Professionals & Services

FHFA Rejects Energy Retrofit Loans from PACE Program

July 13, 2010
energy retrofit loans

The movement to use energy retrofit loans to install solar panels and other green climate control technology on commercial and residential properties may have suffered a serious setback following a Federal Housing Financial Authority (FHFA) announcement (pdf) last week in which they refused to accept use of the Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) program for...Read more »

Posted in Alternative Energy, Construction Companies, Energy Retrofitters & Raters, Financing, Government Organizations, Policies & Regulations, Professionals & Services, United States | 1 Comment »

New Jersey develops Private-Public Financing for Major Solar Installation

June 27, 2010
solarroof

An innovative financing agreement combining county bonds and funds from Tioga Energy will enable Morris County, New Jersey to install solar roof panels on county property. County officials have dubbed the landmark public-private financing method the “Morris Model.”

The 3.2 megawatts worth of panels will be installed atop 14 schools and 5 other properties, including...Read more »

Posted in Alternative Energy, Financing, Policies & Regulations, Professionals & Services, Solar Energy, United States | 1 Comment »

Residential Solar Financing gets boost with $100M Investment in SunRun

June 23, 2010
Residential Solar Financing gets boost with $100M Investment in SunRun

Residential solar panel financing startup SunRun has inked a $100 million financing agreement with a subsidiary of Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) to help homeowners install solar panels for less upfront cost than usual. The financing, called a power purchase agreement, will allow 3,500 homeowners in five states to use solar panels to lower...Read more »

Posted in Alternative Energy, Financing, Professionals & Services, Solar Energy | 1 Comment »

Discounts for Residential Solar now available in LA, Orange County, Inland Empire and Southern New Jersey

June 17, 2010
Discounts for Residential Solar now available in LA, Orange County, Inland Empire and Southern New Jersey

An organization called One Block Off the Grid (1BOG) is offering homeowners in select parts of the country the opportunity to purchase residential solar panels on a neighborhood level at a group discount. Currently available in Los Angeles, Orange County, Inland Empire and southern New Jersey, the 1BOG program provides a 15 percent discount...Read more »

Posted in Alternative Energy, Financing, Professionals & Services, Solar Energy | 2 Comments »

Cleantech Investment through Microloans for Developing Countries

May 13, 2010
Cleantech Investment through Microloans for Developing Countries

A 26-year-old Australian teacher, Hugh Whalan, has started a non-profit agency called Energy in Common that allows energy conscious investors to make "microloans" to individuals to promote renewable energy projects in developing countries. These small loans, some for as little as $100, are designed to finance individual businesses and homes with simple clean energy...Read more »

Posted in Alternative Energy, Financing, Professionals & Services | 4 Comments »

13 Solar Companies awarded DOE funds for Concentrating Solar Power

May 10, 2010
13 Solar Companies awarded DOE funds for Concentrating Solar Power

DOE announced today that it has awarded $62 million in grants to various research projects to develop specific aspects involving development of Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) systems to improve and accelerate solar technology. This five year program will study the feasibility of creating utility-scale solar power plants capable of operating 18 hours a day,...Read more »

Posted in Alternative Energy, Concentrating Solar Power, Financing, Policies & Regulations, Solar Energy, United States | No Comments »

Energy Star 4.0 criteria for HDTV stricter

May 5, 2010
Energy Star 4.0 criteria for HDTV stricter

The EPA has just made it even harder for HDTV makers to earn the coveted Energy Star certification by lowering their energy consumption limits. Beginning May 1, TVs must achieve a 4.0 rating, which means a 40 percent reduction in the amount of power any television manufactured after that date can consume. The current...Read more »

Posted in Certification Agencies, Electronics, Energy Efficiency, Policies & Regulations, United States | 1 Comment »

DOE Announces More Than $200M For Solar, Wind & Water Energy Technologies

April 29, 2010
DOE Announces More Than $200M For Solar, Wind & Water Energy Technologies

On April 22, the 40th anniversary of Earth Day, the U.S. Department of Energy announced plans to invest more than $200 million over five years to promote solar, water and wind technologies in the United States. DOE Secretary Steven Chu emphasized that the funding represents the current Administration’s commitment to revitalizing and encouraging a...Read more »

Posted in Alternative Energy, Financing, Solar Energy, Wind Energy | No Comments »

ENERGY STAR Program gets more Changes to Boost Credibility

April 26, 2010
ENERGY STAR Program gets more Changes to Boost Credibility

As a result of recent finding that ENERGY STAR products have not been performing to claimed energy efficiency standards, on April 14, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Energy (DOE) announced changes to the ENERGY STAR product certification process. The purpose of the changes is to tighten up the certification...Read more »

Posted in Certification Agencies, Energy & Water Efficiency, Energy Efficiency, Policies & Regulations, Professionals & Services, United States | 4 Comments »

Energy Star Rules Change; Demand On-Site Testing to Qualify

April 16, 2010
Energy Star Rules Change; Demand On-Site Testing to Qualify

A recent sting operation by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) determined that inferior products were receiving the EPA's Energy Star labels. As a result, all electrical products must now complete in-house laboratory testing to receive the coveted certification. The GAO operation uncovered many inconsistencies with the current procedure, obtaining Energy Star certifications for bogus...Read more »

Posted in Certification Agencies, Energy & Water Efficiency, Energy Efficiency, Policies & Regulations, Professionals & Services, United States | 4 Comments »

Photovoltaic Panel Safety Testing – Why is it Important?

April 12, 2010
Photovoltaic Panel Safety Testing – Why is it Important?

Along with the push to use environmentally sound building elements comes the need for those items to be verifiably safe. Underwriters Laboratories (UL) has moved into safety testing of solar photovoltaic panels by opening three dedicated facilities since 2008, including the largest facility in Europe, in Franfurt, Germany.

Underwriters Laboratories became well known for evaluating,...Read more »

Posted in Alternative Energy, Certification Agencies, Professionals & Services, Solar Energy | 3 Comments »

How Green Is That Company?

March 3, 2010
How Green Is That Company?

Wouldn't it be nice to know if a company is truly green? A study published in New Scientist has found that consumers really don't know which companies are green…and which are not green. To come up with this finding, the study polled 30,000 consumers and questioned them about the "greenness" of more than 100...Read more »

Posted in Environment, Professionals & Services | 8 Comments »

Cradle to Cradle List Growing at Fast Rate; Products Top 300

March 2, 2010
Cradle to Cradle List Growing at Fast Rate; Products Top 300

Virginia-based McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry (MBDC) has announced that their Cradle to Cradle standards certifications list now totals over 300 products. The certification recognizes products that are made, packaged, and used with the environment and renewable energy in mind. Products are grouped in one of the achievement levels, basic, silver, gold, and platinum....Read more »

Posted in Certification Agencies, Professionals & Services | 5 Comments »

U.S. Department of Energy Plans to Invest $366M in Clean Energy Innovation Research

January 6, 2010
U.S. Department of Energy Plans to Invest $366M in Clean Energy Innovation Research

The U.S. Department of Energy plans to invest up to $366 million over the next five years to establish and operate three new Energy Innovation Hubs, with a focus on accelerating research and development in the following three areas: producing fuels directly from sunlight, improving energy-efficient building systems design and developing advanced nuclear...Read more »

Posted in Alternative Energy, Energy & Water Efficiency, Energy Efficiency, Financing | 3 Comments »

The Shadow of SB-375 Fuels Interest in Urban Infill Sites, Transit-Oriented Development and New Development Concepts

December 22, 2009
The Shadow of SB-375 Fuels Interest in Urban Infill Sites, Transit-Oriented Development and New Development Concepts

SB-375 has stirred the blood of both real estate developers and cities.  As most are aware, it is part of the state’s pioneering initiative to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) by decreasing the amount of carbon that spews into the air from vehicle and other emissions.  The primary goal of SB-375 is to significantly...Read more »

Posted in Architects & Designers, Construction & Engineering, Green Construction, Professionals & Services | 2 Comments »