Swadeshi Civil Infrastructure has completed the installation of a 930-kilowatt (kW) SunPower solar system on the rooftop of the Indira Paryavaran Bhavan building in New Delhi, India. The solar panels were selected in part due to the relatively little amount of rooftop space for the solar panels. The building is India’s first net zero building. Its design emphasizes conservation featuring …
Legislation Would Save $65B In Energy Costs
According to the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy (ACEEE), proposed bipartisan energy efficiency legislation has the potential to save the nation billions while creating domestic jobs and reducing energy waste. The Energy Savings & Industrial Competitiveness Act of 2013 (S. 1392) was introduced by Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Rob Portman (R-OH) and is pending floor consideration when …
Caltech Announces New Energy Awards
The Resnick Sustainability Institute at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) has established an award, called RESONATE, that will honor cutting-edge work that addresses some of the hardest problems in energy and sustainability. The award winners will be announced in the Spring of 2014. The RESONATE Awards will focus on innovative, paradigm-shifting work from individuals at an early stage in …
20 Climate Change Steps for DOE
The Bicameral Task Force on Climate Change recently released a white paper recommending 20 steps the Department of Energy (DOE) should take in carrying out the President’s Climate Action Plan. The recommendations include strengthening specific energy efficiency standards, accelerating the development and deployment of low-carbon energy technologies, expanding the use of energy savings performance contracts to save energy at federal …
Energy Efficiency Programs and the Farm Bill
Congress is on vacation until September and while they are spending some time away from Washington, D.C. industries who need a farm bill passed are still working to not only a long-term bill passed, but one that keeps energy programs in tact and with funding. Yet the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) notes that many people don’t really …
REAP Funding Announced
U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has announced funding for 631 projects across the country – including 45 in North Carolina – that will help agricultural producers and rural small businesses reduce their energy consumption and costs, use renewable energy technologies in their operations and/or conduct feasibility studies for renewable energy projects. Grant and loan funding is made available through the …
AlsoEnergy Launches New Solar PV Tools
AlsoEnergy, a company focused on renewable energy monitoring and portfolio management software, unveiled two new offerings at last week’s Intersolar North America 2013. The two new products are PowerOperations, an operations management workflow module and PowerRes, a residential pacakge, are both designed and tailored for the financial community and developers of residential lease programs for the solar market. According to …
Hybrid PVT Solar System Successful In Oahu
The SunDrum Hybrid PVT solar system operating at the Inn at Schofield Barracks, a large hotel in Oahu, Hawaii, has returned 25 percent of its installation costs in the first six months of operation. Installed by AllNuEnergy, Inc., the system is expected to break even in less than two and a half years and provide an ROI of more than …
State RPS’s Hold Steady
The Center for the New Energy Economy at Colorado State University has released its most recent white paper, “State Renewable Portfolio Standards Hold Steady or Expand in 2013 Session,” as part of its series on legislative policy trends in advanced Energy. The white paper was based on data analyzed in the AEL Tracker dataset. According to the report, at the …
Ygrene Fund Florida’s First PACE Projects
Ygrene Energy Funds Florida has announced funding for the first Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) projects in the state. The Ygrene program provides residential and commercial property owners with access to low-cost, low-risk capital to implement building upgrades, including hurricane protection, energy efficiency and renewable energy projects. The PACE-financed projects are non-recourse financing repaid via annual property assessments over a …