Energy Efficiency Advocate Highlights McGuinty Government's Commitment
Ontario's commitment to energy conservation scores an "A" on the latest report card from a national non-profit group that promotes energy efficiency. Ontario's grade on the 2007 report card from the Canadian Energy Efficiency Alliance - released today - is just the latest in a string of improved scores, reflecting the province's ongoing commitment to conservation as the cornerstone of a long-term energy plan. The Alliance highlights Ontario's work on conservation so far, including the province's plan to save 6,300 megawatts of electricity by 2025. To date, Ontario has reached its first interim target: a 1,350 MW reduction in peak demand by the end of 2007, and is working toward another 1,350 MW reduction by 2010. "Solid grades," the report points out. "But even more encouraging is what is in the pipeline for the future - Ontario appears to be taking Energy Efficiency VERY seriously."QUICK FACTS - Other energy saving initiatives of the McGuinty government include: - Banning inefficient light bulbs by 2012 - Supporting homeowners with the $112 million Ontario Home Energy Audit and Retrofit programs which cover half the cost of an energy audit (up to $150) and provide access to up to $10,000 in combined provincial and federal grants - Helping the industrial, commercial and institutional sectors adopt a clean, renewable option through the $14.4 million Ontario Solar Thermal Heating Incentive (OSTHI) - Extending point-of-sale retail sales tax exemption for ENERGY STAR(R) products (e.g., light bulbs, refrigerators, and dishwashers) - Installing smart meters across the province by the end of 2010. - Supporting Ontario Power Authority programs, such as the Great Refrigerator Round Up, peaksaver, Cool Savings Rebate and Every Kilowatt Counts Summer Sweepstakes programs
(via. CNW Group)
Showing posts with label green. Show all posts
Showing posts with label green. Show all posts
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Ontario Scores an “A” for Energy Conservation
Saturday, November 8, 2008
City of Toronto splashes into solar at Jimmie Simpson Recreation Centre
City of Toronto splashes into solar at Jimmie Simpson Recreation
by CNW, TORONTO, Sept. 20, 2008
Today, community members joined Councillor Paula Fletcher (Ward 30 Toronto - Danforth) and City of Toronto representatives at a showcase of the solar hot water system that heats the indoor swimming pools at Jimmie Simpson Recreation Centre. The centre, operated by Toronto Parks, Forestry and Recreation, has two indoor pools with an area of 360 sq. m and 70 sq. m, respectively. Under the umbrella of Toronto's Energy Retrofit Program (www.toronto.ca/environment/initiatives/energy_retrofits.htm), the Jimmie Simpson pool conversion to solar heating began in October 2006 and has an estimated cost savings of $12,095 annually thanks to reduced energy bills.
"The City of Toronto has earned acclaim as a world leader on the environment," said Councillor Paula Fletcher. "The Solar Pool Party is a great way to invite the community to see how the City is taking great steps towards energy conservation, learn about renewable energy alternatives and how to save money on their own energy bills." As the home of Canada's largest solar-heated pool, Jimmie Simpson Recreation Centre uses two solar systems, consisting of 91 unglazed solar collector panels covering 400 sq. m of the flat roof of the swimming pool area. The piping system has a dedicated pump and is piped as a secondary water system to the swimming pool water circulation system. The system is controlled by the building's computerized control system. A temperature sensor mounted adjacent to the solar panels measures ambient conditions (solar and wind temperature) and determines whether solar heating is available. The controls also prevent losses when heat is not available. "Toronto Parks, Forestry and Recreation is proud to support the energy retrofits at Jimmie Simpson Recreation Centre because it is not only a great gathering place for the community and a great place for exercise, but the solar heating system uses renewable energy, saves money and protects the environment," said Brenda Patterson, General Manager, Parks, Forestry and Recreation. The Solar Pool Party at Jimmie Simpson Recreation Centre included workshops on renewable energy and energy efficiency, solar neighbourhood tours of the Riverdale neighbourhood, children's activities, pool games and exhibits from solar companies and community groups. "The Riverdale neighbourhood has done a great job of bringing neighbours together to purchase solar energy equipment for their homes," said Mary Pickering, Associate Director, Toronto Atmospheric Fund. "We hope to use the lessons learned from this local experience to accelerate renewable energy across the whole city, both on homes and on city facilities."
In June, 2008 the City of Toronto and Toronto Atmospheric Fund launched Solar Neighbourhoods, a pilot program to help homeowners in Ward 30 conserve water and energy, providing financial incentives to purchase a solar water heater. Solar Neighbourhoods will help homeowners assess their home's suitability for solar panels, assist with finding a contractor, monitor the system, and provide financing options and cash rebates of up to $1,000. These rebates are in addition to an existing $1,000 now available from provincial and federal governments.
The City of Toronto will also be accelerating solar installations on its own facilities, using a unique "solar utility" model to expand solar heating to many more of the City's pools - a step that supports actions outlined in the City of Toronto's Climate Change, Clean Air and Sustainable Energy Action Plan. Learn more about Solar Neighbourhoods by visiting www.solarneighbourhoods.ca.
(Via. CNW Group)Wednesday, October 8, 2008
MIT opens new 'window' on solar energy
Another innovation on solar energy from a top institute.
Photo / Donna Coveney
Marc Baldo, associate professor of electrical engineering and computer science (left) and Shalom Goffri, postdoc in MIT's Research Laboratory of Electronics (right) hold examples of organic solar concentrators.
Photo / Donna Coveney
Organic solar concentrators collect and focus different colors of sunlight. Solar cells can be attached to the edges of the plates. By collecting light over their full surface and concentrating it at their edges, these devices reduce the required area of solar cells and consequently, the cost of solar power. Stacking multiple concentrators allows the optimization of solar cells at each wavelength, increasing the overall power output.
Image courtesy / Nicolle Rager Fuller, NSF
An artist's representation shows how a cost effective solar concentrator could help make existing solar panels more efficient.
Cost effective devices expected on market soon
Elizabeth A. Thomson, News Office
July 10, 2008
Imagine windows that not only provide a clear view and illuminate rooms, but also use sunlight to efficiently help power the building they are part of. MIT engineers report a new approach to harnessing the sun's energy that could allow just that.
The work, to be reported in the July 11 issue of Science, involves the creation of a novel "solar concentrator." "Light is collected over a large area [like a window] and gathered, or concentrated, at the edges," explains Marc A. Baldo, leader of the work and the Esther and Harold E. Edgerton Career Development Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering.
As a result, rather than covering a roof with expensive solar cells (the semiconductor devices that transform sunlight into electricity), the cells only need to be around the edges of a flat glass panel. In addition, the focused light increases the electrical power obtained from each solar cell "by a factor of over 40," Baldo says.
Because the system is simple to manufacture, the team believes that it could be implemented within three years--even added onto existing solar-panel systems to increase their efficiency by 50 percent for minimal additional cost. That, in turn, would substantially reduce the cost of solar electricity.
Read the entire story here.
(via. Massachusetts Institute of Technology)
Photo / Donna CoveneyMarc Baldo, associate professor of electrical engineering and computer science (left) and Shalom Goffri, postdoc in MIT's Research Laboratory of Electronics (right) hold examples of organic solar concentrators.
Photo / Donna CoveneyOrganic solar concentrators collect and focus different colors of sunlight. Solar cells can be attached to the edges of the plates. By collecting light over their full surface and concentrating it at their edges, these devices reduce the required area of solar cells and consequently, the cost of solar power. Stacking multiple concentrators allows the optimization of solar cells at each wavelength, increasing the overall power output.
Image courtesy / Nicolle Rager Fuller, NSFAn artist's representation shows how a cost effective solar concentrator could help make existing solar panels more efficient.
Cost effective devices expected on market soon
Elizabeth A. Thomson, News Office
July 10, 2008
Imagine windows that not only provide a clear view and illuminate rooms, but also use sunlight to efficiently help power the building they are part of. MIT engineers report a new approach to harnessing the sun's energy that could allow just that.
The work, to be reported in the July 11 issue of Science, involves the creation of a novel "solar concentrator." "Light is collected over a large area [like a window] and gathered, or concentrated, at the edges," explains Marc A. Baldo, leader of the work and the Esther and Harold E. Edgerton Career Development Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering.
As a result, rather than covering a roof with expensive solar cells (the semiconductor devices that transform sunlight into electricity), the cells only need to be around the edges of a flat glass panel. In addition, the focused light increases the electrical power obtained from each solar cell "by a factor of over 40," Baldo says.
Because the system is simple to manufacture, the team believes that it could be implemented within three years--even added onto existing solar-panel systems to increase their efficiency by 50 percent for minimal additional cost. That, in turn, would substantially reduce the cost of solar electricity.
Read the entire story here.
(via. Massachusetts Institute of Technology)
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Toyota to add solar panels to some Prius hybrids
Toyota is leading the pack in hybrid innovation. We are happy to see mobile solar panels on the road.
Toyota is due to launch the third-generation Prius next year.
Photograph by : Handout photo
TOKYO - Toyota Motor Corp. plans to install solar panels on some Prius hybrids in its next remodelling, responding to growing demand for "green" cars amid record-high oil prices, a source briefed on the matter said on Monday.
"It's more of a symbolic gesture," said the source, who asked not to be identified. "It's very difficult to power much more than that with solar energy."
Toyota is due to launch the third-generation Prius next year.
Big automakers are racing to come up with alternative solutions to using fossil fuels to appear ecologically conscious and to lure consumers looking to save money at the pump.
But solar power is not seen as a viable solution to power cars. Solar panels are expensive due to rising silicon prices and storing energy is difficult, the source said. It was unknown how much the solar panels on the new Prius cars would cost, or how many solar-mounted versions Toyota would build.
A Toyota spokesman declined to comment, saying the company does not talk about future product plans.
Mazda Motor Corp briefly offered a solar panel option on two car models, the Eunos 800 and Sentia, in the early 1990s to ventilate the sedans while parked on hot summer days. The expensive option was unpopular and discontinued after a few years.
Kentaro Endo, a director at Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry who specialises in renewable energy, said the application of solar energy was severely limited in vehicles.
"Even if you laid solar panels out on the entire roof of a house, you only generate enough energy to run two hair dryers," he said.
"It's an interesting idea, but it would be very difficult to power a whole car, even with technological advances."
Toyota has struggled to keep up with demand for the Prius as soaring gasoline prices put consumers off of gas-guzzling sport utility vehicles and pickup trucks. Rival Honda Motor Co. will also step up its hybrid push with a new, low-cost model early next year, followed by several other gasoline-electric cars.
Automakers have teamed up with battery makers to develop and produce lithium-ion batteries to store more energy in smaller packages to extend cruising distances.
Toyota has partnered with Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., while Nissan Motor Co. has a joint venture with the NEC Corp. Mitsubishi Motors Corp. is working with GS Yuasa Corp.
The Prius, the world's first mass-produced gasoline-electric hybrid car, first went on sale in Japan in late 1997 and in other markets in 2000. Cumulative sales have topped 1 million units worldwide.
Toyota has a goal of selling at least 1 million hybrid cars a year in the early part of the next decade by offering the fuel-saving system on more vehicles.
Toyota shares ended 1.4 percent higher at 4,990 yen as the dollar rose against the yen. Kyocera lost 0.1 percent to 9,740 yen, while the Nikkei average gained 0.9 percent.
Toyota is due to launch the third-generation Prius next year.
Photograph by : Handout photo
'More of a symbolic gesture'
ReutersPublished: Monday, July 07, 2008
ReutersPublished: Monday, July 07, 2008
TOKYO - Toyota Motor Corp. plans to install solar panels on some Prius hybrids in its next remodelling, responding to growing demand for "green" cars amid record-high oil prices, a source briefed on the matter said on Monday.
The panels, supplied by Kyocera Corp, would be able to power part of the air-conditioning on high-end versions of the gasoline-electric Prius, the source said.
"It's more of a symbolic gesture," said the source, who asked not to be identified. "It's very difficult to power much more than that with solar energy."
Toyota is due to launch the third-generation Prius next year.
Big automakers are racing to come up with alternative solutions to using fossil fuels to appear ecologically conscious and to lure consumers looking to save money at the pump.
But solar power is not seen as a viable solution to power cars. Solar panels are expensive due to rising silicon prices and storing energy is difficult, the source said. It was unknown how much the solar panels on the new Prius cars would cost, or how many solar-mounted versions Toyota would build.
A Toyota spokesman declined to comment, saying the company does not talk about future product plans.
Mazda Motor Corp briefly offered a solar panel option on two car models, the Eunos 800 and Sentia, in the early 1990s to ventilate the sedans while parked on hot summer days. The expensive option was unpopular and discontinued after a few years.
Kentaro Endo, a director at Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry who specialises in renewable energy, said the application of solar energy was severely limited in vehicles.
"Even if you laid solar panels out on the entire roof of a house, you only generate enough energy to run two hair dryers," he said.
"It's an interesting idea, but it would be very difficult to power a whole car, even with technological advances."
Toyota has struggled to keep up with demand for the Prius as soaring gasoline prices put consumers off of gas-guzzling sport utility vehicles and pickup trucks. Rival Honda Motor Co. will also step up its hybrid push with a new, low-cost model early next year, followed by several other gasoline-electric cars.
Automakers have teamed up with battery makers to develop and produce lithium-ion batteries to store more energy in smaller packages to extend cruising distances.
Toyota has partnered with Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., while Nissan Motor Co. has a joint venture with the NEC Corp. Mitsubishi Motors Corp. is working with GS Yuasa Corp.
The Prius, the world's first mass-produced gasoline-electric hybrid car, first went on sale in Japan in late 1997 and in other markets in 2000. Cumulative sales have topped 1 million units worldwide.
Toyota has a goal of selling at least 1 million hybrid cars a year in the early part of the next decade by offering the fuel-saving system on more vehicles.
Toyota shares ended 1.4 percent higher at 4,990 yen as the dollar rose against the yen. Kyocera lost 0.1 percent to 9,740 yen, while the Nikkei average gained 0.9 percent.
(via. driving.ca)
Thursday, September 11, 2008
The technology that will save humanity
By Joseph Romm
April 14, 2008
Clockwise top left: Newcastle, Australia central receiver array; Nevada Solar On parabolic trough; Spain's PS 10 Solar Tower; Liddell, Australia Line 1 CLFR being tested.
One of oldest forms of energy used by humans -- sunlight concentrated by mirrors -- is poised to make an astonishing comeback. I believe it will be the most important form of carbon-free power in the 21st century. That's because it's the only form of clean electricity that can meet all the demanding requirements of this century.
Certainly we will need many different technologies to stop global warming. They include electric cars and plug-in hybrids, wind turbines and solar photovoltaics, which use sunlight to make electricity from solid-state materials like silicon semiconductors. Yet after speaking with energy experts and seeing countless presentations on all forms of clean power, I believe the one technology closest to being a silver bullet for global warming is the other solar power: solar thermal electric, which concentrates the sun's rays to heat a fluid that drives an electric generator. It is the best source of clean energy to replace coal and sustain economic development. I bet that it will deliver more power every year this century than coal with carbon capture and storage -- for much less money and with far less environmental damage.
Clearly, the world needs a massive amount of carbon-free electricity by 2050 to stabilize greenhouse gas emissions. The industrialized countries need to cut their carbon dioxide emissions from electricity generation by more than 80 percent in four decades. Developing countries need to find a way to raise living standards without increasing electricity emissions in the short term, and then reduce those emissions sharply. And, over the next few decades, the world needs to switch to a ground transportation system whose primary fuel is clean electricity...
read the full story here
(via. salon.com)
April 14, 2008
Clockwise top left: Newcastle, Australia central receiver array; Nevada Solar On parabolic trough; Spain's PS 10 Solar Tower; Liddell, Australia Line 1 CLFR being tested.One of oldest forms of energy used by humans -- sunlight concentrated by mirrors -- is poised to make an astonishing comeback. I believe it will be the most important form of carbon-free power in the 21st century. That's because it's the only form of clean electricity that can meet all the demanding requirements of this century.
Certainly we will need many different technologies to stop global warming. They include electric cars and plug-in hybrids, wind turbines and solar photovoltaics, which use sunlight to make electricity from solid-state materials like silicon semiconductors. Yet after speaking with energy experts and seeing countless presentations on all forms of clean power, I believe the one technology closest to being a silver bullet for global warming is the other solar power: solar thermal electric, which concentrates the sun's rays to heat a fluid that drives an electric generator. It is the best source of clean energy to replace coal and sustain economic development. I bet that it will deliver more power every year this century than coal with carbon capture and storage -- for much less money and with far less environmental damage.
Clearly, the world needs a massive amount of carbon-free electricity by 2050 to stabilize greenhouse gas emissions. The industrialized countries need to cut their carbon dioxide emissions from electricity generation by more than 80 percent in four decades. Developing countries need to find a way to raise living standards without increasing electricity emissions in the short term, and then reduce those emissions sharply. And, over the next few decades, the world needs to switch to a ground transportation system whose primary fuel is clean electricity...
read the full story here
(via. salon.com)
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Toronto Zenn car sells in California, banned at home
Isn't that disappointed you Toronto people?
26 August 2008
Fab and Facilities: News From Around The Web
Mike Borbely likes his Canadian-made Zenn electric car so much he's planning to install solar panels on his garage roof so he can charge it for free."The Zenn really takes care of the lion's share of my commuting needs," said Borbely, a 45-year-old home designer from San Jose.He drives the boxy two-seater, which has a top speed of 25 miles an hour, to visit clients, he said.Good thing Borbely is from California. He couldn't buy the Zenn in Toronto. Zenn Motor Co. has no customers in its hometown because the Ontario government has banned low-speed electric cars such as the Zenn from public roads, citing safety concerns. At least 40 U.S. states, including California and Washington, and the Canadian provinces of British Columbia and Quebec deem electric cars like the Zenn to be safe as long as they don't exceed their mandated maximum speeds. Ontario says more research is needed."It's been somewhat mind-boggling; the U.S. has been much more welcoming than Canada," Zenn Motor Co. Chief Executive Officer Ian Clifford said in an interview at his Toronto office. "Why is this niche treated so differently in the two countries?"The Ontario Ministry of Transportation this month ordered studies of low-speed electric cars to see if they are safe for public roads. The government has been testing the vehicles in parks across the province since 2006. Until the studies are complete, as late as 2011, Zenns will be off limits "We want low-speed electric vehicles on our roads, and we are looking at how it can be done safely," Transportation Minister Jim Bradley said in a statement announcing the new research.Small electric cars like the Zenn typically meet only three of 40 safety standards required of regular passenger cars for brakes, bumpers and other components or functions, said Emna Dhahak, a spokeswoman for the Ministry of Transportation in Toronto.
read full story here
(via. contracostatimes.com)
26 August 2008
Fab and Facilities: News From Around The Web
Mike Borbely likes his Canadian-made Zenn electric car so much he's planning to install solar panels on his garage roof so he can charge it for free."The Zenn really takes care of the lion's share of my commuting needs," said Borbely, a 45-year-old home designer from San Jose.He drives the boxy two-seater, which has a top speed of 25 miles an hour, to visit clients, he said.Good thing Borbely is from California. He couldn't buy the Zenn in Toronto. Zenn Motor Co. has no customers in its hometown because the Ontario government has banned low-speed electric cars such as the Zenn from public roads, citing safety concerns. At least 40 U.S. states, including California and Washington, and the Canadian provinces of British Columbia and Quebec deem electric cars like the Zenn to be safe as long as they don't exceed their mandated maximum speeds. Ontario says more research is needed."It's been somewhat mind-boggling; the U.S. has been much more welcoming than Canada," Zenn Motor Co. Chief Executive Officer Ian Clifford said in an interview at his Toronto office. "Why is this niche treated so differently in the two countries?"The Ontario Ministry of Transportation this month ordered studies of low-speed electric cars to see if they are safe for public roads. The government has been testing the vehicles in parks across the province since 2006. Until the studies are complete, as late as 2011, Zenns will be off limits "We want low-speed electric vehicles on our roads, and we are looking at how it can be done safely," Transportation Minister Jim Bradley said in a statement announcing the new research.Small electric cars like the Zenn typically meet only three of 40 safety standards required of regular passenger cars for brakes, bumpers and other components or functions, said Emna Dhahak, a spokeswoman for the Ministry of Transportation in Toronto.
read full story here
(via. contracostatimes.com)
Monday, September 8, 2008
Solar panels could meet large share of world energy needs: study
London (Platts) -- Sept 1, 2008
Solar photovoltaic panels could supply electricity to more than 4 billionpeople worldwide by 2030 and could meet all of Europe's energy requirements,while occupying less than 1% of European lands, a study issued Monday byGreenpeace and the European Photovoltaic Industry Association concludes.
"Solar Generation 2008" said the PV industry is growing and has showed itcan become a global energy contributor. More than 1.8 million MW of PV arrayswill be installed around the world by 2030, equal to 14% of global electricitydemand, according to the analysis. This would reduce CO2 emissions by 1.6billion metric tons, equal to the carbon releases from 450 coal-fired plants,Greenpeace and EPIA said...
In Europe, "solar energy is becoming more economically viable and shouldbecome cost-competitive with conventional energy by 2015 in southern Europeancountries and by 2020 across most of Europe," according to the study. It citedestimates that power from PV could satisfy all of Europe's electricity needswhile taking up just 0.7% of its land mass.
Though PV is typically associated with rooftop solar panels,grid-connected PV plants of 1 MW or more now represent about 10% of theEuropean PV market, the analysis found.
Greenpeace and EPIA credit the feed-in tariff mechanism used in many EUcountries, including Germany and Spain, with boosting PV use. A feed-intariff, which guarantee payments for electicity generated from PV and otherrenewable sources, "provides fair remuneration to the investor, and rewardsthe effort made in investing in a clean energy source," the study said.
EU policy-makers are slated to approve a final renewable energy directivethis fall that "is expected to reinforce the current legal framework and couldfacilitate the implementation of the feed-in tariff scheme throughout Europe,"it said.
(via. platts)
Solar photovoltaic panels could supply electricity to more than 4 billionpeople worldwide by 2030 and could meet all of Europe's energy requirements,while occupying less than 1% of European lands, a study issued Monday byGreenpeace and the European Photovoltaic Industry Association concludes.
"Solar Generation 2008" said the PV industry is growing and has showed itcan become a global energy contributor. More than 1.8 million MW of PV arrayswill be installed around the world by 2030, equal to 14% of global electricitydemand, according to the analysis. This would reduce CO2 emissions by 1.6billion metric tons, equal to the carbon releases from 450 coal-fired plants,Greenpeace and EPIA said...
In Europe, "solar energy is becoming more economically viable and shouldbecome cost-competitive with conventional energy by 2015 in southern Europeancountries and by 2020 across most of Europe," according to the study. It citedestimates that power from PV could satisfy all of Europe's electricity needswhile taking up just 0.7% of its land mass.
Though PV is typically associated with rooftop solar panels,grid-connected PV plants of 1 MW or more now represent about 10% of theEuropean PV market, the analysis found.
Greenpeace and EPIA credit the feed-in tariff mechanism used in many EUcountries, including Germany and Spain, with boosting PV use. A feed-intariff, which guarantee payments for electicity generated from PV and otherrenewable sources, "provides fair remuneration to the investor, and rewardsthe effort made in investing in a clean energy source," the study said.
EU policy-makers are slated to approve a final renewable energy directivethis fall that "is expected to reinforce the current legal framework and couldfacilitate the implementation of the feed-in tariff scheme throughout Europe,"it said.
(via. platts)
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Cooking with solar energy can save money
By JAMES DULLEY • August 31, 2008
Sun Ovens International
The Sun Oven opens up with hinged reflectors to increase the solar cooking heat.
The Sun Oven opens up with hinged reflectors to increase the solar cooking heat.
Much of the world uses solar cooking to prepare most of their foods. On a clear day, the heat from the sun can easily create enough cooking energy to steam vegetables, rice, etc. and even bake cakes, potatoes and roast meats.
It is not difficult to build an efficient solar oven from just scrap boxes, paper and aluminum foil. Also, ready-to-use high-quality solar ovens are available. You take them out of the box and you can start immediately.
Cooking with free solar heat saves energy, but it also lowers your electric bills in another way. By not cooking indoors and adding extra heat and humidity to the room, your electric costs for air-conditioning are lower. A solar oven manufacturer told me a woman reduced her electric bills by $40 per month by cooking with solar.
I have used a Tulsi-Hybrid solar oven for the past three years, and it works great. I just unlatch the top and tilt it up. It has a mirror on the other side to reflect more of the sun's heat into the oven. A double-pane glass top over the black insulated oven chamber traps the heated air inside similar to a greenhouse.
This is a hybrid model with electric backup heat for cloudy days. It comes with four stainless steel covered cooking pans with special black solar-absorbing painted tops and bottoms. It generally takes about 90 minutes to steam brown rice as compared with 60 minutes on the stovetop.
Most of the complete ready-to-use solar ovens are designed to collapse into an easy-to-handle unit. This makes them ideal for camping or storage. Extra reflector sides can be attached when they are open to provide additional solar heat. This is handy for emergencies if you have to rapidly boil and sterilize drinking water.
If you would like to build your own solar oven with your children, there are many plans available online. One of the simplest designs uses a large and a small cardboard box. Put the small box in the large one.
For insulation, fill the gap between the boxes with crumpled newspaper. Cover it with a clear plastic top and face it directly toward the sun. For more heat, wrap aluminum foil over stiff cardboard and position it to reflect more heat into the box. Put a cooking thermometer inside the oven to monitor how hot it is getting.
It is not difficult to build an efficient solar oven from just scrap boxes, paper and aluminum foil. Also, ready-to-use high-quality solar ovens are available. You take them out of the box and you can start immediately.
Cooking with free solar heat saves energy, but it also lowers your electric bills in another way. By not cooking indoors and adding extra heat and humidity to the room, your electric costs for air-conditioning are lower. A solar oven manufacturer told me a woman reduced her electric bills by $40 per month by cooking with solar.
I have used a Tulsi-Hybrid solar oven for the past three years, and it works great. I just unlatch the top and tilt it up. It has a mirror on the other side to reflect more of the sun's heat into the oven. A double-pane glass top over the black insulated oven chamber traps the heated air inside similar to a greenhouse.
This is a hybrid model with electric backup heat for cloudy days. It comes with four stainless steel covered cooking pans with special black solar-absorbing painted tops and bottoms. It generally takes about 90 minutes to steam brown rice as compared with 60 minutes on the stovetop.
Most of the complete ready-to-use solar ovens are designed to collapse into an easy-to-handle unit. This makes them ideal for camping or storage. Extra reflector sides can be attached when they are open to provide additional solar heat. This is handy for emergencies if you have to rapidly boil and sterilize drinking water.
If you would like to build your own solar oven with your children, there are many plans available online. One of the simplest designs uses a large and a small cardboard box. Put the small box in the large one.
For insulation, fill the gap between the boxes with crumpled newspaper. Cover it with a clear plastic top and face it directly toward the sun. For more heat, wrap aluminum foil over stiff cardboard and position it to reflect more heat into the box. Put a cooking thermometer inside the oven to monitor how hot it is getting.
(via. freep.com)
Saturday, September 6, 2008
Saving Electricity And Saving Money
Electrical Engineers Create Money-saving Light System
By Science Daily
A photosensor paired with a dimming ballast controls fluorescent lighting and adjusts lights all over the user's home. A microcontroller automatically calibrates amounts of daylight and adjusts electrical light accordingly.
Lighting an office building can cost a lot of money, and sometimes those lights are left on even when natural sunlight is pouring through the windows. Now, an easy solution, called DaySwitch, makes the most of those sunny days at work and soon, at home.
"Lighting has a big impact on our lives but we pay the price because it uses a lot of electricity," says Andrew Bierman, M.S., a lighting research scientist from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York. Lighting makes up 25 percent of energy consumed by businesses. However, businesses could soon lower their electric bills.
Bierman developed the DaySwitch; it uses natural light to conserve electricity. "DaySwitch is an automatic device that will simply shut the lights off when there is plenty of daylight available," he explains. The DaySwitch is a tiny sensor that measures sunlight in an area and then it sends a signal to turn lights on or off as needed.
Bierman told DBIS about the inspiration behind the invention. He says, "You don't have to have the electric lights on when they are really not providing any more useful light than you already have with daylight."
Unlike typical lighting controls, the DaySwitch is easy to install and costs less than $25 per system. After it's installed, an easy-to-use remote control can reset the sensor to your desired level, so there is no need to call expensive electricians. When natural sunlight brightens the space, the lights go off, which cuts the lighting needs of a building in half, therefore saving on energy costs.
DaySwitch could be available for homes within a year.
The Optical Society of contributed to the information contained in the TV portion of this report.
show background -->
BACKGROUND: Scientists at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute's Lighting Research Center have developed a simple, cost-effective, energy-saving device designed to harvest daylight automatically. Unlike traditional systems where one sensor controls many lamps at once, the Dayswitch controls light fixtures individually, providing flexibility for on/off control and simple installation.
ABOUT DAYSWITCH: The Dayswitch eliminates wasted or unwanted electric light by sensing when enough daylight is available to take the place of electric light, and then responds by turning off the fixture. When daylight decreases, the device turns the light back on. A built-in microcontroller automatically calibrates the Dayswitch, allowing for easy installation and maintenance. Although it's made for office buildings with large sunlit spaces -- such as at the concourse of a mall -- the Dayswitch system can be installed anywhere, including private homes. It can even be more energy-efficient in homes, since most homes use incandescent lamps, which require more energy than fluorescent lamps.
LET THERE BE LIGHT: Typical daylight harvesting systems include a photosensor paired with a dimming ballast -- a device that regulates the electricity supplied to a lamp -- to control fluorescent lighting, dimming or brightening the lights according to the amount of daylight entering the workspace. However, full-dimming ballasts are expensive, and photosensors are difficult to program and install. Dayswitch works with all conventional fluorescent ballasts, and has simple circuitry and on/off operation, making it less expensive than similar daylight control systems.
SENSORY FEEDBACK: A sensor is a type of transducer: an electronic device that converts energy from one form to another. For instance, microphones convert sound waves into electrical signals, while speakers receive the electrical signals and convert them back into sound waves. There are many different kinds of sensors, but most are electrical or electronic. A photosensor is an electronic component that detects the presence of various wavelengths of light: visible, infrared, or ultraviolet for example. The electrical conductance will change in response to the intensity of the light being detected, and this change is recorded by a computer.
(via. Science Daily)
By Science Daily
A photosensor paired with a dimming ballast controls fluorescent lighting and adjusts lights all over the user's home. A microcontroller automatically calibrates amounts of daylight and adjusts electrical light accordingly.
Lighting an office building can cost a lot of money, and sometimes those lights are left on even when natural sunlight is pouring through the windows. Now, an easy solution, called DaySwitch, makes the most of those sunny days at work and soon, at home.
"Lighting has a big impact on our lives but we pay the price because it uses a lot of electricity," says Andrew Bierman, M.S., a lighting research scientist from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York. Lighting makes up 25 percent of energy consumed by businesses. However, businesses could soon lower their electric bills.
Bierman developed the DaySwitch; it uses natural light to conserve electricity. "DaySwitch is an automatic device that will simply shut the lights off when there is plenty of daylight available," he explains. The DaySwitch is a tiny sensor that measures sunlight in an area and then it sends a signal to turn lights on or off as needed.
Bierman told DBIS about the inspiration behind the invention. He says, "You don't have to have the electric lights on when they are really not providing any more useful light than you already have with daylight."
Unlike typical lighting controls, the DaySwitch is easy to install and costs less than $25 per system. After it's installed, an easy-to-use remote control can reset the sensor to your desired level, so there is no need to call expensive electricians. When natural sunlight brightens the space, the lights go off, which cuts the lighting needs of a building in half, therefore saving on energy costs.
DaySwitch could be available for homes within a year.
The Optical Society of contributed to the information contained in the TV portion of this report.
show background -->
BACKGROUND: Scientists at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute's Lighting Research Center have developed a simple, cost-effective, energy-saving device designed to harvest daylight automatically. Unlike traditional systems where one sensor controls many lamps at once, the Dayswitch controls light fixtures individually, providing flexibility for on/off control and simple installation.
ABOUT DAYSWITCH: The Dayswitch eliminates wasted or unwanted electric light by sensing when enough daylight is available to take the place of electric light, and then responds by turning off the fixture. When daylight decreases, the device turns the light back on. A built-in microcontroller automatically calibrates the Dayswitch, allowing for easy installation and maintenance. Although it's made for office buildings with large sunlit spaces -- such as at the concourse of a mall -- the Dayswitch system can be installed anywhere, including private homes. It can even be more energy-efficient in homes, since most homes use incandescent lamps, which require more energy than fluorescent lamps.
LET THERE BE LIGHT: Typical daylight harvesting systems include a photosensor paired with a dimming ballast -- a device that regulates the electricity supplied to a lamp -- to control fluorescent lighting, dimming or brightening the lights according to the amount of daylight entering the workspace. However, full-dimming ballasts are expensive, and photosensors are difficult to program and install. Dayswitch works with all conventional fluorescent ballasts, and has simple circuitry and on/off operation, making it less expensive than similar daylight control systems.
SENSORY FEEDBACK: A sensor is a type of transducer: an electronic device that converts energy from one form to another. For instance, microphones convert sound waves into electrical signals, while speakers receive the electrical signals and convert them back into sound waves. There are many different kinds of sensors, but most are electrical or electronic. A photosensor is an electronic component that detects the presence of various wavelengths of light: visible, infrared, or ultraviolet for example. The electrical conductance will change in response to the intensity of the light being detected, and this change is recorded by a computer.
(via. Science Daily)
Friday, September 5, 2008
Remarkable Solar Taxi Rolls Into Toronto
Monday August 25, 2008
CityNews.ca Staff
CityNews.ca Staff
IKEA may have coined the phrase, 'Swedish for common sense' but when it comes to saving cents while at the same time protecting the environment, the Swiss are definitely on the right track, and that track has led straight to Toronto.
On Monday, Swiss citizen Louis Palmer cruised into The Big Smoke in a Solar Taxi, which as the name suggests, is powered solely by the sun. The car does not produce any emissions.
Palmer is currently busy travelling around the world in the unique vehicle to raise awareness about global climate change and promote the use of solar energy.
He started in his hometown of Lucerne and has hit 28 countries in the past 14 months.
The Solar Taxi can reach speeds of up to 90 km an hour and Palmer travels an average of 300-400km a day. There are 4 months left to go in his tour with 12 countries remaining.
The car, which uses 100% Swiss technology, will be on display at the CNE until Wednesday.
You can learn more about it at http://www.solartaxi.com/blog/2008/08/27/toronto/
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Converting Sunlight To Cheaper Energy
Converting Sunlight To Cheaper Energy
ScienceDaily (Aug. 25, 2008)
Scientists are working to convert sunlight to cheap electricity at South Dakota State University. Research scientists are working with new materials that can make devices used for converting sunlight to electricity cheaper and more efficient.
Assistant professor Qiquan Qiao in SDSU’s Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science said so-called organic photovoltaics, or OPVs, are less expensive to produce than traditional devices for harvesting solar energy.
Qiao and his SDSU colleagues also are working on organic light-emitting diodes, or OLEDs.
The new technology is sometimes referred to as “molecular electronics” or “organic electronics” — organic because it relies on carbon-based polymers and molecules as semiconductors rather than inorganic semiconductors such as silicon.
“Right now the challenge for photovoltaics is to make the technology less expensive,” Qiao said.
“Therefore, the objective is find new materials and novel device structures for cost-effective photovoltaic devices.
“The beauty of organic photovoltaics and organic LEDs is low cost and flexibility,” the researcher continued. “These devices can be fabricated by inexpensive, solution-based processing techniques similar to painting or printing."
“The ease of production brings costs down, while the mechanical flexibility of the materials opens up a wide range of applications,” Qiao concluded.
Organic photovoltaics and organic LEDs are made up of thin films of semiconducting organic compounds that can absorb photons of solar energy. Typically an organic polymer, or a long, flexible chain of carbon-based material, is used as a substrate on which semiconducting materials are applied as a solution using a technique similar to inkjet printing.
“The research at SDSU is focused on new materials with variable band gaps,” Qiao said.
“The band gap determines how much solar energy the photovoltaic device can absorb and convert into electricity.”
Qiao explained that visible sunlight contains only about 50 percent of the total solar energy. That means the sun is giving off just as much non-visible energy as visible energy.
“We’re working on synthesizing novel polymers with variable band gaps, including high, medium and low-band gap varieties, to absorb the full spectrum of sunlight. By this we can double the light harvesting or absorption,” Qiao said.
SDSU’s scientists plan to use the variable band gap polymers to build multi-junction polymer solar cells or photovoltaics.
These devices use multiple layers of polymer/fullerene films that are tuned to absorb different spectral regions of solar energy.
Ideally, photons that are not absorbed by the first film layer pass through to be absorbed by the following layers.
The devices can harvest photons from ultraviolet to visible to infrared in order to efficiently convert the full spectrum of solar energy to electricity.
SDSU scientists also work with organic light-emitting diodes focusing on developing novel materials and devices for full color displays.
“We are working to develop these new light-emitting and efficient, charge-transporting materials to improve the light-emitting efficiency of full color displays,” Qiao said.
Currently, LED technology is used mainly for signage displays. But in the future, as OLEDs become less expensive and more efficient, they may be used for residential lighting, for example.
The new technology will make it easy to insert lights into walls or ceilings. But instead of light bulbs, the lighting apparatus of the future may look more like a poster, Qiao said.
Qiao and his colleagues are funded in part by SDSU’s electrical engineering Ph.D. program and by National Science Foundation and South Dakota EPSCoR, the Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research.
In addition Qiao is one of about 40 faculty members from SDSU, the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology and the University of South Dakota who have come together to form Photo Active Nanoscale Systems (PANS).
The primary purpose is developing photovoltaics, or devices that will directly convert light to electricity.
(via. Science Daily)
ScienceDaily (Aug. 25, 2008)
Scientists are working to convert sunlight to cheap electricity at South Dakota State University. Research scientists are working with new materials that can make devices used for converting sunlight to electricity cheaper and more efficient.
Assistant professor Qiquan Qiao in SDSU’s Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science said so-called organic photovoltaics, or OPVs, are less expensive to produce than traditional devices for harvesting solar energy.
Qiao and his SDSU colleagues also are working on organic light-emitting diodes, or OLEDs.
The new technology is sometimes referred to as “molecular electronics” or “organic electronics” — organic because it relies on carbon-based polymers and molecules as semiconductors rather than inorganic semiconductors such as silicon.
“Right now the challenge for photovoltaics is to make the technology less expensive,” Qiao said.
“Therefore, the objective is find new materials and novel device structures for cost-effective photovoltaic devices.
“The beauty of organic photovoltaics and organic LEDs is low cost and flexibility,” the researcher continued. “These devices can be fabricated by inexpensive, solution-based processing techniques similar to painting or printing."
“The ease of production brings costs down, while the mechanical flexibility of the materials opens up a wide range of applications,” Qiao concluded.
Organic photovoltaics and organic LEDs are made up of thin films of semiconducting organic compounds that can absorb photons of solar energy. Typically an organic polymer, or a long, flexible chain of carbon-based material, is used as a substrate on which semiconducting materials are applied as a solution using a technique similar to inkjet printing.
“The research at SDSU is focused on new materials with variable band gaps,” Qiao said.
“The band gap determines how much solar energy the photovoltaic device can absorb and convert into electricity.”
Qiao explained that visible sunlight contains only about 50 percent of the total solar energy. That means the sun is giving off just as much non-visible energy as visible energy.
“We’re working on synthesizing novel polymers with variable band gaps, including high, medium and low-band gap varieties, to absorb the full spectrum of sunlight. By this we can double the light harvesting or absorption,” Qiao said.
SDSU’s scientists plan to use the variable band gap polymers to build multi-junction polymer solar cells or photovoltaics.
These devices use multiple layers of polymer/fullerene films that are tuned to absorb different spectral regions of solar energy.
Ideally, photons that are not absorbed by the first film layer pass through to be absorbed by the following layers.
The devices can harvest photons from ultraviolet to visible to infrared in order to efficiently convert the full spectrum of solar energy to electricity.
SDSU scientists also work with organic light-emitting diodes focusing on developing novel materials and devices for full color displays.
“We are working to develop these new light-emitting and efficient, charge-transporting materials to improve the light-emitting efficiency of full color displays,” Qiao said.
Currently, LED technology is used mainly for signage displays. But in the future, as OLEDs become less expensive and more efficient, they may be used for residential lighting, for example.
The new technology will make it easy to insert lights into walls or ceilings. But instead of light bulbs, the lighting apparatus of the future may look more like a poster, Qiao said.
Qiao and his colleagues are funded in part by SDSU’s electrical engineering Ph.D. program and by National Science Foundation and South Dakota EPSCoR, the Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research.
In addition Qiao is one of about 40 faculty members from SDSU, the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology and the University of South Dakota who have come together to form Photo Active Nanoscale Systems (PANS).
The primary purpose is developing photovoltaics, or devices that will directly convert light to electricity.
(via. Science Daily)
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Green Corporation
Another green news of mega corporation.
Energy Efficiency Saves Dell $3M
By GreenBiz Staff, GreenBiz
Published August 7, 2008
ROUND ROCK, Texas -- Dell's three-tiered plan to neutralize its carbon footprint has reached its goal five months early and saved the company $3 million, Dell said Wednesday.
"It's a piece of our overall strategy and one we're pretty excited about," Dane Parker, Dell's director of environmental, health and safety, told GreenBiz.com.
The company announced last year its goal of becoming carbon neutral by late 2008. Since then, it focused on reducing energy consumption and buying renewable energy before offsetting the remaining emissions.
Overall, Dell lowered total energy demand by about 5 percent through efficiency projects such as lighting upgrades, HVAC retrofits, tweaking building temperature settings and shutting off computers not being used.
Most projects had a payback period of three years or less, Parker said. As the company moves beyond the low-hanging fruit, it is considering projects with longer ROIs, such as equipment upgrades for building controls. Dell's data centers, accounting for about 20 percent of its global power use, represent another opportunity for energy savings.
The company currently buys enough renewable energy to comprise 20 percent of its worldwide portfolio, the majority of it wind power. In the U.S., green power purchases meet a third of its demand. Dell now buys roughly 116 million kWh each year, compared to 12 million kWh in 2004.
Although the company met its goal early, it will continue looking for ways to weave additional efficiencies into its operations, Parker said. In addition to electronics waste efforts and more efficient products, Dell plans to reduce and reuse 99 percent of its waste by 2012.
"We're at 95 percent now," Parker said. "The last 4 percent doesn't sound like a lot but it's the hardest part."
(via. ClimateBiz)
Energy Efficiency Saves Dell $3M
By GreenBiz Staff, GreenBiz
Published August 7, 2008
ROUND ROCK, Texas -- Dell's three-tiered plan to neutralize its carbon footprint has reached its goal five months early and saved the company $3 million, Dell said Wednesday.
"It's a piece of our overall strategy and one we're pretty excited about," Dane Parker, Dell's director of environmental, health and safety, told GreenBiz.com.
The company announced last year its goal of becoming carbon neutral by late 2008. Since then, it focused on reducing energy consumption and buying renewable energy before offsetting the remaining emissions.
Overall, Dell lowered total energy demand by about 5 percent through efficiency projects such as lighting upgrades, HVAC retrofits, tweaking building temperature settings and shutting off computers not being used.
Most projects had a payback period of three years or less, Parker said. As the company moves beyond the low-hanging fruit, it is considering projects with longer ROIs, such as equipment upgrades for building controls. Dell's data centers, accounting for about 20 percent of its global power use, represent another opportunity for energy savings.
The company currently buys enough renewable energy to comprise 20 percent of its worldwide portfolio, the majority of it wind power. In the U.S., green power purchases meet a third of its demand. Dell now buys roughly 116 million kWh each year, compared to 12 million kWh in 2004.
Although the company met its goal early, it will continue looking for ways to weave additional efficiencies into its operations, Parker said. In addition to electronics waste efforts and more efficient products, Dell plans to reduce and reuse 99 percent of its waste by 2012.
"We're at 95 percent now," Parker said. "The last 4 percent doesn't sound like a lot but it's the hardest part."
(via. ClimateBiz)
Friday, August 29, 2008
JCPenny is installing their solar systems and wind turbines for 200 stores by year 2011.
JCPenney Adds Solar and Wind Power to Its Green Program
By GreenerBuildings Staff, GreenerBuildings
Published August 15, 2008
PLANO, Texas -- J.C. Penney Company is advancing its environmental program by hosting solar power systems and a wind turbine and by setting a goal of attaining Energy Star status at 200 or more stores by 2011.
SunPower Corporation of San Jose, Calif., will install solar power systems on the rooftops of 10 JCPenney stores. Four are in California in the cities of El Cajon, Palmdale, Redlands and Santa Clarita. Six are in New Jersey in Cherry Hill, Deptford, East Brunswick, Freehold, Wayne and Woodbridge. The systems will be financed, owned and operated by a third-party financier, from which JCPenney will purchase the solar-generated electricity under a SunPower Access power purchase agreement.
Broadstar Wind Systems, based in Dallas, Texas, will provide the technology for a hosting arrangement that will bring a Broadstar building-mounted AeroCam wind turbine system to JCPenney's 1.6 million-square-foot distribution center in Reno, Nev. JCPenney will purchase electricity generated by the system from Broadstar...
read the whole story here
(via. GreenBiz)
JCPenney Adds Solar and Wind Power to Its Green Program
By GreenerBuildings Staff, GreenerBuildings
Published August 15, 2008
PLANO, Texas -- J.C. Penney Company is advancing its environmental program by hosting solar power systems and a wind turbine and by setting a goal of attaining Energy Star status at 200 or more stores by 2011.
SunPower Corporation of San Jose, Calif., will install solar power systems on the rooftops of 10 JCPenney stores. Four are in California in the cities of El Cajon, Palmdale, Redlands and Santa Clarita. Six are in New Jersey in Cherry Hill, Deptford, East Brunswick, Freehold, Wayne and Woodbridge. The systems will be financed, owned and operated by a third-party financier, from which JCPenney will purchase the solar-generated electricity under a SunPower Access power purchase agreement.
Broadstar Wind Systems, based in Dallas, Texas, will provide the technology for a hosting arrangement that will bring a Broadstar building-mounted AeroCam wind turbine system to JCPenney's 1.6 million-square-foot distribution center in Reno, Nev. JCPenney will purchase electricity generated by the system from Broadstar...
read the whole story here
(via. GreenBiz)
Move Business Forward
More and more businesses go GREEN now and treat it simply as their "overall optimization strategy":
Green Manufacturing Can Help 'Move Business Forward'
By GreenBiz Staff
Published August 15, 2008
LONDON, UK -- Manufacturers increasingly see green initiatives as a way to move business forward through cost savings, improved efficiency and reputation boost, according to a new survey.
Eyefortransport (EFT) turned to 300 North American executives overseeing manufacturing, operations and supply chains to gauge adoption and perception of green efforts. The results showed a majority see the price barrier to green manufacturing shrinking and a view that environmentally friendly practices can be successfully combined with traditional business practices.
"When asked how they view green manufacturing initiatives, 84 percent told us that they see them as part of an overall optimization strategy," said Katharine O'Reilly, EFT's senior vice president of environmental research. "This marks a major sea change, and implies that environmental programs are becoming part of the standard arsenal of strategies employed to boost innovation and optimize operations."
Ninety-five percent of respondents in the "Green Manufacturing: Adoption & Implementation 2008" said green manufacturing will increase and expand. Two-thirds believe in the existence of markets for greener, more expensive products. Leading drivers toward greener operations include the contribution to sustainability strategies, response to consumer interest and improving reputation.
Forty-three percent said eco-initiatives improved their bottom lines through better product quality and increased efficiency. Most -- 65 percent -- turned to recycling and reuse programs, followed by water reduction programs (58 percent), continuous improvement (54 percent) and energy management (50 percent).
(via. GreenBiz)
Green Manufacturing Can Help 'Move Business Forward'
By GreenBiz Staff
Published August 15, 2008
LONDON, UK -- Manufacturers increasingly see green initiatives as a way to move business forward through cost savings, improved efficiency and reputation boost, according to a new survey.
Eyefortransport (EFT) turned to 300 North American executives overseeing manufacturing, operations and supply chains to gauge adoption and perception of green efforts. The results showed a majority see the price barrier to green manufacturing shrinking and a view that environmentally friendly practices can be successfully combined with traditional business practices.
"When asked how they view green manufacturing initiatives, 84 percent told us that they see them as part of an overall optimization strategy," said Katharine O'Reilly, EFT's senior vice president of environmental research. "This marks a major sea change, and implies that environmental programs are becoming part of the standard arsenal of strategies employed to boost innovation and optimize operations."
Ninety-five percent of respondents in the "Green Manufacturing: Adoption & Implementation 2008" said green manufacturing will increase and expand. Two-thirds believe in the existence of markets for greener, more expensive products. Leading drivers toward greener operations include the contribution to sustainability strategies, response to consumer interest and improving reputation.
Forty-three percent said eco-initiatives improved their bottom lines through better product quality and increased efficiency. Most -- 65 percent -- turned to recycling and reuse programs, followed by water reduction programs (58 percent), continuous improvement (54 percent) and energy management (50 percent).
(via. GreenBiz)
Thursday, August 28, 2008
All Solar!
Everything goes solar now!
Greencore's Solar-Powered Air Conditioner (Finally!)
by Michael Graham Richard, Gatineau, Canada on 08.11.08
Is any Technology more Overdue than Solar-Powered Air Conditioning?
We've been writing for many years about how solar-powered air conditioning is a big "duh!", and should be used more widely. After all, it's when you have lots of sun that you need A/C the most, and anything that helps smooth out peak demand on the electrical grid can help delay the construction of new polluting power plants.
Greencore's Solar A/C System
The Greencore 10200 comes in two models: a fixed one, and a mobile version (which can be had with 2 or 4 batteries). Using a single 170-watt solar panel, it can keep a 600 square-foot room cool. One of the good design decisions was to make it run on DC current, so no AC inverter is needed and conversion losses are avoided.
We're not quite sure what they're doing here, but it looks cool.
Solar Powered Air Conditioning Just Makes Sense
Small-Scale Solar Powered Air Conditioning Is Here (in Spain, Anyways)
Solar-Powered Air Conditioner About To Be Released
Solar Powered Air Conditioner Released
Greencore's Solar-Powered Air Conditioner (Finally!)
by Michael Graham Richard, Gatineau, Canada on 08.11.08
Is any Technology more Overdue than Solar-Powered Air Conditioning?
We've been writing for many years about how solar-powered air conditioning is a big "duh!", and should be used more widely. After all, it's when you have lots of sun that you need A/C the most, and anything that helps smooth out peak demand on the electrical grid can help delay the construction of new polluting power plants.
Greencore's Solar A/C System
The Greencore 10200 comes in two models: a fixed one, and a mobile version (which can be had with 2 or 4 batteries). Using a single 170-watt solar panel, it can keep a 600 square-foot room cool. One of the good design decisions was to make it run on DC current, so no AC inverter is needed and conversion losses are avoided.
We're not quite sure what they're doing here, but it looks cool.
The Greencore solar A/C system is actually a hybrid; when the sun isn't shining, it can use power form the grid, during off-peak hours, to charge its batteries. This is the kind of load shifting that can save money and smooth out demand.
You can see some specs here (pdf).
Two high-profile clients of Greencore are McDonald's and the US Navy. Both of them are testing solar air conditioner units.
It can be used for modular classrooms and construction trailers.
Solar Air Conditioning
Solar Powered Air Conditioning Just Makes Sense
Small-Scale Solar Powered Air Conditioning Is Here (in Spain, Anyways)
Solar-Powered Air Conditioner About To Be Released
More on Greencore Solar Air Conditioner
Greencore WebsiteSolar Powered Air Conditioner Released
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Sustainability = Critical Business Strategy
Going green makes financial sense for businesses:
'The Dollars and Sense of Green Retrofits'
By GreenerBuildings Staff
Published August 1, 2008
OAKLAND, Calif. -- Companies that pass up a chance to green their existing commercial buildings may never recover from the losses resulting from greater operating costs, lower productivity, negative brand image and declining attractiveness to workers, according to a recent study.The study called “The Dollars and Sense of Green Retrofits” was co-authored by green real estate authority and consultant Charles Lockwood and Deloitte.It was based on a survey of organizations or companies whose existing buildings underwent a green retrofitting. Participants were asked what motivated them to consider the projects and what influenced their decisions.
Findings concluded that while savings from energy efficiency was a top goal, as cited by 75 percent of respondents, corporate environmental commitment was the leading motive. Another 75 percent of respondents reported improvement in employee health. One hundred percent of respondents experienced an increase in goodwill/brand equity."The value of green retrofitting helps demonstrate that sustainability is rapidly becoming a critical business strategy," said Chris Park, leader of Deloitte’s Enterprise.
(via. Greenerbuildings)
'The Dollars and Sense of Green Retrofits'
By GreenerBuildings Staff
Published August 1, 2008
OAKLAND, Calif. -- Companies that pass up a chance to green their existing commercial buildings may never recover from the losses resulting from greater operating costs, lower productivity, negative brand image and declining attractiveness to workers, according to a recent study.The study called “The Dollars and Sense of Green Retrofits” was co-authored by green real estate authority and consultant Charles Lockwood and Deloitte.It was based on a survey of organizations or companies whose existing buildings underwent a green retrofitting. Participants were asked what motivated them to consider the projects and what influenced their decisions.
Findings concluded that while savings from energy efficiency was a top goal, as cited by 75 percent of respondents, corporate environmental commitment was the leading motive. Another 75 percent of respondents reported improvement in employee health. One hundred percent of respondents experienced an increase in goodwill/brand equity."The value of green retrofitting helps demonstrate that sustainability is rapidly becoming a critical business strategy," said Chris Park, leader of Deloitte’s Enterprise.
(via. Greenerbuildings)
Monday, August 25, 2008
How to green your electricity?
Jacob Hugger of TreeHugger gives us some tips on daily energy saving:
What’s the Big Deal?
The cost of electricity is going up (both in dollars and in environmental and health impacts) and it doesn’t show any signs of doing otherwise. About half of the energy in the American grid is coal generated. We won’t bore you with what you already know: coal is a really stinky, dangerous, nasty, unsustainable, and silly way to make power. By using less energy, and greening the electricity that we do use, we can lighten our footprint immensely. The subject of electricity and its environmental impacts is a massive one and we can’t cover every corner of it here. We hope that this brief guide can offer some solid suggestions for greening your electricity and use thereof...
Read more here
(via. TreeHugger)
What’s the Big Deal?
The cost of electricity is going up (both in dollars and in environmental and health impacts) and it doesn’t show any signs of doing otherwise. About half of the energy in the American grid is coal generated. We won’t bore you with what you already know: coal is a really stinky, dangerous, nasty, unsustainable, and silly way to make power. By using less energy, and greening the electricity that we do use, we can lighten our footprint immensely. The subject of electricity and its environmental impacts is a massive one and we can’t cover every corner of it here. We hope that this brief guide can offer some solid suggestions for greening your electricity and use thereof...
Read more here
(via. TreeHugger)
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