Thinking about winterizing your home right now is kind of like buying a sweater in August.
With the sun setting earlier and the onslaught of wintery winds not as far off on the horizon as some would like to think, now would be a good time to start making your home or apartment a fortress against Old Man Winter.
According to the U.S. Department of Energy, heating and cooling account for about 56 percent of the energy use in a typical home, making it the largest energy expense for most people. Whether it's to ease utility bills or your conscience - think green! says everyone - there are a few things homeowners and renters can do to make their residences more comfortable. For renters, this could be especially handy. Though you may be responsible for paying utilities, you don't necessarily have control over the efficiency of the appliances, the construction of the home or any needed upgrades.
Here are 10 simple tips and a checklist of things you may want to consider before the winter takes hold.
1It's really easy, which is why it's No. 1. Check for leaky spots and seal them. Remember that draft from last year? Check around seams, windows and doorways for possible gaps. Take a caulk gun and some caulk - or whatever material you prefer - to seal off the cold spots. "You can put a lit candle around the edge of the windows, and if the flame flickers, there is probably a leak there," said Kim Danzeisen, energy conservation specialists with the Monroe County Opportunity Program. "Every bit of air leaking out is basically money slipping away."
Just be sure not to caulk or gum up something that you would like to continue to operate. For example, if you have sliding windows, don't caulk between the two sliding panes unless you don't want them to open again. There is temporary weather stripping, foam ropes, tape, etc. for that.
2 Caulk again. This time, look for openings on the exterior of the home. Pay particular attention to where different materials meet up. You can use pre-molded caulk, expanding foam for larger gaps or other materials readily available at the local hardware store. Also, consider getting weather stripping for areas around doors. The Department of Energy reports that if you shut a piece of paper in a door or window and can take it out without tearing it, you're losing air and money.
3 If you can't afford to replace older windows, or your rental manager isn't hip to installing new panes, there are still a few things to be done. If you have them, be sure to put in your storm windows. Installing plastic over the windows (using a kit) also is something simple to help increase the efficiency of the windows. Another option is installing winterizing plastic on the outside of windows. There are specific kits that provide instructions and supplies to do this. You can also make draft blockers, like those that sit at the foot of a door, to go along the windowsills.
4 Insulate your hot water heater and hot water pipes to prevent heat loss. To see if you need an insulation blanket, place your hand on the tank. If it feels warm, then you need a blanket, says Michigan Gas Utilities. Also, the DOE recommends insulating the outside of heating ducts in unheated areas such as attics and crawl spaces and keep them in good repair to prevent heat loss of up to 60 percent at the registers. There are all kinds of products on the market - like hot water heater blankets that fit most models and pipe wraps - to help figure out what is best for you. Just be 6 It won't necessarily keep you warm, but making your home more efficient in general can save dollars. Consider changing to compact fluorescent bulbs. Ms. Danzeisen said that operating an average light bulb costs about $13.18 a year while a CFC costs about $4.52 a year. Think how many lightbulbs you have in your home. Another suggestion Ms. Danzeisen had was to plug most of your electronic equipment - the stuff that doesn't need to be constantly running - into a powerstrip that can be turned on and off. The Department of Energy reported that 75 percent of the electricity used to power home electronics is consumed while the products are turned off.
7 Think about getting different curtains if the current ones are a lighter fabric, don't cover the windows fully, etc. They can help keep things cozy. The Department of Energy recommends that during the heating season, keeping the draperies and shades on south facing windows open during the day to allow the sunlight to enter the home and closed at night to reduce the chill from cold windows. To reduce heat exchange, draperies should be hung as close to windows as possible. Also let them fall onto a windowsill or floor. For maximum effectiveness, you should install a cornice at the top of a drapery or place the drapery against the ceiling.
8 Check the insulation in your attic, ceilings, exterior and basement walls, floors and crawl spaces to see if it is adequate for the climate. Different types of insulation are now a snap to install. A quick way to see if you need more insulation is to look across your attic. If your insulation is level with or below the joists, you probably need to add more insulation (but remember to seal the air leaks before you insulate).
9 If you don't already have one, get an alternate source of heating. There are so many options available, it can be overwhelming. Fireplaces without fire that require no venting, fuel cell stoves, electrical space heaters that are easy to roll from room to room - they're all viable options and range in price. Instead of having to heat all of the space in a home, which can be highly inefficient, you can use a smaller heater to warm up the air immediately around you or just use it as a supplement instead of jacking up the thermostat on those really cold nights. Just use these with caution.
10 Save the receipts. The IRS is offering a tax break of up to $500 for efforts aimed at making a home or apartment more energy efficient from Jan. 1, 2006, to Jan. 1, 2008. Improvements like insulation systems that reduce heat loss/gain, exterior windows (including skylights), exterior doors, and metal roofs (meeting applicable Energy Star requirements) are some of the improvements from a long list of things that are eligible.
www.monroenews.com
full article
Sunday 30 September 2007
Friday 28 September 2007
Engineer pioneers cheap solar energy
An engineer in the US has developed solar panels that can produce electricity for roughly the same cost as using nuclear energy or fossil fuels.
Professor Walajabad Sampath, of Colorado State University, said his devices, which use a cheaper coating and more efficient manufacturing process than traditional panels, could sell for half the price homeowners usually pay.
Colorado-based firm AVA Solar, formed earlier this year by Professor Sampath and two of his colleagues, plans to start mass production next year.
The solar panels use a glass coating with a cadmium telluride thin film instead of costly crystalline silicon, and have an energy conversion efficiency of between 11% and 13%.
Professor Sampath has also developed an automated manufacturing process which he said produces the panels more quickly and efficiently than current methods with only about 2% waste.
Professor Sampath said: "This technology offers a significant improvement in capital and labour productivity and overall manufacturing efficiency."
He added: ""The key to expanding the US market is to lower manufacturing costs so more people can afford the technology."
AVA Solar bosses said electricity can be produced at less than $1 (49p) per watt, and the cost to consumers could be as low as $2 per watt - a price that would be competitive with the cost of power from the electrical grid in many parts of the world.
Pascal Noronha, president and chief executive officer of AVA Solar, said: "The world has an energy problem.
"The time is right to solve this problem with a green solution, especially given that electricity consumption is going to grow astronomically."
Larry Edward Penley, president of Colorado State University, said: "Professor Sampath's technology has global reach and local impact, which is part of our strategic mission at Colorado State University. He is solving a huge global challenge."
continue
Professor Walajabad Sampath, of Colorado State University, said his devices, which use a cheaper coating and more efficient manufacturing process than traditional panels, could sell for half the price homeowners usually pay.
Colorado-based firm AVA Solar, formed earlier this year by Professor Sampath and two of his colleagues, plans to start mass production next year.
The solar panels use a glass coating with a cadmium telluride thin film instead of costly crystalline silicon, and have an energy conversion efficiency of between 11% and 13%.
Professor Sampath has also developed an automated manufacturing process which he said produces the panels more quickly and efficiently than current methods with only about 2% waste.
Professor Sampath said: "This technology offers a significant improvement in capital and labour productivity and overall manufacturing efficiency."
He added: ""The key to expanding the US market is to lower manufacturing costs so more people can afford the technology."
AVA Solar bosses said electricity can be produced at less than $1 (49p) per watt, and the cost to consumers could be as low as $2 per watt - a price that would be competitive with the cost of power from the electrical grid in many parts of the world.
Pascal Noronha, president and chief executive officer of AVA Solar, said: "The world has an energy problem.
"The time is right to solve this problem with a green solution, especially given that electricity consumption is going to grow astronomically."
Larry Edward Penley, president of Colorado State University, said: "Professor Sampath's technology has global reach and local impact, which is part of our strategic mission at Colorado State University. He is solving a huge global challenge."
continue
Wednesday 26 September 2007
Give your home a green makeover
There are many ways to save energy and live the green life, says Paul Denys, a 23-year veteran of the design and renovation industry, who has won design honours for thoughtful restorations of heritage homes.
Old or new, his 29-point approach to sensible design ranges from scaling down our living spaces to buying the most energy-efficient appliances available.
The owner of Denys Builds Designs volunteered to share the knowledge and sources he's gained during a career of small-scale renovations and restorations.
1. Compact living: Denys' first and most important premise to green living is to downscale your spaces, especially when considering an addition.
2. Light touch: Use fluorescent lights and infra-red motion detector light switches in bathrooms, hallways and storage rooms.
3. Dim down: Check out Lutron Maestro fade dimmers at www.prolighting.com. You'll use less electricity and your light bulbs will last five times longer.
4. Day lighting: Before building or adding to your home, carefully look where you will use energy-efficient windows. Then add more natural light with Solatubes (www.solatube.com), an alternative to skylights and switching on a lamp.
5. Recycle: You don't have to always use new products when renovating. There are great architectural doors, flooring and other materials in shops nationwide.
6. Avoid large use of concrete: It's durable and long-lasting, yet takes a lot of energy to manufacture.
7. Turn to bamboo: It is a fast-growing grass that matures in as little as seven years, grows anywhere without fertilizers or pesticides and releases 35 per cent of oxygen back into the air.
8. Wash time: Commit to smaller, longer-lasting, energy-efficient appliances, including the 18-inch Miele dishwasher. This little baby will hold as many dishes as an American-built, 24- inch dishwasher. Also, consider dishwasher drawers.
9. Low flush: Use low-flow toilets and low-flow showerheads.
10. Instant hot: Tankless water heaters are hot commodities, including the Rinnai tankless water heater (www.rinnai.us).
11. Fire's burning: Consider an alcohol-burning fireplace, forget about the need for a flue and never have to fret about heat escaping up your chimney (www.ecomartfire.com/canada/home.php).
12. Old is sometimes good: Did you know that a 100-year-old-window can be weather-stripped for as little as $250 and it will be as air tight as a new version that can cost as much as $2,500.
13. Fence us in: Look beyond cedar and pine when looking to build a fence. Think of bamboo (www.bamboofencer.com).
14. Fresh air: Use green cleaners, low-VOC paints.
15. Rainy days: Save rain water in a barrel.
16. Donate: Give your old kitchen cabinets or bathroom vanity to charity.
17. Test all plaster, insulation and floor material made prior to 1983 for asbestos.
18. If you're stripping old wood work use a steam box or industrial garment steamer.
19. When reproducing a clear finish on interior wood trim, it's best to use a Clear Bull's Eye Shellac, and when staining wood, use a mild solution like vinegar and steel wood to ebonize wood (www.naturalhandyman.com)
20. Plant drought-tolerant plants instead of high water consuming grass to make your outdoors a different shade of green.
21. Compost.
22. Use larger windows on the south side of a building for greater heat gain in the winter.
23. Use cellulose insulation because manufacturers add borate or borax to fire proof, insect proof and mould proof your home.
24. Kirei board is an eco-product made from the Sorghum plant in China. It is an engineered panel product used in interior architectural millwork (www.kireiusa.com).
25. Marmoleum flooring is made from cork, limestone and natural resins. It comes in many colours and can add a retro feel to your renovation (www.themarmoleumstore.com).
26. Engineered flooring is 1/4-inch thick hardwood laminated with plywood to create a stable floor that stretches our hardwood resources (www.bhkofamerica.com and www.kahrs.com).
27. Install a heat recovery ventilator (HRV) and increase the air quality in your home.
28. More green home sources: www.ecologicalhomeideas.com, www.greennest.com, www.debraslist.com, www.organicmatressstore.com and www.greenbuildermag.com, a new magazine by Hanely Wood.
29. One of the best and most informative books available for going green is Green Building Products, The GreenSpec Guide to Residential Building Materials. It's edited by Alex Wilson and Mark Piepkorn and contains valuable information on new appliances to smart insulation. It's co-published by Building Green and New Society Publishers.
full article
Old or new, his 29-point approach to sensible design ranges from scaling down our living spaces to buying the most energy-efficient appliances available.
The owner of Denys Builds Designs volunteered to share the knowledge and sources he's gained during a career of small-scale renovations and restorations.
1. Compact living: Denys' first and most important premise to green living is to downscale your spaces, especially when considering an addition.
2. Light touch: Use fluorescent lights and infra-red motion detector light switches in bathrooms, hallways and storage rooms.
3. Dim down: Check out Lutron Maestro fade dimmers at www.prolighting.com. You'll use less electricity and your light bulbs will last five times longer.
4. Day lighting: Before building or adding to your home, carefully look where you will use energy-efficient windows. Then add more natural light with Solatubes (www.solatube.com), an alternative to skylights and switching on a lamp.
5. Recycle: You don't have to always use new products when renovating. There are great architectural doors, flooring and other materials in shops nationwide.
6. Avoid large use of concrete: It's durable and long-lasting, yet takes a lot of energy to manufacture.
7. Turn to bamboo: It is a fast-growing grass that matures in as little as seven years, grows anywhere without fertilizers or pesticides and releases 35 per cent of oxygen back into the air.
8. Wash time: Commit to smaller, longer-lasting, energy-efficient appliances, including the 18-inch Miele dishwasher. This little baby will hold as many dishes as an American-built, 24- inch dishwasher. Also, consider dishwasher drawers.
9. Low flush: Use low-flow toilets and low-flow showerheads.
10. Instant hot: Tankless water heaters are hot commodities, including the Rinnai tankless water heater (www.rinnai.us).
11. Fire's burning: Consider an alcohol-burning fireplace, forget about the need for a flue and never have to fret about heat escaping up your chimney (www.ecomartfire.com/canada/home.php).
12. Old is sometimes good: Did you know that a 100-year-old-window can be weather-stripped for as little as $250 and it will be as air tight as a new version that can cost as much as $2,500.
13. Fence us in: Look beyond cedar and pine when looking to build a fence. Think of bamboo (www.bamboofencer.com).
14. Fresh air: Use green cleaners, low-VOC paints.
15. Rainy days: Save rain water in a barrel.
16. Donate: Give your old kitchen cabinets or bathroom vanity to charity.
17. Test all plaster, insulation and floor material made prior to 1983 for asbestos.
18. If you're stripping old wood work use a steam box or industrial garment steamer.
19. When reproducing a clear finish on interior wood trim, it's best to use a Clear Bull's Eye Shellac, and when staining wood, use a mild solution like vinegar and steel wood to ebonize wood (www.naturalhandyman.com)
20. Plant drought-tolerant plants instead of high water consuming grass to make your outdoors a different shade of green.
21. Compost.
22. Use larger windows on the south side of a building for greater heat gain in the winter.
23. Use cellulose insulation because manufacturers add borate or borax to fire proof, insect proof and mould proof your home.
24. Kirei board is an eco-product made from the Sorghum plant in China. It is an engineered panel product used in interior architectural millwork (www.kireiusa.com).
25. Marmoleum flooring is made from cork, limestone and natural resins. It comes in many colours and can add a retro feel to your renovation (www.themarmoleumstore.com).
26. Engineered flooring is 1/4-inch thick hardwood laminated with plywood to create a stable floor that stretches our hardwood resources (www.bhkofamerica.com and www.kahrs.com).
27. Install a heat recovery ventilator (HRV) and increase the air quality in your home.
28. More green home sources: www.ecologicalhomeideas.com, www.greennest.com, www.debraslist.com, www.organicmatressstore.com and www.greenbuildermag.com, a new magazine by Hanely Wood.
29. One of the best and most informative books available for going green is Green Building Products, The GreenSpec Guide to Residential Building Materials. It's edited by Alex Wilson and Mark Piepkorn and contains valuable information on new appliances to smart insulation. It's co-published by Building Green and New Society Publishers.
full article
Tuesday 25 September 2007
Green as houses
Building green is getting cheaper and more popular
DAVID HOVEY junior runs his hands over the steel beams of his home, and smiles. Tucked on a hillside in Scottsdale, Arizona that overlooks Phoenix, the property is stunning. It is made entirely of glass and recycled steel. The floor is elevated, leaving intact a 150-year-old ironwood tree. Overhangs keep out the sun. The building is environmentally friendly, but also marketable. Mr Hovey, who runs an architectural company called Optima, thinks many people will want a house just like this.
America is now enamoured of all things green. A study by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) found that some 90% of home-builders are now using green ideas. In 2005 the study found a 20% increase in the number of new homes that were environmentally responsible: water-efficient, energy-efficient, built of nature-friendly materials. Last year, the figures were up another 30%.
Green building has become big business. Banks such as Bank of America are adding more green financing packages. Shops selling green building supplies are springing up, as are giant shows. The world's largest exhibition for residential builders is West Coast Green, held in San Francisco. Last September almost 9,000 attended; 4,000 more are anticipated this year. In its honour San Francisco has proclaimed next week “West Coast Green Week”. Christi Graham, the president of West Coast Green, says lower building costs are helping the movement. It used to cost at least 15% more to build using eco-friendly ideas and products, but today they add only 1-3% to the cost of construction, she says.
Media attention helps, too. Al Gore's documentary on global warming, “An Inconvenient Truth”, helped get Hollywood on board. Last summer Brad Pitt teamed up with Global Green, a non-profit group, in a contest to design environmentally friendly homes for New Orleans. In April Robert Redford's series on ecology and green living was aired. Vanity Fair, Newsweek, Forbes and Fortune magazines have run green issues and Entertainment Weekly, a Hollywood monthly, featured Al Gore on its cover.
All this has helped Americans see that green building is easy, rewarding and responsible. The lesson is being learned in Scottsdale, a place whose extraordinary growth in recent decades has often meant swimming pools and green lawns somehow engineered in the desert. At Camelview Village, a multi-family development designed by Mr Hovey's father, who is also an architect, a “desert garden” covers the roof of each house. It is made of plants that require minimal watering, keep the roof cooler than black roof tiles and absorb lots of carbon dioxide. With 16 months to go until the complex is finished, 586 of the 709 units have been sold already. At Sterling Ridge, the Scottsdale property, solar panels and energy efficient glass will keep windows cool in the searing Arizona summers. The power savings are phenomenal, Mr Hovey junior says.
Suppliers of building materials and furniture are now scrambling to give green consumers what they want. There is heavy demand for things such as oriented strand board, which wastes less wood and uses trees such as aspen and poplar that grow fast. Bonded Logic in Chandler, Arizona, sells insulation made from shredded denim, a good mould-resistant alternative to fibreglass. Rastra, a company based in Scottsdale that makes concrete from recycled styrofoam, increased its sales by 385% between 2002 and 2005 and is looking for more American factories.
Lack of uniform standards is a problem. One company selling hydrochloric acid for etching cement floors reckoned that, because it was in gel form and could legally be washed down the drain, the product was environmentally friendly. And paint manufacturers are creating their own green labels instead of complying with regulations.
The US Green Building Council, for its part, is helping by expanding its energy-efficiency rating system from commercial properties to homes. This is the first voluntary national green-building standard; already, 7,500 homes and 330 builders are taking part in the pilot scheme. Home- and building-owners receive credits for green materials used, which can then earn them lower mortgage rates from banks and tax incentives from state and local governments. The NAHB has also launched and trademarked its own national green-building standard.
Fans like Mr Hovey junior need no encouragement. As the sun dips over the Phoenix hills he surveys his masterpiece once more. “Green building”, he says, “is just the way to build.”
continue
DAVID HOVEY junior runs his hands over the steel beams of his home, and smiles. Tucked on a hillside in Scottsdale, Arizona that overlooks Phoenix, the property is stunning. It is made entirely of glass and recycled steel. The floor is elevated, leaving intact a 150-year-old ironwood tree. Overhangs keep out the sun. The building is environmentally friendly, but also marketable. Mr Hovey, who runs an architectural company called Optima, thinks many people will want a house just like this.
America is now enamoured of all things green. A study by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) found that some 90% of home-builders are now using green ideas. In 2005 the study found a 20% increase in the number of new homes that were environmentally responsible: water-efficient, energy-efficient, built of nature-friendly materials. Last year, the figures were up another 30%.
Green building has become big business. Banks such as Bank of America are adding more green financing packages. Shops selling green building supplies are springing up, as are giant shows. The world's largest exhibition for residential builders is West Coast Green, held in San Francisco. Last September almost 9,000 attended; 4,000 more are anticipated this year. In its honour San Francisco has proclaimed next week “West Coast Green Week”. Christi Graham, the president of West Coast Green, says lower building costs are helping the movement. It used to cost at least 15% more to build using eco-friendly ideas and products, but today they add only 1-3% to the cost of construction, she says.
Media attention helps, too. Al Gore's documentary on global warming, “An Inconvenient Truth”, helped get Hollywood on board. Last summer Brad Pitt teamed up with Global Green, a non-profit group, in a contest to design environmentally friendly homes for New Orleans. In April Robert Redford's series on ecology and green living was aired. Vanity Fair, Newsweek, Forbes and Fortune magazines have run green issues and Entertainment Weekly, a Hollywood monthly, featured Al Gore on its cover.
All this has helped Americans see that green building is easy, rewarding and responsible. The lesson is being learned in Scottsdale, a place whose extraordinary growth in recent decades has often meant swimming pools and green lawns somehow engineered in the desert. At Camelview Village, a multi-family development designed by Mr Hovey's father, who is also an architect, a “desert garden” covers the roof of each house. It is made of plants that require minimal watering, keep the roof cooler than black roof tiles and absorb lots of carbon dioxide. With 16 months to go until the complex is finished, 586 of the 709 units have been sold already. At Sterling Ridge, the Scottsdale property, solar panels and energy efficient glass will keep windows cool in the searing Arizona summers. The power savings are phenomenal, Mr Hovey junior says.
Suppliers of building materials and furniture are now scrambling to give green consumers what they want. There is heavy demand for things such as oriented strand board, which wastes less wood and uses trees such as aspen and poplar that grow fast. Bonded Logic in Chandler, Arizona, sells insulation made from shredded denim, a good mould-resistant alternative to fibreglass. Rastra, a company based in Scottsdale that makes concrete from recycled styrofoam, increased its sales by 385% between 2002 and 2005 and is looking for more American factories.
Lack of uniform standards is a problem. One company selling hydrochloric acid for etching cement floors reckoned that, because it was in gel form and could legally be washed down the drain, the product was environmentally friendly. And paint manufacturers are creating their own green labels instead of complying with regulations.
The US Green Building Council, for its part, is helping by expanding its energy-efficiency rating system from commercial properties to homes. This is the first voluntary national green-building standard; already, 7,500 homes and 330 builders are taking part in the pilot scheme. Home- and building-owners receive credits for green materials used, which can then earn them lower mortgage rates from banks and tax incentives from state and local governments. The NAHB has also launched and trademarked its own national green-building standard.
Fans like Mr Hovey junior need no encouragement. As the sun dips over the Phoenix hills he surveys his masterpiece once more. “Green building”, he says, “is just the way to build.”
continue
Sun-powered homes defy a cool housing market
With foreclosures rising and home prices diving, there is a bright spot in California's residential real estate market: Solar-powered homes are starting to outsell traditionally electrified new homes in several markets, and developers are stepping up their use of the technology.
Perhaps it's only fitting for a state that so openly celebrates its sunshine. Still, the growing popularity of household solar power is an encouraging sign for the thousands of solar enthusiasts and vendors gathering in Long Beach this week.
"Those builders are seeing that they'll get more buyers coming to their developments when they have solar. They sell like hot cakes," said Bernadette del Chiaro, energy specialist at the advocacy group Environment California.
Julie Blumden, a vice president at SunPower Corp., a San Jose-based manufacturer of solar roof tiles, said builders using solar were selling homes faster than nonsolar competitors -- an important factor in a slow market. "The increase in sales velocity is actually paying for the solar systems," she said.
SunPower, which sells its solar tiles to builders including Lennar Homes and Grupe Co., said it had orders to provide solar systems for 3,000 new homes in California in the coming years.
"The last time we saw interest in solar that was anything close to this was back in the 1980s, the first time there were federal tax credits for solar energy," said Julia Judd Hamm, executive director of the Solar Electric Power Assn. and co-chair of the Solar Power 2007 conference underway at the Long Beach Convention Center. "But the numbers then aren't even comparable to what we're seeing now."
Solar power is hotter than ever, helped by California's ambitious Million Solar Roofs rebate program, federal tax credits and growing public and political support for renewable power of all kinds. The U.S. solar industry saw record growth last year, with California the largest market by far, according to a study by the Prometheus Institute for Sustainable Development. And 2007 is shaping up to be another big year, industry officials say.
The boom also has swelled the community of solar products and pitchmen.
Both will be on display at the solar conference and expo, which is expected to draw more than 11,000 attendees in Long Beach, up from 8,500 at last year's event in San Jose, organizers say. Tonight, the show is free to the public from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Exhibitors will be hawking photovoltaic solar panels in all forms, with some companies showing off systems that embed the technology in carports, roofing tiles and other structures. Some will be targeting individual homeowners, while others will be angling for business with utilities that want to boost their use of renewable power.
California's largest electric utilities, including Edison International's Southern California Edison Co., PG&E Corp.'s Pacific Gas & Electric Co. and Sempra Energy's San Diego Gas & Electric Co., have signed deals to build power-plant-sized solar facilities in and around the Mojave Desert or negotiated contracts with companies putting up such plants.
"Obviously, there are a nearly unlimited number of rooftops available in California and across the country" for individual solar power production, Hamm said. "At the same time, the whole concept of utility-scale plants is really just starting to gain momentum. So it's going to be a combination of the two."
California's $3.3-billion Million Solar Roofs program is based on the notion that businesses and homeowners would install solar systems faster if the cost was partially offset by rebates and incentives. The goal is to create 3,000 megawatts of new solar power in California by 2017 and to build solar power systems into half of all new homes by 2015.
"We were at 1% in 2004, and we're probably only at about 5% of all new homes right now," said Del Chiaro of Environment California. "It's good growth, but we're going to have to ramp up quite significantly to get to that 50% mark."
The solar power industry is drawing its share of star power.
Cable television mogul Ted Turner, who will deliver one of the keynote speeches launching the show today, teamed up this year with New Jersey solar developer Dome-Tech Solar to form a venture called DT Solar. Turner, chairman of Turner Enterprises Inc., said the renamed solar company would continue its focus on designing and installing large-scale projects and was expanding into California and other U.S. markets.
"Clean alternative energy is going to be a huge market because it's going to be done all over the world and it's got to be done right away. We're out of time," Turner said.
"Solar has probably the most potential because the sun is everywhere."
Hamm and others are encouraged by the explosion of start-up companies and new products in the solar industry, as well as by the technology's growing popularity with the public. But she knows solar is still a small fry in the electricity world.
"I don't think anybody in the solar industry thinks that solar is the answer and is eventually going to take over," she said. "Right now, solar electricity is about one-tenth to two-tenths of a percent of the entire U.S. energy mix. It's barely even a dot on the radar screen."
continue
Perhaps it's only fitting for a state that so openly celebrates its sunshine. Still, the growing popularity of household solar power is an encouraging sign for the thousands of solar enthusiasts and vendors gathering in Long Beach this week.
"Those builders are seeing that they'll get more buyers coming to their developments when they have solar. They sell like hot cakes," said Bernadette del Chiaro, energy specialist at the advocacy group Environment California.
Julie Blumden, a vice president at SunPower Corp., a San Jose-based manufacturer of solar roof tiles, said builders using solar were selling homes faster than nonsolar competitors -- an important factor in a slow market. "The increase in sales velocity is actually paying for the solar systems," she said.
SunPower, which sells its solar tiles to builders including Lennar Homes and Grupe Co., said it had orders to provide solar systems for 3,000 new homes in California in the coming years.
"The last time we saw interest in solar that was anything close to this was back in the 1980s, the first time there were federal tax credits for solar energy," said Julia Judd Hamm, executive director of the Solar Electric Power Assn. and co-chair of the Solar Power 2007 conference underway at the Long Beach Convention Center. "But the numbers then aren't even comparable to what we're seeing now."
Solar power is hotter than ever, helped by California's ambitious Million Solar Roofs rebate program, federal tax credits and growing public and political support for renewable power of all kinds. The U.S. solar industry saw record growth last year, with California the largest market by far, according to a study by the Prometheus Institute for Sustainable Development. And 2007 is shaping up to be another big year, industry officials say.
The boom also has swelled the community of solar products and pitchmen.
Both will be on display at the solar conference and expo, which is expected to draw more than 11,000 attendees in Long Beach, up from 8,500 at last year's event in San Jose, organizers say. Tonight, the show is free to the public from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Exhibitors will be hawking photovoltaic solar panels in all forms, with some companies showing off systems that embed the technology in carports, roofing tiles and other structures. Some will be targeting individual homeowners, while others will be angling for business with utilities that want to boost their use of renewable power.
California's largest electric utilities, including Edison International's Southern California Edison Co., PG&E Corp.'s Pacific Gas & Electric Co. and Sempra Energy's San Diego Gas & Electric Co., have signed deals to build power-plant-sized solar facilities in and around the Mojave Desert or negotiated contracts with companies putting up such plants.
"Obviously, there are a nearly unlimited number of rooftops available in California and across the country" for individual solar power production, Hamm said. "At the same time, the whole concept of utility-scale plants is really just starting to gain momentum. So it's going to be a combination of the two."
California's $3.3-billion Million Solar Roofs program is based on the notion that businesses and homeowners would install solar systems faster if the cost was partially offset by rebates and incentives. The goal is to create 3,000 megawatts of new solar power in California by 2017 and to build solar power systems into half of all new homes by 2015.
"We were at 1% in 2004, and we're probably only at about 5% of all new homes right now," said Del Chiaro of Environment California. "It's good growth, but we're going to have to ramp up quite significantly to get to that 50% mark."
The solar power industry is drawing its share of star power.
Cable television mogul Ted Turner, who will deliver one of the keynote speeches launching the show today, teamed up this year with New Jersey solar developer Dome-Tech Solar to form a venture called DT Solar. Turner, chairman of Turner Enterprises Inc., said the renamed solar company would continue its focus on designing and installing large-scale projects and was expanding into California and other U.S. markets.
"Clean alternative energy is going to be a huge market because it's going to be done all over the world and it's got to be done right away. We're out of time," Turner said.
"Solar has probably the most potential because the sun is everywhere."
Hamm and others are encouraged by the explosion of start-up companies and new products in the solar industry, as well as by the technology's growing popularity with the public. But she knows solar is still a small fry in the electricity world.
"I don't think anybody in the solar industry thinks that solar is the answer and is eventually going to take over," she said. "Right now, solar electricity is about one-tenth to two-tenths of a percent of the entire U.S. energy mix. It's barely even a dot on the radar screen."
continue
Saturday 22 September 2007
Family builds 'green' home using straw for insulation
LAKE CITY -- Pink isn't the color of the insulation in the home that Paul and Sara Freid are building in Goodhue County.
It's golden, like the hue of grain fields at harvest time, because the insulation is actually straw instead of fiberglass or foam.
(Hold the jokes about the straw house, the three little pigs and the big, bad wolf -- the Freids have heard plenty of them already.)
They're using straw with other materials to construct a "green" home, one that's environmentally friendly and energy efficient.
"We wanted to build our house and feel good about it," Paul Freid said. "We're doing all we can."
After extensive research on the use of straw, other aspects of building green and the home-building process in general, they started construction in May. Their two-story home is situated on a 51-acre parcel along Goodhue County Road 5, about five miles west of Lake City.
Once the footings were in place, the Freids built the wood frame themselves and then went to work on the insulation. They stacked straw bales end to end between the frame lumber and covered the straw with deer netting, stuffing more straw between bales to fill crevices. They'll apply three layers of plaster, made with clay taken from the Freids' land, over the straw and netting to give the walls the finished appearance of adobe.
The walls will be about 17 inches thick after the plaster layers are applied. Paul Freid said the R value -- a rating that refers to the efficiency of an insulation in stopping the flow of heat -- will be R-30 for the straw insulation in the house. A typical home has a value of R-19, he said.
Freid said he doesn't believe the couple's home will be any more susceptible to problems such as mold compared to a standard-built home. The clay in the plaster will act as a natural dehumidifier, absorbing moisture and releasing it into the air. To prevent water damage on the home's exterior, the Freids will add lime to the third layer of plaster for its waterproofing capabilities. The couple will have "earth plaster days" this weekend and Sept. 29-30 for anyone who wants to help with plastering or view the home.
The Freids also plan to install 2 feet of metal wainscoting at the bottom of first and second levels on the outer walls and will have 3-foot eaves extending from the room to block rain and provide shade.
Geothermal energy will provide in-floor heating for the 2,500-square-foot home along with a passive solar design in which there will be large windows on the south side of the home and small windows on the north side. The home won't be air conditioned. A whole-house fan will be installed in the ceiling of the second floor to draw up cool air at night. The Freids will also use a solar water heater.
Although the Freids have encountered a lot of questions from people curious about construction, Paul Freid said using alternative building practices to improve energy efficiency is more acceptable now than it would have been 10 to 15 years ago.
"Everybody knows this is what we need to do," he said.
The Freids expect to finish their five-bedroom, two-bath home in late spring or early summer of 2008.
"It's been a fascinating experience," Sara Freid said.
continue
Use an Energy Efficient Mortgage to build dream eco-friendly home
With Utah's housing market experiencing its shares of ups and downs, some homeowners and prospective buyers might consider looking for ways to enhance their current or future investments as the case may be.
Couple that with the high cost of maintaining a home — paying for utilities and environmental concerns — then one might be led to consider little-known options like buying a house that is eco-friendly or revamping your home into a "green" house using an Energy Efficient Mortgage (EEM).
Federally recognized, EEMs provide borrowers with benefits when they purchase "a home that is energy efficient or can be made efficient through the installation of energy-saving improvements," according to the Federal Citizen Information Center Energy Efficient Mortgage Home Owner Guide.
EEMs can also be applied to most traditional home mortgages, increasing monthly mortgage payments slightly, but that money can be recouped through lower energy bills. Homeowners who are buying/selling, refinancing or remodeling can use EEMs, which can help buyers qualify for larger loans, make homes potentially more attractive at resale and help owners save money in the long run through increased energy efficiency. It is important to note that under federal rules governing the program, an EEM can only be made on a home that has a qualifying Home Energy Ratings Systems (HERS) report
A HERS report includes suggested home energy upgrades, estimated costs and annual savings before and after upgrades, expected useful life of upgrades as well as overall rating scores before and after improvements. Rating scores are between 1 and 100 with higher scores indicating better efficiency. A HERS rating exam typically costs $100-$300. EEM loans are available through various sources including the Federal Housing Authority (FHA), Veterans Affairs (VA) EEMs, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
Energy efficient loans aren't all that's being specialized in this market. Andrew Stone recently received his certification as an eco-broker. To do so, he completed a curriculum on numerous subjects such as solar and wind energy, as well as rainwater retention systems and indoor air quality
continue
Couple that with the high cost of maintaining a home — paying for utilities and environmental concerns — then one might be led to consider little-known options like buying a house that is eco-friendly or revamping your home into a "green" house using an Energy Efficient Mortgage (EEM).
Federally recognized, EEMs provide borrowers with benefits when they purchase "a home that is energy efficient or can be made efficient through the installation of energy-saving improvements," according to the Federal Citizen Information Center Energy Efficient Mortgage Home Owner Guide.
EEMs can also be applied to most traditional home mortgages, increasing monthly mortgage payments slightly, but that money can be recouped through lower energy bills. Homeowners who are buying/selling, refinancing or remodeling can use EEMs, which can help buyers qualify for larger loans, make homes potentially more attractive at resale and help owners save money in the long run through increased energy efficiency. It is important to note that under federal rules governing the program, an EEM can only be made on a home that has a qualifying Home Energy Ratings Systems (HERS) report
A HERS report includes suggested home energy upgrades, estimated costs and annual savings before and after upgrades, expected useful life of upgrades as well as overall rating scores before and after improvements. Rating scores are between 1 and 100 with higher scores indicating better efficiency. A HERS rating exam typically costs $100-$300. EEM loans are available through various sources including the Federal Housing Authority (FHA), Veterans Affairs (VA) EEMs, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
Energy efficient loans aren't all that's being specialized in this market. Andrew Stone recently received his certification as an eco-broker. To do so, he completed a curriculum on numerous subjects such as solar and wind energy, as well as rainwater retention systems and indoor air quality
continue
Friday 21 September 2007
Dual Green Gain From Working At Home
It used to be working at home was a way to tell the boss to shove it, exit the rat race, work in your jammies and get a few tax benefits in the process.
Now home workers can also boast a green stamp of approval.
That's not just because of the more energy efficient technology today's consumers typically use at home, though that helps, but because staying off the road reduces carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions that contribute to pollution and climate change.
The Consumer Electronics Association says if a worker with a one-way commute of 22 miles, instead telecommutes five days a week, he or she would save about 320 gallons of gasoline and reduce CO2 emissions by 4.5 to 6 tons per year.
Also, one telecommute days saves the equivalent of up to 12 hours of an average household’s electricity use, saves 1.4 gallons of gasoline and reduces CO2 emissions by 17 to 23 kilograms per day.
In a year, the individual's energy savings would amount to approximately 4,000 to 6,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity -- an amount comparable to the electricity consumed by an average household in 4 to 6 months.
And that's just counting telecommuters -- not home-based businesses.
The study "Energy and Greenhouse Gas Emissions Impact of Telecommuting and e-Commerce," focused on workers who spend one or more days working from home each week and considered the energy consumed by telecommuting compared with traditional methods.
CEA commissioned TIAX LLC of Cambridge, MA, to determine energy savings and CO2 reductions that result from the nation’s increased use of electronics, such as personal computers and wireless networks.
TIAX found that the estimated 3.9 million U.S. telecommuters reduced gasoline consumption by about 840 million gallons, while curbing carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by nearly 14 million tons.
That's equal to removing 2 million vehicles from the road every year.
Using electronics to kickback and telecommute instead of gasoline and road rage saves the equivalent of 9 to 14 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity per year — the same amount of energy used by roughly 1 million U.S. households every year.
"This report demonstrates that consumer electronics are part of a climate change solution, as the use of electronics is preventing greenhouse gas emissions and reducing fossil fuel consumption," said Gary Shapiro, president and CEO of CEA.
"Statistics have been available to detail how much energy electronics use, but less was known about the environmental benefits of consumer products developed by our industry when used to communicate and conduct business," Shapiro said in prepared statement.
There's also another "green" benefit associated with telecommuting and working at home -- a $3-a-gallon gasoline savings.
Other studies have shown potential health benefits that come with not being exposed to office workers who refuse to stay home when they are sick.
continue
Now home workers can also boast a green stamp of approval.
That's not just because of the more energy efficient technology today's consumers typically use at home, though that helps, but because staying off the road reduces carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions that contribute to pollution and climate change.
The Consumer Electronics Association says if a worker with a one-way commute of 22 miles, instead telecommutes five days a week, he or she would save about 320 gallons of gasoline and reduce CO2 emissions by 4.5 to 6 tons per year.
Also, one telecommute days saves the equivalent of up to 12 hours of an average household’s electricity use, saves 1.4 gallons of gasoline and reduces CO2 emissions by 17 to 23 kilograms per day.
In a year, the individual's energy savings would amount to approximately 4,000 to 6,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity -- an amount comparable to the electricity consumed by an average household in 4 to 6 months.
And that's just counting telecommuters -- not home-based businesses.
The study "Energy and Greenhouse Gas Emissions Impact of Telecommuting and e-Commerce," focused on workers who spend one or more days working from home each week and considered the energy consumed by telecommuting compared with traditional methods.
CEA commissioned TIAX LLC of Cambridge, MA, to determine energy savings and CO2 reductions that result from the nation’s increased use of electronics, such as personal computers and wireless networks.
TIAX found that the estimated 3.9 million U.S. telecommuters reduced gasoline consumption by about 840 million gallons, while curbing carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by nearly 14 million tons.
That's equal to removing 2 million vehicles from the road every year.
Using electronics to kickback and telecommute instead of gasoline and road rage saves the equivalent of 9 to 14 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity per year — the same amount of energy used by roughly 1 million U.S. households every year.
"This report demonstrates that consumer electronics are part of a climate change solution, as the use of electronics is preventing greenhouse gas emissions and reducing fossil fuel consumption," said Gary Shapiro, president and CEO of CEA.
"Statistics have been available to detail how much energy electronics use, but less was known about the environmental benefits of consumer products developed by our industry when used to communicate and conduct business," Shapiro said in prepared statement.
There's also another "green" benefit associated with telecommuting and working at home -- a $3-a-gallon gasoline savings.
Other studies have shown potential health benefits that come with not being exposed to office workers who refuse to stay home when they are sick.
continue
To go green, live closer to work
Don't want to fork out for a Prius? Can't see tanking up with ethanol? Can't afford solar panels for your roof?
Not to worry, you can still do something to fight global warming: Live closer to work.
That's one conclusion of a major national report published Thursday by the nonprofit Urban Land Institute.
Forty percent of the planet-heating gases that Californians emit come from transportation, according to the report's authors, and with its booming population and sprawling suburbs, the state's greenhouse emissions will continue to soar unless it dramatically changes the way it builds cities and suburbs.
The report, "Growing Cooler: Evidence on Urban Development and Climate Change," analyzed scores of academic studies and concluded that compact development -- mixing housing and businesses in denser patterns, with walkable neighborhoods -- could do as much to lower emissions as many of the climate policies now promoted by state and national politicians.
Up to now, climate policy has primarily focused on such things as higher fuel economy for cars and trucks, cleaner fuels, greener building standards, lower power plant emissions, and international treaties. But a growing consensus of experts is also homing in on the everyday zoning decisions of local officials and county planners.
Since 1980, the number of miles Americans drive has risen three times faster than the population and almost twice as fast as vehicle registrations. And it is getting worse: The U.S. Department of Energy projects that between 2005 and 2030, driving will increase 59%, far outpacing an estimated national population growth of 23%.
"We can no longer afford to ignore land use," said Steve Winkelman, director of the Transportation Program at the Center for Clean Air Policy, and one of the report's authors. "Urban development is both a key contributor to climate change and an essential factor in combating it."
The world's top climate scientists agree that human activity is largely driving the heating of the planet, with potentially catastrophic consequences, including a rise in sea levels, spreading deserts, widespread species extinction and severe weather. International and national policy experts say that limiting the global temperature increase to 2 degrees Celsius would require cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 60 to 80% below 1990 levels by mid-century.
Such reductions would require politically difficult measures.
In the case of land use, decisions are made at the local level, so any interference by state and national politicians is certain to meet with resistance.
In California, where the state's 2006 global warming law requires emission reductions to 1990 levels by 2020, land use is being hotly debated.
The Legislature came to a halt this summer when Republicans held up the budget in an effort to exempt localities from global-warming-related lawsuits. Atty. Gen. Jerry Brown had sued San Bernardino County and pressured other counties to account for greenhouse gases in their development plans.
A hotly contested bill sponsored by Sen. Darrell Steinberg (D-Sacramento) would require regional planning groups to set targets for reducing greenhouse gases, and could stop millions of dollars in federal, state and local transportation funds from being spent on roads that could encourage sprawl.
The bill, which passed the Senate but was carried over until next year, is hotly opposed by the California building industry, the League of Cities and other groups that want the state to stay out of local planning decisions.
The Urban Land Institute report, however, highlights the massive turnover expected in the nation's housing and commercial structures. According to Chris Nelson, a researcher at Virginia Tech, two-thirds of the structures in the U.S. in 2050 will have been built between now and then. Construction will include 89 million new or replaced homes, and 190 billion square feet of new offices, stores and institutions. If only 60% of that development is clustered in mixed-use, compact areas, it could slash greenhouse gas emissions from transportation by 7%, the report said.
The nation's changing demographics may make that easier. "We have a senior tsunami coming," said Don Chen, founder of the advocacy group Smart Growth America. "Baby boomers are trading in their big houses for condos closer to town. These folks are demanding walkable neighborhoods. We need to pressure governments to give them choices."
The study called for the upcoming $300-billion federal transportation funding bill to reward, rather than discourage, compact growth. "Funding today is tied to vehicle-miles-traveled," Chen said. "So areas are rewarded for driving more."
Compact growth, according to the study, allows consumers to spend less on gas and saves taxes that would otherwise be spent on pumping water and building new roads to far-away subdivisions. "Southern California's regional planners have found that by locating new housing near transit corridors, they can save $48 billion that they would have spent on new roads," said Amanda Eaken, a planning consultant for the Natural Resources Defense Council.
The California Chamber of Commerce and the California Building Industry Assn. declined to comment on the report, but James Burling, litigation director for the Pacific Legal Foundation, a conservative group that has battled environmentalists over land-use issues, dismissed "the latest anti-sprawl crusade based on global warming" as "no different from every other anti-sprawl campaign from Roman times to the present."
"So long as people ardently desire to live and raise children in detached homes with a bit of lawn, there is virtually nothing that government bureaucrats can do that will thwart that," he said.
continue
Not to worry, you can still do something to fight global warming: Live closer to work.
That's one conclusion of a major national report published Thursday by the nonprofit Urban Land Institute.
Forty percent of the planet-heating gases that Californians emit come from transportation, according to the report's authors, and with its booming population and sprawling suburbs, the state's greenhouse emissions will continue to soar unless it dramatically changes the way it builds cities and suburbs.
The report, "Growing Cooler: Evidence on Urban Development and Climate Change," analyzed scores of academic studies and concluded that compact development -- mixing housing and businesses in denser patterns, with walkable neighborhoods -- could do as much to lower emissions as many of the climate policies now promoted by state and national politicians.
Up to now, climate policy has primarily focused on such things as higher fuel economy for cars and trucks, cleaner fuels, greener building standards, lower power plant emissions, and international treaties. But a growing consensus of experts is also homing in on the everyday zoning decisions of local officials and county planners.
Since 1980, the number of miles Americans drive has risen three times faster than the population and almost twice as fast as vehicle registrations. And it is getting worse: The U.S. Department of Energy projects that between 2005 and 2030, driving will increase 59%, far outpacing an estimated national population growth of 23%.
"We can no longer afford to ignore land use," said Steve Winkelman, director of the Transportation Program at the Center for Clean Air Policy, and one of the report's authors. "Urban development is both a key contributor to climate change and an essential factor in combating it."
The world's top climate scientists agree that human activity is largely driving the heating of the planet, with potentially catastrophic consequences, including a rise in sea levels, spreading deserts, widespread species extinction and severe weather. International and national policy experts say that limiting the global temperature increase to 2 degrees Celsius would require cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 60 to 80% below 1990 levels by mid-century.
Such reductions would require politically difficult measures.
In the case of land use, decisions are made at the local level, so any interference by state and national politicians is certain to meet with resistance.
In California, where the state's 2006 global warming law requires emission reductions to 1990 levels by 2020, land use is being hotly debated.
The Legislature came to a halt this summer when Republicans held up the budget in an effort to exempt localities from global-warming-related lawsuits. Atty. Gen. Jerry Brown had sued San Bernardino County and pressured other counties to account for greenhouse gases in their development plans.
A hotly contested bill sponsored by Sen. Darrell Steinberg (D-Sacramento) would require regional planning groups to set targets for reducing greenhouse gases, and could stop millions of dollars in federal, state and local transportation funds from being spent on roads that could encourage sprawl.
The bill, which passed the Senate but was carried over until next year, is hotly opposed by the California building industry, the League of Cities and other groups that want the state to stay out of local planning decisions.
The Urban Land Institute report, however, highlights the massive turnover expected in the nation's housing and commercial structures. According to Chris Nelson, a researcher at Virginia Tech, two-thirds of the structures in the U.S. in 2050 will have been built between now and then. Construction will include 89 million new or replaced homes, and 190 billion square feet of new offices, stores and institutions. If only 60% of that development is clustered in mixed-use, compact areas, it could slash greenhouse gas emissions from transportation by 7%, the report said.
The nation's changing demographics may make that easier. "We have a senior tsunami coming," said Don Chen, founder of the advocacy group Smart Growth America. "Baby boomers are trading in their big houses for condos closer to town. These folks are demanding walkable neighborhoods. We need to pressure governments to give them choices."
The study called for the upcoming $300-billion federal transportation funding bill to reward, rather than discourage, compact growth. "Funding today is tied to vehicle-miles-traveled," Chen said. "So areas are rewarded for driving more."
Compact growth, according to the study, allows consumers to spend less on gas and saves taxes that would otherwise be spent on pumping water and building new roads to far-away subdivisions. "Southern California's regional planners have found that by locating new housing near transit corridors, they can save $48 billion that they would have spent on new roads," said Amanda Eaken, a planning consultant for the Natural Resources Defense Council.
The California Chamber of Commerce and the California Building Industry Assn. declined to comment on the report, but James Burling, litigation director for the Pacific Legal Foundation, a conservative group that has battled environmentalists over land-use issues, dismissed "the latest anti-sprawl crusade based on global warming" as "no different from every other anti-sprawl campaign from Roman times to the present."
"So long as people ardently desire to live and raise children in detached homes with a bit of lawn, there is virtually nothing that government bureaucrats can do that will thwart that," he said.
continue
Thursday 20 September 2007
Solar Energy Advantages And Disadvantages
Solar energy can be collected in two main ways – either by heating water (Solar Thermal) or by converting light into electricity (Solar Photovoltaics).
Here follows a brief run down of the main advantages and disadvantages of solar energy as a green energy source encompassing both solar thermal and solar photovoltaics.
Advantages
Solar energy is free. There is an initial capital cost but once you have made the investment the energy harvested from the sun costs you nothing. No one will be sending you a bill for sunshine.
Solar energy is abundant. Even in mid winter we are blessed with a moderate amount of natural daylight provided courtesy of the sun. Okay, it might not be sunny everyday but we are still experiencing radiation from the sun and it is this which can be gleaned for our own renewable energy purposes.
It’s clean. It is a clean alternative to fossil fuels and nuclear power and it will never run out.
It’s silent. Solar power can be captured anywhere without creating noise pollution that might otherwise up set neighbours and wildlife.
It works wherever the sun shines. It doesn’t matter how remote, solar can generate energy where no other form of power can be obtained.
It’s cost effective. Solar photovoltaics are still relatively expensive, however, the technology is growing rapidly, as is production and as a result the costs involved are coming down. Solar hot water panels have been greatly improved in recent years and, with lower cost, payback times for domestic systems can no be as short as five years. As coal, gas and oil prices continue to rise solar energy will become a viable alternative.
It’s secure. We live in uncertain times and we are increasingly relying on our fossil fuel supplies coming from areas abroad over which we have little or no control.
Disadvantages
Continuity of supply. Those of you who live and work here in the UK may have noticed that the sun doesn’t shine for 8 hours a day every day. Fortunately the latest technology allows more of the sun’s energy to be captured even at relatively low levels. There is also the opportunity to create hybrid renewable energy systems that take advantage of the synergy between solar and wind energy.
Cost. Even if solar power is a viable alternative to mains power, the initial capital cost may be prohibitive for many. There are some grants available, however, as yet these are not sufficient to encourage widespread investment in the technology.
Visual impact. In some instances panels will be intrusive and may detract from the attractiveness of buildings and landscapes. Most of us can appreciate that it would not be suitable to cover a building of particular historical, conservational or aesthetic value with a huge array of solar panels. Visual impact becomes less of an issue as the technology improves and the size and look of the panels improves.
Location is important. Correct location of solar panels is of the utmost importance and not every building can benefit from a solar array. Ideally, panels need to be facing south and shouldn’t be subject to any shading.
Neil MacLeod writes for ecofreak, more information about solar power and solar panels can be found at www.ecofreak.co.uk .Its like this, you want to be green.. but you don\'t want to be a tree hugger. Take a step in th eright direction with ecofreak. We\'ve complied some great products that are ecofriendly, practical and fun.
continue
Here follows a brief run down of the main advantages and disadvantages of solar energy as a green energy source encompassing both solar thermal and solar photovoltaics.
Advantages
Solar energy is free. There is an initial capital cost but once you have made the investment the energy harvested from the sun costs you nothing. No one will be sending you a bill for sunshine.
Solar energy is abundant. Even in mid winter we are blessed with a moderate amount of natural daylight provided courtesy of the sun. Okay, it might not be sunny everyday but we are still experiencing radiation from the sun and it is this which can be gleaned for our own renewable energy purposes.
It’s clean. It is a clean alternative to fossil fuels and nuclear power and it will never run out.
It’s silent. Solar power can be captured anywhere without creating noise pollution that might otherwise up set neighbours and wildlife.
It works wherever the sun shines. It doesn’t matter how remote, solar can generate energy where no other form of power can be obtained.
It’s cost effective. Solar photovoltaics are still relatively expensive, however, the technology is growing rapidly, as is production and as a result the costs involved are coming down. Solar hot water panels have been greatly improved in recent years and, with lower cost, payback times for domestic systems can no be as short as five years. As coal, gas and oil prices continue to rise solar energy will become a viable alternative.
It’s secure. We live in uncertain times and we are increasingly relying on our fossil fuel supplies coming from areas abroad over which we have little or no control.
Disadvantages
Continuity of supply. Those of you who live and work here in the UK may have noticed that the sun doesn’t shine for 8 hours a day every day. Fortunately the latest technology allows more of the sun’s energy to be captured even at relatively low levels. There is also the opportunity to create hybrid renewable energy systems that take advantage of the synergy between solar and wind energy.
Cost. Even if solar power is a viable alternative to mains power, the initial capital cost may be prohibitive for many. There are some grants available, however, as yet these are not sufficient to encourage widespread investment in the technology.
Visual impact. In some instances panels will be intrusive and may detract from the attractiveness of buildings and landscapes. Most of us can appreciate that it would not be suitable to cover a building of particular historical, conservational or aesthetic value with a huge array of solar panels. Visual impact becomes less of an issue as the technology improves and the size and look of the panels improves.
Location is important. Correct location of solar panels is of the utmost importance and not every building can benefit from a solar array. Ideally, panels need to be facing south and shouldn’t be subject to any shading.
Neil MacLeod writes for ecofreak, more information about solar power and solar panels can be found at www.ecofreak.co.uk .Its like this, you want to be green.. but you don\'t want to be a tree hugger. Take a step in th eright direction with ecofreak. We\'ve complied some great products that are ecofriendly, practical and fun.
continue
It's easy to build green
An increasing number of homeowners are concerned about the environment and want their homes to be as energy efficient as possible. As a result, Montreal has seen the construction of more and more environmentally friendly houses.
Green homes, characterized primarily by their water and energy-saving features, are multiplying in numbers and are in the process of evolving with the advent of net-zero-energy housing — homes that use up as much energy as they generate.
One such home, a triplex, is currently being built in Verdun and will be ready for occupancy early next year, and an 18-unit complex on the same site is already underway and will be put on the market in the next few months. Both are developed by the same company, EcoCité Developments.
“Net-zero-energy takes it one step further by incorporating a few additional energy systems so that it produces more energy than the buildings we normally develop,” says Cheryl Gladu of EcoCité.
As part of an even larger design team, Abondance Montreal, Gladu and EcoCité won a sustainable development competition in February, sponsored by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, allowing them to go ahead with the project.
“We’ve used geothermal [technology] in the past in a few of our projects. This is a technology that takes energy from the earth to provide heating and cooling for the buildings,” saysGladu, 30. “But this will be the first time that we use photovoltaic [PV solar panels] and solar thermal [vacuum tubes] in order to generate electricity… and to produce hot water for the building. It’s a more energy-productive building than we’ve done in the past.”
EcoCité founder Christopher Sweetnam-Holmes, 32, completed his first green project in 2004, a property in Point St. Charles near Atwater Market, named Habitat 1. Sweetnam-Holmes says that first project and the several projects he’s worked on since, led to the one in Verdun.
“I had lots of challenges in terms of learning what worked and what didn’t work. Each building is like a laboratory and I learn from it,” he says.
continue
Green homes, characterized primarily by their water and energy-saving features, are multiplying in numbers and are in the process of evolving with the advent of net-zero-energy housing — homes that use up as much energy as they generate.
One such home, a triplex, is currently being built in Verdun and will be ready for occupancy early next year, and an 18-unit complex on the same site is already underway and will be put on the market in the next few months. Both are developed by the same company, EcoCité Developments.
“Net-zero-energy takes it one step further by incorporating a few additional energy systems so that it produces more energy than the buildings we normally develop,” says Cheryl Gladu of EcoCité.
As part of an even larger design team, Abondance Montreal, Gladu and EcoCité won a sustainable development competition in February, sponsored by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, allowing them to go ahead with the project.
“We’ve used geothermal [technology] in the past in a few of our projects. This is a technology that takes energy from the earth to provide heating and cooling for the buildings,” saysGladu, 30. “But this will be the first time that we use photovoltaic [PV solar panels] and solar thermal [vacuum tubes] in order to generate electricity… and to produce hot water for the building. It’s a more energy-productive building than we’ve done in the past.”
EcoCité founder Christopher Sweetnam-Holmes, 32, completed his first green project in 2004, a property in Point St. Charles near Atwater Market, named Habitat 1. Sweetnam-Holmes says that first project and the several projects he’s worked on since, led to the one in Verdun.
“I had lots of challenges in terms of learning what worked and what didn’t work. Each building is like a laboratory and I learn from it,” he says.
continue
Wednesday 19 September 2007
Solar island generates green power
A Swiss-designed artificial island is set to make its first appearance in the Gulf state of Ras al Khaimah, with the aim of providing a source of clean energy.
The project, a collaboration between Neuchâtel's Swiss Center for Electronics and Microtechnology (CSEM) and the local government, should be able to produce electricity and hydrogen using solar power.
Solar power is becoming increasingly common. Homeowners in Switzerland and elsewhere are prepared to install panels as costs start to drop, while bigger projects such as the array on Bern's football stadium are also becoming an option.
But large-scale solar power facilities are still rare. The cost of panels still makes it prohibitive to build vast arrays, notwithstanding the problem of the space needed to set them up.
But according to Thomas Hinderling, the centre's director, solar energy will become a major power resource in the next 20 to 30 years and will be the leading form of renewable energy.
"A third of the world's future power needs could be covered by solar energy," Hinderling told swissinfo. "But to collect that energy, you need an array surface equivalent to 60 per cent the size of France."
Solution
The solution proposed by the centre is to build artificial islands that can sit offshore, where surface is not a problem.
To cut costs, the usual solar panels would not be used, but rather a concentrator that heats water running through pipes. The steam is then used to generate electricity.
Because of its floating structure, the island could be easily turned to always face the sun, generating maximum power.
And to avoid having to connect the island to the mainland, the electricity could also be used to make hydrogen that could then be stored on the island before being shipped elsewhere.
"A floating infrastructure means a very low construction cost," said Hinderling. "There are no support structures to build."
However, building such a facility involves a few restrictions. There has to be around 350 days a year of sunshine, and it needs to sit somewhere between the tropics, near the equator for optimal performance.
In many respects, the coastal region of the United Arab Emirates fits the bill, and this is why Ras al Khaimah is footing a large part of the development costs, contributing $5 million (SFr6.1 million) to the project.
"We began working on renewable energies with the emirate three years ago," Hinderling said. "The market with the biggest potential for solar and water technology is in that region, so that is where we have to work."
Challenges
The biggest hurdle to the project seems to be the construction of the island itself. For example it is still unknown how the infrastructure will react in high winds, Hinderling said.
"We have done simulations that have not revealed any problems, but it is not until we have tested in the real world that we will know if it works," he added.
In situations such as storms or violent winds, he reckons that an island would be able to power its way out of danger before bad weather struck.
The construction of a prototype is now underway in the Gulf. It will have a diameter of 100 metres, one-tenth of the size of an actual solar island.
Just don't go looking for it off the coast of the Emirates: initial tests will take place inland, with the island floating on a water channel.
continue
How this 12inch miracle tube could halve heating bills
It sounds too good to be true - not to mention the fact that it violates almost every known law of physics.
But British scientists claim they have invented a revolutionary device that seems to 'create' energy from virtually nothing.
Their so-called thermal energy cell could soon be fitted into ordinary homes, halving domestic heating bills and making a major contribution towards cutting carbon emissions.
Even the makers of the device are at a loss to explain exactly how it works - but sceptical independent scientists carried out their own tests and discovered that the 12in x 2in tube really does produce far more heat energy than the electrical energy put in.
The device seems to break the fundamental physical law that energy cannot be created from nothing - but researchers believe it taps into a previously unrecognised source of energy, stored at a sub-atomic level within the hydrogen atoms in water.
he system - developed by scientists at a firm called Ecowatts in a nondescript laboratory on an industrial estate at Lancing, West Sussex - involves passing an electrical current through a mixture of water, potassium carbonate (otherwise known as potash) and a secret liquid catalyst, based on chrome.
This creates a reaction that releases an incredible amount of energy compared to that put in. If the reaction takes place in a unit surrounded by water, the liquid heats up, which could form the basis for a household heating system.
If the technology can be developed on a domestic scale, it means consumers will need much less energy for heating and hot water - creating smaller bills and fewer greenhouse gases.
Jim Lyons, of the University of York, independently evaluated the system. He said: 'Let's be honest, people are generally pretty sceptical about this kind of thing. Our team was happy to take on the evaluation, even if to prove it didn't work.
'But this is a very efficient replacement for the traditional immersion heater. We have examined this interesting technology and when we got the rig operating, we were getting 150 to 200 per cent more energy out than we put in, without trying too hard.
People are sceptical - but somehow it works
'We are still not clear about the science involved here, because the physics and chemistry are very different-to everything that has gone before. Our challenge now is to study the science and how it works.'
The device has taken ten years of painstaking work by a small team at Ecowatts' tiny red-brick laboratory, and bosses predict a household version of their device will be ready to go on sale within the next 18 months.
The project, which has cost the company £1.4million, has the backing of the Department of Trade and Industry, which is keen to help poorer families without traditional central heating or who cannot afford rocketing fuel bills.
Ecowatts says the device will cost between £1,500 and £2,000, in line with the price of traditional systems.
The development of the groundbreaking technology results from a chance meeting between Ecowatts chairman Chris Davies, his wife Jane and an Irish inventor, Christopher Eccles, while the couple were on holiday near Shannon in 1998.
After the inventor showed the couple his laboratory experiments, Mrs Davies, immediately signed a £20,000 cheque on the bonnet of her car and handed it over to Mr Eccles.
He later became chief scientist of Ecowatts' parent company Gardner Watts, but has since left after 'falling out' with the company, according to insiders. Sadly, Mrs Davies died three years ago, so she will be unable to share in the success of her husband's development of the idea.
Mr Davies, now 75, of Dedham, Essex, was unavailable for comment last night.
But Ecowatts chief executive Paul Calver said: 'When Jane Davies whipped out her cheque book, it turned out to be a very good investment indeed.
'She and Chris were always interested in ecology and now it looks as if our heat exchanger system is ready to go on sale soon. We're producing a device in the next nine months to heat radiators.
'Most British homes rely on gas, and the Government has admitted there is a problem getting a substitute. Our device will help solve that.'
Sustainable energy expert Professor Saffa Riffat, of Nottingham University, has also led a team investigating the system.
He said: 'The concept is very interesting and it could be a major breakthrough, but more tests are required. We will be doing further checks.'
continue
Homeowners Break Even On Energy Bills
Interest in solar-powered homes is soaring as fast as energy prices and concerns about global warming, officials said.
Madison residents Joan Deming and Don Schultz said the main thing that attracted them to their East Side home were the solar panels on the roof, WISC-TV reported.
"It fits with our values," said Deming. "We have resources that we can use carefully to do things that we think are important. We try to give to things we think are valuable and this is one of the things we can give to the earth."
The house was built in the 1970s when solar technology was in its infancy.
"Solar panels covered most of the roof," said Deming. "They'd been up here for 15 years at that point. The seals were broken so they were clouded over. They leaked into the house."
So, the couple upgraded the panels when they remodeled.
"This is a 3,200-watt solar system, solar electric," said Steve Tweed with Wisconsin Power Control. "Two panel arrays, two eight-section arrays going down to a 3,800-watt inverter in the garage so they're making about 3,800 kilowatt hours per year."
"It's funny, the moment it went online we started going in the house and turning off switches and looking for more things that we could save with changing even more light bulbs than we had before because now we were spending our electricity that we were making," said Deming.
The pair said the energy savings has been significant, but not dramatic. Right now, they said they are breaking even.
They pay 9 cents for every kilowatt hour and that's also what they get back from MG&E, WISC-TV reported.
"There will be a payback and depending on what rate of payback we get for the electricity we feed back into the grid, it will be longer or shorter," said Schultz. "But as Joan said, that was not the primary reason. It wasn't to save money; it was to help save the Earth."
Deming and Schultz said tthat hey've saved close to 6,000 pounds of carbon dioxide since going online.
"The solar system can go on any structure that can support it, a house, shed, barn," said Tweed. "We can put it on a pole. We can put it on the ground. We can put it anywhere that can support the panel. It doesn't have to be on a home structure."
"So basically, there are no excuses," said Deming. "There are no excuses not to do it unless you live somewhere where the trees are 80 feet tall and they surround you. Shade is the enemy. Shade is the enemy."
For some, the downside is the cost. Even with rebates and tax incentives, going solar costs around $20,000.
With that in mind, MG&E has filed with the public service commission to increase the buy-back rate three times higher than what they're paying now, WISC-TV reported.
Energy experts said power companies are willing to pay the rate because solar homes produce the most power on hot, sunny afternoons when everyone else is turning up the air conditioner, which helps MG&E lower usage at peak power times.
continue
Madison residents Joan Deming and Don Schultz said the main thing that attracted them to their East Side home were the solar panels on the roof, WISC-TV reported.
"It fits with our values," said Deming. "We have resources that we can use carefully to do things that we think are important. We try to give to things we think are valuable and this is one of the things we can give to the earth."
The house was built in the 1970s when solar technology was in its infancy.
"Solar panels covered most of the roof," said Deming. "They'd been up here for 15 years at that point. The seals were broken so they were clouded over. They leaked into the house."
So, the couple upgraded the panels when they remodeled.
"This is a 3,200-watt solar system, solar electric," said Steve Tweed with Wisconsin Power Control. "Two panel arrays, two eight-section arrays going down to a 3,800-watt inverter in the garage so they're making about 3,800 kilowatt hours per year."
"It's funny, the moment it went online we started going in the house and turning off switches and looking for more things that we could save with changing even more light bulbs than we had before because now we were spending our electricity that we were making," said Deming.
The pair said the energy savings has been significant, but not dramatic. Right now, they said they are breaking even.
They pay 9 cents for every kilowatt hour and that's also what they get back from MG&E, WISC-TV reported.
"There will be a payback and depending on what rate of payback we get for the electricity we feed back into the grid, it will be longer or shorter," said Schultz. "But as Joan said, that was not the primary reason. It wasn't to save money; it was to help save the Earth."
Deming and Schultz said tthat hey've saved close to 6,000 pounds of carbon dioxide since going online.
"The solar system can go on any structure that can support it, a house, shed, barn," said Tweed. "We can put it on a pole. We can put it on the ground. We can put it anywhere that can support the panel. It doesn't have to be on a home structure."
"So basically, there are no excuses," said Deming. "There are no excuses not to do it unless you live somewhere where the trees are 80 feet tall and they surround you. Shade is the enemy. Shade is the enemy."
For some, the downside is the cost. Even with rebates and tax incentives, going solar costs around $20,000.
With that in mind, MG&E has filed with the public service commission to increase the buy-back rate three times higher than what they're paying now, WISC-TV reported.
Energy experts said power companies are willing to pay the rate because solar homes produce the most power on hot, sunny afternoons when everyone else is turning up the air conditioner, which helps MG&E lower usage at peak power times.
continue
Tuesday 18 September 2007
Big Green Machines
For a hundred years, the internal combustion engine has been the piston-powered heart of Detroit. But the auto industry did not always run solely on gasoline. At the beginning of the 20th century, more Americans drove electric cars than petroleum-powered ones.
A century later, the American car industry is entering a new age of innovation, and the supremacy of the gasoline engine is once again being challenged. The first serious rival out of the gate was the hybrid Toyota Prius, which runs partly on electricity. But because hybrids still burn gasoline most of the time, they do little to cure our addiction to oil. European carmakers, especially Mercedes-Benz, are wagering on new, more efficient diesel engines, but environmentalists still complain that “clean diesel” is an oxymoron.
That’s why the real action lies in the next wave of alternative fuels and motors. Here’s an insider’s guide to the leading contenders to dethrone the gasoline engine.
Flex-Fuel
Flex-fuel engines allow a car to switch easily between gasoline and alternative fuels like ethanol. This is here-and-now technology: In Brazil, about 80 percent of new cars (such as Volkswagen’s Gol) can run on either ethanol or gasoline. The U.S. already has 6 million flex-fuel cars, and since it costs less than $100 extra to build a car with flex-fuel capability, every major automaker is getting behind the technology. Ford Motor, Chrysler, and General Motors promise to accelerate Detroit’s yearly output of flex-fuel cars from the current level of 800,000 to 4 million—about half their total car output—by 2012. Only Japanese firms have been reluctant to embrace flex-fuel, perhaps because they believe it threatens their commanding lead in hybrid-electric technologies.
Though you can already buy flex-fuel cars, you can’t find ethanol to fill your tank in most of the U.S. That has made the cars a running joke in Detroit, where auto companies built them only to meet government fuel-economy standards. Many of the millions who bought the cars didn’t even know they had flex-fuel capability. Now, with the huge investment boom in ethanol, flex-fuel proponents argue that the infrastructure for supplying the fuel to customers will spread.
Biofuel has two big advantages. The first is that politicians in Washington love to shovel subsidies to the Midwest’s politically powerful farmers, who grow the corn that is converted into American ethanol. Second, it’s easy to adapt to the technology. Small amounts of ethanol are already blended into gasoline to be burned in today’s engines. But precisely because ethanol can be blended into gasoline, the current boom in biofuels, like the Prius euphoria, may only perpetuate our dependence on oil.
What’s more, unlike Brazil, where sugarcane can be made into ethanol efficiently, America uses corn, which requires a lot of petroleum-based fertilizer to grow and a great deal of energy to convert to fuel. Environmentalists worry about the pesticides involved in a big scale-up of corn production, as well as the resulting soil erosion.
Will it take off? The coming boom in flex-fuel technology is as sure a bet as there is in clean energy. Detroit is very likely to ramp up production as swiftly as it has promised, because the additional costs of making cars flex-fuel-ready are trivial. It’s much riskier, however, to assume that the infrastructure will expand. Currently, fewer than 1,500 of America’s 170,000 gas stations offer E85, a fuel blend that’s 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline.
Full Electric
Any day now, the first all-electric Tesla Roadster will hit the open road. The smoking-hot, two-seat sports car accelerates from zero to 60 miles per hour in about four seconds—as fast as a Ferrari. Equally impressive is its range: It can travel more than 200 miles on an overnight charge. Thanks to its lightweight carbon-fiber bodywork and its use of advanced lithium-ion batteries, the Roadster gets the equivalent of 135 miles per gallon of gasoline.
Electric cars didn’t die with Thomas Edison, who worked on developing their batteries a century ago. There are more than 50,000 electric cars on American roads today, though most are fleet vehicles or odd-looking hobbyist creations. Electric cars enjoyed a brief renaissance in the 1990s in California when the state’s zero-emission regulations pushed reluctant Detroit firms to produce them. G.M.’s EV1, the most aerodynamic production car ever made, was popular with environmentalists and technophiles, but ordinary consumers were put off by its limited range and the inconvenience of recharging it. The program was killed in 2003.
The new generation of battery-powered cars is much more promising. Unlike its predecessors, the Roadster doesn’t need to be recharged at special stations: It can plug into a household outlet. It also has double the range of the older generation of battery cars. At nearly $100,000, the Roadster’s price is steep, but Tesla Motors is also developing a $50,000 version, code-named WhiteStar, that it hopes to bring to market within three years.
Mitsubishi and Nissan have said they are working on electric cars as well, but the real innovation in this area is coming from nimble industry outsiders. Norwegian entrepreneurs have acquired the electric-vehicle technology that powered Ford’s Think car and will start selling the two-seater in Norway early next year and in the United States in 2009. The Think City can travel about 112 miles on an overnight charge, making it attractive mainly as a second car or commuter vehicle. Another rival is the Reva, an Indian-made electric car already available in Britain. This two-seater has a range of only about 50 miles, but it runs at about a tenth of the cost per mile of a typical gasoline car. Chinese models, including the Happy Messenger, are wild cards; their reliability remains questionable.
Will it take off? Electric-car drivers enjoy tax benefits and other incentives in California, thanks to the state’s goal of getting more zero-emission vehicles on the road. But for the technology to make the big time, the batteries must prove reliable and safe, and the cost of carbon-fiber bodywork needs to be reduced by an order of magnitude from today’s level.
Plug-In Hybrids
Heads turned at the sight of Greg Hanssen’s license plate: "100 mpg." If you looked at the rear bumper of his Toyota Prius, you saw the secret that made the car so desirable: an ordinary electric plug. Hanssen, an electrical engineer and master tinkerer in the Los Angeles area, runs a startup that converts conventional Priuses to his homemade plug-in technology. He replaces one of the car’s standard computers with his own and fits it with a bigger, more robust battery, ending up with a vehicle that can be driven purely on electric power, with the gasoline engine as a backup. Plugging in overnight for the next day’s commute lets owners take advantage of cheap, off-peak electricity rates, bringing operating costs down 75 percent.
Instead of the nickel-metal-hydride batteries in stock Priuses, Hanssen uses the superior lithium-ion technology found in laptop batteries. He also hacks the Prius’ software to prevent the gasoline engine from kicking in unless the car is traveling at high speed. As a result, his modified Prius can go 30 miles in all-electric mode, compared with less than two miles for an ordinary Prius. And even when burning gas, Hanssen’s car blends in electric power to improve fuel economy and provide about half the total power at highway speed.
Hanssen and like-minded activists have managed to whip up so much media attention and grassroots clamor for plug-ins that the big auto manufacturers have been forced to respond. At the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, in January, G.M. announced plans to rapidly develop plug-ins. Executives unveiled a prototype, the Chevrolet Volt, that they intend to have ready by 2010 in an effort to catch up with Toyota, which has a big lead in conventional hybrids. Toyota has never liked the idea of plug-ins—it even marketed the Prius as the electric car you never plug in—but in mid-2006 it made a U-turn. Toyota now promises to deliver a handful of plug-in prototypes to the University of California, Irvine, by November for environmental-impact studies. Malcolm Bricklin, who brought the Yugo to America, plans to import plug-ins from China through his firm, Visionary Vehicles, by 2009.
Critics argue that plug-in cars are an environmental hoax: Because they recharge from a power grid that relies on coal-fired plants, they merely pollute somewhere else. It’s a legitimate point, but several studies calculating the environmental impact of battery-powered cars over their life cycle have determined they are still greener than the average gasoline-fueled car, despite their dependence on coal power. And, of course, they also help us kick the oil habit.
If there’s a green obstacle facing this technology, it’s not environmental; it’s financial. The advanced batteries and lightweight carbon-fiber bodywork necessary to give electric cars decent range add thousands of dollars to their price. The Prius has shown that green technologies can eventually achieve economies of scale, but early adopters must be willing to pay a premium.
Will it take off? The main reason this technology may have a bright future is the noisy environmental movement supporting it. Advocates have even convinced the White House that this hobbyist’s invention is the Next Big Thing. Political pressure will force Detroit and Japanese automakers to devise at least a token number of plug-ins by 2010.
Fuel Cells
Larry Burns, vice president of research and development at G.M., was one of the first in the industry to conclude that the internal combustion engine will one day be replaced by the fuel cell. His reasoning is simple: Ninety-eight percent of the auto industry’s vehicles run on petroleum, and that creates volatility, political risk, and greenhouse gas emissions. If the 2.5 billion people who will be added to the world’s population by 2050 drive cars, Burns believes, only hydrogen-fuel-cell electric vehicles will prevent this mass of new automobiles from ruining the planet.
That is a surprising view from Detroit. But Burns is not alone: Bill Ford himself has predicted that “fuel cells will end the 100-year reign of the internal combustion engine.” So what are fuel cells, exactly? Simply put, they are electrochemical devices that replace internal combustion engines. Instead of gasoline, they use hydrogen as fuel.
Fuel cells are the ultimate clean-car technology, promising zero local pollution and zero global-warming gases. What’s more, they could prove to be the coolest cars you’ve ever seen. G.M.’s Hy-Wire, a hydrogen concept car, compresses the entire fuel-cell apparatus into an 11-inch-thick “skateboard.” On top of that, the car is designed to let customers snap off the body, so they could have a convertible in summer and an S.U.V. in winter. The superquiet fuel cell could power a mobile office or a cabin in the woods, and you could use its perfectly clean steam exhaust to make double-foam lattes.
G.M. is working furiously to develop a practical prototype based on the Hy-Wire’s concepts by the end of 2010. It is developing several fuel-cell models, including a version of its Chevy Equinox, which it expects to have production-ready by then. But take that with a grain of salt, as G.M. has given itself an out: It has promised to make a million of the revolutionary vehicles a year, at prices the company says will appeal to the mass market, but only after a suitable network of hydrogen filling stations is in place. Honda also has an advanced fuel-cell car, dubbed the FCX, which was launched in very limited numbers in the U.S. this year. In typical Japanese fashion, Honda executives are tight-lipped on details but have let slip to the Japanese press that they aim to price the cars below $85,000.
This progress is promising, but fuel-cell technology has had false starts before. DaimlerChrysler spent a billion dollars on the effort in the 1990s but bet on the wrong fuel. Rather than relying on pure hydrogen, Chrysler’s fuel-cell cars extracted hydrogen onboard from methanol, which proved a costly dead end. Today, most serious contenders plan to use hydrogen for their fuel cells.
Therein lies another potential snag. Hydrogen may be the most common element in the universe, but you can’t just pull up at your local Exxon station and ask for a tank of it. Until there are hydrogen-refueling stations, nobody will buy a fuel-cell car, but no firm will invest in refueling stations if no one is already driving fuel-cell cars. For its part, Honda is developing a home energy station that lets customers make hydrogen fuel at home from natural gas. Governments also might lend a hand. Arnold Schwarzenegger, California’s hypergreen governor, has proposed a “hydrogen highway” of refueling stations up and down the state. The U.S. Department of Energy also plans to cooperate with energy companies to develop hydrogen-refueling technologies. Royal Dutch Shell and Chevron have both independently developed hydrogen-refueling methods that tap into the existing natural-gas grid, thus helping solve the chicken-or-egg problem.
Will it take off? Fuel cells are the riskiest bet in clean-car technology, but they also have the most potential to change the game. It won’t be easy to replace the vast infrastructure that supports today’s engine technologies with an entirely new one. But fuel cells’ promise of clean, carbon-emission-free personal transportation and an end to oil addiction is so great that this long shot is well worth keeping an eye on.
continue
A century later, the American car industry is entering a new age of innovation, and the supremacy of the gasoline engine is once again being challenged. The first serious rival out of the gate was the hybrid Toyota Prius, which runs partly on electricity. But because hybrids still burn gasoline most of the time, they do little to cure our addiction to oil. European carmakers, especially Mercedes-Benz, are wagering on new, more efficient diesel engines, but environmentalists still complain that “clean diesel” is an oxymoron.
That’s why the real action lies in the next wave of alternative fuels and motors. Here’s an insider’s guide to the leading contenders to dethrone the gasoline engine.
Flex-Fuel
Flex-fuel engines allow a car to switch easily between gasoline and alternative fuels like ethanol. This is here-and-now technology: In Brazil, about 80 percent of new cars (such as Volkswagen’s Gol) can run on either ethanol or gasoline. The U.S. already has 6 million flex-fuel cars, and since it costs less than $100 extra to build a car with flex-fuel capability, every major automaker is getting behind the technology. Ford Motor, Chrysler, and General Motors promise to accelerate Detroit’s yearly output of flex-fuel cars from the current level of 800,000 to 4 million—about half their total car output—by 2012. Only Japanese firms have been reluctant to embrace flex-fuel, perhaps because they believe it threatens their commanding lead in hybrid-electric technologies.
Though you can already buy flex-fuel cars, you can’t find ethanol to fill your tank in most of the U.S. That has made the cars a running joke in Detroit, where auto companies built them only to meet government fuel-economy standards. Many of the millions who bought the cars didn’t even know they had flex-fuel capability. Now, with the huge investment boom in ethanol, flex-fuel proponents argue that the infrastructure for supplying the fuel to customers will spread.
Biofuel has two big advantages. The first is that politicians in Washington love to shovel subsidies to the Midwest’s politically powerful farmers, who grow the corn that is converted into American ethanol. Second, it’s easy to adapt to the technology. Small amounts of ethanol are already blended into gasoline to be burned in today’s engines. But precisely because ethanol can be blended into gasoline, the current boom in biofuels, like the Prius euphoria, may only perpetuate our dependence on oil.
What’s more, unlike Brazil, where sugarcane can be made into ethanol efficiently, America uses corn, which requires a lot of petroleum-based fertilizer to grow and a great deal of energy to convert to fuel. Environmentalists worry about the pesticides involved in a big scale-up of corn production, as well as the resulting soil erosion.
Will it take off? The coming boom in flex-fuel technology is as sure a bet as there is in clean energy. Detroit is very likely to ramp up production as swiftly as it has promised, because the additional costs of making cars flex-fuel-ready are trivial. It’s much riskier, however, to assume that the infrastructure will expand. Currently, fewer than 1,500 of America’s 170,000 gas stations offer E85, a fuel blend that’s 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline.
Full Electric
Any day now, the first all-electric Tesla Roadster will hit the open road. The smoking-hot, two-seat sports car accelerates from zero to 60 miles per hour in about four seconds—as fast as a Ferrari. Equally impressive is its range: It can travel more than 200 miles on an overnight charge. Thanks to its lightweight carbon-fiber bodywork and its use of advanced lithium-ion batteries, the Roadster gets the equivalent of 135 miles per gallon of gasoline.
Electric cars didn’t die with Thomas Edison, who worked on developing their batteries a century ago. There are more than 50,000 electric cars on American roads today, though most are fleet vehicles or odd-looking hobbyist creations. Electric cars enjoyed a brief renaissance in the 1990s in California when the state’s zero-emission regulations pushed reluctant Detroit firms to produce them. G.M.’s EV1, the most aerodynamic production car ever made, was popular with environmentalists and technophiles, but ordinary consumers were put off by its limited range and the inconvenience of recharging it. The program was killed in 2003.
The new generation of battery-powered cars is much more promising. Unlike its predecessors, the Roadster doesn’t need to be recharged at special stations: It can plug into a household outlet. It also has double the range of the older generation of battery cars. At nearly $100,000, the Roadster’s price is steep, but Tesla Motors is also developing a $50,000 version, code-named WhiteStar, that it hopes to bring to market within three years.
Mitsubishi and Nissan have said they are working on electric cars as well, but the real innovation in this area is coming from nimble industry outsiders. Norwegian entrepreneurs have acquired the electric-vehicle technology that powered Ford’s Think car and will start selling the two-seater in Norway early next year and in the United States in 2009. The Think City can travel about 112 miles on an overnight charge, making it attractive mainly as a second car or commuter vehicle. Another rival is the Reva, an Indian-made electric car already available in Britain. This two-seater has a range of only about 50 miles, but it runs at about a tenth of the cost per mile of a typical gasoline car. Chinese models, including the Happy Messenger, are wild cards; their reliability remains questionable.
Will it take off? Electric-car drivers enjoy tax benefits and other incentives in California, thanks to the state’s goal of getting more zero-emission vehicles on the road. But for the technology to make the big time, the batteries must prove reliable and safe, and the cost of carbon-fiber bodywork needs to be reduced by an order of magnitude from today’s level.
Plug-In Hybrids
Heads turned at the sight of Greg Hanssen’s license plate: "100 mpg." If you looked at the rear bumper of his Toyota Prius, you saw the secret that made the car so desirable: an ordinary electric plug. Hanssen, an electrical engineer and master tinkerer in the Los Angeles area, runs a startup that converts conventional Priuses to his homemade plug-in technology. He replaces one of the car’s standard computers with his own and fits it with a bigger, more robust battery, ending up with a vehicle that can be driven purely on electric power, with the gasoline engine as a backup. Plugging in overnight for the next day’s commute lets owners take advantage of cheap, off-peak electricity rates, bringing operating costs down 75 percent.
Instead of the nickel-metal-hydride batteries in stock Priuses, Hanssen uses the superior lithium-ion technology found in laptop batteries. He also hacks the Prius’ software to prevent the gasoline engine from kicking in unless the car is traveling at high speed. As a result, his modified Prius can go 30 miles in all-electric mode, compared with less than two miles for an ordinary Prius. And even when burning gas, Hanssen’s car blends in electric power to improve fuel economy and provide about half the total power at highway speed.
Hanssen and like-minded activists have managed to whip up so much media attention and grassroots clamor for plug-ins that the big auto manufacturers have been forced to respond. At the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, in January, G.M. announced plans to rapidly develop plug-ins. Executives unveiled a prototype, the Chevrolet Volt, that they intend to have ready by 2010 in an effort to catch up with Toyota, which has a big lead in conventional hybrids. Toyota has never liked the idea of plug-ins—it even marketed the Prius as the electric car you never plug in—but in mid-2006 it made a U-turn. Toyota now promises to deliver a handful of plug-in prototypes to the University of California, Irvine, by November for environmental-impact studies. Malcolm Bricklin, who brought the Yugo to America, plans to import plug-ins from China through his firm, Visionary Vehicles, by 2009.
Critics argue that plug-in cars are an environmental hoax: Because they recharge from a power grid that relies on coal-fired plants, they merely pollute somewhere else. It’s a legitimate point, but several studies calculating the environmental impact of battery-powered cars over their life cycle have determined they are still greener than the average gasoline-fueled car, despite their dependence on coal power. And, of course, they also help us kick the oil habit.
If there’s a green obstacle facing this technology, it’s not environmental; it’s financial. The advanced batteries and lightweight carbon-fiber bodywork necessary to give electric cars decent range add thousands of dollars to their price. The Prius has shown that green technologies can eventually achieve economies of scale, but early adopters must be willing to pay a premium.
Will it take off? The main reason this technology may have a bright future is the noisy environmental movement supporting it. Advocates have even convinced the White House that this hobbyist’s invention is the Next Big Thing. Political pressure will force Detroit and Japanese automakers to devise at least a token number of plug-ins by 2010.
Fuel Cells
Larry Burns, vice president of research and development at G.M., was one of the first in the industry to conclude that the internal combustion engine will one day be replaced by the fuel cell. His reasoning is simple: Ninety-eight percent of the auto industry’s vehicles run on petroleum, and that creates volatility, political risk, and greenhouse gas emissions. If the 2.5 billion people who will be added to the world’s population by 2050 drive cars, Burns believes, only hydrogen-fuel-cell electric vehicles will prevent this mass of new automobiles from ruining the planet.
That is a surprising view from Detroit. But Burns is not alone: Bill Ford himself has predicted that “fuel cells will end the 100-year reign of the internal combustion engine.” So what are fuel cells, exactly? Simply put, they are electrochemical devices that replace internal combustion engines. Instead of gasoline, they use hydrogen as fuel.
Fuel cells are the ultimate clean-car technology, promising zero local pollution and zero global-warming gases. What’s more, they could prove to be the coolest cars you’ve ever seen. G.M.’s Hy-Wire, a hydrogen concept car, compresses the entire fuel-cell apparatus into an 11-inch-thick “skateboard.” On top of that, the car is designed to let customers snap off the body, so they could have a convertible in summer and an S.U.V. in winter. The superquiet fuel cell could power a mobile office or a cabin in the woods, and you could use its perfectly clean steam exhaust to make double-foam lattes.
G.M. is working furiously to develop a practical prototype based on the Hy-Wire’s concepts by the end of 2010. It is developing several fuel-cell models, including a version of its Chevy Equinox, which it expects to have production-ready by then. But take that with a grain of salt, as G.M. has given itself an out: It has promised to make a million of the revolutionary vehicles a year, at prices the company says will appeal to the mass market, but only after a suitable network of hydrogen filling stations is in place. Honda also has an advanced fuel-cell car, dubbed the FCX, which was launched in very limited numbers in the U.S. this year. In typical Japanese fashion, Honda executives are tight-lipped on details but have let slip to the Japanese press that they aim to price the cars below $85,000.
This progress is promising, but fuel-cell technology has had false starts before. DaimlerChrysler spent a billion dollars on the effort in the 1990s but bet on the wrong fuel. Rather than relying on pure hydrogen, Chrysler’s fuel-cell cars extracted hydrogen onboard from methanol, which proved a costly dead end. Today, most serious contenders plan to use hydrogen for their fuel cells.
Therein lies another potential snag. Hydrogen may be the most common element in the universe, but you can’t just pull up at your local Exxon station and ask for a tank of it. Until there are hydrogen-refueling stations, nobody will buy a fuel-cell car, but no firm will invest in refueling stations if no one is already driving fuel-cell cars. For its part, Honda is developing a home energy station that lets customers make hydrogen fuel at home from natural gas. Governments also might lend a hand. Arnold Schwarzenegger, California’s hypergreen governor, has proposed a “hydrogen highway” of refueling stations up and down the state. The U.S. Department of Energy also plans to cooperate with energy companies to develop hydrogen-refueling technologies. Royal Dutch Shell and Chevron have both independently developed hydrogen-refueling methods that tap into the existing natural-gas grid, thus helping solve the chicken-or-egg problem.
Will it take off? Fuel cells are the riskiest bet in clean-car technology, but they also have the most potential to change the game. It won’t be easy to replace the vast infrastructure that supports today’s engine technologies with an entirely new one. But fuel cells’ promise of clean, carbon-emission-free personal transportation and an end to oil addiction is so great that this long shot is well worth keeping an eye on.
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Saturday 15 September 2007
Prefab in-law cottage, 700 square feet, is all green
If building an eco-friendly house is a stretch, how about a green in-law cottage?
That's sustainable designer Michelle Kaufmann's latest creation: the mkLotus, a one-bedroom home that is environmentally conscious, from its 100 percent solar electric system to the bathroom tiles made of recycled glass. It will go on display next weekend at the nation's largest green building conference, West Coast Green, in San Francisco.
Kaufmann is considered a visionary in home design circles for her groundbreaking sustainable-yet-stylish prefabs. Her Glidehouse and Breezehouse drew tens of thousands of spectators when Sunset magazine hosted them during weekend celebrations.
Her latest house, the smallest of the three, "was designed as an oasis," Kaufmann says. "It can be perfect for a vacation home, or a home where you feel like you're on vacation."
The popularity of the two- to four-bedroom Glidehouse brought countless inquiries for in-law units and cottages, said Rebecca Woelke, spokeswoman for Michelle Kaufmann Designs.
"We wanted to give clients a different type of design in a one-bedroom layout," Woelke said, something that "opens entire living spaces to the outdoors and brings the outdoors in."
To do that, mkLotus' signature feature is its NanaWalls, floor-to-ceiling glass doors in the living room that fold up like an accordion to welcome nature into the home. "This house blurs the boundary between the interior and exterior,"
Kaufman said. "You feel like you are outside, even when you are inside."
And yes, screen doors are available for those who prefer to feel less outside.
The West Coast Green show home is only 700 square feet, but it is full of details designed to make it feel much larger. Besides the NanaWalls, these include sloped roof lines, windows all around, and high window placements, which make the ceilings feel higher by washing them with light.
"The lotus flower opens up to welcome light and air into the flower. That's the concept of the mkLotus, to open the home to extend the space and welcome light and air into the home," Woelke said.
Every detail on the mkLotus is eco-friendly:
• Flooring is rapidly renewable bamboo.
• The kitchen cabinetry features FSC certified wood over particleboard. (The Forest Stewardship Council guarantees that the wood comes from a certified well-managed forest.)
• Kitchen countertops by Concreteworks contains fly ash concrete, rice hull and recycled porcelain.
• The bathroom floor and wall tiles contain 55 percent recycled glass.
• Bathroom plumbing includes a low-flow shower head and dual-flush toilet (to save water when you only need a light flush).
• Energy-saving LED lighting throughout.
• Even the decorative touches inside, down to the bamboo and cork bowls on the kitchen island, will be green.
The model on display will be fully loaded with two water recycling features. A rainwater catchment system collects runoff and filters the water for irrigating the yard. A gray water system (much like what car washes use) collects water from the kitchen sink, bathroom sink and shower and filters and recirculates the water for use in the washing machine and toilets.
The roof will be one-third solar panels and two-thirds green "living" roof (usually grass, but other plants are optional). The greenery helps purify the air, as well as providing a thermal layer on the roof that absorbs heat as well as insulates during cooler temperatures.
The mkLotus sells for $125,000 (base model) to $225,000 from the factory, not including land costs and permits, shipping, setup and other site-specific fees. The version at the show, built by Xtreme Builders of Sacramento, is closer to $225,000.
As with all of Kaufmann's homes, the mkLotus is being constructed off site and will be trucked in in one piece. It will arrive at the Civic Center Plaza on Sunday, and crews will get to work securing the home and adding the decking and landscaping. It should be complete by Tuesday afternoon. It will open to building industry visitors at 7 a.m. Thursday and to members of the public with a "homeowner pass" at 2 p.m. Friday.
The post-show fate of the mkLotus hasn't been determined. Kaufmann's previous show homes were sold even before they were displayed. The company has received offers to buy the home, Woelke said, but it might remain on the traveling circuit for future green shows, including a February show in Portland, Ore.
All of Kaufmann's prefab houses, including the mkLotus, can be ordered through the company. But Kaufmann and her associates emphasize that their goal at West Coast Green is not to sell houses, but to educate and show people a better way to build and live.
"We are prepackaging green solutions to make it easy for people to go green," Kaufman said. "We are finding that people want green designs, they want lower energy bills, they want healthy homes for their families. However, it is not always easy to find the green solutions."
continue
That's sustainable designer Michelle Kaufmann's latest creation: the mkLotus, a one-bedroom home that is environmentally conscious, from its 100 percent solar electric system to the bathroom tiles made of recycled glass. It will go on display next weekend at the nation's largest green building conference, West Coast Green, in San Francisco.
Kaufmann is considered a visionary in home design circles for her groundbreaking sustainable-yet-stylish prefabs. Her Glidehouse and Breezehouse drew tens of thousands of spectators when Sunset magazine hosted them during weekend celebrations.
Her latest house, the smallest of the three, "was designed as an oasis," Kaufmann says. "It can be perfect for a vacation home, or a home where you feel like you're on vacation."
The popularity of the two- to four-bedroom Glidehouse brought countless inquiries for in-law units and cottages, said Rebecca Woelke, spokeswoman for Michelle Kaufmann Designs.
"We wanted to give clients a different type of design in a one-bedroom layout," Woelke said, something that "opens entire living spaces to the outdoors and brings the outdoors in."
To do that, mkLotus' signature feature is its NanaWalls, floor-to-ceiling glass doors in the living room that fold up like an accordion to welcome nature into the home. "This house blurs the boundary between the interior and exterior,"
Kaufman said. "You feel like you are outside, even when you are inside."
And yes, screen doors are available for those who prefer to feel less outside.
The West Coast Green show home is only 700 square feet, but it is full of details designed to make it feel much larger. Besides the NanaWalls, these include sloped roof lines, windows all around, and high window placements, which make the ceilings feel higher by washing them with light.
"The lotus flower opens up to welcome light and air into the flower. That's the concept of the mkLotus, to open the home to extend the space and welcome light and air into the home," Woelke said.
Every detail on the mkLotus is eco-friendly:
• Flooring is rapidly renewable bamboo.
• The kitchen cabinetry features FSC certified wood over particleboard. (The Forest Stewardship Council guarantees that the wood comes from a certified well-managed forest.)
• Kitchen countertops by Concreteworks contains fly ash concrete, rice hull and recycled porcelain.
• The bathroom floor and wall tiles contain 55 percent recycled glass.
• Bathroom plumbing includes a low-flow shower head and dual-flush toilet (to save water when you only need a light flush).
• Energy-saving LED lighting throughout.
• Even the decorative touches inside, down to the bamboo and cork bowls on the kitchen island, will be green.
The model on display will be fully loaded with two water recycling features. A rainwater catchment system collects runoff and filters the water for irrigating the yard. A gray water system (much like what car washes use) collects water from the kitchen sink, bathroom sink and shower and filters and recirculates the water for use in the washing machine and toilets.
The roof will be one-third solar panels and two-thirds green "living" roof (usually grass, but other plants are optional). The greenery helps purify the air, as well as providing a thermal layer on the roof that absorbs heat as well as insulates during cooler temperatures.
The mkLotus sells for $125,000 (base model) to $225,000 from the factory, not including land costs and permits, shipping, setup and other site-specific fees. The version at the show, built by Xtreme Builders of Sacramento, is closer to $225,000.
As with all of Kaufmann's homes, the mkLotus is being constructed off site and will be trucked in in one piece. It will arrive at the Civic Center Plaza on Sunday, and crews will get to work securing the home and adding the decking and landscaping. It should be complete by Tuesday afternoon. It will open to building industry visitors at 7 a.m. Thursday and to members of the public with a "homeowner pass" at 2 p.m. Friday.
The post-show fate of the mkLotus hasn't been determined. Kaufmann's previous show homes were sold even before they were displayed. The company has received offers to buy the home, Woelke said, but it might remain on the traveling circuit for future green shows, including a February show in Portland, Ore.
All of Kaufmann's prefab houses, including the mkLotus, can be ordered through the company. But Kaufmann and her associates emphasize that their goal at West Coast Green is not to sell houses, but to educate and show people a better way to build and live.
"We are prepackaging green solutions to make it easy for people to go green," Kaufman said. "We are finding that people want green designs, they want lower energy bills, they want healthy homes for their families. However, it is not always easy to find the green solutions."
continue
Thursday 13 September 2007
solar house holds open house before going to Solar Decathlon
"The team at Lawrence Tech has built a quality sustainable home that is both economical and earth-friendly. The thinking that went into this structure is frankly astounding," says Jim Croce, president and CEO of Detroit-based NextEnergy. "This is an amazing achievement for this internationally recognized student competition and is further evidence of Lawrence Tech’s academic strength in the alternative energy sector."
That strength is coupled with the common sense of using green building techniques and technologies that are widely available to the public so the house can serve as a showcase on how regular people can conserve energy in housing.
For instance, the primary source of energy for hot water and heating is an array of evacuated tubes. The system can store a day's worth of hot water and can pay for itself in energy savings in about two years. All of the home’s electricity is generated by photovoltaic solar panels that cover much of the roof. When sunlight isn’t available, the home’s battery system will meet all the energy needs for things like heating, ventilation and air conditioning. To make the house energy positive, meaning it produces more energy than it consumes, Team ALOeTERRA utilizes a number of energy conservation ideas to control the house's energy appetite.
"We want our house to be a stage for educating homebuyers about the possibilities for dramatically decreasing the carbon footprint of their homes," says Christina Span, a member of Team ALOeTERRA. "Making homes more energy-efficient is the single biggest thing we can do as a country to reduce our country’s energy consumption and reliance on foreign oil."
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Wave Energy Device Deployed
Finavera Renewables Inc. (TSX-V: FVR) has successfully completed a major milestone in its wave energy development program with the deployment and commissioning of the AquaBuOY 2.0 wave energy converter off the coast of Newport, Oregon. This marks the first installation of a wave energy converter of this scale off the west coast of North America and moves the Company closer to achieving its goal of commercial electricity generation from ocean waves by 2010.
The AquaBuOY 2.0 is situated approximately two and a half miles off the coast of Newport, Oregon. Over the next several weeks, Finavera Renewables will test and analyze the performance of the Aqua Buoy’s components and monitor its hydraulic power output. During this phase, all onboard diagnostic equipment will be powered by an onboard Pelton turbine as well as solar panels and small wind turbines installed on the device. Data is being streamed live via wireless and satellite technology for analysis. This test data will be used for the next design iteration of the wave energy converter, with an anticipated deployment in 2008.
The project development plans include the phased installation of a multi-device wave park and commercial electricity generation by 2010. The Company currently has wave energy projects totaling more than 250 megawatts (MW) planned or under development on the west coast of North America.
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Building green is getting cheaper and more popular
DAVID HOVEY junior runs his hands over the steel beams of his home, and smiles. Tucked on a hillside in Scottsdale, Arizona that overlooks Phoenix, the property is stunning. It is made entirely of glass and recycled steel. The floor is elevated, leaving intact a 150-year-old ironwood tree. Overhangs keep out the sun. The building is environmentally friendly, but also marketable. Mr Hovey, who runs an architectural company called Optima, thinks many people will want a house just like this.
America is now enamoured of all things green. A study by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) found that some 90% of home-builders are now using green ideas. In 2005 the study found a 20% increase in the number of new homes that were environmentally responsible: water-efficient, energy-efficient, built of nature-friendly materials. Last year, the figures were up another 30%.
Green building has become big business. Banks such as Bank of America are adding more green financing packages. Shops selling green building supplies are springing up, as are giant shows. The world's largest exhibition for residential builders is West Coast Green, held in San Francisco. Last September almost 9,000 attended; 4,000 more are anticipated this year. In its honour San Francisco has proclaimed next week “West Coast Green Week”. Christi Graham, the president of West Coast Green, says lower building costs are helping the movement. It used to cost at least 15% more to build using eco-friendly ideas and products, but today they add only 1-3% to the cost of construction, she says.
Media attention helps, too. Al Gore's documentary on global warming, “An Inconvenient Truth”, helped get Hollywood on board. Last summer Brad Pitt teamed up with Global Green, a non-profit group, in a contest to design environmentally friendly homes for New Orleans. In April Robert Redford's series on ecology and green living was aired. Vanity Fair, Newsweek, Forbes and Fortune magazines have run green issues and Entertainment Weekly, a Hollywood monthly, featured Al Gore on its cover.
All this has helped Americans see that green building is easy, rewarding and responsible. The lesson is being learned in Scottsdale, a place whose extraordinary growth in recent decades has often meant swimming pools and green lawns somehow engineered in the desert. At Camelview Village, a multi-family development designed by Mr Hovey's father, who is also an architect, a “desert garden” covers the roof of each house. It is made of plants that require minimal watering, keep the roof cooler than black roof tiles and absorb lots of carbon dioxide. With 16 months to go until the complex is finished, 586 of the 709 units have been sold already. At Sterling Ridge, the Scottsdale property, solar panels and energy efficient glass will keep windows cool in the searing Arizona summers. The power savings are phenomenal, Mr Hovey junior says.
Suppliers of building materials and furniture are now scrambling to give green consumers what they want. There is heavy demand for things such as oriented strand board, which wastes less wood and uses trees such as aspen and poplar that grow fast. Bonded Logic in Chandler, Arizona, sells insulation made from shredded denim, a good mould-resistant alternative to fibreglass. Rastra, a company based in Scottsdale that makes concrete from recycled styrofoam, increased its sales by 385% between 2002 and 2005 and is looking for more American factories.
Lack of uniform standards is a problem. One company selling hydrochloric acid for etching cement floors reckoned that, because it was in gel form and could legally be washed down the drain, the product was environmentally friendly. And paint manufacturers are creating their own green labels instead of complying with regulations.
The US Green Building Council, for its part, is helping by expanding its energy-efficiency rating system from commercial properties to homes. This is the first voluntary national green-building standard; already, 7,500 homes and 330 builders are taking part in the pilot scheme. Home- and building-owners receive credits for green materials used, which can then earn them lower mortgage rates from banks and tax incentives from state and local governments. The NAHB has also launched and trademarked its own national green-building standard.
Fans like Mr Hovey junior need no encouragement. As the sun dips over the Phoenix hills he surveys his masterpiece once more. “Green building”, he says, “is just the way to build.”
continue
America is now enamoured of all things green. A study by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) found that some 90% of home-builders are now using green ideas. In 2005 the study found a 20% increase in the number of new homes that were environmentally responsible: water-efficient, energy-efficient, built of nature-friendly materials. Last year, the figures were up another 30%.
Green building has become big business. Banks such as Bank of America are adding more green financing packages. Shops selling green building supplies are springing up, as are giant shows. The world's largest exhibition for residential builders is West Coast Green, held in San Francisco. Last September almost 9,000 attended; 4,000 more are anticipated this year. In its honour San Francisco has proclaimed next week “West Coast Green Week”. Christi Graham, the president of West Coast Green, says lower building costs are helping the movement. It used to cost at least 15% more to build using eco-friendly ideas and products, but today they add only 1-3% to the cost of construction, she says.
Media attention helps, too. Al Gore's documentary on global warming, “An Inconvenient Truth”, helped get Hollywood on board. Last summer Brad Pitt teamed up with Global Green, a non-profit group, in a contest to design environmentally friendly homes for New Orleans. In April Robert Redford's series on ecology and green living was aired. Vanity Fair, Newsweek, Forbes and Fortune magazines have run green issues and Entertainment Weekly, a Hollywood monthly, featured Al Gore on its cover.
All this has helped Americans see that green building is easy, rewarding and responsible. The lesson is being learned in Scottsdale, a place whose extraordinary growth in recent decades has often meant swimming pools and green lawns somehow engineered in the desert. At Camelview Village, a multi-family development designed by Mr Hovey's father, who is also an architect, a “desert garden” covers the roof of each house. It is made of plants that require minimal watering, keep the roof cooler than black roof tiles and absorb lots of carbon dioxide. With 16 months to go until the complex is finished, 586 of the 709 units have been sold already. At Sterling Ridge, the Scottsdale property, solar panels and energy efficient glass will keep windows cool in the searing Arizona summers. The power savings are phenomenal, Mr Hovey junior says.
Suppliers of building materials and furniture are now scrambling to give green consumers what they want. There is heavy demand for things such as oriented strand board, which wastes less wood and uses trees such as aspen and poplar that grow fast. Bonded Logic in Chandler, Arizona, sells insulation made from shredded denim, a good mould-resistant alternative to fibreglass. Rastra, a company based in Scottsdale that makes concrete from recycled styrofoam, increased its sales by 385% between 2002 and 2005 and is looking for more American factories.
Lack of uniform standards is a problem. One company selling hydrochloric acid for etching cement floors reckoned that, because it was in gel form and could legally be washed down the drain, the product was environmentally friendly. And paint manufacturers are creating their own green labels instead of complying with regulations.
The US Green Building Council, for its part, is helping by expanding its energy-efficiency rating system from commercial properties to homes. This is the first voluntary national green-building standard; already, 7,500 homes and 330 builders are taking part in the pilot scheme. Home- and building-owners receive credits for green materials used, which can then earn them lower mortgage rates from banks and tax incentives from state and local governments. The NAHB has also launched and trademarked its own national green-building standard.
Fans like Mr Hovey junior need no encouragement. As the sun dips over the Phoenix hills he surveys his masterpiece once more. “Green building”, he says, “is just the way to build.”
continue
Green homes of steel
Do you really want to go green? A green home that you assemble from a kit might be the answer.
AmeriBuilt Steel Structures in Oviedo has created 100 percent recyclable dwellings made of steel and energy-efficient materials. The homes come in a kit with a ready-to-assemble galvanized steel frame with precut holes drilled for bolts and screws. An assembly manual also is provided.
Backed by a 45-year warranty, the homes are insect-proof, hurricane- and earthquake-resistant and require virtually no maintenance.
Home buyers have a variety of color, layout and size options. For $10 to $20 per square foot, you can buy only the framework or for about $70 per square foot, you can have the heating and cooling, plumbing and electrical work included.
Keep in mind that you are responsible for the lot and building permits.
For more information, go to ameribuilt steel.com.
continue
AmeriBuilt Steel Structures in Oviedo has created 100 percent recyclable dwellings made of steel and energy-efficient materials. The homes come in a kit with a ready-to-assemble galvanized steel frame with precut holes drilled for bolts and screws. An assembly manual also is provided.
Backed by a 45-year warranty, the homes are insect-proof, hurricane- and earthquake-resistant and require virtually no maintenance.
Home buyers have a variety of color, layout and size options. For $10 to $20 per square foot, you can buy only the framework or for about $70 per square foot, you can have the heating and cooling, plumbing and electrical work included.
Keep in mind that you are responsible for the lot and building permits.
For more information, go to ameribuilt steel.com.
continue
Hefty price tag is a drawback for 'green' building
"Green" building is a hard sell in residential construction and housing sales.
The advantages of a properly sited, well-built home accrue over time in energy and water savings, and the costs of both are predicted to rise dramatically in the coming years.
Developers make their money, however, by turning over their product quickly. The average Tucson home buyer moves every five years and might balk at over-investing in features that pay off over time.
The trick is finding a level of green building that doesn't cost all that much, produces easily quantified savings and earns fee waivers for builders and tax credits for buyers. It works for hybrid cars, proponents say, why not for houses?
When builder John Wesley Miller received an award from the governor recently for his second "zero-carbon" home in Armory Park del Sol, one of the messages sent was that building green is a very expensive enterprise. The home cost $775,000.
"It was regrettable that those things happened in this context," said Yves Khawam, Pima County's chief building code official, who attributed much of the home's cost to its site. "The house straddled two lots in a very expensive location," he said.
Miller said he spared no expense in the home because he wanted to ensure that it generated more electricity from its solar panels than it used in its operation.
Miller is now working with the National Home Builders Association to develop standards for green residential building. Miller said the association will roll out its new code in February.
It won't produce the level of green home he is building in Armory Park del Sol, he said, but it will be a vast improvement, and "it will have teeth in the certification process."
Miller is one of a group of builders currently proposing to build 300 green homes with solar panels on city land Downtown. He said 25 percent of the homes, to be built by Habitat for Humanity and Chicanos Por La Causa, would be "affordable" by government standards.
continue
The advantages of a properly sited, well-built home accrue over time in energy and water savings, and the costs of both are predicted to rise dramatically in the coming years.
Developers make their money, however, by turning over their product quickly. The average Tucson home buyer moves every five years and might balk at over-investing in features that pay off over time.
The trick is finding a level of green building that doesn't cost all that much, produces easily quantified savings and earns fee waivers for builders and tax credits for buyers. It works for hybrid cars, proponents say, why not for houses?
When builder John Wesley Miller received an award from the governor recently for his second "zero-carbon" home in Armory Park del Sol, one of the messages sent was that building green is a very expensive enterprise. The home cost $775,000.
"It was regrettable that those things happened in this context," said Yves Khawam, Pima County's chief building code official, who attributed much of the home's cost to its site. "The house straddled two lots in a very expensive location," he said.
Miller said he spared no expense in the home because he wanted to ensure that it generated more electricity from its solar panels than it used in its operation.
Miller is now working with the National Home Builders Association to develop standards for green residential building. Miller said the association will roll out its new code in February.
It won't produce the level of green home he is building in Armory Park del Sol, he said, but it will be a vast improvement, and "it will have teeth in the certification process."
Miller is one of a group of builders currently proposing to build 300 green homes with solar panels on city land Downtown. He said 25 percent of the homes, to be built by Habitat for Humanity and Chicanos Por La Causa, would be "affordable" by government standards.
continue
Going Green: Total Green Home
ATLANTIC BEACH, FL -- Homeowners everywhere are searching for ways to 'go green' and conserve energy. A family in Atlantic Beach is taking their older home and turning it totally green.
Sarah Boren says they first decided to remodel their 1950's home when they had a second child on the way. "We were expecting a baby so we wanted to add on but we wanted to do it right."
They took their 2-bedroom one-bath beach cottage and turned it into a 3-bedroom home with much more space. The home is still far from being completed but the Borens put a lot of thought in remodeling the home to be green. "The things that come to mind when it comes to green is being environmentally responsible with energy efficiency and water efficiency but also a big part of it was health."
The Borens hired Eric Kindseth, a green building consultant, to help make their home as energy efficient and water efficient as possible.
Kindseth says, "We took a 1950's era home and we are retro-fitting it with a high performance air conditioning system, high performance building envelope, changing the framing as much as possible."
They're also using solar hot water, a metal reflective roof, and new windows. Boren says, "I definitely think green buildings will become the norm because you get a high quality performing house and you get a healthy, durable home, and it's more comfortable and cost effective."
You don't have to totally renovate your home like the Borens to be more green. Kindseth says, "You can replace your HV AC system or you can add re-circulation water pumps to save energy and hot water."
Just several more ways homes are going green.
JEA plans to hold a green remodeling class for builders October 23rd. They will also have a class for people wanting to restore their home green in November.
For more information on building a green home go to www.floridagreenbuilding.org.
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Sarah Boren says they first decided to remodel their 1950's home when they had a second child on the way. "We were expecting a baby so we wanted to add on but we wanted to do it right."
They took their 2-bedroom one-bath beach cottage and turned it into a 3-bedroom home with much more space. The home is still far from being completed but the Borens put a lot of thought in remodeling the home to be green. "The things that come to mind when it comes to green is being environmentally responsible with energy efficiency and water efficiency but also a big part of it was health."
The Borens hired Eric Kindseth, a green building consultant, to help make their home as energy efficient and water efficient as possible.
Kindseth says, "We took a 1950's era home and we are retro-fitting it with a high performance air conditioning system, high performance building envelope, changing the framing as much as possible."
They're also using solar hot water, a metal reflective roof, and new windows. Boren says, "I definitely think green buildings will become the norm because you get a high quality performing house and you get a healthy, durable home, and it's more comfortable and cost effective."
You don't have to totally renovate your home like the Borens to be more green. Kindseth says, "You can replace your HV AC system or you can add re-circulation water pumps to save energy and hot water."
Just several more ways homes are going green.
JEA plans to hold a green remodeling class for builders October 23rd. They will also have a class for people wanting to restore their home green in November.
For more information on building a green home go to www.floridagreenbuilding.org.
continue
Hydrogen in the home
Sheffield-based ITM Power has developed an electrolyser that will generate hydrogen for domestic energy use and will be put into production next year.
ITM's electrolyser uses new low cost materials, which significantly outperform and undercut those previously used and was developed and patented by the company's research centre.
An electrolyser converts water and electricity into hydrogen and oxygen. These gases can be used as fuel for combustion engines, fuel cells, heating and conventional electricty generation. Existing units cost in the region of $2,000/kW, but ITM has achieved stack costs as low as $164/kW.
'ITM power is developing products which will not only revolutionise energy sources for the home, but make a significant contribution to cutting CO2 emissions.' said company CEO Jim Heathcote. 'Hydrogen has an important role to play in bringing 'green' technology to the housing market and our development work, which will reach the production stage next year, has ensured it will arrive much sooner than many dreamed possible.'
The development is a major advance towards the government's goal of achieving a zero carbon housing market by 2016. Currently domestic consumers account for over 20 per cent of the UK's CO2 emissions
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ITM's electrolyser uses new low cost materials, which significantly outperform and undercut those previously used and was developed and patented by the company's research centre.
An electrolyser converts water and electricity into hydrogen and oxygen. These gases can be used as fuel for combustion engines, fuel cells, heating and conventional electricty generation. Existing units cost in the region of $2,000/kW, but ITM has achieved stack costs as low as $164/kW.
'ITM power is developing products which will not only revolutionise energy sources for the home, but make a significant contribution to cutting CO2 emissions.' said company CEO Jim Heathcote. 'Hydrogen has an important role to play in bringing 'green' technology to the housing market and our development work, which will reach the production stage next year, has ensured it will arrive much sooner than many dreamed possible.'
The development is a major advance towards the government's goal of achieving a zero carbon housing market by 2016. Currently domestic consumers account for over 20 per cent of the UK's CO2 emissions
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Wednesday 12 September 2007
The State of Green
Talk to the pioneers of green technology and they'll tell you these days they spend less time hard-selling the allure of renewable energy, and more hours managing shortages of materials, labor, and manufacturing capacity. Instead of evangelizing new markets, their focus has shifted to the practical: how to build new plants while driving down costs to make their products and services more competitive.
New energy technologies, particularly in solar and biofuels, remain the most popular fields, attracting more than $1 billion for new ventures so far this year. But the latest hot spot, says Parker, is Energy Infotech, software used to find and eliminate waste in everything from lighting systems and manufacturing operations to utility grids. What follows is a look at some green sectors and the challenges companies in these areas face.
continue
New energy technologies, particularly in solar and biofuels, remain the most popular fields, attracting more than $1 billion for new ventures so far this year. But the latest hot spot, says Parker, is Energy Infotech, software used to find and eliminate waste in everything from lighting systems and manufacturing operations to utility grids. What follows is a look at some green sectors and the challenges companies in these areas face.
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Reclusive green-tech startup whispers a eulogy for the battery
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Millions of inventions pass quietly through the U.S. patent office each year. Patent No. 7,033,406 did, too, until energy insiders spotted six words in the filing that sounded like a death knell for the internal combustion engine.
An Austin-based startup called EEStor promised "technologies for replacement of electrochemical batteries," meaning a motorist could plug in a car for five minutes and drive 800 kilometres roundtrip between Dallas and Houston without gasoline.
By contrast, some plug-in hybrids on the horizon would require motorists to charge their cars in a wall outlet overnight and promise only 80 kilometres of gasoline-free commute. And the popular hybrids on the road today still depend heavily on fossil fuels.
"It's a paradigm shift," said Ian Clifford, chief executive of Toronto-based ZENN Motor Co., which has licensed EEStor's invention. "The Achilles' heel to the electric car industry has been energy storage. By all rights, this would make internal combustion engines unnecessary."
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Tuesday 11 September 2007
High-Tech Eco-Friendly Brentwood Home Built in 2 Days?
Interested in a new home that's prefab and evergreen too? It's expected to go on the market soon and it's only taking two days to put together. Some call this the wave of the future in environmentally correct homes.
A conventional high-end home of this size usually takes one to two years to build. This modular environmentally friendly version will be done in just days, and when it's complete it will be wired with all the latest high-tech gadgets and energy efficient appliances too. So if you're looking for a new home, this showcase house could be on the market by the end of this year.
Fifty-thousand pounds of steel lowered carefully into place. It's just one of the 15 prefab modules that together will make up this modern state-of-the-art luxury home. In just two days the 4,000-square-foot living space will be 70 percent complete. With a little plumbing, electrical and lots of high-tech bells and whistles, developers hope it will strike the perfect balance between green living, high technology and high design.
"It's an architectural masterpiece," says homeowner Phillip Beron. "It's by one of the premier architects in California history, from Ray Kappe."
The home is the second green-living project for architect Ray Kappe and LivingHomes CEO and Founder Steve Glenn. The first was built last year in Santa Monica, a 2,500-square-foot modern home that took just one day to assemble.
"We're really talking about trying to reduce costs and reduce time, so that's where we are going so these can be built in much shorter time," says architect Ray Kappe.
Phillip Baron, who owns the new home under construction, admits he wasn't too keen on green living until he met Steve Glenn.
"I didn't realize that a third of all the landfills are filled with construction waste and a lot of that is because as you bring materials to the site and you cut and you measure and you throw everything else away. When it's done in a factory, there is significantly less waste," said Beron.
Less waste in the building phase and throughout the life of the home. Most, if not all the materials used, are recycled and the home, with solar-power panels and energy-efficient lights, will more than do its part for the planet.
"There are a bunch of things that make it a healthier, more sustainable place in terms of both how it's constructed, and then how it operates in an ongoing basis," said Steve Glenn.
Come the end of October, this showcase house will be open to the public so you can see it for yourself.
This house won't be cheap. It will be in the millions.
continue
A conventional high-end home of this size usually takes one to two years to build. This modular environmentally friendly version will be done in just days, and when it's complete it will be wired with all the latest high-tech gadgets and energy efficient appliances too. So if you're looking for a new home, this showcase house could be on the market by the end of this year.
Fifty-thousand pounds of steel lowered carefully into place. It's just one of the 15 prefab modules that together will make up this modern state-of-the-art luxury home. In just two days the 4,000-square-foot living space will be 70 percent complete. With a little plumbing, electrical and lots of high-tech bells and whistles, developers hope it will strike the perfect balance between green living, high technology and high design.
"It's an architectural masterpiece," says homeowner Phillip Beron. "It's by one of the premier architects in California history, from Ray Kappe."
The home is the second green-living project for architect Ray Kappe and LivingHomes CEO and Founder Steve Glenn. The first was built last year in Santa Monica, a 2,500-square-foot modern home that took just one day to assemble.
"We're really talking about trying to reduce costs and reduce time, so that's where we are going so these can be built in much shorter time," says architect Ray Kappe.
Phillip Baron, who owns the new home under construction, admits he wasn't too keen on green living until he met Steve Glenn.
"I didn't realize that a third of all the landfills are filled with construction waste and a lot of that is because as you bring materials to the site and you cut and you measure and you throw everything else away. When it's done in a factory, there is significantly less waste," said Beron.
Less waste in the building phase and throughout the life of the home. Most, if not all the materials used, are recycled and the home, with solar-power panels and energy-efficient lights, will more than do its part for the planet.
"There are a bunch of things that make it a healthier, more sustainable place in terms of both how it's constructed, and then how it operates in an ongoing basis," said Steve Glenn.
Come the end of October, this showcase house will be open to the public so you can see it for yourself.
This house won't be cheap. It will be in the millions.
continue
Monday 10 September 2007
'Green' buildings are hot - and cool
It's the perfect "green" building.
It faces south, taking advantage of passive solar features. Its east and west ends are insulated with a mountain of limestone. It stays cool in summer, warm in winter.
It is made from materials that are found nearby or manufactured on-site and recycled generation after generation.
No commute. The work site is on-site or a stone's throw away. Food and water are available nearby.
It is the perfect zero-carbon home, though nobody has lived in it for centuries.
Still, we can learn something from the cliff dwelling, says architect Dave Burns, who has spent much of his professional career trying to approach the sustainability of our ancestors in buildings that must be air conditioned, lighted and powered for the various jobs they perform. He is spending his time now persuading others to go along, forming a Southern Arizona chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council.
The crusade for greener buildings has accelerated with the recognition that powering our homes, offices and factories requires 70 percent of the electricity generated in this country and accounts for 30 percent of our contribution to climate change — the release of greenhouse gases caused by our daily activities.
The modern green building is an amalgamation of those early lessons and high-tech systems.
Site planning
Oriented mainly toward north and south with shade configured to warm the building in winter, cool it in summer. Breezeway allows outdoor classroom, and two-story design minimizes building footprint.
Water management
Rainwater captured from roof irrigates native or adaptive plants, and excess is directed to nearby recycled-water pond in Reid Park; toilets are flushed with recycled water; gray water from sinks and showers is used for on-site watering.
Building also has waterless urinals, ultra-low-flow faucets and a pervious-concrete in parking lot, which allows rain to seep back to water table.
Energy management
Solar panels provide shade and generate at least 20 percent of the building's energy needs. Skylights and windows provide "daylighting," reducing energy demand. Lights, heating and cooling adjusted to reduce use in sunny and warm areas of the building. White reflective roof, insulated-concrete-form walls with average R-32 insulative properties, double-paned, low E glass. HVAC system downsized to 35 percent of energy that would otherwise be required.
Material use
Made on site: rammed-earth patio walls. Concrete and asphalt on site was ground and recycled for new paving. Recycled fly ash in new concrete. Most building materials manufactured within 500-mile radius.
Recycled: Originate Natural Building Materials donated a salvaged countertop of Ice Stone, a totally recycled product. Window shading salvaged from former Tucson General Hospital; cotton batt insulation made from recycled jeans in Chandler; linoleum flooring made from scrap wood and sawdust; Trex decking and carpet made from recycled plastic. Steel frame is 99 percent recycled; 90 percent of construction debris was sorted and recycled.
Rapidly renewable materials: Bamboo; wood from certified renewable forests.
Commuting
Located along multiuse paths with bus line nearby. Showers (of limited duration) in restrooms and bike lockers to encourage bike use by staff. Parking set aside for car pools and alternative-fuel vehicles.
Indoor environment
All paints and adhesives are free of volatile organic compounds. Operable windows allow fresh air to circulate (and reduce heating and cooling needs) on balmy days. Plywood and particle board used in construction are formaldehyde-free. Carpet doesn't give off gas. Green-cleaning program uses environmentally friendly products.
Other
White roofs, shade trees and light-colored paving reduce heat-island effect. Tucson Zoological Society will purchase "green" energy credits comparable to four years' operation of building. The building and its resource-saving components will become part of the Zoo School's education about conserving resources. Vegetation removed was fed to the zoo animals. Animals will snack in the future on bamboo grown on-site.
continue
It faces south, taking advantage of passive solar features. Its east and west ends are insulated with a mountain of limestone. It stays cool in summer, warm in winter.
It is made from materials that are found nearby or manufactured on-site and recycled generation after generation.
No commute. The work site is on-site or a stone's throw away. Food and water are available nearby.
It is the perfect zero-carbon home, though nobody has lived in it for centuries.
Still, we can learn something from the cliff dwelling, says architect Dave Burns, who has spent much of his professional career trying to approach the sustainability of our ancestors in buildings that must be air conditioned, lighted and powered for the various jobs they perform. He is spending his time now persuading others to go along, forming a Southern Arizona chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council.
The crusade for greener buildings has accelerated with the recognition that powering our homes, offices and factories requires 70 percent of the electricity generated in this country and accounts for 30 percent of our contribution to climate change — the release of greenhouse gases caused by our daily activities.
The modern green building is an amalgamation of those early lessons and high-tech systems.
Site planning
Oriented mainly toward north and south with shade configured to warm the building in winter, cool it in summer. Breezeway allows outdoor classroom, and two-story design minimizes building footprint.
Water management
Rainwater captured from roof irrigates native or adaptive plants, and excess is directed to nearby recycled-water pond in Reid Park; toilets are flushed with recycled water; gray water from sinks and showers is used for on-site watering.
Building also has waterless urinals, ultra-low-flow faucets and a pervious-concrete in parking lot, which allows rain to seep back to water table.
Energy management
Solar panels provide shade and generate at least 20 percent of the building's energy needs. Skylights and windows provide "daylighting," reducing energy demand. Lights, heating and cooling adjusted to reduce use in sunny and warm areas of the building. White reflective roof, insulated-concrete-form walls with average R-32 insulative properties, double-paned, low E glass. HVAC system downsized to 35 percent of energy that would otherwise be required.
Material use
Made on site: rammed-earth patio walls. Concrete and asphalt on site was ground and recycled for new paving. Recycled fly ash in new concrete. Most building materials manufactured within 500-mile radius.
Recycled: Originate Natural Building Materials donated a salvaged countertop of Ice Stone, a totally recycled product. Window shading salvaged from former Tucson General Hospital; cotton batt insulation made from recycled jeans in Chandler; linoleum flooring made from scrap wood and sawdust; Trex decking and carpet made from recycled plastic. Steel frame is 99 percent recycled; 90 percent of construction debris was sorted and recycled.
Rapidly renewable materials: Bamboo; wood from certified renewable forests.
Commuting
Located along multiuse paths with bus line nearby. Showers (of limited duration) in restrooms and bike lockers to encourage bike use by staff. Parking set aside for car pools and alternative-fuel vehicles.
Indoor environment
All paints and adhesives are free of volatile organic compounds. Operable windows allow fresh air to circulate (and reduce heating and cooling needs) on balmy days. Plywood and particle board used in construction are formaldehyde-free. Carpet doesn't give off gas. Green-cleaning program uses environmentally friendly products.
Other
White roofs, shade trees and light-colored paving reduce heat-island effect. Tucson Zoological Society will purchase "green" energy credits comparable to four years' operation of building. The building and its resource-saving components will become part of the Zoo School's education about conserving resources. Vegetation removed was fed to the zoo animals. Animals will snack in the future on bamboo grown on-site.
continue
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