Former Secretary of State and retired Gen. Colin L. Powell will give the keynote address at the annual Greenbuild International Conference & Expo being held Nov.17-19, 2010, in Chicago, Ill. The Greenbuild International Conference & Expo is sponsored by Washington, D.C.-based U.S. Green Building Council that is committed to a prosperous and sustainable future for our nation through cost-efficient and energy-saving green buildings. With its 80 nationwide affiliates, 16,000 member companies and organizations, and more than 155,000 LEED Professional Credential holders, USGBC is the driving force of an industry that is projected to contribute $554 billion to the U.S. gross domestic product from 2009-2013. General Powell will deliver the keynote address. Greenbuild 2010 will feature an array of inspiring speakers and more than 100 education sessions and the world’s largest exhibit hall devoted to green building with over 900 exhibiting companies with over 1,800 booths showcasing the latest in innovative, cutting-edge products and services. “General Powell has made another career of sharing his lessons of leadership.” said Rick Fedrizzi, president, CEO and founding chair of USGBC. “His keen insights and global perspective are especially relevant to our movement in these times of great challenge and change. He exemplifies that leadership is about more than a title: It’s about taking charge during times of great crisis.” As a sign of General Powell’s wide-ranging leadership and the powerful message he will bring as Greenbuild’s opening keynote speaker, a LEED Platinum affordable housing building in his childhood neighborhood bears his name. The General Colin L. Powell Apartments in the South Bronx, N.Y., is a cutting-edge 50-unit multifamily project resulting from a partnership between Habitat for Humanity-New York City and Blue Sea Development. General Powell participated in the LEED certification ceremony.
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Solar power sustains winemaking operations
The Sonoma Wine Company and Cogenra Solar have entered into an energy power agreement to purchase the heat and electricity generated from the installation of a new 272-kilowatt (kW) installation, now supplying renewable heat and electricity to support the company’s winery operations. Under the company’s Heat and Power Purchase Agreement (HPPA) Cogenra will maintain ownership of the solar cogeneration modules, and Sonoma Wine Company will hedge against rising and volatile electric and gas prices throughout the 15-year contract.
Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Vinod Khosla of
Khosla Ventures 
were among honored guests at a ceremony yesterday afternoon to flip the switch on the new solar power plant. Khosla Ventures is the lead investor in Cogenra and former British Prime Minister Blair was appointed as a senior environmental advisor to Khosla Ventures in May of this year. In his remarks Tony Blair said, “It’s up to companies that are both visionary and savvy, like Cogenra, to set us on the right path to decrease our use of fossil fuels and build a more sustainable future.”
The historic commissioning represents the first commercial-scale installation of its kind, combining proven photovoltaic and solar thermal technologies in one solar array in an important move toward more affordable and efficient utilization of solar energy.“In vetting renewable energy solutions for Graton, we found Cogenra was the perfect match — high impact without high cost,” stated Derek Benham, founder and owner of Sonoma Wine Company. “Their solar cogeneration offering serves our energy requirements for hot water and electricity, and Cogenra’s innovative financing solution provides all the benefits and savings of on-site generation without the capital costs.”
“This is a very significant milestone for Cogenra as we bring our first project online in California’s wine country and toast to a bright future with solar cogeneration,” Cogenra CEO Dr. Gilad Almogy said in his welcoming remarks. “Cogenra’s technology merges the best photovoltaic and solar thermal technologies to meet two valuable industrial needs, low cost heat and electricity. Our solution produces five times more energy and three times the greenhouse gas reductions over traditional solar offerings.”The solar cogeneration installation employs 15 individual Cogenra SunBase™ modules to displace approximately 64,000 kilowatt-hours and 12,500 therms of natural gas annually. The solar thermal element will heat water to 165°F to sustainably fuel Sonoma Wine Company’s wine tank wash and wine barrel washing system. Implementing the system will eliminate more than 120 metric tons per year of greenhouse gases, the equivalent of removing nearly 25 passenger cars from the road annually.
ECO FRIENDS SHOP
Free Electric Vehicle Charge in Downey California
ClipperCreek, a provider of electric vehicle charging stations announced the installation of the first upgraded EV Charging Station site in Southern California to offer Free Public Charging for the all the new Electric Vehicles and Plug In Hybrids coming to market beginning this year. The stations are located at the Home Depot & Office Max stores at 7075 Firestone Blvd in Downey, CA. ClipperCreek is replacing over 500 obsolete Charge Stations across the state with the latest technology.
Dave Packard, ClipperCreek’s President. said, “We are already seeing the charge station market moving in this direction at retail business & commercial facilities and expect the trend to escalate as increasing numbers of EV buyers enter the market. By supplying just one dollar’s worth of electricity, customers can extend their range by 40 miles. It’s a clear win/win, while further enabling business leaders to underscore their support for USA energy security through reduced oil imports.” Customers will now be able to plug-in and charge on these new CS-40 units while shopping at Home Depot, Office Max, or even when getting a bite at Taco Bell.
The two Charging Stations, which offer Free Charging at the Andrews Rancho shopping center, are the first of hundreds more across California to be similarly upgraded, and highlight the importance of Free Public Charging. These installations will provide EV drivers with the comfort of knowing they can extend their driving range in daily travels without having to pay unknown fees or charges to plug in.
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Recurrent Energy & Sharp Solar now one
SanFrancisco based Recurrent Energy and Sharp Corporation announced today that Sharp has completed the acquisition of Recurrent Energy, a leading solar project developer and generating company. Sharp paid $305 million in cash to purchase a 100 percent stake in Recurrent Energy, which is now a wholly owned subsidiary of Sharp.
Arno Harris continues as CEO of Recurrent Energy and reports to Toshishige Hamano, Sharp’s Executive Vice President responsible for overseas business. Recurrent Energy’s executive team and employees will also continue with the company.“Our Recurrent Energy subsidiary is the primary solar power generation platform for Sharp and expands our photovoltaic business into the key area of project development. Recurrent Energy’s expertise and relationships will help Sharp become a total solutions company in the photovoltaic field, extending from developing and producing solar cells and modules to developing and marketing solar power generation plants.”
Recurrent Energy currently has a development pipeline of about 2 GW, with over 330 MW of contracted distributed-scale solar power projects primarily in North America, in addition to projects and joint development agreements in Europe and the Middle East.
“Sharp’s scale and resources will help us to accelerate our growth and further cement Recurrent Energy’s position as the leading global solar generating company,” said Arno Harris, CEO, Recurrent Energy. “We will continue to work with a variety of vendors to ensure we have the most appropriate equipment for our projects based on price and quality.”
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Geological Society goes solar
The Geological Society of America(GSA) recently celebrated the completion of a 65 kW solar energy system atop its Boulder, CO headquarters. Through it’s more than 22,000 members from academia, government, and industry in more than 97 countries the GSA encourages cooperative research among earth, life, planetary, and social scientists. The new array currently provides 35 percent of the annual electric consumption for the building, avoiding the emission of over 160,000 lbs of carbon dioxide each year. By January 2011 the building will use 100% solar and wind renewable energy for it’s source of electrical power.
“It is very exciting to work with the GSA,” said Andrew McKenna, COO of Bella Energy the company that installed the solar power system. “My family has had a close connection to the organization for many years, as my father was a long-standing member. It is great to see that Bella Energy can help the GSA save money on electrical costs, and continue its environmental leadership efforts.” GSA Executive Director Jack Hess said “We are grateful for the availability of local funding from Xcel Energy and the City of Boulder to make this first of many investments in renewable energy possible for GSA. The Society is committed to demonstrating environmental leadership and we want other commercial and nonprofit entities to know that this funding exists.”
The Geological Society of America was founded in 1888. Through its meetings, publications, and programs, GSA enhances the professional growth of its members and promotes the geosciences in the service of humankind.
EVENTS
9th Solar Cup Metropolitan Water District Boat Race
“Solar Cup is one of the most successful education programs of Metropolitan, its member agencies and local water agencies,” said Metropolitan General Manager Jeffrey Kightlinger. Nearly 700 students from 42 high schools in six Southern California counties will launch Metropolitan Water District’s ninth annual Solar Cup program Saturday, Nov. 6, as they build hulls for the solar-powered boats they will equip and race. The seven-month program, which began in 2002 with just eight teams and about 80 students, has become the nation’s largest solar-powered boat competition. Along the way, Solar Cup has encouraged many participants to attend college and to pursue careers in engineering, science, environmental issues and communication.
Beginning at 8 a.m. Saturday, about half of the teams will gather at Three Valleys Municipal Water District headquarters in Claremont to build identical, canoe-like hulls out of kits of pre-cut, marine-grade plywood. The remaining teams will gather at Three Valleys Nov. 13. Once the hulls are completed, the teams take them back to their schools to equip them over the next seven months with motors, batteries, solar-collection panels, rudders and steering systems. Often, they add an eye-catching paint or varnish job. As part of the education program, Metropolitan provides the hull kits and tool boxes and sponsors technical workshops for the teams and their teachers/advisors that represent schools in Los Angeles, Orange, San Diego, Riverside, San Bernardino and Ventura counties. Metropolitan’s member public water agencies and, in some cases, local water retailers, sponsor the teams to help equip their boats.
The program concludes with the Solar Cup competition May 13-15 at Metropolitan’s Lake Skinner near Temecula in southwestern Riverside County, where the teams will compete in endurance and sprint races. The event is open to the public.The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California is a cooperative of 26 cities and water agencies serving 19 million people in six counties. The district imports water from the Colorado River and Northern California to supplement local supplies, and helps its members to develop increased water conservation, recycling, storage and other resource-management programs.
SOLAR CUP RACE
VISIT THE SOLAR WALL
