Category Archives: Business

Clean Energy?

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Last Monday, Congressman Ed Markey spoke at a Boston Chamber of Commerce luncheon in downtown Boston. The Congressman made a point to mention the Waxman-Markey bill currently being debated in Congress, and illustrated how this bill would specifically create clean energy jobs in Massachusetts. Of course, the actual impact is still undetermined considering the bill has yet to pass both houses of Congress. Nevertheless, this important piece of legislation could determine where the US stands on climate change efforts moving forward. Surprisingly however, Congressman Markey referred to nuclear energy as a strong component to this legislation, a component that may be even stronger than wind or solar power.  While nuclear energy is debatably “clean” [http://www.nei.org/keyissues] from a CO2 standpoint, it is not clean from a nuclear waste standpoint. In fact, the National Repository at Yucca Mountain in Nevada is already scheduled to receive a back log of 150 million pounds of spent nuclear fuel (DOE) and it’s already at its capacity and continues to be stuck in legal limbo. To suggest that additional nuclear energy facilities are somehow a miraculous solution ignores the trading of one waste for another. Focusing on clean, renewable energy is the only way to a truly greener environment and the only way to genuine green job creation in Massachusetts.

Bureaucratic climate

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193px-noaa_logosvgRecently, Congress decided that we need a National Climate Service (NCS). Since then there has been some discussion—though not too much—about the implications of such a move. For instance, might this not potentially lead to greater politicization of the science? (Though the contrary is presumably one of the reasons it is being sought). Where should it live? In a bureau of its own? The National Academies? The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Goddard Space Flight Center Climate and Radiation Branch, Goddard Institute for Space studies Global Climate Modeling)? National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA; Climate Program, Climate Prediction Center, Climate Diagnostics Center, National Weather Service Climate Systems Division)? … Besides, might this not also be a bit redundant given the aforementioned offices, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, and various efforts in academia?

Image map of federal agencies involved in climate policy

Climate PredictionClimate DataClimate ProgramsClimate ResearchInternational Web SitesWeather related degree programs

Fortunately, somewhat cooler heads have prevailed. While we will still soon have an NCS, it will be located at NOAA alongside its sister the National Weather Service, and its core shall be formed from two existing divisions. There are also plans for extensive collaboration with universities, which will hopefully depoliticize things as well. Unfortunately, none of this is likely to help some people realize that weather isn’t the same thing as climate.

Electricity figures from UK reveal effects of recession

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An article from yesterday’s Guardian in the UK provides a thorough, yet somewhat disappointing, analysis of recent electricity usage from their National Grid. Consumption is provided in half-hour increments and reveals the largest drops in demand occurred when industry and business would be expected to use a large majority of power from the grid. At 7:30am and 6pm, when people are either preparing to leave their homes or returning for the evening, electricity demand is only down a few percent, whereas consumption figures from 4am when demand comes mainly from factories and other commercial buildings is down over 10%. This indicates household consumption has not dropped significantly-calling into question the effect of recent energy efficiency campaigns in the UK, but where is the analysis of the campaigns they are trashing?(Of course, this is The Guardian we’re talking about) And why is John McEnroe trying to fix the washing machine?

Flawed Logic

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Smoke stack

A recent op-ed published on Environment 360 (the website for Yale University’s School of Forestry & Environmental Studies) brings to light a timely and interesting climate change debate highlighting the Waxman-Markey Clean Energy legislation: carbon tax or cap-and-trade? Many politicians, economists, scientists and educators believe one method, or the other, will bring the greatest benefit, but Ted Nordhaus and Michael Shellenberger  believe that neither are truly effective. They argue instead for increased technological breakthroughs, which are typically funded through public investment, to lower the price of clean energy. Raising the price to pollute on existing polluters doesn’t necessarily decrease the amount of pollution, but spreads it around. It also does not promote innovation, something we desperately need in an already over-priced clean tech market. Not until additional technologies are supported, jobs created and an entire economy updated will the United States truly be on a path to climate change mitigation. According to Nordhaus and Shellenberger, the current Waxman-Markey Clean Energy legislation leaves much to be desired.

What? Greenhouse gasses, dangerous?

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The Environmental Protection Agency(EPA) has recently determined that greenhouse gasses(GHG) pose a danger to public health and welfare. This weeks announcement by the EPA enables the agency to put the Clean Air Act into action. The act defines the responsibility of the EPA as protecting and improving the nations air quality.  There is a 60 day public comment period which will be documented in the federal registrar.   Once the public comment period closes, the EPA will be required to take some sort of action.

In addition, the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009, is being reviewed in the house and hopefully will gain the traction needed to pass as the nation’s first commitment to reduce its GHG emissions.  The bill calls for reducing greenhouse gas emissions 20% below 2005 levels by 2020, 42% by 2030, and 83% by 2050. If the EPA were to enact this legislation, it would most likely address emissions from automobiles, power plants, and major industrial sources.

factories

http://www.grist.org/article/2009-04-17-epa-moves-toward-regulating/

Saving Energy with the Lego Model

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A company in Western Kentucky has built more than 40 structures, including eight schools, using an innovative construction method called Insulated Concrete Forms. ICF consists of four-inch Styrofoam blocks reinforced by a rebar grid into which concrete is poured. The foam provides insulation while the concrete offers strength and durability.

President Larry Graves says the original ICF “test project” was his own home, built with Insulated Concrete Forms in 2003; “The initial investment costs up to 8 percent more than traditional building methods,  but I made my money back in savings within the first two years.”

Gravesco is the exclusive provider of this building technology which, according to Graves, results in utility bills 50% lower than those generated by a traditionally constructed house; “Regardless of how hot or cold it is outside, the temperature of the structure stays the same,” he said. “Our electricity bills come from from our boys running their Playstation units all day long, the dozens of loads of laundry they generate, and the lights they forget to turn off.”

Dow Corning gets boost from Economic Stimulus Package

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The Pink Panther saves the World?
The Pink Panther saves the World… and Newark.

Dow Corning, the largest maker of residential insulation in the US, can expect their economic recovery to start ahead of time due to the tax rebates and incentives for housing weatherization included within the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act signed into law by President Obama last month.

“The weatherization program is the sort of activity that is likely to spur demand,” said Owens Corning spokesman Scott Deitz. “No doubt, people will install insulation because of this program. We just don’t know how many.”

This could also boost employment at Dow Cornings’ largest US insulation manufacturing plant in Newark, which has lost over 700 jobs in the last decade.

An estimated 80 million homes in the United States are currently under-insulated. Any home built before the mid-1980s and that has not been remodeled is unlikely to meet  insulation building codes in force today.

Green energy companies still hiring in Massachusetts

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dollar-sign“If you’re readying a resume, it might help to use recycled paper. The clean-tech and green industries in Massachusetts are hiring.”

That’s the takeaway from the article in today’s Boston Globe.

Amidst our economic woes and rising unemployment, the green energy sector continues to grow, thanks in part to the stimulus bill spending and an extension of tax credits for renewable energy generation.

Within the next two years, Stimulus Bill spending is expected to create or save 79,000 jobs in Massachusetts, and an estimated 3.5 million nationwide. In today’s economy, those are big numbers.

Arbitrage on Electric Car Batteries

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A couple of weeks ago Warm Home Cool Planet featured a story on the 2010 Chevy Volt–the car that will save GM–and the first mass market example of transport technology that might save us all in the end. But will the public buy it.

This article about the Tesla (the all electric roadster favored by environmentally-conscious celebrities such a George Clooney) demonstrates there is a market for these cars, as long as they are appropriately targeted to customers.

The most interesting part of the article examines the company’s financial arrangements with customers to replace the car’s battery, which they estimate has a lifetime of approximately 7 years or 100,000 miles. As you can imagine, you don’t simply undo the cables and hand swap them like a vehicle powered by an internal-combustion engine. Currently, Tesla imagines the cost of replacement at $32,000. But they will take an upfront payment of $12,000 when you plunk down $105,000 for the Roadster.

If you can afford 100 grand for a car, the $12,000 upfront rather than sounds like  a pretty good risk, particularly in this investment climate. It brings up a interesting point about the marketability of electric and hybrid cars. If the battery on this these cars has a finite lifespan, owners already paying a premium to cut down their CO2 emissions will be hit with a substantial repair bill after owning the car for a number of years. This will affect the the resale of these vehicles, making them a less attractive new car purchases.

By taking the money upfront Tesla is taking a gamble too. They are betting that by the time these batterries need to be replaced, technology will them to install a new power source for their car at closer to the $12,000 they took from each new car buyer.

GM has not made any definitive statements about the lifespan or replacement cost of the electric batteries in Volt. But even $12,000 is almost half the cost at which they plan to sell the car. Warm Home Cool Planet’s advice to all planning on buying a Volt… bank that rebate check and compound that interest–you may need it.

Stay tuned for more on this subject.

Local company to make energy efficient stereo for Chevy Volt.

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Framingham-based Bose Corporation has long been known for it’s innovative and high-quality sound products. The Bose Wave we have at Warm Home Cool Planet HQ is without a doubt the best investment we have made in the last 3 years.

Now, Bose will be part of the revival of an American icon. Right after the first Chevy Volt hits the road in 2010, GM will be releasing a newer version with a Bose Energy Efficient Sound Series that uses 50% less energy than any previous car-based Bose system. This will go a long way towards achieving the Volt’s promised 40 miles operating range on electrical power only. That number is significant as it covers the daily commute of over 70% of the working population of the US.