The US Army and Lockheed Martin commissioned the first Department of Defense (DoD) grid-tied microgrid integrating both renewable resources and energy storage at Fort Bliss, Texas. The project was funded by the DoD’s Environmental Security Technology Certification Program, and Lockheed Martin received the contract in 2010. The Fort Bliss grid-tied microgrid is designed to reduce …Continue Reading
The Brockton Housing Authority in Brockton, Mass., signed a $5.7 million energy savings performance contract (ESPC) with Ameresco that will provide energy efficiency upgrades to more than 1,200 units in seven developments, and is expected to save the Authority more than $400,000 annually or more than $10.4 million over the 20-year term. With construction expected …Continue Reading
Hampered by an uncooperative utility and political fall-out, Ontario has fallen short of its goal of creating 50,000 jobs and 5 gigawatts of renewable energy power with its ‘buy local’ feed-in tariff program, despite gathering early momentum by generating 31,000 jobs and turning one in 7 farmers into energy producers, says a report by the …Continue Reading
SolarCity announced a lease financing agreement with Goldman Sachs to fund more than $500 million in solar projects; an estimated 110 MW in generation capacity. The financing makes it possible for homeowners, businesses, government and non-profit organizations to install solar panels with no upfront cost and pay less for electricity than they currently pay for …Continue Reading
The Department of Energy has published a new series of protocols for determining savings from energy efficiency upgrades in homes, commercial buildings, and industrial facilities. Developed in collaboration with leading technical experts under the Uniform Methods Project (UMP), these protocols offer a straightforward approach for calculating energy savings made possible from common residential and commercial …Continue Reading
The US Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory and the Navy have teamed up to meet various energy goals. Specifically, the two agencies are looking for solutions to meet the Navy’s energy goals, which include: evaluating energy efficiency and use when awarding Navy contracts for systems and buildings; increasing alternative energy use on shore by …Continue Reading
German-based Weltec Biopower and Finland-based Doranova are constructing a biogas plant in Jeppo, Finland, that will supply power to the grid. The plant will produce biomethane refined to natural gas quality, which is suitable for all consumption paths, including the growing network of Finnish natural gas stations. The plant is being designed with modular components, …Continue Reading
The British government is encouraging UK businesses to take advantage of its matching funds offer and invest in energy efficiency measures that will help bring down their energy costs, allowing them to compete better with US businesses that have benefitted from lower energy costs, thanks to the rise of shale gas. Residential and commercial energy …Continue Reading
Roadrunner Food Bank of New Mexico did some major energy efficiency upgrades in 2010, which helped the non-profit survive big rate increases of Public Service Company of New Mexico. The food bank raised about $350,000 in grants from a private donor and the Walmart Foundation, among others, and, the organization got about $20,000 in energy …Continue Reading
California’s clean economy is dominated by industries like clean transportation, energy generation, and energy efficiency. So it comes as no surprise these areas were targeted for cap-and-trade auction proceeds investments in the draft investment plan released by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) recently. Specifically, the plan lays out three major categories for investing auction …Continue Reading
