Why Do We Have Daylight Savings Time?

This question gets asked a lot.  This article finds no real economic or environmental benefit. More natural light, though, will trickle charge EV's particularly as they pull more power out of even fading light.  There seems to be health benefits, and people's good cheer, to adding an hour of light in the spring.

It will be interesting to see if we measure even more returns on DST as the world shifts to micro grids and other clean tech that will continue to draw more fully on natural resources.

Why Do We Have Daylight Savings Time?

Amanda Onion, Discovery News 

We lost an hour one morning, awaking to an already sunny sky. Some may feel robbed an hour from their day. So why, again, do we do this?

To some degree, we may have Benjamin Franklin to thank.

Franklin, who penned the proverb "Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise," was among the first to suggest the idea. In a 1784 essay he wrote that adjusting the clocks in the spring could be a good way to save on candles.

The practice of changing the clocks has had a somewhat bumpy history in the United States. It was first established in 1918, but then repealed a year later. During World War II, the country again took up the practice to conserve energy from 1942 to 1945.

In 1966 the United States officially adopted the Uniform Time Act of 1966, which outlined Daylight Saving Time to begin on the last Sunday of April and end on the last Sunday in October.

The Energy Policy Act of 2005 mandated a change to the observed dates so now DST begins at 2 a.m. on the second Sunday of March and ends at 2 a.m. on the first Sunday in November.

Incidentally, states do not have to comply with the act and, in fact, two states, Arizona and Hawaii, do not.

So do we really economize, as Benjamin Franklin said we would, by adjusting our clocks? It appears, in our modern world, not really.

Although a U.S. Department of Transportation study in the 1970s found that daylight saving trimmed electricity usage by about 1 percent, later studies have shown that the savings is offset by air conditioners running in warmer climates.

It may not all be for naught, however. Another study, performed in 2007 by the RAND Corporation found that the increase in daylight in spring led to a roughly 10 percent drop in vehicular crashes.

What's a fish native to Japan

More evidence of one eco-system and our interdependence.  Most likely, we will continue to see unusual migratory patterns and shifts in habitat as weather systems change.

What's a fish native to Japan doing in the ocean off the coast of Oregon?

Stiped knifejaw image via Oregon State University.
















A team of scientists from Oregon State University and the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife is studying an unusual fish captured alive in a crab pot near Port Orford this week called a striped knifejaw that is native to Japan, as well as China and Korea.

The appearance in Oregon waters of the fish (Oplegnathus fasciatus), which is sometimes called a barred knifejaw or striped beakfish, may or may not be related to the Japanese tsunami of 2011, the researchers say, and it is premature to conclude that this non-native species may be established in Oregon waters.

But its appearance and survival certainly raises questions, according to OSU’s John Chapman, an aquatic invasive species specialist at the university’s Hatfield Marine Science Center in Newport.
“Some association with Japanese tsunami debris is a strong possibility, but we cannot rule out other options, such as the fish being carried over in ballast water of a ship or an aquarium fish being released locally,” Chapman said. “But finding a second knifejaw nearly two years after the discovery of fish in a drifting Japanese boat certainly gets my attention.”

In March 2013, five striped knifejaws were found alive in a boat near Long Beach, Washington, that had drifted over from Japan. Four of the fish were euthanized, but one was taken to the Seaside Aquarium, where it is still alive and well.

OSU marine ecologist Jessica Miller examined the four euthanized knifejaws from Washington in 2013, analyzing their otoliths, or ear bones, for clues to their origin.

“The young fish of these species are known to associate with drift and may be attracted to floating marine debris,” Miller said. “Japanese tsunami marine debris continues to arrive on beaches in Oregon and Washington – and some debris from Japan washed up on the southern Oregon coast this month – so it is not inconceivable that the Port Orford fish was associated with Japanese marine debris.

“The species is also found in other parts of Asia and the northwest Hawaiian islands, so it is native to a broader range than just Japan,” she added. “At this time, there is no evidence that they are successfully reproducing in Oregon.”

Advanced Manufacturing

Sometimes we forget there is good govt spending.  Here is a great example of DOE's investments in advance manufacturing.  The potential benefits, as outline below, include energy savings, overall plant efficiency, cleaner facilities.  As we welcome manufacturing back to the US, it is gratifying to see how clean these sites can be.

Adding clean energy--wind, solar--would be the perfect compliment to modeling their operations as close to net-zero on energy as possible.

Advanced Manufacturing

energy.gov

EERE leads a robust network of researchers and other partners to continually develop cost-effective energy-saving solutions that help make our country run better through increased efficiency — promoting better plants, manufacturing processes, and products; more efficient new homes and improved older homes; and other solutions to enhance the buildings in which we work, shop, and lead our everyday lives.

The U.S. Department of Energy funds the research, development, and demonstration of highly efficient and innovative manufacturing technologies. The Energy Department has supported the development of more than 250 energy-saving industrial technologies that have been commercialized since 1976. The Department is also working to create a network of Manufacturing Innovation Institutes, each of which will create collaborative communities to target a unique technology in advanced manufacturing. The Department's industrial technical assistance efforts are critical to the deployment of existing and future advanced energy efficiency technologies, as well as energy management solutions. This part of the program has delivered technical assistance to thousands of industrial plants, saved industry billions of dollars and cut carbon emissions by millions of tons. With diverse partners, the Department leverages state, utility, and local resources to help manufacturers save energy, reduce climate and environmental impacts, enhance workforce development, and improve national energy security and competitiveness throughout the supply chain.

Advanced Manufacturing Office

The Advanced Manufacturing Office (AMO) partners with industry, small business, universities, and other stakeholders to identify and invest in emerging technologies with the potential to create high-quality U.S. manufacturing jobs, enhance global competitiveness, and reduce energy use by encouraging a culture of continuous improvement in corporate energy management.

EERE'S INVESTMENTS IN ADVANCED MANUFACTURING

Projects
R&D that has high impact, uses project diversity to spread risk, targets nationally important innovation at critical decision points, and contributes to quantifiable energy savings
Facilities
Collaborative manufacturing communities with a shared infrastructure that enable the development and demonstration of advanced manufacturing technologies, provide timely and affordable access at all levels of the manufacturing supply chain, and assist in networking technology experts with established materials and equipment suppliers to help speed the rate of innovation
Technical Assistance
Driving a culture of continuous improvement in corporate energy management to reduce industrial energy use and encourage wide-scale adoption of technologies such as combined heat and power

Efficiency and Renewables on the Menu for McDonald’s/Part 2

Are we hitting milestones in transformation from fossil-fuel to clean energy that will go down in history as the absolute turning point in building a cleaner, brighter future, the new, industrial revolution we are living today.  Amen.

This is a long piece so we will present in two parts.  However, it is worth your time and effort.  The business world can make or break our green efforts, given their size and influence on society.  We need their buy-in, and getting McDonalds to invest in seeking net-zero on their facilities is almost astounding in ambition.  We hope to talk to them, and their partners in this, as well.

As you will see at the end of the article, they have lots of other worthy goals in pursuit of their company transformation.  We wish them the very best, and hope it is a true spring board to their future success.



From the Rocky Mountain Institute

...Building lighting systems are another key area of focus for this study. The study shows up to a 60-percent reduction in lighting energy consumption is possible while also decreasing lighting system capital costs. Improved system design can produce the same light levels as a traditional lighting design using fewer fixtures. Falling LED prices, increasing LED efficiency, and targeted lighting system designs (including natural lighting with skylights) enable this level of energy reduction.

The team uncovered a number of solutions related to the HVAC, lighting, and refrigeration systems, in addition to building envelope, kitchen equipment, and other building load improvements. Where possible, system efficiencies were improved, passive strategies were used, equipment was combined, and waste heat was recovered. Energy efficiency solutions were assessed (using equipment-specific analysis and whole-building energy modeling), prioritized, and packaged into a recommended net-zero energy solution.

GETTING TO NET ZERO

The net-zero energy solution recommended to McDonald’s is an all-electric restaurant that would achieve 60 percent energy savings and 90 percent energy cost savings. A 300 kW on-site solar PV system, installed primarily over the parking areas, would provide the energy needed to reach net-zero energy within the footprint of a typical McDonald’s site. The restaurant would offer the same menu and operating hours, and when the sun isn’t shining, it would draw electricity from the utility. While the recommended scenario includes some kitchen technologies that require further development, a separate scenario shows that net-zero energy is achievable today with available technologies at a significant incremental cost.
One of the team’s recommendations is for McDonald’s to pilot an innovative “integrated thermal loop,” that joins solar thermal collectors, waste heat capture, and a geothermal heat pump together to efficiently deliver the space heating, space cooling, and service hot water required by the restaurant. This loop, while similar to those used in net-zero-energy buildings such as the Walgreen’s net-zero-energy retail store, could be expanded in the future to include key pieces of kitchen equipment.

TAKING THE STUDY TO THE BANK

“The net-zero-energy study has become the North Star that will continue to guide our efforts to improve the energy efficiency of our new and existing restaurants,” says Roy Buchert, Global Energy Director for McDonald’s. McDonald’s is likely to leverage this net-zero-energy study to drive further efficiency in new and existing McDonald’s restaurants where it makes business sense. For these restaurants, it is important to leverage existing upgrade opportunities, including equipment swap-outs and interior remodels, to reduce first costs and prevent any disruptions to operations. Many efficiency upgrades include simple, non-invasive changes that could be implemented with minimal disruption.

Building upon the net-zero-energy study, McDonald’s plans to prioritize the findings over time to map alongside its business objectives, and has identified the following steps.

• Explore recommended energy-efficiency strategies, including research and development to further improve kitchen equipment efficiency, in order to reduce overall NZE costs
• Potentially design and build a pilot NZE restaurant in the future to act as a “learning lab” to test and validate new technologies
• Identify one or more vendors to design, deliver, and maintain large solar installations on standard McDonald’s sites, while securing incentives and financing as necessary
• Engage with the restaurant industry and suppliers as appropriate to help drive future improvements

RMI believes McDonald’s can leverage this study to change the way that we think about energy. Developing the first net-zero-energy quick-service restaurant and driving deeper savings within existing restaurants can spur radical changes and transform the quick-service restaurant industry’s approach to energy. As the largest U.S. and global presence in this industry by revenue, McDonald’s has the power to drive equipment improvements, influence other key players in the industry, and deliver hundreds of millions of dollars in energy savings across the industry each year.

Image courtesy of Bikeworldtravel / Shutterstock.com

Efficiency and Renewables on the Menu for McDonald’s/Part 1

Are we hitting milestones in transformation from fossil-fuel to clean energy that will go down in history as the absolute turning point in building a cleaner, brighter future, the new, industrial revolution we are living today.  Amen.

This is a long piece so we will present in two parts.  However, it is worth your time and effort.  The business world can make or break our green efforts, given their size and influence on society.  We need their buy-in, and getting McDonalds to invest in seeking net-zero on their facilities is almost astounding in ambition.  We hope to talk to them, and their partners in this, as well.

As you will see at the end of the article, they have lots of other worthy goals in pursuit of their company transformation.  We wish them the very best, and hope it is a true spring board to their future success.



From the Rocky Mountain Institute

Not many people associate fast food with clean energy. But that’s exactly what one of the largest quick-service restaurants in the world is exploring. RMI recently completed a net-zero-energy study forMcDonald’s, which explores how to offset the energy consumption of an entire restaurant with renewable energy.

Working alongside the net-zero-energy visionaries at New Buildings Institute (NBI) and kitchen equipment experts at Fisher-Nickel, Inc., RMI looked critically at the technical and financial feasibility of achieving net-zero energy for a McDonald’s restaurant. The study builds on previous work performed by a group of Duke University graduate students (with support from RMI), in tandem with prior energy-efficiency studies and LEED designs developed by McDonald’s.

To achieve net-zero energy (NZE), a McDonald’s restaurant must offset its energy consumption with on-site renewable energy generation on an annual basis. Restaurants have a high energy density (a lot of energy used within a small physical footprint), which makes them challenging candidates for net-zero energy. High energy density requires a costly solar system, making energy efficiency critical to reaching net-zero energy on a standard site with reasonable first costs. The study reveals a number of energy-efficiency opportunities throughout the building, and more thoroughly examines kitchen equipment, which is the most significant building energy end-use in a McDonald’s restaurant. 

INCREASING BURGER EFFICIENCY

So what is the minimum amount of energy required to cook a burger? A side of fries? What about the energy used to keep your drink cold? Based on the study, kitchen equipment represents the greatest opportunity for energy savings, as it can consume more than 50 percent of the energy in a new McDonald’s restaurant. By considering the minimum amount of energy required to cook each menu item and comparing this with actual kitchen equipment energy consumption, the RMI team uncovered both near-term and future kitchen equipment upgrades that can cut kitchen energy use in half. The team’s analysis uncovers opportunities to reduce idle energy consumption (equipment energy consumption when food items are not being cooked) and increase overall kitchen equipment efficiency without substantially changing McDonald’s operations.

McDonald’s has been driving its kitchen equipment suppliers to improve energy efficiency for years, and the company currently encourages the use of low-oil-volume fryers and custom exhaust hoods that make ventilation more efficient (which also reduces heating and cooling loads). However, more opportunity exists—both in the kitchen and throughout the building. With the results of this study, the McDonald’s team can work with key equipment suppliers to focus on improving the most energy-intensive pieces of equipment and combining pieces of equipment where practical.

BEYOND BURGERS

In considering net-zero energy, the team did not focus on burger production alone. The menu has other items, and the building has other needs, such as keeping its customers and employees comfortable. The team took an integrative, whole-systems approach to understanding the ways that building systems interact, and leveraging the interactions between building systems.

While the kitchen may be the primary energy consumer, other building systems, including HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning), play a key role in achieving net-zero energy. HVAC energy consumption is very closely tied to kitchen equipment energy consumption. Not only does the kitchen equipment heat its surroundings, but the cooking process requires mechanical ventilation to maintain indoor air quality. The use of targeted ventilation strategies, paired with solar thermal, geothermal, and waste heat loops, could save up to 90–95 percent of HVAC system energy in a NZE store. The team’s strategy also consolidates HVAC and refrigeration equipment and uses advanced control strategies wherever possible to reduce equipment capital costs while reducing system energy consumption....

Which is worse

Always good to think about personal choices.  Enjoy your coffee this morning, we hope, in a reusable mug.

Which is worse, a K-Cup or a throw-away coffee cup?

   

Patrick Gensel

By Ask Umbra                         

Q. I’m an ardent K-Cup hater and saw that you just covered their wastefulness. But if lazy people are still going to be lazy, is a K-Cup any more wasteful than getting coffee to go in a disposable cup? K-Cups are arguably smaller but entirely plastic (in many places unrecyclable). Disposable coffee cups are larger but may be recyclable paper or plastic (for iced) with a plastic lid, or Styrofoam (cringe!). So if we’re going to make an irresponsible choice, is one the lesser of two evils?
Erin J.    Brooklyn, NY

A. Dearest Erin,

There are times in life that we must pick the lesser of two evils, when the only choices available to us are flawed, when we must hold our noses and swallow our bitter pills. A cynic might say elections are one of those times; I tend to think of my junior year in high school, when my only sixth-period elective options were line dancing or competitive dodgeball (I still can’t do the Boot-Scootin’ Boogie correctly, by the way). This is not one of those times.

For me, the essence of your question begins and ends with this phrase: “If we’re going to make an irresponsible choice.” We agree, then, that opting for throwaway coffee accoutrements — whether they are landfill-bound, recyclable, or compostable — is irresponsible, because one could be using a reusable mug/thermos or filter/brewer instead. So the real question is, “Why are we going to make an irresponsible choice?” Or, more fully: “If we are the kind of people who care about making responsible, sustainable choices, why are we picking the disposable coffee?”

You are clearly someone who cares, Erin. You took the time to write to me, so I know you’re not lazy. If I may read between the lines of your query, though, I suspect you are someone who occasionally buys to-go coffees in disposable cups, and who wants to feel better about that by knowing her choice is still better than K-Cups. Well? How’d I do?

I get it, Erin: Sometimes you forget your thermos. Sometimes you don’t plan on buying coffee, but then you walk by your favorite coffeeshop and see they’re finally featuring pumpkin-gingerbread-shamrock lattes again, and now you really, really want one. So rather than dissecting which irresponsibly disposable coffee cup is the least bad (because you’re right, they both create a lot of waste), I hope you forgive me if we talk about how to remember your thermos instead.

It’s all about getting in the habit. Make an effort to stash your mug in your bag, in your bike cup holder, rolled up in your yoga mat — wherever you’ll be sure to take it with you — regularly for a week or two, and I promise it’ll become second nature. If you like to travel light, try a collapsible one. Set a recurring reminder on your phone for 10 minutes before you leave the house every day if you need to. Soon enough, you’ll automatically think “Keys? Wallet? Mug?” as you walk out the door.

And if you find yourself desperately in need of coffee but without your trusty thermos one day, don’t beat yourself up over your irresponsible choice to buy the java to go. Perhaps you can atone by donating $10 or $20 to your environmental charity of choice every time this happens — nothing snaps us out of laziness quite like the sting of a financial penalty.

Philosophically,
Umbra

What are 5 ways to get the masses charged up about electric cars?‏

Send us your story if you are driving electric.  We are with a Leaf.

March 25, 2015

Five Ways to Get the Masses Charged Up about Electric Cars

on Sierra Club Compass blog. Also published on Huffington Post

By Gina Coplon-Newfield and Mike Walker

In 1994, no one knew how big the internet would be. Not even broadcast journalists Bryant Gumbel and Katie Couric. 21 years later, a new big idea has them scratching their heads again. #HelloFuture …

People already driving electric cars have fallen in love, as shown by off the charts customer satisfaction ratings. But for the vast majority of Americans who aren't yet driving electric, how do we get them charged up?

In our last two blogs in this series, we talked about the large number of people we need to switch to EVs if we're to have a shot at averting the worst of climate change. We also discussed the type of public policies – like cash rebates – that will incentivize people to drive electric vehicles (EVs).

But we won’t win over the mass market if we aren't educating and exciting the public. Here are five ways to get more Americans interested in buying EVs:

1)      Find Smokey the Bear

It's probably not a coincidence that the BMW i3, the sporty new electric car, had one of its best-selling months following the release of a hilarious Super Bowl television ad (its stars are pictured at the top of this blog post!), with more than 18 million views on YouTube – not to mention the millions who saw it during the big game. You also may have seen this Cadillac ELR EV commercial, aimed at the luxury car buyer. Another ad, which cleverly parodies the Cadillac ad, is about the Ford C-Max Energi Plug-In Hybrid and is seriously funny. But these EV ads are the exceptions to the rule. The vast majority of car commercials we see are for gas-guzzling SUVs and pick-up trucks. Come on, automakers.

By contrast, a switch to electric vehicles will lead to cleaner air and lower carbon emissions – public goods that benefit all Americans.  Government agencies and nonprofits have invested in public service announcement (PSA) campaigns to promote seat belt use (“Click it or Ticket”) and to prevent wildfires (Smokey the Bear), and these campaigns have changed America for the better. Public utilities fund direct mail campaigns about energy efficiency, and we've made big improvements on that front too. Why not PSAs and mailings re EVs?

2)      Bust the Myths

A number of persistent myths surround EVs:  they’re too expensive, not any better for the environment, unsafe, slow, can only drive short distances, are a hassle to charge, etc.  Chris Paine – the documentary filmmaker behind Who Killed the Electric Car? and Revenge of the Electric Car – busts several of these myths in this entertaining Washington Post article, and Sierra Club does it here. We need to do more to set the record straight. 

3)      Events -Get Butts in Seats

One of the many counter-intuitive findings of social science research is that people’s attitudes tend to flow from their actions. Most EV drivers will tell you they didn't really understand what all the fuss was about until they actually rode in an electric car and experienced first-hand how fun, cool, and fast, these cars are. We need to give people more opportunities to test drive EVs. During last year's National Drive Electric Week, upwards of 90,000 people attended events in 150 cities, and thousands of people took test drives. The fifth annual National Drive Electric Week will be September 12-20 this year, and organizers (Sierra Club, Plug In America, Electric Auto Association, and local partners) are already gearing up to make it bigger than ever.

Workplace test-drive events are another great opportunity to get people talking to their friends and co-workers about EVs -- and to take them for a spin during their lunch break.  Consider organizing one yourself.

4)      Recruit High-Profile Spokespersons

It's terrific that actor/activist Ed Begley, Jr. talks up his electric car, and we're heartened to know that celebs like George Clooney and Cameron Diaz drive electric too. But we need more high-profile celebrities, politicians, and business leaders driving EVs, and actively promoting them in traditional and social media. Readers of People Magazine, The Hill, BuzzFeed, and the Wall Street Journal may have varying role models -- and most of them buy or lease cars.

5)      Understand and Appeal to New People

EVs can excite a wide range of people with all sorts of interests. The new documentary film The Burden, to be screened in the coming days at a film festival in DC, makes the argument that EVs are appealing to veterans and national security hawks who want to slash our dependence on foreign oil.  Last week, thousands of car racing enthusiasts took to the streets of Miami to watch Formula E, where professional race-car drivers show off their talents in blindingly fast EVs.  Those of us looking to accelerate the EV market need to seek out and understand all sorts of audiences.

The Center for Sustainable Energy conducted a survey showing that California EV drivers prioritize issues like carpool lane access, fuel cost savings, and emissions reductions -and fit certain demographics.  But we need much more information about what messages, which media outlets, and which spokespersons will excite people.  If your organization is researching this information, don't be greedy!  Share it with other EV advocates, utility companies, government officials, and car companies looking to accelerate the EV market. Working smartly together, we can electrify the masses.

This column was co-written by Mike Walker, the founder and CEO of AlterAction, and whose blog is here.

Gina Coplon-Newfield is the director of the Sierra Club's Electric Vehicles Initiative.

ARPIN GROUP Leading Through Example

As always, we are proud of our achievements in sustainability and corporate transformation. Our investments in clean tech and energy have brought incredible returns, and have improved our quality and customers satisfaction with our global clients.  We have reinvented, while going down the road, a 115 year old co.

You can do the same.  Don't bend away from positive changes.  Get efficient, paperless, source better material, manage vendors and suppliers differently with a focus on green, and incorporate that message to customers as inspiration for them as well.

This is a great time to be in business, a great time to be alive.  We are living, right now, each, the next great revolution as we migrate from a fossil-fuel economy to a clean-energy economy.  Are you part of it or being left behind?

March has been a big month for sustainability for the Arpin Group one of the world’s oldest family owned moving companies. Winning awards and implementing a corporate Sustainability Committee were just a couple of things that topped their list.

On Friday, March 6 the Arpin Group was the recipient of the 2015 Clean Energy Future Award for business leadership and innovation. The awards acknowledge individuals, companies and organizations that show exemplary achievement and leadership in promoting energy efficiency, renewable energy and clean transportation throughout the Ocean State. When asked about the award Peter Arpin said,  “It is our honor to be recoginized for our efforts and we not only take great pride in this award, but we also know that we need to continue to show leadership and push forward so that we can lead by example.”

 On March 20, an on the heels of a sustainability self-assessment, Arpin Group announced this month that it has formed a sustainability committee to continue its commitment to building a greener future. This committee will oversee the development of environmentally responsible programs and initiatives as the company continues to grow internationally.

"When we invited the International Society of Sustainability Professionals to assist us with a voluntary self-assessment last fall, not only were we able to chart our progress in a number of key practice areas, we saw the opportunity to weave sustainability into the fabric of our company for decades to come," said Peter Arpin, partner of Arpin Group and president of Arpin Renewable Energy. "Our new sustainability committee will provide a continuous means of self-assessment and advise the Arpin board of directors on all matters pertaining to environmentally responsible worldwide growth."

- See more at: http://www.renewablenow.biz/corporate-green.html#sthash.Zi0kqBtr.dpuf

100% Renewable Energy Powered Georgetown, Texas

You can bet we will follow up with a radio show and discussion on Georgetown's conversion to 100% clean energy.  We are not sure how many cities or towns in the US can boast about this,  We have one in RI working towards the same incredible accomplishment.

For these cities and towns, it allows them to fix their electrical costs,which frees up future cash flow for many other needed investments.  It is also interesting to see Sun Edison behind so many large-scale projects.  They have clearly changed the energy landscape in the US.

Find more stories, reports, updates and shows at renewablenow.biz, the main site for our network.

SunEdison, Inc. (NYSE: SUNE), has announced it will build new solar power generation facilities in West Texas to enable the City of Georgetown to go 100% renewable.

Georgetown, located 42 km north of Austin’s Central Business District, is a city with a population of approximately 47,400 and home to Southwestern University, the oldest university in Texas.



The 150MW of SunEdison solar plants will generate more than 9,500 gigawatt-hours of clean electricity to Georgetown through 2041, enough to power more than 24,000 households.

The projects  will create close to 800 jobs during construction and will be interconnected in 2016. Upon completion, SunEdison says it expects to offer the Georgetown project for investment to TerraForm Power, Inc. (NASDAQ: TERP), SunEdison’s yieldco.

“Georgetown is an exceptional city, and by going 100% renewable they will cut down on pollution, save water, and enjoy stable energy prices,” said Paul Gaynor, Executive Vice President of North America Utility and Global Wind at SunEdison.

” They’re able to accomplish all of this without spending a penny up front with SunEdison’s power purchase agreement. Georgetown is a model for other cities that hope to become powered by clean renewable energy.”

SunEdison was the first solar energy provider in the world to offer a solar Power Purchase Agreement, also known as a solar PPA. The Georgetown project represents the largest utility scale solar agreement in Texas for the company to date.

According to Jim Briggs, interim city manager for Georgetown and general manager for utilities, the solar PPA along with a 144 megawatt wind power agreement finalized in 2014 will make Georgetown Utility Systems one of the largest municipal utilities in the USA to be 100% renewable powered.
- See more at: http://www.renewablenow.biz/the-sustainable-community.html#sthash.IBHY8BY2.dpuf

Non-Hydro Renewable Electricity Outshines

This is incredibly important news on the energy front, particularly on top of the story we posted recently which confirmed that, for the first time in almost a century, air pollution levels in the US did NOT go up last year.  Speculation is that we've crested here in the US and will see levels, in fact, diminish over the next decades (of course, that assumes we steer the same course around conservation and clean energy).

Given that milestone, seeing the data below which confirms that renewable energy is outpacing all other sources in terms of growth rate bodes well for reducing carbon emissions and the overall stress on the environment.  While, of course, potentially avoiding future health risks around air-borne illnesses.

This growth rate is even more gratifying given the mix of sources, geographical balance in pushing clean energy and recognizing that our grids can take on more and more renewable sources--a clear problem before.

What will accelerate this growth rate is to improve energy storage systems, thereby making wind, solar, ect more valuable to utilities who today turn off renewables in times of low demand.

Non-Hydro Renewable Electricity Outshines All Other Sources and Grows 11 Percent in 2014

Kenneth Bossong

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA)'s latest "Electric Power Monthly" report, with data through the end of 2014, net electrical generation from non-hydro renewable energy sources (i.e., biomass, geothermal, solar, wind) increased by 10.9 percent over the previous year.
 

The contribution to net electrical generation by just solar more than doubled (102.8 percent) while wind grew by 8.3 percent, biomass by 5.7 percent, and geothermal by 5.4 percent. 

By comparison, nuclear power and coal increased by only 1.0 percent and 0.3 percent respectively while electrical generation using natural gas dropped by 0.3 percent. Conventional hydropower also declined by 3.7 percent. Net electrical generation from all energy sources combined increased by 0.7 percent in 2014 compared to 2013.

Over the past decade, electrical generation from non-hydro renewables has more than tripled. And, significantly, 2014 was the first year in which non-hydro renewables provided more electrical generation than did hydropower (281,060 thousand MWh vs. 258,749 thousand MWh).

Including hydropower, EIA reports that renewable energy sources accounted for 13.19 percent of net U.S. electrical generation in 2014 (hydropower - 6.32 percent, wind - 4.44 percent, biomass - 1.57 percent, solar - 0.45 percent, and geothermal - 0.41 percent). These numbers, however, almost certainly understate renewable energy's actual contribution to the nation's electrical supply because EIA does not fully account for electricity generated by distributed and off-grid renewable energy systems (e.g., rooftop solar).

Given current growth rates — especially for solar and wind, it is quite possible that renewable energy sources will reach, or exceed, 14 percent of the nation's electrical supply by the end of 2015. That is a level that EIA, only a few years ago, was forecasting would not be achieved until the year 2040.

Friendly Fungi Could Help

We see fungi proposed for many new jobs, including energy.  This is an interesting option.

Friendly Fungi Could Help Barley Growers

Botanists from Trinity College Dublin have made a breakthrough discovery that could save barley farmers sleepless nights and millions of Euro each year: naturally occurring plant-friendly fungi prevent crop-ravishing diseases from spreading, and also aid plant survival in testing environmental conditions.

Importantly, these amazing little organisms cause no harm to the plant roots in which they take up their abode. However, their gift of immunity against common seed diseases greatly reduces the need for farmers to spray environmentally damaging chemicals, which can affect ecosystems in a plethora of negative ways.

Barley is the fourth most important global cereal crop and, as a hardy plant, is often grown in relatively poor environmental conditions. For many farmers across the world, it is a vital source of food and income.

However, barley crops are subject to many diseases, which can cause huge losses if they become established. Growers, engaged in an ‘arms race’ against these diseases, have until now resorted to using continually changing chemical and pesticide cocktails in an attempt to stay one step ahead.

PhD Researcher in Botany in the School of Natural Sciences at Trinity, Brian Murphy, is the lead author of the breakthrough paper, which was recently published in the international peer-reviewed journal BioControl. He said: “Irish farmers spend over €99 million annually on chemical crop inputs for barley, 70% of which is spent on nitrogenous fertilisers.  As well as being expensive, these chemicals can cause serious environmental damage and even biodiversity loss. Our innovative crop treatment has the potential to significantly reduce these costs and contribute to sustainable and organic agricultural practices.”

Fungal ‘endophytes’ such as those that proved effective in suppressing seed diseases in the Trinity team’s laboratory experiments appear to have a ‘symbiotic’ relationship with barley. This means that both species gain some positive benefit from their biological union.

As well as warding off seed diseases, it seems that the endophytes confer other significant benefits to keep barley farmers smiling; plants that faced multiple stresses at the same time (such as heat, drought, poor nutrient soils, and pests) were around six times as likely to survive if they were housing their fungal friends than those flying solo.

“These symbiotic relationships are therefore a real case of life and death for the plants, as well as for many of the farmers relying on these crops,” added Brian Murphy.

Ready for a low carbon economy?

Yes, we are ready for the low-carbon economy.  Are you?

This from the Sustainability Learning Centre, great site to visit and follow as well:  http://www.sustainabilitylearningcentre.com/.  Interesting to think about growth and emissions "decoupling".  Meaning we can finally create jobs and commerce without necessarily depleting natural resources or adding to our pollution levels.  Restoring that balance which we've championed for many years now.  We've reached a true milestone; let's hope the voices of turning back gone unheard and unheeded.

Did you know that Global CO2 emissions did not rise in 2014 for the first time in 40 years, while global economy grew 3%?  The milestone marks an historical moment because, for the first time in 40 years, pollutant emissions and economic growth are starting to decouple.   

According to the Climate Group: "What we are seeing here is the cumulativeimpact of growing levels of investment into low carbon activities, not least in China and other major economies," remarks Damian Ryan, Head of International Policy, The Climate Group. "Over the last decade we have seen tens and then hundreds of billions of dollars invested each year into renewable energy, energy efficiency and other green growth opportunities, like LED lighting and electric vehicles.

 

"At some point this spending on the low carbon economy was going to show through and it seems that the IEA's new figures are the first indication of the seismic shift we need to combat climate change."

This is good news but this is no time for complacency.  Cities, States, Provinces and Countries are moving toward putting a price on carbon.  What does this mean for your company?

Start by learning how to measure and report your greenhouse gases.  Carbon reduction strategies will save your company money and improve productivity.   

The best-and worst-places to drive your electric car

We can attest to the reduced mileage for our Leaf this winter in New England. That is why hybrids are best right now, particularly in areas of intense heat or cold.  However, the EV's are great cars and have a bright future. 

The best-and worst-places to drive your electric car

From: Nsikan Akpan, Science/AAAS   

For those tired of winter, you’re not alone. Electric cars hate the cold, too. Researchers have conducted the first investigation into how electric vehicles fare in different U.S. climates. The verdict: Electric car buyers in the chilly Midwest and sizzling Southwest get less bang for their buck, where poor energy efficiency and coal power plants unite to turn electric vehicles into bigger polluters.

Scientists at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, began their research by pulling public data from FleetCarma, a company that tracks vehicle performance among car fleets operated by governments and businesses. The study looked at 7000 all-electric Nissan Leafs across the country and how their driving ranges varied with temperature. Cold reduces a battery’s oomph whether it lives in your car or smart phone. “We then combined those performances with regional reports on weather and drivers’ habits to build a nationwide map of car efficiency for every hour of every day within a typical year,” says co-author and CMU mechanical engineer Jeremy Michalek.

In terms of driving range, electric cars in California and the Deep South travel the farthest, as the balmy temperatures yield the best energy efficiency and therefore longer trips before they must be plugged in again. (That’s a lucky break for Golden Staters, who also purchase the most green vehicles in the nation.) Vehicles in cold places, in contrast, have less battery capacity and thus shorter range. The average range of a Nissan Leaf on the coldest day drops from 112 km in San Francisco to less than 72 km in Minneapolis, according to the study, published online this month in Environmental Science & Technology.

The reason is straightforward. When batteries are cold, they have a lower electrical capacity, which limits the duration in which they can pump power. But extremely hot cities, like Phoenix, were almost as bad as chilly towns. Heat improves battery efficiency, but too much can degrade its overall life span and output.

These temperature extremes require drivers to charge their cars for longer. So the team measured the greenhouse gas emissions that would be generated by power grids as a result of plugging in electric vehicles at home. Average energy consumption by electric cars was 15% higher in the upper Midwest and Southwest versus the Pacific Coast.
Continue reading at Science AAAS.

Airline industry makes strides in adopting

As industry after industry adopts changes in fuel--biofuels, CNG, electric--, setting a much higher standard for reduced emissions, we need to do the same.  We have the same options and ability.

If your next car does not do that, you are part of the problem, not part of the solution.

Airline industry makes strides in adopting sustainable biofuels 

                 



Air travel emits more than 650 million metric tons of carbon pollution annually – equivalent to the pollution from 136 million cars – making the increased use of sustainable biofuels a critical to reducing the industry’s carbon footprint.

According to a first-of-its-kind scorecard released today by the Natural Resources Defense Council, the industry is making strides in adopting sustainable biofuels, with some airlines doing better than others as they incorporate these new fuels into their fleets. Air France/KLM is by far the leader of the pack.

“It’s great to see certain airlines becoming leaders in the use of sustainable biofuels,” said Debbie Hammel, Senior Resource Specialist with NRDC’s Land & Wildlife Program and author of the scorecard.

“As the world rises to the challenge of curbing climate change and cutting carbon pollution, addressing air travel pollution has to be part of the mix. The aviation sector has been pretty proactive about this issue, and an industry-wide increase in the use of sustainably produced biofuels is definitely on the horizon.”

NRDC’s Aviation Biofuel Sustainability Scorecards evaluated airlines’ adoption of biofuels, focusing on the use of leading sustainability certification standards, participation in industry initiatives to promote sustainability certification, public commitments to sustainability certification in sourcing, and the monitoring and disclosure of important sustainability metrics. The top-scoring carrier was Air France-KLM, followed by British Airways, United Airlines, Virgin Atlantic, Cathay Pacific, and Alaska Airlines.

The industry has made significant strides in embracing biofuels in recent years. In the past five years, more than 40 commercial airlines around the world have flown as estimated 600,000 miles powered at least in part by biofuels.

Lufthansa completed a study of the long-term effect of aviation biofuels on engines, noting no adverse impacts. KLM conducted 26 long-haul flights demonstrating it is possible to organize and coordinate a complex supply chain and fly regularly scheduled flights on aviation biofuel blends.

Low-carbon fuels will play a key role in the industry’s efforts to hold its carbon emissions steady after 2020 and cut net carbon emissions to half of the 2005 level by 2050. To meet these goals, a new market has emerged to provide biofuels for the aviation sector.

Electric Garbage Trucks: Huge Energy Savings And They Won't Wake You Up In The Morning

The only thing better than this is for all those trucks to be carrying either recyclables or compost, avoiding waste to the landfill.  

It is amazing that batteries of electricity have the power to run something as big as a garbage truck.  The technology has clearly come a long way.

If one raises the topic of electric vehicles (EVs), everybody seems focused on Tesla these days. How many vehicles have they sold? Is Apple a would-be competitor? Where’s the stock going? And of course Tesla and its EV brethren have tremendous potential to reduce overall energy consumption and pollution, if sold in significant volumes. To date, there are over 250,000 EVs on the road, which is a solid start.

But if one really wants to cut down on fuel use through electrification of vehicles, it might make sense to focus on the types of vehicles in which the most energy consumption is concentrated. And one of the biggest, nastiest (and loudest) such vehicles – offering the greatest potential for improvement – is your unfriendly neighborhood garbage truck.

We’ve all seen them: these belching beasts that stop every twenty yards to pick up trash, but they have become so much of our landscape we tend to ignore them. Yet while most of us look (or drive) right past them, Ian Wright, CEO of California-based Wrightspeed sees a huge opportunity for both improvement and profit.

Wright, one of the original co-founders of Tesla, believes that Class 8 garbage trucks represent a soft target for electrification, because the benefits are so significant.

They are burning 14,000 gallons a year, and chewing up their brakes every three months. Doing on average of 130 miles day with 1,000 hard stops, drivers are going full throttle, full brakes 1,000 times a day.

Wrightspeed was created – and a unique assemblage of technology was developed – to address that challenge of stopping and starting and high energy consumption. The company essentially takes an existing garbage truck or medium-duty delivery truck and swaps out the entire powertrain with a more sophisticated and efficient replacement.

That powertrain upgrade includes battery packs that directly drive electric power to all four wheels, and a regenerative braking system so one doesn’t burn out brake pads as many as four times a year, as current trucks do. However, perhaps the most interesting element of the powertrain is the gas turbine range extender generator. Much like the Chevy Volt – which uses a gas engine to supplement the initial battery range – the Wrightspeed system uses a back-up engine as well. In this case, though, it’s a small gas turbine that supplies energy to the battery system, keeping the direct propulsion system all-electric and vastly extending the range...