Solar Shingles A First In San Antonio

Posted on June 20, 2012 by QuestPoint

Today, Dow Powerhouse announced the first installation of its cutting-edge Dow Powerhouse Solar Shingle roof system in San Antonio. Bobby and Sarah Ross waited over a year to be the first homeowners in Texas with a Dow Powerhouse solar roof.“This is an exciting day for us to be a part of the first Dow Powerhouse solar roof installation in Texas” In 2011, The Dow Chemical Company (Dow) installed a Dow Powerhouse system in Katy, TX as part of an employee contest before the product was made commercially available. The Ross’ family-owned business, Ross Electric Company, was chosen to connect POWERHOUSE below the rooftop. The family was able to see the installation hands-on, and decided to be one of the first in the country to install this total residential roofing solution that not only protects like a standard asphalt roof but also generates solar electricity, turning the roof into a source of value and savings.

“When I saw the seamless integration of the Dow Powerhouse Solar System, I knew it was something worth waiting for,” said Ross. “I am proud to invest in my home with such an innovative and good-looking product. I expect that my POWERHOUSE™ roof will reduce my utility bills by about 40 percent and will increase my home value overall.” BELDON Roofing Company, the exclusive Dow Powerhouse Authorized Dealer in San Antonio, worked directly with the Ross family to custom design the solar roof array to align directly with the family’s budget, roof design and energy goals.“This is an exciting day for us to be a part of the first DOW POWERHOUSE™ solar roof installation in Texas,” said Brad Beldon, President and CEO of BELDON Roofing Company. “We are seeing the way San Antonians think about their roof change now that they have the option to purchase a smart roof system that goes to work for them and pays for itself.”

The Dow Powerhouse Solar Shingle roofing system is offered to San Antonio homeowners as a packaged turn-key solution. It includes:A custom designed array of shingles to fit the individual homeowner’s budget, roof design and energy goals, a DC-to-AC inverter that feeds the home’s power needs or can be returned to the power grid and a monitoring system accessible from any internet connection, showing real-time energy production and generation. Made in the United States and backed by a 20 year warranty from Dow, the Dow Powerhouse Solar Shingle is also certified as both a solar and roofing product. It has received seven performance and safety certifications, including the backing of Underwriters Laboratories (UL), International Code Council Evaluation Service (ICC-ES) certification and is proven to withstand rain, hail and wind uplift.

Scientists Tap Into Underwater Solar Energy

NYC, IBM And CUNY Creating Solar Energy Venture

Posted on June 9, 2012 by QuestPoint

IBM is helping New York City (NYC) become a global leader in urban solar energy market analysis and sustainability through an innovative agreement with CUNY Ventures, a City University of New York (CUNY) Economic Development Corporation entity. The goal of this effort is to nourish solar adoption by developing the capability to analyze and understand key solar market indicators that can make solar system development more cost competitive. Using IBM’s Intelligent Operations Center (IOC) for Smarter Cities as the backbone, this analytics-based approach will help New York City monitor and analyze solar production and capacity through a virtual control room that will provide a dashboard view of key indicators.

The collaboration is part of ‘Solar Market Analytics, Roadmapping, and Tracking NY’ (SMART NY), a groundbreaking project supported in part by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) ‘Rooftop Solar Challenge’, part of the DOE SunShot Initiative which is striving to make solar energy cost-competitive with other forms of energy by the end of the decade.

With IBM’s IOC software, CUNY Ventures will access and analyze data from the NYC Solar Portal, an inter-agency permitting and tracking solution developed by Procemx; data systems in solar empowerment zones; and the NYC Solar Map, putting in place a long-term solution designed to drive down the costs of solar deployment. Initially, five state and city entities will utilize the solar market analytics: the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, the NYC Mayor’s Office of Long Term Planning and Sustainability, Consolidated Edison, the NYC Department of Buildings and the New York City Economic Development Corporation. Full Article: IBM Smarter Cities Technology Helps NYC Envision Solar Energy Leadership through CUNY Ventures

Green News Wall

GE Opens Electric And Hybrid Vehicle Innovation Center

Posted on June 4, 2012 by QuestPoint

The first-of-its-kind center reinforces GE’s commitment to the deployment of more efficient vehicles in its fleet and in customer fleets. Showcasing the latest in a growing array of alternative fuel vehicles in electric, natural gas, propane, hydrogen and other formats, the center gives GE’s commercial customers the opportunity to learn about and test drive numerous alternative fuel cars and trucks in a single location with assistance from GE’s fleet, transportation, energy and advanced technology experts.“We believe that businesses, through their company fleets, can lead the way in putting drivers across the country and around the world into cleaner, more productive vehicles,” said Deb Frodl, chief strategy officer for GE Capital Fleet Services and global alternative fuel leader for GE. “The best way to accelerate adoption of alternative fuel cars and trucks is to experience them. Once they get behind the wheel, they can see that these vehicles are real and ready for action.”

“Through our Vehicle Innovation Center, we are committed to sharing alternative fuel vehicle technologies and solutions with our customers and helping them put more of these vehicles on the road.” Located on the campus of GE’s fleet management business headquarters in Eden Prairie, Minn., the center features a private half-mile driving course and a vehicle center that includes alternative fuel vehicles from 20 automotive manufacturers. With 6,000 square feet of classrooms and showrooms, the center also allows visitors access to a variety of products and solutions from GE’s ecomagination portfolio, including solutions for the smart grid, Electric Vehicle (EV) charging stations, Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) in a Box, fuel savings mobile applications, and other advanced energy and infrastructure technologies.

The center supports GE’s broader ecomagination business strategy – to accelerate the development and deployment of clean energy technology though innovation and R&D investment. GE Capital Fleet Services will run the center in collaboration with other GE businesses and GE energy and transportation experts around the world.“The city of Eden Prairie is delighted and proud to be the home of GE’s Vehicle Innovation Center, “ said Nancy Tyra-Lukens, mayor of Eden Prairie. “This is truly a world-class facility and we are pleased to have GE working on the future of sustainable transportation right here in our own community.

Fukushima Fallout (2012)

Sidwell Friends, SolarCity and Common Cents Solar Saving Energy

Posted on June 4, 2012 by quest

Sidwell Friends School is generating its own electricity from sunlight and reducing its impact on the environment and utility grid thanks to 224 new solar panels. The new 53-kilowatt system is the result of a unique partnership between the school, SolarCity and Common Cents Solar. The new solar system will generate clean solar electricity and create thousands of dollars in electricity bill savings for the school over its lifetime.”Solar electricity offers Sidwell Friends the environmental benefits of carbon free energy production, financial savings and rich teaching opportunities,” said Michael Saxenian, Assistant Head of School and CFO of Sidwell Friends School.

SFS worked with Common Cents Solar, a local non-profit that facilitates solar projects, to launch a program of community-based “solar bonds”. The bonds will be repaid over about ten years after which the SFS community members may donate the system to Sidwell Friends, providing free energy for the remaining life of the system, estimated at 20 years or more. In 2010, the school and CCS installed a 120-panel system on the SFS Lower School gym roof using a similar financing model.

“Nonprofits have an underutilized financial gem—their own dedicated community. Involving their community in the move to solar has a multiplying effect– exposure, sense of ownership, collective pride, increasing awareness of the viability of solar,” said Ketch Ryan of Common Cents Solar.“Schools can go solar today and start saving on utility bills tomorrow, and free up additional funds for student services,” said Leon Keshishian, Mid-Atlantic Vice President for SolarCity. “A lot of schools are feeling the budget crunch and solar can be an answer—I think a lot of school administrators would be surprised at how inexpensive and easy making the move to solar can be.”

Do it Yourself Renewable Energy

Empire State Building Saves Millions Going Green

Posted on June 2, 2012 by quest

“First and foremost, making the Empire State Building energy efficient was a sound business decision that saved us millions of dollars in the first year,” said Anthony Malkin of the Empire State Building Company. “We have a proven model that shows building owners and operators how to cut costs and improve the value of their buildings by integrating energy efficiency into building upgrades.” One year after an innovative building retrofit project, the Empire State Building is ahead of plan and has exceeded its year one energy-efficiency guarantee by five percent, saving $2.4 million and establishing a commercial real estate model for reducing costs, maximizing return on investment, increasing real estate value, and protecting the environment.

Mr. Malkin and the Clinton Climate Initiative (CCI) Cities program, an aligned partner of the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group, assembled a coalition of leading organizations focused on energy efficiency and sustainability. The team was comprised of the Empire State Building Company, LLC; Johnson Controls, Inc.; Jones Lang LaSalle; and Rocky Mountain Institute.”Mr. Malkin had a vision of bringing innovation to his historical landmark. The results are just beginning to pay off while at the same time creating a new model for the world to follow,” said Dave Myers, president of Johnson Controls, Building Efficiency. “It is critical that we tackle the billions of square feet of inefficient office buildings around the world to meet our growing energy needs, save money, create jobs, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.”

The core energy efficiency retrofit at the Empire State Building is complete, with the balance of the project to be finished as new tenants build out high-performance workspaces. Not only is the Empire State Building more energy efficient, but it is also estimated to have saved 4,000 metric tons of carbon, the equivalent of that offset by 750 acres of pine forests. Once all tenant spaces are upgraded, the building will save $4.4 million a year, a 38 percent reduction of energy use that will cut carbon emissions by 105,000 metric tons over the next 15 years. In the United States, 40 percent of energy is consumed by buildings, according to the World Business Council for Sustainable Development. In dense urban settings like New York City, commercial buildings account for up to 75 percent of energy used. If every commercial building in New York City followed this blueprint, carbon emissions would be reduced by 4 million tons – the equivalent to that generated by a typical coal-fired power plant.

New Altadena farmers market takes an urban approach

Racing World Embracing Solar LED Technology

Posted on June 1, 2012 by quest

Sol, Inc., the leading provider of solar and LED outdoor lighting solutions, has announce they have partnered with Chip Ganassi Racing Teams, Inc to lead the way for increased energy conservation in the racing industry by upgrading the team’s outdoor lighting at both their Indianapolis and Concord, NC race shops to much more energy-efficient solar and LED lighting. The solar lights produce no pollution, cause no harmful environmental effects, and require no grid electricity to operate. The grid-connected lights use up to 75% less energy when replacing traditional lighting sources. “We are always looking for opportunities to push the envelope on environmental efforts and this partnership with Sol does just that,” said Steve Lauletta, President, Chip Ganassi Racing Teams. “Being able to partner with Sol and utilize their expertise in solar lighting technology is something we feel very good about. We look forward to a long partnership with Sol.”

By replacing conventional sodium vapor and metal halide light sources with Sol’s high-performance 20/20 solar and grid-tie LED lights, the Chip Ganassi facilities have lights that are much brighter, will last longer, and are providing significant energy savings while improving visibility in the parking lots for visitors and staff.

“First, I would like to congratulate Chip Ganassi and his teams for the big win this weekend in the Indianapolis 500. We couldn’t be more proud to be partnering with their organization,” said Paul Wickberg, CEO and President, Sol, Inc. “Chip Ganassi Racing is demonstrating their commitment through the installation of solar technology at their shops and is leading the way in showing visitors and employees how sustainable technologies like Sol’s solar lights can make economic sense while providing equal or superior performance to traditional, energy-intensive lighting technologies. We are also very pleased with the strides the racing industry is making with a more concerted effort on promoting sustainable products. Both NASCAR and INDYCAR seem to be working hard on green initiatives – whether it’s NASCAR’s new relationship with the EPA or INDYCAR being a long-time advocate of Ethanol in their cars. Our hope is that the racing industry will see this as an example of technologies that can be used at tracks and other racing facilities around the world.”