Cambridge advances to the next round of the Georgetown University Energy Prize

Posted on August 8, 2014 by CEA

The City of Cambridge is one step closer to $5 million for our energy efficiency efforts. On Thursday, August 7, the Georgetown University Energy Prize announced 52 quarterfinalists that will advance to the next round in the two-year competition for a $5 million grand prize, and we’re on the list! Read the announcement here.

The prize will be awarded to the community the demonstrates the most effective and innovative ways to reduce energy consumption. To learn more about the competition, see www.guep.org

Stay tuned for updates on our progress! Interested in getting involved? Email Meghan Shaw at outreach@cambridgeenergyalliance.org

Money Saving Light Bulbs

Posted on August 7, 2014 by CEA

During the summer of 2014 several high school students interned at the Cambridge Energy Alliance helping with canvassing and outreach across Cambridge. The interns also wrote a few blogs on topics they were interested in related to energy efficiency and solar power. The following is one of their blogs.

Today, unfortunately, money is on the minds of many people. This blog offers a simple and straightforward strategy to save money, and energy, by using different types of light bulbs. Currently in the US most people use incandescent light bulbs in their households. However, slowly the tide has turned to Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFLs) bulbs, which offer greater service and economic satisfaction. But what is it that makes these light bulbs so different? Of course they all have differences in their structure, design and technology, but which one is the best?

Incandescent

These bulbs are definitely not energy efficient since most of their energy is expelled as heat and not light. Today most cities do not accept the recycling of incandescent light bulbs as they have stopped being sold in the United States. Nonetheless, because they do not contain any toxic materials they can simply be thrown away. Some people choose to re-package their light bulbs to avoid anyone getting hurt in the process of disposing them. Other people choose to reuse their light bulbs if they are not broken as forms of decoration, ornaments, and DIY crafts.

CFL (Compact Fluorescent Lamps)

CFLs have become way more popular over the past few years because of their fair prices and energy saving qualities. Unfortunately, a downside they have is that they contain a small amount of mercury, which means one should be particularly careful when recycling these light bulbs. Whether one can recycle or dispose these light bulbs depends on the current state of the bulbs. Nonetheless, it is imperative that CFLs be recycled. CFL light bulbs contain a small amount of mercury so when disposing these light bulbs it’ll be best to not release those chemicals to the environment. Most of the materials used to make CFL light bulbs can be recycled, and in some states and/or local jurisdictions, CFL light bulbs are required to be recycled. CFL light bulbs will not only be more energy efficient for your home, but will also save you money in the long run. Although CFL light bulbs are a bit more expensive than their incandescent counterpart, they last more than 10 times longer and use 4 times less energy while providing equally good quality light. Since CFL’s use much less watts than regular incandescent light bulbs, not only will they last longer but they will also save you money.

LED (Light Emitting Diodes)

LEDs are probably the pinnacle in light bulb technology. Their design and structure has resulted in a more durable, resistant and stylish light bulb. LED light bulbs are slowly being adopted now that their high prices are coming down. Unlike their more primitive counterparts, LEDs contain fewer hazardous materials, and are much more resistant to temperature, humidity and force. LED’s also last roughly 50,000 hours (5.5 years), about 5 times longer than CFLs.

Japan and Cambridge Target Renewable Energy

Posted on August 7, 2014 by CEA

Renewable energy and energy efficiency may be a common topic in Cambridge, but there is still much we can learn from around the world.

In Japan, energy efficiency policies have been administered under the Energy Conservation Law since 1979, which forces manufacturers to increase the energy efficiency of their products. However, energy efficiency and renewable energy has become more essential in Japan today.

After the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami, which took place in Fukushima Daiichi in March 2011, Japan reconsidered its energy sources for the rest of the century. At the time, Japan was still generating 30% of its electricity from nuclear power. To replace that energy, Japan had to look elsewhere. Since Japan doesn’t have its own significant fossil fuel reserves, Japan considered a switch to solar power. According to the Agency for Natural Resources and Energy, Japan saw a significant increase in renewable energy generation capacity after July 2012, the nation’s renewable energy production capacity rose by 5.85 million kW. Solar power accounted for over 90 percent of the increase, at 5.6 million kW.

Another impact of the 2011 earthquake was the growth of energy efficiency and conservation. This movement is called “Setsuden” and is encouraging people and companies to save electricity by taking simple steps like changing light bulbs, or turning off big screens and exterior lighting. Also, the dress code in offices has eased up in order to reduce demand for AC. Even these small improvements have proven to have a short-term impact. Greentech Media reports that “they’ve dramatically increased the awareness of energy use and energy efficiency, and large companies are running high-profile efficiency programs.” Now demand reduction makes up a sizeable portion of Japan’s power generation.

The City of Cambridge is also taking steps to reduce energy use in its municipal buildings. The graph below demonstrates the fluctuations in energy usage and emissions from year to year, with an overall downward trend.

Looking at Japan’s achievements, a key lesson can be applied to Massachusetts: solar energy and demand reduction through efficiency can dramatically change the power generation in a short period of time. Just as in Japan, there is both great solar and efficiency potential in the state of Massachusetts and City of Cambridge.

Sources:

https://www.cambridgema.gov/~/media/Files/publicworksdepartment/greenliving/Energy%20efficiency%20presentation.ashx

http://theenergycollective.com/guayjguay/366271/how-japan-replaced-half-its-nuclear-capacity-efficiency

http://fortune.com/2013/09/23/japans-green-energy-evolution/

http://www05.abb.com/global/scot/scot316.nsf/veritydisplay/5a74498fcc9fbabbc1257864005160e4/$file/japan.pdf

http://apps1.eere.energy.gov/states/electricity_generation.cfm/state=MA

Solar Panels in Cold Climates

Posted on August 7, 2014 by CEA

Think about this: as of now, Germany is the world leader in solar energy. It uses more solar power than any other country in the world. Now think about this: Germany is equal to Alaska in solar resources. If Germany is a good place for solar paneling, then Cambridge must be too! But can cold climate places really sustain solar paneling?

What most people don’t know is that solar panels run off of light, not heat. Many panels have the ability to track the sun’s movement and even rotate during the day. As a matter of fact, solar panels perform better in very cold weather than they do in very hot weather for two reasons: first, solar panels sometimes malfunction when they get too hot themselves; second, as temperatures go down, the system’s voltage increases. Furthermore, by combining this higher voltage with a current identical to a warm weather current, a higher wattage is produced. Therefore, more power is created.

Unfortunately, cold weather tends to come with clouds, rain, and snow. These forms of precipitation do have an effect on a solar panel system because they affect how much the panels are exposed to sunlight. However, it must be noted that estimates for the expected production of energy over the course of a solar system’s lifetime take into account the days with lower output due to weather obstacles such as snow and clouds.

On a cloudy day, not as much light can reach the panels. The amount of energy produced when there is cloud cover depends on the density of the clouds, but is usually about 10-25% of the system’s rated capacity. However, panels produce the most energy at the moment when the sun peeks across the edge of a cloud. When this happens, panels actually produce in excess of their rated capacity.

Usually clouds come with rain, and although there isn’t much daylight, rain can actually help solar paneling systems. Rain helps to keep up the maintenance of solar panels by washing away dust and dirt. Also, when the sun comes out, it reflects off of surrounding rainwater and onto the panels, increasing the amount of light being absorbed.

The biggest weather issue that solar panels seem to face is snow. When covered with snow, panels are no longer subject to sunlight, and they are not able to produce power. Nonetheless, it’s easy to resume their operation immediately by just brushing off the snow. By removing as much snow as possible, more of the dark-colored panel will be exposed to the sun, allowing a current to flow which will heat up all the panels and melt the remaining snow. It’s also common in snowy climates to install solar at a steep angle. This way, snow will slide off faster, allowing sunlight to reflect off of nearby snow and onto the panels. Imagine this working in the same way that a skier can be burned on a sunny winter day: Just like the sun reflects off of the snow and onto the skier’s skin, it will reflect off the snow and onto the panels, increasing power generation.

Now, how about our hometown? This past winter, Cambridge’s lowest temperatures averaged at about 1°F (-17°C) and the city saw approximately 40 days of snow. Therefore, for 89% of the year, roofs in Cambridge were exposed to sunlight and saw great potential for solar paneling. Just like Germany, the cold winters of Cambridge can give way to solar paneling for houses all around.

Bibliography:

“Ask a Builder: How Well Do Solar Panels Work in the Winter?” Fairbanks Daily News-Miner. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 July 2014.

“Extreme Winter Weather Affecting Some Solar Panels’ Energy Output, Maintenance, Officials Said.” NJ.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 July 2014.

“Solar Panel Effectiveness & Production in the Winter.” Winter Solar Panel Effectiveness & Production. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 July 2014.

“Frequently Asked Questions about Solar Panels.” Frequently Asked Questions about Solar Panels. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 July 2014.

“Winter, Snow, and Solar Panels: A Mixed Forecast – CNET.” CNET. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 July 2014.

“2014 Winter Blasts Affecting Energy Output and Maintenance of Solar Panels — Environmental Protection.” 2014 Winter Blasts Affecting Energy Output and Maintenance of Solar Panels — Environmental Protection. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 July 2014

“Are Solar Panels Usable in Snowy Climates?” AccuWeather. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 July 2014.

“Solar Energy in Rainy Weather | Sunbridge Solar.” Sunbridge Solar. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 July 2014 “SEIA.” Solar FAQ. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 July 2014.

“Germany the World’s Leading Light in Solar Capacity.” Www.edmontonjournal.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 July 2014.

Obama Announces Plan to Cut Power Plant Emissions

Posted on July 16, 2014 by CEA

At the beginning of last month, President Barack Obama announced his plans for limiting greenhouse gas emissions from the thousands of active power plants in the United States. This is part of his pledge to cut American’s carbon emissions by about 17 percent by 2020. While the details of the plan have not yet been specified, Obama says his rules will bring down the heat-trapping greenhouse gasses that are responsible for global warming. One downside to the plan that critics have pointed out would be the closing of many existing power plants, which would prompt an increase of the price of electricity. However, the White House says that action against climate change must be taken immediately or warming and erratic weather will increasingly become disruptive and will endanger the public’s well-being around the world. As power plants are the single largest source of fossil fuel emissions in the United States, putting restrictions on them will not only ensure a sustainable environment for the United States, but as an example for the whole world. Since Congress will not act on climate change, Obama has used the Clean Air Act from the 1970s, which has only recently been applied to greenhouse gases. The government will issue guidelines that each state has to meet for cutting emissions. Even after the draft rule is proposed, it has to have public feedback for a full year, plus another year for the states to submit their plans for reaching the guidelines for cutting there emissions.

Bikes, Data, & A Master Plan: 3 Cambridge Announcements

Posted on June 18, 2014 by CEA

There is some great stuff happening in Cambridge that you should know about! Here are three announcements from the Cambridge Community Development Department:

1. Cambridge Conversations: Kicking off the Master Planning Process

What’s special about Cambridge? What could be better? We’re launching our citywide master planning process by collecting feedback on these questions and more. If you work or live in Cambridge, make yourself heard by adding your throughts to our brand new Co-Urbanize site:

courbanize.com/cambridge-conversations

Head to the forum page to contribute your ideas and see what others have been saying. The site will keep you updated on the whole master planning process. It has only just begun.

2. City Open Data Site Live!

See all kinds of interesting information about our fair city, from street tree identification to crime reports to waterplay park locations, and so much more. It’s all here:

data.cambridgema.gov

3. FREE Bicycle Workshops for Cambridge Residents and Employees

Our popular free bike workshop series continues this summer with these great offerings:

There you have it. Lots of great stuff to get involved in and explore. Happy Summer!

MAPC Hiring a Clean Energy Manager

Posted on June 18, 2014 by CEA

From the posting:

The Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC), the regional planning agency for Metro Boston, seeks a Clean Energy Manager to help achieve MAPC’s local and regional clean energy and sustainability goals. This is an opportunity to work in a dynamic, inter-disciplinary, and innovative environment to build a more sustainable and equitable future for metropolitan Boston, consistent with our regional plan, MetroFuture. For further detail on MAPC and its energy work see www.mapc.org and http://www.mapc.org/clean-energy.

See the full posting here.

First-Ever Energy Star Label for Clothes Dryers Now Available

Posted on June 18, 2014 by CEA

The EPA has announced a brand new energy efficiency certification for clothes dryers under the Energy Star label. As known energy hogs, the potential savings are big: if all residential clothes dryers sold in the U.S. meet these new requirements, the utility cost savings will grow to more than $1.5 billion each year and more than 22 billion pounds of annual greenhouse gas emissions would be prevented.

Over 80% of U.S. homes have a clothes dryer, which on average account for approximately six percent of residential electricity consumption. In order to reduce dryers’ energy use by over 20% of the minimum 2015 standards, Energy Star dryers will incorporate technologies such as:

Auto termination sensors
Heat pumps to recapture lost hot air
Performance data and alerts
Smart grid readiness

Explains U.S. EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy: “Working with industry on innovative approaches to address our changing climate, we are helping consumers select more energy efficient appliances, save money and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.”

We’re hiring! Community Outreach Coordinator

Posted on June 4, 2014 by CEA

Do you have a passion for energy issues and community engagement? Do you want to share that passion by training and inspiring high school interns to reach out to the Cambridge community about energy efficiency, clean energy and other sustainability issues? Check out our summer Community Outreach Coordinator position!

Position Summary

The Community Outreach Coordinator Intern (COC) will support the City of Cambridge’s – Cambridge Energy Alliance community energy efficiency program. The COC will help administer an energy efficiency and solar community canvass and manage high school student intern canvassers that will educate Cambridge residents about energy efficiency, renewable energy, and connect the community to existing energy efficiency services. The COC will work closely with the Outreach Director to shape and run a summer outreach program for six high school student interns. The COC will help teach the high school interns community engagement skills like canvassing, creating outreach materials, administering surveys, interacting with the public and analyzing data all while educating them about energy efficiency, solar energy and other sustainability issues. COC will also help the students gain skills in personal organization, goal setting, and public speaking.

For more information on the Alliance, see www.cambridgeenergyalliance.org.

Roles & Responsibilities

Coordinating a community canvass and managing canvassers by:

Working with Outreach Director to shape summer outreach program
Managing paid high school interns
Training interns in canvassing techniques
Creating canvass materials including training materials, outreach materials, and maps
Collecting, managing, and analyzing the canvass data

Supporting community outreach activities by:

Organizing and representing CEA at events
Promoting and maintaining the CEA website, Warm Home Cool Planet blog, social media
Working on additional projects that promote energy efficiency and clean energy in the Cambridge community

Skills & Qualifications

CEA seeks a person with strong community organizing and/or social marketing experience with some knowledge about the technical and policy issues around energy efficiency and clean energy. A strong desire to work with and inspire high school students is preferred. Due to the short-term nature of this position and the limited time to engage the high school student interns, the ability to be flexible and quickly turn plans into actions is important. The works hours are 8:30am-5:30pm Monday-Friday.

Tenure and Compensation

Starting Date: ASAP (as early as 6/16/14)

Ending Date: 08/31/14 unless extended by Department

Duration: 2.5 months total unless extended by Department

Hours: Full-time (40 hours per week, not including holidays)

Compensation: $14.71 /hour

To Apply

Submit a resume and brief cover letter to the email below. Include your desired start date. No phone calls please.

Contact: Meghan Shaw, Outreach Director

Address: 344 Broadway, Cambridge, MA 02139

Phone: (617) 349-5323

Email: outreach@cambridgeenergyalliance.org

Energy, Solar, Sustainability, Bikes, Housing – The Cambridge Master Plan Needs You

Posted on June 4, 2014 by CEA

Cambridge is stepping forward into a city-wide master plan process!

The first step in this master planning process is Cambridge Conversations, a series of listening sessions to be held in different neighborhoods across the city during June 2014. These conversations will help shape the master plan process as we move from listening to working together to develop a shared framework, and from there to a plan and action. Here is your opportunity to share your ideas about what is working well, what could work better, and what kind of city we want – today and in the future.

Cambridge Conversations will kick off with a series of three community meetings. Join us at a location and time that works for you.

Tuesday, June 10, 6:30-8:30 PM: Tobin School Gym, 197 Vassal Lane
Wednesday, June 11, 6:30-8:30 PM: Kennedy School Cafeteria, 158 Spring Street
Saturday, June 14, 10:00 AM-12:00 noon: Cambridge College, 1000 Massachusetts Avenue, 1st floor

Additionally, informal drop-in sessions are being scheduled in multiple locations around Cambridge. Stop by and see us.

Monday, June 16, 11:00 AM-1:00 PM: Windsor Street Health Center Lobby, 119 Windsor St
Thursday, June 26, 4:00-7:00 PM: Citywide Senior Center, 806 Massachusetts Ave
… more to come

We will also be available at several community events and public meetings over the summer so look for the Community Conversations table at

Cambridge Bicycle Network Plan Open House: Thursday, June 12, 5:00 PM-8:30 PM – Cambridge Main Library, 449 Broadway
Kendall Square Farmers Market: Wednesday, June 18, 11:00 AM-1:00 PM – Main Street sidewalk at Kendall Station
Alewife Public Meeting (City Council Transportation & Public Utilities Committee): Thursday, June 19, 6:00-8:00 PM — Tobin School Lobby, 197 Vassal Lane
…more to come

Coming Soon:

Over the next couple of weeks we will be setting up a coUrbanize site to continue the conversation online.

We look forward to hearing your thoughts in person or online.

* If you’d like us to come to a meeting of your neighborhood or other group for a smaller discussion, please send us an email (ifarooq@cambridgema.gov). We’d be happy to attend.

* If you received this message through a listserv or a friend and would like to join the notification list for Cambridge Conversations: Citywide Master Plan, please send us an email.

* Please feel free to forward this notice to others who might be interested.