Raser Technologies Inc. announced that the Hatch Geothermal Power Plant in Beaver County, Utah, began delivering renewable electricity to the City of Anaheim, California this week. The Hatch Plant, named after U.S. Senator Orrin Hatch, is expected to produce 10-11 megawatts (MW) of geothermal power. The City of Anaheim signed a 20-year power purchase agreement to receive electricity from the plant.

“We are very pleased to have achieved yet another milestone in the development of this giant innovation in power plant design,” said Brent Cook, CEO of Raser.

Raser also announced that it has restructured its purchase agreements with subsidiaries of United Technologies Corporation (UTC). As part of the restructured agreements, Raser obtained a refund of more than US $7 million that had previously been deposited in connection with orders of UTC's PureCycle power systems.

Raser will continue to have a preferred relationship for the generating units with United Technologies’ Pratt & Whitney Power Systems (PWPS), which recently assumed the management of the PureCycle power system product line from UTC Power.

PWPS said that it will maintain a minimum inventory of 50 of the modular units for Raser’s planned geothermal power projects through 2009. The restructured agreements should help Raser to continue to pursue its rapid deployment strategy and reduce cash committed to deposits for equipment, the company said.

Reprinted with permission from RenewableEnergyWorld.com

President Obama on Thursday gave greater details about his ambitions for high-speed passenger trains in the U.S.

The government has identified 10 potential corridors for development, including a New England line, a line connecting Florida to Washington D.C., and a major Chicago hub network.

The federal stimulus package passed in February includes $8 billion to boost the development of high-speed rail service with an additional $1 billion a year budgeted by the administration over the next five years.

Some policy watchers have suggested that the Obama administration views high-speed trains as one of its most important "legacy" initiatives.

Reprinted with permission from SustainableBusiness.com

By Sara Stroud

One of the country’s largest electric utilities is looking to boost its renewable energy portfolio with solar power beamed down from outer space.

San Francisco-based Pacific Gas and Electric (NYSE:PCG) announced in April that it is seeking approval from state regulators for a power purchase agreement with space solar power startup Solaren Corp. The 15-year contract stipulates that PG&E will purchase 200 megawatts of power from the Manhattan Beach, Calif.-based company.

In Solaren’s planned system, orbiting satellites outfitted with solar cells would generate power, which would be transmitted back to Earth as radio frequency energy—in this case to a planned receiving station near Fresno, Calif.—which would then be converted to electricity.

Solar energy in space is up to 10 times greater than that on Earth, and could offer a steady source of baseload power, according to PG&E. Neither the utility nor Solaren revealed how much the project would cost, but its resultant power would be cost competitive with other baseload power sources, Solaren CEO Gary Spirnak, a former Air Force spacecraft project engineer, told PG&E’s Next100 blog. PG&E says it isn’t putting any money into the project, and is only obligated to pay for power that Solaren delivers.

Solaren says it plans to have its orbiting solar panels delivering power to PG&E customers by 2016. Though it is based on technology that has been in use for decades in communications satellites, no one has ever used the idea to generate power on Earth, Spirnak says.

A decision from state regulators may take up to six months, Solaren spokesman Calvin Boerman says. In the meantime, the startup, which is funded by private investors, doesn’t plan to pursue deals with additional utilities until it has developed its pilot project for PG&E.

“We’re going to focus on this first and make this successful,” Boerman says. “There are no guarantees.”

Reprinted with permission from SustainableIndustries.com

By Jennifer Boynton

As conscientious start-ups go, sometimes, efforts at the local level can have a far greater impact than a monolithic high tech project due to the local goodwill they create. Such is the case with Dogpatch Biofuels.

Dogpatch is the first B100 biodiesel filling station in San Francisco. Despite having only been in business since December, they're well on their way to their goal of selling 1000 gallons per day. Dogpatch has teamed up with other biofuels filling stations in the Bay Area to get volume discounts on fuel made from used cooking oil, as well as to share marketing expenditures. Their innovative approach to collaborative marketing saves costs and increases impact: a driver with a diesel car will likely have to fill in other cities, and any new drivers who come into the community will be a boon for every station owner.

Dogpatch is committed to providing a needed service: fuel. But their goals go further, providing nourishment of the body and the soul through their store full of organic treats and locally produced products. Customers are encouraged to take a load off and hang out on the couches with the family dog, Tofu Pup. They've managed to turn a mundane task like filling your gas tank into an experience.

The beauty of biofuels - at least on the small scale that gives used vegetable oil a second chance at life - is creating a solution that works with existing technoogy to get us off petroleum now. There’s no waiting for fancy electric cars to come off the production line. Of course, Dogpatch won’t solve global warming on their own - biofuel is quite energy intensive to produce from scratch, but as a local solution for dealing with a waste product while eliminating the need for foreign oil, it’s quite elegant.

Of course, the biggest challenge with popularizing biofuels is the straightforward supply/demand chicken and egg dilemma that plagues any transportation innovation: car owners won’t switch to diesel cars if there aren’t available biofueling stations, and without existing demand for the fuel, traditional stations aren't switching over anytime soon. That’s why Dogpatch is sponsoring a petition on the supply side: calling for car manufacturers to to make the newest diesel cars biodiesel compliant. Give'em a sign!

Reprinted with permission from TriplePundit.com

Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd today formally launched the Global Carbon Capture and Storage Institute at the inaugural meeting of the institutes's foundation members in Canberra.

The institute aims to accelerate the deployment of carbon capture and storage technology globally and the sharing of information to deal with the reality of coal-fired electricity generation, "the greatest single contributor to greenhouse gas emissions created by human activity, Prime Minister Rudd said at the launch. "This institute recognizes the cold hard reality that coal will be the major source of power generation for many years to come – with the 2008 IEA World Energy Outlook forecasting that the share of electricity generation sourced from coal will rise from 41 percent now to 44 percent by 2030. This is a reality we have to deal with," said Rudd.

There is a long way to go, because currently there are no integrated industrial-scale carbon capture and storage projects anywhere in the world.

Carbon capture and storage involves capturing carbon dioxide from large sources such as fossil fuel power plants and refineries and permanently storing it away from the atmosphere, either in deep geological formations, in deep ocean masses, or in the form of mineral carbonates. Each of these possibilities is complicated by engineering and environmental challenges.

Australia is the world's fourth largest producer of hard coal, and the prime minister said today that Australia has a national and shared global responsibility to establish the workability of carbon capture and storage technology at a commercial scale.

"If we succeed together," said Rudd, "Australia and the world will benefit greatly in dealing with the challenge of climate change. If we fail through this and other shared enterprises around the world and establish that CCS cannot deliver the outcomes we need, then the challenge of global climate change action will be even greater than we currently contemplate. The stakes are very high in the gathering to which you have come here in Australia today."

The government announced the institute in September 2008 with annual funding of up to $100 million. Two weeks ago, former World Bank chief James Wolfensohn was appointed to chair the institute's International Advisory Panel.

Rudd said today that when he discusses the institute with other government leaders, "it engages a level of interest and enthusiasm beyond the diplomatic and beyond the polite because governments around the world and the largest corporations around the world understand instinctively how critical this work is."

At last year's APEC Summit in Lima, and at both G20 meetings "this is generally accepted as being an important initiative for us all," the prime minister said.

"In July last year, the G8 group of leading economies endorsed an International Energy Agency and Carbon Sequestration Leadership Forum recommendation and committed to at least 20 fully-integrated, industrial-scale projects by 2010, in order to achieve the broad deployment of CCS by 2020," Rudd told the members, warning, "The clock is ticking."

Following the G8 decision, the Australian government commissioned the Boston Consulting Group to review the status of carbon capture and storage projects worldwide.

"That report found that although there are several important demonstrations of both capture and storage," said Rudd, "there are no integrated industrial-scale carbon capture and storage projects anywhere in the world."

The fledgling institute has received strong international support with 16 national governments and more than 40 major companies in the coal, oil and gas, electricity, technology, finance and research sectors signing on as foundation members and collaborating participants.

In addition to Australia, national government members include: Abu Dhabi, Canada, the European Commission, France, Germany, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Papua New guinea, South Africa, South Korea, the United Kingdom and the United States. The government of China is a collaborating participant.

Five of Australia's state governments are foundation members, as are energy, manufacturing and mining corporations such as Chevron, ExxonMobil, Shell, Dow, General Electric, Hitachi, Nippon Steel, Mitsubishi, Toshiba, BHP Billiton, Rio Tinto, RWE Power AG, StatoilHydro, and Xstrata Coal, among others.

Influential organizations such as the Australian Coal Association, the World Coal Institute, the Japanese Coal Energy Center, the Clinton Foundation and the Climate Group are members, as are the Asian Development Bank, the Japan Bank for International Cooperation and the International Energy Agency. The World Bank is a collaborating participant.

More members are expected to join by July 1, 2009 when the institute will become a separate legal entity.

Rudd repeatedly warned that there is no time to lose. "Globally, the latency of greenhouse gas emissions means that for every day we delay global action on climate change, we intensify the long-term impacts of global warming," he said. "We face an enormous global challenge in reconciling the irresistible force of growing global demand for energy and the immovable reality that we must act to combat climate change."

"In the years to 2025 – a mere 16 years - the world’s urban population is forecast to grow by 1.4 billion people. More than 60 percent of that population growth will occur in Asia alone. That means 840 million more people in Asia consuming electricity and fuel, as they move towards living standards that we in the developed world take for granted," he said.

"Of course, the two emerging giants are China and India, giants that are hungry for cheap energy to power their growth. Giants, therefore, hungry for coal and that between them, hold around one-fifth of the world’s coal reserves," said Rudd. "By 2030 around one quarter of global electricity production will be from coal-fired power stations in China and India."

Australia is beginning to move towards carbon capture and storage solutions. At the end of March, the Rudd Government announced the world’s first commercial release of greenhouse gas acreage for industry. Ten offshore areas were released as potentially viable greenhouse gas storage sites.

Rudd said today, "Carbon capture and storage is not the only answer to the climate change challenge. But it is a very important part of the global transition to a lower carbon global economy, a transformation of the global economy every bit as significant as the industrial revolution in the 18th century and the information revolution of recent times."

Reprinted with permission from the Environment News Service.

By David Appleyard

The research efforts and infrastructure needed to supply 50% of the energy for space and water heating and cooling across Europe using solar thermal energy has been set out under the aegis of the European Solar Thermal Technology Platform (ESTTP). Published in late December 2008, more than 100 experts developed the Strategic Research Agenda (SRA), which includes a deployment roadmap showing the non-technological framework conditions that will enable this ambitious goal to be reached by 2050.

A strategy for achieving a vision of widespread low-temperature solar thermal installations was first explored by ESTTP in 2006, but since then the SRA has identified key areas for rapid growth. These focus points include:

the development of active solar buildings, active solar renovation, solar heat for industrial processes and solar heat for district heating and cooling. Meanwhile, amongst the main research challenges is the development of compact long-term efficient heat storage technology. Once available, they would make it possible to store heat from the summer for use in winter in a cost-effective way.

The ESTTP’s main objective is to create the right conditions in order to fully exploit solar thermal’s potential for heating and cooling in Europe and worldwide.

As a first step for the development of the deployment roadmap and of the Strategic Research Agenda, ESTTP developed a vision for solar thermal in 2030. Its key elements are to establish the Active Solar Building – covering 100% of their heating and cooling demand with solar energy – as a standard for new buildings by 2030; establish the Active Solar Renovation as a standard for the refurbishment of existing buildings by 2030 (Active Solar renovated buildings cover at least 50% of their heating and cooling demand with solar thermal energy); supply a substantial share of the industrial process heat demand up to 250°C, including heating and cooling, desalination and water treatment; and achieve broad use of solar energy in district heating and cooling.

‘The benefits of increased solar thermal energy usage are immense’, explained ESTTP chairman Gerhard Stryi-Hipp, adding: ‘Supporting R&D into the next generation of solar thermal applications must have a high priority for governments everywhere in Europe, because solar thermal is a key to reaching Europe’s goal of 20% renewable energy by 2020.’

Market drivers

Heating accounts for a significant proportion of the world’s total energy demand with the building sector alone consuming 35.3%, of which 75% is for space heating and domestic water heating (IEA, 2006). In Europe, the final energy demand for heating and cooling at 49% is higher than for both electricity at 20%, or transport at 31%.

Despite these figures, for a long time low-temperature solar thermal only played a minor role compared to other renewable energy sources. It was mainly considered suitable for water heating needs and consequently, in future energy strategy scenarios, renewable heat generation frequently played only a small role.

However, the situation has changed dramatically. Without doubt, the European goal of covering 20% of energy needs with renewable energy can only be reached with a significant increase in the renewable heating sector. Within this sector, it is low-temperature solar thermal technology that has the greatest potential.

The large technological development potential of low-temperature solar thermal has been triggered not only with enhancements to system types and components, but primarily in the development of new uses for the technology, such as solar heating, process-heating generation, district heating and solar assisted cooling. Volatility in crude oil and natural gas prices, along with increasing import dependency, have further increased public attention and interest.

It is expected that the energy and climate crisis will drastically change the heating market over the next two decades. In new buildings, a tightening of energy performance requirements, including obligatory use of renewables, will be increasingly required. In the existing building stock, energy savings will become the key driver for renovations, and district heat operators will become more interested in, and possibly be forced to, increase the share of renewables.

For industrial process heat and cooling, the key driver will be the need to reduce growing energy costs, and possibly the cost of emission allowances at the carbon market.

All these developments will lead to a sharp increase in the use of solar thermal, and the subsequent need for new technologies.

Active solar buildings

The ESTTP vision is to establish the Active Solar Building as a standard for new buildings by 2030. For existing buildings, the aim of the ESTTP is to foster Solar Active Renovation. The aim is also to cover substantially more than 50% of the remaining heating and/or cooling demands with active solar energy.

There are already many Active Solar Buildings with a proven track record in Central Europe. The first one-family house covering 100% of its heating requirements with solar energy was created in Switzerland back in 1989. More recently, the first multi-family buildings with 100% solar thermal coverage were introduced.

Cost-effective and practical solutions to heat storage represent a key technological challenge, since the widespread deployment of Active Solar Buildings largely depends upon it. The ESTTP vision assumes that, by 2030, heat storage systems will be available with an energy density eight times higher than water.

For solar collectors, significant improvements are still possible, particularly in terms of cost reductions and design. However, low temperature collectors, which are usually used on buildings, are already very efficient.

High energy efficiency values can be reached through high insulation standards, which reduce losses, and optimal architecture which integrates passive solar measures, such as active windows, shading or ventilation systems.

Furthermore, the productivity of solar thermal systems is enhanced by heating and cooling systems that require a low temperature difference between the supply system and the indoor temperature, such as radiant surfaces, floor heating and cooling, ceiling heating and cooling, and heating/cooling of ventilation air. Most of these solutions already exist, but there is still the potential for cost reductions, increased performance and easier integration.

The demand for cooling in buildings is growing dramatically; and not only in Southern Europe. Despite the impressive growth rates, solar-assisted cooling is still in the very early stages of development. Over the next decade, the first systems supplying domestic hot water, space heating and cooling for buildings will be installed.

However, significant R&D must be carried out in order to exploit the potential for further technological development, which will pave the way for the large-scale deployment of solar cooling.

In the future, solar active systems, such as thermal collectors, PV-panels and solar hybrid systems, will be obvious components of roofing and facades and they will be integrated into the construction process at the earliest stages of planning. Walls may also function as a component, supporting thermal energy storage through the application of, for example, phase change materials. One central control system will lead to an optimal regulation of the whole heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system, maximizing the use of solar energy. Heat and cold storage systems will play an increasingly important role in maximizing solar thermal contributions.

While a very small number of Solar Active Buildings have already been showcased, making this a mainstream building standard by 2030 will only be possible if significant technological progress is achieved in high-efficiency solar collectors that will increase the energy gained under winter conditions, while maintaining high levels of durability and increasing the cost efficiency of the manufacturing and installation process.

Other key developments include compact, time indifferent thermal storage technologies that significantly reduce the space required for heat storage devices. This will lead to cheaper and more practical seasonal heat storage. Improved solar thermally driven cooling systems will make it possible to cover much of the rising demand for air conditioning with solar energy, while intelligent control systems of the overall energy flows in buildings will contribute to a reduction in energy consumption and the optimization of solar energy usage.

Industrial heating and cooling

Solar Heating for Industrial Processes (SHIP) is currently at the very early stages of development. Less than 100 operating solar thermal systems for process heat are reported worldwide, with a total capacity of about 24 MWth. Most of these systems are of an experimental nature, and are relatively small-scale. However, there is great potential for market and technological developments, as 28% of the overall energy demand in the EU27 countries originates in the industrial sector, and much of this is for heat of below 250°C.

In the short term, SHIP will mainly be used for low temperature processes, ranging from 20°C to 100°C. With technological development, more and more medium temperature applications, of up to 250°C, will become market feasible. Around 30% of the total industrial heat demand is required at temperatures below 100°C, which could theoretically be met with SHIP using current technologies, and 57% of this demand is required at temperatures below 400°C, which could largely be supplied by solar in the foreseeable future. In several specific industry sectors, such as food, wine and beverages, transport equipment, machinery, textiles, pulp and paper, the share of heat demand at low and medium temperatures (below 250°C) is around 60%. Tapping into this potential would provide a significant solar contribution to industrial energy requirements.

Substantial potential for solar thermal systems exists in the food and beverages, textile and chemical industries, as well as in washing processes. Among the industrial processes, desalination and water treatment (such as sterilization) are particularly promising applications for the use of solar thermal energy, as these processes require large amounts of medium-temperature heat, and are often necessary in areas with high solar radiation and conventional energy costs.

Clearly, the use of solar heating for industrial processes should be part of a comprehensive approach, which also takes into account: energy efficiency measures; the integration of waste heat into processes; and a reduction in heating and cooling demand through the use of a heat exchange network.

An ample choice of solar thermal collectors is commercially available for low temperatures (operating temperatures up to around 80°C–90°C) and for high temperatures (>250°C, mainly used for electricity generation). The development of cost-effective and reliable medium-temperature collectors, which can meet the requirements of most industrial processes, is now required.

Other components of solar systems also need to be adapted to this range of temperatures. For example, development of the industrial solar market would benefit from the development of a new generation of compact and/or seasonal heat storage systems, and from advanced controllers.

Furthermore, despite the fact that many processes in the industry operate at temperatures below 100°C, the heat supply of most industrial machines is currently provided by steam networks operating at between 140°C and 180°C. This makes the use of solar thermal less attractive, or even impossible. Switching to lower temperatures would imply significant investment on infrastructure and network modification and process redesign, which reduces the attractiveness of solar energy. Nonetheless, new technologies can be developed, which allow processes to operate at lower temperature. One example is the reduction of bath temperatures in pickling plants. In some cases, processes can also be efficiently redesigned to make them more compatible with the daily and/or seasonal cycle of solar energy supply. Moreover, when new, long-term industrial process facilities are planned, there is always the possibility of subsequent solar add-ons.

Integrating solar thermal into industrial processes will be a complex process, requiring support from energy agencies and other public players, dedicated to specific industrial sectors. Research is necessary in a number of fields, including stagnation behaviour and management of large collector fields; monitoring; and system optimization methodologies.

Another requirement is the need for dedicated design guidelines and tools. Currently only a few engineering offices and research institutes have experience with SHIP installations. Planning guidelines and tools for typical industrial uses need to be made available to a wider community of experienced engineers. This would mean that other potential users could be offered a solar solution, system design costs would fall, and the broader experience would increase the effectiveness of such installations.

However, solar systems are capital intensive, as costs are mainly up front, and industrial companies often optimize their processes with short-term return on investment expectations that cannot currently be met by solar systems. The wide market development of industrial and process solar would also require dedicated financing and contracting solutions, the lack of which is currently an important barrier to growth. It is crucial, therefore, to rapidly create a market, in order to reach the minimal critical mass required to start benefiting from economies of scale. While R&D can increase potential and reduce costs in the medium term, financial incentives and widespread public-funded demonstration projects are an absolute necessity.

District heating and cooling

Currently, around 9% of the total heating needs in Europe are covered by block and district heating systems. This share is much higher in a number of countries, especially Eastern Europe and Scandinavia.

Within district heating systems, solar thermal energy can be produced on a large scale and with particularly low specific costs, even at high latitudes, such as in Sweden and Denmark. However, only a very minor share (less than 1%) of the solar thermal market in Europe is linked to district heating systems, which together account for less than 0.5% of EU installed solar thermal capacity. However, their combined capacity is still higher than that of 25,000 small solar domestic hot water systems.

The prevalence of Scandinavian countries is surprising, since solar radiation is lower in this region. Central and Eastern European countries and district heating systems in Southern Europe offer much better conditions.

Typical operating temperatures range from low (30°C) to high (around 100°C) for water storage. The majority of plants are designed to cover the heat load over the summer months (hot water and heat distribution losses) using diurnal water storages. However, some are equipped with seasonal storages and cover a larger part of the load. The seasonal storages comprise water in insulated tanks, the ground itself, aquifers and a combination of ground and water. More than 80% of Europe’s existing plants are equipped with flat-plate collectors, mostly large module collector designs. Most plants also have pressurized collector systems with an anti-freeze mixture – usually glycol and water – while a few plants in the Netherlands have drain-back collector systems.

Several solar district heating systems, especially in Sweden and Denmark, have ground-mounted collector arrays. This can be a very cheap solution, when surfaces are available and solar is connected to a network serving existing buildings.

In the short-term, the broader use of solar energy within district heating (and cooling) systems is mainly a question of policy – namely, incentives, regulation, and the demonstration of existing technologies. In the medium- and long-term, considerable R&D efforts are needed to utilize the full potential of large-scale solar systems linked to district heating. The need for basic and applied research is mainly related to the development of durable and cost-effective (plastic) liners and water resistant insulation materials for long-term (seasonal) storage. Basic and applied research is also required to further develop large-scale solar collectors, as well as dedicated control devices and optimization strategies.

Widespread deployment of solar thermal

Compared to other continents, Europe has the most sophisticated market for different solar thermal applications, with a relatively wide mix of different applications such as hot water preparation, space heating of single- and multi-family homes and hotels, large-scale plants for district heating as well as a several pilot systems for air conditioning, cooling and industrial applications. However, also in Europe, the majority of the new solar thermal systems are installed on residential homes for heating domestic hot water only, with solar typically providing 40%–80% of demand. Nevertheless, there is already a clear tendency towards combined systems for hot water and space heating in countries like Germany and Austria, where 50% or more of the newly installed systems are combined systems.

Additionally, in markets like Spain, France and Austria, large systems for multi-family homes have a significant share. The systematic development of the market for collective systems is important to reach the short to medium-term goals, since the majority of the European population lives in such dwellings.

Of course, deployment must go hand-in-hand with substantial improvements in the energy efficiency of buildings and of heat consuming processes. It is imperative that both pathways develop as rapidly as possible to dramatically increase efficiency and to replace the remaining heating and cooling demand with renewables.

Higher efficiency values create the necessary conditions for a fully renewable supply of thermal energy demand, freeing scarce fossil fuel resources for other purposes where they are less easily replaceable.

While oil and gas prices may have dropped in the current downturn, using fossil fuels or electricity for heating and cooling buildings is likely become too expensive for most people in the longer term and will be seen as an unacceptable squandering of resources.

By overcoming a series of technological barriers, it will be possible to achieve a broad-scale market introduction of advanced solar thermal applications at competitive costs.

ESTTP predicts that with political support mechanisms and technical developments based on increased R&D, realistic growth rates of 20% in the solar thermal market are achievable. These growth rates would lead to an installed capacity of 970 GWth by 2030 in the EU, supplying about 8% of the total heating demand.

Combined energy conservation measures and increased efficiency in buildings that could slice some 40% of total heat demand would enable solar thermal systems to supply about 20% of the overall heat demand in the EU-27 by 2030.

The long-term potential of solar thermal is to provide about 50% of EU heat demand by 2050, an installed capacity of 2576 GWth or 8 m2 per inhabitant.

The strategy concludes that low-temperature solar thermal must play an important role in the research programmes of the EU and its member states. The funding for solar thermal research must be significantly increased and the research capacities must be systematically expanded.

‘Solar thermal can provide much more than just domestic hot water’, says ESTTP chairman Gerhard Stryi-Hipp, adding: ‘Already today solar thermal systems combining hot water preparation and support to space heating are in wide-spread use in Central and Northern Europe. But to reach our goal of 50% of heating to be supplied by solar thermal energy, new applications have to be developed and deployed.’

Reprinted with permission from RenewableEnergyWorld.com

By Jennifer Kaplan

EcoAlign, the group that brought you the research that found that consumers pay attention to the ENERGY STAR label, just released their third report of the Project Energy Code series, Cracking the Green Code. This report, like other EcoAlign research is a provocative and thought-provoking exploration of the “causes and consequences of effective communications in the energy and environmental space.”

The report starts by saying that marketers “are cracking their proverbial heads open trying to figure out new ways to make green behaviors more enticing to the masses.” While I’m not so sure marketers are trying to make behaviors more enticing (aren’t we trying to make our products and services more enticing to consumers who behave in a relatively predictable way….), I do find consumer reports of “greenness” and the paradoxically non-green behaviors they exhibit perplexing; hence, the “green gap.” But, in this report EcoAlign suggests that green messaging can be effective for about 75% of the US Population.

In this study, EcoAlign (many of whose clients are utilities) classified utility consumers in four groups and then analyzed three (the forth group was not sufficiently represented in the research group.) Although the report focuses on utility consumers, it seems reasonable to assume the analysis can be extended to all consumers:

1. The Individualistic Consumer (estimated 30% of U.S. population). These are consumers who are self-centered and primarily concerned with the financial bottom-line. It is suggested that no-nonsense fiscally responsible products and services that provide a sense of control over energy and energy-related financial expenditures (and all green consumer behavior?) is likely to get their attention if properly messaged.

2. The Humanistic Consumer (estimated 30% of U.S. population) These are consumers who are intellectually concerned with cost, but also driven by the emotional or human factors. Communication is vital with these consumers—the more human and authentic the better. These people don’t just want products and services, but rather they want “a relationship with a socially-conscious company who they feel shares their aspiration to making the world a better place.” 3. The Systemic Consumer (estimated 10-15% of U.S. population). Pragmatic consumers who are primarily concerned with the so-called “triple bottom-line.” When communicating with these customers, it is “helpful to demonstrate a desire to contribute through innovation and personally empowering programs with a both a financial and community focus.” Basically, these consumers respond when a company treats sustainability is the lens through which all things are seen.

The report goes on to provide tactical and strategic messaging advice and opportunities, which I will leave you to read in the details of the report:

Suggestion #1: Frame offerings to suit the perceived needs of specific value segments;

Suggestion #2: Whenever possible, build trust by engaging and overcoming cynicism;

Suggestion #3: Shift from content to context;

Suggestion #4: Shift from demographics to psychographics;

Opportunity #1: Diagnose your troublemakers and turn them into converts;

Opportunity #2: Redesign enrollment programs from the values perspective;

Opportunity #3: Enhance your existing customer segmentation model.

EcoAlign is also hosting a free web cast to discuss the report findings and recommendation: Values-Based Model to Improve Customer Communications and Marketing on Wednesday, April 29 from 3 – 4 p.m. EST with the report author, John Marshall Roberts.

Reprinted with permission from Ecopreneurist.com

By Frank Sesno

Some expressions are serious, some are humorous. There are essays and poems and songs. But in almost all cases, if we take this stuff at face value, we’re hearing calls for an overthrow of the old ways we drive, work, travel, get around.

A revolution in technology and green jobs to reduce carbon emissions, deal with climate change and improve our security. A revolution in the energy marketplace to knock the oil-igarchs around the world down a notch. Coincidentally, this is the bottom line of Barack Obama’s hugely ambitious energy program. And it’s what citizens and experts alike weigh in on here at Planet Forward.

This is a place where everyone has the chance to make their case about how we use energy, where our future energy should be, and how we should think about the issue. We’ve heard from scientists and students, CEO’s and cab drivers, defenders of coal and oil as well as advocates of wind and solar. We’ve even got a few politicians making their case! It’s an orchestra of voices.

What makes Planet Forward different is that we connect some of the best ideas – rated by the online community and reviewed by our Planet Forward editorial staff –directly to decision-makers. Some go straight to the White House. We do all this in a prime-time television special on PBS and through follow-on webisodes here at planetforward.org. What’s most striking is how seriously the experts take the ideas and experiences of people out in the ‘real world.’ As they should.

Reprinted with permission from Cleantechnica.com

RadioShack is among the many companies improving their environmental footprint and encouraging others to do the same. A particular interest this Earth Day season is reducing electronic waste and the prevention of a cradle to grave system, or rather, a consumer to landfill system. 

 

RadioShack is incentivizing consumers to recycle their used electronics by offering them money that can be used for new electronic purchases. While the program originated online, now more than 4000 stores are available to collect used electronics and upon return, customers can obtain a gift card in the value of the returned product.

However, a weakness of this program is that not all RadioShack products are eligible. Of course, any returned product must be from RadioShack originally and other eligible products include MP3 players, wireless telephones, video games, video game systems, navigation systems, cameras and video cameras. In order to receive credit for other items purchased from RadioShack like laptops and TVs, consumers must return the merchandise via the online system, which requires a bit more work from the customer.

Another weakness is that the returned electronic must be in good working condition. Environmentally, whether or not the electronic is working or not does not have any value once the device is rotting in a landfill contributing pollutants to the environment. I believe what RadioShack is trying to do is collect RadioShack electronics for recycling, but only give store credit for working products because a working electronic has market value. This program is particularly valuable for those consumers who need a nudge to change their end-of-life habits. It is also great for every family's techie who runs out to get the newest product before dust has settled on the previous edition sitting at home. And, in this economy, who doesn't mind a little cash back?

By Dave Tyler

Yes, even the wind power is bigger in Texas. The Lone Star State held the top spot again in the just released American Wind Energy Association’s annual industry report.

In fact, if Texas was its own country it would rank sixth worldwide in production, with 7,118 megawatts installed. Texas added 2,671 MW just last year.

The AWEA report breaks down a record 2008 for wind power in the U.S. The U.S. now ranks ahead of Germany as the world’s top wind power producer. More than 8,500 MW of wind power came online last year, the report says, a more than 50 percent jump in U.S. production.

owa ( 2,791 MW) leapfrogged California (2,517 MW) to take the number two spot in the rankings, the AWEA said. California ranked third and Minnesota (1,754 MW) and Washington (1,447 MW), round out the top five. More than 85,000 people are now employed in the U.S. wind industry, a jump of 50,000 from last year, despite the nation’s economic tumult.

AWEA CEO Denise Bode thinks all the development is a good start on the way to a bigger destination.

“…(W)e cannot rest on past achievements,” she said. “We need the right policies in place for our industry to maintain its momentum. A national Renewable Electricity Standard, requiring utilities to generate 25 percent of their electricity from renewable energy sources by 2025, is vital to provide the long-term, U.S.-wide commitment businesses need to invest tens of billions of dollars in clean energy installations and manufacturing facilities, and create hundreds of thousands of American jobs.”

Wind Power Growth Highlights

Other interesting notes from the report:

• Indiana had the top growth rate, expanding installations from zero to 131 MW. Others in the top five: Michigan (48 percent), Utah (21 percent), New Hampshire (17 percent) and Wisconsin (6 percent).
• Minnesota and Iowa now get more than 7 percent of their electricity needs from wind.
• Ten new manufacturing facilities came online, 17 were expanded, and 30 were announced in 2008, the AWEA says.
• The 25,300 MW of wind power in place as of December 31,2008 will generate enough power enough to serve the equivalent of close to 7 million average U.S. homes.
• NextEra Energy Resources remains atop the list of project owners and GE Energy turbines topped the manufacturers list again. Xcel Energy was tops for wind users among utilities.

With all sorts of big projects on the drawing board 2009 looks to be a banner year for wind too. Only now, wind may kick start both renewable energy use and the economy at the same time.

 

Reprinted with permission from Cleantechnica

Panasonic is expanding their electronic recycling program across the country so that electronics stay out of landfills and add pollutant contributions to the environment. 

Florida, Georgia and other southeastern states will see an additional 30 electronic drop off locations added to their existing 280 locations in the coming months. Panasonic is working to reach 800 drop off recycling locations by 2011 so that they can help their customers green the environment.

Customers can drop off their Panasonic TV’s, cameras, and even home appliances like a Panasonic vacuum at these locations and trust the parts will be reused. 

Mary Jean Yon of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection explains, “we appreciate Panasonic’s commitment to Product Stewardship and welcome their recycling expansion into the state of Florida.” 

Electronics in landfills are a source of metal particulate contamination in the environment. Recycling electronics allows manufacturers to reuse good parts in other electronics or as repair parts. While this is an excellent start, a greener, more responsible consumer choice is to buy electronics made from these recycled products.  

Purchasing a flat screen, energy efficient, high definition TV made from recycled materials is about as good as the electronic market offers for the ultimate green and high tech fan.

Because America has and will likely continue to have a love obsession with the latest and greatest products, consumers that demand greener and recycled electronics is really the only way to ensure the electronics industry is doing their part for the environment.  

Networking company Cisco is spearheading efforts to develop technology that can manage energy conservation and carbon footprints by collecting and processing field data. The company uses wireless networking to monitor the changing environment to track emissions from the threatened Brazilian rainforest to the Golden Gate Bridge.

According to scientists at the Met Office Hadley Centre for Climate Change, even when considering the best-case global warming scenario, 20-40 percent of the Amazon forest could die off within 100 years. Peter Cox, professor of climate systems dynamics at the University of Exeter was quoted as saying that the loss of the Amazon would "significantly" intensify the effects of global warming.

Cisco and NASA are working together to develop a global sensor network large and advanced enough to assess conditions in the Brazilian rainforest. The Planetary Skin system is intended to be a global-monitoring system of environmental conditions. This would survey global environmental information to provide real-time situational information, thereby improving the ability to manage issues on a global and local level.

The watchful sensors of Planetary Skin, which was announced in March, will keep an eye on our resources, like energy, water, food, waste or infrastructure and analyze carbon emissions and biodiversity. The system also allows for increased risk awareness in terms of rising water levels and drought-related crop losses. Planetary Skin also calculates the spread of disease and pandemics; all through open standards based on the latest internet technologies.

The next step in Cisco's local environmental initiatives will be developing an EcoMap of the city of San Francisco, which will be launched on Earth Day, April 22nd. Like Planetary Skin, sensors will be measuring what areas of the city contribute most to global warming and from that data, calculate ways to reduce individual carbon impacts. The EcoMap platform is a free, web-based service intended to engage not only policymakers, but also citizens and private industry.

EcoMap will also have a social networking component, which is intended to create a central area for user generated content to make best practices available. The platform was designed to increase face-to-face interaction through individuals developing EcoPlans and sharing their goals with others.

Cisco’s monitoring technology is also utilized in the EnergyWise system, free software for tracking corporate energy use and carbon emissions that runs on Cisco Ethernet switches over the existing network. Cisco customer Lauth Property Group anticipates energy savings of nearly 20 percent across the commercial office buildings it manages.

Cisco is one of many leading networking and communications companies rolling out smart grid products that leverage existing technologies.