Alternative Transportation Technologies
Chevrolet Gets With The Program
Despite Chevrolet's recent entries in the Hybrid category (Tahoe, Malibu and Silverado) recently unveiled a push on it's own higher MPG vehicles- tauting seven vehicles that get 30mpg or more. Chevy has added 'Active Fuel Management' systems that disengage half the cylinders when they are not needed adn reactvates them when you need more power. Tire pressure monitors in some models, alert you when tire pressure is low. Proper tire pressure can add several miles a gallon to your fuel economy. Visit this link to compare fuel economy of Chevy's top 7mpg offerings: http://www.chevrolet.com/lineup/
Take Your Vacation Now
As fuel prices continue to rise Airlines are hiking up fuel surcharges and raising ticket prices to cover costs. At the same time, vacation and liesure travel is down. With less money in their wallets, Americans are flying less for pleasure and staying closer to home in all respects. This might be the best time, however to consider taking that trip or vacation you've been saving up for. In a tighter economy, travel deals and discounts on hotels and other packages abound. It is definately a buyer's market for discount travel right now says international travel analyst Blanca Juarez of International Vacations Group. "With nothing but raising travel costs on the horizon, in an already beleagured industry, travelers are advised to go now, before the really high price increases kick in." Some Airlines are still a deal however, as competition still drives a few discounts in air travel. Best deal of the week is a flight on Aerobus from Tijuana Airport to Puerta Vallarta for $50. Flying out of TJ avoids all of the American taxes and all to common extra airport departure expenses that get added onto most US tickets. At these rates, with hotels in Mexico hungry for tourist business- You can go for the weekend!
Exclusive: Proposed Offshore San Diego Airport
To Revolutionize Green Ocean Development
With global populations literally pushing against our geographic seams, infrastructure asset owners and commercial developers have increasingly looked to offshore locales to satisfy growing demand for services. From the airport landfills in the congested harbors of China and Japan to Dubai’s visionary shoreline development program, international builders have boldly moved offshore to provide the transportation or other services that are needed.
In San Diego, Ocean Works Development has begun making its case to the regional airport authority that the most sound environmental sound solution to replacing Lindbergh Field, which is due to reach air capacity in 7 to 15 years, is to float a 3-sq. mile island airfield about ten miles off the coast and use Lindbergh Aeroplex as the main terminal and tunnel head to the new airfield.
Ocean Works Development Founder Adam Englund notes that the platform, dubbed O-Plex2020, will actually serve a multiple of environmental purposes. It will. . .
1) permanently relieve Point Loma, Balboa Park and other areas of the city in the current Lindbergh approach/take-off footprints from the low-altitude jet noise
2) allow for the possible reclamation of coastal wetlands currently under concrete at Lindbergh
3) serve as a self-sustaining airfield that controls its own oil runoff products and that creates the power to operate itself
4) serve to establish solar and ocean-based energy-creating technologies that will add substantial power to the southern California regional grid
5) serve to be an open-ocean desalination plant that provides substantial quantities of fresh water to coastal communities
6) provide new environments for mariculture developments, including kelp farms to help provide more Oxygen into the atmosphere
Concludes Englund, “We are aiming at making this the most environmentally sensitive airport build-out and operation in the history of the country. That’s the only way we’d want to work with our glorious ocean.”
NRC Says Hydrogen Research Worth It
While numerous obstacles face the research and development of hydrogen-fueled vehicles, a National Research Council panel has concluded in a 160-page study that the research remains “justified by its potentially enormous benefits to the nation.” The hundreds of millions of government research dollars supporting joint industry-Department of Energy have found great resistance in problems such as how best to store energy on a vehicle; currently, hydrogen vehicles costs and the fact that hybrid electric vehicles are viewed as a more promising short-term alternative to traditional vehicles than are hydrogen fuel cells. In 2003, the Bush administration set a goal of making enough research hydrogen progress by 2015 to enable the automakers to decide whether or not to commercialize fuel cell vehicles by 2020. At this juncture, that goal may seem to be a bit too aggressive, but clearly the long-term prospects are strong enough to continue research funding.
Solar Energy
Industry Leaders Critique Bush Energy Bill
Leaders in the burgeoning solar industry took a rather dim view of the Bush Adminsitration’s gas emissions proposals.
David Ehrlich reported in Cleantech.com: U.S.
President George W. Bush has called for a cutback on greenhouse gas emissions in the States, but the president may need to prove his words with legislative action to satisfy the cleantech industry. Bush is calling for a reduction in U.S. greenhouse gases by 18 percent through 2012, and an end to the growth of greenhouse gas emissions by 2025. But Monique Hanis of the Solar Energy Industries Association told Cleantech.com that the president is still saying some of the same things he's said before — about investing in new technology and that the solution is in the future. "There are us folks in the renewable energy sector that are saying, 'Hey, the technology exists now.' We have off the shelf technology that we can deploy now."She said there's more than 4 gigawatts of solar projects in the pipeline in the U.S., but that the industry does need help from legislators."We have this opportunity to extend the investment tax credits — right now," she said. "They've worked. They've been in play for two years, we've had tremendous growth in solar deployment."The tax credit program is set to expire at the end of this year, but there are a number of bills working their way through Congress that could extend the renewable incentives (see U.S. solar & wind incentives on the way?).Previously, the White House has threatened to veto some bills that would have encouraged alternative energy and other clean technologies, but which would have dealt a blow to the oil industry.
One sticking point in the energy bill passed late last year was a proposed $21 billion tax incentive plan that would have pulled that money from a reversal of tax breaks for Big Oil. That incentive plan, put forward by the House of Representatives, was dropped before the bill ever reached the president's desk.There could be some hope coming out of the speech, as Tony Kreindler of the Environmental Defense Fund said Bush may have left the door open for a carbon cap and trade system. "Now, at the end of the day, it's a question whether the president will support that, but we do have a bill in the Congress that's moving pretty quickly," he said.The bill, sponsored by Sens. Joseph Lieberman and John Warner, is set to be on the Senate floor in June, according to Kreindler. The bill would cap greenhouse gas emissions from power plants and other facilities, but allow companies to exceed those limits by buying credits from less polluting firms.
It has has faced opposition from the administration in the past, but Kreindler pointed out that while the president said today that he doesn't support taxes or duplicative efforts, there was no sign of him slamming cap and trade in the speech.
"They're moving toward the table here, and they haven't ruled anything out. We're optimistic," said Kreindler.
Siemens Goes Solar in Sacramento
Siemens Transportation System -- the nation's largest light-rail vehicles manufacturer -- will install a 1-megawatt solar energy system at its manufacturing plant in south Sacramento. The company expects to complete the installation by late October. The solar energy system, reportedly twice the size of any privately installed system in the four-county region, is expected to generate almost 29.7 million kilowatt hours of electricity over the first 20 years -- the equivalent of 150 average-size residential solar panel systems. The solar energy system would be equivalent to preventing 737 tons of carbon dioxide every year, or removing 7,933 cars from the roadways and planting about 200 acres of trees.
Solar Carport At Naval Base Coronado
Navy Region Southwest
announced today that it has deployed one of the largest federal solar photovoltaic
system in the nation.
This system is a unique solar electric carport at Naval Base Coronado in
San Diego, which makes innovative use of existing parking space. The
installation is comprised of two contiguous solar arrays, covering a half-mile
long parking structure that serves US Navy personnel. In addition to
providing shade for parked cars, the system generates the equivalent energy
during the day to power over 935 homes. This 750 kW solar electric system
will reduce the demand on California's power grid, as well as improve air
quality by avoiding thousands of tons of polluting nitrogen oxide, sulfur
dioxide and carbon dioxide emissions.
"The deployment of solar power at Navy Region Southwest demonstrates
the Navy's commitment to using energy management practices that reduce
energy consumption and control costs," said Commander Pat Rios, NBC
Public Works Officer. "Using clean generation is very consistent with our
base's mission of leveraging superior operational expertise and
technologies."
Sungevity One of Fortune's "Eight Great Green Ideas"
The Aussie-owned Berkeley-based Sungevity, a start-up in the wide open solar install sector, got tabbed this month by Fortune magazine's "Going Green" Special Report (April28 issue) as the company that is aiming to do for the solar business "what Dell did for personal computers: digitize the entire enterprise to cut costs and create a mass market." Two cheers for that. And another for the "killer app" Sungevity is for satellite imaging and construction contractors. Google Earth expedites the solar suburb; insources jobs. Sweet.
According to the report, "After rebates, a standardized Sungevity solar array for a four-bedroom home in Northern California will cost about $21,000 and deliver an estimated return on investment of 13% over the system's 25-year life."
Business Energy Efficiencies
For the past several years, business owners have been flooded with advice on how to make their companies more energy-efficient. Going green has likely engendered more top-ten lists for this or that than anything this side of Letterman. Part of My Energy Planet’s mission will be to keep our eyes for out for some of the best top-ten energy lists that our business visitors would like to see. Here’s a good one from a waste management expert, even if the local call to action can’t be replicated.
Top 10 Ways for Your Business to Go Green
Michelle Balz, Program Specialist, Hamilton County Solid Waste Management DistrictSo, your business has decided to reduce its environmental footprint and become a good corporate citizen by going green. Generously, upper management has given you free reign to implement environmental policies…but where do you begin? Here are 10 simple ideas that can increase worker productivity, improve your company’s public image, and save your company money
1. Start Recycling
Today recycling is a no-brainer. More than 40% of what we throw into the landfill is paper, yet over a dozen local companies crave paper as feedstock for their operation. Not wasting this valuable resource can also reduce your waste bill since the cost to haul recycling is lower than trash. Add in the environmental benefits of reduced pollution and conserved energy and it is easy to understand why recycling is often one of the first environmental policies a company adopts. For help with recycling, call the Hamilton County Solid Waste Management District at (513) 946-7734 or visit www.hamiltoncountyrecycles.org.
Environmental Benefit- Recycling office paper reduces air pollution by 95% and saves 24 trees for every ton of office paper recycled (National Recycling Coalition).
2. Switch Your Bulbs
While the lighting technology choices are endless, CFL, LED, T8, T5… the solution is clear: switching to energy efficient lights saves energy and money. The bulbs may cost more upfront, but energy efficient lights last much longer than traditional bulbs and use significantly less energy to reduce costs in the long run. To help you decide which technology is right for you, visit www.energystar.gov. Environmental Benefit- Replacing a single standard bulb with a CFL reduces energy use by 75% and prevents 450 lbs. of carbon dioxide emissions over the life of the bulb (Energy Star).
3. Build Green
Whether you start with a vacant lot or renovate your current space, integrating green building ideas can decrease energy and water use and increase worker productivity with a healthier work environment. The idea is simple: use sustainable materials and design to create a space that works with the local environment instead of against it. For ideas on green building and how to earn LEED certification, visit the US Green Building Council at www.usgbc.org or call the local Cincinnati chapter at (513) 388-0020.Environmental Benefit- Green buildings on average use 30% less energy than conventional buildings, saving $60,000 per year for every 100,000 ft2 space (US Green Building Council).
4. Convert Your Fleet
Increase fuel efficiency, decrease pollution, and receive federal tax credits, need I say more? Integrating hybrid vehicles or biodiesel not only builds a green fleet but it also makes the public aware of your green commitment. To compare the latest alternative fuels and vehicles visit www.CleanFuelsOhio.org. Environmental Benefit- The production and use of biodiesel, compared to petroleum diesel, results in a 78.5% reduction in carbon dioxide emissions (National Biodiesel Board).
5. Implement Storm Water Management
Everything the rain washes off your buildings and parking lots ends up in a stream nearby, likely with unnatural speed that damages a stream ecosystem. You can take steps to minimize this effect by installing green roofs, buffer zones, rain gardens, and porous pavement. These practices allow rainwater to slowly release into local streams improving the health of the stream for local wildlife. For more information, visit
www.hamilton-co.org/stormwater.Environmental Benefit- Porous pavement can reduce storm water runoff six times better than traditional pavement during peak rainfall (Environmental Protection Agency).
6. Encourage Employees to Save Fuel
If gas prices continue to climb, employees will welcome ideas to reduce fuel consumption. Offer incentives to employees who take the bus, ride a bike, carpool, or drive fuel efficient vehicles. Or if practical, allow your employees to work from home and eliminate the commute altogether. These actions will reduce your company’s carbon footprint and likely save employees money.Environmental Benefit- Switching a 20-mile round trip commute to existing public transportation can reduce one person’s annual CO2 emissions by 4,800 lbs per year, equal to a 10% reduction in all greenhouse gases produced by a typical two-adult, two-car household (American Public Transportation Association).
7. Adopt an Environmental Purchasing Policy
Your company purchases many products- why not make those purchases greener? Adopting an environmentally preferable purchasing policy will give your employees the green light to seek out products ranging from post-consumer recycled content paper to non-toxic cleaning products. For sample policies and environmental purchasing tools visit www.epa.gov/epp/. Environmental Benefit- Purchasing one ton (40 cases) of 30% post consumer copy paper saves the equivalent of: 7.2 trees, 2,100 gallons of water, 1,230 KW hours of electricity, and 18 pounds of air pollution (Conservatree).
8. Reduce and Reuse
Reduce waste in your office by discouraging employees to print unnecessarily (e.g., keep emails electronic) and encourage double-sided printing when possible. A simple change in margin size to 0.75 inches fits more text onto a page and reduces paper usage over time. Reuse in your office by providing a water cooler instead of water bottles and giving employees a reusable mug instead of disposable cups. Environmental Benefit- Save energy! You would have to use a foam cup 1,006 times to reduce the amount of energy equal to reusing a ceramic mug (Institute for Lifecycle Environmental Assessment).
9. Make Energy Conservation an Office Habit
Want an option for going green that won’t cost you a dime? Encourage employees to conserve energy by turning off lights when they are not in use and shutting down computers before they go home. This small change in behavior can add up to a big conservation of energy. According to the US Department of Energy, to conserve the most energy turn off the monitor if you are not going to use your PC for more than 20 minutes and turn off both the CPU and the monitor if you're not going to use your PC for more than 2 hours.Environmental Benefit- Turning your computer off at night or on weekends can reduce energy use by two-thirds and save an average of $90 a year per computer (US Department of Energy).
10. Take the Go Green Challenge
By joining the Hamilton County Go Green Challenge, your business becomes part of a network of local companies implementing green practices. Go Green Challenge members also have access to experts in a variety of environmental fields and receive public recognition for their accomplishments. Visit www.hcdoes.org/gogreen.htm for more information.
World Energy News & Issues
Energy Price Fever Accelerates
$125 a barrel for oil and $4. a gallon for gas by June 1st, some predict, accelerating the cost of everything from food to air travel. “Every Day there is a new irritant” propelling prices higher” , says John Kilduff, head of energy risk management at MF Global in New York. Weakness of the US Dollar, Escalating violence in oil production areas and declining international productions are all factors driving prices upward- all while demand continues exponential acceleration as well.
Although irritation is palpable as gas price increases couldn’t come at a worse time for the American Economy, there seems to be no alternative to the status quo. Energy Bills like HR 6 which should be on the floor of the Senate with ‘emergency status’ are bogged down in an arcane knot of political infighting and committee brinksmanship with the not-so-subtle influence of special interest groups. Crisis awareness seems to be high with many citing the need for a Manhattan Project-scale effort but as yet, this leadership opportunity has yet to be seized in a meaningful way.Hope seems to hang on the election of a new President who can come in and clean house to rescue America. Whoever gets elected will need a plan, the votes and the money to attack our energy problems more vigorously than ever before. With all of the demands on any new administration talking office, one cannot but wonder how long this will take. America is crying for change, leadership and realistic options. The current energy situation cannot be sustained- something has to give. Let’s just hope it’s not the American way of life..
EU Energy Boss Gives Nuclear the Nod
EU Energy Commissioner Andris Piebalgs reiterated last week the importance of
nuclear energy for the reduction of CO2 emissions in a speech at a European
Nuclear Assembly conference in Brussels. The conference was dedicated to
the development of Europe's low carbon economy and organized by
Foratom.
"Nuclear energy makes an important contribution to our fight against climate change and our security of energy
supply, but we need to strengthen the cooperation between EU Member states on the issues related to the safety and security of nuclear installations and the treatment of nuclear waste ", Commissioner Piebalgs said. The EU needs substantial investments in order to replace its ageing power plants. A large number of currently operating nuclear power plants will reach the end of their lifespan before 2030. In order to make the necessary investments possible, the
Commission is examining ways to address the difficulties related to licensing, financing and different nuclear liability regimes.
While highlighting the important role of nuclear in the overall energy mix, Commissioner Piebalgs also pointed out the need to address nuclear safety concerns, nuclear waste management and transparency, which are all important elements for public acceptance of nuclear energy.
Promoting Sustainable Energy Projects in Europe
EU-funded sustainable energy research projects will be promoted to the media through www.pressensave.eu, a new website. With a user-friendly innovative platform, PRESSENSAVE serves as a Virtual Press Office for project coordinators to promote their research results, relevant news or any noteworthy topic to be covered by the media. The service provides energy EU project coordinators with an easy to access tool that guides them step-by-step through the realization of press releases in a professional format with the help of professional journalists, providing at the same time a constant control on the final output of what successively will be sent to the media. Let My Energy Planet promote you, public/privately funded sustainable energy research program. Contact us today with your test results.
ADRA United Kingdom Launches "Green" Energy Project in Somalia
Watford, England The Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) office in the United Kingdom has launched an environmentally friendly development project in Somalia that will strengthen livelihood strategies of the Somali people by promoting the use of alternative energy options to meet growing energy needs.
ADRA United Kingdom is funding the Somalia Energy and Livelihood project in partnership with the European Commission, which is furnishing 75 percent of the project's US$2.8 million value. The three-year project, to date the largest ADRA UK project co-funded with the European Commission, launched November 1, 2007, in Puntland and Somaliland.
The Somalia Energy and Livelihood project is implemented by ADRA Somalia, and will install windmills and solar powered water systems. In addition, the project will facilitate the production and marketing of 10,000 cook stoves.
The installation of energy equipment will increase access to clean water and provide health and education services for local residents. This will be done by creating an awareness of the effects of improper natural resource management and promoting the use of renewable energy options, such as wind, solar, and modern biomass. The intervention will be conducted in line with the global trend of seeking renewable energy to spur economic growth.
Energy Efficient Living
EPA Launches New Campaign in Fight Against Climate Change
Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is launching a national campaign to help Americans join in the fight against climate change. The campaign, "Change the World, Start with Energy Star" helps people make important energy-efficient changes at home and at work that can add up to significant reductions in emissions of greenhouse gases.
"Environmental responsibility is everyone's responsibility and this Earth Day, we are encouraging people to take common sense steps to reduce their climate footprints," said EPA Administrator Stephen L. Johnson. "Through our new 'Change the World: Start with Energy Star' campaign, we are helping people save green by going green."
Energy Cost Calculator for Electric and Gas Water Heaters
This cost calculator is a screening tool that estimates a product's lifetime energy cost savings at various efficiency levels. This is a handy tool for every home to potentially shave hundreds off their bill every year. With costs for water heaters more reasonable than ever, switching to a more efficient model is an easy step homeowners can take for a healthy long term payback. See Calculator: http://www1.eere.energy.gov/femp/procurement/eep_waterheaters_calc.html
How can you tell how much energy you are really using at home? Enter the Kill A Watt
Kill A Watt is a great gadget for any eco-geek. It doesn’t save you any electricity directly, but it shows you where you can save.You'll soon fall in love withthis handy little gadget as people try to figure out, for example, whether the coffee machine is more economically left on, keeping warm, or whether it is better to heat it up from cold every time it’s needed (turns out keeping it on during peak coffee demand is most efficient). The Kill A Watt embodies the theme: understand your energy use and then take steps to reduce it. The device is a real-life carbon calculator. Use it around the home and office; challenge yourself and your colleagues to reduce your energy costs; figure out which appliance is sucking the most power (it’s the second fridge, I’ll bet). As well as standard metering functions, the Kill A Watt calculates cumulative energy use, which you can use to quickly work out how much any individual appliance is costing you. Check it out at their website: http://www.p3international.com/products/special/P4400/P4400-CE.html
JingleHorse Energy Sipping Computer Only Uses 25 Watts
Laptop manufacturers take advantage of the energy efficiency of the Intel Core Duo processor to extend battery life, and now computer maker Jinglehorse uses that same efficiency to allow its EcoSystem PC to consume 75% less energy than its Pentium 4 counterparts. These electricity-sipping boxes only use about 44 watts while they're sitting still and 75 watts with the pedal to the metal.
Plus, all that energy savings results in less heat, requiring smaller, quieter, and less frequently-running fans. For those of us who leave our computers on 24/7, this $895 computer might just pay for itself after a few years.
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