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News and Events U.S. Green Building Council Launches LEED for Homes New Tool Helps Fleet Managers Evaluate Hybrid Vehicles Carbon Nanotubes Show Promise for Solar Cells, Other Devices Spain to Build an 11-Megawatt Solar Power Tower Anti-Neutrinos Shed Light on the Source of Geothermal EnergySite NewsLabs 21: Labs for the 21st Century Energy ConnectionsReports: High Gas Prices Changing U.S. Consumer Behavior News & EventsU.S. Green Building Council Launches LEED for HomesThe U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), which has set the standard for commercial green buildings through its LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) rating system, is currently launching a one-year pilot project to demonstrate a new LEED rating system for homes. The LEED for Homes Rating System is a voluntary program that will recognize and reward the top 25 percent of green homebuilders. New homes built to the LEED standards will be designed and constructed to use less energy, less water, and fewer materials. The LEED homes will also provide improved indoor air quality through improved controls of pollutant sources and better ventilation and filtration systems. Builders in 11 states plus the Northeast region are participating in the pilot. See the USGBC press release and the LEED Rating System […]
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News and Events Utility Plans 500-Megawatt Solar Thermal Project in California FedEx Installs 904-Kilowatt Solar Power System Scientists Outline “Revolutionary” Solar Research Areas Ten DOE Facilities and Army Base Buy Renewable Energy Credits Report Lauds Initial Gains of FreedomCAR and Fuel Partnership Site NewsCalifornia Stationary Fuel Cell Collaborative Utility Plans 500-Megawatt Solar Thermal Project in CaliforniaSouthern California Edison (SCE) and Stirling Energy Systems signed a 20-year power purchase agreement last week that calls for a 4,500-acre solar generating station to be built 70 miles northeast of Los Angeles. The 500-megawatt Stirling dish project includes an option to expand the project to 850 megawatts and is awaiting the approval of the California Public Utilities Commission.The project will be the first application of Stirling dish technology in the commercial electricity generation field. Stirling dish technology converts solar thermal energy to electricity by using a dish-shaped array of mirrors to focus the sun’s rays on the receiver end of a Stirling engine. The internal side of the receiver then heats hydrogen gas, causing it to expand. The expanding gas creates pressure that drives a piston, which turns a small electricity generator. See the press release from Edison International, the parent company of SCE.FedEx […]
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News and Events Energy Act Provides Tax Incentives for Energy Efficiency Net Metering, Tax Credits for Solar Energy Included in Energy Act Power Production from Renewable Energy Aided by Energy Act Biofuel Requirement and Tax Incentives Included in Energy Act Energy Act to Increase Energy Efficiency in Federal Buildings Energy Act Shifts Daylight Saving Time, Sets Appliance StandardsEnergy Act Provides Tax Incentives for Energy EfficiencyPresident Bush signed the Energy Policy Act of 2005 into law on Monday, setting in motion a process that will yield new tax incentives for consumers and businesses that pursue energy efficiency. “Energy conservation is more than a private virtue; it’s a public virtue,” said President Bush. “And with this bill I sign today, America is taking the side of consumers who make the choice to conserve.” See the White House press release, President Bush’s comments, and the White House’s related “Energy for America’s Future” Web page.The energy act creates a total tax credit of up to $500 for energy efficiency improvements to your home, including credits of up to $200 for installing new exterior windows; up to $300 for installing a highly efficient central air conditioner, heat pump, or water heater; up to $150 for […]
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News and Events U.S. Joins Asia-Pacific Partnership on Clean Development University of Michigan Wins the North American Solar Challenge Texas More than Doubles its Renewable Energy Requirement New York State Sets Efficiency Standards for Appliances Northwest Alliance to Promote Efficient Commercial BuildingsEnergy ConnectionsAsia’s Growth to Help Boost World Energy Use 57 Percent by 2025 News and EventsU.S. Joins Asia-Pacific Partnership on Clean DevelopmentPresident Bush announced last week that the United States has joined with Australia, China, India, Japan, and South Korea to create a new Asia-Pacific Partnership on Clean Development. This new partnership will allow the six nations to develop and accelerate deployment of cleaner, more efficient energy technologies to address pollution reduction, energy security, and climate change concerns in ways that reduce poverty and promote economic development. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Secretary of Energy Samuel Bodman will meet with their international counterparts this fall to carry the new partnership forward. See the White House announcement.A White House fact sheet that accompanied the announcement noted that an increase in greenhouse gases caused by human activity is warming the surface of the Earth, and suggested the key to addressing this climate challenge is to develop and deploy cleaner, more […]
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News and Events Michigan Takes Narrow Lead in North American Solar Challenge Illinois Adopts Requirements for Efficiency, Renewable Energy Massachusetts Joins Effort to Build “Green” Affordable Housing Subway Station in Coney Island Features Integrated Solar Roof Wal-Mart “Experimental Store” Uses Efficiency, Solar, and Wind Wind Power Benefits Port in Duluth, Minnesota Site NewsHydrogen Pathways Program at UC Davis News and EventsMichigan Takes Narrow Lead in North American Solar ChallengeThe University of Michigan holds a narrow lead over the University of Minnesota and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology as today’s much-anticipated final stage of the North American Solar Challenge gets underway. The 2,500-mile solar car race started on July 17th in Austin, Texas, and will end today in Calgary, Alberta. Eighteen solar cars remain in the race, which is sponsored by DOE, DOE’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory, and Natural Resources Canada. According to DOE’s Richard King, the race has highlighted all aspects of solar racing: early in the race, rainy weather challenged teams on several days; on some sunny days, the only thing holding back the leaders was the speed limit; on Sunday, a strong head wind favored the most aerodynamic cars; and on Monday (and Tuesday, for some teams) the […]
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Willie Nelson has been advocating for truckers and farmers for decades – now he sees BioDiesel as a solution for both groups and the environment. Willie Nelson Biodiesel Company, founded in December of 2004, is owned by Nelson and three partners. Customers are lining up for it at truck stops throughout Texas and it will soon be available along the eastern seaboard from Miami up to Rochester, New York. Biodiesel is actually available at over 450 retail pumps in the U.S. and is carried by 1400 U.S. petroleum distributors. But because of his down-home celebrity status, Willie Nelson is bringing it into the spotlight. He’s quickly expanding the bio part of the diesel from 20% (B20) to B40 and B95 blends. Carl Cornelius, owner of one of the most popular truck stops in Texas says, “I’m so doggone enthused about it, it makes my liver quiver.” He plans to build a biodiesel production facility a few hundred yards away. “We’ve got the resources in the U.S. – feedstock from animal fat, soybeans, sunflower seeds, the whole works. All we need is plants to process the biodiesel and get it going. If everybody’s got biodiesel, we don’t need awful wars. We […]
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by Christopher Williams & Steven ShermanSBC Park – home of the San Francisco Giants major league baseball team – seats 42,000 fans. Last season, more than 3 million people attended the games. One feature that sets SBC Park apart from most stadiums is its commitment to comprehensive recycling, water and energy conservation, and growing use of biodegradable, recycled content and lower toxicity products. Giants’ staff recover materials like paper, cardboard, grass clippings and food scraps. The organic residuals – about 12 cubic yards per game – are collected and composted by Norcal Waste Systems. Applied Composting Consulting, under contract with San Francisco’s Department of Environment, provides technical expertise and employee training. By the end of last season, the Giants reached a 56% diversion rate. The team’s goal is to limit purchases to only those items that are compostable or recyclable to further reduce solid waste.The current goal of the Giants organization is to reduce garbage compactor “pulls” (collection events) to one per game day. Before materials recycling began in February 2002, there were three compactor loads pulled per game. In 2003, one compactor was eliminated and the remaining one was pulled twice per game, completely full each time. With increased […]
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By sharing facilities, fledgling companies can eliminate the need for capital to build a prototype, test it and prove the technology works. It's a great model!
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Many products are available in reclaimed wood these days - from timbers to furniture, from cabinets to flooring.
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News and Events Minnesota Takes Early Lead in North American Solar Challenge DOE and USCAR Invest $195 Million in Energy-Efficient Vehicles DOE Awards $92.5 Million to 19 States for Home Weatherization Energy Secretary Bodman Helps Break Ground at Solar Facility Record Efficiencies Show Promise for Concentrating Solar Cells USDA Guarantees up to $200 Million in Clean Energy LoansSite NewsIEA Launches Web Site on Energy Efficiency Policies and Measures Energy ConnectionsEIA: Gasoline, Crude Oil to Stay at Record Highs Through 2006 News and EventsMinnesota Takes Early Lead in North American Solar ChallengeThe University of Minnesota is Monday’s early leader of the North American Solar Challenge. The 2,500-mile solar car race started on Sunday in Austin, Texas, and will end in Calgary, Alberta, on July 27th. After qualifying rounds last week, 20 teams are in the race, including five teams from Canada. Although the University of Michigan led after the first day, Minnesota had an impressive run on Monday, stacking up a 37-minute lead over the University of Missouri-Rolla and a 50-minute lead over Michigan. In this second and longest leg of the race, teams drive as far as they can over a 10-hour period each day, aiming for Winnipeg, Manitoba, by […]
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