QUICK NEWS, 8-25: WIND GOES TO THE HALL OF FAME; PEOPLE WILL TRY THE EV – POLL; SOLAR PANEL EFFICIENCY RECORD?; THE CERTIFYING GREEN OPPORTUNITY

WIND GOES TO THE HALL OF FAME
Constellation Energy Supplying Renewable Energy Certificates to National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum
August 24, 2010 (Business Wire via Trading Markets)

"Constellation Energy…will supply 2,000 renewable wind energy certificates (RECs) to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum to match the estimated 2,000 megawatt hours of electricity used by the Hall of Fame over the course of the baseball season, including the recent July induction ceremony…This agreement between Constellation Energy and the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum was facilitated by Usource, LLC, an energy services company."

Jeff Idelson, President, National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum:] "The core of our mission is to assure the long-term sustainability of our artifacts, so future generations of baseball fans can learn about the history of our National Pastime and its role in American society…Thanks to Constellation Energy, we have been able to assure the sustainability of electricity for the summer, including induction weekend, as part of an ongoing trend toward renewable energy solutions for the Museum."

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"The renewable energy certificates…are Green-e Energy certified from wind energy facilities in the United States. The purchase of RECs supports demand for building new, clean wind power. The RECs donated by Constellation Energy to the National Baseball Hall of Fame [in Cooperstown, N.Y.] for the baseball season will result in approximately 2,237,500 pounds of avoided carbon dioxide emissions due to the displacement of grid electricity generation by renewable energy."

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[Michael Kagan, chief retail sales officer, Constellation Energy:] "Institutions like the Baseball Hall of Fame are examining how they can make events and facilities more sustainable, and one way to do this is to use renewable energy certificates to green their energy supply…Constellation Energy is proud to help the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum green their operations and support clean, renewable energy."

"…The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum…collections contain more than 37,000 three-dimensional artifacts representing all facets of the game, from its inception in the mid-19th century to present…[including] bats, baseballs, uniforms, player equipment, ballpark artifacts, awards, artwork, textiles, tickets, collectibles and assorted memorabilia…[Its] archives contain in excess of 135,000 Baseball cards and three million Library items, including photographs, books, magazines, newspaper clippings, films, video and audio tapes…"


PEOPLE WILL TRY THE EV - POLL
Americans Want to Give Electric Vehicles a Test Drive, New CEA Study Reports; Drivers Motivated by Environmental and Cost Benefits, Concerned About Power
August 23, 2010 (Consumer Electronics Association via Business Wire)

"Forty percent of consumers report they are likely to test drive an electric vehicle, according to [Electric Vehicles: The Future of Driving] from the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA)…[It] suggests electric vehicles entice consumers with improved environmental quality and potential cost savings, but leave them with questions about battery life and convenience of battery charging.

"Consumers are open to considering an electric vehicle in the future…42 percent…are likely to follow news reports about electric vehicles. However, overall awareness of the various types of alternative vehicles remains low. While nearly one-third (32 percent) report they are familiar, or very familiar, with hybrid vehicles, only about one-quarter are familiar with electric-powered vehicles (25 percent)."

Reseach a year ago found less than 1 in 5 show little interest in PHEVs and interest has grown since then. (click to enlarge)

"For the first time, electric vehicles will be featured at the 2011 International CES [in L:as Vegas], showcasing a full range of high- and low- speed vehicles, energy storage devices and charging equipment. This new CES TechZone will feature major automotive companies…

"Those consumers who are open to buying an electric vehicle cite the positive environmental impact and potential cost savings as primary reasons to do so. More than three-quarters of those surveyed (78 percent) said the vehicle’s ability to run without gasoline is the greatest advantage, followed by less pollution (67 percent), and the lack of need for oil changes and tune-ups (60 percent)…"

click thru to Plug-in America to learn about the march of history. (click to enlarge)

"According to the study, consumers perceive several disadvantages about electric vehicles. Concerns about mileage potential before needing to recharge (50 percent) and battery life (34 percent) top the list. Cost of the vehicle, reliability and availability of charging stations are also key concerns…

"The study finds running out of battery power on the road (71 percent), lack of charging stations and/or not being able to recharge (66 percent) and limited mileage (59 percent) are the most common perceived disadvantages with electric vehicles. Home charging stations may also impact purchase decisions. Half of consumers (51 percent) would be less likely to consider purchasing an electric vehicle if they would have to install special [battery] charging equipment…"


SOLAR PANEL EFFICIENCY RECORD?
Georgia Institute of Technology Study Finds Kalahari Greentech's Solar Collector to be Up to 74% Efficient; Four Times the Efficiency of Commercial Photovoltaic Cells
August 23, 2010 (Global Newswire via MarketWatch)

"…[T]he Georgia Institute of Technology's Engineering Experiment Station…found Kalahari Greentech's Solar Collector to be up to 74% efficient; that's four times the efficiency of commercial photovoltaic cells.

"The Georgia Institute of Technology is one of the nation's top research universities, distinguished by its commitment to improving the human condition through advanced science and technology…20,000 undergraduate and graduate students receive a focused, technologically based education…"

The article seems to underestimate other achieved efficiencies.(click to enlarge)

"The [Kalahari Greentech] collector was tested in accordance with procedures outlined by the National Bureau of Standards…[The Georgia Institute of Technology report] provides the results of the tests along with some general observations made while conducting the test…[and states the collector] compare[s] favorably with high quality competitive collectors…

"The reason that the Kalahari Solar Collector is more efficient is because it uses all available wavelengths of light in its conversion process, whereas photovoltaic cells can only convert specific ranges of light into electricity. An average photovoltaic panel converts 15% of the light it absorbs into electricity…The rest is converted into wasted heating or reflected back into the atmosphere. During the 4-hour test, the lowest recorded efficiency of the Kalahari Solar Collector was 50%, still 300% more power than the average photovoltaic solution. This increase in efficiency allows Kalahari to produce power in a smaller unit and at a lower cost…These test results imply that the Solar Tri-Brid will be 1/4 the size of current photovoltaic solar power systems."

The article seems to overstate the Georgia Tech report's conclusions. (click to enlarge)

"Based on the encouraging results of this independent test, Kalahari has begun the development of the Solar Tri-Brid system. The Tri-Brid is a standalone power generator, which will reliably produce electricity from sun power gathered by the Solar Collector.

"Designed to be an ideal solution for rural homes and farms, where power infrastructure is limited or impractical to install, The "Tri-Brid" is designed around the goal of providing continuous, usable power without necessary grid power during non-peak times…"


THE CERTIFYING GREEN OPPORTUNITY
Green Building Certification Programs; Global Certification Programs for New and Existing Buildings in the Commercial and Residential Sectors: Market Analysis and Forecasts
Eric Bloom and Clint Wheelock, 2Q 2010 (Pike Research)

"In today’s commercial and residential real estate industries, green building certification programs are increasingly being applied to new and existing buildings as a means of verifying that a building meets…energy efficiency, sustainable materials selection, site location, and indoor environmental quality [standards]...[T]here are dozens of green building certification programs in operation around the world [like U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards] for a wide range of building types and sizes…

"Since the establishment of the U.K.-based Building Research Establishment (BRE) in 1990 and the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) in 1993, many organizations have been formed…The Toronto-based World Green Building Council (World GBC) currently recognizes 20 established green building councils around the world, with more than 40 other national-scale groups seeking similar status…[But] green building is still in its nascent stages in many markets…though builders and designers in the majority of developing countries are adapting quickly…to growing demand."

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"There are three major drivers…[1] green building has become synonymous with environmental responsibility…and green building is increasingly becoming an important component of corporate social responsibility (CSR) plans…[2] many see green building certification programs as an opportunity to reduce operational expenses through energy efficiency…[3] and perhaps the most important to consider in the long term – is a growing number of regulatory requirements that require green building certifications for certain types of buildings…[G]overnments at the city, state/province, and national scales are establishing laws requiring…a certain rating under a green building certification program.

"…[M]ost green-certified space has been in the commercial building sector…Demand is growing, particularly in cities looking to attract multinational corporations. On the demand side, many corporations and government agencies are beginning to establish policies that they will only own and occupy spaces that have received green building certification…Approximately 60% of total net green building space is in existing buildings…[Most] certified under the two major international programs, LEED and the U.K.-based Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM), are new buildings…"

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"[W]ithin the residential market, most of the focus has been on certifying new properties… Certification programs in Europe cover a wide range of residential buildings…In the next decade, a great deal of major construction of large-scale residential buildings in Asia Pacific, such as China and India, will receive green building certification…[T]his segment is likely to represent a small portion of the overall market in the next 10 years.

"Pike Research forecasts that cumulative green building certified space will grow from about 6 billion sf in 2010 to about 53 billion sf worldwide in 2020. Taking market conditions and regulatory changes into account, commercial buildings will likely represent about 80% of space certified under green building programs in 2020. While LEED and BREEAM will continue to dominate the North American and European green building markets, respectively, newly developed programs in China and India are likely to represent about 30% of all certified green new construction by 2020."