D.C. region produces more carbon dioxide than many countries
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Washington region, with its crawling traffic and several coal-fired power plants, produces more carbon dioxide than several medium-size European countries, according to a new study of pollution.
Estimates produced by the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments show 65.6 million metric tons of carbon dioxide were emitted in the region in 2005 — more than in all of Hungary, Finland, Sweden, Denmark or Switzerland. And each of those countries have more people than the Washington area.
"It's not a surprise that we compete with entire countries in Scandinavia," said Mike Tidwell, who heads the Chesapeake Climate Action Network, an environmental group. "What this data does is point up just how huge America's contribution to climate change is. .. if our one capital region is emitting on par with other industrialized countries."
The study is one of the first to inventory pollution for an entire metropolitan area, rather than just looking at individual states and cities. It has some surprising results for how carbon emissions are produced across political boundaries. The Maryland suburbs, often thought of as more liberal and environmentally friendly, produce more carbon dioxide than either the Virginia suburbs or the District of Columbia, according to the estimates.
Coal-burning power plants are among the biggest polluters, and nearby Maryland counties have three of them. When compared with a similar study of the San Francisco Bay area, Washington doesn't shape up much better. San Francisco produces more carbon dioxide than Washington at 69.7 million metric tons, but it also has more people. That means the D.C. area produces more carbon emissions on a per capita basis.
"We're kind of like a country — you know, a small country," said Judi Greenwald, director of innovative solutions at the Pew Center on Global Climate Change, a non-profit group. She said that if Washington cleaned up, the world would notice. "We can take action that is globally significant," Greenwald said.
Local governments are already working to become more "green." Arlington, Fairfax and Montgomery counties have joined a "cool counties" program that calls for more "green" buildings and hybrid cars in county fleets, and the D.C. government has mandated energy-saving features in some new buildings.
But the region's continuing growth means carbon emissions are still expected to increase 35% by 2030. So the solution may have to come from a new technology or other changes to reduce pollution while the population grows. "We don't know how we're going to meet the very, very. .. intense goal" of sharp reductions in the coming decades, said Stuart Freudberg, director of environmental programs for council of governments. "It's not going to be something we figure out — you know, six months from now, we have the answer."
http://www.usatoday.com/weather/environment/2007-09-30-dc-emissions_N.htm
Sunday, October 07, 2007
A boom in biodiesel?
By Ángel González
Seattle Times business reporter
The makeshift headquarters of Propel Biofuels looks a bit like an Allied war room before D-Day.
A map of Seattle and its environs teems with pins — potential sites for the company's green-and-white biodiesel pumps. Most of the pins mark well-established gasoline stations that sell traditional petroleum-based fuels. By striking deals to sell biodiesel there, Propel executives think they can overcome the retail-distribution obstacles that so far have kept it an alternative fuel for a small circle of green devotees.
The invasion is about to begin, with the company's first two pumps opening in mid-October. "We're not asking customers to radically change their behavior" in order to buy biodiesel, Propel founder Rob Elam said.
Biodiesel, which can be used in any diesel engine, has a following among environmentalists and well-informed car buffs. But it represents less than 1 percent of diesel consumption in the U.S., according to the latest Energy Information Administration (EIA) numbers, and is used mostly by government fleets such as King County Metro.
The Seattle area has about a dozen distributors, mostly informal operations, although Safeway sells a 20 percent biodiesel blend at some of its locations. Elam thinks it will take a healthy dose of marketing savvy — from fancy logos and flashy canopies to standardized automated-payment centers and consumer-loyalty programs — for biodiesel to succeed with mainstream consumers.
A strong retailing effort would crown the national push toward biofuels, which has gained momentum amid rising crude-oil prices and environmental concerns. Government incentives have increased the possibility of profit, helping entrepreneurs attract investment; Propel recently raised $4.75 million from venture capitalists.
A budding supply infrastructure is also beginning to reach critical mass: Washington catapulted to third place in national biodiesel-production capacity with the construction of Imperium Renewables' Grays Harbor facility, the largest in the U.S.
Imperium backed Propel with loans at the time of its inception and provides biodiesel for its pumps. (Propel's temporary base, once located atop an alehouse in Magnolia, now is nestled at Imperium's offices south of downtown Seattle, pending a move to more permanent quarters near Fremont.)
Business or hobby?
Propel isn't the only one riding on this alternative-energy élan, though it's the most ambitious.
Ballard biodiesel pioneer Dan Freeman, who offers anti-war stickers and environmental books in the auto shop where he sells alternative fuel, just opened his second biodiesel location, at Espresso Express near the University District, with the aid of a federal grant. He, too, has a new logo "very similar to the organic- food label," said Freeman, who goes by "Dr. Dan."
But as traditional gasoline retailers know, selling fuel is a tough business, with low margins, intense competition and volatile prices. Biodiesel retailers face the added challenges of setting up new distribution networks, dealing with authorities unfamiliar with biodiesel, and marketing a product that currently costs 30 to 50 cents more per gallon than conventional diesel.
"I don't think it's a get-rich-quick plan," said Sean Aydlott, who sells biodiesel by appointment from his house in Bothell and makes enough to cover his costs; he calls it "more of a hobby."
Another obstacle is that diesel users, who can make the transition to biodiesel without making any changes to their vehicles, represent a small minority of the automobile fleet.
A self-sustaining, expanding biodiesel retail sector "seems like a longshot at this point," said Marie LaRiviere, a biodiesel expert at the EIA. "It is a limited percentage of the transportation market."
Coexisting with Big Oil
Despite biodiesel's niche status, Propel's Elam said there's enough fervor in Seattle to make the fuel a big business. In 2005, the company installed a test pump near University Village, followed by similar sites in South Seattle and Issaquah.
"Truth is, we were selling a ton of biodiesel," said Elam — about 20,000 gallons a month per site.
Propel's official push will begin with two selling points: in Ballard, at Bernie's Auto on Leary Way, and at a Shell station on Bothell Way in Kenmore. The company plans to open other pumps within six to 12 weeks in Factoria, Maple Valley, Mount Vernon, Poulsbo, Seattle's Maple Leaf neighborhood, Camano Island and Bremerton.
Elam believes the secret to success is to make biodiesel visible and convenient. His team has talked to more than 100 gas-station owners on the West Coast, seeking arrangements to install pumps. "Generally the response is very enthusiastic," Elam said. "We don't ask them to have any hassle."
But coexistence with Big Oil is challenging, because existing contracts between fuel dealers and oil companies forbid placing a biodiesel pump under the canopy that carries the station's brand. Propel must have its own canopy and pump, leasing the space from the gas-station owner.
Elam says a biodiesel pump will also attract more customers to a station's convenience store, which is where retailers make most of their profits. "We give them a new revenue stream and increased visibility," he said.
The company is also looking at nontraditional fueling sites such as auto shops, but getting permits is a chore.
Municipalities are unfamiliar with biodiesel, which is not as flammable as petroleum diesel and can be stored in surface tanks. For entrepreneurs, the amount of explaining and paperwork can be daunting. Propel's proposals for stations in Lake Forest Park, downtown Bellevue and Gig Harbor are "stalled in city permitting," according to Elam.
"It took a little understanding of what they were proposing to do," Seattle planning-department spokesman Alan Justad said. He added that alternative fuels are a priority for the city and that the approval for Propel's pump at Bernie's Auto in Ballard took eight weeks, a relatively short time by Seattle standards.
Propel executives say they can make a profit on the fuel by avoiding the high overhead costs that traditionally eat up most of retailers' revenue. The biodiesel selling points will be unmanned and centrally managed, Elam said. Government incentives — like a federal tax credit for building alternative-fuel infrastructure, and exemptions from certain local taxes — may help the company's bottom line.
"Starting to break even"
As biodiesel retailing becomes more businesslike, it's generating some tension. "Dr. Dan" Freeman, who says that after six years he is "starting to break even," resents Propel's incursion into Ballard with a pump a few blocks from his home base.
"I think there's a lot of market out there. Instead of taking advantage of that market, they're exploiting mine," he said.
But there may be enough market for everybody, if the fuel catches on. An anticipated fossil-fuel crunch may help tilt the balance in biodiesel's favor.
Although petroleum diesel is currently cheaper, many analysts think its price will only increase with time. Sharp spikes in price — such as those produced by political tension or hurricanes — drive people toward alternative fuels. "After the war started all we could do was answer the phone," Freeman said.
"I've been anxiously waiting the arrival" of Dr. Dan's station at Espresso Express, said Harry Sanders, an IT project manager for King County who attended the pump's inauguration while sipping coffee. "It's pivotal to get this going to make biofuels accessible to the consumer."
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2003915502_biofuels01.html
By Ángel González
Seattle Times business reporter
The makeshift headquarters of Propel Biofuels looks a bit like an Allied war room before D-Day.
A map of Seattle and its environs teems with pins — potential sites for the company's green-and-white biodiesel pumps. Most of the pins mark well-established gasoline stations that sell traditional petroleum-based fuels. By striking deals to sell biodiesel there, Propel executives think they can overcome the retail-distribution obstacles that so far have kept it an alternative fuel for a small circle of green devotees.
The invasion is about to begin, with the company's first two pumps opening in mid-October. "We're not asking customers to radically change their behavior" in order to buy biodiesel, Propel founder Rob Elam said.
Biodiesel, which can be used in any diesel engine, has a following among environmentalists and well-informed car buffs. But it represents less than 1 percent of diesel consumption in the U.S., according to the latest Energy Information Administration (EIA) numbers, and is used mostly by government fleets such as King County Metro.
The Seattle area has about a dozen distributors, mostly informal operations, although Safeway sells a 20 percent biodiesel blend at some of its locations. Elam thinks it will take a healthy dose of marketing savvy — from fancy logos and flashy canopies to standardized automated-payment centers and consumer-loyalty programs — for biodiesel to succeed with mainstream consumers.
A strong retailing effort would crown the national push toward biofuels, which has gained momentum amid rising crude-oil prices and environmental concerns. Government incentives have increased the possibility of profit, helping entrepreneurs attract investment; Propel recently raised $4.75 million from venture capitalists.
A budding supply infrastructure is also beginning to reach critical mass: Washington catapulted to third place in national biodiesel-production capacity with the construction of Imperium Renewables' Grays Harbor facility, the largest in the U.S.
Imperium backed Propel with loans at the time of its inception and provides biodiesel for its pumps. (Propel's temporary base, once located atop an alehouse in Magnolia, now is nestled at Imperium's offices south of downtown Seattle, pending a move to more permanent quarters near Fremont.)
Business or hobby?
Propel isn't the only one riding on this alternative-energy élan, though it's the most ambitious.
Ballard biodiesel pioneer Dan Freeman, who offers anti-war stickers and environmental books in the auto shop where he sells alternative fuel, just opened his second biodiesel location, at Espresso Express near the University District, with the aid of a federal grant. He, too, has a new logo "very similar to the organic- food label," said Freeman, who goes by "Dr. Dan."
But as traditional gasoline retailers know, selling fuel is a tough business, with low margins, intense competition and volatile prices. Biodiesel retailers face the added challenges of setting up new distribution networks, dealing with authorities unfamiliar with biodiesel, and marketing a product that currently costs 30 to 50 cents more per gallon than conventional diesel.
"I don't think it's a get-rich-quick plan," said Sean Aydlott, who sells biodiesel by appointment from his house in Bothell and makes enough to cover his costs; he calls it "more of a hobby."
Another obstacle is that diesel users, who can make the transition to biodiesel without making any changes to their vehicles, represent a small minority of the automobile fleet.
A self-sustaining, expanding biodiesel retail sector "seems like a longshot at this point," said Marie LaRiviere, a biodiesel expert at the EIA. "It is a limited percentage of the transportation market."
Coexisting with Big Oil
Despite biodiesel's niche status, Propel's Elam said there's enough fervor in Seattle to make the fuel a big business. In 2005, the company installed a test pump near University Village, followed by similar sites in South Seattle and Issaquah.
"Truth is, we were selling a ton of biodiesel," said Elam — about 20,000 gallons a month per site.
Propel's official push will begin with two selling points: in Ballard, at Bernie's Auto on Leary Way, and at a Shell station on Bothell Way in Kenmore. The company plans to open other pumps within six to 12 weeks in Factoria, Maple Valley, Mount Vernon, Poulsbo, Seattle's Maple Leaf neighborhood, Camano Island and Bremerton.
Elam believes the secret to success is to make biodiesel visible and convenient. His team has talked to more than 100 gas-station owners on the West Coast, seeking arrangements to install pumps. "Generally the response is very enthusiastic," Elam said. "We don't ask them to have any hassle."
But coexistence with Big Oil is challenging, because existing contracts between fuel dealers and oil companies forbid placing a biodiesel pump under the canopy that carries the station's brand. Propel must have its own canopy and pump, leasing the space from the gas-station owner.
Elam says a biodiesel pump will also attract more customers to a station's convenience store, which is where retailers make most of their profits. "We give them a new revenue stream and increased visibility," he said.
The company is also looking at nontraditional fueling sites such as auto shops, but getting permits is a chore.
Municipalities are unfamiliar with biodiesel, which is not as flammable as petroleum diesel and can be stored in surface tanks. For entrepreneurs, the amount of explaining and paperwork can be daunting. Propel's proposals for stations in Lake Forest Park, downtown Bellevue and Gig Harbor are "stalled in city permitting," according to Elam.
"It took a little understanding of what they were proposing to do," Seattle planning-department spokesman Alan Justad said. He added that alternative fuels are a priority for the city and that the approval for Propel's pump at Bernie's Auto in Ballard took eight weeks, a relatively short time by Seattle standards.
Propel executives say they can make a profit on the fuel by avoiding the high overhead costs that traditionally eat up most of retailers' revenue. The biodiesel selling points will be unmanned and centrally managed, Elam said. Government incentives — like a federal tax credit for building alternative-fuel infrastructure, and exemptions from certain local taxes — may help the company's bottom line.
"Starting to break even"
As biodiesel retailing becomes more businesslike, it's generating some tension. "Dr. Dan" Freeman, who says that after six years he is "starting to break even," resents Propel's incursion into Ballard with a pump a few blocks from his home base.
"I think there's a lot of market out there. Instead of taking advantage of that market, they're exploiting mine," he said.
But there may be enough market for everybody, if the fuel catches on. An anticipated fossil-fuel crunch may help tilt the balance in biodiesel's favor.
Although petroleum diesel is currently cheaper, many analysts think its price will only increase with time. Sharp spikes in price — such as those produced by political tension or hurricanes — drive people toward alternative fuels. "After the war started all we could do was answer the phone," Freeman said.
"I've been anxiously waiting the arrival" of Dr. Dan's station at Espresso Express, said Harry Sanders, an IT project manager for King County who attended the pump's inauguration while sipping coffee. "It's pivotal to get this going to make biofuels accessible to the consumer."
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2003915502_biofuels01.html
London heading down greener path
The mayor has won influential allies in his quest to reduce the city's greenhouse gas emissions.
By DAVID ADAMS
October 1, 2007
LONDON - London Mayor Ken Livingstone used to be known as "Red Ken" for his unapologetically left-wing policies. These days Livingstone's politics come in shades of green. Under his leadership, the city once known as "The Big Smoke" is heading a coalition of nearly 40 international cities that have pledged to reduce emissions of heat-trapping greenhouse gases that scientists say cause climate change.
Livingstone is winning the support of some influential allies, such as New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and former President Bill Clinton. Though he doesn't head a city, Florida Gov. Charlie Crist is also among the converts. Crist flew to New York last week at the invitation of the Clinton Foundation, where he helped unveil a major solar power investment by FPL Group, Florida's largest energy company.
"Britain's cities were at the beginning of an industrial revolution that was mirrored across the world in the 18th and 19th centuries," former British environment minister David Miliband said last year in a major policy speech. "Britain's cities can lead the way again."
"London is setting the standard for climate change policy," said Chris Walker, U.S. director of the Climate Group, a nonprofit that advocates greater business and government leadership on climate change.
Scientific studies show cities contribute 75 percent of the global warming emissions in the world, Walker noted. "With that kind of carbon footprint, it's vital that cities get this right," he said. Livingstone launched his idea in 2005, bringing together 18 world cities under the Cities Climate Leadership Group. By August of the next year, his program had support from the Clinton Foundation, which has enlisted Microsoft to design an accurate emissions monitoring system for cities.
The coalition has since grown to 38 major cities, including New York, Los Angeles, Houston, Chicago and Philadelphia. It calls itself "C40," with two seats reserved for Beijing and Shanghai, which have yet to join. In February, Livingstone launched a "Climate Action Plan" with the goal of reducing London's emissions by 60 percent by 2025, using a mix of energy conservation, efficiency and renewable resources such as biofuels, wind and solar energy.
For years London was synonymous with smog, the phrase coined to describe the city's dense mix of fog and smoke from coal fires. Many of the old factory smokestacks no longer belch pollution, but air quality is still a problem. With a population of 7.5-million residents (double that in the wider metro area), London is the largest city in the European Union. If nothing is done, London's emissions are projected to increase by 15 percent to 51-million tons of carbon dioxide by 2025, officials say. (The average American car emits about 7 tons of CO2 in a year.)
"It's important we clean up our act," said Allan Jones, CEO of the London Climate Change Agency, an autonomous body created by the mayor to implement climate change projects. As a first, largely symbolic step, solar panels are being installed on the roof of City Hall, a landmark egg-shaped building opposite the Tower of London.
Officials talk of "remaking" the city based upon a "low-carbon" economic model - ultimately taking half the city off the national electricity grid by 2050. So, London is turning to small, decentralized energy systems that can supply customers more efficiently.
One method, known as Combined Heat and Power, or "co-generation," involves capturing the heat produced making electricity and using it to heat water that can warm nearby homes. In depressed east London, the city borough of Tower Hamlets teamed up with a French power utility to convert an abandoned electrical sub-station into a small co-generation plant. Capturing the heat doubles the plant's energy efficiency, says plant manager Nicolas Mugniot.
"You still have some emissions, but it saves about 1,700 tons of C02 per year," he said. Instead of natural gas, one day officials say they could use biogas captured from municipal waste sites. Recycled organic waste, including restaurant waste, could also supply electricity for up to 2-million homes in the London area, Jones says.
London has one of the most aggressive anticongestion programs in the world. It levies a fee of $16 per day for drivers entering the city center. The system has reduced carbon emissions by 16 percent within the city center, officials say. Traffic congestion has also eased. Livingstone has his sights on carbon-spewing SUVs and luxury cars, which he wants to hit with a tax keyed to their emissions.
- - -
Cities - and states like Florida - can act now, Livingstone argues, while national governments lose valuable time trapped in endless international climate change negotiations. New York and Los Angeles have ambitious plans to cut greenhouse emissions by a third over the next two decades. New York's effort to emulate London's congestion tax has so far failed to win legislative approval, however.
The members of the C40 group get most of the media attention. But mayors of more than 600 smaller American cities, including Tampa and Key Biscayne, have also signed a "climate protection agreement." "It's much easier to do it if someone else has done it," said Simon Reddy, manager of the C40 group. "You can learn from their mistakes and successes. Cities can pick and choose what's best for them."
FAST FACTS
The greening of London
- London requires new developments to draw at least 10 percent of energy needs from on-site renewable power wherever feasible. That is being applied to venues for the 2012 Olympic Games.
- London wants to save water and reduce emissions from the water treatment industry. Only 2 percent of treated water is used for human consumption. "Most goes down toilets," one official says.
- Other projects include a 1,000-megawatt offshore wind farm in the Thames Estuary, and new fleets of hybrid diesel and hydrogen buses.
- London is also encouraging homeowners to retrofit their properties with better insulation to save emissions. Buildings account for nearly 40 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, experts say, The Clinton Foundation launched a $5-billion program this year backed by major energy service companies and banks to retrofit older, energy-inefficient buildings in 15 of the world's largest cities.
http://www.sptimes.com/2007/10/01/Worldandnation/London_heading_down_g.shtml
The mayor has won influential allies in his quest to reduce the city's greenhouse gas emissions.
By DAVID ADAMS
October 1, 2007
LONDON - London Mayor Ken Livingstone used to be known as "Red Ken" for his unapologetically left-wing policies. These days Livingstone's politics come in shades of green. Under his leadership, the city once known as "The Big Smoke" is heading a coalition of nearly 40 international cities that have pledged to reduce emissions of heat-trapping greenhouse gases that scientists say cause climate change.
Livingstone is winning the support of some influential allies, such as New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and former President Bill Clinton. Though he doesn't head a city, Florida Gov. Charlie Crist is also among the converts. Crist flew to New York last week at the invitation of the Clinton Foundation, where he helped unveil a major solar power investment by FPL Group, Florida's largest energy company.
"Britain's cities were at the beginning of an industrial revolution that was mirrored across the world in the 18th and 19th centuries," former British environment minister David Miliband said last year in a major policy speech. "Britain's cities can lead the way again."
"London is setting the standard for climate change policy," said Chris Walker, U.S. director of the Climate Group, a nonprofit that advocates greater business and government leadership on climate change.
Scientific studies show cities contribute 75 percent of the global warming emissions in the world, Walker noted. "With that kind of carbon footprint, it's vital that cities get this right," he said. Livingstone launched his idea in 2005, bringing together 18 world cities under the Cities Climate Leadership Group. By August of the next year, his program had support from the Clinton Foundation, which has enlisted Microsoft to design an accurate emissions monitoring system for cities.
The coalition has since grown to 38 major cities, including New York, Los Angeles, Houston, Chicago and Philadelphia. It calls itself "C40," with two seats reserved for Beijing and Shanghai, which have yet to join. In February, Livingstone launched a "Climate Action Plan" with the goal of reducing London's emissions by 60 percent by 2025, using a mix of energy conservation, efficiency and renewable resources such as biofuels, wind and solar energy.
For years London was synonymous with smog, the phrase coined to describe the city's dense mix of fog and smoke from coal fires. Many of the old factory smokestacks no longer belch pollution, but air quality is still a problem. With a population of 7.5-million residents (double that in the wider metro area), London is the largest city in the European Union. If nothing is done, London's emissions are projected to increase by 15 percent to 51-million tons of carbon dioxide by 2025, officials say. (The average American car emits about 7 tons of CO2 in a year.)
"It's important we clean up our act," said Allan Jones, CEO of the London Climate Change Agency, an autonomous body created by the mayor to implement climate change projects. As a first, largely symbolic step, solar panels are being installed on the roof of City Hall, a landmark egg-shaped building opposite the Tower of London.
Officials talk of "remaking" the city based upon a "low-carbon" economic model - ultimately taking half the city off the national electricity grid by 2050. So, London is turning to small, decentralized energy systems that can supply customers more efficiently.
One method, known as Combined Heat and Power, or "co-generation," involves capturing the heat produced making electricity and using it to heat water that can warm nearby homes. In depressed east London, the city borough of Tower Hamlets teamed up with a French power utility to convert an abandoned electrical sub-station into a small co-generation plant. Capturing the heat doubles the plant's energy efficiency, says plant manager Nicolas Mugniot.
"You still have some emissions, but it saves about 1,700 tons of C02 per year," he said. Instead of natural gas, one day officials say they could use biogas captured from municipal waste sites. Recycled organic waste, including restaurant waste, could also supply electricity for up to 2-million homes in the London area, Jones says.
London has one of the most aggressive anticongestion programs in the world. It levies a fee of $16 per day for drivers entering the city center. The system has reduced carbon emissions by 16 percent within the city center, officials say. Traffic congestion has also eased. Livingstone has his sights on carbon-spewing SUVs and luxury cars, which he wants to hit with a tax keyed to their emissions.
- - -
Cities - and states like Florida - can act now, Livingstone argues, while national governments lose valuable time trapped in endless international climate change negotiations. New York and Los Angeles have ambitious plans to cut greenhouse emissions by a third over the next two decades. New York's effort to emulate London's congestion tax has so far failed to win legislative approval, however.
The members of the C40 group get most of the media attention. But mayors of more than 600 smaller American cities, including Tampa and Key Biscayne, have also signed a "climate protection agreement." "It's much easier to do it if someone else has done it," said Simon Reddy, manager of the C40 group. "You can learn from their mistakes and successes. Cities can pick and choose what's best for them."
FAST FACTS
The greening of London
- London requires new developments to draw at least 10 percent of energy needs from on-site renewable power wherever feasible. That is being applied to venues for the 2012 Olympic Games.
- London wants to save water and reduce emissions from the water treatment industry. Only 2 percent of treated water is used for human consumption. "Most goes down toilets," one official says.
- Other projects include a 1,000-megawatt offshore wind farm in the Thames Estuary, and new fleets of hybrid diesel and hydrogen buses.
- London is also encouraging homeowners to retrofit their properties with better insulation to save emissions. Buildings account for nearly 40 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, experts say, The Clinton Foundation launched a $5-billion program this year backed by major energy service companies and banks to retrofit older, energy-inefficient buildings in 15 of the world's largest cities.
http://www.sptimes.com/2007/10/01/Worldandnation/London_heading_down_g.shtml
In France, mini fuel pumps will soon adorn homes
By Corrie Salientes
NarismaInquirer
10/02/2007
Want to gas up at home with your very own mini refueling station? This may not be such a far-fetched idea anymore. Some countries have started to adopt this technology in support of efforts to encourage people to shift to natural gas-fed vehicles for cleaner environment.
Showcased in an exhibit during the 2007 Gas Conference in Paris held last month were a CNG (compressed natural gas) mini refueling station for homes -- only about double the size of a residential circuit breaker -- and a prototype of a CNG-fed Toyota Prius II. Both were innovations of Gaz de France, a major player in Europe’s natural gas sector.
Gaz de France’s mini home refueling station was born out of necessity. France, like several other European countries, has decided to go full blast in the promotion of natural gas use not only for power generation but also for transport fuel.
Commitments
But unlike Germany, Italy, Switzerland and Austria, France does not have a chain of public pump stations for natural gas, although oil companies and distributors committed to install at least 300 natural gas filling stations between now and 2010. This plan formed part of the undertaking entered into in 2005 by members of the French Association for Natural Gas Vehicles. Under the agreement, vehicle manufacturers will develop four-seater car models. The government will then provide a permanent tax incentive system, while Gaz de France will establish conditions that will lead to the adoption of a home refueling system.
In line with this commitment, Gaz de France started offering home natural gas packages, but only to customers whose houses were connected to existing natural gas network. The mini gas refueling unit is not even for sale. It is leased to customers by the company.
Practical, easy to use
The mini station -- which compresses the gas to 200 bar, equivalent to the pressure of air in a scuba diver’s air cylinder -- may be installed by trained personnel in a private garage, garden or driveway. It is checked regularly by technicians, and is guaranteed by Gaz de France.
Once the unit is set up, fixed to a wall and connected to the gas network, all the customer needs to do is to connect the loading nozzle to the car and press the “on” button. It automatically stops operating when the tank is full. A 50-km drive will need about three hours of refueling. A customer pays a basic monthly charge of 29 euros for the equipment and home refueling service, plus the cost of the gas consumed. Under the Gaz de France package, natural gas fuel costs 0.58 euro per cubic meter, equivalent to a liter of 98 octane super gasoline. This, according to the company, is about 50 percent less than the price of gasoline and 40 percent lower than that of diesel.
Perks
While vehicle makers, gas distributors and energy companies in France provide all the necessary tools that will encourage people to shift to natural gas as transport fuel, the French government sweetens the package and throws in tax incentives both to individual and corporate users.
A 2,000-euro tax credit is given to an individual user at the time of the original purchase of CNG-powered vehicle. The amount goes up to 3,000 euros if the purchase of the CNG-powered car is accompanied by the destruction (by an authorized agency) of a gasoline-run private car registered before Jan. 1, 1997 and acquired at least 12 months prior to the date of destruction.
Companies shifting to vehicles operating solely or partially on natural gas get tax exemption on the purchase of the units and are allowed a 100-percent recovery of value-added tax on fuels.
http://business.inquirer.net/money/features/view_article.php?article_id=91933
By Corrie Salientes
NarismaInquirer
10/02/2007
Want to gas up at home with your very own mini refueling station? This may not be such a far-fetched idea anymore. Some countries have started to adopt this technology in support of efforts to encourage people to shift to natural gas-fed vehicles for cleaner environment.
Showcased in an exhibit during the 2007 Gas Conference in Paris held last month were a CNG (compressed natural gas) mini refueling station for homes -- only about double the size of a residential circuit breaker -- and a prototype of a CNG-fed Toyota Prius II. Both were innovations of Gaz de France, a major player in Europe’s natural gas sector.
Gaz de France’s mini home refueling station was born out of necessity. France, like several other European countries, has decided to go full blast in the promotion of natural gas use not only for power generation but also for transport fuel.
Commitments
But unlike Germany, Italy, Switzerland and Austria, France does not have a chain of public pump stations for natural gas, although oil companies and distributors committed to install at least 300 natural gas filling stations between now and 2010. This plan formed part of the undertaking entered into in 2005 by members of the French Association for Natural Gas Vehicles. Under the agreement, vehicle manufacturers will develop four-seater car models. The government will then provide a permanent tax incentive system, while Gaz de France will establish conditions that will lead to the adoption of a home refueling system.
In line with this commitment, Gaz de France started offering home natural gas packages, but only to customers whose houses were connected to existing natural gas network. The mini gas refueling unit is not even for sale. It is leased to customers by the company.
Practical, easy to use
The mini station -- which compresses the gas to 200 bar, equivalent to the pressure of air in a scuba diver’s air cylinder -- may be installed by trained personnel in a private garage, garden or driveway. It is checked regularly by technicians, and is guaranteed by Gaz de France.
Once the unit is set up, fixed to a wall and connected to the gas network, all the customer needs to do is to connect the loading nozzle to the car and press the “on” button. It automatically stops operating when the tank is full. A 50-km drive will need about three hours of refueling. A customer pays a basic monthly charge of 29 euros for the equipment and home refueling service, plus the cost of the gas consumed. Under the Gaz de France package, natural gas fuel costs 0.58 euro per cubic meter, equivalent to a liter of 98 octane super gasoline. This, according to the company, is about 50 percent less than the price of gasoline and 40 percent lower than that of diesel.
Perks
While vehicle makers, gas distributors and energy companies in France provide all the necessary tools that will encourage people to shift to natural gas as transport fuel, the French government sweetens the package and throws in tax incentives both to individual and corporate users.
A 2,000-euro tax credit is given to an individual user at the time of the original purchase of CNG-powered vehicle. The amount goes up to 3,000 euros if the purchase of the CNG-powered car is accompanied by the destruction (by an authorized agency) of a gasoline-run private car registered before Jan. 1, 1997 and acquired at least 12 months prior to the date of destruction.
Companies shifting to vehicles operating solely or partially on natural gas get tax exemption on the purchase of the units and are allowed a 100-percent recovery of value-added tax on fuels.
http://business.inquirer.net/money/features/view_article.php?article_id=91933
A Tale of Two Cities: High-Profile Events Push China’s Urban Development
Ling Li – October 2, 2007
As Beijing counts down to the 2008 Summer Olympics, Shanghai, another modern city on China’s east coast, is gearing up for its own big event: the 2010 World Expo. This marks the first time that developing-country cities will host both high-level world events. Beijing and Shanghai hope the activities will help accelerate their urban development through infrastructure investments, environmental improvement, and public participation.
China’s booming economic growth has led to rapid industrialization and urbanization, as well as to associated damage to human health, natural resources, and the environment. Half of all Chinese people will live in cities by 2010, up from some 44 percent of the population in 2006. But air contamination, lagging environmental infrastructure, and the lack of effective pollution controls remain major challenges to China’s urban environment.
Beijing ploughed nearly 284 billion yuan (US$38 billion) into infrastructure development between 2002 and 2006, nearly double the level of the previous five years. As a result, the city’s rail-based public transportation network has been expanded, and the wastewater treatment rate in the downtown area has reached nearly 90 percent, up from only 42 percent in 2001. The rate of municipal solid waste treatment has increased as well, to some 97 percent. The average ‘green space’ coverage per Beijing resident is some 12 square meters, and the city’s overall green coverage is now nearly 50 percent.
The Olympic Games have become a major force driving Beijing’s economic development, spurring average annual growth of nearly 12 percent over the past five years. But whether such growth can be sustained after the Olympics remains a question, as industries such as tourism, restaurants, financial services, and real estate are expected to face a downturn. “Beijing should take the 2008 Olympic Games as a new start for its city development,” the local government noted in a report to China’s Communist Party. Over the next five years, Beijing aims to transition from a traditional, manufacturing-based economic structure to a new economic model comprising high-tech industry, cultural innovation, and modern services, agriculture, and manufacturing.
The World Expo in Shanghai will last for half a year, compared with the half-month Olympic gala in Beijing. With its theme of urban development (‘better city, better life’), the Expo will demonstrate cutting-edge technologies to improve urban living. “Shanghai is a city still under development, and we need to embrace new concepts for its future,” Vice Mayor Yang Xiong said in a media interview. “Meanwhile, as the host city for the Expo, Shanghai will attract visitors from all over the world, which will provide a great opportunity for Shanghai’s citizens’ economic and social development.”
Shanghai has been taking active measures to create a better urban living environment. These include implementing a 50-percent energy-efficiency standard in all new buildings, creating the world’s first “eco-city” with a minimal ecological footprint on Chongming Island, and launching 10 major citywide energy-saving projects, from renovating electrical devices and adopting “green” lighting to installing sulfur-removal and wastewater treatment equipment in coal-fired power plants. In 2006, the Shanghai Environmental Protection Bureau invested 40 billion yuan (US$5.3 billion) to improve local environmental infrastructure, with the goal of boosting the municipal wastewater treatment rate above 75 percent and the solid waste treatment rate above 80 percent by 2010.
Another major benefit—and challenge—of these two upcoming events for both Shanghai and Beijing is to improve citizens’ behavior. The Beijing Olympic Committee has launched several campaigns to encourage residents to improve their awareness of personal manners “for Olympic glory”—including not spitting on the road. Shanghai expects the World Expo to open the eyes of its citizens and to inspire innovation, particularly among the city’s youth.
China Watch is a joint initiative of the Worldwatch Institute and Beijing-based Global Environmental Institute (GEI) and is supported by the blue moon fund.
http://www.worldwatch.org/node/5383
Ling Li – October 2, 2007
As Beijing counts down to the 2008 Summer Olympics, Shanghai, another modern city on China’s east coast, is gearing up for its own big event: the 2010 World Expo. This marks the first time that developing-country cities will host both high-level world events. Beijing and Shanghai hope the activities will help accelerate their urban development through infrastructure investments, environmental improvement, and public participation.
China’s booming economic growth has led to rapid industrialization and urbanization, as well as to associated damage to human health, natural resources, and the environment. Half of all Chinese people will live in cities by 2010, up from some 44 percent of the population in 2006. But air contamination, lagging environmental infrastructure, and the lack of effective pollution controls remain major challenges to China’s urban environment.
Beijing ploughed nearly 284 billion yuan (US$38 billion) into infrastructure development between 2002 and 2006, nearly double the level of the previous five years. As a result, the city’s rail-based public transportation network has been expanded, and the wastewater treatment rate in the downtown area has reached nearly 90 percent, up from only 42 percent in 2001. The rate of municipal solid waste treatment has increased as well, to some 97 percent. The average ‘green space’ coverage per Beijing resident is some 12 square meters, and the city’s overall green coverage is now nearly 50 percent.
The Olympic Games have become a major force driving Beijing’s economic development, spurring average annual growth of nearly 12 percent over the past five years. But whether such growth can be sustained after the Olympics remains a question, as industries such as tourism, restaurants, financial services, and real estate are expected to face a downturn. “Beijing should take the 2008 Olympic Games as a new start for its city development,” the local government noted in a report to China’s Communist Party. Over the next five years, Beijing aims to transition from a traditional, manufacturing-based economic structure to a new economic model comprising high-tech industry, cultural innovation, and modern services, agriculture, and manufacturing.
The World Expo in Shanghai will last for half a year, compared with the half-month Olympic gala in Beijing. With its theme of urban development (‘better city, better life’), the Expo will demonstrate cutting-edge technologies to improve urban living. “Shanghai is a city still under development, and we need to embrace new concepts for its future,” Vice Mayor Yang Xiong said in a media interview. “Meanwhile, as the host city for the Expo, Shanghai will attract visitors from all over the world, which will provide a great opportunity for Shanghai’s citizens’ economic and social development.”
Shanghai has been taking active measures to create a better urban living environment. These include implementing a 50-percent energy-efficiency standard in all new buildings, creating the world’s first “eco-city” with a minimal ecological footprint on Chongming Island, and launching 10 major citywide energy-saving projects, from renovating electrical devices and adopting “green” lighting to installing sulfur-removal and wastewater treatment equipment in coal-fired power plants. In 2006, the Shanghai Environmental Protection Bureau invested 40 billion yuan (US$5.3 billion) to improve local environmental infrastructure, with the goal of boosting the municipal wastewater treatment rate above 75 percent and the solid waste treatment rate above 80 percent by 2010.
Another major benefit—and challenge—of these two upcoming events for both Shanghai and Beijing is to improve citizens’ behavior. The Beijing Olympic Committee has launched several campaigns to encourage residents to improve their awareness of personal manners “for Olympic glory”—including not spitting on the road. Shanghai expects the World Expo to open the eyes of its citizens and to inspire innovation, particularly among the city’s youth.
China Watch is a joint initiative of the Worldwatch Institute and Beijing-based Global Environmental Institute (GEI) and is supported by the blue moon fund.
http://www.worldwatch.org/node/5383
Power Plant Plans $100M Expansion
ELIOT BROWN
Special to the Sun
October 2, 2007
Facing a rising citywide demand for electricity, a Brooklyn-based power plant is seeking to increase its capacity, with plans to spend more than $100 million to expand its Sunset Park facility. The owner of the plant, Astoria Generating Company, a subsidiary of US Power Generating Company, announced yesterday that it is applying to add 100 to 150 megawatts of capacity to its 560-megawatt facility, an alteration that will require the operator to go through a lengthy environmental review process.
In a statement, the company pledged that the changes to its facility would result in a net decrease in emissions, a commitment that received praise from Mayor Bloomberg. "It could serve as a prime example of an innovative measure that promotes both environmental sustainability and economic development," Mr. Bloomberg said in a statement.
The city has been pushing for power companies to invest in cleaner energy as the city's demand for electricity increases with its population. The Bloomberg administration's long-term sustainability plan, PlaNYC, predicts total demand for electricity will grow by 44% between 2005 and 2030, rising to 72 million megawatts a year.
The announcement by US Power Generating Company was greeted with caution by a community group critical of the Sunset Park plant, Uprose. "If the proposal itself can demonstrate that there will be a net reduction, then that's something that we will live with," the group's executive director, Elizabeth Yeampierre, said of emissions. "We understand that there is an increased demand for energy."
http://www.nysun.com/article/63751
ELIOT BROWN
Special to the Sun
October 2, 2007
Facing a rising citywide demand for electricity, a Brooklyn-based power plant is seeking to increase its capacity, with plans to spend more than $100 million to expand its Sunset Park facility. The owner of the plant, Astoria Generating Company, a subsidiary of US Power Generating Company, announced yesterday that it is applying to add 100 to 150 megawatts of capacity to its 560-megawatt facility, an alteration that will require the operator to go through a lengthy environmental review process.
In a statement, the company pledged that the changes to its facility would result in a net decrease in emissions, a commitment that received praise from Mayor Bloomberg. "It could serve as a prime example of an innovative measure that promotes both environmental sustainability and economic development," Mr. Bloomberg said in a statement.
The city has been pushing for power companies to invest in cleaner energy as the city's demand for electricity increases with its population. The Bloomberg administration's long-term sustainability plan, PlaNYC, predicts total demand for electricity will grow by 44% between 2005 and 2030, rising to 72 million megawatts a year.
The announcement by US Power Generating Company was greeted with caution by a community group critical of the Sunset Park plant, Uprose. "If the proposal itself can demonstrate that there will be a net reduction, then that's something that we will live with," the group's executive director, Elizabeth Yeampierre, said of emissions. "We understand that there is an increased demand for energy."
http://www.nysun.com/article/63751
More green building projects sprouting up in Chicago
by Jim Collins Oct 03, 2007
Building green is not just environmentally friendly; it’s also a smart business decision.New developments like Eco18, a 12-story mixed-use building at 1818 S. Wabash Ave., are using their sustainable features as selling points to potential tenants.
“They are trying to differentiate themselves, and they are using it in their marketing,” said Hill Burgess, director of Wight and Company, the Darien, Ill.-based architectural firm that designed the South Loop building.
Eco18’s Web site boasts an 11,250 square foot green roof, lower electricity bills and a solar thermal hot water system. The building is one of many in Chicago now seeking certification from the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program, a nationally accepted benchmark for green design. Doug Widener, executive director of the Chicago chapter of the green building council, said Chicago is more active in LEED certification than any other city, with about 200 developments either registered or certified as LEED buildings.
“It’s definitely on the forefront in Chicago,” Widener said. The City of Chicago is adding to the trend with its mandate that all new public buildings are built with LEED certification. The city also offers an expedited building permit process to developers seeking this designation. Hines, developer of the 60-story tower being built on the Chicago River at 300 N. LaSalle St., is also using its green design to gain an edge in the office market. Signs in front of the construction site claim the new building will help “save on energy and water costs by maximizing efficiency” and “increase productivity by maximizing the use of natural light.” Aaron Bowman, Hines’ construction manager, said LEED certification is a definite selling advantage, as many tenants now expect environmentally friendly buildings.
He said the designation is now becoming a standard for all Hines high-rise developments.“It comes down to three things – it’s marketing, it’s becoming our protocol and it’s the right thing to do,” Bowman said. The office tower’s green features include a significant amount of natural light, a green roof and the use of Chicago River water as condenser water, which eliminates the need for traditional cooling towers. As the anchor tenant of the building, Chicago law firm Kirkland and Ellis will occupy about half of the 1.3 million square feet. Senior partner Kevin Evanich said the green design helped fulfill both economic and ethical desires for the firm.LEED certification uses a rating system to evaluate applicants in five areas – sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor environmental quality.
Buildings can receive silver, gold and platinum certificates.Burgess said developments can achieve silver certificates with little or no additional costs. Gold and platinum may require more investment, but Burgess said the energy-efficient design should eventually pay off. Wight and Company has completed six LEED certified developments, and has 11 LEED projects currently in the works. “The market is really picking up on this,” Burgess said. “It’s quickly becoming the norm.”
http://news.medill.northwestern.edu/chicago/news.aspx?id=63077
by Jim Collins Oct 03, 2007
Building green is not just environmentally friendly; it’s also a smart business decision.New developments like Eco18, a 12-story mixed-use building at 1818 S. Wabash Ave., are using their sustainable features as selling points to potential tenants.
“They are trying to differentiate themselves, and they are using it in their marketing,” said Hill Burgess, director of Wight and Company, the Darien, Ill.-based architectural firm that designed the South Loop building.
Eco18’s Web site boasts an 11,250 square foot green roof, lower electricity bills and a solar thermal hot water system. The building is one of many in Chicago now seeking certification from the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program, a nationally accepted benchmark for green design. Doug Widener, executive director of the Chicago chapter of the green building council, said Chicago is more active in LEED certification than any other city, with about 200 developments either registered or certified as LEED buildings.
“It’s definitely on the forefront in Chicago,” Widener said. The City of Chicago is adding to the trend with its mandate that all new public buildings are built with LEED certification. The city also offers an expedited building permit process to developers seeking this designation. Hines, developer of the 60-story tower being built on the Chicago River at 300 N. LaSalle St., is also using its green design to gain an edge in the office market. Signs in front of the construction site claim the new building will help “save on energy and water costs by maximizing efficiency” and “increase productivity by maximizing the use of natural light.” Aaron Bowman, Hines’ construction manager, said LEED certification is a definite selling advantage, as many tenants now expect environmentally friendly buildings.
He said the designation is now becoming a standard for all Hines high-rise developments.“It comes down to three things – it’s marketing, it’s becoming our protocol and it’s the right thing to do,” Bowman said. The office tower’s green features include a significant amount of natural light, a green roof and the use of Chicago River water as condenser water, which eliminates the need for traditional cooling towers. As the anchor tenant of the building, Chicago law firm Kirkland and Ellis will occupy about half of the 1.3 million square feet. Senior partner Kevin Evanich said the green design helped fulfill both economic and ethical desires for the firm.LEED certification uses a rating system to evaluate applicants in five areas – sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor environmental quality.
Buildings can receive silver, gold and platinum certificates.Burgess said developments can achieve silver certificates with little or no additional costs. Gold and platinum may require more investment, but Burgess said the energy-efficient design should eventually pay off. Wight and Company has completed six LEED certified developments, and has 11 LEED projects currently in the works. “The market is really picking up on this,” Burgess said. “It’s quickly becoming the norm.”
http://news.medill.northwestern.edu/chicago/news.aspx?id=63077
Energy Consumption for Getting to and from Buildings Exceeds Energy Use for Operations
BRATTLEBORO, VERMONT,
Oct. 4
E-Wire
Getting people to and from buildings often uses more energy than the buildings themselves consume, according to a recent examination of the "transportation energy intensity" of buildings. The lead article in the September 2007 issue of Environmental Building News shows that for an average office building in the United States, office workers expend 30 percent more energy commuting to and from the building than the building itself consumes for heating, cooling, lighting, and other uses. For an office building built to modern energy codes, the fraction of energy used for transportation is much greater.
"This was a huge surprise," says Environmental Building News (EBN) executive editor Alex Wilson, author of the article. "I knew that transportation energy requirements were significant, but I was amazed at the differences." For the article, Wilson analyzed U.S. data on commuting distance and vehicle fuel economy, the split among commuting options, and the building square footage per employee to normalize transportation energy intensity in Btus per square foot per year. He then compared that transportation energy intensity to the average building energy use (also in Btus/ft2-yr) for average existing office buildings and buildings designed to comply with today's energy codes.
The bottom line is that for an average office building in the U.S., commuting to and from the building uses about 120,000 Btus/ft2-yr, or 30 percent more than the building itself consumes (93,000 Btu/ft2-yr). For an office building that is compliant with today's stringent energy code (ASHRAE 90.1-2004), the difference is even greater, with the transportation energy use 2.4 times the operating energy use of 51,000 Btu/ft2-yr. "The green building community has expended tremendous effort to reduce the operating energy use of buildings," notes Wilson, "but very little effort to reduce the transportation energy use of those buildings." He would like to see this change. "To achieve widely shared goals for mitigating climate change," says Wilson, "we simply can't ignore the energy consumption of getting to and from our buildings."
Many of the strategies for reducing the transportation energy intensity of buildings relate to location. The September EBN article, "Driving to Green Buildings: The Transportation Energy Intensity of Buildings," reviews a wide range of strategies for reducing vehicle use. Such strategies are often lumped under the heading "transit-oriented development" and include increasing development density, creating mixed-use development, providing various forms of public transit, restricting parking, and creating more pedestrian-friendly streetscapes.
"Although progressive urban planners have been advocating for such development features for years," says Wilson, "the building industry has only recently begun paying attention to these issues."
About Environmental Building News and BuildingGreen :
Environment Building News (EBN) is the oldest and one of the most respected sources of green building information in North America. Celebrating its 15th year of publication in 2007, EBN has never carried advertising and is supported entirely by subscription revenue. BuildingGreen, Inc., the publisher of EBN, is a 20-person company based in Brattleboro, Vermont. The article on transportation energy intensity can be accessed free at www.BuildingGreen.com.
http://www.ewire.com/display.cfm/Wire_ID/4261
BRATTLEBORO, VERMONT,
Oct. 4
E-Wire
Getting people to and from buildings often uses more energy than the buildings themselves consume, according to a recent examination of the "transportation energy intensity" of buildings. The lead article in the September 2007 issue of Environmental Building News shows that for an average office building in the United States, office workers expend 30 percent more energy commuting to and from the building than the building itself consumes for heating, cooling, lighting, and other uses. For an office building built to modern energy codes, the fraction of energy used for transportation is much greater.
"This was a huge surprise," says Environmental Building News (EBN) executive editor Alex Wilson, author of the article. "I knew that transportation energy requirements were significant, but I was amazed at the differences." For the article, Wilson analyzed U.S. data on commuting distance and vehicle fuel economy, the split among commuting options, and the building square footage per employee to normalize transportation energy intensity in Btus per square foot per year. He then compared that transportation energy intensity to the average building energy use (also in Btus/ft2-yr) for average existing office buildings and buildings designed to comply with today's energy codes.
The bottom line is that for an average office building in the U.S., commuting to and from the building uses about 120,000 Btus/ft2-yr, or 30 percent more than the building itself consumes (93,000 Btu/ft2-yr). For an office building that is compliant with today's stringent energy code (ASHRAE 90.1-2004), the difference is even greater, with the transportation energy use 2.4 times the operating energy use of 51,000 Btu/ft2-yr. "The green building community has expended tremendous effort to reduce the operating energy use of buildings," notes Wilson, "but very little effort to reduce the transportation energy use of those buildings." He would like to see this change. "To achieve widely shared goals for mitigating climate change," says Wilson, "we simply can't ignore the energy consumption of getting to and from our buildings."
Many of the strategies for reducing the transportation energy intensity of buildings relate to location. The September EBN article, "Driving to Green Buildings: The Transportation Energy Intensity of Buildings," reviews a wide range of strategies for reducing vehicle use. Such strategies are often lumped under the heading "transit-oriented development" and include increasing development density, creating mixed-use development, providing various forms of public transit, restricting parking, and creating more pedestrian-friendly streetscapes.
"Although progressive urban planners have been advocating for such development features for years," says Wilson, "the building industry has only recently begun paying attention to these issues."
About Environmental Building News and BuildingGreen :
Environment Building News (EBN) is the oldest and one of the most respected sources of green building information in North America. Celebrating its 15th year of publication in 2007, EBN has never carried advertising and is supported entirely by subscription revenue. BuildingGreen, Inc., the publisher of EBN, is a 20-person company based in Brattleboro, Vermont. The article on transportation energy intensity can be accessed free at www.BuildingGreen.com.
http://www.ewire.com/display.cfm/Wire_ID/4261
For Sale: San Francisco Wind-Powered Home
AER Staff
04 October 2007
If you are in the market for a zero-energy home in San Francisco's Mission District that comes with its own wind turbine, you are in luck.According to a news story on Inhabit.com, La Casa Verde is on the market. The 4,800 square-foot home was designed by John Lum Architecture and built by Meridian Builders and Developers as part of Sunset Magazine's 2007 Idea House Program. Even within a city with no shortage of architectural landmarks, La Casa Verde is unique because of its Skystream 3.7 wind turbine. The home is believed to be the first San Francisco private residence to include this particular renewable energy source.The house also includes a solar water-heating system and rainwater tanks - as well as an indoor lap pool, which clearly benefits from such renewable features.Even before construction was completed, La Casa Verde attracted local attention, both as an example of clean technology in construction and as example of inventive home remodeling. Open house tours will be conducted at La Casa Verde through the end of this month.
AER Staff
04 October 2007
If you are in the market for a zero-energy home in San Francisco's Mission District that comes with its own wind turbine, you are in luck.According to a news story on Inhabit.com, La Casa Verde is on the market. The 4,800 square-foot home was designed by John Lum Architecture and built by Meridian Builders and Developers as part of Sunset Magazine's 2007 Idea House Program. Even within a city with no shortage of architectural landmarks, La Casa Verde is unique because of its Skystream 3.7 wind turbine. The home is believed to be the first San Francisco private residence to include this particular renewable energy source.The house also includes a solar water-heating system and rainwater tanks - as well as an indoor lap pool, which clearly benefits from such renewable features.Even before construction was completed, La Casa Verde attracted local attention, both as an example of clean technology in construction and as example of inventive home remodeling. Open house tours will be conducted at La Casa Verde through the end of this month.
Paris adopts 'climate plan' to slash emissions in city
PARIS (AFP) — Paris on Monday adopted a plan aimed at slashing the city's greenhouse-gas emissions and energy use, as France gears up for a high-profile conference on the environment. Under the plan adopted by the mayors of Paris's 20 districts, both left- and right-wing, city authorities pledge to cut the emissions and energy consumption of public buildings and services by 30 percent by 2020. The city hopes to able to slash overall transport emissions by a quarter.
The Socialist mayor of Paris Bertrand Delanoe -- who championed green projects including new tramway lines, cycle paths and a cheap mass bike-rental scheme -- said the climate plans were a "choice of civilisation."
"The environmental emergency is the greatest challenge of this century," he said ahead of the plan's adoption.
Paris city authorities have already taken steps to reduce their environmental impact, using "clean" vehicles and recycled paper, and ensuring that all new public housing answers to high environmental standards, he said.
Future plans include the creation of eco-neighbourhoods and the signature of an environmental partnership with the foundation of former US president Bill Clinton. Delanoe's right-wing rival for municipal elections next year, Francoise de Panafieu, said she backed the plan given the "historic stakes" involved, but criticised it as too little, too late.
French big business, trade unions, government and environmental groups are to come together later this month for a high-profile summit chaired by President Nicolas Sarkozy, billed as the start of a "green revolution." Last week participants unveiled a raft of measures to be put to a public debate this month and finalised at the summit.
They include green taxes on gas-guzzling cars, lower speed limits, eco-labels on supermarket food, a cutback in pesticide use and new rules on energy efficiency in the construction industry.
http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5igtjcWR463yWoPT8raWlnzx-2N2g
PARIS (AFP) — Paris on Monday adopted a plan aimed at slashing the city's greenhouse-gas emissions and energy use, as France gears up for a high-profile conference on the environment. Under the plan adopted by the mayors of Paris's 20 districts, both left- and right-wing, city authorities pledge to cut the emissions and energy consumption of public buildings and services by 30 percent by 2020. The city hopes to able to slash overall transport emissions by a quarter.
The Socialist mayor of Paris Bertrand Delanoe -- who championed green projects including new tramway lines, cycle paths and a cheap mass bike-rental scheme -- said the climate plans were a "choice of civilisation."
"The environmental emergency is the greatest challenge of this century," he said ahead of the plan's adoption.
Paris city authorities have already taken steps to reduce their environmental impact, using "clean" vehicles and recycled paper, and ensuring that all new public housing answers to high environmental standards, he said.
Future plans include the creation of eco-neighbourhoods and the signature of an environmental partnership with the foundation of former US president Bill Clinton. Delanoe's right-wing rival for municipal elections next year, Francoise de Panafieu, said she backed the plan given the "historic stakes" involved, but criticised it as too little, too late.
French big business, trade unions, government and environmental groups are to come together later this month for a high-profile summit chaired by President Nicolas Sarkozy, billed as the start of a "green revolution." Last week participants unveiled a raft of measures to be put to a public debate this month and finalised at the summit.
They include green taxes on gas-guzzling cars, lower speed limits, eco-labels on supermarket food, a cutback in pesticide use and new rules on energy efficiency in the construction industry.
http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5igtjcWR463yWoPT8raWlnzx-2N2g
A congestion pricing plan can refuel this city's future
BY PETER HENDY
Thursday, October 4th 2007
Be Our Guest: The commission created to decide whether congestion pricing will work in New York has finished its first meeting, and it must not ignore the success seen in London."
Be Our Guest
This week, Mayor Bloomberg checked out London's road-pricing plan. Back in New York, he must persuade the City Council and the state Legislature to support his plan, which calls for charging drivers to enter Manhattan south of 86th St. on weekdays between 6 a.m. and 6p.m. The commission created to decide whether congestion pricing will work in New York has finished its first meeting, and it must not ignore the success seen in London.
Four years into London's congestion pricing plan, officials are continuing to improve on the idea. In seeking to address climate-change concerns, London Mayor Ken Livingstone has asked Transport for London to go further in reducing carbon dioxide emissions in the congestion-pricing zone. Planners are currently consulting Londoners on the idea of introducing emissions-related charging to encourage those who continue to drive to use lower CO2-emitting vehicles. Those people with vehicles that produce the least CO2 would get a discount on the $16-a-day charge, while those people who drive so-called gas guzzlers would pay $50 a day. If introduced, this would encourage Londoners to really think about the car they drive and the impact it has on the environment.
It's an idea that may serve New York well, too.
In 2003, London introduced congestion pricing to the central, most clogged-up part of the city. London, like New York, was experiencing gridlock, which was damaging the economy and making London a less desirable place to live and work. So, something had to be done to reduce the number of vehicles on the roads. In a brave policy decision, Livingstone instructed the Transport for London to develop a congestion price for central London. Doubters said the public transportation system would not cope, the computer system could not support it, the economy would suffer and traffic would divert onto roads bordering the zone.
More than four years later, the critics have been proven wrong.
Traffic in the congestion-pricing zone has been reduced by more than 20% - resulting in more reliable and safer journeys for businesses, bus passengers, cyclists and pedestrians. It also means, according to many businesses, a more pleasant working environment and benefits for employees using public transportation. The number of bicycle trips within the central zone has grown by 43% since February 2003. Carbon dioxide emissions in the zone have fallen by 16%. Road safety is improving, with 70 fewer serious personal injuries a year in the central zone. The $250 million raised annually through the Congestion Charge has been invested back into public transportation, walking and cycling to further improve traveling within London.
Despite opponents claiming the Congestion Charge would have a negative impact on retail business, last year central London outperformed the rest of the U.K. in retail sales. The number of bus passengers entering the zone rose by 38% between 2002 and 2003, bus reliability improved and customer satisfaction with buses is consistently high.
Despite this success, congestion problems remained, in particular in west London. This past February, Transport for London extended the congestion pricing zone to the west, a move that almost doubled the size of the zone. Again, the naysayers said the expansion plan would be a failure. Again they were wrong.
Over the first three months of the operation, traffic in the extended zone was typically down by about 15% compared with the same period in 2006. The first comprehensive survey of congestion in the extension area shows that gridlock has been reduced by some 20% against the same time frame in 2005 and 2006.
Most of those who doubted the charge in London now support it - not surprising given its huge success. As we've seen in London, introducing congestion pricing is a bold and difficult decision. There may be doubters, and there will be criticism. But it can be done. And it can work.
Hendy is London's transportation commissioner.
http://www.nydailynews.com/opinions/2007/10/04/2007-10-04_a_congestion_pricing_plan_can_refuel_thi-2.html
BY PETER HENDY
Thursday, October 4th 2007
Be Our Guest: The commission created to decide whether congestion pricing will work in New York has finished its first meeting, and it must not ignore the success seen in London."
Be Our Guest
This week, Mayor Bloomberg checked out London's road-pricing plan. Back in New York, he must persuade the City Council and the state Legislature to support his plan, which calls for charging drivers to enter Manhattan south of 86th St. on weekdays between 6 a.m. and 6p.m. The commission created to decide whether congestion pricing will work in New York has finished its first meeting, and it must not ignore the success seen in London.
Four years into London's congestion pricing plan, officials are continuing to improve on the idea. In seeking to address climate-change concerns, London Mayor Ken Livingstone has asked Transport for London to go further in reducing carbon dioxide emissions in the congestion-pricing zone. Planners are currently consulting Londoners on the idea of introducing emissions-related charging to encourage those who continue to drive to use lower CO2-emitting vehicles. Those people with vehicles that produce the least CO2 would get a discount on the $16-a-day charge, while those people who drive so-called gas guzzlers would pay $50 a day. If introduced, this would encourage Londoners to really think about the car they drive and the impact it has on the environment.
It's an idea that may serve New York well, too.
In 2003, London introduced congestion pricing to the central, most clogged-up part of the city. London, like New York, was experiencing gridlock, which was damaging the economy and making London a less desirable place to live and work. So, something had to be done to reduce the number of vehicles on the roads. In a brave policy decision, Livingstone instructed the Transport for London to develop a congestion price for central London. Doubters said the public transportation system would not cope, the computer system could not support it, the economy would suffer and traffic would divert onto roads bordering the zone.
More than four years later, the critics have been proven wrong.
Traffic in the congestion-pricing zone has been reduced by more than 20% - resulting in more reliable and safer journeys for businesses, bus passengers, cyclists and pedestrians. It also means, according to many businesses, a more pleasant working environment and benefits for employees using public transportation. The number of bicycle trips within the central zone has grown by 43% since February 2003. Carbon dioxide emissions in the zone have fallen by 16%. Road safety is improving, with 70 fewer serious personal injuries a year in the central zone. The $250 million raised annually through the Congestion Charge has been invested back into public transportation, walking and cycling to further improve traveling within London.
Despite opponents claiming the Congestion Charge would have a negative impact on retail business, last year central London outperformed the rest of the U.K. in retail sales. The number of bus passengers entering the zone rose by 38% between 2002 and 2003, bus reliability improved and customer satisfaction with buses is consistently high.
Despite this success, congestion problems remained, in particular in west London. This past February, Transport for London extended the congestion pricing zone to the west, a move that almost doubled the size of the zone. Again, the naysayers said the expansion plan would be a failure. Again they were wrong.
Over the first three months of the operation, traffic in the extended zone was typically down by about 15% compared with the same period in 2006. The first comprehensive survey of congestion in the extension area shows that gridlock has been reduced by some 20% against the same time frame in 2005 and 2006.
Most of those who doubted the charge in London now support it - not surprising given its huge success. As we've seen in London, introducing congestion pricing is a bold and difficult decision. There may be doubters, and there will be criticism. But it can be done. And it can work.
Hendy is London's transportation commissioner.
http://www.nydailynews.com/opinions/2007/10/04/2007-10-04_a_congestion_pricing_plan_can_refuel_thi-2.html
Austin's green ambitions
By Howard Witt
Chicago Tribune
AUSTIN, Texas — This environmentally conscious city is already home to the headquarters of the Whole Foods organic grocery-store chain, a new city hall built mostly with recycled materials and a municipal electric utility that features solar cells on the roof of its parking lot. The Texas capital also pays residents rebates if they install extra attic insulation or high-efficiency clothes washers. There are steep discounts on rainwater collection barrels. Low-flow toilets are practically free.
But those are just eco-baby steps compared with Austin's latest, and most ambitious, environmental quest: to lead the nation in slashing emissions of greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming. All around the inexorably warming world, nations are groping for ways to slow what most scientists predict will become catastrophic climate changes. Some solutions are being mandated by governments, others are being innovated by private industry.
Austin represents a third way: a distinctively American, grass-roots global-warming initiative that has mushroomed in the shadow of the Bush administration's long-held skepticism about the issue and its refusal to join most of the rest of the world in signing the Kyoto accords limiting greenhouse-gas emissions. Within five years, this fast-growing city of 680,000 intends to power 100 percent of its municipal facilities with renewable energy, such as solar or wind-driven power. Within eight years, every new home built in Austin will be required to be so energy efficient that, if an optional solar system is added to its roof, it will consume no more energy than it produces over the course of a year.
And by 2020, fully 30 percent of the city's total residential, commercial and industrial energy consumption is to be weaned from carbon dioxide-producing fossil fuels and shifted to clean, renewable sources — a fivefold increase from current levels. Those carbon-reduction targets rank as the nation's most aggressive, environmental leaders say, outpacing efforts in Portland, Chicago and other cities that have established "green" agendas in recent years.
What's more, Austin has emerged as a leader on the international stage as the search for solutions to the overheating of the planet grows universal. The International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives now lists Austin among the top 15 greenest cities in the world. "Austin is important because it shows that a government body can take steps within its own realm of control — that this is a problem that can be managed and that there are models that can work," said David Hawkins, director of the climate center at the Natural Resources Defense Council in Washington, D.C. "If Austin's actions cause other cities to ask, 'Why aren't we doing something like that?' then this can have a much bigger effect."
So far, half the states in the U.S. have passed laws requiring utilities to gradually shift some of their electricity production to renewable sources. And in early August, the Democratic majority in the U.S. House pushed through a new energy bill that would require all the nation's utilities to generate 15 percent of their electricity from renewable sources by 2020, although the bill faces uncertain prospects in the Senate and strong opposition from the utility industry and the White House.
Austin's activist mayor hopes his city can set the pace for even faster national change. "Why should Austin be in the climate-protection business?" asked Will Wynn, who drafted the Austin Climate Protection Plan earlier this year and ushered it through the City Council. "Well, I am the mayor of the capital city of the most polluting state in the most polluting country on the planet, from a carbon-emissions standpoint. We have the unified scientific community warning us about global warming and telling us if we don't take action, we face catastrophe. So, I'm listening."
Reducing what is known as the city's "carbon footprint" will come at a price. Wind power is currently cheaper than electricity generated by natural-gas plants, but because it is inherently intermittent, it can supply only a fraction of a city's energy needs. Meanwhile, "clean" solar power that doesn't produce greenhouse gases costs four times more than "dirty" coal power, which does. And building the kind of completely energy-efficient house Austin intends to require by 2015 could raise its sale price more than 10 percent.
"The Austin building community has been cutting-edge on green building for many years now, so we support and commend the mayor in this effort," said Harry Savio, executive vice president of the Home Builders Association of Greater Austin. "But the real answer is that we don't know if these goals are achievable. There has to be payback on all these energy-efficient upgrades, because ultimately we have to be able to sell these houses."
Austin officials agree that some costs are unknown. But they see no alternative. "It is in fact going to be more expensive to reduce our carbon emissions," acknowledged Roger Duncan, deputy general manager of Austin Energy, the city's electric utility. "But even if we were not trying to be green and reduce climate change, energy and electricity production and oil and gasoline are all going to get more expensive anyway, because the days of easily accessible oil are over.
"Plus, it's hard for me to imagine a more severe impact on the economy than the fiscal impacts of climate change, like droughts and rising sea levels. So the economy is going to be impacted whether we do something or don't do something." By comparison with many cities, it's easier for Austin to go green, not least because it's so blue. On electoral maps, the city always shows up as a stubbornly blue Democratic island in a bright-red Republican state — and Democrats, led by former Vice President Al Gore, have adopted global warming as a signature campaign issue.
Home to the flagship campus of the University of Texas and the headquarters of numerous high-technology companies, Austin is the kind of liberal, eco-friendly town where thousands of locals journey downtown every evening to spread out picnic blankets and watch 1.5 million bats, comprising North America's largest urban bat colony, take flight from beneath a bridge where they roost.
But Wynn says the city's global-warming initiative transcends partisan politics. "Our citizens expect us to do something like this," the mayor said. "Sure, there's 15 percent out to the right that still thinks global warming isn't happening, and there's 15 percent to my extreme left who think we're not doing enough. But there is a recognized 70 percent consensus in this community, including conservatives and business people, who see the wisdom in this." Other cities have struggled to fulfill promises to switch some of their energy consumption to renewable sources and reduce their carbon-dioxide emissions.
Chicago Mayor Richard Daley, for example, earned international praise from environmentalists when he pledged in 2001 that within five years the city would buy 20 percent of its electricity from renewable sources and curb emissions of greenhouse gases by 4 percent. In reality, the Chicago Tribune found, by the end of last year Chicago's greenhouse-gas emissions had actually increased 10 percent from a baseline average from 1998 to 2001. And the city had not purchased any green energy since 2004.
But Austin officials are confident they can meet their pioneering goal of powering nearly a third of the city's energy from renewable sources by 2020, even though the city's current electricity mix — 35 percent coal, 30 percent natural gas, 29 percent nuclear and 6 percent wind — scarcely inspires green envy. Partly that's because Austin owns its municipal electric utility — an increasingly rare arrangement in an era of utility privatization — which allows city leaders to drive energy policies. That's why Duncan, the city's chief authority on renewable energy, was able to order the installation of a bank of solar panels atop the parking lot beneath his office window as a demonstration project.
And it's why Austin Energy subsidizes more than half the cost when homeowners agree to install $20,000 solar systems. City leaders figure such a subsidy makes sense because reduced electricity demand means they will not have to build more coal, gas or nuclear-power plants. Wind power is even more promising, city officials say. Texas already leads the nation in new wind farms, and Austin is driving demand for even more. Last year, when the city offered a fresh batch of wind-driven power contracts to consumers — at a lower cost than electricity generated from natural gas — the offering was so popular that a televised lottery was held to pick the winners.
Ultimately it's those kinds of bottom-line economic benefits, rather than feel-good politics, that will drive more consumers into the green camp, Austin officials maintain. In the hot central Texas climate where water is scarce and electricity is expensive, Wynn is certain that more energy-efficient houses that promise sharply lower utility bills will be in increasing demand, even if they cost more upfront to build or retrofit.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2003926617_greenaustin05.html
By Howard Witt
Chicago Tribune
AUSTIN, Texas — This environmentally conscious city is already home to the headquarters of the Whole Foods organic grocery-store chain, a new city hall built mostly with recycled materials and a municipal electric utility that features solar cells on the roof of its parking lot. The Texas capital also pays residents rebates if they install extra attic insulation or high-efficiency clothes washers. There are steep discounts on rainwater collection barrels. Low-flow toilets are practically free.
But those are just eco-baby steps compared with Austin's latest, and most ambitious, environmental quest: to lead the nation in slashing emissions of greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming. All around the inexorably warming world, nations are groping for ways to slow what most scientists predict will become catastrophic climate changes. Some solutions are being mandated by governments, others are being innovated by private industry.
Austin represents a third way: a distinctively American, grass-roots global-warming initiative that has mushroomed in the shadow of the Bush administration's long-held skepticism about the issue and its refusal to join most of the rest of the world in signing the Kyoto accords limiting greenhouse-gas emissions. Within five years, this fast-growing city of 680,000 intends to power 100 percent of its municipal facilities with renewable energy, such as solar or wind-driven power. Within eight years, every new home built in Austin will be required to be so energy efficient that, if an optional solar system is added to its roof, it will consume no more energy than it produces over the course of a year.
And by 2020, fully 30 percent of the city's total residential, commercial and industrial energy consumption is to be weaned from carbon dioxide-producing fossil fuels and shifted to clean, renewable sources — a fivefold increase from current levels. Those carbon-reduction targets rank as the nation's most aggressive, environmental leaders say, outpacing efforts in Portland, Chicago and other cities that have established "green" agendas in recent years.
What's more, Austin has emerged as a leader on the international stage as the search for solutions to the overheating of the planet grows universal. The International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives now lists Austin among the top 15 greenest cities in the world. "Austin is important because it shows that a government body can take steps within its own realm of control — that this is a problem that can be managed and that there are models that can work," said David Hawkins, director of the climate center at the Natural Resources Defense Council in Washington, D.C. "If Austin's actions cause other cities to ask, 'Why aren't we doing something like that?' then this can have a much bigger effect."
So far, half the states in the U.S. have passed laws requiring utilities to gradually shift some of their electricity production to renewable sources. And in early August, the Democratic majority in the U.S. House pushed through a new energy bill that would require all the nation's utilities to generate 15 percent of their electricity from renewable sources by 2020, although the bill faces uncertain prospects in the Senate and strong opposition from the utility industry and the White House.
Austin's activist mayor hopes his city can set the pace for even faster national change. "Why should Austin be in the climate-protection business?" asked Will Wynn, who drafted the Austin Climate Protection Plan earlier this year and ushered it through the City Council. "Well, I am the mayor of the capital city of the most polluting state in the most polluting country on the planet, from a carbon-emissions standpoint. We have the unified scientific community warning us about global warming and telling us if we don't take action, we face catastrophe. So, I'm listening."
Reducing what is known as the city's "carbon footprint" will come at a price. Wind power is currently cheaper than electricity generated by natural-gas plants, but because it is inherently intermittent, it can supply only a fraction of a city's energy needs. Meanwhile, "clean" solar power that doesn't produce greenhouse gases costs four times more than "dirty" coal power, which does. And building the kind of completely energy-efficient house Austin intends to require by 2015 could raise its sale price more than 10 percent.
"The Austin building community has been cutting-edge on green building for many years now, so we support and commend the mayor in this effort," said Harry Savio, executive vice president of the Home Builders Association of Greater Austin. "But the real answer is that we don't know if these goals are achievable. There has to be payback on all these energy-efficient upgrades, because ultimately we have to be able to sell these houses."
Austin officials agree that some costs are unknown. But they see no alternative. "It is in fact going to be more expensive to reduce our carbon emissions," acknowledged Roger Duncan, deputy general manager of Austin Energy, the city's electric utility. "But even if we were not trying to be green and reduce climate change, energy and electricity production and oil and gasoline are all going to get more expensive anyway, because the days of easily accessible oil are over.
"Plus, it's hard for me to imagine a more severe impact on the economy than the fiscal impacts of climate change, like droughts and rising sea levels. So the economy is going to be impacted whether we do something or don't do something." By comparison with many cities, it's easier for Austin to go green, not least because it's so blue. On electoral maps, the city always shows up as a stubbornly blue Democratic island in a bright-red Republican state — and Democrats, led by former Vice President Al Gore, have adopted global warming as a signature campaign issue.
Home to the flagship campus of the University of Texas and the headquarters of numerous high-technology companies, Austin is the kind of liberal, eco-friendly town where thousands of locals journey downtown every evening to spread out picnic blankets and watch 1.5 million bats, comprising North America's largest urban bat colony, take flight from beneath a bridge where they roost.
But Wynn says the city's global-warming initiative transcends partisan politics. "Our citizens expect us to do something like this," the mayor said. "Sure, there's 15 percent out to the right that still thinks global warming isn't happening, and there's 15 percent to my extreme left who think we're not doing enough. But there is a recognized 70 percent consensus in this community, including conservatives and business people, who see the wisdom in this." Other cities have struggled to fulfill promises to switch some of their energy consumption to renewable sources and reduce their carbon-dioxide emissions.
Chicago Mayor Richard Daley, for example, earned international praise from environmentalists when he pledged in 2001 that within five years the city would buy 20 percent of its electricity from renewable sources and curb emissions of greenhouse gases by 4 percent. In reality, the Chicago Tribune found, by the end of last year Chicago's greenhouse-gas emissions had actually increased 10 percent from a baseline average from 1998 to 2001. And the city had not purchased any green energy since 2004.
But Austin officials are confident they can meet their pioneering goal of powering nearly a third of the city's energy from renewable sources by 2020, even though the city's current electricity mix — 35 percent coal, 30 percent natural gas, 29 percent nuclear and 6 percent wind — scarcely inspires green envy. Partly that's because Austin owns its municipal electric utility — an increasingly rare arrangement in an era of utility privatization — which allows city leaders to drive energy policies. That's why Duncan, the city's chief authority on renewable energy, was able to order the installation of a bank of solar panels atop the parking lot beneath his office window as a demonstration project.
And it's why Austin Energy subsidizes more than half the cost when homeowners agree to install $20,000 solar systems. City leaders figure such a subsidy makes sense because reduced electricity demand means they will not have to build more coal, gas or nuclear-power plants. Wind power is even more promising, city officials say. Texas already leads the nation in new wind farms, and Austin is driving demand for even more. Last year, when the city offered a fresh batch of wind-driven power contracts to consumers — at a lower cost than electricity generated from natural gas — the offering was so popular that a televised lottery was held to pick the winners.
Ultimately it's those kinds of bottom-line economic benefits, rather than feel-good politics, that will drive more consumers into the green camp, Austin officials maintain. In the hot central Texas climate where water is scarce and electricity is expensive, Wynn is certain that more energy-efficient houses that promise sharply lower utility bills will be in increasing demand, even if they cost more upfront to build or retrofit.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2003926617_greenaustin05.html
San Jose mayor unveils green vision
KEY QUESTION: HOW ARE WE GOING TO PAY FOR IT?
By Matt Nauman
Mercury News
10/05/2007
Mayor Chuck Reed will unveil his bold forecast for a green San Jose, circa 2022, today. His 10-point "green vision" calls for 25,000 new clean-tech jobs, mostly from the solar industry, the planting of 100,000 new trees and 60 miles of new trails. But Reed goes much further, suggesting that to meet his goals residents drastically cut energy use and that the city rely on new technologies that have yet to be tested.
The mayor says all San Joseans, not just the city, its workers and facilities, should cut energy use by 50 percent over the next 15 years. He says all waste should be diverted from landfills and converted to energy. And he wants 100 percent of San Jose's wastewater - that's 100 million gallons a day - to be recycled or otherwise used beneficially. As Reed himself says, "It won't be an easy task."
Many of the goals reflect huge leaps forward, at least by today's measurements. None of the waste from San Jose's landfills is being converted to energy right now and only about 10 percent of its wastewater is being recycled. Just 300 of the 2,700 vehicles in the city's fleet are emission-free. Reed wants all of them included in 15 years. "It's pretty ambitious, but how is he going to pay for it?" asked James Elsen, president and chief executive of Sustain Lane of San Francisco, an online media company that ranks cities on their level of sustainability. Last year, San Jose ranked No. 23 among the top 50 cities. "On first blush it seems pretty far-reaching."
But the mayors of other major American cities, such as Portland, Ore., and Denver, have been going green and Elsen noted that Reed has an advantage they don't: "The fastest-growing segment in the VC industry is clean tech, and that's in his back yard."
Further complicating Reed's dream are projections from the Association of Bay Area Governments that San Jose's population will grow from 993,000 in 2005 to 1.2 million by 2020. Reed doesn't address how much his plan will cost or how to pay for it, other than alluding to the savings from energy efficiency and the need for fiscal responsibility. "San Jose will show the world that environmental responsibility makes financial sense," Reed says.
It's not clear who would be responsible for ensuring San Jose meets Reed's targets if they are adopted by the city council. If the mayor seeks re-election and wins, he would leave office in 2014 - seven years before the deadline he lays out. His plan emphasizes vision over specifics. Partially, it hinges on future technology improvements, partnerships with local companies and institutions to help defray costs, money from the state and federal governments, and a consensus that these are high-priority goals for America's 10th-largest city.
Creating 25,000 clean-technology jobs in San Jose sounds realistic to Julie Blunden, a vice president at SunPower, which makes solar panels. "San Jose is putting its efforts concretely on being friendly for economic development and as a customer for clean tech," she said. Reed cites a solar installation on buildings owned by the San Jose Unified School District as the kind of thing he has in mind. Announced this year and due to be completed in 2008, the project was financed by the Bank of America and will be built and maintained by Chevron Energy Solutions. The schools are "not writing a check, and they're saving a million dollars a year. That's a message mayors understand," Reed said.
He envisions San Jose serving as a demonstration site for new technologies created by local companies. These might be tested on city buildings or city-owned land. Once proven, he said, the technologies will be sold to other cities seeking to go green. "We need to do the R&D for every city in the world to show them how we can do clean and green," Reed said. "Part of that R&D is to demonstrate that you can do it and still be fiscally responsible."
The plan started with a conversation between Reed and U.S. Rep. Mike Honda, D-Campbell, who said, "You guys should do something bold." That led to a one-page idea that San Jose could get 100 percent of its power from renewables, and months of discussions with city staff, area leaders and energy experts. The plan is now in its ninth draft and is 13 pages long. "It's at a time when Silicon Valley is abuzz with the opportunities in clean technology," Reed said.
The plan's 15-year timetable was driven by estimates of how long it would take San Jose to get 100 percent of its power from renewable sources such as the sun and wind. "It looks like 15 years is doable," Reed said. "Difficult, but not impossible or unrealistic, but doable. So that's the key goal."
Frank Wolak, a Stanford University economics professor who studies energy issues, noted that Reed's call for San Jose to get 100 percent of its power from renewable sources is far more ambitious than California's push to get 20 percent from renewables by 2010. "We're nowhere near that and most likely won't achieve that by 2010," he said.
San Jose's task also becomes increasingly difficult, Wolak said, as more and more entities - the state itself, big utilities, other cities and businesses - seek renewable power. "If a significant part of the state went for it, it would be impossible to achieve," he said. "Anything that has 100 percent on it is very hard to achieve. Getting a little is pretty cheap. Getting more is expensive, and it becomes increasingly expensive as you try to get that percentage up higher and higher."
Reaction from others familiar with Reed's plan was positive. "For anyone who wondered if our mayor lacked vision, the Silicon Valley Leadership Group is selling crow for them to eat," said Carl Guardino, the group's president and chief executive. "The plan is as ambitious and visionary as this valley, and it needs to be." Reed will unveil the plan this afternoon at Integrated Design Associates (IDeAs), a converted bank branch on Old Almaden Road that'll be a so-called Z-squared or zero-squared facility that uses less electricity than it generates and doesn't emit any carbon. It will be presented to the city council Oct. 30.
http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_7091552?nclick_check=1
KEY QUESTION: HOW ARE WE GOING TO PAY FOR IT?
By Matt Nauman
Mercury News
10/05/2007
Mayor Chuck Reed will unveil his bold forecast for a green San Jose, circa 2022, today. His 10-point "green vision" calls for 25,000 new clean-tech jobs, mostly from the solar industry, the planting of 100,000 new trees and 60 miles of new trails. But Reed goes much further, suggesting that to meet his goals residents drastically cut energy use and that the city rely on new technologies that have yet to be tested.
The mayor says all San Joseans, not just the city, its workers and facilities, should cut energy use by 50 percent over the next 15 years. He says all waste should be diverted from landfills and converted to energy. And he wants 100 percent of San Jose's wastewater - that's 100 million gallons a day - to be recycled or otherwise used beneficially. As Reed himself says, "It won't be an easy task."
Many of the goals reflect huge leaps forward, at least by today's measurements. None of the waste from San Jose's landfills is being converted to energy right now and only about 10 percent of its wastewater is being recycled. Just 300 of the 2,700 vehicles in the city's fleet are emission-free. Reed wants all of them included in 15 years. "It's pretty ambitious, but how is he going to pay for it?" asked James Elsen, president and chief executive of Sustain Lane of San Francisco, an online media company that ranks cities on their level of sustainability. Last year, San Jose ranked No. 23 among the top 50 cities. "On first blush it seems pretty far-reaching."
But the mayors of other major American cities, such as Portland, Ore., and Denver, have been going green and Elsen noted that Reed has an advantage they don't: "The fastest-growing segment in the VC industry is clean tech, and that's in his back yard."
Further complicating Reed's dream are projections from the Association of Bay Area Governments that San Jose's population will grow from 993,000 in 2005 to 1.2 million by 2020. Reed doesn't address how much his plan will cost or how to pay for it, other than alluding to the savings from energy efficiency and the need for fiscal responsibility. "San Jose will show the world that environmental responsibility makes financial sense," Reed says.
It's not clear who would be responsible for ensuring San Jose meets Reed's targets if they are adopted by the city council. If the mayor seeks re-election and wins, he would leave office in 2014 - seven years before the deadline he lays out. His plan emphasizes vision over specifics. Partially, it hinges on future technology improvements, partnerships with local companies and institutions to help defray costs, money from the state and federal governments, and a consensus that these are high-priority goals for America's 10th-largest city.
Creating 25,000 clean-technology jobs in San Jose sounds realistic to Julie Blunden, a vice president at SunPower, which makes solar panels. "San Jose is putting its efforts concretely on being friendly for economic development and as a customer for clean tech," she said. Reed cites a solar installation on buildings owned by the San Jose Unified School District as the kind of thing he has in mind. Announced this year and due to be completed in 2008, the project was financed by the Bank of America and will be built and maintained by Chevron Energy Solutions. The schools are "not writing a check, and they're saving a million dollars a year. That's a message mayors understand," Reed said.
He envisions San Jose serving as a demonstration site for new technologies created by local companies. These might be tested on city buildings or city-owned land. Once proven, he said, the technologies will be sold to other cities seeking to go green. "We need to do the R&D for every city in the world to show them how we can do clean and green," Reed said. "Part of that R&D is to demonstrate that you can do it and still be fiscally responsible."
The plan started with a conversation between Reed and U.S. Rep. Mike Honda, D-Campbell, who said, "You guys should do something bold." That led to a one-page idea that San Jose could get 100 percent of its power from renewables, and months of discussions with city staff, area leaders and energy experts. The plan is now in its ninth draft and is 13 pages long. "It's at a time when Silicon Valley is abuzz with the opportunities in clean technology," Reed said.
The plan's 15-year timetable was driven by estimates of how long it would take San Jose to get 100 percent of its power from renewable sources such as the sun and wind. "It looks like 15 years is doable," Reed said. "Difficult, but not impossible or unrealistic, but doable. So that's the key goal."
Frank Wolak, a Stanford University economics professor who studies energy issues, noted that Reed's call for San Jose to get 100 percent of its power from renewable sources is far more ambitious than California's push to get 20 percent from renewables by 2010. "We're nowhere near that and most likely won't achieve that by 2010," he said.
San Jose's task also becomes increasingly difficult, Wolak said, as more and more entities - the state itself, big utilities, other cities and businesses - seek renewable power. "If a significant part of the state went for it, it would be impossible to achieve," he said. "Anything that has 100 percent on it is very hard to achieve. Getting a little is pretty cheap. Getting more is expensive, and it becomes increasingly expensive as you try to get that percentage up higher and higher."
Reaction from others familiar with Reed's plan was positive. "For anyone who wondered if our mayor lacked vision, the Silicon Valley Leadership Group is selling crow for them to eat," said Carl Guardino, the group's president and chief executive. "The plan is as ambitious and visionary as this valley, and it needs to be." Reed will unveil the plan this afternoon at Integrated Design Associates (IDeAs), a converted bank branch on Old Almaden Road that'll be a so-called Z-squared or zero-squared facility that uses less electricity than it generates and doesn't emit any carbon. It will be presented to the city council Oct. 30.
http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_7091552?nclick_check=1
Friday, September 28, 2007
A break for budgets: PSE slashes natural-gas rates
By Ángel González
Seattle Times
If you heat your home with natural gas, here's some news to warm up to: The price will go down for the first time in five years, as Puget Sound Energy cuts its rate by 13 percent starting Monday. The cut, approved Wednesday by the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission (WUTC), comes as the region prepares for the cold and dreary nights of winter. The average natural-gas bill for a residential customer will drop by $11.27 to $82.12 a month, according to the WUTC.
The impact will be widely felt. Some 44 percent of homes in the Seattle-Bellevue-Everett metro area burn natural gas for heat, and Puget Sound Energy (PSE) is their sole provider. Residents who heat with fuel oil won't be so lucky. Oil prices are expected to rise about 7 percent on the West Coast, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). Given the volatility of energy markets, nothing guarantees natural-gas prices won't rebound when PSE revises its costs again next year.
"I only wish I could guarantee that these wholesale prices will stay low in the future," WUTC Commissioner Pat Oshie said in a statement. The recent lower wholesale prices are a result of several factors:
--Relatively mild summer temperatures meant low air-conditioning loads for utilities, which used less natural gas to generate electricity.
-- No major supply disruptions like those hurricanes Rita and Katrina caused in 2005.
-- Record imports of liquefied natural gas, and more production in the Gulf of Mexico and the Rockies. The EIA expects natural-gas production in the United States to increase 0.7 percent in 2007 and 1.3 percent next year.
PSE, Washington state's largest energy utility, is required to pass these savings on to customers.
The company, like other state-regulated utilities, adjusts its rates once a year to balance its costs with the prices it charges. Should there be a major increase in natural-gas prices — due to extreme cold this winter, or a killer hurricane late in the season — consumers won't see the effect until next year.
Electricity
For area residents who heat their homes electrically — 45.6 percent of the total — rates will go up or down depending on whether they live in Seattle or its suburbs. Seattle City Light cut its 2007 and 2008 rates for residential customers by about 8 percent Jan. 1, said spokesman Peter Clarke. The drop is due to its reliance on abundant hydropower and the improvement of the company's finances, which were badly hurt after an energy crisis at the start of the decade.
PSE, which supplies electricity outside the city of Seattle to people in 11 Washington counties, raised its rates 3.7 percent Sept. 1, bringing the average monthly bill up to $91.31. The boost was approved to help the utility recover money spent on higher power-supply costs, such as the purchase of a gas-Klickitat County gas-turbine plant.
Customers of PSE and other private electricity providers have also had another change in their bill: In June, the companies stopped applying a federal power-system credit to bills. That change increased the average bill by $10.28 a month for Puget Sound Energy customers, according to the WUTC. Private utilities seek to restore the payment of the benefit, which was suspended in May by a federal court. Meanwhile, to offset the credit's end, "we're encouraging our customers to conserve and take what steps they can to use energy wisely," said Puget Sound Energy spokeswoman Martha Monfried.
Snohomish County Public Utility District has not finished its budget process but said recently it did not expect to change electricity rates.
Oil
Homes heated by fuel oil represent less than 5 percent of the regional total and should see costs rise, according to a report by the National Energy Assistance Directors' Association. The increase is driven by skyrocketing crude-oil prices reflecting global supply concerns. Residential customers are expected to pay a national average of $1,834 for heating oil-derived warmth during the 2007-08 winter, up 28 percent from the previous year, the report says.
But the price increase will be less acute west of the Rockies, where demand is the lowest. The EIA estimates that a gallon of heating oil on the West Coast in the fourth quarter of 2007 will cost around $2.75, up about 7 percent from the same period last year. Demand here is lower due to less-severe winter weather than in the Northeast, where the bulk of heating-oil users reside.
"Here in the Northwest, the winters have been tending towards mild," said Calvin Caley, owner of Pacific Heating Oil in Seattle. The area is also less vulnerable to sharp cold snaps. "A winter that's colder is not much different anymore from a winter that is milder," he said. Typical residential customers consume between 400 and 800 gallons between September and June, Caley said. The current price runs between $3.05 to $3.15 a gallon, he said.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/cgi-bin/PrintStory.pl?document_id=2003906654&zsection_id=2002119995&slug=natgas27&date=20070927
By Ángel González
Seattle Times
If you heat your home with natural gas, here's some news to warm up to: The price will go down for the first time in five years, as Puget Sound Energy cuts its rate by 13 percent starting Monday. The cut, approved Wednesday by the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission (WUTC), comes as the region prepares for the cold and dreary nights of winter. The average natural-gas bill for a residential customer will drop by $11.27 to $82.12 a month, according to the WUTC.
The impact will be widely felt. Some 44 percent of homes in the Seattle-Bellevue-Everett metro area burn natural gas for heat, and Puget Sound Energy (PSE) is their sole provider. Residents who heat with fuel oil won't be so lucky. Oil prices are expected to rise about 7 percent on the West Coast, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). Given the volatility of energy markets, nothing guarantees natural-gas prices won't rebound when PSE revises its costs again next year.
"I only wish I could guarantee that these wholesale prices will stay low in the future," WUTC Commissioner Pat Oshie said in a statement. The recent lower wholesale prices are a result of several factors:
--Relatively mild summer temperatures meant low air-conditioning loads for utilities, which used less natural gas to generate electricity.
-- No major supply disruptions like those hurricanes Rita and Katrina caused in 2005.
-- Record imports of liquefied natural gas, and more production in the Gulf of Mexico and the Rockies. The EIA expects natural-gas production in the United States to increase 0.7 percent in 2007 and 1.3 percent next year.
PSE, Washington state's largest energy utility, is required to pass these savings on to customers.
The company, like other state-regulated utilities, adjusts its rates once a year to balance its costs with the prices it charges. Should there be a major increase in natural-gas prices — due to extreme cold this winter, or a killer hurricane late in the season — consumers won't see the effect until next year.
Electricity
For area residents who heat their homes electrically — 45.6 percent of the total — rates will go up or down depending on whether they live in Seattle or its suburbs. Seattle City Light cut its 2007 and 2008 rates for residential customers by about 8 percent Jan. 1, said spokesman Peter Clarke. The drop is due to its reliance on abundant hydropower and the improvement of the company's finances, which were badly hurt after an energy crisis at the start of the decade.
PSE, which supplies electricity outside the city of Seattle to people in 11 Washington counties, raised its rates 3.7 percent Sept. 1, bringing the average monthly bill up to $91.31. The boost was approved to help the utility recover money spent on higher power-supply costs, such as the purchase of a gas-Klickitat County gas-turbine plant.
Customers of PSE and other private electricity providers have also had another change in their bill: In June, the companies stopped applying a federal power-system credit to bills. That change increased the average bill by $10.28 a month for Puget Sound Energy customers, according to the WUTC. Private utilities seek to restore the payment of the benefit, which was suspended in May by a federal court. Meanwhile, to offset the credit's end, "we're encouraging our customers to conserve and take what steps they can to use energy wisely," said Puget Sound Energy spokeswoman Martha Monfried.
Snohomish County Public Utility District has not finished its budget process but said recently it did not expect to change electricity rates.
Oil
Homes heated by fuel oil represent less than 5 percent of the regional total and should see costs rise, according to a report by the National Energy Assistance Directors' Association. The increase is driven by skyrocketing crude-oil prices reflecting global supply concerns. Residential customers are expected to pay a national average of $1,834 for heating oil-derived warmth during the 2007-08 winter, up 28 percent from the previous year, the report says.
But the price increase will be less acute west of the Rockies, where demand is the lowest. The EIA estimates that a gallon of heating oil on the West Coast in the fourth quarter of 2007 will cost around $2.75, up about 7 percent from the same period last year. Demand here is lower due to less-severe winter weather than in the Northeast, where the bulk of heating-oil users reside.
"Here in the Northwest, the winters have been tending towards mild," said Calvin Caley, owner of Pacific Heating Oil in Seattle. The area is also less vulnerable to sharp cold snaps. "A winter that's colder is not much different anymore from a winter that is milder," he said. Typical residential customers consume between 400 and 800 gallons between September and June, Caley said. The current price runs between $3.05 to $3.15 a gallon, he said.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/cgi-bin/PrintStory.pl?document_id=2003906654&zsection_id=2002119995&slug=natgas27&date=20070927
It could be `lights out' for one hour to save energy
Alison Hewitt
San Bernadino Sun
A budding "lights out" movement could darken Los Angeles County for one hour in October.
The effort, which began in Australia and has gained traction in San Francisco, got a local boost from county Supervisor Yvonne Brathwaite Burke when she introduced a motion this week supporting "Lights Out Los Angeles." The idea is to turn off as many lights as is safely possible in and around government buildings, businesses, homes and public landmarks in order to reduce pollution and raise awareness of the need to save energy, Burke said.
"In one hour, you could save as much as 15 percent of the energy used on an average Saturday," Burke said. Her motion proposed synchronizing Lights Out Los Angeles with Lights Out San Francisco, where City Hall, the Golden Gate Bridge and other landmarks have already agreed to go dark from 8 to 9 p.m. on Oct. 20.
If Burke's motion is approved, county buildings would join in switching off their lights. In the city of Los Angeles, Councilwoman Wendy Greuel introduced a similar motion that would darken city structures. Landmarks such as the pillars of light at Los Angeles International Airport could also go dark, according to Burke's office. The Hollywood sign is also on the list of candidates - but the sign isn't lit up, said Betsy Isroelit of the Hollywood Sign Trust.
The movement started when San Francisco resident Nate Tyler found out about Sydney, Australia's Earth Hour. In Sydney, the one-hour event reduced pollution as much as taking 48,000 cars off the road for an hour, Burke said.
San Francisco and Los Angeles will be Tyler's trial runs for a national event on March 29 - the same day as Earth Hour. Tyler hopes it will become an annual effort. "What we're encouraging or inviting people to do is turn off all nonessential lighting to save energy, and to install one compact fluorescent lightbulb to save energy," he said. "It's a simple thing that people can do to take action in the fight against climate change."
Streetlights and stoplights and other lights needed for safety should of course stay on, Tyler said. Beyond that, it's up to people to decide for themselves whether they will simply remember to turn off the lights when they leave a room, he said.
http://www.sbsun.com/news/ci_7021458
Alison Hewitt
San Bernadino Sun
A budding "lights out" movement could darken Los Angeles County for one hour in October.
The effort, which began in Australia and has gained traction in San Francisco, got a local boost from county Supervisor Yvonne Brathwaite Burke when she introduced a motion this week supporting "Lights Out Los Angeles." The idea is to turn off as many lights as is safely possible in and around government buildings, businesses, homes and public landmarks in order to reduce pollution and raise awareness of the need to save energy, Burke said.
"In one hour, you could save as much as 15 percent of the energy used on an average Saturday," Burke said. Her motion proposed synchronizing Lights Out Los Angeles with Lights Out San Francisco, where City Hall, the Golden Gate Bridge and other landmarks have already agreed to go dark from 8 to 9 p.m. on Oct. 20.
If Burke's motion is approved, county buildings would join in switching off their lights. In the city of Los Angeles, Councilwoman Wendy Greuel introduced a similar motion that would darken city structures. Landmarks such as the pillars of light at Los Angeles International Airport could also go dark, according to Burke's office. The Hollywood sign is also on the list of candidates - but the sign isn't lit up, said Betsy Isroelit of the Hollywood Sign Trust.
The movement started when San Francisco resident Nate Tyler found out about Sydney, Australia's Earth Hour. In Sydney, the one-hour event reduced pollution as much as taking 48,000 cars off the road for an hour, Burke said.
San Francisco and Los Angeles will be Tyler's trial runs for a national event on March 29 - the same day as Earth Hour. Tyler hopes it will become an annual effort. "What we're encouraging or inviting people to do is turn off all nonessential lighting to save energy, and to install one compact fluorescent lightbulb to save energy," he said. "It's a simple thing that people can do to take action in the fight against climate change."
Streetlights and stoplights and other lights needed for safety should of course stay on, Tyler said. Beyond that, it's up to people to decide for themselves whether they will simply remember to turn off the lights when they leave a room, he said.
http://www.sbsun.com/news/ci_7021458
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Green buildings get green light
By Wu Jiayin
2007-9-27
Shanghai Daily
ALTHOUGH still at the initial stage, "green building" has a promising future in China.Green building refers to practices that promote occupant health and comfort while minimizing negative impacts on the environment. Although construction costs are usually higher for green buildings than for traditional energy-gobblers, the buildings save money in the long run because of reduced fuel costs.
A report by People's Daily at the end of 2004 pointed out that in China, of all the buildings in use (about 40 billion square meters) at that time, 99 percent were highly energy consuming. In 2002, China's buildings accounted for over a quarter of the country's energy consumption, according to Yang Fujia, chancellor of the University of Nottingham, England, and an academician of Chinese Academy of Sciences. And that figure is expected to increase to 40 percent by 2020 with the rapid development of the construction sector.
Recognizing this problem, the Chinese government first listed the goal of promoting green buildings and energy-saving buildings in the Outline of National Plan for Medium to Long-term Scientific and Technological Development (2006-2020) in 2005. Chen Yiming, director of the science and technology department promotion center of the Ministry of Construction, explained China's "green" policies at a conference on green building organized by McGraw-Hill Construction in Shanghai on September 13.
In response to the central government's regulation, many enterprises, especially real estate enterprises, are becoming active in the green building movement. Shanghai East Harbor Development Co Ltd, for example, is developing a green office building on the North Bund. It is based on the high standards of the US Green Building Council's LEED (leadership in energy and environmental design) certification. According to Kenny H.C. Ko, president of Shanghai East Harbor Development Ltd, the building uses a geothermal heat pump system to tap the constant temperature of the earth as the main source of heating in winter and cooling in summer. Further, to save energy, the company turned down a proposal to make the building's exterior of glass. It also made a wise decision on the ratio of window space to wall space.
As to the part of exterior wall that is made of glass, the company requires energy-saving double-layer hollow glass. In addition, the building is equipped with energy-saving automatic switches, water taps and a rooftop rainwater drainage system. Zhejiang Zhongcheng Industry Co Ltd is now the owner of the largest public green building project in Zhejiang Province - the Jiaxing International China HK city. The project devotes 180,000 square meters of its 1.15 million square meters to an international marketplace for energy saving and environmental friendly building products and equipment. What's more, the site of the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing will be equipped with many of General Electric's energy-saving technologies such as a solar-powered lighting power and rainwater recycling system as well as a light-emitting diode system.
Although green building materials nowadays are somewhat more expensive than ordinary building materials, they help to conserve energy in the long run.
http://www.shanghaidaily.com/sp/article/2007/200709/20070927/article_332627.htm
By Wu Jiayin
2007-9-27
Shanghai Daily
ALTHOUGH still at the initial stage, "green building" has a promising future in China.Green building refers to practices that promote occupant health and comfort while minimizing negative impacts on the environment. Although construction costs are usually higher for green buildings than for traditional energy-gobblers, the buildings save money in the long run because of reduced fuel costs.
A report by People's Daily at the end of 2004 pointed out that in China, of all the buildings in use (about 40 billion square meters) at that time, 99 percent were highly energy consuming. In 2002, China's buildings accounted for over a quarter of the country's energy consumption, according to Yang Fujia, chancellor of the University of Nottingham, England, and an academician of Chinese Academy of Sciences. And that figure is expected to increase to 40 percent by 2020 with the rapid development of the construction sector.
Recognizing this problem, the Chinese government first listed the goal of promoting green buildings and energy-saving buildings in the Outline of National Plan for Medium to Long-term Scientific and Technological Development (2006-2020) in 2005. Chen Yiming, director of the science and technology department promotion center of the Ministry of Construction, explained China's "green" policies at a conference on green building organized by McGraw-Hill Construction in Shanghai on September 13.
In response to the central government's regulation, many enterprises, especially real estate enterprises, are becoming active in the green building movement. Shanghai East Harbor Development Co Ltd, for example, is developing a green office building on the North Bund. It is based on the high standards of the US Green Building Council's LEED (leadership in energy and environmental design) certification. According to Kenny H.C. Ko, president of Shanghai East Harbor Development Ltd, the building uses a geothermal heat pump system to tap the constant temperature of the earth as the main source of heating in winter and cooling in summer. Further, to save energy, the company turned down a proposal to make the building's exterior of glass. It also made a wise decision on the ratio of window space to wall space.
As to the part of exterior wall that is made of glass, the company requires energy-saving double-layer hollow glass. In addition, the building is equipped with energy-saving automatic switches, water taps and a rooftop rainwater drainage system. Zhejiang Zhongcheng Industry Co Ltd is now the owner of the largest public green building project in Zhejiang Province - the Jiaxing International China HK city. The project devotes 180,000 square meters of its 1.15 million square meters to an international marketplace for energy saving and environmental friendly building products and equipment. What's more, the site of the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing will be equipped with many of General Electric's energy-saving technologies such as a solar-powered lighting power and rainwater recycling system as well as a light-emitting diode system.
Although green building materials nowadays are somewhat more expensive than ordinary building materials, they help to conserve energy in the long run.
http://www.shanghaidaily.com/sp/article/2007/200709/20070927/article_332627.htm
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Yemen: Agreement signed to build $15 billion nuclear power plant
25-09-2007
A delegation of American and Canadian investors in the field of nuclear energy left Yemen on Tuesday after signing an initial agreement with the Yemeni government to fund a nuclear power plant at an estimated cost $15 billion.
The firms would carry out feasibility studies for building the plant with a total production capacity of 5,000 MW, Saba news agency has indicated. The agreement with the US and Canadian firms envisages the construction of five nuclear reactors over 10 years to produce nuclear energy.
Yemen is looking to build nuclear plant to generate electricity and to desalinate sea water in order to meet the needs of its growing urban population of electrification and water and boost the country's industrial development. It also hopes to diversify and expand its energy resources due to declining oil production.
Speaking to AFP, Yemen's Energy and Electricity Minister Mustafa Bahran said the contract was inked with the Houston-based Powered Corp. "The overall cost of the project is estimated at 15 billion dollars. It features the construction of five nuclear reactors over 10 years," Bahran said. "Powered Corporation will oversee efforts to secure the financing of the project," he said.
http://www.albawaba.com/en/countries/Yemen/217221
25-09-2007
A delegation of American and Canadian investors in the field of nuclear energy left Yemen on Tuesday after signing an initial agreement with the Yemeni government to fund a nuclear power plant at an estimated cost $15 billion.
The firms would carry out feasibility studies for building the plant with a total production capacity of 5,000 MW, Saba news agency has indicated. The agreement with the US and Canadian firms envisages the construction of five nuclear reactors over 10 years to produce nuclear energy.
Yemen is looking to build nuclear plant to generate electricity and to desalinate sea water in order to meet the needs of its growing urban population of electrification and water and boost the country's industrial development. It also hopes to diversify and expand its energy resources due to declining oil production.
Speaking to AFP, Yemen's Energy and Electricity Minister Mustafa Bahran said the contract was inked with the Houston-based Powered Corp. "The overall cost of the project is estimated at 15 billion dollars. It features the construction of five nuclear reactors over 10 years," Bahran said. "Powered Corporation will oversee efforts to secure the financing of the project," he said.
http://www.albawaba.com/en/countries/Yemen/217221
MAYOR BLOOMBERG ANNOUNCES APPOINTMENT OF MARGARITA LOPEZ AS ENVIRONMENTAL COORDINATOR AT NEW YORK CITY HOUSING AUTHORITY
Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) Chairman Tino Hernandez today appointed NYCHA Board Member Margarita Lopez to spearhead environmental initiatives at the Authority. In her expanded role, Commissioner Lopez will guide NYCHA in setting aggressive goals to improve sustainability and ensure that those goals are met through new operational and administrative programs.
(Media-Newswire.com) - Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and New York City Housing Authority ( NYCHA ) Chairman Tino Hernandez today appointed NYCHA Board Member Margarita Lopez to spearhead environmental initiatives at the Authority. In her expanded role, Commissioner Lopez will guide NYCHA in setting aggressive goals to improve sustainability and ensure that those goals are met through new operational and administrative programs. The new initiatives will further advance PlaNYC, the City's strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and make New York City the world's first great sustainable city of the 21st century.
"With 2,653 residential buildings across the City, the Housing Authority can play a vital role in achieving our efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions," said Mayor Bloomberg. "With her dedication and intelligence, I can think of no better person than Margarita to lead NYCHA in this important effort."
Commissioner Lopez will lead a NCYHA team that will develop and implement a series of environmental programs aimed at making NYCHA a leader in green initiatives for public housing agencies across the country. Its strategies to enhance sustainability include the purchase and installation of energy efficient systems, as well as programs to educate and engage residents in adopting energy efficient practices in their homes. NYCHA, with 343 developments located throughout the City, is the nation's second largest landlord behind the U.S. Army with nearly 180,000 apartments providing housing to over 408,000 New Yorkers.
"Margarita Lopez is clearly an excellent choice for the Housing Authority," said Chairman Hernandez. "Her understanding of these complex issues and championing of green initiatives at NYCHA has been evident since she joined the Board. I welcome her leadership in helping not only NYCHA, but the entire City, in achieving our environmental goals."
"I am honored that Mayor Bloomberg has chosen me to head this important initiative," said Commissioner Lopez. "NYCHA's size and location throughout the City make it an important resource in achieving the goals set by the Mayor. NYCHA is going to be an integral part of PlaNYC and the global effort to help ensure a healthy and environmentally-sound future for everyone."
http://media-newswire.com/release_1054863.html
Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) Chairman Tino Hernandez today appointed NYCHA Board Member Margarita Lopez to spearhead environmental initiatives at the Authority. In her expanded role, Commissioner Lopez will guide NYCHA in setting aggressive goals to improve sustainability and ensure that those goals are met through new operational and administrative programs.
(Media-Newswire.com) - Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and New York City Housing Authority ( NYCHA ) Chairman Tino Hernandez today appointed NYCHA Board Member Margarita Lopez to spearhead environmental initiatives at the Authority. In her expanded role, Commissioner Lopez will guide NYCHA in setting aggressive goals to improve sustainability and ensure that those goals are met through new operational and administrative programs. The new initiatives will further advance PlaNYC, the City's strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and make New York City the world's first great sustainable city of the 21st century.
"With 2,653 residential buildings across the City, the Housing Authority can play a vital role in achieving our efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions," said Mayor Bloomberg. "With her dedication and intelligence, I can think of no better person than Margarita to lead NYCHA in this important effort."
Commissioner Lopez will lead a NCYHA team that will develop and implement a series of environmental programs aimed at making NYCHA a leader in green initiatives for public housing agencies across the country. Its strategies to enhance sustainability include the purchase and installation of energy efficient systems, as well as programs to educate and engage residents in adopting energy efficient practices in their homes. NYCHA, with 343 developments located throughout the City, is the nation's second largest landlord behind the U.S. Army with nearly 180,000 apartments providing housing to over 408,000 New Yorkers.
"Margarita Lopez is clearly an excellent choice for the Housing Authority," said Chairman Hernandez. "Her understanding of these complex issues and championing of green initiatives at NYCHA has been evident since she joined the Board. I welcome her leadership in helping not only NYCHA, but the entire City, in achieving our environmental goals."
"I am honored that Mayor Bloomberg has chosen me to head this important initiative," said Commissioner Lopez. "NYCHA's size and location throughout the City make it an important resource in achieving the goals set by the Mayor. NYCHA is going to be an integral part of PlaNYC and the global effort to help ensure a healthy and environmentally-sound future for everyone."
http://media-newswire.com/release_1054863.html
New study shows Mayor's energy policies are 'highly successful'
25-9-2007
Greater London Authority press release
The Mayor of London Ken Livingstone's energy policies will help to save over 135,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions each year according to a new report published today.
The Mayor of London Ken Livingstone’s energy policies will help to save over 135,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions each year according to a new report published today. The independent study by London South Bank University for the Greater London Authority looked at reductions in energy use and carbon savings resulting from the application of London Plan energy policies to developments referred to the Mayor and concluded that “In general, the Mayor’s policies have been highly successful in reducing expected energy consumption and CO2 emissions in new developments representing around a 26% saving of CO2.”
The study shows that more than three quarters of carbon savings come from energy efficiency measures, and that the target for ten percent of further CO2 savings from on-site renewables was met on average by late 2005. The authors note that carbon savings have increased over time, and that both developers and the Greater London Authority planning team have climbed a steep learning curve and are now more aware of how to address energy issues through the planning process.
The report coincides with the publication of the Mayor’s draft Housing Strategy last week, which sets out the Mayor’s plans to deliver 30,500 homes a year and 50,000 affordable homes over the next three years. Accordingly, as the number of homes built increases, the strategy contains specific policies to continue tackling climate change with a firm Mayoral commitment that the £1 billion regional housing budget for London will only be invested in new homes that meet high standards of environmental performance.
The Mayor said:
‘This study shows that the development industry in London has made a dramatic change in its approach to energy and climate change over the last four years. It also shows the value of setting tough policy to drive innovation and the adoption of energy efficient building design, efficient energy supply and renewable energy technologies. As the evidence of accelerating climate change continues to build, I look forward to working with London's construction and development communities to meet my targets for building new low carbon homes.’
Douglas Parr, Policy Director Greenpeace said: ‘London has shown that strong local policies can make developers and builders actually change the way they work to reduce carbon emissions. They need to be made standard across the country whilst progressive authorities and the Greater London Authority can continue to drive standards towards zero-carbon building.’
To download a copy of the report visit http://www.london.gov.uk/gla/publications/planning.jsp
25-9-2007
Greater London Authority press release
The Mayor of London Ken Livingstone's energy policies will help to save over 135,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions each year according to a new report published today.
The Mayor of London Ken Livingstone’s energy policies will help to save over 135,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions each year according to a new report published today. The independent study by London South Bank University for the Greater London Authority looked at reductions in energy use and carbon savings resulting from the application of London Plan energy policies to developments referred to the Mayor and concluded that “In general, the Mayor’s policies have been highly successful in reducing expected energy consumption and CO2 emissions in new developments representing around a 26% saving of CO2.”
The study shows that more than three quarters of carbon savings come from energy efficiency measures, and that the target for ten percent of further CO2 savings from on-site renewables was met on average by late 2005. The authors note that carbon savings have increased over time, and that both developers and the Greater London Authority planning team have climbed a steep learning curve and are now more aware of how to address energy issues through the planning process.
The report coincides with the publication of the Mayor’s draft Housing Strategy last week, which sets out the Mayor’s plans to deliver 30,500 homes a year and 50,000 affordable homes over the next three years. Accordingly, as the number of homes built increases, the strategy contains specific policies to continue tackling climate change with a firm Mayoral commitment that the £1 billion regional housing budget for London will only be invested in new homes that meet high standards of environmental performance.
The Mayor said:
‘This study shows that the development industry in London has made a dramatic change in its approach to energy and climate change over the last four years. It also shows the value of setting tough policy to drive innovation and the adoption of energy efficient building design, efficient energy supply and renewable energy technologies. As the evidence of accelerating climate change continues to build, I look forward to working with London's construction and development communities to meet my targets for building new low carbon homes.’
Douglas Parr, Policy Director Greenpeace said: ‘London has shown that strong local policies can make developers and builders actually change the way they work to reduce carbon emissions. They need to be made standard across the country whilst progressive authorities and the Greater London Authority can continue to drive standards towards zero-carbon building.’
To download a copy of the report visit http://www.london.gov.uk/gla/publications/planning.jsp
New York behind on renewable energy
By VALERIE BAUMAN
Business Week
ALBANY, N.Y.
The complex web of New York's local governments and regulations, along with a lack of resources and strong competition from other states, has limited the state's ability to develop renewable energy technologies, according to findings released Tuesday. The state's Renewable Energy Task Force identified a series of problems New York faces in achieving its goal of generating 25 percent renewable energy by 2013.
Lt. Gov. David Paterson is chairman of the task force. Gov. Eliot Spitzer has called for reducing the state's electricity consumption 15 percent below forecast levels by 2015.
One major obstacle to alternative energy use in New York comes from the complex and numerous local governments that have varying laws and restrictions that apply to installing new energy systems.
"Renewable energy installers and potential owners face a patchwork of widely differing local government requirements and home owner association restrictions, creating hurdles to the efficient and widespread installation of renewable energy systems," the task force said.
New York also faces a competitive disadvantage, because other states provide substantially more funding for incentives to attract clean industries. "New York has lacked the vision to ask ourselves the hard questions of why renewable industries are locating in surrounding states, and how do we utilize and maximize New York's resources, and craft polices that are environmentally balanced and economically sustainable for our state," the task force said in its executive summary. A full report is expected later this year.
"There are a number of other places that do see this (energy efficiency) as an opportunity for their area to stand out and try to put themselves first in line to attract this next generation of green technologies," said Carol Werner, executive director of the District of Columbia-based Environmental and Energy Study Institute. California, and Sacramento in particular, have been leaders in providing incentives, requests for proposals, direct funding and competitive grants to attract green companies, Werner said.
Ann Arbor, Mich.; Portland, Ore.; Austin, Texas; Seattle and Chicago have also led the way in developing major projects to develop more efficient energy technology and attract new businesses, she said.
Paterson identified California, Connecticut, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania as New York's competition for businesses attracted to alternative energy sources. He said New York hasn't prioritized renewable energy in the budget.
"California has a plan to invest billions into renewable energy," Paterson said. "In this respect they're ahead of us and corporate America has followed the less costly plan." The task force said the state needs more funding to achieve its goals.
The $41.3 million funding the Renewable Portfolio Standard program is not sufficient to change New York's energy use, the task force said. The RPS program was created to improve energy security, help diversify the state's electricity options and increase economic development opportunities in the renewables industry.
The task force is to identify and recommend potential markets for investment invest that would increase the state's use of renewable energy and alternative fuels.
http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D8RSPAHO0.htm
By VALERIE BAUMAN
Business Week
ALBANY, N.Y.
The complex web of New York's local governments and regulations, along with a lack of resources and strong competition from other states, has limited the state's ability to develop renewable energy technologies, according to findings released Tuesday. The state's Renewable Energy Task Force identified a series of problems New York faces in achieving its goal of generating 25 percent renewable energy by 2013.
Lt. Gov. David Paterson is chairman of the task force. Gov. Eliot Spitzer has called for reducing the state's electricity consumption 15 percent below forecast levels by 2015.
One major obstacle to alternative energy use in New York comes from the complex and numerous local governments that have varying laws and restrictions that apply to installing new energy systems.
"Renewable energy installers and potential owners face a patchwork of widely differing local government requirements and home owner association restrictions, creating hurdles to the efficient and widespread installation of renewable energy systems," the task force said.
New York also faces a competitive disadvantage, because other states provide substantially more funding for incentives to attract clean industries. "New York has lacked the vision to ask ourselves the hard questions of why renewable industries are locating in surrounding states, and how do we utilize and maximize New York's resources, and craft polices that are environmentally balanced and economically sustainable for our state," the task force said in its executive summary. A full report is expected later this year.
"There are a number of other places that do see this (energy efficiency) as an opportunity for their area to stand out and try to put themselves first in line to attract this next generation of green technologies," said Carol Werner, executive director of the District of Columbia-based Environmental and Energy Study Institute. California, and Sacramento in particular, have been leaders in providing incentives, requests for proposals, direct funding and competitive grants to attract green companies, Werner said.
Ann Arbor, Mich.; Portland, Ore.; Austin, Texas; Seattle and Chicago have also led the way in developing major projects to develop more efficient energy technology and attract new businesses, she said.
Paterson identified California, Connecticut, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania as New York's competition for businesses attracted to alternative energy sources. He said New York hasn't prioritized renewable energy in the budget.
"California has a plan to invest billions into renewable energy," Paterson said. "In this respect they're ahead of us and corporate America has followed the less costly plan." The task force said the state needs more funding to achieve its goals.
The $41.3 million funding the Renewable Portfolio Standard program is not sufficient to change New York's energy use, the task force said. The RPS program was created to improve energy security, help diversify the state's electricity options and increase economic development opportunities in the renewables industry.
The task force is to identify and recommend potential markets for investment invest that would increase the state's use of renewable energy and alternative fuels.
http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D8RSPAHO0.htm
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