dodge the Global Credit Crunch New Jersey to Develop a 345-Megawatt Offshore Wind Power Project World’s First Wave Energy Project Goes Commercial Honda Hybrid and Smart EV Unveiled at Paris Motor Show Requests for Nuclear Loan Guarantees Far Exceed Funds New Reports Note the Potential for Millions of Green Jobs Global efforts to tackle climate change could result in millions of green jobs over the coming decades, according to a recent study. The study, prepared by the Worldwatch Institute with funding from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), found that the global market for environmental products and services is projected to double from $1.37 trillion per year at present to $2.74 trillion by 2020, with half of that market in energy efficiency. It also notes that the energy supply sectors will be particularly important in terms of their environmental, economic, and employment impacts, particularly the renewable energy industry and those related to buildings, transportation, industry, agriculture, and forestry. The report notes that 2.3 million people have found renewable energy jobs in recent years, and projected investments of $630 billion by 2030 would translate into at least 20 […]
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By Lester Brown Legendary Texas oilman T. Boone Pickens is half right. We do need to harness this country’s wind resources for a homegrown source of electricity, as he has been urging this summer in expensive television ads. And we do need to reduce the $700 billion we may soon be paying annually for imported oil. But part two of Pickens’s plan – to move natural gas out of electricity production and use it to fuel cars instead — just doesn’t make sense. Why not use wind-generated electricity to power cars directly? Natural gas is still a fossil fuel that emits climate-changing gases when burned. Let’s cut the natural-gas middleman. Plug-in cars are here, nearly ready to market. We just need to put wind in the driver’s seat. Several major auto manufacturers, including GM, Toyota, Ford and Nissan are producing plug-in hybrids. Toyota and GM are committed to marketing plug-in hybrids in 2010. Toyota may even deliver a plug-in version of the Prius next year. Some Prius owners aren’t even waiting for Toyota. They’ve jumped the gun, converting their cars to plug-ins simply by adding a second storage battery, which increases the distance you can drive between recharges, and an […]
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Aside from the tragic loss of open space and biodiversity, buildings are responsible for 21% of the world’s CO2 emissions. In the U.S., buildings account for 38% of CO2 emissions, surpassing the transportation and industrial sectors. About 15 million new buildings will be added by 2015; emissions from commercial buildings, the largest polluter, are expected to grow 1.8% a year through 2030. A recent United Nations study concluded that green buildings can do more to fight global warming than all curbs on greenhouse gases agreed under the Kyoto Protocol, while saving billions of dollars. About 6% of commercial developments are LEED-certified and 5000 buildings have applied for certification, 90% of them new construction. Green buildings are projected to jump to 10% of the market by 2010. And many more buildings are green-renovated. Increasingly, green building is viewed as high performance, technologically advanced building, rather than "green." The Christman Building The Lansing, Michigan-based Christman building is the first to earn dual LEED Platinum certification – for both construction of the building (LEED Core and Shell) and for its interior (LEED Commercial Interiors). The 60,000 square foot historical landmark, built in 1928, is on a brownfield site in downtown Lansing. Previous owners […]
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DOE to Invest $35 Million in Concentrating Solar Power Projects Chrysler to Produce an Electric Car or Plug-in Hybrid by 2010 Fuel Economy for New Vehicles Rises for Fourth Straight Year California Adopts a Long-Term Energy Efficiency Plan DOE to Invest $35 Million in Concentrating Solar Power Projects DOE announced last week that it will invest up to $35 million over the next 4 years in 15 concentrating solar power (CSP) projects which, combined with the project cost-sharing from the project participants, will result in up to $67.6 million being invested in these projects. CSP technologies concentrate the sun’s heat for conversion into electricity, and the ability to store that thermal energy and draw on it after sunset will greatly increase the economic feasibility of CSP power plants. Of the 15 projects, 11 will involve the research and development (R&D) of thermal energy storage technologies, 1 involves R&D for advanced heat transfer fluids, and 3 will be geared toward near-term demonstrations of thermal storage technologies. The projects are expected to further DOE’s goal of reducing the cost of CSP electricity from today’s 13-16 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh) with no thermal storage to 8-11 cents per kWh with 6 hours of […]
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Energy Efficiency Campaigns Launched GM Celebrates 100th Birthday by Unveiling the Chevrolet Volt Intercontinental Flight Demonstrates Fuel-Saving Technologies National Solar Tour Comes to All But Four States in October Report: $100 Billion Could Yield 2 Million Clean Energy Jobs Energy Efficiency Campaigns Launched DOE launched two new energy efficiency campaigns for kids last week: "What’s your Excuse?," which is focused on the 8-12 "tween" market, and a Tinker Bell-themed campaign for 8- to 9-year-olds. The two campaigns were developed in partnership with the Advertising Council and are designed to educate children about the importance of energy efficiency. "What’s your Excuse?" encourages tweens to save energy at home with a 10-step energy action plan, and includes tips, games, and downloads posted on a Web site called "Lose Your Excuse." The campaign is supported by the pro bono efforts of Goodby, Silverstein and Partners, which developed public service announcements (PSAs) for television, radio, outdoor, and Web media. The Tinker Bell campaign consists of television, online, and outdoor PSAs created by the Ad Council to educate children about positive energy saving habits. The campaign directs children to visit the kids section of the DOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) Web […]
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DOE Headquarters Inaugurates 205 kW Solar PV System DOE Awards $6.6 Million for State-Led Clean Energy Projects U.S. Wind Power Capacity Exceeds 20,000 MW NSF to Invest $18.5 Million in Green Grid Technologies Construction Underway on First Geothermal Power Plant in New Mexico Florida Green Power Dispute Puts Spotlight on Marketing Costs DOE Headquarters Inaugurates 205 kW Solar PV System A new 205-kilowatt solar power system was turned on for the first time at DOE’s Forrestal Building on Tuesday, in an inaugural ceremony led by Secretary of Energy Samuel Bodman. The new rooftop solar electric system, designed and installed by SunPower Corp., consists of 891 solar PV modules and is 40-50 times larger than a typical residential system. Each module is able to convert 18.5% of the sunlight hitting it into electricity, which is one of the highest conversion efficiencies available for purchase today. The system will generate about 200 megawatt-hours of electricity per year, providing up to 8% of the Forrestal complex’s energy during peak hours and saving as much as $26,000 in utility costs in its first year of operation. Insulation incorporated into each module will provide additional energy savings by reducing the building’s heating and cooling load, […]
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by Rona Fried This article first appeared in Progressive Investor, April 2008. High oil prices, the diversion of 30% of our corn crop for ethanol, and strong demand from China and India are causing food shortages in vulnerable countries around the world. We need to go beyond giving aid and help these communities develop locally grown food sources and we have to focus on growing our food close to home in developed countries. Some of the best ideas are hatched at our universities where students are often encouraged to think outside the box. Another recent feature in Progressive Investor on carbon capture (December 2007) profiled a disruptive technology developed at Columbia University, where another equally profound contribution is under development – Vertical Farms. Dickson Despommier, a professor of Environmental Health Science at Columbia, gave birth to the idea in his Medical Ecology class which examines the health consequences of a damaged environment. The graduate school class attracts students from many disciplines such as medicine, law, architecture and nutrition. Over the past three years, he’s focused on the effects of agriculture on the environment. He gave the class a project: pretend you’re a community of 50,000 people and you have no […]
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