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Renewables & Efficiency
“Making intelligent use of sustainable building practices in the design and construction of our new campus will allow us to create a better environment in which to work and study, impact the Bay Area in a significant way by setting the example for environmentally sensitive buildings, and represent a model for whole campus construction projects worldwide,” said Charles Glasser in his President’s Green Message. John F. Kennedy University is preparing to be the first university in the U.S. to construct an entire campus using green principles, in both its buildings and academic curriculum. Working with architects Lynn Simon and the firm, Hornberger & Worstell, the university intends to meet the requirements for the highest LEED rating at its new 5-acre campus in Concord, California. Green building technologies and materials will be used to site and design the campus, its buildings and furnishings. The campus site is in downtown Concord, next to the city’s rapid transit station. The goal is for construction to begin in early 2002 and for the campus to open early in 2003; a campaign to raise capital is in progress. President Glasser made the decision after meeting with 30 peers at the President’s Meeting at Oberlin College. […]
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Shea Homes San Diego announced in January that it is introducing the “Shea High Performance Home.” All new homes will be built to standards that are 38 percent more efficient than California Title 24 guidelines and will offer solar electric power and water heating as standard features. Homeowners will be able to reduce their utility bills up to 80 percent compared to a conventionally built home. The company plans to build about 200 high performance homes over the next 18 months in its new Scripps Highlands community, located 15 miles north of downtown San Diego. 100 houses will be outfitted with solar panels that generate 1,500 kilowatt hours of electricity a year, in addition to conventional electricity. Another 160 homes will offer solar panels as an option. The panels add about $6,000 to the cost of a homes, which sell in the $400,000 – $600,000 range. As a result of the current California energy crisis, San Diego homeowners pay 10 times more for electricity and twice as much for natural gas as they did a year ago. Mark Brock, Shea Homes San Diego president notes, “The Shea High Performance Home gives our buyers much greater control when there are energy […]
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The Sydney Futures Exchange and its subsidiary, the New Zealand Futures and Options Exchange are launching a global exchange market for carbon credits. Initially, these credits will be sourced from certain forest sequestration activities. Credits are available for forests planted after January 1 1990 that result in a land use change (for example, from grazing to forestry). As of January 2001, residential and small business customers will be able to choose their electricity supplier in Australia. Large companies already have this choice. 15 Australian energy companies have joined to form the agreed to Green Electricity Market (GEM) Project on the Internet to facilitate member green power trades. a major boost to Australias renewable energy sector as it prepares to meet requirements arising from the federal Renewable Energy Target, as well as to meet retail customer demand for green power. It will be online by early 2001 and is expected to give a real boost to the renewable energy market in Australia. GEM will allow members to meet the mandatory target of providing 9,500 GWh of renewable energy. They will be able to track their generation and build an efficient market for renewable energy certificates. The company developing the exchange is […]
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The world’s first commercial wave power station opened for business this month. LIMPET (Land Installed Marine Powered Energy Transformer) is connected to Britain’s national grid and will generate 500 kW of energy – enough to power 400 homes. It is located on the Island of Islay, off the West coast of Scotland. “To see a new renewable energy source reach this stage is an important day for all people involved since its beginning,” says Philippe Schild, a European Commission scientific officer. “LIMPET is there to prove energy can be extracted commercially from the ocean.” The EU financially supported the project which was developed by WAVEGEN and Queen’s University Belfast. Because a LIMPET station is simple to build and operate company officials believe it may help many coastal communities replace diesel generation. They estimate that UK’s coasts could supply the country’s entire demand through wave power. [sorry this link is no longer available]
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McDonald’s goes GMO-free in Europe. As of April 2001, McDonald’s customers in Germany, Switzerland, Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Finland will be eating meat from animals that were fed with GMO-free food. McDonald’s UK announced earlier this year that GMO-free soy would be used exclusively for poultry feed. Burger King made a similar pledge for its poultry products. Will this policy spread to other parts of the world? A new nuclear plant for Finland? An application has been filed to build a nuclear power plant in Finland. This would be the first major expansion of nuclear power in Europe in almost 20 years. A public referendum looks likely. Ford is Canada’s largest auto recycler now that its GreenLeaf subsidiary purchased Lecavalier Auto Parts, a major Quebec automotive recycler that processes 11,000 vehicles a year. Says Dan Tesser, a Ford of Canada spokesperson, “The recycling of automotive parts and materials is a high-growth opportunity and Ford is actively pursuing acquisitions as part of the company’s new business development strategy.” Ford acquired two other recycling operations in Canada this year. Denmark’s 2001 budget imposes high taxes on greenhouse gases postponing its proposed ban until 2006. The gases were chosen based on their global […]
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The world’s first commercial wave power station opened for business this month. LIMPET (Land Installed Marine Powered Energy Transformer) is connected to Britain’s national grid and will generate 500 kW of energy – enough to power 400 homes. It is located on the Island of Islay, off the West coast of Scotland. “To see a new renewable energy source reach this stage is an important day for all people involved since its beginning,” says Philippe Schild, a European Commission scientific officer. “LIMPET is there to prove energy can be extracted commercially from the ocean.” The EU financially supported the project which was developed by WAVEGEN and Queen’s University Belfast. Because a LIMPET station is simple to build and operate company officials believe it may help many coastal communities replace diesel generation. They estimate that UK’s coasts could supply the country’s entire demand through wave power. [sorry this link is no longer available]
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The Sydney Futures Exchange and its subsidiary, the New Zealand Futures and Options Exchange are launching a global exchange market for carbon credits. Initially, these credits will be sourced from certain forest sequestration activities. Credits are available for forests planted after January 1 1990 that result in a land use change (for example, from grazing to forestry). As of January 2001, residential and small business customers will be able to choose their electricity supplier in Australia. Large companies already have this choice. 15 Australian energy companies have joined to form the agreed to Green Electricity Market (GEM) Project on the Internet to facilitate member green power trades. a major boost to Australias renewable energy sector as it prepares to meet requirements arising from the federal Renewable Energy Target, as well as to meet retail customer demand for green power. It will be online by early 2001 and is expected to give a real boost to the renewable energy market in Australia. GEM will allow members to meet the mandatory target of providing 9,500 GWh of renewable energy. They will be able to track their generation and build an efficient market for renewable energy certificates. The company developing the exchange is […]
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The Time Warner Center is under construction at Columbus Circle, one of the most prominent corners in New York City. Its 2.1 million gross square feet will be a showcase for energy efficient design. It will house the AOL Time Warner headquarters, CNN broadcast studios, 6 floors of high-end retail stores and restaurants, luxury condominiums, a hotel and Jazz at Lincoln Center. Steven Winter Associates is the project’s green building consultant and is advising the team of architects and engineers on efficient energy practices and green building materials.The project will fulfill the requirements to earn a LEED green building rating and the recently established NY State Green Building Tax Credit. The project will incorporate a wide range of energy conservation strategies including premium efficiency motors and chiller, occupant controlled daylight dimming and lighting, demand-based ventilation in large retail areas and auditoriums and carbon-sensor-based garage ventilation. Dozens of commercial projects have registered as LEED-rated buildings in the six months since its launch. The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) is now building the organizational infrastructure to support it, hiring staff to assist with technical support and program outreach, and establishing project database and tracking systems. A 250 page Reference Guide and other […]
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Natural Resources Canada (NRC) reports the use of solar photovoltaics in Canada has grown at an average annual rate of 29 percent over the past seven years. In1999, installed capacity broke the 5 megawatt level with total revenues estimated at $40 million. The industry provided 250 jobs in 1999. Primary markets are remote installations, highway departments, and oil companies for powering remote devices that monitor oil and gas flows through Canadian pipelines. Their report covers the sale of PV modules larger than 40 watts, and notes that there is also a strong retail market for smaller modules used in solar lanterns and garden lights. Exports represent only 6 percent of PV sales in Canada. U.S. solar manufacturers report that 1999 shipments were over 50 percent higher than 1998. This is the 14th consecutive annual increase, due largely to a strong export market that accounts for three quarters of shipments. The primary U.S. market has traditionally been remote stand-alone units, but grid-connected projects doubled from 1998-1999, to 25,000 kW. The average price of PV cells declined by a third, dropping to $2.01 per peak watt. Module prices also declined. The total value of shipments increased by 21 percent last year, to […]
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The City of Chicago and 47 other local governments will be buying its energy as a group from a single supplier. The bulk purchase of about 400 megawatts (enough to power 65,000 homes) of electric power will save millions of dollars; about half the energy is used by the City of Chicago and a fourth by the Chicago Transit Authority. Other members of the Government Power Alliance are Chicago Park District and City Colleges. Last year the group reduced their electric bills by over $10.6 million, or about 10 percent. For a company to win the group’s business, it must lower costs for each member of the purchasing group and generate 20 percent of the power from renewable sources. It must also submit plans to reduce pollution from its conventional power generation. This will be the largest renewable energy contract in the U.S. by a non-utility customer. It will reduce the region’s reliance on coal-fired plants, another step elected officials expect will improve regional air quality.
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