Greenbuild, Day 2: GE, Otis, FSC, Net-Zero Standard

GE Energy Industrial Solutions has formed a partnership with Inovateus Solar to build solar-powered, vehicle-charging carports for office buildings, governments, universities and sports complexes.

GE collaborated with Inovateus earlier this year to build a 100-kilowatt-hour solar carport, one of the largest structures of its kind in North America, in Plainville, Conn.

Otis Elevator Company, a unit of United Technologies Corp., unveiled the latest version of its NCE escalator, which Otis says is the first to offer as standard a complete package of green features including power standby features, LED lighting and high-efficiency lubrication.

The product features Otis’s ReGen drive, which captures energy generated by the escalator on the way down and delivers it back to the building for use by other systems, which the company says reduces energy consumption by up to 45 percent compared to traditional escalators.

And Otis said the expansion of its factory in Bangalore, India, is being built to LEED Gold standards.

Jones Lang LaSalle and green consultancy Encraft have developed Respro, software that will allow the property company to model the likely financial savings from installing on-site renewables, BusinessGreen reports.

The online tool will use existing property data held by clients, including square footage, roof space and heating demand.

The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) has chosen Hawaii Preparatory Academy Energy Research Lab in Kamuela, Hawaii, and zHome in Issaquah, Wash., as the best commercial and residential buildings of 2011, based on innovative uses of FSC-certified wood products.

In making the awards, the FSC pointedly emphasized old battle lines: “At a time when the US Green Building Council is considering dramatically lower standards for wood in their flagship LEED program, the award-winning projects show that use of FSC-certified wood delivers benefits to the forest and the marketplace,” the organization said.

CertainTeed has launched its Apollo Photovoltaic Solar Power Roofing System and expanded its AirRenew gypsum board product line, designed to improve indoor air quality. CertainTeed is also releasing Environmental Product Declarationsfor several ceilings products as well as a life cycle analysis (LCA) for its WeatherBoards fiber cement siding — both industry-first initiatives for these product categories, the company says.

Finally, the International Living Future Institute has launched a certification for Net Zero Energy buildings. More information is available in the Documentation Requirements (pdf).