Energy

  1. Small Town Makes Big Strides in Energy Efficiency

    NORTHAMPTON, Mass. -- When you’re trying to advance sustainability in a small town, it’s important to focus on priorities, pick your battles carefully, and don’t show up in the council chambers looking for a hand-out. Chris Mason, energy and sustainability officer for the small town of Northampton, population 28,500, said prioritization is a key component of a sustainability strategy in a smaller community where manpower and financial resources are often in short supply.

  2. Power Purchase Agreement Wins in Iowa District Court

    DES MOINES, Iowa – You can call Barry Shear and his Dubuque-based company, Eagle Point Solar, a lot of things – renewable power advocates, solar energy system developers, cutting-edge local business, for example – but the one thing you can’t call them is an electric power utility. So ruled a district court judge last week when reversing an Iowa Utilities Board opinion to the contrary. Polk County District Court Judge Carla Schemmel reversed the board’s 2012 ruling that a power purchase agreement between Eagle Point Solar and the city of Dubuque constituted a breach of Alliant Energy’s protected service territory.

  3. Microsoft to Build Zero-Carbon Data Center in Cheyenne

    Microsoft, ranked as the third largest purchaser of green power among the Environmental Protection Agency's Top 50 Green Power Partnership organizations, will expand its contributions to sustainability with yet another cutting-edge research project -- the first zero carbon data center powered by a fuel cell burning 100 percent renewable biogas from a wastewater treatment plant. The new, small prototype 300 kW “Data Plant” is being built outside of Cheyenne, Wyo. at the city’s Dry Creek Water Reclamation Facility and will run on methane produced by the facility.

  4. Solar Energy at Wastewater Treatment Plant Becomes Reality

    GALENA, Ill. – Who says a small town can’t use solar power to cut the energy costs of its wastewater treatment plant in half? This town of 3,429 in the northwest corner of Illinois has proven it can be done – albeit with a little help from its friends. City officials worked with Eagle Point Solar, their local utility and other partners to plan and develop a 368-kilowatt solar array that will provide about 480,000 kilowatt hours of electricity and avoid 920,000 pounds of greenhouse gas emissions per year for the projected 40-year life of the system. Installation began with a ground-breaking ceremony on Monday and is expected to be complete by August.

  5. Community Choice Aggregation Grows in California

    How about a power play that allows residential, commercial and industrial utility customers to not only have a major say in the rates they pay for electricity and natural gas, but also expands the use of renewable energy, reducing pollution caused by fossil fuel generation? It’s called Community Choice Aggregation (CCA).

  6. Bright Future Seen for LED Streetlights

    Could a streetlight retrofit save your community time, energy and money while providing safer, more luminous neighborhoods? Experts say yes, but there's a catch: currently the most energy-efficient lights on the market - the light-emitting diode, or LED variety - are up to three times more expensive than their traditional counterparts. Still, if you can afford the up-front costs, experts say LED streetlights can save money in the long run by consuming 50 to 80 percent less energy than conventional lighting products and virtually eliminate maintenance costs for up to 20 years. These benefits, advocates say, provide a 5-year payback in most cases.

  7. Green Streets and Energy Tested in Iowa Burg

    Cruising through the tiny hamlet of West Union, Iowa, heading for the trout streams of rural Fayette County, a traveling sportsman might view the road construction as just another small-town street project under way. But, he would be wrong. The locals call it the Green Pilot Community Project, and Robin Bostrom, program director for Main Street West Union and the Turkey River Recreational Corridor, calls it a model for best practices in green infrastructure and district geothermal energy systems that many believe could sweep the nation in years to come.

  8. Power Purchase Agreements Debated in Iowa

    Imagine you are a municipality interested in sustainability and lowering your carbon footprint. You notice a big open rooftop on your city shop, perfect for solar panels to collect the sun's rays and provide part of the building's electricity. You connect with a local solar company that agrees to install the solar photovoltaic (PV) system. But the two of you can't do it alone because, as a tax-exempt organization, your city cannot use renewable energy incentives. You identify a third party investor - a local bank, perhaps - that would own the system and sell you the power through a third-party Power Purchase Agreement (PPA).

  9. Chicken Poop to Power Water Plant in Wine Country

    For the Sonoma County Water Agency, the decision to work with chicken poop was kind of a no brainer. The agency had first considered cow manure for its purposes, but when it learned that, pound for pound, chicken waste contains more energy potential than the typical cow patty, the conclusion was a fairly simple one. Come sometime in early to mid-2012, the agency - which provides water and wastewater services for Sonoma and Marin County, Calif. residents - anticipates being able to offset as much as 30 percent of its energy needs with the clean electricity it intends to begin producing with chicken waste from area farms.

  10. Oregon Hits the Gas on Solar Highway

    PORTLAND, Ore. - Following the success of the nation's first solar energy installation ever built on federal highway right-of-way, the Oregon Department of Transportation is poised to complete construction of two additional "solar highway" facilities just south of Portland, bringing ODOT's total solar power capacity to about 4.5 MW. ODOT's pilot project, a 104-kilowatt array of 594 ground-mounted solar panels spanning about the length of a football field, is located at the interchange of Interstates 5 and 205. Once expanded to its full capacity, with the addition of 150 kilowatts, the demonstration site will generate more than 80 percent of the power needed to light the interchange.

  11. Local Governments Lobby Feds on Clean Energy Funding

    WASHINGTON - A coalition of municipal leaders made the rounds on Capitol Hill Thursday to implore their federal counterparts to continue funding clean energy programs that help fight climate change and reduce America's reliance on foreign oil. More than 100 city and county leaders attended the Local Clean Energy Leadership Summit presented by Climate Communities and sponsored in part by Sustainable City Network on Wednesday through Friday last week. One day of the summit featured a whirlwind series of congressional office visits in which local leaders made personal pleas to legislative aides in House and Senate offices representing more than 20 states.

  12. Portland Energy Retrofit Program Goes Statewide

    PORTLAND, Ore. - Lauded by federal authorities as a national model for residential energy efficiency retrofit programs, the city of Portland's Clean Energy Works pilot is going statewide beginning this week. Portland and newly formed nonprofit Clean Energy Works Oregon announced Monday the completion of the pilot and the expansion of the program to 17 communities throughout the state.

  13. Energy Efficiency Gives Columbus More Bang for Its Buck

    COLUMBUS, Ohio - These are tough times for cash-strapped cities that struggle to continue sustainability initiatives, but one that can maintain traction and make sense to taxpayers is energy efficiency. For cities like Columbus, Ohio, energy efficiency programs are viewed as a necessity in tough economic times simply because they stand to save significant tax dollars going forward.

  14. The Increasing Viability of Small-Scale Solar for Cities

    Global market forces, product improvements and new funding mechanisms are making small-scale solar a viable option for communities across the country. It's showing itself in the laboratories for innovation created by the Department of Energy's Solar America Cities program, which has now been expanded and renamed the Solar America Communities program. The program, begun in 2007, started by providing 25 cities with financial and technical assistance, and has spurred a host of initiatives. For example, Philadelphia has set a goal of purchasing and generating 20 percent of its electricity from alternative energy like solar. This is accomplished in part by educating residents on how to install photovoltaic (PV) panels on their houses and constructing three, large-scale solar arrays to power 600 homes.

  15. Cities Take Steps to Reduce Energy Consumption and Save Money

    While renewable energy systems continue to make the headlines, an old standby is quietly shrinking the carbon footprint of cities across the country. Communities everywhere are reducing consumption by increasing efficiency. Among the municipalities making energy conservation a high priority, the City of Baltimore has several programs and projects that promote efficiency.

Energy Product Announcements

Tuesday 06/18/2013
Analytics Platform to Simplify Energy Management Across Resources
Posted: June 18, 2013

BOSTON, Mass. -- EnergyPoints, announced that Anesco, a company dedicated to helping homeowners, local authorities and businesses reduce carbon emissions, has purchased the EnergyPoints Analytics platform to deliver a comprehensive enterprise energy resource management and support solution to their customers. Anesco will use EnergyPoints Analytics to support a comprehensive comparison of their customers’ energy resource use across multiple locations, providing a simple, accurate and actionable analysis of which energy related projects are having the greatest environmental and financial impact.

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Partnership to Develop, Deploy Public Solar Charging Stations
Posted: June 18, 2013

NEW YORK, N.Y. -- In a world where fast-paced seems to be the only pace, there’s no time for dead cell phones. Solar power market leader Goal Zero is collaborating with AT&T and Brooklyn design studio PENSA, to offer an eco-friendly solution to New Yorkers facing the dead-battery dilemma, public solar powered charging stations known as Street Charge.

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Salka Corp. Launches to Fund Renewable Energy Projects
Updated: June 18, 2013 - 8:05 pm

SAN DIEGO, Calif. -- Salka Corp., led by a veteran development executive and backed by leading global investors, announced a partnership which seeks to piece together well-balanced renewable energy portfolios by acquiring, developing and constructing wind and solar projects throughout North America.

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Tuesday 06/11/2013
Companies Complete New Jersey Solar Project
Posted: June 11, 2013

CARTERET, N.J. -- Dynamic Energy completed the installation of a 193.5 kW solar photovoltaic system at the Stone Quest, Inc. facility in Carteret, N.J. The solar system is expected to produce approximately 211,000 kWh of energy in its first year of operation, resulting in an annual reduction of 149 metric tons of CO2 emissions.

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Montana Industries Work Together on Energy Efficiency Knowledge
Posted: June 11, 2013

BILLINGS, Mont. -- For the second year in a row, Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance and NorthWestern Energy celebrated Montana companies that are leading the way in managing energy efficiently across Montana. These companies are part of the Central Montana Strategic Energy Management Cohort, a group of Montana organizations that shared their experiences launching energy-saving programs in the local business community.

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ChargePoint Announces the Completion of ARRA-Funded Program
Posted: June 11, 2013

CAMPBELL, Calif. -- ChargePoint, Inc., announced the completion of its ChargePoint America Program with more than 4,600 shipments and installations of its home, public and commercial charging ports for electric vehicles. In May 2010, ChargePoint was awarded a $15 million dollar matching grant funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act through the Transportation Electrification Initiative administered by the U.S. Department of Energy. Additionally, the California Energy Commission allocated $3.4 million in funding for the installation of residential and public electric vehicle charging infrastructure within California.

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Tuesday 06/04/2013
First Regenerative Energy Storage Unit in the U.S. on New TriMet Light Rail Line
Posted: June 04, 2013

MINNETONKA, Minn. -- Siemens is currently installing the first Sitras SES Energy Storage Unit with supercapacitor technology in the U.S. on the new TriMet Portland-Milwaukie Light Rail Transit Line. The southeast Portland Tacoma substation location will house the first U.S. storage unit that allows for energy created during braking to be stored and then re-used in one of two forms, energy savings or voltage stabilization during peak demand times. TriMet will utilize the system in voltage stabilization mode.

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Advancement of Next-Generation Electricity-Generating Coatings for Glass Windows
Updated: June 04, 2013 - 9:24 pm

COLUMBIA, Md. -- New Energy Technologies, Inc., developer of see-through technology capable of generating electricity on glass and flexible plastics, announced that researchers have achieved important device design, architecture, and transparency goals which now allow the company to advance and expand development efforts of its electricity-generating coatings. These expanded research efforts are directed at a specific layer of the coatings, composed largely of polymers, which can be applied to flexible plastics and glass to create tinted, see-through windows able to generate electricity.

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Enphase Energy Powers New Utah Transit Authority Airport TRAX Stations
Posted: June 04, 2013

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah -- Enphase Energy, Inc., announced that Sunlight Solar has completed a 68 kW solar project on four UTA Airport TRAX stations from downtown North Temple Street to Salt Lake City International Airport. Each station rooftop has 72 Enphase Microinverters and generates enough power to fully operate all functions of the stop, including lighting, ticket machines and electrical outlets. The project is estimated to generate 90,000 kW hours of electricity annually.

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Tuesday 05/28/2013
Solar Lease Financing Arrives in New Mexico
Posted: May 28, 2013

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -- Affordable Solar announced that its retail business is offering a solar panel leasing program to residential customers in New Mexico. For less than the monthly cost of their electric bills, many New Mexicans can now use renewable solar energy to help power their homes.

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