IES Blog

With 2011 officially in the books, the IES team thought it was time to take a look back at the hottest green technology and sustainability stories this year had to offer. Even with some of the fallout from the Solyndra and Beacon Power bankruptcies – assets are being sold off as you read this – 2011 served up some really interesting innovations. From the military and car manufacturers to solar and wind power, Earth Techling sheds a little natural daylight on the must-reads in its “2011 Green Technology Year in Review”.

What I find most interesting is that while wind and solar power definitely took their licks this year, they are far from being down for the count; just ask Walmart and Costco customers.

You may be surprised to find that [Walmart], which sells everything from shoes to shower curtains, also happens to offer a selection of renewable energy devices, including a 600-watt wind turbine. Costco members will soon be able to add solar power systems for clean energy solutions at home alongside power tools and pancake mix on their shopping lists.

The best part about these products is that they are cheap. For around $800, you can lower your electricity bill and increase energy efficiency for years. It will be interesting to see how the commercial market will react as the cost continues to drop for these types of technologies. If the residential market is any indication, solar and wind power might be more affordable than ever in the commercial sector. The sustainability goals and LEED certifications that many building owners and property managers seek might be a little easier to attain in 2012.

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Tags:2011, Building, energy, Green, IES, Renewables, Sustainability, technology

If I was a betting woman…

I’d bet on clean energy.

Las Vegas hosted the National Clean Energy Summit 4.0 last month, and none other than Vice President Joe Biden himself was there to pledge allegiance to green cars, photovoltaics and wind turbines. He seemed sincerely passionate about the need for a renewable energy revolution. The event was held at the LEED Gold-certified Aria CityCenter, which looks like any other casino resort, but is far from it. What you can’t see is the waste heat co-generation facility, the water conservation efforts, the fresh air circulation or the electric vehicle charging station. Yes, at a casino. In Las Vegas. CityCenter’s commitment to the environment remarkably demonstrates that a community can be both beautiful and sustainable.

“Imagine if the U.S. was the first country able to make solar power that is cheaper than coal. Imagine lithium-ion batteries made here that are capable of carrying an electric car 300 miles or more. Imagine being able to capture waste power from factories and vehicles and convert it to electricity. I think we’re going to see stunning breakthroughs.”
-Joe Biden

These innovations will help the U.S. by spending less on imported oil from other nations, focusing our efforts to continue pushing the envelope when it comes to clean technologies.

There was also a panel presentation. Newly elected Nevada governor Brian Sandoval said that the state has made a commitment to use 20 percent renewable energy by 2020. If other states would piggy back off Nevada’s commitment, we would be on our way to a more sustainable America. (And well before the Architecture 2030 deadline, too!)

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Tags:Environment, event, Las Vegas, LEED, Renewables, Sustainability

Architecture 2030 is somewhat of a “hot topic” around the IES offices. There’s always something new to talk about as it relates to the goal focused of protecting our global environment by using innovation and common sense to develop solutions to the increasing problem of global warming.

I recently came across this article on Daily Commercial News by Wayne DeAngelis. In his article, titled “Time to re-think energy use and production,” he gets to the core of what Architecture 2030 is all about.

When American architect Edward Mazria first pondered the notion of what architecture would be like in the year 2030, he was no doubt well aware of the struggle that lay ahead in terms of carbon dioxide emissions, building waste, brownfields, greenfields and the usurping of this planet’s precious finite resources such as water, land and air. Yet he may not have anticipated the momentum “The 2030 Challenge” would initiate.

We’ve quoted Ed Mazria before. I think this quote from a few years’ ago is worth taking another look.
“We tend to rush toward the complex when trying to solve a daunting problem, but in this case, simplicity wins. Better buildings, responsible energy use and renewable energy choices are all we need to tackle both energy independence and climate change,” said Mazria.

And that’s just the thing. In order to tackle climate change and build sustainable buildings not just now, but for the future, we need to stop and take a step back. Simplicity at its core is something we should practice in many areas of our lives, especially design. Rather than building massive buildings that are underutilized and aren’t energy efficient, we need to take a look at the earliest stages of the design process and ask ourselves, “What is the goal of this building?” Many times, the answer helps guide the design and its ultimate simplicity.

We’ve got just under two decades to get to Architecture 2030. Can we do it?

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Tags:Architects, Architecture 2030, design, Environment, IES, Renewables, Sustainability

The United States Conference of Mayors recent Clean Energy Solutions for America’s Cities report is a summary of survey results. The U.S. Conference of Mayors is the official nonpartisan organization of cities with populations of 30,000 or more. There are more than 1,200 such cities in the country today, each represented in the Conference by its chief elected official, the Mayor.

I’ll admit, I was a bit worried to dive into the report, with visions of a glum outlook and details that reflect why this cities are not sustainable.

But I’d say things are looking pretty good!

If you want to read the entire report, you can download it here.

But the key findings sum things up quite well.

• Despite challenging economic conditions, three in four cities (75%) expect their deployment of clean energy technologies to increase over the next five years.

• Cities identify financial constraints as the most significant challenge to improving energy efficiency and conservation, and developing new renewable energy supplies.

• LED and other efficient lighting (76%), low-energy building technologies (68%), and solar systems to generate electricity (46%) are the top three choices among mayors as the most promising technologies for reducing energy use and carbon emissions.

• Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grants (EECBG) are shown to have multiple benefits for cities, from helping to cope with higher gas prices to deploying new energy technologies and efficiency measures, now and in the future.

• Mayors point to the economic benefits of clean energy solutions as key drivers of their energy strategies.

• For one in three cities, adapting to climate change is already an element of their capital planning and/or capital improvement programs.

• One-quarter of all cities have already set targets for the use of renewable energy.

What do you think? Are our major cities on a path to a sustainable future? How can we ensure we get there? I certainly think implementing “smart” solutions within commercial buildings is a fool-proof way to ensure energy hogs such as lights and HVAC systems are kept in check, without the need for extra manpower (and extra expenses) to keep tabs during peak demand times throughout the day. But that’s just a small piece of the puzzle. There’s so much more we can do in the world of sustainable design, and we are just scratching the surface

My hope is to view this report 5, 10 years from now and see an even greater move towards sustainability.

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Tags:Building, Clean Energy Solutions, climate, HVAC, Renewables, Sustainability

Image Source: Philly.com

You might remember our post a couple of months back on the New Meadowlands Stadium in New Jersey, and how it did not seek LEED certification, despite an impressive list of green features.

Well, a hundred miles to the south, the Philadelphia Eagles are showing no such constraint with their home, Lincoln Financial Field. The team announced on November 18 that they will try to make it the “greenest stadium in the world.”

Constructed in 2003, “The Linc” was finished just before the green building boom really took off. The team’s owner, Jeffrey Lurie, launched the Eagles’ “Go Green” program in 2003, to “[incorporate] green initiatives, sustainable business practices and educational programs as our core operating principals.” Now, this new stadium initiative is set to be the crown jewel of the franchise’s efforts.

Among the features the team plans on installing:

• 2,500 solar panels on the roof
• 80 20-foot-tall wind turbines ringing the outside of the stadium
• A new power plant that runs on either biofuels or natural gas

When the $30 million retrofit is finished in September 2011, all these features will combine to produce at least 8.6 megawatts of electricity, much more than the stadium’s game day peak usage of 7 megawatts. The excess will be sold to a local utility company.

The end goal? To take the 70,000-seat stadium completely off the power grid through generating all of its own renewable power.

It looks as though, in America, green building is catching on quickly in the sports venue market. According to this Philadelphia Inquirer article, nine American stadiums have applied for LEED certification, and five more are considering it. The fact that these facilities are going with green retrofits to existing stadiums is a promising development for buildings that see the largest number of people gather at any one time in a given area, and thus, produce the most potential environmental waste. Now it seems they’re becoming almost as green as the grass on which their teams play.

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Tags:Building, LEED, Renewables, Sustainability

America, and more specifically Massachusetts, will be joining the ranks of Europeans countries such as Spain, Denmark and Germany as it begins work on the nation’s first wind farm.  The wind farm will sit off the coast of Cape Cod, MA in the Nantucket Sound and consist of 130 wind turbines that stand around 40 storied tall.  The project dubbed Cape Wind has been in the works for close to a decade and was the focus of serious political and environmental debate.

The battle over Cape Wind included a great deal of passion from both sides arguing clean energy, the impact on shipping and fisheries, and of course the aesthetic appearance of some of New England’s most popular vacation destinations.   On one side were the opponents including Mass Governor Mitt Romney, American Indians (arguing that the project would cause disruption of sacred ceremonies), current Senator of MA Scott Brown and most distinguished the late Mass Senator Ted Kennedy who was well known for supporting green energy.  The project was backed by MA Governor Deval Patrick, Greenpeace, the Sierra Club and of course the CEO of Cape Wind, Jim Gordon. 

Nine years after the politicians, citizens and community activists took their sides the dust settled and showed the Cape Wind Project to be the winner.  Although the project is projected to add a good deal of new jobs to New England as well as supply MA companies and homes with renewable energy, the billion dollar question lies at is it enough? While we realize that something must be done, is wind power the saving grace for our energy crisis or just a quick 1 billion dollar solution that doesn’t even out with the sacrifices required?

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Tags:Cape Wind, Renewables, wind farm

eSim, IBPSA-Canada’s biennial conference, brings together professionals, academics and students interested in building performance simulation. Being held, in Winnipeg, Canada on May 19 and 20, this year’s conference will focus on recent developments for modelling the physical processes relevant to buildings, methods for modelling whole-building performance (including integrated resource management, renewable energy sources and combined heat, cool and power generation) and the use of building simulation tools in code compliance and incentive programs.

IES is happy to have been asked to be a part of the conference, as performance modelling becomes an ever-important part of the design process. Not just a software developer, but also a respected International consultancy, IES is trying to tackle the big problems of sustainable building design, focusing on analysis of a design throughout the entire process.

One of our consultants will be showcasing the IES Virtual Environment as part of the Software Demo Sessions. Much like technical presentations, these special demo sessions will be presented in front of a live audience during the show.  We’ll be covering the latest step-by-step workflow interface capabilities and LEED developments in our software.

A quick overview of us for those less familiar – IES provides advanced performance analysis for all types of sustainable strategies and LEED evaluation for existing buildings, new construction and core and shell projects, among others. Its software and consulting services help design teams to integrate ‘green’ design strategies throughout all stages of the design process and beyond to create low-energy sustainable buildings. IES Consulting is also a BIM GSA contract holder.

If you won’t be at eSim this year and are interested in a demo of the Virtual Environment either in-person or via web conferencing, we would be happy to arrange one at your convenience. We run regular weekly web demo sessions.  Please register online at http://www.iesve.com/Software/Web-Demo

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Tags:Academic, BIM, Building, Environment, Renewables

I just recently returned from a trip where my husband and I did a road trip through Northern Spain. While we were driving, I was completely surprised and impressed by the amount of wind turbines that were scattered throughout the hills and countryside. It made me wonder when we will start to see more use of the wind turbines in the US. Luckily, my wondering came to quick end when my colleague passed on an interesting article from the Governor of Massachusetts official website about the expansion of a wind turbine company right here in Massachusetts.

FloDesign Wind Turbine Corporation was selected under the Patrick-Murray Administration’s Massachusetts Recovery Plan to expand its operations in Massachusetts. “FloDesign has been recognized for its ‘transformative’ technology by U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu, and I am pleased to see this innovative Massachusetts company choosing to stay and grow right here, creating jobs and helping Massachusetts show the nation and the world the way toward a clean energy economy,” said Governor Patrick (Official website of the Governor of Massachusetts).

The expansion is estimated to create and retain 150 green jobs over the next few years and the wind turbines themselves bring a large amount advantages. Below is a list the US DOE has identified:

Advantages

• Wind energy is fueled by the wind, so it’s a clean fuel source. Wind energy doesn’t pollute the air like power plants that rely on combustion of fossil fuels, such as coal or natural gas. Wind turbines don’t produce atmospheric emissions that cause acid rain or greenhouse gasses.
• Wind energy is a domestic source of energy, produced in the United States. The nation’s wind supply is abundant.
• Wind energy relies on the renewable power of the wind, which can’t be used up. Wind is actually a form of solar energy; winds are caused by the heating of the atmosphere by the sun, the rotation of the earth, and the earth’s surface irregularities.
• Wind energy is one of the lowest-priced renewable energy technologies available today, costing between 4 and 6 cents per kilowatt-hour, depending upon the wind resource and project financing of the particular project.
• Wind turbines can be built on farms or ranches, thus benefiting the economy in rural areas, where most of the best wind sites are found. Farmers and ranchers can continue to work the land because the wind turbines use only a fraction of the land. Wind power plant owners make rent payments to the farmer or rancher for the use of the land.
• These problems have been resolved or greatly reduced through technological development or by properly siting wind plants.

The first wind turbine that FloDesign assembles is intended to be here in Massachusetts. If you would like to read more on this article please click on the following link: PATRICK-MURRAY ADMINISTRATION ANNOUNCES EXPANSION OF INNOVATIVE WIND TURBINE COMPANY

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Tags:reduce, Renewables

The New CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme came into force on 1st April

The new Carbon Reduction Commitment (CRC) Energy Efficiency Scheme began in earnest on the 1st April! The scheme aims to achieve an annual energy reduction of 3.2m tonnes by 2020 and stimulate businesses to make their buildings more energy efficient.  It affects around 20,000 organisations – is yours one of them?

Any organisation with a half hourly settled electricity meter needs to do something.  It was the requirement for qualifying organisations to start monitoring energy usage from all qualifying sources that started on 1st April 2010.  And whilst it may be straight forward to gather retrospective data from half hourly sources, this may not always be the case for class 5-8 meters, for example, which are also considered as core sources under the CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme.

Those qualifying for the CRC will also need to register while those under the threshold still need to make an information disclosure.  Both actions must be done before 30 September 2010.  However, as the process could take up to 4 weeks to complete don’t leave it until the 29th September!

A raft of recent surveys indicates just how confused and unprepared organisations are for its implementation…

A survey by energy consultancy McKinnon and Clarke found that 54 per cent of participants were uncertain whether they come under the scheme, which encompasses all bodies and businesses with half-hourly meters (HHMs) that consumed more than 6,000 MWh of electricity during 2008.  Around 5,000 of the UK’s heaviest energy users will need to participate fully, while another 15,000 odd organisations that consumed less will need to make an information disclosure. 

In addition, the survey also found that three in five companies had not factored in the financial implications of having to participate fully in the scheme.  At the lowest qualifying level, a typical organisation will pay £45,000 a year to advance purchase allowances at a rate of £12 per tonne of carbon dioxide.  In addition, they will be placed in a league table, showing their carbon emissions relative to their peers.  Companies at the bottom of the table will be penalised, with the money recycled into rewards for the most energy-efficient.

In another survey by the power supplier Npower, nearly half of companies surveyed said official advice about the new legislation had been “inadequate”.  About 49 per cent said they did not understand how to buy the necessary carbon allowances and 44 per cent said they do not know how to forecast their carbon emissions.

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Tags:Building, carbon assessor, Environment, recycle, recycling, Renewables

On a recent trip to Florida, I got a chance to visit the Tampa Electric Company (TECO).  While this may not seem like a prime vacation destination, it must be said that this power plant goes above and beyond the normal community obligations.  TECO signed a $1.2 billion dollar plan in 1999 with the U.S. EPA and Florida Department of Environment Protection to reduce air emissions by 89% from their 1998 levels. 

Along with this pledge to reduce the emissions, they will be installing approximately 100,000 silicon-based photovoltaic panels.  The panels will generate enough electricity from the sun to serve electric needs for around 3500 homes. 

With Florida’s growing population, TECO is working hard to plan for the future of the environment.  Aside from the power plant objectives to reduce emissions and generate more renewable energy sources, they are also interested in preserving the environment for the future population of Florida.  The company holds a number of initiatives including an Aviation Protection Plan, Manatee Viewing Center, and environmental education center. 

Manatees, also known as sea cows, are listed on the World Conservation Union’s list as vulnerable to extinction.  While they have few natural predators, they are slow moving and fall victim to human interactions such as the numerous boat propellers around Florida’s coast. They have however, found a safe haven in inlets around the TECO plant.  The plants releases warm water that attracts a wide range of ocean creatures including around 300 manatees at a given time.  

Click below for a live web cam of the manatees in the inlet - http://www.tampaelectric.com/manatee/funstuff/

To find out more about the Photovoltaic and chart the hourly output click here
http://www.tampaelectric.com/

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Tags:Environment, reduce, Renewables