Friday, March 22, 2013

Alternative Clean Energy Roundup: 22 March 2013

Many States Have Yet to Adopt Codes Required by Stimulus
March 04, 2013 - Every state in the U.S. committed to adopting building energy codes in order to receive money through the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), but halfway through the time allowed for compliance, many states still do not meet the requirements. Attorney Shari Shapiro points out on the Green Building Law blog that every state provided a governor’s letter stating its intent to comply with ARRA Section 410, linking State Energy Program (SEP) funding to adoption and enforcement of the 2009 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) for residential buildings and ANSI/ASHRAE/IESNA Standard 90.1-2007 for commercial buildings. Section 410 also required a program of training and annual compliance measurement, aimed at 90 percent compliance by 2017. read more>>>

Greening the College Campus From Within
Finals, football games, beer blasts, and now farmers markets? How college has changed!

March 04, 2013 - It was nearly 50 years ago—back in 1965—that Middlebury College in Vermont offered the first undergraduate degree in Environmental Studies, and since then it has become a staple, like the rise in majors such as Women’s Studies or Computer Science.

But as more colleges and universities have made campus sustainability a priority, so has sustainability become part of their curriculums. So now, though a student may be a mathematics or English major, their lives can still be affected by the college’s efforts. At the University of Oregon in Eugene, when students run on the school’s treadmills, it sends power back to their grid; Tufts University composts nearly a ton of food daily instead of sending it to landfills; the University of New Hampshire uses food from more than 50 local farms in its dining halls; and students everywhere are finding that a professor’s syllabus will have environmental sustainability entwined into aspects of their class. Several years ago, the Middlebury graduating class even left a gift of nearly $100,000 for future green projects on campus. read more>>>

EcoloBlue Life & Energy

Non-Glaring Photovoltaic Installations for Airports, Highways
Mar. 20, 2013 — Before a photovoltaic installation may be constructed, engineers calculate, for some selected days in the year, when and where the interfering light reflections occur, especially if airports, highways or larger residential areas are close by. In the future, this will be easier and more comprehensive: with software that creates a three-dimensional depiction of the glare at the touch of a button.

The pilot is about to land the plane, when he is suddenly blinded by glaring brightness created by a large-scale photovoltaic installation reflecting the sun. These blinding events create major safety hazards in the vicinity of airports. They also increase the potential for accidents when near highways. For this reason, before a photovoltaic installation may be constructed, engineers calculate, for some selected days in the year, when and where the interfering light reflections occur, especially if airports, highways or larger residential areas are close by. read more>>>

Trina Solar Announces Slimline Module Frames
March 20, 2013 - Trina Solar Limited, a global leader in photovoltaic modules, solutions, and services, today announced a new frame design across its full range of 72-cell monocrystalline and 60-cell polycrystalline modules. The frame thickness has been reduced from 40mm to 35mm, with products becoming immediately available. The thinner frame profile delivers a 5% reduction in weight, making modules substantially easier to handle and reducing the time needed to complete projects. Trina Solar 's 72-cell monocrystalline modules now weigh only 14.9 Kg, down from 15.6 Kg, and 60-cell polycrystalline modules now weigh 18.6 Kg, down from 19.5 Kg. read more>>>

Homewind: Wind Turbines, Power Kits & Components

International shipping should cut Air Pollutants and greenhouse gases together
Mar. 14, 2013 - Emissions of air pollutants and greenhouse gases from the shipping sector have increased substantially in the last two decades, contributing to both climate change and air pollution problems, according to a report from the European Environment Agency (EEA).

The shipping sector needs an integrated monitoring, reporting and verification system for emissions in European waters to systematically address both types of emissions together, the report says.

Air pollutants emitted by shipping can affect air quality in many areas, particularly around ports and busy shipping channels. read more>>>

Bigger than you think – The hidden reserves of Clean Energy projects
Analysis from Bloomberg New Energy Finance shows that the energy reserves contained in wind and bioenergy projects in the US and Brazil are significant compared to oil and gas.

London, 19 March 2013 -- Energy analysts are used to calculating the lifetime value of underground fossil fuel reserves. When it comes to renewable energy assets, however, they look at annual capacity and output, ignoring potential lifetime production. A new report by Bloomberg New Energy Finance, published today, has – for the first time – placed US and Brazilian wind and bioenergy projects on a basis comparable with fossil fuel reserves, and found them to be considerable. read more>>>


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