LEED Gets A Makeover! Americans Get Bored?

Yesterday, I received a press release from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) announcing the new certification bodies for the LEED Green Building Rating System. These organizations are:

• ABS Quality Evaluations, Inc.
• BSI Management Systems American, Inc.
• Bureau Veritas North America, Inc.
• DNV Certification
• Interek
• KEMA-Registered Quality, Inc.
• Lloyd's Register Quality Assurance, Inc.
• NSF-International Strategic Registrations
• SRI Quality System Registrar, Inc.
• Underwriters Laboratories-DQS, Inc.

This evolution in the certification process is part of a major update to the technical rating system which will debut in January 2009. Currently, all LEED project submissions are assessed by the USGBC and a panel of independently contracted reviewers. But the addition of the above certification bodies has ushered in a new, improved means of awarding green standards that is able to grow with the enviro-friendly movement.

Speaking of this said movement, I read a recent article online that discussed how 'going green' is turning into a fading trend in the United States. Some environmentalists warned that all of the eco-minded ad campaigns, media coverage, documentaries etc. would inundate the public consciousness in a good way, but eventually may "go out of style." Are we really as fickle about important issues (ie global warming) as we are about, say a tacky fashion trend or a pop song?

In such a consumer culture, probably so. But I sure hope not.

Powerful Ohio Win(d)s

Grants totaling $5 million were awarded for the development of utility-scale wind energy projects. The grants are the result of the first round of the Ohio Wind Production and Manufacturing Incentive Program administered by the Ohio Department of Development and the Ohio Energy Office. The Buckeye Wind Project (in Champaign and Logan counties) and the JW Great Lake's Wood County Wind Farm are expected to be operational by June 30, 2009.

The projects will receive incentive payment of $0.01 cent per kilowatt-hour for electricity generated, and an additional $0.02 cents per kilowatt-hour for projects that utilize Ohio-manufactured turbines.

Sources: Renewable Energy Access, The Ohio Wind Working Group

High-Tech Not So Clean After All

MANY ECONOMIC DEVELOPERS have told me that their locations are enamored of high-tech industries and electronics manufacturing, because those industries are "clean." On the face of it, that's true: you don't see thick columns of smoke rising from a chip fab, and a data center just sits there and processes without any waste product. No special environmental permits are needed, and no NIMBY issues bound to arise.

Just because it can't be seen or smelled doesn't mean that environmental damage isn't being done, though. This article, courtesy of WIRED magazine and the Associated Press, explains that facilities with a lot of computing horsepower under the (often inconspicuous) hood are flat-out energy hogs. This is especially true of data centers, which cram as many teraflops of processing power as possible into the space available, limited only by power and cooling capacity and the need for humans to occasionally be able to walk between the computer racks to swap out and upgrade hardware.

“Depending on the configuration and the equipment involved, as little as 30 to 40 percent of the juice flowing into a data center is used to run computers. Most of the rest goes to keeping the hardware cool, since heat saps performance.

"Unlike in other office space, that A/C cranks year-round, to overcome the 100-degree-plus air that the computers themselves throw off. That challenge has increased in recent years with the rise of compact 'blade' servers that are crammed into server racks."

"But," you may ask, "Doesn't the inevitable march of progress produce more energy-efficient computers all the time?" Yes it does (thank you for asking) -- but the economic interest in energy efficiency is to cram more computers in, not to reduce overall energy consumption. There's essentially no such thing as too much computing power. It's kind of like how automobile engines have become vastly more efficient since the 1970s, yet miles-per-gallon figures have risen only modestly overall. It's because we chose to use the efficiency gains for horsepower. There are many commuter cars today whose base engine generates more horsepower than a Corvette purchased during the first years of the 1970s oil embargo.

The EPA has joined in chastising the computing industry:

“A new report from the Environmental Protection Agency estimates that the easiest, least inexpensive changes to data center operations - involving tweaks to software, layout and air conditioning - could boost efficiency by 20 percent.

"But even that level of improvement would still lead to higher overall electric use in the coming years. Going further, and actually reducing information-technology's strain on the electric grid, will require a more aggressive commitment. The EPA says 45 percent improvement - enough to lower electricity usage by 2011 - can be achieved with existing technologies.)"

I'm personally skeptical that there will be enough incentive for data centers to comply with any energy use limits. If I remember the future correctly, the machines will be so hungry for power that the only choice will be to breed us in captivity and tap our metabolisms to create the ultimate renewable energy resource...

Green is the new Gold

The UK's version of a Wal-Mart grocery, Tesco, is often accused of forcing suppliers to cut costs and running small shops out of business. To improve its image, conform to government regulations, and hopefully boost its bottom line, the retail giant will be greening its operations and emissions and lessening its environmental impact. Tesco has pledged to triple recycling, cut in store energy use by 50% from the 2000 level by next year, and half greenhouse gas emissions by 2020. At the same time, Tesco has been opening an average of one store per week.

By investing in 500 million Euros (about $680 million U.S.) worth of environmentally friendly facility refits and research, 100 million Euros ($135 million) into developing low carbon technology, and 5 million Euros ($6.8 million) to fund Tesco's new Institute for Sustainable Consumption (with Oxford University), Tesco will be setting an example for all global retail giants. Tesco's plan may not be perfect, but it is a start.

From Ethical Corporation Magazine:

How Tesco has cut its energy usage

- More energy-efficient ovens, refrigeration and air-conditioning Ð the big users of energy in stores.
- More efficient lighting, and timers and motion detectors that switch off the lights when they are not needed.
- Redesigned fridges to keep more of the cold air in Ð cutting energy use by 10%.
- Equipment that retrieves cold air from chiller cabinets to use as an energy-efficient alternative to air-conditioning on the sales floor.
- Heat recovered from machinery to use as heating when needed.

Sir Terry Leahy, CEO of Tesco, wrote in the London Telegraph in April:

We want to lead what we have called a revolution in green consumption, and you can only do that from the front. Our commitment to combat climate change is an investment in the future of our business as well as of the planet.

Sources: Ethical Corporation, Oxford, The Telegraph

IBM Smells the Roses

Following its announcement last month that it will dedicate $1 billion per year to reducing energy consumption (Project Big Green), IBM 's newest expansion will officially be a green one. The computer company is dropping a cool $86 million into a green data center in Boulder, CO.

The expansion will add 80,000 square feet of space by next April. The new facility will reduce energy costs for IBM and its clients by using recycled materials for manufacturing and increasing virtualization use and overall computing density.

IBM has also been awarded incentive funding by both the state of Colorado ($632,000) and the city of Boulder (a $100,000 rebate program).

IBM has over eight million square feet of data center space worldwide. Project Big Green aims to double IBM's data center capacity by 2010 without increasing energy use. Sun and HP are also vowing to green their data center operations. In the expansion announcement, TechSpot.com wrote:

Power concerns are huge, and more companies are seeing it better, for both public relations and ultimately for business, to work "green."

Sources: TechSpot, IBM, Commercial Property News, ComputerWorldUK

Green Machine

When I think of summer the first three things that come to mind are Saturdays at the beach, ice cream, and...higher gas prices.

Being a big fan of the whole push towards a "greener," cleaner energy culture, I was delighted to hear last week that Toyota's global sales of hybrid vehicles have hit a record 1 million as of the end of May. Of those, nearly 345,000 hybrids were sold in Japan, while 702,000 were sold abroad, according to a statement released by the company last week. Sales of Toyota hybrids have climbed from just 18,000 in 1998 to 312,500 last year. Concern over gas prices, global warming, and pollution have all helped to drive the demand for hybrids.

The Prius is the clear winner when it comes to hybrids, with a total of 757,600 units sold since its 1997 introduction in Japan. Toyota began selling the Prius in North America, Europe, and other places in 2000. Last year, the model made up more than 40% of hybrid sales in the U.S.

And on another green energy note:
State Reps. Kate Ebli, D-Monroe, and Kathy Angerer, D-Dundee, unveiled a plan this past Monday aimed at making Michigan a leader in the renewable energy production arena, which should help attract cutting-edge industries and boost the state's economy.

The plan involves increasing tax incentives for alternative energy, offering tax breaks for individual households employing the alternatives and protecting the Great Lakes and Michigan's other natural resources. Some of the ideas are similar to those proposed earlier in the year by Governor Granholm or Michigan Public Service Commission leader J. Peter Lark.

"With our highly skilled workforce and our outstanding universities, our state is in an ideal position to become a key player in the renewable energy sector," Rep. Angerer said. "Michigan gave birth to the auto industry, and Michigan will pave the way for this renewable energy economy."

House Democrats' 21st Century Renewable Energy Plan will:
¥ Require that renewable energy sources (such as solar, wind, hydroelectric and biomass-based power) account for 10% of the state's energy production by 2015. The plan sets a goal of 25% by 2025.

¥ Foster more "alternative-energy renaissance zones" across the state by including solar and wind generation and fuel-cell technologies among those who qualify for renaissance zone tax abatements.

¥ Promote energy conservation through updated construction codes and consumer tax credits for energy-efficient appliances.

¥ Provide tax credits for the purchase of solar equipment.

¥ Establish a statewide target of reducing electricity consumption by 1% a year.

House Democrats also will be examining ways to expand programs at community colleges to train workers to maintain new renewable-energy technologies.

A program focused on renewable energy and energy efficiency would create tens of thousands of new jobs and pump hundreds of millions of dollars into Michigan's economy, according to a recent NextEnergy study prepared for the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality.

The House Democrats said the points of the plan will be introduced as bills soon. The Energy and Technology Committee and the Great Lakes and Environment Committee, both of which Rep. Ebli sits on, likely will hear the bills in the next few weeks. We'll keep you posted!