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I N · T H I S · I S S U E
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FLANIGAN'S ECO-LOGIC
Our Solar Story Part II
Yes. We did sign the check and the documents. We surprised
ourselves. One of us tends to drive a very tough bargain
and was unlikely to let $900 slip away. We trusted our
salesman; we were swept up in the excitement of going
solar.
But it began to nag me later that night. I did the math.
Even after paying the $900 it was still a screamer deal.
The company had thankfully offered us a huge "good guy"
discount. But it still nagged at me. Was this classic
"bait and switch"? We could exercise the three- day deposit-return
option.
So I called and told the truth. My solar experience was
being tainted. The quoted price had stood for a month,
and the fact that we were not notified of a change until
the time of signature was unacceptable. I wanted the problem
resolved. And within two hours, it was. We split the difference
and moved on. My confidence in the integrity of the industry
was reinforced. Back on track.
So what are we getting? Pretty cool: 18 Sharp NE- 170U1
modules for a total peak manufacturer's rated output of
3.066 DC kW, a Fronius IG 3000 inverter, for a total system
estimated "certified output" of 2.5 AC kW. The system
will generate 4,333 kWh annually (based on 5.5 hours per
day of Glendale "insolation"), providing about 80% of
our power consumption. You can bet we'll be tracking this
carefully!
As to economics, the gross system cost is $23,360 - $9.21per
AC watt - and will garner a $10,145 rebate from Glendale
Water & Power, and a $2,000 federal tax credit, resulting
in a total system cost of $11,215. With power rates likely
going up, the system will reach a break-even at 8.2 years
(cumulative cash flow with and without solar), a payback
of 13 years, and an estimated $44,635 in utility bill
savings over a 30-year period. Wow. Furthermore, the property
value rises (about 20 dollars for every dollar of annual
savings), and we avoid the release of 82,581 pounds of
CO2.
By investing today, we secure an investment with a 16%
rate of return for 30 years. We also lock in our utility
rates, securing 8.25 cent kilowatt-hours for 30 - 50 years.
Utility rates will likely climb. Solid investment? We
hope so. Good feeling? You bet.
This project now moves to engineering. Two weeks until
our on-site solar analysis.
— To be continued —
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HOW GREEN IS YOUR CITY?
This past week, EcoMotion staff attended the Municipal
Green Building Conference & Expo sponsored by Southern
California Gas and the Los Angeles Chapter of the U.S.
Green Building Council.
Some 567 people convened at the Energy Resource Center
in Downey, CA, including 34 exhibitors, to hear about
topics that ranged from policy and planning to climate
change to construction practices and integrated green
building design.
An interesting morning session was devoted to sustainable
building policies and programs in Southern California.
The City of Los Angeles, the City of Santa Monica, Southern
California Edison and the County of Los Angeles described
their green frameworks and the programs they've instituted
to green their municipal facilities.
Here is a list of some of those programs that you can
use to compare with your own city's efforts.
Green city policies for new construction:
— Buildings must be 10% more efficient than state
building code.
— All new swimming pools must have solar thermal
heating.
— All public buildings (over a certain size) shall
be LEED Silver.
— All new buildings must submit a filled-in LEED
checklist.
— Separate diversion of inert materials in meeting
requirements for recycling.
— Waive permits for solar installations.
— Expedite plan checks for solar installations.
— Expedite plan checks for LEED projects.
— Provide cash incentives for LEED projects.
Green city policies for the existing building stock:
— Institute "retrofit on sale" requirements.
Let us know if your city has effective policies that could
be added to this list. We will include them in our best
practices and share them with all EcoMotion members.
Virginia Nicols
ECOMOTION UPDATES
EcoMotion has completed a Request for Proposals
for preferential financial products and services for Solar
Santa Monica. EcoMotion - working with Catalyst Financial
Services - is helping the City explore its leverage to
create more compelling economics for combined solar and
efficiency measures.
Russ Flanigan is leading the charge on the ground
in Santa Monica - and literally on rooftops - conducting
detailed On Site Energy Assessments. Already nearly 40
site assessments have been completed, qualifying Solar
Santa Monica leads and sites. The OSEAs are thorough and
customized to clearly flag the top five efficiency opportunities,
while carefully examining roofs for their solar (PV and
thermal) potential.
Coming Soon! EcoMotion is about to release a set
of six new case studies from The Results Center. The case
studies being researched and drafted feature leading solar
programs - including telling tales from California, Germany,
and New Jersey - and will provide key lessons learned
on policy choices and solar program designs.
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| "Thanks for getting
in touch!" Will and the crew at Step it
Up 2007 |
| Step it Up 2007! |
Step it Up is a new movement aimed at spurring action
to protect the environment. Inspired by Bill McKibben,
author of the New York Times bestseller - The End of Nature
- several college students formed an organizing hub in
Burlington, Vermont to tackle climate issues. The Step
it Up web site presents a potent graphic of a school of
little fish collectively becoming a big fish with a big
voice.
Step it Up 2007 fostered National Day for Climate Action
on April 14, resulting in "over 1,400 actions and 847
report-backs" across the country, some at iconic focal
points such as the levees of New Orleans. Step it Up reported
to EcoMotion that, "All in all, the endeavor was as you
said, a wild success, and it's been remarkable witnessing
all the crowds joining in this effort."
Step it Up plans to co-promote events and awareness, focusing
next on Live Earth, a series of seven concerts planned
on seven continents being promoted by Al Gore. Step it
Up is also supporting the Campus Climate Challenge, and
encouraging citizens to become "climate voters." Step
it Up is working with MoveOn.Org's 3.2 million members
for a petition demanding 80% carbon cuts by 2050. For
more information, see www.Stepitup2007.org.
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| Solar Growing "by the Football Field" |
Portugese Installation:After eight months of construction
and testing, the 11-megawatt Catavento solar power plant
was dedicated on schedule in Portugal. The installation
involves 52,000 modules that occupy 150 acres, some 80
football fields of space. The plant uses PowerLight's
PowerTracker system that follows the sun's daily path
across the sky to generate more electricity than conventional
fixed-mounted systems.
Largest Solar Power Plant in North America: On
April 23rd SunEdison, Xcel Energy, and Colorado's Governor
Bill Ritter will break ground on the largest photovoltaic
solar power plant in North America. Located in Alamosa,
Colorado, this 8.2 megawatt facility will help Colorado
reach its 20% renewable portfolio goal by 2020. (According
to EcoMotion member Rio de la Vista, "It's a big step
forward for our community!")
The World's Largest Photovoltaic Plant: The juwi
Group has received building approval for a 40 MW photovoltaic
project in Germany. It will be the world's biggest PV
power system. The installation in Saxony in eastern Germany
will be about one kilometre wide and approximately two
kilometres long, taking more than an hour to walk around.
The installation will involve 550,000 thin-film German
modules. According to juwi's co-managing director, "The
surface area of the installation compares to about 200
soccer fields."
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| The Home
Depot's Eco-Options Labeling |
Home Depot has launched an environmental labeling program in the United States that will label nearly 3,000 of its products as environmentally friendly.
Already tested in its Canadian stores, the initiative is expected to include 6,000 products by 2009, representing 12% of the chain's sales. More than 90% of the products in the line are already on Home Depot's shelves. The "Eco Options" brand will identify them as environmentally friendly.
Home Depot introduced Eco Options products in Canada in 2004, where the company has fewer than 200 stores - and so far, sales have been strong. The program may quickly become the largest green labeling program in American retailing, potentially persuading competitors and other major retailers to speed up their own plans.
Home Depot is the country's second-largest retailer and the world's largest buyer of construction material.
The company said it had asked suppliers to produce Eco Option goods at the same prices as conventional merchandise, but realizes that many environmentally sensitive products carry a price premium. Suppliers that qualify for the Eco Options label will be rewarded with preferential treatment - like prominent shelf space in the nearly 2,000 Home Depot stores in the United States and aggressive marketing through weekly newspaper inserts.
So what's in? Products like fluorescent light bulbs, natural insect killers, and organic vegetables and herbs in garden centers. The line also includes new silicone window and door sealants, a glass cleaner that has low levels of volatile organic compounds, and an organic plant food. Merchandise qualifies in two ways, either meeting federal and industry standards, or being tested and validated by Scientific Certification Systems.
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| New York
City's Greenhouse Gas Emissions |
New York City produces nearly 1% of the nation's greenhouse gas emissions - an amount that puts it on par with Ireland - according to study commissioned by Mayor Michael Bloomberg. He ordered the study to assess progress in achieving the City's goal of reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by 30% by 2030.
The study found that the buildings, subways, buses, cars and decomposition of waste in the city produced a net emission of 58.3 million metric tons of greenhouse gases in 2005. The U.S. total was 7.26 billion metric tons that year.
With 8.2 million people, 2.7% of the country's population, the average New York City resident contributes less than a third of the emissions generated by a typical American. This is largely due to the City's mass transit system. The operation of hundreds of thousands of buildings - which consume electricity, natural gas, fuel oil and steam - contributes 79% of the City's emissions total.
The study found that the City's focus on environmentally
friendly initiatives - including alternative fuel vehicles,
energy-efficient traffic lights and green buildings -
appears to have helped stabilize emissions rates. Emissions
were still found to have increased by more than 8% between
1995 and 2005.
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| Campus Notes:
UT Chattanooga Students Green Power |
Students at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga voted this past week to raise fees by $10 per semester for the campus to buy energy- efficient "green power" from the Tennessee Valley Authority. Results show that 847 of the 1,180 University of Tennessee at Chattanooga students who voted on the issue approved the proposed fee.
Ayla Callihan, vice president of Ecological Decisions
for a Global Environment, the student group that has pushed
for the new fee, was pleased with the vote and the process
of greening the campus. Callihan said the fee also would
pay to expand campus recycling and to install energy-saving
light bulbs.
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