FEATURES AND NEWS
Although the percentage of energy-use attributed to buildings seems to vary depending on the news source, NREL released the 2013 edition of its annual Renewable Energy Data Book, which reports that US buildings represent 40 percent of total energy usage. Other key findings from the report include: Renewable electricity, including ... Read more »
A BCC Research report report “Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning: Global Markets,” predicts this market will grow from $75.4 billion in 2014 to $116.6 billion in 2019, registering a five-year compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9.1 percent. The transformation the HVAC business is experiencing will open the door to ... Read more »
Mary Sotos from the World Resources Institute talks about GHG Protocol Scope 2 Guidance.
Amazon has signed a 13-year power purchase agreement (PPA) with Pattern Energy Group to support the construction and operation of the 150 MW Amazon Web Services Wind Farm (Fowler Ridge) in Benton County, Indiana. This is Pattern Energy’s first wind project in Indiana. Pattern expects to begin construction of the ... Read more »
Average energy demand per square foot in the commercial sector is growing at 1.5 percent per year. According to a 2009 McKinsey report, Unlocking Energy Efficiency in the US Economy, the commercial sector will consume 20 percent of all the energy used in the United States by 2020. Retail & ... Read more »
Partner Content
Schneider Electric and Autodesk signed a memorandum of understanding to collaborate on building lifecycle management based on building information modeling (BIM). As part of the collaboration, the two companies are exploring ways to complement each other’s strengths to make buildings more energy efficient from the design and construction through operation ... Read more »
No Limits Software, a provider of data center infrastructure management (DCIM), added Mexican-based Grupo as a value added distributor of its RaMP DCIM system. Grupo products include UPSs, air conditioners, transient suppressers, generators, static transfer switches, line conditioners, fire protection, access control and video surveillance. No Limits Software’s RaMP will ... Read more »
Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry wants to provide about $779 million to help factories and smaller businesses install devices to improve energy efficiency, reports Bloomberg. The ministry has submitted a request for a budget for energy saving devices such as LEDs and efficient boilers. In addition, the Ministry ... Read more »
Trane launched a mobile version of its Trane Official Product Selection System (TOPSS), a web-based tool that helps customers determine which Trane HVAC system best suits their needs. Historically, TOPSS was a standalone software program that customers downloaded and installed on their local desktop workstations, but this model became outdated. ... Read more »
Ecova has been selected by Chuck E. Cheese’s to provide its utility expense and data management services at about 525 locations nationwide. Ecova will leverage its Big Data Warehouse, which contains over 2.5 billion points of energy data from more than 700,000 facilities, to help Chuck E. Cheese’s gain a ... Read more »
Partner Content
Governor Brown was sworn into office earlier this month and gave his fourth inaugural address, which also doubled as his State of the State (a rare double feature). Though he touched on a variety of other proposals, the Governor kept his laser focused on climate and energy issues. He proposed three carefully worded, but ambitious, goals for California to accomplish ...
President Obama only briefly mentioned the Keystone XL pipeline in last night’s State of the Union address. Earlier Tuesday, however, Obama reiterated he would veto the Keystone pipeline if it passes Congress, the Hill reports. And in his speech he did vow to veto any congressional efforts to halt executive ... Read more »
With a new year comes new promises and new opportunities – and that also goes for the United States and China, the world’s biggest climate polluters. The good news is, both nations appear ready to embrace solar and other renewables, investments that will cement their recent, bilateral agreement to tackle climate change. ... Read more »
Three Shell Oil Company affiliates have agreed to pay $900,000 as part of a settlement with the EPA to resolve Clean Air Act violations, including selling gasoline and diesel fuel that did not conform to federal standards. The agency says these violations resulted in excess emissions of harmful air pollutants ... Read more »
The World Resources Institute has published new guidance for companies to measure emissions from purchased electricity. The first major update to the GHG Protocol Corporate Accounting and Reporting Standard responds to the rapid growth of renewable energy and other major shifts in the electricity market, WRI says. The GHG Protocol ... Read more »
Office Depot affiliate Grand & Toy has launched a retailer recycling program for office products in conjunction with TerraCycle Canada. The announcement comes after a successful five month K-Cup Pack pilot recycling partnership between Grand & Toy and TerraCycle for customers in Southern Ontario; the program, now expanding throughout Canada, will ... Read more »
As businesses’ approaches to sustainability matures, leaders will find their attention drawn towards company specific risk-based thinking objectives and how to efficiently integrate alternative strategies, such as green infrastructure, into their plans for 2015 onwards, according to analysis by Verdantix. To understand the key sustainability management trends that will impact ... Read more »
Hilton Worldwide has launched a program to help meeting professionals reduce waste and incorporate sustainability into meetings and events. Meet with Purpose also align with many customers’ corporate responsibility goals, Hilton says. Inspired by Hilton’s corporate responsibility strategy, Travel with Purpose, Hilton gathered feedback from customers and sales team members ... Read more »
Business leaders globally have strong confidence in their own ability to turn sustainability challenges such as water scarcity and lock-in to fossil fuels into new business opportunities, particularly in the manufacturing and finance sectors in emerging economies. This is one of the key findings of the Global Opportunity Report launched ... Read more »
General Electric will supply two high-efficiency 7HA.02 gas turbine generators for the Tennessee Valley Authority’s new combined-cycle Allen plant, which will replace TVA’s three coal-fired units. TVA is retiring the units to meet the EPA’s December 2018 deadline to reduce coal emissions. GE’s 7HA.02 gas turbines run on natural gas. ... Read more »
Here’s the latest news on hirings, promotions and departures among environmental leaders. UK Green Building Council: The green building nonprofit has appointed Julie Hirigoyen (pictured) as its new chief executive. Hirigoyen is currently UK head of sustainability for international property consultants JLL. Nuverra Environmental Solutions: The environmental services company has ... Read more »
The Portland Water Bureau (PWB) and Lucid Energy have turned one of the city’s major water pipelines into a generator of renewable energy. The LucidPipe Power System uses the gravity-fed flow of water inside a PWB pipeline to spin four 42” turbines that are now producing electricity for Portland General ... Read more »
Turboden was chosen by Maine Woods Pellet Company to supply a biomass based Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) power unit for its plant in Athens, Maine. The plant can produce up to 100,000 tons of wood pellets per year. The Turboden ORC system will produce 8 MW, converting the heat of ... Read more »
A variable refrigerant flow (VRF) system with heat recovery may be an energy efficient alternative for buildings with inefficient fans and leaky ductwork. Variable frequency drive motors allow a VRF system to adjust to a variety of loads. The refrigerant serves as both the heating and cooling medium that can ... Read more »
Eaton is offering a modernization program for its Magnum low voltage power circuit breakers whereby heavily damaged Magnum power circuit breakers can be re-introduced into the distribution system with original capacity, a longer life and the added ability to reduce the risk of arc flash for down-stream breakers. Technicians specifically ... Read more »