A company looking to purchase an electric-powered delivery truck today will likely experience some sticker shock: Such a vehicle costs nearly $150,000, compared to about $50,000 for the same kind of truck with a standard internal-combustion engine. But before long — perhaps surprisingly — it’s a purchase that should pay for itself. That’s the conclusion Continue reading →
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The Green Power Partnership works with a wide variety of leading organizations — from Fortune 500® companies to local, state and federal governments, and a growing number of colleges and universities. The following Top Partner Rankings highlight the annual green power purchases of leading organizations within the United States and across individual industry sectors. via Continue reading →
The combination of green roofs with rooftop solar panels can provide a quick and easy way to boost solar cell efficiency right now, making it more cost effective for property owners to invest in a rooftop solar installation without waiting for new technology breakthroughs to hit the market. Though at first glance it may seem Continue reading →
The energy revolution might not necessarily be televised, but it will increasingly be monitored, measured and automated to push “intelligent efficiency” up to once-unimaginable levels. For an idea of what that revolution could look like, consider a cluster of around 30 commercial and industrial buildings in an area west of London. Part of a £30-million Continue reading →
Sierra Middle School on Thursday unveiled its $200,000 solar power system courtesy of a PG&E grant that will power about 20 classrooms, lower the campus’ overall energy bill and will be used as a catalyst for “green” education. The school also celebrated its new title — “California Solar Schools Model” — the first in PG&E’s Continue reading →
I was heartened to see U.S. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse corrected by the Providence Sunday Journal’s PolitiFact for his “mostly false” assertion “that the development of solar power and other forms of renewable energy will ‘get us off’ foreign oil.” It won’t. Not by a long shot, and not anytime soon. It seems the “hope” in Continue reading →
There is plenty of electric vehicle buzz at this year’s North American International Auto Show and Volvo just added to the green transportation hype by showcasing the world’s first (and second) plug-in diesel hybrid. The V60 and XC60 Plug-in Hybrids are being touted as two of the most technically advanced models in Detroit. They offer Continue reading →
A new study by HfS Research and ValueNotes found that there is a gradual shift occurring in the energy and utilities (E&U) industry, evolving from expansive nationalized monopolies to smaller de-regulated, privatized enterprises that are increasingly adopting outsourcing as a business strategy. Among the other issues currently facing the E&U industry include pressure to go Continue reading →
The race to renewable energy is on, and despite heavy marketing campaigns on the part of the federal government and corporations, the United States continues to fall behind. China has rapidly increased its investment in solar and wind power, becoming a leading player in the green energy space. via America is losing the green energy Continue reading →
University of Hawaii Maui College (UHMC) Special Projects Coordinator Susan Wyche has been waiting for the electric vehicle (EV) to go mainstream for a very long time. She was the keynote speaker on Monday, Nov. 7, at a meeting of the newly formed Maui chapter of Women in Renewable Energy (WiRE), a forum working to Continue reading →
Clad in a total of 5,200 shimmering blue solar panels, Sanyo’s Kasai Green Energy Park compound makes even the largest rooftop PV systems look like small potatoes. Located in Kasai, Japan, the cutting edge green research facility is decked out in Panasonic’s HIT bifacial PV panels like Christmas lights on a very enthusiastic holiday decorator’s Continue reading →
Utility companies are facing challenges unimagined five years ago on preparing grids for renewable energy, said experts at a clean energy conference on Tuesday. Speakers at the Clean Energy Expo Asia said companies globally were facing a steep learning curve in their attempts to adapt existing power grids for future electricity scenarios, in which electricity Continue reading →
Here’s a mind-bending thought: The United States can wean itself from oil and coal by 2050 — and without action by presidents or Congress. “It’s refreshing to think that we needn’t wait for Washington,” Amory Lovins told me recently. The founder and chairman of the Old Snowmass, Colo.-based Rocky Mountain Institute, Lovins has been a Continue reading →
A SMARTER, greener future for energy use may be coming too slow for some, but it is coming nonetheless. Eventually our dirty old electricity grid may provide little more than back-up power, giving us plenty of scope to retire ageing coal-fired power stations. Phil Craig, general manager of retail at Origin Energy, tells a pretty Continue reading →
In a fresh advertising campaign appearing online on Twitter, Washington Post and Huffington Post, Siemens USA asks readers and social media junkies to help define the green city. In an advertising campaign that launched on Monday, Siemens USA posed an open ended question on the nature of a sustainable “green” city. via Siemens asks: What Continue reading →
From water conservation and climate change to electric cars and energy efficiency – sustainability has moved from concept to implementation. California government is leading the way – and in many cases, sustainability is either being mandated or highly incentivized. The 2011 Green California Summit, the largest green government conference and exposition, is taking place at Continue reading →
Home appliances account for about 17% of your household’s energy consumption, with refrigerators, clothes washers, dishwashers and clothes dryers at the top. There are several ways to be clever about energy usage in the house and reduce the amount of energy as well as your electricity bill. via Greening appliances | Ethical Consumption.
Green fervor, for both types of green — cash and environment — has spawned a crowd of smart grid and energy efficiency startups: some viable and successful, many undifferentiated, most doomed. With more than $30 million in revenue, OPower easily falls into the viable category. The startup, funded by New Enterprise Associates and MHS Capital, Continue reading →
An American electronics firm is offering budding inventors from around the world the chance to win $50,000 (€39,000) and see their idea for the smart grid turned into a reality. An August report by PR company Gibbs & Soell found that most Americans are cynical about the integrity of companies that claim environmentally friendly practices; Continue reading →
Over the last four years, I have focused much of my personal time and the newspaper’s resources on trying to answer a simple question: What can we do to increase the odds that our great, great grandchildren will live on a habitable planet? I was therefore delighted when Mayor Kevin Johnson told me a few Continue reading →
