Energy Exchange

Is This Vending Machine On?

By EDF Blogs / Published: July 15, 2011

By: Ifeoma Henry-Ajudua, 2011 Climate Corps Public Sector Fellow at Bennett College in Greensboro, NC; MBA/MIS candidate at North Carolina Central University

 

My EDF partner, Bridget Wilson, and I, the Team Bennett fellows, are off to a good start at Bennett College in Greensboro, NC. Bennett College is a historically black, all-women’s college founded in 1873 that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This presents a big challenge for us regarding energy efficiency because upgrades and changes must stay within strict building guidelines. We are working closely with students to create an energy savings plan that everyone can get excited about.

Bennett has been working on lighting upgrades, replacing dead T-12 bulbs and ballasts with energy efficient T-8 systems. Hearing about this initiative early on, our first project was determining if it was more cost and energy efficient to replace T-12 lights only when they stop working, or to replace them right away with T-8 lights. After analyzing the sizes of the buildings, lifespan of the old lighting, cost of the new bulbs and ballasts – and factoring in Duke Energy’s Super Saver Program – we saw that the best option was to immediately upgrade the lighting systems. In order to show Bennett the potential cost savings and promote upgraded lighting, we are running a pilot program in the Pfeiffer Science building. The data from this building will be used to create a campus wide feasibility and execution plan.

Photo courtesy of Ifeoma Henry-Ajudua

A second quick score for Team Bennett came when Coca-Cola in Greensboro agreed to de-lamp all of the machines on campus. We are also recommending installing “vending misers,” which work like a sleep setting for a vending machine when nobody is around. Vending machines normally run full-time for the entire year. Installing a miser reduces energy use by 1,640 kWh —more than $800 of savings per year. The energy saved also keeps 2,000 pounds of greenhouse gas pollution, 5 pounds of nitrous oxides, and 12 pounds of sulfur oxides out of the atmosphere. The payback period for the low-tech vending misers? Less than 3 years.

Team Bennett has more great projects in the works, including one in the dorms. We are starting work on heating, cooling, and water savings. More to follow as summer progresses!

EDF Climate Corps Public Sector (CCPS) trains graduate students to identify energy efficiency savings in colleges, universities, local governments and houses of worship.  The program focuses on partnerships with minority serving institutions and diverse communities.  Apply as a CCPS fellow, read our blog posts and follow us on Twitter to get regular updates about this program.

Posted in EDF Climate Corps / Comments are closed

Look No Further Than The Clean Energy Economy

By Jackie Roberts / Published: July 14, 2011

The micro-economics of sustainability are big and important: according to The Brookings Institution, the “clean economy” employs 2.7 million workers, which compares favorably to fossil fuels at 2.4 million jobs.  That figure represents 57,501 firms in the U.S. directly involved in the clean economy.  Of course, I continue to believe many important clean economy jobs in the supply chain are missed in these types of studies.  For example, Shuttleworth in Indiana diversified its customer base from solely electronics customers to now having roughly 30% of its business from solar customers.  While it may be near impossible to capture these nuances in standard Bureau of Labor Statistics data, such examples illustrate even more how the clean economy provides added value for U.S. job retention and creation (see the The Center on Globalization, Governance & Competitiveness report for more information on the diverse firms in involved in the supply chains for many clean energy solutions).

Source: Brookings

Most encouraging, however, are two other key findings: the high growth rate for the clean economy sub-sector related to clean energy – 8.3% from 2003-2010 which is essentially double the growth rate for the entire economy during the same period (4.2%).   Secondly, the report documents the export strength of this sector of the clean economy versus the overall economy:  $20,129 versus $10,390 per job.  To bring us out of the recession and reduce the deficit, we need economic activity that enables us to grow fast and export more.  Look no further than the clean energy economy.   The growth rate validates an earlier study by the Pew Charitable Trusts published in 2009 characterizing the Clean Energy Economy which found a growth rate of 9.1% from 1998-2007.

So, what do these companies need to fulfill their promise?   More than anything, they need a predictable stream of U.S. customers.  So, every time a politician talks about the need to create jobs, reduce the deficit and grow America again, ask him or her what they are doing to create policies that deliver customers to these firms.

Posted in Renewable Energy / Tagged | Comments are closed

Crab, You’re It!: Using Community-Based Social Marketing to Save Energy

By EDF Blogs / Published: July 13, 2011

By: Adam Hart, 2011 Climate Corps Public Sector Fellow at Mecklenburg County, NC; MBA candidate at Kenan-Flagler Business School, University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill

Meet the stars of the “Crab, You’re It!” project, a group of fiddler crabs helping North Carolina’s Mecklenburg County employees reduce energy consumption in a lasting way. The creative folks behind this idea are Mecklenburg County’s Land Use and Environmental Services Agency. They are using community-based social marketing in the form of the crab project to help employees become better environmental citizens.

Photo Courtesy of Adam Hart

Community-based social marketing is a behavior modification strategy developed by Dr. Doug McKenzie-Mohr, a Professor of Psychology at St. Thomas University. The basic idea is that once you identify the barriers and benefits to a sustainable behavior, you can use behavior change tools to create a new social norm.

Mecklenburg County launched a pilot project, “Crab, You’re It!,” to encourage 350 county employees to turn off lights after leaving workspaces during business hours. The behavior change was driven by attaching a stigma to leaving the lights on. Employees were encouraged to spot colleagues who forgot to switch their lights off, and give them a big plastic fiddler crab. They could only pass on the fiddler crab when they found another employee wasting energy. Read More »

Posted in EDF Climate Corps / Tagged | Read 2 Responses

Energy Efficiency: It’s A Long-Term Commitment

By EDF Blogs / Published: July 11, 2011

Photo Courtesy of Matthew PeckBy: Matthew Peck, 2011 Climate Corps Public Sector Fellow at Winston-Salem State University, NC; MBA candidate at the Babcock Graduate School of Management, Wake Forest University; United States Navy Veteran

Just two weeks into my summer fellowship at Winston-Salem State University (WSSU), I learned one important lesson: energy efficiency is a long-term commitment. Before coming to WSSU’s campus, I expected to see buildings far below modern energy efficiency standards. I thought I would identify many “low hanging fruits” and quickly turn WSSU into a greener campus. After arriving at WSSU, I realized my job wouldn’t be that easy.

WSSU has a small and active sustainability team within the Facilities department. In the past few years, it has been pushing hard to increase energy efficiency and reduce environmental impacts of campus buildings. All of the buildings have either had lighting upgrades, or are scheduled to receive them. Other improvements that are under way include upgrades to HVAC systems and installation of water flow regulators in sinks and dormitory showers.

Due to the major strides in energy efficiency made at WSSU, I am pursuing options I had not previously considered to find even more savings and reduce greenhouse gas pollution. WSSU’s planned upgrades are only the tip of the energy efficiency iceberg. My ideas go further to involve employees and educate students:

  • Educating dormitory residents on the proper use of a thermostat and encouraging appropriate temperature settings. This may sound simple, but the reality is that many young people who live in the dormitories are living away from home for the first time and have never had to set a thermostat.
  • Reminders to power down office equipment, turn off lights, and moderate environmental controls in unoccupied rooms.
  • Create competitions among the campus dormitories to see which can conserve the most energy and water, and reduce the most waste. Read More »
Posted in EDF Climate Corps / Tagged | Read 4 Responses

The State Of Texas’ Renewable Energy Policy: Good Grief!

By / Published: July 8, 2011

Big (REALLY Big) News In San Antonio

Earlier this week I posted a few of the great clean energy stories throughout Texas, with a glancing reference to the exciting work going on in San Antonio.  Almost as soon as the post went up San Antonio’s electric utility CPS Energy (CPS) made an announcement that is truly astounding: because of the increasingly lower costs of solar power and rising costs of fossil fuels, they have increased their bid for a solar power plant from 50 MW to 400 MW.  I’ll let that sink in a little, but I’ll just say this: they mean it.

It’s been fascinating to watch this historical shift over the last several years at CPS (the largest utility of its kind in the nation) from a conventional utility with conventional power plants to a national leader in wind and solar.  It’s a story that is probably worth several blog posts in its own right, and unfortunately we don’t have the space to go into it today.  While cities like Houston, Austin & San Antonio are leading the way on clean energy, the state of Texas is still falling behind.

Charlie Brown And The Football

Source: PBS

When the state legislature wrapped up their session with little help to offer the solar industry and other forms of renewable energy, there were few opportunities left for a stable regulatory framework for renewable energy in Texas.  The best hope was for the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) to enact the goal for non-wind renewable energy in the state set by the Texas Legislature in 2005, which expires today with the deadline to consider the rule proposed in January.  It’s no surprise that the wheels of commerce turn faster than the gears of government, but it’s taken seven years for the PUC to come close to finally enacting this goal and it looks like they’re going to drop the ball again. 

When it comes to clean energy in Texas, it reminds me of Lucy and the football from Charlie Brown: every time the state gets close to creating a market for solar power, they yank the football away again.  The PUC proposed this rule back in January and has apparently decided to back out of it.  Senator Troy Fraser, historically a champion of solar power filed his bill that came very close to passing last session but failed to bring it up for a hearing this session despite being Chair of the Committee the bill sat in.  Governor Perry has championed Texas’ leadership in wind energy as proof that Texas can create good clean energy policy, but sent mixed signals this session, leaving open the question of whether or not he supports solar power or other renewables as he does wind.

Will Texas Be The Clean Energy Capitol?

Businesses can’t operate under that kind of uncertainty, and the solar industry is the fastest growing industry in the U.S.  A handful of Texas cities, like San Antonio, Houston and Austin, are working hard to capitalize on that growth by creating new jobs locally, but without a stable statewide policy, businesses won’t come to or stay in Texas.  Just last week, the U.S. Department of Energy announced $4.5 billion in loan guarantees for solar projects.  Unfortunately, none of the projects are in Texas, though, because the business climate is too uncertain in our state to get solar projects of the scope and scale needed to attract that kind of business. 

In my last blog post I mentioned a company, AETI, with a long history in Texas’ oil and gas industry that has begun to move into the world of renewable energy.  Their CEO, Charles Dauber wrote in May about the need to look forward and not only backward in the search for jobs.  I think his conclusion bears repeating: “While our dominance in oil and gas was dictated largely by location and good fortune, the economic boom that comes with our new energy economy is not guaranteed. We will either be reaping the rewards of the tens of thousands of jobs brought to Texas from renewable energy industries or be importing parts and services from California, New England or locations outside of the United States, including Europe and China.”

Posted in Renewable Energy, Texas / Comments are closed

An Energy Auditor’s Toolbox

By EDF Blogs / Published: July 8, 2011

By: Carrie Gonnella, 2011 Climate Corps Public Sector Fellow at Catawba College in Salisbury, NC; MEM/MBA candidate at the Nicholas School of the Environment/Fuqua School of Business, Duke University

Two weeks into my EDF Climate Corps Public Sector (CCPS) fellowship, I attended an energy assessment training put on by the State of North Carolina and hosted by the Center for the Environment at Catawba College.  This was a great opportunity to expand on what I learned at CCPS training. This three day training included a dozen energy topics, hands-on demos, and a practice energy assessment of a Catawba dormitory.

Dr. Joe Davis, who led the training, works in North Carolina’s Energy Office and has many years of experience in energy assessment.  I completed training with 40 representatives from colleges and municipalities. We were eager to develop our understanding of the tools and steps needed in a comprehensive energy assessment.  We covered lighting, HVAC, motors, compressed air, boilers, and chillers.  Dr. Davis showed us tools that were applicable to each situation.  By the end of the training I was able to develop a list of tools that would assist me in my own energy assessment of Catawba’s buildings. Catawba’s Center for the Environment purchased these tools, which will be useful to my work this summer, and can be used as teaching tools in the future.   Read More »

Posted in EDF Climate Corps / Tagged | Read 1 Response