Top Stories
Building a Green Economy.—reliability
medium.
Feature by Paul Krugman. "But is it possible to make drastic cuts in
greenhouse-gas emissions without destroying our economy? ... In what
follows, I will offer a brief survey of the economics of climate change
or, more precisely, the economics of lessening climate change. I’ll try
to lay out the areas of broad agreement as well as those that remain in
major dispute. ... We know how to limit greenhouse-gas emissions. We
have a good sense of the costs — and they’re manageable. All we need
now is the political will." In The
New York Times Magazine. [Nobelist gives a
primer on the economics of climate change and the costs of doing
something about it. Recommended reading.]
The Smart Grid Needs . . . Good Ol’ Fashioned
Call Centers?—reliability medium.
"On a panel I moderated last night for the Churchill Club on the smart
grid, Elisabeth Brinton, Chief Business & Public Affairs Officer
for Sacramento Municipal Utilities District (SMUD) said that SMUD has
been investing significantly in phone customer service so that
customers don’t wait more than 10 seconds before they reach a
representative. As a result Brinton said that SMUD had seen no customer
complaints for the smart meters it has so far installed. SMUD has
installed its first 50,000 meters and plans to start rolling out smart
meters to all homes and businesses in the middle of this year. The
utility, which is one of the most progressive in the nation, won a
$127.5 million stimulus grant to install 600,000 smart meters, and
50,000 demand response controls, as well as dynamic pricing, and
electric vehicle charging." See earth2tech.
Companies,
Industries, Markets and Supply Chains
GE makes LED replacement for 40-watt bulb.—reliability
high.
"General Electric, the granddaddy of light bulbs, has developed an LED
replacement for 40-watt bulbs that can last for 17 years. GE on
Thursday unveiled the Energy Smart LED bulb that puts out 450
lumens--about the same output as a 40-watt incandescent--while
consuming 9 watts. The company plans to show off the LED bulb at
upcoming lighting conferences and to start selling it by this fall or
early next year. It is expected to cost $40 to $50." See CNET News.
Marriott HQ Retrofit Saves $700K Annually.—reliability
high.
"By renovating its 30-year-old headquarters in Bethesda, Md., Marriott
expects to save $700,000 a year. The hotel chain also expects to reap
$1.3 million in tax credits related to the renovation over three years,
said Dasha Ross, spokeswoman for Marriott." Story at Environmental
Leader.
Yamaha Motor to raise up to $812 million in
share sale.—reliability high.
"Yamaha said it will develop more fuel-efficient engines for
motorcycles and boats to improve the competitiveness of its products,
as well as electric motorcycles and motor-assisted bicycles, for which
demand is seen rising. ... The firm said it would spend a total of 202
billion yen on research and development in the three years to 2012 to
help achieve growth in emerging and ASEAN countries and to accelerate
the development of environmentally-friendly engines." See Reuters
story.
Sacramento Developers Use 'Green' Awards to
Attract Tenants.—reliability high.
"With vacancy rates in the double digits, developers in Sacramento, and
elsewhere, are using sustainability and environmental certifications
such as the Energy Star Label and Leadership in Energy and
Environmental Design (LEED) standards as a key marketing tool to
attract tenants, reports The Sacramento Bee. ... In addition to
attracting green-minded tenants, a 2009 study shows that commercial
building owners can reap higher rental premiums for green buildings.
Based on a sample of transaction prices for 292 Energy Star and 30
LEED-certified buildings, price premiums were 10 percent and 31
percent, respectively." Story from Environmental
Leader.
Government and
Regulation
S.F. to Hold the Meat on Mondays.—reliability
high.
"The San Francisco Board of Supervisors approved a resolution this week
declaring each Monday "Veg Day." The resolution will "encourage
restaurants, grocery stores and schools to offer a greater variety of
plant-based options to improve the health of San Francisco residents
and visitors, and to increase the awareness of the impact a Green Diet
would be on our planet." The Meat-Free Mondays resolution doesn't offer
much bite, however, since it is nonbinding and doesn't allow for
enforcement." See GreenBiz
story. PDF of resolution here.
Scottish sustainability standards anger
building industry.—reliability high.
"From October this year, new homes in Scotland must be more energy
efficient, have greater sound insulation and better levels of home
security. The Scottish Executive says the revised building standards
will reduce emissions, create new jobs in small scale renewables and
could save many householders money. But industry group Homes for
Scotland has attacked the plans, saying will add a 'carbon premium' of
up to £8,000 to the cost of building a house, harming an industry that
faces 'the worst crisis since World War 2'." See edie.net.
Minnesota Passes PACE Legislation.—reliability
high.
"Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty last week signed a jobs bill that
includes provisions for Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE). PACE
enables local governments to create voluntary programs that will allow
property owners to finance solar, other renewable energy, energy
efficiency, and electric vehicle plug-in improvements to their homes or
businesses through voluntary property assessments." Item in Sustainable
Business.
[Crossposted from HaraBara.com courtesy of HaraBara, Inc. Copyright © 2010 HaraBara, Inc.]
