Enjoy the show and tour 21012

Thanks to one of our co-host, John Flaherty

For updating us on a very nice installation of solar at Brown University.  We work closely with RI College, and they have a very big push into sustainability, across their campus facilities, formation of a terrific green team, bringing bee hives on campus, installing a farmer's market in concert with neighbors on Fruit Hill in Providence, and across their curriculum.  Pushing clean energy and other positive changes on every school campus, from first grade up to master graduates, ingrains positive change into students who are hungry to learn and find better ways  of doing things.

Nice job, Brown.

Here's the story:  More heat and lightThe 168 hybrid solar panels installed on the roof of the new aquatics center provide both electricity for the building and heat for the pool. It is the largest hybrid solar installation in the country and the first on a college campus. Credit: Mike Cohea/Brown University

The new 94,000 sf building was designed by Robert A.M. Stern Architects and built by Shawmut Design and Construction, with landscape designed by Todd Rader + Amy Crews. The project provides a 10,000 sf fitness loft, 3 exercise/dance studios, a cafe/lobby, approximately 10,000 sf of lockers, support, and administration space. In addition, a 12,000 sf Strength and Conditioning facility for varsity athletes and a 56 meter pool designed to be one of the fastest in the Ivy League. As part of the project, the Ittleson Quadrangle was created and is the heart of the athletics complex.

A Crisis is a Terrible Thing to Waste

Finishing up from yesterday:

Identifying the Opportunity

It’s time to kill two birds with one stone. The grid needs to be upgraded and powered with cleaner sources of power. Fortunately, we can simultaneously adapt to a more flexible and reliable grid while also reducing electricity’s contribution to climate change. The National Renewable Energy Lab recently concluded that it is entirely possible for renewable technologies to supply more than 80 percent of total U.S. electricity in 2050. NREL is not alone. InReinventing Fire, RMI outlines how a highly renewable and reliable grid is not only possible, but also cost competitive.

However, to achieve these visions of the future, significant investments in the control and management systems in the distribution grid are needed. Luckily, emerging technologies are opening up a world of possibilities.

For instance, imagine a grid that is threatened by storms. By knowing the exact moment and location that a falling tree takes out a wire, utilities can reduce the duration of or even prevent outages. EPB, the municipal utility established by the City of Chattanooga in Tennessee, successfully weathered its own recent storms with its upgraded smart grid systems. Newly installed feeder switches sensed disruptions in real time, successfully isolated network faults and cut the number of customers affected by storm-related outages in half compared to what would have been the case with previous technology.

On the other side of the country, California utilities are beefing up their own distribution systems. Pacific Gas & Electric, for instance, installed a system of high-speed communications control software, and within a year, this system has already prevented an outage near the town of Rio Vista.

For a specific class of customers, even more can be done. Local investments in energy management and control systems can make dramatic contributions to a resilient grid. Microgrids, such as those at UCSD and at military bases, are already demonstrating the benefits of improved control and management capabilities. A microgrid with onsite generation, storage, and load control can manage local resources to meet essential needs during an outage, even in the event of a wider grid blackout. In grid emergencies, some microgrid control systems can relieve grid stress by reducing electricity demand, by exporting power to the grid, or by islanding itself temporarily until conditions stabilize.

Making Smart Choices Now for the Future

Innovative opportunities exist for the electric grid, and a growing number of people are realizing that delays in grid investments could prove to be penny wise and pound-foolish. The actions of utilities and regulators, however, will determine how smooth the transition is to a more resilient and renewable system. Utilities will need to aggressively continue piloting intelligent technologies, perhaps adapting their business models enabled by the new communications. Regulators, while holding utilities accountable for grid expenditures, must also support the much needed investments and innovation for future generations.

And as for the average citizen, the choice is simple. You can do nothing: you can continue paying the electric bill, occasionally pausing to grumble about electricity cost or reliability. Or, you can learn more about the electricity system (like Newt Gingrich), and request (perhaps even demand) grid upgrades that will protect against storms and enable a greater use of renewables.

RMI is working to reinvent the electric system, recently launching theElectricity Innovation Lab, a collaborative engagement to address the technical, institutional, and regulatory challenges of achieving an electricity system that is more clean, secure, and reliable for all. We heartily welcome your input.

Whatever you decide, remember that a crisis is a terrible thing to waste.

More material from Seth Handy at Handy Law

Thanks to Seth Handy for this excellent post, which we will do over two days.  We encourage you to send us material for the blog as well.

Also, we'll follow up with a story on this.  Clearly, the costs of not changing how power gets to the grid, then to us, is staggering.  We applaud the Rocky Mountain Institute for this excellent post:

We will finish this tomorrow, but you can read the entire article here: http://blog.rmi.org/blog_A_Crisis_Terrible_Thing_Waste

A Crisis is a Terrible Thing to Waste

"Beginning on June 29th, a brief but violent storm swept from the Midwest to the Mid-Atlantic, disabling electricity to the masses. The storm toppled trees and branches into power lines and knocked out transmission towers and electrical substations, leaving more than 3.8 million people without power, some for more than a week.

The recent heat wave compounded the issue. The sweltering 100+ F temperatures made the loss of electricity almost unbearable. Pepco, the utility serving Maryland and the District of Columbia, alone spent an estimated 300,000 man-hours to restore power to all of its customers.

But if indications from climate models are correct, increasingly extreme weather events may become the new normal, forcing us to reevaluate the ability of the electric grid to keep the lights on and the ice cream frozen.

Hot Temps and Wild Storms: Recipe for Outages

Heat waves and storms have always existed, and to date, the grid has survived more or less intact. Moreover, very few scientists would go so far as to say that climate change had caused a specific storm or a specific temperature record.

However, not recognizing that temperatures are increasing is a dangerous proposition. The National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration recently released its state of the climate report, noting that the 12-month stretch between July of 2011 and June of 2012 was the warmest year in the contiguous United States since recordkeeping began in 1895.

Not surprisingly, since January 1st, wildfires fires have incinerated more than 2.7 million acres across the U.S., threatening lives and property. In RMI’s home state of Colorado, the Waldo Canyon blaze near Colorado Springs destroyed more than 340 homes, and is on record as the most destructive fire in the state’s history.

As temperatures rise, so do the risks of electricity outages. To support the growing demand for cooling requirements, grids will become increasingly congested and prone to failure. Stopgap solutions (building more gas plants to power the increased demand) are possible, but may only worsen the effects of climate change, creating a vicious cycle fueled by our reliance on fossil fuels to power our lives.

To make matters worse, the grid is aging and vulnerable even without natural disasters. Last year, the entire Southwestern United States experienced a 1.6 million-person blackout when a single worker accidentally tripped a transmission line. (Yet the University of California San Diego’s microgrid was able to keep many lights on; watchvideo to find out how.)

Identifying the Opportunity

It’s time to kill two birds with one stone. The grid needs to be upgraded and powered with cleaner sources of power. Fortunately, we can simultaneously adapt to a more flexible and reliable grid while also reducing electricity’s contribution to climate change. The National Renewable Energy Lab recently concluded that it is entirely possible for renewable technologies to supply more than 80 percent of total U.S. electricity in 2050. NREL is not alone. InReinventing Fire, RMI outlines how a highly renewable and reliable grid is not only possible, but also cost competitive.

However, to achieve these visions of the future, significant investments in the control and management systems in the distribution grid are needed. Luckily, emerging technologies are opening up a world of possibilities..."

Listen to Positive Energy Moving Forward WARL - 1320 AM Providence, RI

Here's the link to this week's show which is now posted 24/7 on Blog Talk Radio, as our all of our most recent shows:  http://www.blogtalkradio.com/renewable-now/2012/07/25/sustainable-communities

Also, we are very impressed with this new program in Michigan we just read about.  This would be a worthy program in any state, and we are going to work to expand the clean energy fund that we created recently in RI to cover the State in a similar fashion.  Hat's off to all involved, leading with the State of Michigan, for showing excellent leadership:

Energi Partners in Lean & Green Michigan PACE Initiative

PEABODY, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Energi, a Massachusetts based Industrial Reinsurance Company, is pleased to announce that they have joined Lean & Green Michigan™. The public and private partnership is one of America’s first statewide PACE initiatives and a marketplace for energy efficiency and renewable energy financing. This initiative is a collaborative effort that is led by Andy Levin of Levin Energy Partners and the law firm Miller Canfield.

Southfield, Michigan earlier this month became the first jurisdiction to join Lean & Green Michigan™. This joint venture has in turn, enabled property owners to take on a voluntary tax assessment in order to finance energy efficiency or renewable energy projects. Advantages of this program include no down payment, payback periods that are longer than traditional bank loans, and for additional protection, many of the projects facilitated by Lean & Green Michigan will require performance guarantees.

“Lean and Green Michigan ™ effectively helps to create jobs, save companies money, increase property values, and drive economic development. By helping counties and cities collaborate in the state of Michigan, the universally understandable approach to increase energy efficiency and renewable energy projects will drive a shared services, economic gardening agenda for Michigan.” Andy Levin, President Lean & Green Michigan

Energi, through its Energy Savings Warranty (ESW) Program, allows for contractors to backstop the performance guarantees they must make in order to perform PACE projects through Lean & Green Michigan. This warranty program allows contractors to transfer the risks of the performance guarantee, to the insurer.

“Energi is strongly supportive of incentives that aim to create standardization and streamline approval for PACE initiatives and retrofit projects, such as the Lean & Green Michigan™ state-wide program and the PACE Commercial Consortium. We believe that these efforts will effectively drive market traction and allow the energy efficiency industry to reach a larger scale.” Brian McCarthy, CEO Energi.

Notes to the Editor:

About Energi

Energi is an Industrial Reinsurance Company that provides specialized risk management and insurance programs to targeted sectors of the North American Energy industry. Energi is a leading developer and underwriter of innovative insurance products to deliver critical protections for alternative energy and energy efficiency warranties. These covers mitigate the performance risk inherent in energy efficiency retrofits, commercial solar projects, and alternative energy product manufacturing.

Contacts

Energi
Ed Scott, 978-531-1822 x. 318

Enjoy the show and tour

Helping Companies Find New Customers

Below is my article that will be published in the latest edition of Natural Awakenings, and posted on their main site.

Renewable Now reaches across every medium and platform.  Our audience is global with a thirst for change.  For those of you looking to transform your companies, or promote and advertise within the growing green economy, contact us.  We offer consulting services on every level (reducing waste, use of energy, alternative fuels, creating green teams, etc), and we are happy to help you succeed in your branding, marketing and remodeling of your company as well.

Helping Companies Find New Customers

by Peter Arpin

At Renewable Now, we study and report on all things sustainable—from energy use to reductions in waste to technology that can drive a cleaner future. One of the ways individuals can help get us to a better world is to investigate alternatives on where their consumer dollars get spent. That includes cars (electric vehicles), heating and air conditioning systems, food (organic, local), the efficiency of the homes they purchase, and, of course, investing in renewable energy—whether that is solar, geothermal or even a simple solar hot water system.

Part of our job, and the job of Natural Awakenings, is to positively profile those companies and organizations who are growing smart while preserving our Earth’s resources. We love helping these companies find new customers. We know many of the loyal readers to Natural Awakenings—now eclipsing 50,000 per month—are business owners. Our partnership expands that number—using radio, TV, web TV and social media—to about 200,000 per month.

One of the ways companies can find new customers is by working with a business development expert. The job of a business development expert is to help companies build market position by locating, developing, defining, negotiating and closing business relationships; to broaden a company’s reach and even help them to better establish their brand.

Ann Marie Fiske is a business development expert for both Natural Awakenings and Renewable Now. She can tell businesses about the great partner/sponsor packages we offer that give companies (or sole proprietors) the best pricing on their investment, and help them get an even better return on their advertising.

Contact Fiske at FiscalRecordings@cox.net or call her directly at 401-603-3439.