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40% of Consumers are “extremely” interested in purchasing a Plug-In Electric Vehicle (PEV)

by CGR Staff Writer

Posted on January 5, 2012 by CGR Staff Writer

The year 2012 will be an important test of the commercial viability of plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs). Two automakers, Chevrolet and Nissan, ended 2010 with the launch of their first highway-capable PEVs for the mass market. Many other auto manufacturers are working to electrify their lineups with new models. For example, Toyota plans to launch the PEV Prius in January 2012 and other manufacturers have plans to launch plug-in electric models in the near future.

However, as public awareness of electric vehicles continues to build with the increase in model launch activity, a new survey from Pike Research finds that consumer interest in purchasing PEVs has gradually declined over the past two years. In late 2011, the cleantech market intelligence firm conducted the third annual edition of its Electric Vehicle Consumer Survey using a nationally representative and demographically balanced sample of 1,051 adults in the United States. In the first edition, conducted in 2009, 48% of respondents stated that they would be “extremely” or “very” interested in purchasing a PEV. In 2010 that number declined moderately to 44% and in 2011 it fell further to 40%. Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Business Transportation, Energy, Energy Management, Environment, Green Business, Home Energy, Sustainability News, Technology | Tagged carbon, electric, environment, environmental, green, greenhouse gasses, smart grid, sustainability, sustainable, technology | Leave a comment

Microgrid Market is Shifting from Pilot Programs to Commercial Projects

by CGR Staff Writer

Posted on January 4, 2012 by CGR Staff Writer

Source: pikeresearch.com

Microgrids, which are smart grid networks for integrating distributed energy generation from both renewable and fossil fuel resources, are proliferating around the world in a variety of forms. Microgrids may be grid-tied or remote and are utilized in several key application segments including commercial, community, institutional, military, and remote installations. According to a new tracker report from Pike Research, one of the most significant changes in the nascent microgrid market in 2011 was the beginning of a shift away from pilot projects and toward full-scale commercial microgrids.

“A wide range of electricity users are demonstrating strong demand for power generation and distribution systems that can be operated independently from the utility grid,” says senior analyst Peter Asmus. “A few of the market drivers include concerns about grid reliability, rising costs of fuel, broader availability of distributed generation technologies, and a drop in prices for some nontraditional energy sources such as solar photovoltaic (PV) systems. Microgrids are now emerging from the experimental stage and are being commercialized at greater scale and for an increasing variety of deployment applications.” Continue reading →

Posted in Alternative Energy, Energy, Energy Management, Green Business, Smart Grid, Sustainability News, Technology | Tagged alternative energy, carbon, csr, electric, go green, green, smart grid, sustainability, sustainable, technology | Leave a comment

Vestas acquires rollout of 616 MW worth of wind turbine orders in Dec. 2011 (EcoSeed.org)

by CGR Staff Writer

Posted on January 4, 2012 by CGR Staff Writer

By Jhoanna Frances S. Valdez – This is an excerpt from EcoSeed.org.

Global wind giant Vestas received an array of wind turbine orders from all over the world adding up to a staggering 616 megawatts during the last month of 2011.

The orders include 51 MW in Poland; 62 MW for French renewable energy company EDF Energies Nouvelles in Italy and Germany; 54 MW in the United Kingdom; 50 MW in Pakistan; 24 MW for VSB Energies Nouvelles in France; 69 MW for the Jaadras project in Sweden; 254 MW in Brazil; and 52 MW in Spain.

The 17-unit Poland order contract comprises of the delivery, installation, and commissioning of the turbines as well as a 12-year service and maintenance agreement. Delivery of the products is expected to commence during the third quarter of 2012 and the completion of the project is expected at year-end.

The EDF Energies Nouvelles order was placed as part of its binding share of wallet agreement with Vestas signed in June 2011, which posits that throughout 2012-2014, EDF Energies Nouvelles and its American subsidiary is required to buy Vestas wind turbines for a minimum of 50 percent for all its future onshore wind installations in Europe and for a minimum of 30 percent in the U.S. Continue reading →

Posted in Alternative Energy, Business, Carbon Management, CSR, Emissions Trading, Energy, Energy Management, Green Business, Green Facilities, Sustainability News, Wind | Tagged air, alternative energy, carbon, csr, environment, environmental, green, green companies, greenhouse gasses, renewable energy, sustainability, sustainable, sustainable companies, wind | Leave a comment

President Bill Clinton to Keynote the 2012 Sustainable Operations Summit

by CGR Staff Writer

Posted on January 4, 2012 by CGR Staff Writer

7th Annual Summit Comes to NYC to Demonstrate How Sustainable Initiatives Can Drive Business and Boost the U.S. Economy

NEW YORK, Jan 03, 2012 (BUSINESS WIRE) — CraigMichaels Inc., a New York based executive-level events company, today announced that President Bill Clinton will deliver the keynote address at the 2012 Sustainable Operations Summit, sustainablesummit.com, which will take place during Earth Week, April 17-April 19, 2012, at the Hilton New York.

The seventh annual summit will focus on sustainable initiatives and their impact on the bottom line. Key leaders from the world’s most influential organizations will share how green initiatives offer enormous economic opportunities, including creating new jobs, making business more efficient, and most importantly, strengthening the United States’ competitiveness around the world.

“We are honored to announce that President Bill Clinton will be joining us as the Keynote speaker for the 2012 Sustainable Operations Summit, which is being held in New York for the first time,” said Michael P. Owens, producer of the summit and Vice President of Production & Marketing of CraigMichaels Inc. “The timing is perfect as New York is now seen as a global leader in sustainability under the leadership of Mayor Michael Bloomberg. From the High Line to the retrofit of the Empire State Building to improved infrastructure including bike lanes and public parks, New York is home to some of the most inspiring green building, urban renewal, and retrofit projects in the country.” Continue reading →

Posted in Alternative Energy, Business, CSR, Environment, Green Business, Green Facilities, Green IT, Politics, Sustainability News, Sustainability Practices | Tagged alternative energy, carbon, csr, environment, environmental, green, green companies, sustainability, sustainable, sustainable companies | Leave a comment

Solar Attic Fan takes Best Sustainable Product of 2011

by CGR Staff Writer

Posted on December 30, 2011 by CGR Staff Writer

US Sunlight wins another award for their innovated line of energy efficient products: the Solar Attic Fans and Solar Controller™ are declared by the editors of BUILDERnews magazine as the “Best Sustainable Product of 2011″ in their annual publication release of the year’s best products for builders, contractors, architects and material suppliers.

Incline Village, NV (PRWEB) December 30, 2011

BUILDERnews, a fifteen year old monthly publication has a distribution of over 80,000 readers, targeting building industry professionals. Active attic ventilation is acknowledged for its tremendous benefits to the health of the home. Solar attic ventilation provides numerous benefits, venting the attic space while the sun is out with free energy. However, traditional solar ventilation is limited to the hours of available sunlight and is unable to continue operation into the evening hours or on cloudy days when many attics are still suffering from residual heat and/or excessive moisture. Fans powered strictly by house power are able to provide 24 hour ventilation, but only at a hefty price tag, frequently upwards of $30 per month. Continue reading →

Posted in Alternative Energy, Business, Energy, Energy Management, Goods, Services & Product Design, Green Business, Green Facilities, Green Living, Green Marketing, Heating & Cooling, Home Energy, Home Improvement & Decor, Renovations & Construction, Solar, Sustainability News, Sustainability Practices, Technology | Tagged alternative energy, carbon, csr, eco home, electric, environment, environmental, go green, green, green home, house, renewable energy, solar, sustainability, sustainable, technology | 3 Comments

Scope 5 Secures Financing for Energy and Sustainability Software Service

by CGR Staff Writer

Posted on December 30, 2011 by CGR Staff Writer

SEATTLE, Dec 29, 2011 (BUSINESS WIRE) — Scope 5 emerged from stealth mode to announce that it raised its first outside funding from a group of angel investors. The company closed the round quickly on the heels of achieving several milestones: releasing the first version of their sustainability management software service; signing two sustainability consulting firms as partners; and landing two representative customers with multi-year software service subscriptions.

“The endorsement of our early partners and customers signals that we are solving real and unaddressed pain in the sustainability management market,” said Yoram Bernet, a co-founder and CEO of Scope 5. “Our investors moved briskly so that we can focus more of our energy on meeting our next major sales and product milestones.”

David Billstrom, an experienced venture capitalist and serial entrepreneur, also joined Scope 5′s board of directors in connection with the financing. “There is an obvious market opportunity, but even more importantly, I was very impressed by how easy their service is to use. It reminds me of my first experience with salesforce.com,” said Mr. Billstrom, a veteran of over 20 technology start-ups. “And the passion of this team is a strong predictor of their future success.” Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Carbon Management, CSR, Emissions Trading, Energy, Energy Management, Green Business, Green IT, Information Systems, Pollution, Sustainability News, Technology | Tagged agriculture, air, alternative energy, carbon, csr, environment, environmental, software, sustainability, sustainable, technology | Leave a comment

Four Sustainability Trends to Watch in 2012

by CGR Staff Writer

Posted on December 30, 2011 by CGR Staff Writer

By Dan Probst, Chairman of Energy and Sustainability Services, Jones Lang LaSalle

CHICAGO, Dec. 29, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — The worldwide movement toward sustainability has made significant progress over the past half-dozen years as companies and cities have pursued strategies that balance future and current societal needs. Now, sustainable development is entering a new phase, characterized by greater alignment within and between the public and private sectors.

The road to sustainability has been plagued with roadblocks, including an unprecedented global financial crisis and attempts by entrenched business and political interests to deny climate science. Perhaps the greatest obstacle has been the lack of consistent and comparable standards for defining and measuring sustainability. Although these issues have yet to be fully resolved, many well-coordinated initiatives in recent years have pointed the way forward for companies and cities. Continue reading →