Green Project Marketing Blog

Energy Secretary has no clue about renewable energy

Energy Secretary Rick Perry sees renewables as a threat to coal and nuclear baseload—could you be more clueless and biased to try to protect these two fields?

It's real simple - Up = good; Down = bad

• Down with Coal.
• Down with Nuclear.
• Up with Wind.
• Up with Solar.
• Up with Waves.
• Up with Geothermal.
• Up with other renewable and alternative energy sources.

The renewable and alternative energy field is creating new, sustainable jobs - good idea? Yes.

Anyone with common sense can only look to the sky for help and say, "how did such an ill-informed, incompetent individual be placed in such an important position?"

Well, for that matter, most of the current U.S. cabinet is filled with people that do not have ample experience in these respective fields.  

Perry (does not deserve the title of Secretary) is just a good ol' boy that has been thrust in a position of power to continue to take care of his boys in the oil and coal industries.

Highlights from Jeff St. John's article on Perry and renewable energy versus coal and oil include:

Real Support for Baseload with Wind and Solar

• Over two months ago, Energy Secretary Rick Perry ordered the DOE to conduct a 60-day study on whether wind and solar are undercutting baseload coal and nuclear power.
• Many renewable energy and environmental groups fear will lead to a foregone conclusion against renewable-friendly state subsidies and policies.
• U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), wrote a letter to Perry that “a hastily developed study, which appears to predetermine that variable, renewable sources such as wind have undermined grid reliability, will not be viewed as credible, relevant or worthy of valuable taxpayer resources.”
• Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), declaring that Perry’s idea of coal and nuclear as essential for a stable grid is an outdated concept.
• Union of Concerned Scientists published its critique of what it called “Rick Perry’s Unnecessary and Biased Grid Study,” noting that the Trump administration has picked anti-renewables lobbyists to lead the process and appears to be ignoring multiple studies that have shown that more flexible grids can handle much larger shares of wind and solar.

Please read the rest of this ARTICLE - I can only stomach so much of this nonsense.

These politicians are living for today - grease pockets now, secure as many favors as possible, take care of friends and family and who gives a darn about 10, 20, 50 or more years from now.

Trump Presidency & Green Energy Projects

Needless to say, the early signs of a Trump presidency and how it may relate to the green energy, alternative energy, renewable energy and green building is up in the air.

Green Jobs

He claims to promote he will bring jobs to America -well, these industries are not only creating jobs, high paying jobs, and are moving America away from reliance on BIG OIL.

We will see how much the Trump administration caters to big oil, coal and other areas that we would like to see reduced in impact to the environment and society.

As we know, the building industry is cyclical - the industry has been in a growth spurt for several years. Shaking up this momentum may turn back the clock for years. Please support these industries and not the short sighted approach/talk coming from president-elect.

Please review this article from the LA Times on Trump and green energy projects - read it HERE.

Energy Efficiency

Per Build Direct, Energy efficiency, environmental impact, and occupant health have been main concerns of the construction industry for many years. The trend for the coming year is that these aspects are increasing in importance for builders. Customers want healthy homes with low operating costs, things that affect them directly.

2016 Green Building Trends

Net positive homes

A home that uses all the energy it produces, a net zero home, has been the goal of many green builders for a long time. Renewable energy, such as solar, wind, and geothermal, are used in tandem to provide the energy needs of the occupants.

Net zero is now going one step further. A net positive home produces more than the energy necessary to operate. The surplus goes back into the grid or powers electric cars, equipment, and tools. This is not a new concept, but it’s clear why it will gain in popularity.

Hemp insulation and energy efficiency

Building insulation is green in itself, because it cuts cooling and heating bills. Some types are more effective and efficient than others. Some off-gas or have dirty supply chains making them not-so-green.

Nano insulation

On the high-tech front, nano insulation should see a rise in popularity, too. This is a water-and-silica based material that is sprayed on in a thin layer. It can cover roofs and walls to stop heat transfer, due to the tiny air pockets, or pores, created by the formula. It can be applied to windows to cut heating and cooling usage while still allowing more than 90% light transmission. It is non-toxic, being water based, and may cut energy use up to 25%.

Cool Roofs

Cool roofs can provide energy savings of 7-15% of total cooling costs and reduce temperature fluctuations on the interior of a home.

Recycled Steel Framing

A 2,000 sq. ft. home requires 40-50 trees to build the home. A home framed with recycled steel can reduce assembly time, greatly reduce waste and may lower overall line item costs.

Eco-Friendly Flooring

Using products such as bamboo, cork, recycled glass, metal, ceramic, stone and recycyled wood make sense.

To view more trends, please click HERE:

There has been recent talk and concern about too much renewable energy being produced on a system that may not be able to handle it.

Just another challenge that the smart green folks will have to work out. Let's not stop the train, it is out of the station, moving along quite nicely and allow Americans to generate more renewable energy.

From LA Times article - Energy officials worry a lot these days about the stability of the massive patchwork of wires, substations and algorithms that keeps electricity flowing. They rattle off several scenarios that could lead to a collapse of the power grid — a well-executed cyberattack, a freak storm, sabotage.

But as states, led by California, race to bring more wind, solar and geothermal power online, those and other forms of alternative energy have become a new source of anxiety. The problem is that renewable energy adds unprecedented levels of stress to a grid designed for the previous century.

Green energy is the least predictable kind. Nobody can say for certain when the wind will blow or the sun will shine. A field of solar panels might be cranking out huge amounts of energy one minute and a tiny amount the next if a thick cloud arrives. In many cases, renewable resources exist where transmission lines don't.

What do you think?

http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-grid-renewables-20131203,0,1019786.story#ixzz2mZrWStco

Scientists sounded alarms Tuesday with a pair of studies challenging the idea that climate change is occurring gradually over the century and that its worst effects can be avoided by keeping emissions below a critical threshold.

Climate history has been commonly recorded by tree rings, ocean sediment and ice cores.  Climate changes to the environment can be punctuated by big, sudden changes, including ocean circulation shifts and mass extinctions.

This is a local, domestic and international effort. Hopefully, China and India will pursue more laws and end up creating more jobs to reduce pollution and carbon footprint.

http://www.latimes.com/science/la-me-climate-urgency-20131204,0,7482587.story#ixzz2mZp2G6Ja

NRDC’s First Annual Energy and Environment Report, America’s (Amazingly) Good Energy News, is the product of an exhaustive analysis of extensive new government data that shows total U.S. energy use in 2012 was below the 1999 level even though the economy grew by more than 25 percent (adjusted for inflation) during that period.  As a result of national energy efficiency measures, Factories and businesses are producing substantially more products and value with less energy, the amount of gasoline per mile driven is down, and the cost of all energy services (from lighting to refrigeration) also has decreased.

The report notes that the amount of climate-warming carbon dioxide pollution also is down, putting the nation on track to meet President Obama’s emissions reduction target of 17 percent over the next seven years, though much more must be done  to avoid the worst effects of climate change.

Here is a snapshot of the report’s major findings:

The newest updates to the state Green Building Code, better known as “CALGreen,” will be effective on January 1, 2014.  Are you prepared?

CALGreen, the nation’s first statewide green building code, was originally developed in 2008 has been a mandatory part of the building code since January 1, 2011. CALGreen establishes uniform minimum green building standard aimed at reducing the environmental impact of residential, commercial, and public building construction practices.

CALGreen applies throughout the full life of a building – from design to construction, operation and occupancy – and focuses on a wide variety of issues from energy efficiency, water efficiency and conservation, to indoor air quality.  The code applies to all new construction and most tenant improvements.

Click HERE for CALGreen Updates.

Offshore wind took another major step toward becoming reality in America yesterday with the second-ever competitive lease sale to develop renewable energy in federal waters.

Virginia Electric and Power Company, a subsidiary of Dominion Virginia Power, won the Department of the Interior’s (DOI) auction to develop 112,800 acres about 23 miles from Virginia Beach with a final bid of $1.6 million.

Wednesday’s auction was the second successful DOI offshore wind lease sale held in a month, after a July 31stauction of 164,750 acres in New England, and could signal the start of a rush to develop new tracts of wind-rich areas off the Atlantic coast.

For more information, please visit:

http://theenergycollective.com/silviomarcacci/269241/16-million-win-america-s-second-offshore-wind-lease-auction

November 28, 2012

WASHINGTON – Today, Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced 66 cutting-edge research projects selected by the Energy Department’s Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA-E) to receive a total of $130 million in funding through its “OPEN 2012” program. ARPA-E seeks out transformational, breakthrough technologies that show fundamental technical promise but are too early for private-sector investment. These projects have the potential to produce game-changing breakthroughs in energy technology, form the foundation for entirely new industries, and have large commercial impacts. The selected projects encompass 11 technology areas in 24 states, and support the Obama Administration’s all-of-the-above approach to solving our nation’s most pressing energy challenges.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today recognized four leading organizations for expanding the market for electricity produced from renewable energy sources during the 11th annual Green Power Leadership Awards in San Francisco, Calif. These organizations’ innovative “green power” programs provide consumers with the opportunity to purchase clean energy from environmentally-preferred sources, such as wind and solar energy.

Organizations that offer and promote green power programs support an industry that creates thousands of jobs each year, making clean, renewable energy accessible and affordable to the homeowners and businesses they serve. DOE encourages the growth of these programs nationwide by selecting exemplary programs to receive Green Power Leadership Awards.