Conservation
Archived Posts from this Category
Vermont college named “greenest school”
Posted by admin2 on 22 Aug 2010 | Tagged as: Biomass, Conservation, LEED
The Sierra Club has named Poultney, Vermont’s Green Mountain College the country’s greenest school.
So, what does it take to be one of the nation’s green schools? A biomass plant might be a good place to start. Indeed, Sierra’s decision to give more weight to each school’s energy supply really shuffled the list. In fact, Green Mountain College was ranked 35th last year. No doubt, a large portion of this improvement can be attributed to the school’s new biomass plant, a $5.8 million plant opened on Earth Day of 2010. The school intends to be carbon neutral as early as next year, after reducing its carbon emissions by 50% upfront. The biomass heating plant allows GMC to heat its 155 acres of campus buildings by using green woodchips. In fact, the plant will burn an estimated 4,000 – 5,000 tons of locally sourced woodchips annually, shifting 85 percent of current fuel oil usage to biomass. While the plant supplies 20% of the school’s electricity, the school purchases an additional 54% of its electricity through Central Vermont Public Service’s Cow Power program. Such power helps support local dairy farmers by generating biogas from the methane of cow waste.
Army tests off-grid housing
Posted by admin2 on 19 Jul 2010 | Tagged as: Conservation, Solar
Four homes in the US Army base in Fort Bliss, Texas, will be taken off the grid and be powered exclusively with solar energy.
“The goal is to take them off the grid totally for a period of (a) year and have them on the solar panels, and let them help record feedback and experience how you can actually power your home quite satisfactorily off solar,” he said. “We’re underway now (in) putting those four homes totally on solar power.”
IBM’s smart metering system helps monitor energy use
Posted by admin2 on 24 May 2010 | Tagged as: Conservation
IBM, in conjuction with energy consultant Hildebrand, has developed a smart metering system that can help people monitor their home’s real-time energy usage.
In a 30-month research project geared specifically for the U.K. and Bulgaria, Hildebrand installed small energy monitors at different homes in five European cities–Birmingham, Bristol, and Manchester in the U.K., and Plovdiv and Ivanovo in Bulgaria. Using IBM’s software, the homeowners view online information that displays their electricity use, figures out the cost, and compares it with usage by other people.
New England to upgrade electric grid
Posted by admin2 on 25 Apr 2010 | Tagged as: Conservation
Utility companies in New England are going to upgrade the electric grid to conserve energy, the first step of which is the installation of smart meters.
The new meters — the front line of plans for an advanced electricity grid — communicate with utilities and can respond to constantly changing energy prices. Customers will be able to respond to electricity prices in real time and shut down appliances to save money. Utilities can offer better rates as incentives for using appliances in off-peak hours.
EU to meet 2020 renewable energy standards
Posted by admin2 on 13 Mar 2010 | Tagged as: Biofuel, Biomass, Conservation, Geothermal, Hydro, Ocean Energy, Osmotic, Solar, Wind
The member nations of the European Union expect to achieve 20.3% renewable energy consumption by 2020, exceeding the 20% target.
In a summary of national forecasts, the Commission says the EU will reach an overall share of 20.3% from renewable sources. 10 of the 27 member states are likely to exceed their targets for renewable energy, with another 12 countries to meet their goals domestically.
Missouri sights turn off lights to promote energy conservation
Posted by admin2 on 06 Mar 2010 | Tagged as: Conservation
The Missouri Capitol dome, Saint Louis City Hall, the Arch and Busch Stadium lights will be turned off for one hour on March 27th.
The lights are being turned off starting at 8:30 p.m. on March 27.
The action is being organized by the World Wildlife Fund to promote cleaner energy sources and efforts to address climate change. This is the third year for the event and 19 states and 47 cities are participating.
Kohl’s attains 100% renewables
Posted by admin2 on 30 Jan 2010 | Tagged as: Conservation
Kohl’s Department Stores has bought enough renewable energy to reach its 100% green fuel goal.
According to the U.S. EPA, Kohl’s Department Stores’ green power purchase of 1,367,376,000 kWh is equivalent to avoiding the carbon dioxide emissions of nearly 188,000 passenger vehicles per year or the amount of electricity needed to power nearly 128,000 average American homes annually. Green power is electricity that is generated from environmentally preferable renewable resources, such as wind and solar. These resources generate electricity with a net zero increase in carbon dioxide emissions while offering a superior environmental profile compared to traditional green power sources. Green power purchases also support the development of new renewable energy generation sources nationwide.
Facebook data center applies for LEED Gold
Posted by admin2 on 25 Jan 2010 | Tagged as: Conservation, LEED
Facebook has applied for LEED Gold certification for its data cener in Prineville, Oregon.
The Prineville, Ore., data center will feature an evaporative cooling system, which Facebook says uses less energy than traditional chiller-style systems. Prineville has a dry climate, reports OregonLive.
An “airside economizer” brings cool air in from the outside, while heat generated by the servers will be used to keep the adjacent offices warm.
Finally, Facebook has developed a proprietary system for maintaining uninterrupted electricity supply that uses 12 percent less energy than other systems.
Green Bank of Kentucky makes loans for conservation
Posted by admin2 on 24 Jan 2010 | Tagged as: Conservation
The Green Bank of Kentucky has made its first loan, $1.3 million to the Kentucky Department of Education.
The Green Bank of Kentucky was created in September to fund energy-conservation projects across the state. It has received nearly $19 million in funding given to the state through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.
California considers paying customers to conserve energy
Posted by admin2 on 14 Jan 2010 | Tagged as: Conservation
A California state panel has recommended that consumers be paid to cut energy use.
On Monday, a state panel proposed that most of the new fees California plans to impose on greenhouse-gas emissions be returned to energy-saving consumers in the form of annual dividend checks that eventually could exceed $1,000 for a family of four, the Wall Street Journal reports.
