Archive for January, 2010

Oregon gets $6.5 Million for Efficiency

January 29, 2010 at 9:13 pm · Filed under Conservation, Oregon ·Tagged ,

According to Sustainable Business Oregon:

The Oregon Department of Energy on Friday said 66 municipal energy projects will receive a combined $6.5 million in federal stimulus money. The program, funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, comes through the federal Enegy Efficiency and Conservation Formula Block Grant.

The grants were available only to government entities. At least 60 percent of the funds directed to the state must go to smaller cities and counties that otherwise weren’t eligible for direct allocations through the grant program.

The energy department received 100 applications for projects in five categories: energy and water conservation, energy efficiency, project financing, renewable energy backup systems and transportation. The state selected projects by determining their energy impact, project readiness, the number of jobs created, and a host of other criteria including the economic impact.

A listing of the municipal projects that will receive funds can be found on the Oregon Department of Energy website.

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Bulk Solar Purchasing Comes to NE Portland Neighborhoods

January 28, 2010 at 6:15 pm · Filed under Alternative Energy, Portland, Solar ·Tagged , , ,

The Oregonian is reporting that Northeast Coalition of Neighborhoods has initiated the Solarize NE program modeled after Southeast Uplift’s successful Solarize Portland campaign. The goal is to use collective purchasing power to reduce home solar system costs and increase installations.

Tim O’Neal, neighborhood sustainability coordinator for Southeast Uplift, says Solarize Portland has had about 100 installations completed among its participants and expects another 75 to 100 by spring.

“Originally we were hoping for around 20 installments in the Mt. Tabor neighborhood,” O’Neal said. Beyond Mount Tabor, homes in four other Southeast neighborhoods and few outside Southeast have also installed systems through Solarize Portland.

The NE program offers a 25% bulk discount. Taking into account government tax incentives, a typical 3-kilowatt system runs Solarize Portland buyers about $3,500.

For more information on the NE program click here.

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University of Portland Says no to Plastic Water Bottles

January 27, 2010 at 3:11 pm · Filed under Conservation, Green Practices ·Tagged

As of February 1st the University of Portland will no longer sell or use disposable plastic water bottles. The University of Portland is the first college or university on the West Coast to eliminate disposable plastic water bottles and joins over 20 schools nationwide in this rising movement. Students, faculty and staff are encouraged to drink tap water and use reusable water containers.

In 2009, the University of Portland used 53,112 disposable plastic water bottles. According to industry research, less than 25 percent of disposable plastic water bottles are recycled. Much of the water contained in disposable plastic bottles comes from distant locations, requiring a large environmental cost to bale, ship and transport the bottles.

With the assistance of student groups and the Presidential Advisory Committee on Sustainability, Bon Appétit , the University’s food service provider, made the decision to stop selling disposable plastic water bottles at The Cove, a University café, in all campus vending machines and at concessions stands at athletic events, and to discontinue use in catering services on campus.

“It’s something we need to do,” said Bon Appétit general manager Kirk Mustain. “It’s a goal that is attainable, and water is becoming a key issue worldwide. Sustainability is important on our campus and for Bon Appétit .”

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Rose Garden Goes Gold

January 26, 2010 at 11:28 am · Filed under Conservation, LEED, Portland ·Tagged , ,

The Portland Trail Blazers today became the first major sports team to earn LEED Gold status for a major league sports facility, a milestone in the greening of sports.

“The Trail Blazers are proud to play a role in Portland’s drive to be the greenest city in the country,” said Larry Miller, President of the Portland Trail Blazers. “Today’s announcement is a result of the local expertise and innovation helping Portland foster a stronger, more sustainable economy. We don’t view this as a one-time achievement, but as an important step toward our long-term goals.”

This certification, awarded to the Rose Garden by the U.S. Green Building Council under their Leadership in Energy and Environmental program (LEED EB-O&M v.3 2009), identifies and rewards best practices for a building’s energy, water and natural resource performance.

Miller said that the team’s fans and Portland community are an important part of the effort to reach its sustainability targets.

“Our Portland fan base cares deeply about their impact on our natural heritage,” said Miller. “Oregon is one of the most beautiful, livable places on the planet, and commitment to being good environmental stewards is part of what defines our region. This is a team effort, involving all of us – working together.”

A partial list of the Trail Blazers’ sustainability initiatives includes:

· Recycling:  The Trail Blazers have taken steps to ensure that more than 60 percent of our waste is diverted from local landfills, including strategies such as post-game sorting. Extensive recycling stations for visitors and a food-waste composting program with vendors help divert approximately 1,000 tons annually.

· Transportation: Located in Portland’s urban core, the Rose Quarter provides strong transportation choices for visitors, with more than 30 percent of attendees choosing public or alternative transportation—like Portland’s growing bike community. The team subsidizes transit passes for staff and utilizes bikes and electric vehicles for on-site operations.

·  Energy, Gas and Water:  In addition to upgrading to energy efficient lighting and low-flow plumbing fixtures, the Trail Blazers partner with Pacific Power and NW Natural for the purchase of 100 percent renewable energy programs for the Rose Garden.

·  Purchasing:  Our efforts include forging partnerships with suppliers to further develop sustainable purchasing, including more than 95 percent compostable food and beverage serving  containers and materials, 100 percent recycled content trash liners, replacing disposables with re-usable commodities, utilizing green-certified chemicals and equipment, and offering guests a line of sustainable food and beverage alternatives.
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Portland’s Hanging Gardens?

January 22, 2010 at 5:55 pm · Filed under Conservation, Construction, LEED, Portland ·Tagged ,

This computer-generated architectural image of the west side of the 18-story Edith Green-Wendell Wyatt Federal Building has been circulating on the blogs lately.   It is part of a three year old plan to renovate the building and bring it up to LEED standards. Federal stimulus money has moved the plans closer to reality with construction scheduled to start in the next year.  According to the Christian Science Monitor:

The work is part of a $135 million remodeling, with most of the money from federal stimulus funds. It is the largest single stimulus project announced so far in Oregon. The US General Services Administration (GSA) says its goal is to create a “landmark high-performance building.”

The green wall concept is familiar to anyone who has planted a deciduous tree or used a vine-covered trellis on the west side of the house: In the summer the leaves provide cooling shade; in the winter, the bare limbs and stems admit comforting light.

“If you think about it, it’s a planter every 25 feet,” architect Don Eggleston says. “A lot of people have 10-foot trellises in their gardens.”

Mr. Eggleston’s firm, SERA Architects, is working on some questions that weekend gardeners never have to figure out: what plants will grow readily at more than 200 feet in the air and how to water, fertilize, weed, and prune at that height.

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TriMet Wins Accolades for New Substation Design

January 16, 2010 at 1:09 pm · Filed under Alternative Energy, Solar, Transportation, Wind Power ·Tagged ,

AMBIENT LIGHT INC./HENNEBERY EDDY ARCHITECTS A rendering shows what the curved array of solar panels will look like once installed on TriMet's innovative new substation and communications building downtown near PSU.

TriMet began construction in December on a 70 foot steel structure that will drape a number of buildings at the terminus of the light rail system at SW Jackson Street between 5th and 6th Avenues.  $1.2 million in federal stimulus funds are paying for construction of the structure. Funding for a solar array and wind turbines is yet to be determined.  According to TriMet:

The future wind and solar energy generators are proposed as part of an energy pilot program adjacent to the PSU campus, providing educational opportunities for students while powering electrical systems in the light rail facilities at the site. The steel wrap will also conceal signals, communication equipment and the substation buildings at the south terminus. TriMet is seeking funding for the future wind and solar components.

The Oregonian is reporting:

TriMet is still putting together funding for the most innovative piece of the $1.2 million project: the solar panels and small wind turbines that will spin atop the transit rail posts. The agency’s goal is to have everything up and running by fall.

The 50-kilowatt solar array will cost $750,000, and the turbines are estimated to cost about $250,000. The two elements will be paid for with public funding, energy tax credits and PGE’s renewable energy fund.

Together, the solar panels and 22 turbines will produce 75 to 90 percent of the power needed to operate the site, with energy that goes unused during peak production times sold back to PGE.

The project has been positively received for it’s unique design and incorporating sustainable technologies.

The innovative design grew out of an issue TriMet often encounters: Strict city design guidelines prohibit the agency from covering its equipment with unsightly prefabricated buildings, cyclone fencing and razor wire.

Mindful of the highly visible location, TriMet wanted the structure to be special. So the agency hired local architecture firm Hennebery Eddy Architects to come up with a design that would be both stunning and functional.

The firm recently won a 2009 merit award from the American Institute of Architects for the design. The institute praised the firm’s creative approach to urban renewal despite tight funding and design restrictions.

The solar array rendering above is from the Oregonian article. Read the complete article here.

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PGE Considers Closing Boardman

January 15, 2010 at 3:33 pm · Filed under Alternative Energy, Clean Tech, PGE, Uncategorized ·Tagged , ,

Eco Friendly Mag and Sustainable Business Oregon are reporting that Portland General Electric (PGE) is taking steps towards closing it’s Boardman coal fired plant.  Boardman is one of the largest producers of greenhouse gases in the NW.

PGE had not included closing the Boardman facility in it’s most recent proposals to the Oregon Public Utility Commission last November.  We reported Mayor Sam Adam’s dissatisfaction with PGE’s plan and that the Northwest Power and Conservation Council was taking comments on the plan here.

PGE now argues that the rules would not allow them to consider closing the plant.  According to PGE:

The company chose not to include a proposal in its IRP to cease Boardman operations in 2020 because such a plan would not be actionable under the EQC rules; however, further discussion with environmental regulators and other stakeholders suggests that there may be support for a rule change.

PGE is looking at building a natural gas fired plant beside the existing Boardman coal fired plant.  According to Sustainable Business Oregon they are also considering other alternatives including biomass. Read that article here.

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$40 Million to Daimler for Fuel Efficient Trucks

January 11, 2010 at 11:52 am · Filed under Clean Tech, Policy, Transportation ·Tagged ,

The Oregonian is reporting that U.S. Secretary of Energy Steven Chu will award Daimler Trucks North America $40 million towards developing more fuel efficient heavy trucks and passenger vehicles.

Daimler is one of nine firms selected to take part in a program and the only one outside the Midwest. Most of the funding comes from the $787 billion stimulus package approved last year while additional money will come from Energy Department accounts. Companies selected for the program will also be required to match the government’s contribution.

According to the administration, the nine recipients are expected to create more than 500 research, engineering and management jobs, with 6,000 more jobs anticipated when the technologies go into production and assembly.

Three projects will focus on cost-effective measures to improve the efficiency of Class 8 long-haul freight trucks by 50 percent.  These projects will receive more than $115 million in funding to develop and demonstrate systems-level fuel efficiency technologies by 2015, including improved aerodynamics, reducing engine idling technologies, waste heat recovery to increase engine efficiency, advanced combustion techniques, and powertrain hybridization.

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OSU to Open Solar Research Center

January 8, 2010 at 5:26 pm · Filed under Alternative Energy, Clean Tech, Education, Oregon ·Tagged , ,

The Business Journal is reporting that Oregon State University will soon have solar energy research center.

The Oregon Process Innovation Center for Sustainable Solar Cell Manufacturing has acquired some of its new equipment and will be fully operational by this May, officials said. It is a signature research facility of the Oregon Built Environment and Sustainable Technologies Center, or Oregon BEST, which provided an initial investment of $232,000 and helped to obtain additional funding.

The center will involve the efforts of more than 20 faculty and researchers from OSU, the University of Oregon, Portland State University and the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, allow collaboration with private industry, and provide unique student educational opportunities in some of the newest concepts in solar energy.

The facilities are being set up at the Microproducts Breakthrough Institute, a signature research facility of the Oregon Nanoscience and Microtechnologies Institute. Additional support comes from OSU, ONAMI, and a three-year grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to OSU, CH2M HILL, Voxtel and the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.

Read the whole article here.

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Oregon Solar Industries Included in Obama’s $2.3 Billion for Clean Energy

January 8, 2010 at 5:19 pm · Filed under Alternative Energy, Clean Tech ·Tagged , ,

According to the Business Journal at least three Oregon companies were included in President Obama’s $2.3 billion in tax credits targeting clean energy manufacturer announced earlier today.

Germany based SolarWorld Industries of America Inc. was awarded $82.2 million in federal tax credits related to the recent expansion of its Hillsboro manufacturing plant.

Pacific Metal Fab LLC of Eugene, [ ] received $303,801 for re-equipping and expanding its manufacturing plant to make tanks, plumbing modules and frames for passive solar water heaters.

Centrosolar Oregon LLC, a subsidiary of Germany-based solar module-maker Centrosolar Group AG, [ ] received $4,740,000 for building a manufacturing plant in Gresham to make photovoltaic solar modules.

The tax credits were awarded to help SolarWorld achieve its ongoing goal of having a plant that employs 1,000, produces 500 megawatts of capacity, and represents a $500 million investment by 2011.

In October, SolarWorld unveiled a 210,000-square-foot addition to its Hillsboro plant that made it the only monocrystalline solar manufacturing plant in the United States to produce every phase of solar panel manufacturing.

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