-
Solar’s near-term growth and future bonanza is the focus of this week’s data. EL Insights says the U.S. solar investment will increase 2010-15 at an annual compounded rate of more than 20%. Plus: Wireless space solar. Also Pointed – Q2 shipments of inverters hit 4.9 gW, an all-time record. And a consumer survey shows they say they’ll pay
-
A roundup of market studies & forecasts includes the estimate that private enterprise put $1.6 trillion to work in the green economy since 2007. And: Green data centers. Also Pointed – what’s the vehicle-to-grid market going to look like in 10 years? Bigger than you might once have thought. Which cities are the greenest?
-
New York City’s got its first-ever electricity pump, and Portland, Oregon now has a fast-charging station from Japan. An auto rental company and a utility have separately decided to add EVs to their fleets. And: 5,000 charging stations for the Bay area. Also Pointed – Grist.org compares the Leaf vs. the Volt… which one is for you? Tesla finalizes its deal with Toyota, and Ford adds 220 EV-oriented jobs.
-
A “Sunlight-to-Fuel” project, a technology commercialization portal, and a 2009 Wind Technologies Market Report are all new from the DoE. Also: 13 first-ever trainees in the Data Center Energy Practitioner program; more on ocean energy. Also Pointed – details from DoE on a coming new consumer education program on LED is included. Present at the creation: The Home Depot and Grainger.
-
EPRI and Southern California Edison asked consumers about electric vehicle charging. Some folks in Toronto found out that the majority of data centers are operating at 4% utilization (that’s right, 96% are not in use). And a report on PV modules in Q1. Also Pointed – did you go to last month’s Intersolar North America show in San Francisco? If not, we’ve got tons of info. If you did, you might find something you missed in our coverage.
-
It’s not been a great time to be a home builder, and the NAHB has been jumping on the government to do more to fix that. But a recent voluntary energy efficiency proposal on existing homes from the DoE earns an OK. Also Pointed – DoE still spreading the stimulus money around; a look at cash for 15 R&D partnerships; $15 million for solid-state lighting R&D and such.
-
A recent report on federal subsidies for renewable energy points out that it’s too soon to be tired of the renewable conversation. In short, doubters should renew their thinking! Also Pointed – the President used a DoE study to note that the price of batteries for electric vehicles is going to fall like a stone. Also: A graphic depiction of electric vehicle charging stations.
-
Two weeks ago we presented negative info on green jobs. This week: The positive side of the story, including what a former actor said about greedy companies fighting a California state law. Also Pointed – are you aware of The Eden Project, a website that helps young people land green jobs? And, find the latest recap from an early-June green jobs event in D.C.
-
Did you read the Department of Energy’s recent Annual Energy Outlook, covering the years leading up to 2035? If not, you can get a shorthand look at the renewables piece this week in Green Data Points. A research firm says The Smart Grid’s growth will get to $17.7 billion by 2015. Also Pointed – an interesting look at the cost of retrofitting homes vs. the cost of cleaning up an oil spill. Plus, what the Dr. Pepper Snapple Group is up to.
-
With all of the talk about green jobs, the lack or slow creation of them is producing negative response from some. For example, one piece contradicts the idea that green jobs could not possibly be outsourced. Also Pointed – will government support end up costing more jobs than it creates? One blog notes that 200,000 jobs annually is “a drop in the bucket” – undeniable.
-
What’s needed in a green business plan? A business magazine offers five things that need to be improved, including the fact that the executive summary is often missing. Plus other Points, five steps to starting your office recycling program. Points on the big yellow disk – solar in California, big numbers in Germany, Q1/10 inverter shipments, big prize for a Swiss inventor & heavier PV competition.
-
In the believe-it-or-not category: A unit of Deloitte estimated that, by the year 2020, electric vehicles and “other green cars” will represent 33% of global sales in developed markets. Plus, a look at the impact of parking! Also Pointed – FORTUNE came up with its own unique way of debunking 25 “green myths,” including the fluorescent bulb. Local tax issues in Nevada.
-
Is LEED worth it? The head of real estate at The Home Depot indicates obtaining LEED certification is not always in a company’s best interest. Why? Something about bike racks + showers . . . Also Pointed – did you know: Restaurants use 5x more energy per sq. ft. than any other type of commercial building? And: Here’s a “dirty secret” about green MBAs.
-
Need bad news? The official EIA/DOE analysis of the year
2035 says Planet Earth’s energy consumption will be nearly 50% higher than
today. Need good news? The planet installed 7.5 gW of solar PV capacity in
2009.Also Pointed – a roundup of news includes what’s up with
Nissan (the Leaf is a sell-out!), an joint venture in China, and
Tesla’s plant re-start.
-
Interesting fact: In the next five years, the “green” share of the building retrofit market will go from today’s 7% to 13% in 2015. Did you know? – there’s a new version of LEED for neighborhoods? Heard of the “vertical farm” idea? Also Pointed – when the wind blows in Germany, 21,000 wind turbines generate so much power that consumers get a rebate. Plus: Cisco’s free energy upgrade.
-
A research firm claims that $653.36 billion will be put behind renewable energy investments by 2015. Another claim: 50% of electricity demand in 2050 in the European Union will be met by wind power. Plus: $62 million for CSP R&D. Also Pointed – CA regulators unleash electric use data, MA gets some praise on clean energy, the Southeast grabs $20 million, and Virginia goes green.
-
This week’s “points” are all about what’s being done in education on green + sustainable subjects. Included: America’s greenest K-12 school; a Michigan CC that’s teaching electricians about renewable energy; BIPV on a student center roof. Also Pointed – the STARS program from a higher-education group; what’s new in EE for the 700,000 students in the LAUSD; a Sustainable Schools Summit.
-
You might want to keep up with the latest news on electrical vehicles – especially the plans, according to Voice of America, for 11,000 charging stations in 11 major U.S. cities. Plus: An EV auto maker licenses a technology for smart car charging. Pointing to numbers – 63.4% is a key number in paper recycling; there are 19 IPOs for greentech companies; and 3,754 three-week orders for the Leaf.
-
Our “Earth Day” survey of what’s revealed in polls and survey starts with Joel Makower’s 4th annual . . . review of what he learned from recent green polls & surveys! He sums up his take as “Me first, planet later.” Also Pointed – how much of U.S. energy needs is met by renewables? Correct answer: Less than 10%. Answer from 4,611 students: Nearly 50%.
-
Did you know Apple applied for a patent on a home energy management system? Are you aware of a new way to invent in clean tech via an index? It debuted in March. Also, can you correctly guess the cost premium for offshore wind (vs. onshore)? Also Pointed – a reminder of the power of the negative in the green area: Ford Motor will save $1.2M by using a new device which . . . turns off computers.
-
Will you miss the mail when it stops arriving on Saturdays? Think of the emissions savings alone. Find out what Secretary Chu had to say about energy efficiency. And: Details on how the clock is ticking on specific government product rebates and tax credits. Also Pointed – news on electric vehicles includes an option from KB Homes, a work truck from Freightliner, Fed Ex’s plans for L.A. & truck stop electrification.
-
Some interesting charts illustrate this week’s points, especially the first, which shows San Francisco’s central business district as a lot greener than other cities. The other chart shows the U.S. with 8% of the planet’s solar PV installed. Also Pointed – Broan, Dow, Honeywell & Sanyo have products in the “Top 50” green rankings. And: Top Energy Star home builders.
-
Chicago’s greener developments earned notice recently. In New York City, bigger buildings (over 50,000 sq. ft.) are going to have to benchmark themselves to those nationwide, which ought to be interesting. And there are gains in Alabama, too. Pointed Questions: Which cities rank highest in the number of Energy Star buildings? Why will Seattle bend its own codes to get greener?
-
Clean Energy Trends 2010 Report CleanEdge issued its 2010 report, which updates earlier efforts. Here’s a bit of the online summary of the free report Biofuels (global production and wholesale pricing of ethanol and biodiesel) reached $44.9 billion
-
There’s gold in them there cell phones! How much – well, a little more than one buck in each of those recycled in Japan, according to a report. Plus: eSolar, Solyndra, and eSolar make a “top venture-backed” list; 7-Eleven has 8,100 stores, now including a green one. Also Pointed – 2010 will see a 27% gain in the market for the chemicals and materials that turn out solar photovoltaics, with more growth to come
-
The Energy Information Agency looks at the various kinds of non-gasoline-powered cars that will spring up in the future through 2035. Plus: Fuel cell vehicle research. And: Why are electric car dealerships closing in the San Francisco Bay area? Also Pointed – 47 news items in “The Week In Green” postings, plus five weeks of the DoE’s efficiency/renewable newsletter. And: Legislative update.
-
Bad news roundup: legislation in Arizona could hurt solar; budget-balancing in New Jersey could hurt renewables there; “some buildings are not living up to the green label;” and wind project legal issues that might be considered. Also Pointed – code, labeling, and standards issues include what’s going on in California, a federal effort on data centers, a roundup of three green codes and lighting.
-
It’s the stealth renewable energy format: Geothermal had a 46% gain in the U.S. in ’09, we learn (much of it in California). The U.S. government loans almost half a billion to a company that will make electric vehicles. And: $6.2 trillion of green opportunities? Also Pointed – the home energy audited business is valued at $8.1 billion last year, but should triple – to $23.4B – by 2014. Plus: A new hydrogen fuel station.
-
Lots of people are just dying to get their foot in the door on green/sustainability biz issues, and one group of them is . . . lawyers. Several other items (not necessarily unrelated to that) in this report are about the insurance industry’s green discussions. Also green & pointed – one problem in energy waste is the leasing of commercial space; incentives to cut power bills seem to disappear. Is this green leasing’s moment?
-
We’re all about schools this week (specifically, higher education). A school building can teach sustainability, it is alleged. The Green Campus Program is updated. And: Harvard gets into the “green” act, with the non-penetrating solar retrofit of an historic building. Also green & pointed – AASHE, an association in higher education, has a program called STARS. See also info on the Wind for Schools program and Honeywell’s survey.
-
Have you heard that greener buildings are smarter for companies – i.e., they make more financial sense? And have you also heard that workers in greener buildings are more productive? This week’s GDP includes links to the original 63-page and 31-page reports. Also Pointed – green products from the 2010 International Builders Show (a 12-product slide show plus access to 15 more); plus software, a book, a database, etc.
-
Who’s first in solar manufacturing? What will the first loan from the green bank in Kentucky accomplish? Who’s working on converting an existing structure into the world’s tallest green building? And the U.S. government removes Energy Star labels! Also Pointed – 2009 sported a 25% increase in solar photovoltaic module shipments, a source reports. And: California’s green economy keeps growing, despite it all.
-
What’s going to happen in 2010? A lot of experts (and some others) have already weighed in on the prospects for this or that aspect of the green movement. Included among these: Jerry Yudelson, who works with NAED’s CAP and speaks at the org’s meetings. Also Pointed – some interesting product observations (by green site correspondents) from the Consumer Electronics Show. A little bit about windows. And: What’s ICE II?
-
At the turn of a calendar, we get wrap-ups and looks-forward. Included here: Green trends in 2010; the green business decade in review; a look at Exchange-Traded Funds for green energy and solar investments; and even a peek at growth out to 2015. Also Pointed – the top 10 green stories of 2009 (a list from one source) – and, from another, the top 20 stories! Plus, either green venture capital was up or down.
-
A research firm you’ve likely never heard of says that the markets for commercial and residential green buildings in 2013 will be 146% higher – which seems like a lot – than it was in 2009. Plus, the recession has caused a 2.2% drop in 2008 U.S. GHG emissions. Also Pointed – 30% of projects that purport to generate carbon credits aren’t doing that, a consulting firm said. And: 85% of U.S. consumers will cut energy use in ’10.
-
It’s not quite a Letterman routine, but we have for you the “10 dumbest green buildings,” as compiled by a green website. On the more-serious side, SmallBizTrends.com gathered ideas from site visitors – and offers “100 green small business tips.” Also Pointed – the U.S. photovoltaics market isn’t one market, it’s 50 (thanks to various rules and regs) – a research firm looks at where it’s going by the year 2013.
-
What’s the greenest place on the planet? New York City, one local denizen opines. If California is so great, by contrast, why has it generated only 159,000 green jobs? What is great, apparently, is ENERGY STAR – a label slapped on 17% of homes built in 2009. Also Pointed – 25% growth seen for green building products to 2013; an analyst boosts his estimate of solar PV construction in 2010 (based on the EPA’s GHG action).
-
Start this week off with 10 predictions on the “CleanTech” front for 2010. Some are quite cryptic, like “electric cars take back seat to smart mobility”. Others include a list of the top 20 K-12 schools that buy green power -- one of several such lists maintained by the U.S. EPA. Also Pointed – best-in-class U.S. manufacturers have cut their energy use by 24% on average, according to a report; the laggards have seen a 6% increase.
-
Details are provided (six items, all with links for more details) about how the DoE is planning to provide $833 million for clean tech. But George Soros calls that chump change, as he (alone, apparently) is coming up with $1 billion for the same thing! More GDP – we’ve provided links to detailed coverage of GreenBuild 2009 previously; here we provide a final clean-up – including a link to two “aha!” moment videos.
-
Let’s say you thought The Smart Grid was hot and likely to get hotter – and you wanted to make some money by investing in it. Before last week, you had to buy shares in a bunch of electrical industry stocks. Now, you can do that via shares of QGRD (an ETF). More Pointing – you’ll find info, links, and graphics on where the wind industry will end up in ’09, and an expert assessment of likely investments in TSG through 2013.
-
A roundup on electric vehicles includes an item that notes that the things are so darn quiet, makers may have to somehow add a “fake vroom” (so people can hear them coming!). Plus, a look at garages – the house can’t be green if you can’t plug in a PHEV. Also Pointed – a look at green jobs, including a current-data graphic (from Indeed.com) and the results of a USGBC study that indicates where they might be going (up!).
-
Everybody has opinions . . . oops, we said that. But in this section, this week, you’ll get the results of surveys on green issues, including what people hear when corporations say “sustainable production” and sacrifices workers say they’ll make to save energy. Also Pointed – what J. Walter Thompson said about green confusion (it’s rampant); a survey of the costs of green building in NYC (not much of a premium). And:
-
Last week’s Solar Power International show is covered with 30 videos, the newly proposed “Solar Bill of Rights,” press coverage galore, and announcements from various companies that participated in the event. Other Points – solar data (from surveys and more) came out of the woodwork in the week of SPI, including the fact that installed costs have fallen 30% in a decade.
-
Innovation, integration & influence are key metrics separating the wheat from the chaff in green, two bloggers contend. A research study divides consumers into “light green” and “dark green” shades. Plus: A report from the Sustainable Supply Chain Summit. Also in GDP – the American Solar Energy Society provides an illuminating (and pretty!) U.S. map, showing contributions possible (to 2030) from renewables & EE.
-
We’re revisiting green jobs – yes, again – because this is one heck of a gigantic nerfballish thing . . . and we found a great line on the whole idea: “If you want to be a solar installer, a better idea might be to become a certified electrician.” Also in GDP – did you know its National Energy Awareness Month? If that’s a so-what for you, perhaps you’ll want to read the Executive Order on federal sustainability.
-
Fairmont Hotels & Resorts – which got a start on eco-friendly activities back in the year 1990 (in Canada at least!) – has added eco-friendly IT strategies. On another front: The new head of the national PTA is a green construction professional. More GDP – green energy projects for education in Virginia, via a public-private partnership; ZigBee’s green power feature set; lawsuit avoidance strategies.
-
Did you know: There are 400+ green seals; Navistar took a truck to D.C. (it’s 100% electric); BIPV is a market with “a lot of promise; New York state now has a “green hospitality” certification; and California now has a really hard-to-reach 33% goal. Also in GDP – a company gets 60% of customers to OK the idea of opening reused boxes in which it shipped new products; and – what the heck is LEED-ND?
-
Can we learn anything about how to improve our buildings from the efforts of Europeans and Australians? RAND thinks we can. Two electric utilities make plans to go 100% with electric vehicles by 2020. And a contract for a solar-power-beaming satellite! More GDP – backing for the claim that workers in green buildings are more productive than those in non-green edifices. A Green Seal for restaurants – and much more.
-
Green graphics (even a few other colors too) convey info about solar-powered race cars, PV modules and their prices, and supply chain sustainability. Of course, you get links to download the associated reports (three of four are free). More Points – which U.S. city has more LEED buildings than any others? What the heck is a “green bank?” And why does “Big Blue” want a “big green battery?”
-
The top five energy management considerations and six myths about green consumers top our “by-the-numbers” list this week. Plus, at least one person among 6.5 billion thinks solar might be “bigger than the Internet by an order of magnitude.” Which is a lot! Also in GDP – did you know that there are a number of “green banks” sprouting up, offering depositors incentives to avoid paper statements?