Enormous Solar Array Set to Call Florida Home

National Solar Power, an energy company based out of Melbourne, Florida was formed in 2010. Though relatively young as a company, their ambitions are inspired. They are set to built 20 solar panel fields (over 200 acres apiece) within the next five years. Their plan calls for the first field to be online and operational by the end of 2012. This 400 mega-watt farm should be able to power over 30,000 homes and is set to become the largest solar panel operation in the southeast.

Read more after the jump:

http://www.tampabay.com/news/business/energy/huge-solar-array-to-be-built-in-gadsden-county/1193732

NASA Focusing on Events Closer to Home

With their shuttle program now a thing of the past, NASA is working on new ways to look forward. By using some of the same technology that made the United States the world’s leader in space exploration, NASA is hoping to generate some much needed efficient energy solutions for homes in crisis. The development of a new type of solar generator which hopes to capitalize on the clear weather that typically follows the devastation caused by large hurricanes. These generators are strong enough to power small homes as long as the sun shines, and store even more energy in battery backups for after the sun sets. This project is still a work in progress, but NASA has turned some of their attention for the moment to issues occurring on this planet.

Read on after the jump!

http://www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/news/solarpowergenerator.html

Avatar Sequels to Begin Practicing What They Preach

The underlying message of the 2009 Hollywood blockbuster film Avatar was that environmental preservation should take priority over all and any endeavors that humanity may undertake. Director James Cameron is taking a refreshing and welcome approach towards the production of  the sequels to his Sci-fi valentine to all things nature. By settling on the MBS Media Campus as the home for his Lightstorm Entertainment production company, Cameron intends to make the films’ production carbon neutral.

Read on after the jump to see the impressive measures Cameron is taking to ensure this:

http://www.ecorazzi.com/2011/05/26/avatar-sequels-to-be-powered-by-the-sun/

WWEC Present at Region IV, Southeast Network Energy Conference

Wind, Water and Energy Conservation President, Gene Overmyer and Business Development Manager Alicia Buchanan will be speaking at the Region IV Southeast Network Energy Conference this week in Orange Beach, Alabama about Energy Performance Contracting possibilities for small Public Housing Authorities. The presentation will be on Thursday, May 26th from 10 am until 11:30 am. The conversation will center on the options present for smaller Housing Authorities in the fields of conservation and sustainability.

For more information about the conference, please read on after the jump:

http://www.hud.gov/emarc/index.cfm?fuseaction=emar.registrationNotOpenError&eventid=807

St. Petersburg Catholic High School Posts Incredible Energy Savings for the First Quarter of 2011

The first annual quarter of St. Petersburg Catholic High School (SPCHS), Inc.’s energy efficiency program (EEP) is complete and the results have been exemplary thus far. Installation of energy conservation measures (ECMs) was completed in December of 2010 at both the school and the nearby Salesian Residence. Featuring solar hot water heaters and efficient lighting fixtures, these renovations have already begun paying dividends. Through April of 2011, SPCHS has seen a 27% decrease in water usage and a nearly 20% decrease in electricity consumption, outperforming their preliminary savings estimates.

The Energy Efficiency Program included the replacement of nineteen inefficient air conditioners and furnaces with energy efficient 15 SEER heat pumps, installation of two solar domestic hot water systems for the school cafeteria and the priests’/brothers’ residence, installation of insulation above the classrooms in two buildings and at the priests’/brothers’ residence, replacement of lighting fixtures with energy efficient lighting, low-flow toilet installation, and controls for other domestic hot water heaters that limit their energy consumption when not in use.

At this rate, these improvements will not only pay for themselves over the course of the 10-year energy efficiency program, but they will also make possible approximately $10,000 in savings in operations and maintenance costs annually, which emphasizes the fact that projects such as these make sense from a fiscal standpoint as much an environmentally conscious one.

Financing for the project has been provided by the Roman Catholic Diocese of St. Petersburg.

University of South Florida Achieves “Gold” Sustainability Ranking

The University of South Florida’s efforts to build an environmentally friendly campus, as well as its desire to advance energy sustainability both on, and off campus have paid off in a rather exclusive manner. USF has become one of a very small number of universities nationwide to achieve a “Gold” rating from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education.

This association is one of the United State’s leaders in advocacy for the on-campus green movement. They have also submitted a 236 page account of USF’s initiatives and efforts involving sustainability at their campus in Tampa, as well as the University’s clean energy and environmental research conducted to the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment and Rating System (STARS). Designed as a self-reporting system for colleges and universities in the US and Canada, STARS intends to gauge each school’s relative progress toward sustainability.

According to E. Christian Wells, the director of USF’s Office of Sustainability, “The STARS system helps us track our sustainability efforts and allows us to find our weak spots. While the Office of Sustainability is only 500 days old, we’ve managed to address most of the easy targets, like increasing recycling and changing the light bulbs. Now we need to focus on the bigger picture, what a sustainable campus should look like over the longer term.”

“The gold STARS rating USF received proves that we are truly ‘green’ and gold,” he added.

The University also scored exceptionally high in sustainability innovation and activities, as well as its coordination and future plans for a more sustainable campus. USF has also received solid marks  for their continued commitment to academic research on a variety range of issues involving sustainability. There are 54 academic departments at the school, 38 have faculty and staff members actively engaged in sustainability research.

St. Petersburg Catholic High School, Inc. Goes Green

St. Petersburg Catholic High School (SPCHS), Inc., located in St. Petersburg, Florida, announced last month that it is contracting with Wind, Water and Energy Conservation, located in St. Pete Beach, Florida, to implement a $268,000 comprehensive energy efficiency program, including solar hot water heating for SPCHS.

St. Petersburg Catholic High School, Inc. is a diocesan Catholic High School of the Roman Catholic Diocese of St. Petersburg and has been an integral part of the local Catholic community for over 50 years. The campus consists of nine buildings, all of which will benefit in some aspect from the program.

“The rising cost of utilities and the cost of maintaining aging equipment that consumes excess energy compelled us to look at upgrading our existing facility along with an increasing awareness of the importance of being stewards of God’s gift of creation”, said Fr. Michael Conway, SDB, President of St. Petersburg Catholic High School, Inc. “Not only are we taking advantage of more efficient equipment, we are using solar hot water heating to follow the Vatican’s lead on use of renewable energy. Also, WWEC will provide training on wind and solar energy for some science classes.”

Capital improvements totaling $268,000 will be made to the campus. The improvements will not only pay for themselves over the course of the 10-year energy efficiency program through annual utility cost savings of nearly $33,800, but they will also make possible approximately $10,000 in savings in operations and maintenance costs annually. The Roman Catholic Diocese of St. Petersburg is providing financing for the project.

The Overmyer Family Charitable Foundation has made considerable contributions to the project by purchasing and donating equipment and organizing a volunteer installation effort. “As a graduate of Central Catholic High School in Fort Wayne, Indiana, I feel that creating a sustainable future of Catholic education is essential for future generations,” stated John E. “Gene” Overmyer, President of OFCF.

“Wind, Water and Energy Conservation is proud to partner with St. Petersburg Catholic High School, Inc. to assist them in the reduction of water and energy usage and associated costs by 17%,” said Lisa Yacso, Chief Operating Officer of WWEC.

The Energy Efficiency Program includes the replacement of nineteen inefficient air conditioners and furnaces with energy efficient 15 SEER heat pumps, installation of two solar domestic hot water systems for the school cafeteria and the priests’/brothers’ residence, installation of insulation above the classrooms in two buildings and at the priests’/brothers’ residence, replacement of lighting fixtures with energy efficient lighting, low-flow toilet installation, and controls for other domestic hot water heaters to limit their energy consumption when not in use. Installation began December 17 and will be completed by the end of January 2011.

About St. Petersburg Catholic High School, Inc.
St. Petersburg Catholic High School, Inc. was established in 1973 with the merging of Notre Dame Academy (founded 1957) and Bishop Barry High School (founded 1963). The school’s mission is to educate and inspire all students to be good Christians and honest citizens. As a diocesan school administered by the Salesians of Don Bosco, a religious order of priests and brothers headquartered in New Rochelle, NY, it strives to create a caring and safe environment that allows its students to grow spiritually, academically and socially. The school is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and is a member of the National Catholic Educational Association.

NASCAR Gets a Green Light

A solar farm consisting of 40,000 photovoltaic panels was constructed this past summer in one of the parking lots at NASCAR’s famous Pocono Raceway. This new installation has enabled the entire stadium (as well as approximately 1,000 homes in the surrounding area) to be fully powered by solar energy. This new facility generates around 3 megawatts of electricity, easily making it the most sizeable solar-powered stadium on the planet.

Read on after the jump:

http://www.nascar.com/2010/news/business/07/29/pocono.solar.power/

Sustainability and Sports

 

 

Constructed in 1961, Pittsburgh’s Civic Arena was considered state of the art and a crowning achievement in sports stadium architecture. The arena featured the first retractable roof in major indoor sports history and was the home of the National Hockey League’s (NHL) Pittsburgh Penguins. “The Igloo”, as it was fondly referred to by locals, will be replaced this upcoming season by the more energy efficient, and environmentally friendly, CONSOL Energy Center.

The new venue will be the first in the NHL with LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold certification. This is the second highest ranking any building can achieve from a green design standpoint on the LEED scale for new construction. Pittsburgh based, Alcoa, Inc. (Aluminum Company of America) has made some major contributions towards achieving the necessary 42 points on the LEED scale for Gold certification. Kawneer (an Alcoa subsidiary) manufactured the day-lighting glass curtain wall as well as some other energy efficient measures that include shades to reduce heat gain. The new arena scored LEED points for use of local and recycled materials, the reduction of demolition and construction waste as well as water conservation. It is somewhat ironic that the building’s main sponsor (CONSOL Energy) is a gas and coal mining operation which has received its fair share of pollution violations as per recent reports in Business Week. Nonetheless, the LEED Gold certification remains an impressive achievement.

The steps taken by the NHL into the field of energy sustainability follow an apparent green movement that is becoming more popular within professional sports. Impressive measures have been taken by entire leagues as well as individual teams. Major league baseball’s Minnesota Twins have implemented the use of an enormous rainwater harvesting device in order to conserve water in their new stadium. The PGA (Professional Golf Association) has seen the upscale St. Andrews Country Club begin irrigating with reclaimed wastewater. Also, NASCAR’s infamous “Tricky Triangle” owner has installed enough solar panels to power Pocono Raceway and then some. This is especially promising given the amount of flack the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing has received in the past for being environmentally irresponsible.

 

The Vatican is Spearheading the Green Initiative.

Over the past two years, Pope Benedict has made a point for the Vatican to have a “correct ecological perspective.” He has become the first pontiff to use solar power to provide energy for the Vatican. Roof tiles on the Paul VI auditorium have been replaced with 2,700 solar panels. These photovoltaic cells convert sunlight into electricity which is being used to light and heat or cool the 6,000 seat assembly hall.

But why stop by making only one building sustainable when you could feasibly power your entire nation state using the Sun’s energy? Last year, the Vatican announced that it intends to spend what equates to 660 million dollars to build what will effectively be Europe’s largest solar power plant. The enormous 100 megawatt structure should be complete by 2014 and will supply power to the entire population of the world’s smallest country (about 40,000 households).

In addition to these impressive steps, the Vatican has also contemplated the use of an electric pope mobile, the installation of a solar powered heating and cooling system for their cafeteria, and the powering of the Pope’s summer residence from the methane generated by horse stables. The Vatican has become a beacon of vigilance when it comes to green policy, both in Europe and across the globe.