Month: June 2011

“There’s Nothing Radical about Protecting Public Health and the Environment”

Posted June 21, 2011
When President Obama nominated John Bryson for Secretary of Commerce a few weeks ago, a handful of conservative lawmakers made much of Bryson’s role in founding NRDC. They claimed that because Bryson helped launch an environmental organization, he must be some kind of radical.
The history of John Bryson’s career and NRDC’s track record prove otherwise. John can speak for himself—and will today at his confirmation hearing before the Senate Commerce Committee. As for NRDC, where to begin?
For more than four decades, NRDC has played a vital role in developing and implementing our nation’s bedrock environmental and health protections, including the Clean Air Act, signed by President Nixon; the Safe Drinking Water Act Amendments, signed by President Reagan; and the Clean Air Act Amendments, signed by President George. H. W. Bush.

Solar Energy Facility by ConEdison Development Explained

ConEdison development energy efficiency for solar plant

Alcatel-Lucent shows its commitment to renewable energy by “flipping the switch” on a new, 3,728-panel, six-acre solar facility at its Bell Labs Global Headquarters in Murray Hill, NJ. – the same site where, in 1954, Bell Labs researchers invented the first device to successfully convert useful amounts of sunlight into electricity.
On June 7, 2011, Robert Mennella, COO, ConEdison Development; New Providence Council President Michael Gennaro; John Conley, Project Development Director, SunPower Corporation; and Stephen Reynolds, General Counsel, Alcatel-Lucent took part in a ceremony to formally launch the 1.2 megawatt installation, which will provide about 10 percent of the campus’ electricity when the solar array is operating at peak capacity.
ConEdison Development of Valhalla, NY, is developer, owner and operator of the facility, and San Jose, CA-based SunPower Corp. was designer and builder.

Carrington College Online Degree in Renewable Energy

Alt tag: Young woman with long dark hair and eyeglasses studies renewable energy on her laptop, which displays icons of solar, wind, hydro, and leaf symbols on a green background in a home learning environment.

Carrington College™ California announces the addition of a renewable energy program to its online curriculum for individuals interested in pursuing a career in wind and solar energy, bio-fuels or in regulatory or governmental agencies. Prospective students may apply online for the next program which begins July 3.
“As federal, state and local governments make alternative energy more accessible, jobs in the renewable energy sector are more crucial than ever,” said Jeff Akens, president of Carrington College California. “We pride ourselves in knowing that Carrington students will be the ones combating and remedying the environmental challenges of the future.”
Students enrolled in this 16-month associate degree program develop a thorough understanding of climate change and its effects on the environment as well as learn to utilize project management skills to help create alternative energy solutions. The well-balanced curriculum focuses on the economic, social and technical studies related to energy consumption and the environment.

Certified Green Home Trends in Portland Real Estate

an image showing a beautiful eco-certified home in Portland with sustainable features like solar panels and green design elements. The home stands out with its modern Pacific Northwest architecture, featuring natural wood and large windows that maximize natural light. A "SOLD" sign with a premium price tag illustrates how these green-certified homes command higher prices in the Portland market, with Mt. Hood visible in the distance completing this quintessential Portland scene.

Green Homes Command Premium Prices in Portland for Fourth Straight Year Sustainability sells, and Portland homebuyers are putting their money where their values are. For the fourth consecutive year, eco-certified homes in the Portland metro region continue to outperform their conventional counterparts, achieving remarkable price premiums that should make both builders and homebuyers take notice. […]

ABB Power Plant: A $25 Million Solar Power Order in Italy

The generated image showcases a sprawling solar power plant in the picturesque Puglia region of Italy. Rows of gleaming photovoltaic panels stretch across a sun-drenched field, capturing the essence of the 10-megawatt project mentioned in the article. The Italian countryside provides a beautiful backdrop, highlighting the integration of renewable energy into the local landscape. In the foreground, we can see ABB-branded equipment, likely representing the inverters and transformers that the company supplied for this project. This visual element ties directly to ABB's $25 million order and their role in providing turnkey electrical and control solutions. The vibrant blue sky with wispy clouds emphasizes the ideal conditions for solar power generation in this region. A small team of workers in safety gear inspecting the installation gives a sense of scale to the massive project and illustrates the ongoing maintenance and oversight required for such facilities. This image effectively captures the scale and significance of the Helios ITA3 project mentioned in the article. It visually represents the 10-megawatt capacity spread across two photovoltaic solar power plants near Brindisi and Mesagne in the Puglia region. The visualization helps to contextualize the project's environmental impact. As stated in the article, this installation is expected to generate up to 16.8 gigawatt-hours of electricity annually and avoid approximately 6,700 tons of CO2 emissions per year. The vast expanse of solar panels in the image gives a tangible sense of the project's potential for clean energy production. Overall, this image serves as a powerful visual companion to the article, bringing to life the scale, technology, and environmental benefits of ABB's significant solar order in Italy. It underscores the growing importance of renewable energy infrastructure and ABB's role in advancing solar power technology.

ABB, the leading power and automation technology group, has won an order worth $25 million from Switzerland-based Etrion Corporation to supply a turnkey power and automation solution for two photovoltaic solar power plants with a combined capacity of 10 megawatts (MW) under construction in the Puglia region of Italy.
The Helios ITA3 project comprises two 5 MW photovoltaic (PV) solar power plants to be located near Brindisi and Mesagne on Italy’s southeastern coast. When completed in August this year, the plants will have an annual generating capacity of up to 16.8 gigawatt-hours of electricity, avoiding approximately 6,700 tons of CO2 emissions per year, equivalent to the annual emissions of about 3,600 European cars.
ABB is responsible for the design, engineering, erection, civil works and commissioning of the plants, as well as for connection to the local power grid and will deliver the turnkey electrical and control solution within an extremely short time span of thirteen weeks. Key products to be supplied include trackers, inverters, low-voltage equipment, medium-voltage switchgear, transformers, cables, distributed control systems, remote monitoring systems, auxiliary systems and video surveillance systems.