2nd Green Revolution

I Don’t Understand Parking Lots

In an op-ed a few months back I alluded to the coming diatribe against parking lots. As a form of land use, parking lots make no sense to me. Conversely, ...

The Angry Pedestrian: An Introduction

Let me say first off that I own a car. I drive. I don't drive a ton, I don't drive everyday, I don't drive to my job, but I understand ...

What Will It Take to Make Mass Transit the Norm?

Will people start consistently riding mass transit when gas prices stay above $5 per gallon? $10? What about when we are paying the true cost of driving (i.e. emissions, disposal)? ...

Designing Cities with People in Mind

I'm not a city planner. I took one class in college, so I don't even pretend to be qualified. However, living in a city and trying to commute without a ...

Earth Day 2012

Celebrating the 42nd Earth Day and 4.5 billion years of earth. Image from NASA Johnson Space Center

Can Shai Aggasi Make the World a “Better Place?”

by Eric Wilson on May 9th, 2009

From articles in the New York Times to one of 2nd Green Revolution’s earliest posts and the recent “Planet Forward” special, Israeli-American entrepreneur Shai Agassi has been seen pushing his vision of an electric car future. Mr. Agassi, a former software engineer at SAP, plans to build a network of charging stations and locations where drivers can quickly (in under five minutes) swap out their car’s run down batteries for fresh ones.

Better Place, Mr. Agassi’s company, is based out of Israel and has test sites in Denmark and Hawaii as well. According to a recent New York Times article, Mr. Agassi realized early on that the major obstacle to the mass adoption of electric cars was, and still is, the issue of “refueling”. The article points out that refueling a car with electricity is economically viable. “Powering a car by electricity — even relatively expensive ‘clean’ energy like wind or solar — costs far less than powering it by gasoline. The Tesla all-electric sedan, for example, uses about 1 cent of electricity per mile. A comparable gasoline car uses 16 cents of gasoline per mile.” In the following TED (Technology, Entertainment and Design) speech Mr. Agassi explains his vision for an all electric car future.

French car maker Renault has agreed to make nine models compatible with Better Place’s battery system. The first vehicle is scheduled to hit showrooms in two years. According to Mr. Agassi’s TED speech, cars emit 2.8 billion tons of carbon dioxide per year, 25% of the world’s emissions. Mr. Agassi’s plan includes producing all the electricity required to charge the batteries from photovoltaic arrays or wind farms.

Mr. Agassi’s goal is nothing short of zero oil consumption. This will be no easy task.

USCAP: Businesses and Environmental Groups Calling for Climate Change Legislation

by Justin Manger on May 8th, 2009

uscap The U.S. Climate Action Partnership (USCAP), is an expanding alliance of major businesses and leading climate and environmental groups that have come together to call on the federal government to enact legislation requiring significant reductions of greenhouse gas emissions. According to their website, the group believes that “swift legislative action on the USCAP solutions-based proposal, entitled A Call for Action, would encourage innovation, enhance America’s energy security, foster economic growth, improve our balance of trade and provide critically needed U.S. leadership on this vital global challenge.”Here is the pledge found on their website:

“We, the members of the U.S. Climate Action Partnership, pledge to work with the President, the Congress, and all other stakeholders to enact an environmentally effective, economically sustainable, and fair climate change program consistent with our principles at the earliest practicable date.”

USCAP Members Include:

Ford Retools SUV Plant to Produce Hybrid Version of Ford Focus

by Eric Wilson on May 7th, 2009

NPR reported yesterday morning that the Ford Motor Company will retool one of its Detroit area plants that had manufactured trucks to build a hybrid version of its Ford Focus. According to the Detroit News, the move is expected to save 3,200 jobs and “could lead to the creation of 1,500 new jobs during the next five years.” As mentioned Tuesday in a post on the hybrid Fusion, Ford is in the best fiscal position among Detroit’s Big Three automotive companies. Costs for the project range from $400 to 550 million (US). In order to assist the plant conversion, “State authorities approved more than $159 million in tax credits for Ford on Tuesday, and the City of Wayne has authorized more than $15 million in property tax abatements.” By providing these tax credits, the state of Michigan helps to clear the way for smaller, more fuel-efficient cars. An article from Reuters states that the plant will also manufacture battery powered vehicles (in all likelihood extended range vehicles; plug-in hybrids), which will be produced at the plant in coming years. “Ford Motor Co. on Wednesday unveiled a $550 million investment to convert an SUV plant near Detroit to build a new generation of Focus small cars next year and a battery-electric Focus in 2011.”

Vestas Helps Colorado Become Hub for New Energy Economy

by Justin Manger on May 6th, 2009

wind_power_landscape_vestas Danish wind turbine manufacturer Vestas has decided to build what will be the largest wind-tower manufacturing facility in the world later this year in Pueblo, CO. When fully operational, the plant will produce 900 towers per year. Located 120 miles south of Denver, the Pueblo plant will join a blade-manufacturing facility in Windsor and another blade and nacelles (the energy-generating parts of the turbine) facility in Brighton as the third Vestas plant in Colorado. Colorado Governor Bill Ritter said the plants will result in “$700 million in capital investment in the state” and provide “important economic reinforcement to Colorado.”

Encouraged by high oil prices last year and hopeful stimulus money this year, the wind industry continues to expand, with plants now scheduled for states such as Iowa, Arkansas, Indiana, and Minnesota. See the American Wind Energy Association’s (AWEA) homepage for more details.

The New York Times quotes Vestas spokesman Roby Roberts as saying, “Colorado is a natural fit for a wind energy company because of its central location, proximity to transit links, qualified workforce and a supportive regulatory regime.”

Jay Leno Reviews and Test Drives the 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid

by Justin Manger on May 5th, 2009

2010-ford-fusion-hybrid Late night comedian and car aficionado Jay Leno likes muscle cars and often features them on his website, Jay’s Garage. His newest car review, however, is the 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid. The Fusion is a fairly normal looking car at a reasonable price for a hybrid of around $27,000 but has some innovative green design features, according to Praveen Cherian, Ford Fusion Hybrid Program Leader. With a nickel-metal hydride battery, the Fusion uses similar technology to the Toyota Prius and gets a very respectable 39 miles per gallon overall average gas mileage. See the video for more details (somewhat technical) and Mr. Leno test driving the vehicle. A few interesting tidbits from the video, however are the following:

New York City’s Green Building Movement, Part 5: Henry Miller’s Theater

by Eric Wilson on May 5th, 2009

As a follow up to last month’s series on the green building movement in New York City, the first Broadway theater has been renovated with the goal of earning the US Green Building Council’s (USGBC) Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification. The New York Times reported yesterday that Henry Miller’s Theater

“will be the first [theater] in New York to meet the environmental standards of the United States Green Building Council. . . . Recycled materials were used in the wall panels and baseboard; waterless urinals are used in the men’s washroom to reduce consumption of potable water; and local materials were used in the marble flooring and countertops, among other touches.”

The structure has been rehabilitated by the same group, the Durst Organization, responsible for constructing Bank of America’s headquarters located in the Tower at One Bryant Park, which is applying for the USGBC’s platinum certification, the highest level possible. This project reiterates the company’s longstanding tradition of improving environmental conditions in the city. The Durst Organization is continuing their work with Cook + Fox Architects, with whom they partnered on the Tower at One Bryant Park.

Tightening Up the Home

by Guest Author on May 4th, 2009

hersyardstick by Guest Author Jono Sher

In these times of economic hardship, there has been a real push towards energy efficiency in all sectors. This is in large part due to the fact that the most gains to be had are from minimizing losses and taking advantage of the ‘low-hanging fruit’ or, as my fellow energy auditor colleagues say, ‘fruit lying on the ground’ that is conservation. Most of the residential East Coast was built in the early part of the 20th century and pre-dates much of the common knowledge we now share about building science. The most fundamental part of building science is rooted in air exchange, or the natural pathways of air as it travels from outside to the inside and vice versa. The amount of air that a home exchanges from inside to outside is measured in “air changes per hour” with an air tight home turning over ¼ of its air every hour, whereas a leaky home would exchange all of its air within an hour. The majority of residential energy costs come from heating a home in the winter, and if your home is losing all of its air within an hour’s time, it will be extremely expensive to continue to heat that space. Hence the importance of creating air barriers, or air sealing, which is essentially blocking air where it might otherwise be leaking into a home. Oftentimes, this is the most cost effective way to improving a home’s energy efficiency because most of the sealing can be done with simple silicone caulk or spray foam.

Recap of Friday’s Electricity in America Series from NPR

by Eric Wilson on May 4th, 2009

Part 9: One of the main reasons to update the grid is to integrate more renewable energy. However, some wonder if the investment in clean energy will lead to a “green bubble” like the housing and internet bubbles. Eric Janszen, founder of the financial advisory company iTulip, says that “bubbles start with a kernel of something good — say, home ownership or the development of the Internet or, in this case, energy that causes less pollution. But then . . . outside forces come in and create a sort of mania.” Oil tycoon T. Boone Pickens, who is attempting to finance a 1,000 megawatt wind project in Texas, says he is not worried about a bubble. According to Mr. Pickens, low natural gas prices do not make wind generated electricity economically viable at this juncture. As Congress works on “legislation that would limit greenhouse gas emissions and then turn them into a commodity that can be traded . . .such a cap-and-trade system might be the seed for creating the credit necessary to get a renewable energy bubble going.” One major factor inhibiting the bubble at this point is the need for upgrades to the country’s electric grid. As part of the stimulus bill, “The Electric Power Research Institute was given $1.3 million . . . to develop a framework for grid developers to follow.” Before any bubble – real or imagined – can materialize, the grid first must be updated to allow for renewable energy supplies to come on line.

Part 10: Power companies and conservationists may stand at odds as to what will happen with the future of electricity in the United States. The former want to improve the electric grid, while the latter look to reducing consumption as the answer to the energy demands of the future. The US Green Building Council’s (USGBC) headquarters in Washington D.C. aims to set a new paradigm in energy efficiency. Instead of power hungry desktop computers, the building has laptops that are hooked up to a sensor that will put the computer on standby when people leave the area. Air conditioners are set up similarly so that they do not cool spaces that are uninhabitable. White carpet along the floor near windows helps reflects lights deep into the building to reduce the need for artificial lighting. USGBC’s offices will consume roughly half the energy of a typical office building and will apply for the council’s own Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum certification, the highest level attainable.

Recap of Thursday’s Electricity in America Series from NPR

by Eric Wilson on May 3rd, 2009

Part 7: Utilities may stand in the way of quick adoption of smart meters across the country. Both rate payers and utilities will foot the bill for an increase in transmission lines and smart meters. The current system is 99.97% reliable, leading power companies to defend the status quo. However, some fear that plans to integrate wind, solar and other renewable energy sources may cause disruptions in service. Xcel Energy and Florida Power and Light are two shinning examples of companies implementing change (as detailed in two earlier posts, one on Xcel’s SmartGridCity initiative and the other on FLP’s Energy Smart Miami). According to NPR reporter Jeff Brady, utilities are still by in large regulated monopolies. Installing new, smart meters, when the old meters still work is a difficult sell. Smart meters are not inexpensive devices. Power companies cannot just charge customers for the difference in the price. In all likelihood, utilities will build out the smart grid in a more methodical way than many of today’s technological innovations such as the iPod.

Part 8: If the grid is to become smarter and greener, a new workforce will be needed to usher in this era. NPR reports that nearly half of The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers members nationwide are “up for retirement in the next few years.” Younger workers interviewed in the story express interest in clean energy, which appears to be a major draw for the future employees. With so many workers retiring, the electric grid offers several opportunities for those entering the workforce.

Top 50 U.S. Purchasers of Green Power as Ranked by the EPA

by Justin Manger on May 2nd, 2009

gpp_logo180 Who is buying clean energy and how much are they buying? Answers to questions like these are important for consumers to know. The EPA’s Green Power Partnership tries to answer these questions by providing a sense of which organizations are conscientious about their energy use. Aside from political votes, one of the most powerful tools the public can use to have a say in the energy debate is their collective wallet. Money talks. Companies listen to what it’s saying and where it’s going. Companies that incorporate sustainable practices into their business model not only reduce expenses but may get a PR boost by touting their green credentials to consumers who are increasing interested in sustainability. The EPA’s ranking of organizations based on the amount of green power they use also raises awareness for renewable energy. As mentioned on the EPA’s website:

The Green Power Partnership is a voluntary program that encourages organizations to buy green power as a way to reduce the environmental impacts associated with purchased electricity use. The Partnership currently has hundreds of Partner organizations voluntarily purchasing billions of kilowatt-hours of green power annually. Partners include a wide variety of leading organizations such as Fortune 500 companies, small and medium sized businesses, local, state, and federal governments, and colleges and universities.

The most recent National Top 50 Green Power Purchasers can be seen in their entirety here. Below is the top 10.

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