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Renewables & Efficiency
Do you have a commercial building that might be a good candidate for ‘high performance’? The picture at the right is the Real Goods high performance building in Hopland, CA. The U.S.Department of Energy is looking for commercial developments in the design phase that might qualify as High Performance Buildings demonstration projects. Steven Winter Associates (SWA) is under contract with the DOE to identify and consult to commercial building project teams. Potential clients must be interested in incorporating high-performance practices including energy and water conservation, resource-efficient materials, indoor air quality, recycled waste programs, state-of-the- art HVAC systems, fuel cells, photovoltaics, or low-impact landscaping. SWA is consulting on three projects in different parts of the country: a public library in Chicago that is building a green roof, recycled building materials, and extensive daylighting; a prototype office building for a major developer in Boston that will have reusable/recyclable interior materials and finishes, and advanced mechanical/electrical/plumbing systems with raised floor distribution; and a mixed use commercial/residential building on a site in Arizona that may incorporate PV panels, solar water heating, water harvesting, and a water-source heat pump system. Contact Mike Crosbie, SWA: mcrosbie@swinter.com[sorry this link is no longer available]
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Maryland Smart Growth ProgramSince 1997, Governor Glendening has spearheaded the nation’s most comprehensive smart growth program in the state of Maryland. The award-winning “Smart Growth and Neighborhood Conservation Program” provides incentives to attract commercial and residential growth in communities with existing infrastructure and away from undeveloped areas. [sorry this link is no longer available]In March, the governor announced that Baltimore’s largest office building – a $75 million complex called Montgomery Park – will be a green renovation of a vacant 1.3 million square foot building. The Maryland Department of the Environment will occupy 262,000 square feet of floor space. The building’s energy efficiency features such as extensive daylighting, and insulating glass and sensors, will reduce energy costs from the $2 per square foot of a typical comparable building to about 98 cents a square foot annually. Recycled materials will be used throughout the building in partitions, ceiling tiles and carpet. Collected rainwater will be used to flush toilets. Contractors expect to salvage about 75 percent of the demolition debris. Also in March, Governor Glendening signed an executive order that creates a commission to recommend criteria for a comprehensive energy conservation strategy, green buildings and for the purchase of renewable 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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