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Over the next several years, the more efficient 34-watt T8 fluorescent bulb on the left is expected to replace the standard 40-watt T12 bulb and its magnetic ballast. Either you or someone you know probably works in an office building under a sea of fluorescent lights. Chances are, however, that your boss doesn’t know those old fluorescent fixtures in the office probably use outdated technology and his business is currently losing hundreds or thousands of dollars in electricity each year. Your boss also probably doesn’t know that there are major tax incentives and energy savings available for businesses that switch all of their fluorescent lights over to a new federally mandated lighting requirement. Tell him not to feel too daft, though. Not very many people outside the lighting industry know too much about the Federal rules, the tax incentives or the new technology, according to industry leaders. The federal problem comes down to the basics of your office’s lighting source. In those fluorescent light fixtures above your head, there are two main parts – the bulbs and the ballast. The ballast is the device used for starting and regulating the fluorescent bulbs and for more than 50 years they have […]
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Since 2004, ten states (Arizona, California, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Washington) have established new energy-saving standards covering between 5-30 products, most through new state legislation. In August, 2005, Congress took its cue from the states and made 15 of these state standards federal law. From light bulbs to office water coolers to DVD players, new appliance energy efficiency standards could save consumers and businesses billions of dollars, ease pressure on high energy prices, eliminate the need for as many as 40 power plants, and cut global warming pollution, according to a report by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) and the Appliance Standards Awareness Project (ASAP). By lowering natural gas use, the standards could help lead to lower natural gas prices. In a separate 2005 study, ACEEE found that a 2 to 4% reduction in natural gas use can reduce natural gas prices by 20% or more in tight market conditions. The recommended appliance efficiency standards would start saving natural gas immediately, with savings levels growing to 340 billion cubic feet per year by 2020, about 1.3% of U.S. Department of Energy’s projected national consumption for that year. According to the […]
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World solar photovoltaic (PV) market installations reached a record high of 1,460 Megawatts (MW) in 2005, representing annual growth of 34%, says the annual PV market report by Solarbuzz LLC, a San Francisco based solar energy consultancy. Germany’s PV market grew 53% to 837 Megawatts in 2005, corresponding to 57% of the world market. This level is eight times the size of the United States market. Japan’s 14% growth took it to 292 MW. Solar cell production reached a consolidated figure of 1,656 MW in 2005, up from 1,146 MW. Japanese producers maintained their leadership with 46% share, while Europe accounted for 28%. US cell production was 156 MW in 2005. “Cumulative installed solar PV electricity generating capacity expanded by 39% in 2005 and now exceeds 5 Gigawatts worldwide and investment in new plant to manufacture solar cells exceeded $1 billion in 2005,” said Craig Stevens, President of Solarbuzz. “Meanwhile, the PV industry raised more than $1.8 billion in the capital markets over the past 12 months.” Despite a rise of 12% in silicon feedstock capacity, tight supply caused long-term polysilicon contract prices to increase by up to 25%. The on-going capacity shortfall will restrict world PV market growth to […]
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76% or three out of four Americans – including two out of three conservatives – think the federal government is not doing “enough to address global warming and develop alternative energy sources in order to reduce our dependence on foreign oil.” And 83% of Americans – including 77 percent of conservatives – said that “in the absence of federal leadership” today, they support the fast-growing number of pushes by “state and local officials to curb global warming and promote new energy resources.” The nationwide survey conducted by Opinion Research Corporation also found that 58 percent of Americans – including 57 percent of independents and 42 percent of conservatives – are more concerned about global warming today than they were two years ago. Other key survey findings: 77 percent of Americans think that “developing alternative or renewable energy sources and reducing U.S. dependence on foreign oil should be President Bush’s top priority for the balance of his term in office”; and 83 percent of Americans — including 72 percent of conservatives and 85 percent of independents — would like to see more attention paid to global warming during the 2006 Congressional elections and the 2008 Presidential elections. Civil Society Institute President […]
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The latest global data on organic farming shows that more than 31 million hectares of farmland are under organic management worldwide, a gain of around five million hectares in a single year. A major increase of organic land has taken place in China, where nearly three million hectares of pastoral land were recently certified. In terms of organic land, excluding wild collection, Australia leads with 12.1 million hectares, followed by China (3.5 million hectares) and Argentina (2.8 million hectares). Most of the world’s organic land is in Australia / Oceania (39%), followed by Europe (21%), Latin America (20%), Asia (13%), North America (4%) and Africa (3%). Regarding the share of organic farmland in comparison with the total agricultural area, Austria, Switzerland and Scandinavian countries lead the way. In Switzerland, for example, more than 10% of the agricultural land is managed organically. The editors of the study note that “the continued increase in the organic land area over the last years is not just due to the ever greater interest in organic farming, but also a result of improved access to information and data collection each time the study is updated.” In 2004, the market value of organic products worldwide reached […]
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Institutional investors are the latest wave of mainstream investors to jump on the social investing bandwagon. After years of hesitancy about including environmental and social performance (SRI) in company evaluations for fiduciary reasons, a new survey shows that 75% of US institutional investors believe SRI factors can affect investment performance. The survey, conducted by Mercer Investment Consulting represents the views of 183 US institutional investors responsible for over US$500 billion in assets under management. Individual funds represented in the survey ranged from less than US$250 million to more than US$5 billion in assets. According to the survey, 22% of respondent currently use social/ environmental investing criteria. Over the next two years, that number is expected to rise to 28%. 80% of investors that pursue an SRI approach do it because they want to align investments with their underlying mission, while 61% believe pursuing this approach reduces risk or improves returns. Corporate governance was most commonly cited as the most important SRI issue for investors – climate change ranked last. About a quarter of respondents plan to step up their proxy voting and shareholder engagement activity over the coming two years. “Corporate governance, the environment, human rights, and other global issues […]
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It's no utopian vision. We can have a peaceful, healthy, prosperous world through renewable energy.
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The world's largest company produces .2% of all U.S. emissions! As a start to facing its mammoth environmental footprint, it's focusing on products, energy efficiency and waste.
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News and Events DOE to Develop Offshore Wind Turbine with General Electric Clean Energy Markets Expanding Minnesota, Wisconsin Governments to Use More Renewable Fuels Volvo Unveils Hybrid Drives for Trucks and Buses Consumer Reports: Two Hybrids Pay for Themselves in Gas Savings Site NewsState Incentives Database Now Includes Energy Efficiency Energy ConnectionsEIA: Efforts to Cut Greenhouse Gases Show Slow Growth in 2004 News and EventsDOE to Develop Offshore Wind Turbine with General ElectricDOE’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has signed a $27 million, multi-year contract with the General Electric Company (GE) to develop a new offshore wind power system over the next several years. DOE will provide about $8 million for the project, which was announced last week. The goal of the project is to design, fabricate, and test an offshore wind turbine that could produce power at a cost of 5 cents per kilowatt-hour, about half the current cost. GE expects the turbine to produce 5 to 7 megawatts of power, nearly double the capacity of GE’s largest commercial wind turbine. The advanced wind system will include innovative foundations, construction techniques, rotor designs, and drivetrains, as well as electrical components designed for the harsh offshore environment. Offshore wind power […]
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