http://www.environmentalleader.com Environmental Leader Fri, 25 May 2012 17:41:13 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/05/25/inexact-computer-chip-15-times-more-energy-efficient/ http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/05/25/inexact-computer-chip-15-times-more-energy-efficient/#comments Fri, 25 May 2012 14:43:59 +0000 Environmental Leader http://www.environmentalleader.com/?p=77375 Researchers have designed an “inexact” computer chip (pictured) that they say is up to 15 times more energy efficient than today’s chip technology. The prototypes cut energy use by allowing processing components – like hardware for adding and multiplying numbers – to make a few mistakes. By managing the probability of errors and limiting which [...]]]> http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/05/25/inexact-computer-chip-15-times-more-energy-efficient/feed/ 0 http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/05/25/daikin-mcquay-commercial-ac-first-to-meet-doe-efficiency-challenge/ http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/05/25/daikin-mcquay-commercial-ac-first-to-meet-doe-efficiency-challenge/#comments Fri, 25 May 2012 06:21:37 +0000 Environmental Leader http://www.environmentalleader.com/?p=77423 Daikin McQuay is the first manufacturer to meet the US Energy Department’s rooftop unit challenge, an initiative announced in January 2011 that aims to encourage companies to develop the next generation of cost-effective, high performance commercial air conditioners. The Daikin Rebel is expected to reduce energy use by as much as 50 percent to 60 [...]]]> http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/05/25/daikin-mcquay-commercial-ac-first-to-meet-doe-efficiency-challenge/feed/ 0 http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/05/23/winning-app-helps-commercial-buildings-get-energy-star-benchmark/ http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/05/23/winning-app-helps-commercial-buildings-get-energy-star-benchmark/#comments Wed, 23 May 2012 06:14:44 +0000 Environmental Leader http://www.environmentalleader.com/?p=77224 Melon, an app that simplifies the process of getting an Energy Star benchmark for a commercial building, was one of the big winners in the US government’s Energy for Apps competition. The Melon app delivers an Energy Star score and suggest next steps to improve efficiency and reduce waste, once a building manager supplies basic [...]]]> http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/05/23/winning-app-helps-commercial-buildings-get-energy-star-benchmark/feed/ 0 http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/05/22/better-place-opens-battery-swap-network/ http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/05/22/better-place-opens-battery-swap-network/#comments Tue, 22 May 2012 14:39:57 +0000 Environmental Leader http://www.environmentalleader.com/?p=77111 Better Place, the electric vehicle venture started by entrepreneur Shai Agassi, has opened its first publicly available battery switching stations, where drivers can swap out a discharged pack for a fully charged one in less time than it takes to fill up a conventional car with gasoline. The four Better Place battery stations are in central [...]]]> http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/05/22/better-place-opens-battery-swap-network/feed/ 0 http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/05/21/top-environmental-services-firms-named/ http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/05/21/top-environmental-services-firms-named/#comments Mon, 21 May 2012 16:43:29 +0000 Environmental Leader http://www.environmentalleader.com/?p=76985 AECOM, AMEC, Arcadis, CH2M Hill, ERM, SAIC and URS lead the US market for environmental services, according to a report from Verdantix. Green Quadrant Environmental Services Providers said the seven companies stood out in a field of 20 environmental services firms assessed in the study because of their national reach; ability to provide end-to-end project [...]]]> http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/05/21/top-environmental-services-firms-named/feed/ 0 http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/05/21/water-tech-market-for-food-and-drink-to-almost-double-by-2020/ http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/05/21/water-tech-market-for-food-and-drink-to-almost-double-by-2020/#comments Mon, 21 May 2012 14:20:29 +0000 Environmental Leader http://www.environmentalleader.com/?p=76946 The global water technology market in the food and beverage sector is set to almost double in size by 2020 as concerns over water scarcity increase, according to new research by business data research center Global Water Intelligence. Drivers including rising demand coupled with a fixed supply, and companies’ increasing concern over environmental branding, will [...]]]> http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/05/21/water-tech-market-for-food-and-drink-to-almost-double-by-2020/feed/ 1 http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/05/21/submetering-market-will-grow-to-1-5b-in-2020/ http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/05/21/submetering-market-will-grow-to-1-5b-in-2020/#comments Mon, 21 May 2012 13:55:42 +0000 Environmental Leader http://www.environmentalleader.com/?p=76989 The worldwide market for submetering technology and services totals $771 million and will grow to $1.58 billion in 2020 at a compound annual growth rate of 9.4 percent, according to a new Pike Research report. North America, Western Europe, and Asia Pacific collectively amount to 85 percent of the global market, with the remaining 15 [...]]]> http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/05/21/submetering-market-will-grow-to-1-5b-in-2020/feed/ 0 http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/05/16/sheffield-steel-plants-could-provide-20-mw-of-green-thermal-energy/ http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/05/16/sheffield-steel-plants-could-provide-20-mw-of-green-thermal-energy/#comments Wed, 16 May 2012 14:05:25 +0000 Environmental Leader http://www.environmentalleader.com/?p=76629 Steel plants located just outside Sheffield’s city center could be connected to the UK city’s existing district heating network (pictured) to provide an extra 20 MW of thermal energy, Phys.org reports. Steel companies actually spend money to cool flue gas and the water used during manufacturing, so heat recovery helps them to save money while [...]]]> http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/05/16/sheffield-steel-plants-could-provide-20-mw-of-green-thermal-energy/feed/ 0 http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/05/16/nrel-model-improves-predictions-of-shade-effects-on-solar-pv/ http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/05/16/nrel-model-improves-predictions-of-shade-effects-on-solar-pv/#comments Wed, 16 May 2012 13:55:49 +0000 Environmental Leader http://www.environmentalleader.com/?p=76690 Using microinverters instead of typical string inverters can improve solar panels’ performance in shade by more than 12 percent, according to a new National Renewable Energy Laboratory test procedure, which the lab says greatly improves the accuracy of predictions about shade effects. Shade hinders photovoltaic performance, which is why solar installers consider it in PV [...]]]> http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/05/16/nrel-model-improves-predictions-of-shade-effects-on-solar-pv/feed/ 0 http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/05/15/waste-as-a-resource/ http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/05/15/waste-as-a-resource/#comments Tue, 15 May 2012 10:11:21 +0000 Environmental Leader http://www.environmentalleader.com/?p=76170 Kevin Scoble, director of the environmental services department at the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo, discusses waste as a resource.]]> http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/05/15/waste-as-a-resource/feed/ 0 http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/05/10/honestbuildings-com-releases-info-on-250000-nyc-buildings/ http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/05/10/honestbuildings-com-releases-info-on-250000-nyc-buildings/#comments Thu, 10 May 2012 15:30:58 +0000 Environmental Leader http://www.environmentalleader.com/?p=76182 HonestBuildings.com has released information for more than 250,000 commercial and mixed-use buildings in New York City, representing more than 4 billion square feet. The free web service, which CEO Riggs Kubiak described to Forbes as “a cross between Yelp and LinkedIn for the built environment,” launched its beta platform in late March. In six weeks, [...]]]> http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/05/10/honestbuildings-com-releases-info-on-250000-nyc-buildings/feed/ 0 http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/05/08/nrel-unveils-more-accurate-energy-project-emissions-calculator/ http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/05/08/nrel-unveils-more-accurate-energy-project-emissions-calculator/#comments Tue, 08 May 2012 16:12:45 +0000 Environmental Leader http://www.environmentalleader.com/?p=75985 Cradle-to-grave greenhouse gas emissions from solar photovoltaics are about 5 percent of those from coal; wind and solar are about equal in emissions; and nuclear energy is on a par with renewable energy, according to a new study by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, which claims to use a more precise method for calculating life [...]]]> http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/05/08/nrel-unveils-more-accurate-energy-project-emissions-calculator/feed/ 0 http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/05/07/marriott-ranked-least-efficient-as-budget-hotels-show-the-way/ http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/05/07/marriott-ranked-least-efficient-as-budget-hotels-show-the-way/#comments Mon, 07 May 2012 14:20:49 +0000 Environmental Leader http://www.environmentalleader.com/?p=75855 A sustainability study of 46,000 US hotels by tech company Brighter Planet found budget hotels had greater energy efficiency than more expensive establishments, with upscale chain Marriott ranking 75th out of 75 chains. The study also discovered that newer hotels are less efficient, use more energy and use dirtier energy sources than their older counterparts. [...]]]> http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/05/07/marriott-ranked-least-efficient-as-budget-hotels-show-the-way/feed/ 10 http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/05/04/north-america-has-capacity-to-store-500-years-of-co2-emissions/ http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/05/04/north-america-has-capacity-to-store-500-years-of-co2-emissions/#comments Fri, 04 May 2012 14:29:59 +0000 Environmental Leader http://www.environmentalleader.com/?p=75782 North America’s geological formations have the capacity to store 500 years of carbon dioxide emissions, according to an atlas produced by the United States, Canada and Mexico. The North American Carbon Storage Atlas was created through the North American Carbon Atlas Partnership, a joint cross-border mapping initiative by the US Energy Department, Natural Resources Canada [...]]]> http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/05/04/north-america-has-capacity-to-store-500-years-of-co2-emissions/feed/ 3 http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/05/03/national-grid-pacificorp-among-latest-green-button-commitments/ http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/05/03/national-grid-pacificorp-among-latest-green-button-commitments/#comments Thu, 03 May 2012 07:30:16 +0000 Environmental Leader http://www.environmentalleader.com/?p=75698 National Grid, PacifiCorp, PPL, TXU Energy and Chattanooga EPB yesterday committed to provide more than 8 million businesses and households with easy access to their energy use data with the click of on online Green Button, the White House said. Also yesterday, software companies EnergyAI, Melon Power, Performance Systems Development, Retroficiency, Snugg Home, and Wattvision [...]]]> http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/05/03/national-grid-pacificorp-among-latest-green-button-commitments/feed/ 0