2nd Green Revolution

Yesterday KUNC, National Public Radio’s Northern Colorado affiliate reported that the clean energy economy had created 17,000 green jobs. According to GreenBiz.com

Venture capital is flowing into Colorado for green startups that see promise in the smart grid, energy storage and other clean tech technologies. “In 2008, we had $458 million of venture capital investments in Colorado. It’s just astounding,” Colorado Climate Change Coordinator Alice Madden said, noting that such investments have helped create 1,700 clean tech businesses in Colorado that provide 17,000 jobs.

The Colorado Governor’s Energy Office recently commissioned a green jobs report along with the Green Jobs Working Group (GJWG) and the American Solar Energy Society. The findings calculated that Read the rest of this entry »

Despite announcing his intention not to seek a second term as governor of Colorado, Governor Bill Ritter has continued to pursue a clean energy future for the state. While many states have mandates of 20% or 25% electricity generation from renewable energy sources by 2020, Ritter is pushing ahead toward 30%. Ritter’s goal is one of the most ambitious, ranking in the top three states as measured by a percentage of electricity production.  Read the rest of this entry »

While the image many people have of modular homes are double wides and trailer parks, the centralized construction offers some unique advantages. By taking these benefits (namely waste reduction and efficiency gains), systems-built homes are moving pre-fabricated homes into the forefront of the second green revolution. As a result of their centralized production, all materials can be reused or conserved on a project, eliminating waste and unnecessary expenses. According to Louisiana System Built Homes Inc, “Site-built homes and systems-built homes generally appreciate in value over time.” Time magazine included pre-manufactured homes on their list of the Top 100 Green Products, written about earlier this year on 2nd Green Revolution. Read the rest of this entry »

Many internal corridors of buildings do not have natural lighting due to a lack of windows. Skylights have provided natural lighting for years, but light tubes (or solar tubes) offer a new option for bringing outside light into buildings. The technology, discussed briefly in a post earlier this year as part of the Science Channel’s Ecopolis series, allows the units to have a smaller physical footprint than skylights and can subsequently fit into more confined spaces.

On a recent visit to a school in the Denver area, I had a chance to see these devices in action. In a dark interior hallway, bright white natural light streamed down from above. The contrast was stark compared to the rest of the passageway. Read the rest of this entry »

Starting this week, on November 3-5 in Denver, Colorado, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) hosts their 22^ndIndustry Growth Forum. This year’s Forum will highlight the investment and financing strategies that are driving the commercialization of quality renewable energy technologies. NREL’s Forum brings together the key players in the clean energy investment and entrepreneurial community.

While online registration is now closed, on site registration will begin at 5pm today, November 2nd at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Downtown Denver (1750 Welton Street).

The National Renewable Energy Lab, based in Golden, Colorado, is the U.S. Department of Energy’s only laboratory devoted exclusively to research on renewable energy. Read the rest of this entry »

Across the country and throughout the world, conferences, festivals, forums, meetings, and other gatherings take place that highlight the clean energy economy and sustainable development. A few months ago we debuted our “Green Events Calendar“. Many of the events come from ConferenceAlerts.com, with others added as we hear about them. Beginning with November, as each month begins, we will provide a sneak peak at events taking place that month. Here is a sampling of events in the United States and a few international ones as well. Having lived in Salzburg, Austria, I included a renewable energy conference taking place there later this month.

Check in at the beginning of every month for 5-7 highlighted events. To see all the listings on our calendar, click here.

FORUM: 22nd NREL Industry Growth Forum
LOCATION: Golden, CO
DATES: November 3rd-5th
Further details: http://www.cleanenergyforum.com/ Read the rest of this entry »

As reported today on KCFR, Colorado Public Radio’s all-news station, Germany’s SMA Solar Technology is planning on building the largest solar production facility in the United States. The manufacturing center will be located in Denver’s Stapleton neighborhood.

According to the company’s website, SMA is the world leader in solar inverter technology with a total installed capacity of over three gigawatts. (For a brief description of inverter technology, click here). “SMA Solar Technology AG develops, produces and sells solar inverters and monitoring systems for photovoltaic applications. SMA is the world’s largest producer in this segment and is the only vendor that has a product range with the matching inverter type for any module type and any power class.”

SMA’s press release stated that the facility will be the “largest production facility Read the rest of this entry »

Last month in Sacramento, CA and last week in Denver, CO, The Association for the Study of Peak Oil (ASPO) convened to discuss the idea that crude oil supplies have diminished to the point where the amount which remains unearthed is less than that which has already been extracted. The 5th annual ASPO-USA conference presented “three days of information-packed events plus a Saturday pre-event workshop designed to stimulate discussion amongst a wide audience of people in business, public policy, and anyone concerned with resource supply issues.” Read the rest of this entry »

Rachel Gutter, Head of Education for the United States Green Building Council (USGBC), addressed the Colorado chapter’s Green Schools Summit on October 1st. Gutter works “on a national level to promote and facilitate the design, construction and operations of high performance, green schools and higher education facilities. She oversees USGBC’s National Green Schools Campaign as well as the LEED for Schools Green Building Rating System®, USGBC’s market-specific guidelines that recognize the unique nature and educational aspects of the design and construction of K-12 educational facilities.”

In her presentation, titled “The State of Green Schools,” Gutter stated that the USGBC’s vision for the future of school buildings is to have all green schools within a generation. With more than 125,000 K-12 schools in the United States, this a bold and broad goal. Read the rest of this entry »

Last Thursday, 2nd Green Revolution attended the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) Colorado chapter’s Green Schools Summit. Organized by the USGBC and sponsored by Solatube, The Governor’s Energy Office (of Colorado), Saunders Construction, Inc., and GE Johnson Construction Company (along with several smaller sponsors), the conference covered a broad range of topics within the field of green schools. The presenters included architects, educators, graduate students, and engineers. The first presentation of the day, delivered by an architect from the British firm Gensler, focused on the “International Perspective,” (available as a PDF in 3 parts – 1, 2, 3). Within this umbrella of the international perspective (how other nations are approaching green building in school settings), the lecture specifically looked at buildings as a catalyst for change. Read the rest of this entry »