American states get report card on energy efficiency

Portland, Ore., September 15, 2010 — Energy Resource Management, an energy efficiency finance company, announces the publication of a research report in collaboration with the U.S. Center for American Progress in Washington, D.C.

The report, titled "Efficiency Works: Creating Good Jobs and New Markets Through Energy Efficiency" notes the top 10 U.S. states leading in the creation of energy efficiency-fueled jobs and industries and provides a report card on innovative state energy policies.

The states profiled are leaders in creating energy efficiency programs that work as effective partnerships between regulatory agencies, utilities, commercial and residential building owners, large campus owners and private capital investors.

The top states recognized for promoting energy efficiency are: Connecticut, New York, California, Texas, Maryland, North Carolina, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Ohio.

A near term solution to cutting dependence on foreign oil and coal, the states recognized in this report are aggressively addressing the needs of customers and investors in their markets.

The report argues the need for innovative financial tools that can have a transformational impact on the energy efficiency opportunity while creating jobs immediately. Included in the report are suggestions and highlights to drive new business investment through energy efficiency retrofits and clean energy.

"Energy efficiency is the true stimulus that America's economy needs: good jobs, higher productivity, lower carbon emissions and energy security all rolled into one," notes Curtis Robinhold, CEO of Energy Resource Management. "These states and policies start to make it very attractive for the largest building owners in the commercial and government sectors to implement financially beneficial energy efficiency upgrades to their real estate portfolios — turning their real estate into energy resources."

Bill Campbell, chairman of EnergyRM, and co-author of the report, notes, "Energy efficiency is the lowest cost delivery of the highest quality real energy in the world. Putting efficiency to work will require thousands of new engineering and construction jobs right away. We can create these jobs — and enhance job security and national energy security — starting today."

The report applauds the states that are able to create sustainable energy efficiency models and driving employment by doing the right thing and doing it profitably. The premise is that to be a sustainable nation we must create public-private partnerships between government and non-government entities, private business and public citizens.

Highlights of the report include:

· The most progress has been made in California estimated to create nearly 18,000 new jobs in the next two years as a result of energy efficiency-related initiatives), New England (the best at coordinating adjacent states' conservation efforts), the Mid-Atlantic region and New York.

· The unemployment rate in the construction industry remained at nearly 25 percent for three straight months by 2010. The implications of collapsing demand in construction are devastating. A national focus on retrofitting American homes, commercial buildings and campuses will be led by public policy shifts and investment from the private sector to be sustainable and scalable.

· Government policy shapes the overall market and underlying costs of delivering energy to consumers. The report outlines 10 policies that are effectively used in states and can have significant impact in shaping the market for energy efficiency.

· It is imperative that we embrace a national program to retrofit America's homes, offices and factories for energy efficiency. It will likely take public policy leadership to mobilize the private sector investment needed to grow this emerging market.

· Innovative approaches can create new opportunities for unbundled utilities to meet their energy efficiency targets within a structure that assures ratepayers of delivery of permanent demand reduction.

· By all accounts, utilities are not incentivized to make energy efficiency work. A misalignment of priorities, incentives, public policy and consumer demand is often credited for the low levels of commitment to energy efficiency within energy markets.

· There is a real need to educate and engage consumers, policy leaders, utilities and private investors in the solving the energy crisis and defining the consequences for ignoring or misappropriating efforts in this area.

The report identifies the leading states where smart policies are poised to set the stage for clean energy jobs and the businesses that will serve increased energy demands.

By detailing state regulations and incentives critical in determining which markets are best poised for new investment to support their ongoing initiatives, the report supports the need for U.S. competitiveness and reduced dependence on foreign oil.

Researchers examined key market drivers and policies to determine where energy efficiency retrofit programs generate the most value, particularly in the underserved commercial building market segment.

The research looked at 10 policies that catalyze the creation of energy efficiency fueled industries and jobs. These 10 states and these 10 policies are critical enablers for the launch of energy efficiency markets.

EnergyRM is a financial services company focused on providing financial solutions for energy-related investments in large buildings. A part of the Equilibrium Capital Group team of companies, EnergyRM deploys capital through business structures that make existing buildings more energy efficient at no capital cost to the building owner, and keeps the efficiency building operating at design efficiency for the long term.

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• From: ECOHOME 2010
• Posted on: September 16, 2010 3:00:00 PM

Top 5 State-Led Energy Efficiency Programs

Award-winning programs include Colorado, Hawaii, Maryland, and New York.

By:

Jennifer Goodman

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Colorado, Hawaii, Maryland, and New York  are winners of first-ever awards for exceptional state-led energy efficiency programs.

A total of 18 programs from 14 states were announced by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE)  Sept. 15. The top five award-winning programs are: 

1. Colorado Governor's Energy Office: Colorado Energy Star New Homes Program

2. New York State Energy Research and Development Authority: Combined Heat and Power (CHP) Demonstration Program

3. New York State Energy Research and Development Authority: Wastewater Efficiency Program

4. Hawaii Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism: Lead by Example Program

5. Maryland Energy Administration: Maryland Statewide Farm Energy Audit Program

"Energy efficiency efforts are thriving at the state level in ways that most people may not be aware of today," says David Terry, executive director, National Association of State Energy Offices. "The program winners demonstrate how state governments can implement successful, cost-effective energy efficiency programs aimed at a variety of customer types."

The organization also selected 10 programs for honorable mentions and three emerging programs, including these residential energy efficiency initiatives:

--Alaska Housing Finance Corporation:  Home Energy Rebate Program

--Connecticut Energy Efficiency Fund and the State of Connecticut Office of Policy and Management: Connecticut Home Energy Solutions Joint Program

--Louisiana Department of Natural Resources: Home Energy Rebate Option   
   
--South Carolina Energy Office and the South Carolina Department of Revenue: South Carolina Manufactured Housing Tax Credit

--Massachusetts Department of Housing & Community Development:  Chapter 40R / Smart Growth Zoning Overlay Districts

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Re: Thank You -- Now Send the Video to Your Friends

On Fri, Sep 17, 2010 at 8:41 AM, Sarah Hodgdon, Sierra Club <membership.services@sierraclub.org> wrote:

		Dear Scotts Contracting

 

Thank you for sending a message to President Obama. Please take a moment to tell your friends, family, and colleagues about the video and the need to urge President Obama to move us Beyond Oil. You can share the video via Facebook or Twitter here: Or you can forward the email below to your contacts: Dear Friends, I just watched this cool video from the Sierra Club that had a personalized message to me from Ed Begley Jr and Eva Mendes and sent a message to President Obama on the need to for our country to move Beyond Oil: Check out your own personalized video here: www.BeyondOil.org Thank you for all you do, Sarah Hodgdon Conservation Director

Sierra Club
85 Second St.
San Francisco, CA 94105

Sierra Club Home        Join/Donate

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3 Cars Win 100 MPG Race

The Progressive X-prize highlights fuel efficient technology.

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By Peter Valdes-Dapena, senior writer

The X-prize Foundation showcases and rewards cutting-edge innovations in fields that have the potential to benefit humanity.

The Automotive X-prize is for fuel efficiency. Sponsored by the Progressive insurance company and partially funded by the Department of Energy, it was given in three different vehicle classes. Regardless of the class, the cars had to be safe, "commercially viable" -- meaning only that they had to perform more-or-less like a regular cars -- and they had to get at least 100 miles per gallon or the equivalent.

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• » A first look at Chrysler's new 2011 lineup

The contest was launched in 2008. Beginning this summer, the 136 vehicles that entered -- representing 111 teams from around the world -- were winnowed down through a serious of tests. Besides fuel economy, cars were also tested for things like acceleration, braking, handling and maneuverability.

In the "Mainstream" class, which offered the biggest cash prize, vehicles were required to have four wheels, seat four people and have a driving range of at least 200 miles. In other words, they had to offer the bare basics of a typical car.

Edison2's Very Light Car No. 98

Edison2's Very Light Car No. 98

Team from: Lynchburg, Va.
Class: Mainstream
Prize: $5 million
Fuel: E85 ethanol
Fuel economy: 102.5 MPG

Edison2, a team that fielded entries in all three classes, used a small internal combustion engine rather an electric motor or hybrid power. The car relied largely on its light weight -- no heavy batteries -- and its best-in-class aerodynamics to win the prize.

Li-ion Motors Corp.'s Wave II

Team from: Mooresville, N.C.
Class: Side-by-Side
Prize: $2.5 million
Fuel: Electricity
Fuel economy: 187 MPGe

Li-ion Motors Corp.'s Wave II

Vehicles in this category seated two people side-by-side, as the name implies. They also had to go at least 100 miles before needing to refuel or recharge.

The winner, in this case, drew on the advantage of electric motors: their much greater efficiency compared to internal combustion engines. Electric motors turn nearly all the energy fed into them into motion. Gasoline engines turn only about 30% of gasoline's energy into motion while most ends up wasted as heat.

This car got 187 MPGe, or miles per gallon equivalent. In other words, it can go 187 miles on same amount of energy as that contained in one gallon of gasoline.

This Wave II also minimized one big disadvantage of electric drive: weight. Gasoline contains much more energy per cubic foot than batteries, so electric car batteries end up being big and heavy compared to a tank of gasoline. In this case, the car itself, built largely from aluminum, is so light that it all adds up to only 2,176 pounds total. That's less than a tiny Smart car.

Still, the Wave II takes almost 15 seconds to reach 60 miles an hour, good enough to win here but downright pokey by most standards.

X-Tracer Team Switzerland's E-Tracer No. 79

X-Tracer Team Switzerland's E-Tracer No. 79

Team from: Winterthur, Switzerland
Class: Tandem
Prize: $2.5 million
Fuel: Electricity
Fuel economy: 205.3 MPGe

Cars in the "tandem class" were two-seaters with the occupants sitting one behind the other. In this case, you might question the use of the word "car" since this vehicle looks an awful lot like a motorcycle. It does have four wheels, though. It's just that two of them fold up and out of the way while driving, dropping down at low speeds to provide stability. It thus qualifies as a car under the X-prize rules.

Its bike-style body saves a lot of weight, which confers advantages in both efficiency and performance. In tests, this car got to sixty miles per hour in a relatively blistering 6.6 seconds.

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Solar On White House is Example of Failing to LEAD BY EXAMPLE-Rescinded

Though I have never had to remove a post for my comments I will say that I happily rescind my thoughts on this post.  Because the President has allowed solar to be installed on the White House.  This is: "Leading by Example or Practicing what you Preach" 

Now if only more members of the House and Senate will follow these examples just maybe we can turn the tables on: Climate Change, Economic Issues that are Troubling our Great Nation, Combatting Big Oil and Big Coal, and the various other issues plauging our country.

See the Latest Blog Post here: http://stlouisrenewableenergy.blogspot.com/2010/10/solar-on-white-house-and-my-letter-to.html

 

SOLAR: Shadow of Carter eclipses White House solar panel push

Environment and Energy Daily
September 14, 2010

Emily Yehle, E&E reporter
For the low monthly price of $537, Barack and Michelle Obama could be enjoying the benefits of solar energy, transforming the White House roof with 76 futuristic panels that would cut their electricity bill by 80 percent.
At least that is the very rough estimate drawn up by Sungevity, a solar power company that has joined forces with 350.org and other nonprofits to campaign for solar panels on the White House roof. In their eyes, it is a win-win: The White House becomes a more efficient household, and the president sends a symbolic message to the country.
But last week, White House officials essentially shot down the idea, telling 350.org co-founder Bill McKibben that they would deliberate about future possibilities and releasing a vague statement on Obama's commitment to renewable energy. The rebuff left lots of room for interpretation: Why, exactly, is Obama, the champion of climate change legislation and strong environmental regulation, so averse to the idea?
Could it be Jimmy Carter?
Carter was the first and only president to put solar panels on the White House, installing a set in 1979 and extolling them as the way of the future. Six years later, the Reagan administration removed the panels for now-forgotten reasons.
That history has become a cornerstone of the recent solar campaign, with McKibben hauling a Carter solar panel to the White House last week. But Carter's solar achievements may be beside the point; as midterm elections approach, Obama politically probably would not touch anything related to Carter with a 10-foot pole.
"It's one thing after the midterms to compare yourself to Bill Clinton, the comeback kid," said Stuart Rothenberg, editor of the Rothenberg Political Report, a nonpartisan tip sheet. "It's another thing to compare yourself to someone who was, as president, a failure."
Other theories exist as to why the White House is so touchy about solar panels. Some say the panels would not be effective enough to justify installing them; others blame it on bureaucracy. The New York Times' Andrew Revkin hypothesized that putting solar panels on the roof would come up against difficult security hurdles in a post-9/11 world.
McKibben -- whose group's name reflects its goal of decreasing carbon dioxide to 350 parts per million in the atmosphere -- said White House officials "wouldn't give us a reason" for their apprehension.
"They said only that the WH had 'a deliberate process' for deciding, but while it may be deliberate it's also a little obscure since they wouldn't tell us what it was," he said in an e-mail.
As for the touchy Carter connection, McKibben
"If we'd spent the last 30 years doing this, then China probably wouldn't own the industry," he said. "But frankly we weren't thinking in election terms -- our whole campaign is just predicated on telling the truth as we see it, starting with the number 350 at its core."
Danny Kennedy, the founder of Sungevity, said Obama seemed warm to the idea when he met him in April at the Earth Day celebration in the White House Rose Garden.
"He said, 'Oh I love that idea. How do we make that happen?" Kennedy recalled, adding that he has been in touch with government officials several times since, but to little avail. "If they don't move soon, I feel like we kind of need to look for other leadership and people who will be willing to get with the program."
But both McKibben and Kennedy concede that the panels would be largely symbolic -- and that they are really hoping for changes in regulation and policy that will help the struggling solar industry.
Still, the Obamas might be missing out on those stylish black panels that have become a "status symbol" in California, according to Kennedy. Sungevity is even willing to throw in the $107,000 for parts and labor.
"It's kind of like: When are you going to act, when are you going to walk the talk?" Kennedy said. "And when are you going to say it starts at home?"

Copyright 2010 Environment and Energy Publishing, LLC

Environment and Energy Daily

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Report: US Senates In-Action Costs 1.9 Million Jobs

Report: U.S. Senate's Inaction on Climate/Energy Bill Costing U.S. 1.9 Million Jobs, Including 600,000 in 10 States With Worst Unemployment Topping 10 Percent

PR Newswire
September 14, 2010

With U.S. Falling Behind by Over $200 Million a Day in Clean Energy Investments, China is Clear Winner Due to Senate's Failure; More Than Half a Million Jobs Forfeited in 10 States With 10 Percent Unemployment or Higher; Analysis Highlights Impact of Senate's Failure on 20 States: AR, CA, FL, IL, IN, MA, ME, MN, MO, MS, MT, NH, NJ, NV, OH, OR, PA, RI, SC, and VA.

WASHINGTON, Sept. 14 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- China and other leading nations have gained more than $11 billion in job-creating clean-energy investments - with the U.S. losing an estimated $208 million every day - since the U.S. Senate abandoned comprehensive clean energy legislation in late July, according to a new analysis from Small Business Majority, Main Street Alliance, American Businesses for Clean Energy and We Can Lead.

The analysis shows that, if left unremedied, the Senate's failure to act will cost the United States 1.9 million jobs - including 600,000 in the 10 states with joblessness in excess of 10 percent. The report documents that, in the nearly two months since the Senate failed to act, clean energy investments already have started shifting away from the United States to China and other nations.

Other key findings include the following:

Nearly 600,000 of the unrealized jobs were lost where they are now needed most -- the 10 states with unemployment rates over 10 percent: Nevada (17,000 jobs); California (226,000); Rhode Island (8,000); Florida (78,000); South Carolina (36,000); Mississippi (19,000); Oregon (26,000); Indiana (45,000); Ohio (61,000); and Illinois (68,000).Even states with lower unemployment levels lost hundreds of thousands of urgently needed new jobs, including more than 300,000 jobs in the following states: Arkansas (25,000); Maine (12,000); Massachusetts (40,000); Minnesota (38,000); Missouri (29,000); Montana (13,000); New Hampshire (7,000); New Jersey (11,000); Pennsylvania (78,000); and Virginia (50,000).The lost jobs forfeited by the U.S. Senate include major categories of employment that could have put Americans to work immediately with little or no additional training or education - since a large portion of clean energy jobs require widely-held skills that millions of Americans already have. The Senate's failure to take action will have even wider negative economic consequences on American families, including Americans missing out on an increase to annual household income of up to $1,175 per year, and a boost to America's gross domestic product (GDP) of up to $111 billion - with these huge economic benefits flowing across all 50 states.

American Businesses for Clean Energy Spokesperson Chris Van Atten said: "The clean energy race will go on with or without the United States. It will not wait if federal lawmakers decide to sit out the next year, three years or a decade. In the near term, the prospects for new jobs and other economic benefits from clean energy remain on the table. The U.S. Senate has already cost the United States billions of dollars in job-creating clean energy and climate-related investments. The question must be asked: How much further behind China and the rest of the world will the Senate allow America to fall in the global clean energy race?"

Small Business Majority Founder and CEO John Arensmeyer said: "Opinion polling of small business owners we conducted confirms widespread support for a comprehensive climate and clean energy bill. In this tough economy, small business owners are doing their part to reduce energy costs, invest in new technologies and create jobs, but they can't do it alone. They need the Senate to act quickly and pass clean energy policies that will reignite economic growth and put millions back to work."

Main Street Alliance Field Coordinator Jason Collette said: "These are jobs that can't be outsourced and will provide the foundation for a small business customer base and healthy local economies. There is no excuse in this tough economy for the Senate's failure to act and its failure to create these jobs."

Speaking for We Can Lead, Tim Greeff, political director, Clean Economy Network, said: "Business leaders across the United States are in a global race to lead the clean energy economy. The Senate's failure to enact comprehensive climate and energy policy has left American businesses at a competitive disadvantage, which grows with each day that we delay enacting meaningful policies that will create millions of American jobs and put Americans back to work."

Thousands of U.S. businesses - including small firms in all 50 states - have gone on record as supporting comprehensive climate and clean energy legislation as the best way to maintain American competitiveness with China and other nations, and to help kick start the struggling the U.S. economy. For more information, go to www.AmericanBusinessForCleanEnergy.org and www.WeCanLead.org.

CONTACT: Alex Grodin, (571) 344-0085 or agrodin456@gmail.com

EDITOR'S NOTE: A streaming audio replay of the news event will be available on the Web at http://www.americanbusinessforcleanenergy.org/en/blog/page/abce_press_release_sept_14_2010 as of 6 p.m. EDT on September 14, 2010.

ABOUT THE GROUPS

American Businesses for Clean Energy (ABCE) is an initiative to demonstrate large and small business support for Congressional enactment of clean energy and climate legislation that will significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions. ABCE's goal is to create a single place on the web where individual companies and business organizations can register their support for Congressional action, and to demonstrate the depth and breadth of business support for this legislation.

Small Business Majority is a small business advocacy group founded and run by small business owners to focus on solving some of the biggest problems facing small businesses today. The small business community is vast, diverse and dynamic. It includes 6 million small employers with 43 million employees and 22 million self-employed people, with varying political points of view. But they have at least one critical thing in common: Together, these entrepreneurs and other small business owners create jobs, innovate and grow the economy.

The Main Street Alliance is a national network of state-based small business coalitions. The Alliance creates opportunities for small business owners to speak for ourselves, advancing public policies that are good for our businesses, our employees, and the communities we serve.

We Can Lead is a nationwide coalition of more than 1,000 business leaders - innovators, entrepreneurs, investors, manufacturers and energy providers - who support comprehensive, forward-looking energy and climate policies in the United States which will catalyze and grow a portfolio of new and existing energy sources, create new American jobs and end our boom/bust energy cycles. The network includes small and medium sized companies to large-scale energy providers, Fortune 500 companies and leading consumer-facing brands.

SOURCE Small Business Majority, Main Street Alliance, We Can Lead, and American Businesses for Clean Energy

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New Inverter Manufacturing Facility in Arizona=American Jobs

American Renewable Energy Manufacturing Jobs for American Renewable Energy Producing Systems UPDATE: Power-One Opens New Inverter Manufacturing Facility in Arizona

News Bites US Markets
September 10, 2010

[Today&apos;s Company Release] CAMARILLO, Calif., Sept. 9, 2010 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Power-One, Inc. (Nasdaq:PWER), a leading provider of renewable energy and energy-efficient power conversion and power management solutions, announced today that it will open its new manufacturing facility in Phoenix, Arizona. The Power-One Phoenix facility will produce its industry-leading photovoltaic and wind inverters, including single phase (2-6KW) and three phase string inverters, and NEMA 3R 250KW, 300KW and 400KW central inverters. In the future, for wind applications, the product range will include 2.5 MW inverters.

Production will commence in October 2010 and the facility is anticipated to support more than 350 new jobs in Arizona and throughout the United States. The new manufacturing plant will reach an annual inverter production capacity of 1.0 GW by mid 2011.

&quot;Power-One is pleased to announce the opening of its new renewable energy manufacturing facility in Phoenix,&quot; said Richard Thompson, President and Chief Executive Officer of Power-One. &quot;We are excited to bring our field-proven products to the United States and Canadian markets, as we see tremendous growth opportunities in North America.&quot;

Power-One has been able to expand capacity with the recent commencement of Canadian manufacturing and the expansion of its European plant, which will result in global capacity to annually produce more than 4.0 GW of inverters by year-end 2010. In addition, Power-One plans to launch Chinese production in the fourth quarter with products specifically designed for the requirements of Asian markets.

&quot;The worldwide market for inverters continues to grow at a rapid pace, and we are positioning Power-One to meet global customer demand,&quot; said Dr. Alex Levran who serves as president of Renewable Energy Solutions, a division of Power-One. &quot;The launch of the Arizona factory, in addition to our growth overseas, will enable us to continue on our strong growth trajectory.&quot;

To learn more about Power-One and its products and services, please visit www. Power-One. com.

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