FEATURES AND NEWS
NEC Corporation has developed a multi-stage cooling technology that removes the heat generated by equipment mounted on racks installed in data centers. The technology could reduce air conditioning power consumption by up to 50 percent, says the company. NEC applies phase change cooling technology that it previously developed and installs ... Read more »
Telecommunications giant Ericsson is planning to invest $1.1 billion in the coming five years to build three global ICT Centers, using modular design with a focus on energy efficiency. Two centers will be located in Sweden, and one will be located in Quebec, Canada. The three information communications technology (ICT) ... Read more »
In President Obama’s Climate Action Plan announced in June, he indicated his administration would seek stronger energy efficiency standards for some appliances, and now the Department of Energy has issued two new proposed energy-saving standards for commercial refrigeration equipment, covering commercial refrigerators and freezers and walk-in coolers and freezers. Deputy ... Read more »
A liquid ammonia leak from a frozen storage and logistics business in Shanghai sent stinging fumes into a nearby residential area, killing at least 15 people and injuring 25 others, reports China’s Xinhua News Agency. The Aug. 31 leak was caused by a detached pipe cap, sources within the Shanghai ... Read more »
There will be sufficient supply of advanced biofuels to meet the US Renewable Fuel Standard through 2016, according to Environmental Entrepreneurs’ (E2) annual assessment of the advanced biofuel industry. The report comes amidst renewed scrutiny of the RFS from Congress this summer, as the oil industry seeks to roll back ... Read more »
Partner Content
Blue Marble Biomaterials has completed the purchase of a former GTC Oats in Missoula, Mont., which the company says will become its first large commercial bio-refinery. The acquisition of this facility fulfills the next stage of the sustainable biochemical manufacturer’s scaling plan to begin offering an expanded portfolio of products ... Read more »
California governor Jerry Brown’s proposed Proposition 65 reforms have gone nowhere, Daniel Herling of law firm Mintz Leven says, but another attempt at reform – Assembly Bill 227 – is making progress. AB 227 would give business owners receiving a notice of Proposition 65 violation a two-week grace period, during which they could avoid ... Read more »
General Motors has donated an additional 2,000 yards of scrap vehicle sound-absorption material to a nonprofit that uses the material to insulate coats that transform into sleeping bags for the homeless. GM’s donation keeps materials out of landfills and will help insulate about 400 coats, according to the automaker’s blog. ... Read more »
A new standard, ASTM D7858, Test Method for Determination of Bisphenol A in Soil, Sludge and Biosolids by Pressurized Fluid Extraction and Analyzed by Liquid Chromatography/Tandem Mass Spectrometry, describes procedures for measuring BPA concentrations in environmental media such as soils, sludges and biosolids. The land application of biosolids and sludge could lead to elevated ... Read more »
Talking about a sustainable supply chain is fine and dandy, but without independent monitoring of suppliers, a company can’t back up its sustainability claims, says Tom Seal, head of research at Procurement Leaders Network, in a guest column in The Guardian. To follow through on corporate social responsibility policies, companies ... Read more »
Partner Content
Beyond 10 percent, the ethanol renders the blended fuel “incompatible with today’s engines, vehicles and the multi-billion dollar infrastructure” in the US, the AFPM and API say.
Risk Management — If EPA determines additional restrictions are required, it must establish these and the magnitude of risk. These restrictions include warnings, recordkeeping, testing, quantity limitations, notices to value chain, bans, and phase-outs. Confidential Business Information (CBI) — Specific chemical identity is protected under S. 1009 if claimed confidential ... Read more »
Big Geyser, a distributor of non-alcoholic beverages in Maspeth, NY, has installed a 408 kW solar system, with funding assistance from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA). The project, installed by EmPower Solar, is expected to produce 440,000 kWh per year, enough power to meet the ... Read more »
Massachusetts colleges and universities will have access to a $2 million fund from Mass College Green to complete energy saving projects, according to the Boston Business Journal. Mass College Green was created by GreenerU, which works with educational institutions to help them increase energy efficiency. GreenerU expects to fund about ... Read more »
BASF and ClearEdge have both exited the high temperature proton exchange membrane (HT-PEM) fuel cell development market, but that does not mean the technology is declining, reports Fuel Cell Today. Instead, their exit will open up the market and enable smaller players to service it. BASF announced that it would ... Read more »
Con Edison, Helsinki Energy and District Energy St. Paul are among the district energy systems under consideration for awards at this year’s Global District Energy Climate Awards. Around the world, cities and communities are deploying district energy system infrastructure in a bid to cut greenhouse gas emissions, increase energy efficiency and strengthen ... Read more »
Salt Lake City has collaborated with some partners to create an online tool to simplify the solar process for all sectors, with the overall objective of reducing the time, costs and complexity of going solar. The city worked with Utah Clean Energy, Utah Automated Geographic Reference Center, the US Department ... Read more »
The drive by large UK-based companies to meet their energy targets is piling pressure on businesses throughout their respective supply chains to be environmentally friendly, according to a report by renewable energy company Urban Wind. As the “triple bottom line” becomes an increasing priority for businesses, companies across the UK are now ... Read more »
Nearly 100 shampoos and personal care products made by Colgate Palmolive, Colomer, Paul Mitchell and numerous other manufacturers allegedly contain a cancer-causing chemical, according to test results released by the Center for Environmental Health. The Oakland, Calif.-based group filed a lawsuit Tuesday against Walgreens, Lake Consumer Products, Vogue International and ... Read more »
Can big business succeed in saving the climate, where government has failed? That’s the question tackled by Jerry Patchell and Roger Hayter in the latest issue of Foreign Affairs. They argue that the Montreal Protocol was successful in slashing emissions of ozone-depleting chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) because it gave companies a “clear ... Read more »
Facilities required to report non-trade secret Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) data to the EPA must file electronically as of Jan. 21, 2014, according to a final rule published in the Federal Register. The rule also requires facilities to submit any revisions or withdrawals of previously submitted TRI reporting forms using ... Read more »
The MarkWest Javelina plant in Corpus Christi, Texas, will invest over $650,000 for facility operations improvements to reduce flaring and will pay a civil penalty of $97,500 to settle violations of the Clean Air Act, the EPA said. The settlement also requires the company to improve emission controls, improve operational reliability and ... Read more »
The CO2 Capture Project (CCP) earlier this year awarded CO2 Solutions a contract to provide certain project data and reports to CCP related to the pre-pilot phase of CO2 Solutions’ Alberta oil sands project. The CCP is a partnership of several major energy companies working together to advance industrial-scale CO2 ... Read more »