Grid Parity is the point at which renewables become cost-competitive with traditional grid power--making it the Holy Grail for clean technology. With that in mind, the Green Chip team presents the Grid Parity blog... chronicling the technology advancements and policies that will get us there.
Located in the center of Manhattan, New York is Columbia University. Columbia University has been one of the leaders since the creation of Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s PlaNYC to make New York City a more sustainable city. Therefore, the university has created a number of sustainable initiatives to aid in helping the university achieve its goal of being one of the most sustainable universities not just in New York State, but also throughout the entire United States. Here is a list of just a few of the sustainable initiatives Columbia University has taken on to make their campus much more sustainable and to teach the students and employees about sustainability for the future.
1. Environmental Stewardship Office. The Environmental Stewardship Office at Columbia University looks to have everyone on the campus work together “to reduce our consumption of resources in the classrooms, offices, and residences, [to] begin to develop a culture of respect for the environment.” The office works to implement a number of practical programs that will reduce the environmental footprint of the university and promote a strong culture valuing the environment and protecting it. The office sets up a number of interdepartmental and interdisciplinary working groups as well as joint programs to achieve all sustainability goals.
2. Administration. In 2007, Columbia University joined with New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s PlaNYC Challenge, making toe pledge to reduce the total carbon dioxide emissions coming from the university by a minimum of 30 percent by the year 2017. The university’s Environmental Stewardship Office has a full time and part time staff that is dedicated to this by creating a number of policy recommendations as well as principles of sustainability.
3. Climate Change and Energy. Columbia University recently created a new policy that will reduce cooling and heating consumption throughout all residential buildings and classroom buildings. The university is doing this with the help of a computerized building management system that they are currently launching. Known as the Cool Columbia campaign, energy audits are conducted throughout off-campus housing, providing information on energy-efficient appliances and how to get them at reduced prices. The campaign also encourages the residents to take a three step pledge in an effort to reduce overall energy consumption.
4. Food and Recycling. Columbia University has made the commitment to purchase a percentage of its food locally. Currently, this percentage is at 16 percent. There is an organic student co-op in one of the campus dining halls well campus-grown produce is sold. As well, all food venues service fair trade coffee. As well, twice a week the campus has a farmer’s market right on the campus for people. All to-go containers in the dining halls are biodegradable. There is also a reusable mug program that offers discounts on the price of coffee to all participants.
5. Green Building. Currently, Columbia University required at all new construction projects on campus meets the standards of LEED Silver Certification. Right now the campus has five registered LEED projects currently in work. In 2008, Columbia University launched the beginning of its very first green residential dormitory. This dormitory features items like an automated energy monitoring system, energy efficient windows, and energy efficient boilers.
6. Student Involvement. There are a number of sustainability-related opportunities that are directed toward the students. This includes internships at the Environmental Stewardship Office and a number of Eco-Reps programs. There is an Eco-Reps program at Columbia’s medical campus. There is also the Green Umbrella Program, which is collaboration between the various environmental student groups to provide a voice to environmental sustainability and get more students involved in making the university a sustainable one, such as offering information of what students are doing at home. In the student-led RecycleBank program, students earn various rewards, including free meals and university apparel, for recycling items on campus.
7. Transportation. The entire Columbia University campus is serviced by an inter-campus shuttle that makes stops near major subway stations and bus stations. Columbia University also provides employees to purchase mass transit tickets with their pretax dollars. The university has also set up numerous bike racks for students to bike to classes rather than taking other transportation options. Eventually, the university will also be adopting a brand new policy for telecommuting.
8. CUIT. The Columbia University Information Technology center has also made the commitment to reduce their carbon footprint by creating a new project that will make various energy efficiency improvements to Columbia University’s Morningside Heights Data Center. The project is being supported by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA).
9. Clean, Give + Go Green. During December, Columbia University has the Clean, Give + Go Green recycling and donation drive. Hosted by the Environmental Stewardship Office along with other departments in the university, the drive collected more than 5,000 pounds of clothes, as well as hundreds of pounds of canned goods, computer equipment, toiletries, and other items for nonprofit organizations and homeless shelters. The drive also provided the opportunity for people to shred paper and recycle it rather than just rip it up and throw it away. The goal was to aid in bringing sustainability awareness to Columbia’s campus. It occurred at the end of the semester, providing students with a place to donate items they did not need while moving out.
10. Energy Conservation Pilot Programs. Columbia University has created a number of innovative pilot programs to test the different ways to improve overall energy efficient across the campus using LEDs, microturbines, as well as “dashboards” web interfaces that track energy. For instance, LED lights were installed throughout locations within the School of International and Public Affairs because the LED lights last longer and use much less energy than the regularly used fluorescent light bulbs. In another example, the facilities at the School of Social Work use the dashboards in an effort to track the heat and electricity being used in the business on an hour-by-hour basis, allowing the school to see data required to create strategies that will reduce energy consumption.
Article by Shawn Lesser, Co-founder & Managing Partner of Atlanta-based Watershed Capital Group – an investment bank assisting sustainable fund and companies raise capital, perform acquisitions, and in other strategic financial decisions. He is also a Co-founder of the GCCA Global Cleantech Cluster Association ”The Global Voice of Cleantech”. He writes for various cleantech publications and is known as the David Letterman of Cleantech for his “Top 10″ series. He can be reached at shawn@watershedcapital.com.
Tesla Motors (NASDAQ:TSLA) has recently put out a new promotional video for the Model S.
Because we are fans of what Tesla has accomplished so far, and what they will accomplish in the future, we are happy to share this video with our readers. Check it out. . .
American University is located right in the nation’s capital – Washington DC. Because of Washington DC’s recognition as a leader in the clean technology and sustainability movement in the United States, American University has long believed that it needs to do its part to bolster Washington DC’s status as not only the capital of the United States, but also the capital of sustainability. American University has long been at the forefront of university leaders in the sustainability list. It has received top rankings on the College Sustainability Report Card as well as a host of awards and recognitions for all it has done. Listed below are just a few of the sustainability initiatives at American Univeristy.
1 ) American University Office of Sustainability. American University houses their Office of Sustainability right on campus. As one of the greenest universities in the United States, it is only fitting that American University has an Office of Sustainability that aids in building a university campus whereby the students and faculty work together to clean up the campus and make it much more sustainable. The work done by the Office of Sustainability “celebrates the abundance of nature by building a campus community of leaders, who work to clean our air and water, cool our atmosphere, and produce fertile land and habitat.” Some of the areas the office focuses on include buildings, dining, energy, purchasing, recycling, water, and transportation.
2 ) Administration. The administration at American University has adopted a number of policies regarding different aspects of sustainability, including green cleaning, green building, zero-waste, and sustainable purchasing policies. The administration also makes certain that the university only purchases electronics and appliances that are Energy Star Certified. As well, the university only purchases EPEAT Gold Certified computers, and recycled paper towels and toilet paper. The administration also created a Clean Energy Revolving Fund to finance new sustainability projects.
3 ) Climate Change and Energy. American University looks to become the first carbon neutral campus in the United States by the year 2020. To get to this, the university has implemented a number of energy conserving technologies, including back pressure turbines, cogeneration, as well as placing energy management systems in a number of the buildings. Most of the energy utilized by the campus is generated via a rooftop solar array as well as a solar hot water system. In 2010, American University became the first university in the United States to purchase 100 percent energy credits in wind energy.
4 ) Food and Recycling. The Dining Services at American University spends over 25 percent of its annual food budget on local products. A majority of the produce used by the dining staff comes from the garden located right on campus. The dining halls only serve cage-free eggs, sustainably harvested seafood, as well as antibiotic-free and hormone-free milk. All dining halls are trayless and all food scraps are composted. Recently there was a 12 week food waste reduction campaign to cut food waste by ten percent. More than 65 percent of all waste on campus is recycled.
5 ) Green Building. All new constructions on the American University campus, as well as all major renovations, need to at least meet the LEED Silver Certification guidelines as set up by the United States Green Building Council. To date, 40 buildings are LEED registered in the LEED Volume Pilot program. The university has also installed weather-informed irrigation systems and low-flow faucets. There are a number of green roofs, vegetated swales, and porous pavement around campus that manage storm water.
6 ) Student Involvement. Students if they would like, can opt to live in the Sustainable Earth Hallways at American University. Just launched by the university is the Green Eagles eco-rep program. There is also the Eco-Sense student group that leads an eco-certification program for all university offices. Student groups have also launched campaigns against bottled water and started a farmer’s market on campus.
7 ) Transportation. American University has a ride-sharing website that provides discounts on rates as well as preferential parking spots for people who carpool to work. The university also provides students and employees with discounts on public transportation. As well, the university partners with a car-sharing program, and there is a student-run bicycle-lending program which is completely free.
8 ) Green Cleaning. American University realizes that conventional cleaning products may contribute to a number of health problems, including cancer and asthma, and are also very unsafe for the environment. By utilizing safer cleaning chemicals, the university can improve their indoor air quality and the environment at the same time. For this reason, American University has set up a green cleaning program whereby the maintenance staff only uses Green Seal Certified cleaning products that are nationally recognized for the benefits provided to individuals as well as the environment. The maintenance staff is also efficiently trained on how to handle chemicals properly and how to minimize areas where dirt can build up, thereby eliminating the constant need for chemical cleaners.
9 ) Green Office Program. The Office of Sustainability at American University recently launched the Green Office Program to assist the faculty and staff at the university “green up” their departments as well as their office spaces. The Green Office Program provides insight on how offices can mitigate the environmental impact in their department, such as using recycled paper products, double sided printing of documents, reducing margins to save paper, using scrap papers, or requesting vegetable-based or soy-based inks for print jobs as they reduce the amount of VOCs emitted during the printing process.
10 ) Earth Week. Every year, American University participates in Earth Week. Each day, a different topic regarding sustainability is focused on. There is a “passport of events” where students can find out what is going on. Topics focused on every year include energy and conservation, transportation, food and water, and different services. There are a variety of workshops, such as collecting trash to be recycled around campus and helping with the green roofs around campus. There is also tree planting events, visits to the solar panels, and a number of guest speakers on topics regarding sustainability.
Article by Shawn Lesser, Co-founder & Managing Partner of Atlanta-based Watershed Capital Group – an investment bank assisting sustainable fund and companies raise capital, perform acquisitions, and in other strategic financial decisions. He is also a Co-founder of the GCCA Global Cleantech Cluster Association ”The Global Voice of Cleantech”. He writes for various cleantech publications and is known as the David Letterman of Cleantech for his “Top 10″ series. He can be reached at shawn@watershedcapital.com
Tesla Motors (NASDAQ:TSLA) picked up some positive news today after it was announced that analyst Jesse Pichel from Jefferies initiative coverage with a $35 price target.
Calling Tesla the “Apple of autos,” Pichel notes that Tesla's strategy is based on a combination of technology, performance, unconventional marketing and a “cool factor.”
Pichel also commented on Tesla's price advantage, writing. . .
Model S offers unique value proposition: We believe the right economic question for the Model S is not “what is the payback period,” but rather, “would you buy a Model S with similar price/performance to a BMW 5-series and the ability to use cheaper electric fuel?” Unlike other EVs or hybrids that require a significant upfront price premium, the Model S is priced comparably to other luxury sedans in its segment.
We also believe that Tesla's a serious contender and has upped the ante in vehicle design and development. In fact, it could be argued that Tesla is responsible for lighting a fire under the asses of the big automakers. After all, we didn't see much development with the big guys until Tesla proved that you can successfully build and sell a quality, high-end electric car.
Just take a look at these. . .
The Tesla Roadster
The Model S
And coming soon, the Model X, which is an SUV crossover that will be unveiled in less than two weeks.
Located in the heart of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania is the popular Carnegie Mellon University. The university has long been in line with the sustainable activities undertaken by the entire state of Pennsylvania. Carnegie Mellon University realizes that in order for students to live sustainable lives outside of the university, they need to learn all they can about sustainability while in the university. Therefore, Carnegie Mellon University has set up a number of sustainability initiatives to not only make the university a much more sustainable place for the environment and future students, but also teach current students on what they can do to live a more environmentally sustainable life.
1) Carnegie Mellon University Office of Sustainability. The Carnegie Mellon Office of Sustainability, also known as the Green Practices Committee, is part of the strategic initiative to enhance the impact and the scope of education and research programs that are related to the environment. The objective of the Green Practices Committee is to “strive to develop university practices that improve environmental quality, decrease waste, and conserve natural resources and energy, thereby establishing Carnegie Mellon as a practical model for other universities and companies.” Through the increase of sustainability on campus, it is the hope of the university to enhance campus life as well as the infrastructure of the university.
2) Administration. At Carnegie Mellon University, the administration is working alongside the Green Practices Committee diligently to create a number of initiatives. The administration has also recently expanded the student-led eco-reps program and established a number of Green Teams throughout all the departments in an effort to encourage faculty and staff to reduce their total environmental impact. The university remains committed to increasing sustainable efforts for formal mission statements and a master plan for the campus.
3) Climate Change and Energy. Carnegie Mellon University has established a number of ways to reduce energy and thereby reduce carbon dioxide emissions. For instance, the university uses a series of digital controls for all HVAC systems throughout the buildings, and they have also installed lighting retrofits and steam line insulation in almost 100 percent of buildings. As well, all vending machines located in 80 percent of all buildings have sensors so they do not waste electricity when not in use. Approximately 75 percent of the power used at the university is purchased through wind power.
4) Food and Recycling. At Carnegie Mellon University, 32 percent of the Dining Service’s annual food budget is put toward the purchase of local products. 65 percent of all pre-consumer and post consumer food scraps are composted, and approximately 90 percent of all meals served in the dining facilities on campus are trayless. Two of the dormitories on the university have compost bins located outside. All printers on campus are set at default to print on both sides in order to reduce waste. All cardboard during the move in period is collected and then recycled. All unwanted items at the conclusion of the academic year are donated.
5) Green Building. The objective of Carnegie Mellon University is to have all new buildings constructed to meet the LEED Silver Certification standards as listed by the United States Green Building Council. Currently, there are ten LEED buildings throughout the campus, and there are two buildings that are expected to achieve LEED Platinum Certification. To reduce water use throughout the dormitories, all washing machines are energy and water efficient. 80 percent of all showerheads in all dormitories are low-flow, and approximately 50 percent of all buildings have water metering systems. There is also a student garden that is irrigated using rainwater.
6) Student Involvement. There are a number of groups on campus that work on various sustainability initiatives. For example, there are groups to get rid of bottled water from the university campus, create a garden on campus, organize a zero-waste luncheon, and develop a course for credit known as “Environment Today.” Those students that are interested in maintaining sustainability can opt to live in the Green Connections hallways or the Neville Co-op.
7) Transportation. The students, faculty, administration, and staff are given free passes to use the public transportation system in the area. They also get free shuttle services to all off-campus destinations from the university. All carpoolers receive decreased parking rates for on-campus parking rates and they get pre-validated parking tickets for the days when people need to bring in their own vehicles. Carnegie Mellon University also partners with a prominent car-sharing program.
8 ) Solar Panels on South Craig Street. Just recently, a solar panel roof installation was placed on South Craig Street at the university. It was done part of a $88,000 Energy Harvest grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. The solar panels will feed directly into the power supply of the buildings as a large part of looking to reduce fossil fuels used by the Carnegie Mellon building. This building is right now home to the university’s SCS Interactive Systems Lab as well as the Institute for Software Research International.
9) Green Teams at Carnegie Mellon. The Green Teams at Carnegie Mellon is a volunteer group made up of students, faculty, administration and staff within a specific department of the university, so there are a number of green teams that all work together in helping the university become much more sustainable. Every team does an environmental sustainable assessment to locate all the areas in need of improvement, including indoor air quality, energy, waste management, lights, green purchasing, commuting, as well as general workplace practices.
10) Green Roofs. Carnegie Mellon University has a number of green roofs throughout the campus, including at Doherty Hall, Gates Center, Posner Center, Porter Hall, Mellon Institute, and Hamerschlag Hall. The green roofs on these buildings aid in reducing heating and cooling energy consumption, protecting the roof’s structural elements from ultraviolet rays, extending the overall lifespan of the roof, and lowering stormwater waste streams. The eventual goal is to have every roof of every building on Carnegie Mellon University’s campus become a green roof and add to the sustainability of the university.
Article by Shawn Lesser, Co-founder & Managing Partner of Atlanta-based Watershed Capital Group – an investment bank assisting sustainable fund and companies raise capital, perform acquisitions, and in other strategic financial decisions. He is also a Co-founder of the GCCA Global Cleantech Cluster Association ”The Global Voice of Cleantech”. He writes for various cleantech publications and is known as the David Letterman of Cleantech for his “Top 10″ series. He can be reached at shawn@watershedcapital.com
Solar Stocks in 2011 had a very rough year with 2 solar ETFs falling by more than 50% as the industry went into massive oversupply leading to crashing solar panel prices, revenue, profits, margins and anything else you can think of.
Many of the industry stalwarts that had been around since the inception of the solar industry like Solon and Evergreen Solar bit the dust. Even the much hyped solar startup Solyndra is bankrupt while others like Miasole and Nanosolar could soon share the same fate.
Even now, big companies like LDK and Sunpower are only operational because of government or parent company largess. And the carnage would have been much greater if a free market operated in the global solar industry, while the fossil fuel industries maintained their generous subsidies. Instead the solar industry is a mish mash of free markets, government subsidies, feed in tariffs , irrational support, etc. This makes investing in the industry really challenging even though the industry has grown by an astounding 200% in the last 2 years in terms of volume, and prices have come down by around 70%.
While below is a list of all the solar stocks, most are dead investments as few solar companies will see 2013 given that the oversupply of polysilicon will stay here throughout the year and more companies get weeded out.
So what are the criteria for staying alive in 2012
I have only given hints and conditions of which solar stocks to buy in 2012. For those who are saying this industry is not a good investment, they are wrong. Because a time will come when most of the weaker players are out and the winners will take all .
Located in Stanford, California is the very well known Stanford University. Because the university resides in what is known as one of the largest “cleantech states” in the United States, being California, Stanford University does what it can in an effort to bolster California’s stance as the number one sustainable state, by making their campus much more sustainable for future generations to come as well as protect the environment. Stanford University has won quite a few awards and recognition for its sustainable initiatives, including second place in the list of Newsweek’s Greenest Colleges in 2011, recognition from the College Sustainability Report Card as Sustainable Endowments Institute Overall College Sustainability Leader in 2007 and 2009 – 2011, and top listed on the U.S. Green Building Council and Princeton Review’s Guide to Green Colleges in 2010 and 2011. Here are just a few of the sustainability initiatives Stanford University is taking on.
1 ) Stanford University Office of Sustainability. The Stanford University Office of Sustainability is dedicated to reducing the university’s environmental impact, increasing sustainability and preserving resources. The vision of the Office of Sustainability is to establish a much healthier and happier environment that will offer a plethora of opportunities to future generations. There are a number of principles the office follows, including advancing knowledge about sustainability, reducing carbon dioxide emissions, fostering land stewardship, conserving water resources, creating environmentally friendly buildings, encouraging alternative and more environmentally friendlier modes of transportation, minimizing waste, and purchasing sustainability in regards to services, products, and food.
2 ) Administration. The administration at Stanford University remains committed to sustainability via a formal plan and policy created by the Office of Sustainability, which manages all the campus-based sustainability initiatives as well as cross-functional working groups and specialized teams. The administration supports and sponsors a number of sustainability initiatives through a variety of sources, including a revolving loan fund and a green fund.
3 ) Climate Change and Energy. The objective of Stanford University is to reduce total carbon dioxide emissions by 20 percent from the 1999 levels by the year 2020. A number of energy efficient technologies have been installed throughout Stanford’s campus, including energy monitoring devices. There are also a number of products that encourage the community at Stanford University to conserve energy. Stanford University also generates some of its own electricity using solar hot water systems and photovoltaic solar installations.
4 ) Food and Recycling. Stanford University commits 30 percent of its annual food budget for all campus cafeterias to the purchasing of local products, including many organic products, such as fruits and vegetables. There are also a few campus gardens where Dining Services is able to get some of their product from. Some of the eggs that Stanford University buys are confinement free. The university also purchases sustainably produced seafood and meats, and fair trade sugar, chocolate, and coffee. Students and faculty, staff, and administration receive discounts on their meals and drinks if they use reusable bags and reusable mugs. All pre-consumer and post-consumer food scraps wind up being composted rather than being thrown out.
5 ) Green Building. All new buildings being erected on the campus at Stanford University needs to meet LEED Gold Certification standards as set up by the United States Green Building Council. At Stanford’s campus, the knight Management Center is looking to meet LEED Platinum Certification. A number of other buildings are already meeting Gold and Silver Certification statuses. Throughout the campus, a number of recycled water management systems as well as storm water management technologies have also been established to further increase the sustainability of buildings.
6 ) Student Involvement. Students who attend Stanford University are able to select sustainability themed residential dormitories. The Stanford University new student orientation provides information on a number of green efforts that are going on throughout campus. There are a number of student-led groups dedicated to sustainability. There are also two main competitions held every year throughout campus aimed at reducing energy, waste, and water usage.
7 ) Transportation. More than 50 percent of all faculty, staff, and administration commute to Stanford University through sustainable means of transportation. The university provides a number of sustainable transportation options, including preferential parking as well as monetary initiatives to all employees that choose to carpool to work. There is also a ride matching programs for those who want to take part in the carpooling efforts. Employees are also provided with free access to all public transportation options while students get high discounts for the use of public transportation. The university also provides free shuttles to locations throughout campus, a bike sharing program, as well as a car sharing program.
8 ) Students for a Sustainable Stanford. Students for a Sustainable Stanford was established in 2000 to encourage the building of green buildings throughout the campus and to reduce the carbon dioxide emissions at Stanford. It is one of the most well known environmentally focused student groups at Stanford University. There are a number of subgroups for this group that focus on different issues regarding sustainability, such as climate and energy, environmental justice, a water group, and Zero-Wasters, which focuses on resource awareness and looks to improve recycling and reusing throughout campus.
9 ) Green Living Council. The Stanford University Green Living Council looks to engage students across Stanford’s campus that increases a culture whereby sustainability is integrated into every single aspect of daily campus life, including energy efficiency and recycling. The Green Living Council looks to engage students and convince them to switch to more sustainable habits without having to sacrifice a lot of make any big, drastic changes to their lives.
10 ) Stanford Community Farm. The Stanford Community Farm is located along the western side of Stanford’s campus and takes up one acre. This acre includes a large fruit plot, a number of individual plots, and communally-managed student plots. All students are allowed to visit the farm, where food and flowers are grown organically. The farm also holds a number of community workshops throughout the year about organic gardening and how to do it.
Article by Shawn Lesser, Co-founder & Managing Partner of Atlanta-based Watershed Capital Group – an investment bank assisting sustainable fund and companies raise capital, perform acquisitions, and in other strategic financial decisions. He is also a Co-founder of the GCCA Global Cleantech Cluster Association ”The Global Voice of Cleantech”. He writes for various cleantech publications and is known as the David Letterman of Cleantech for his “Top 10″ series. He can be reached at shawn@watershedcapital.com
Wells Fargo just announced that it intends to pony up $100 million for new solar projects being developed by Enfinity America Corp.
Why would they do such a thing?
Because solar continues to be a booming business, and there's a lot of money to be made in the solar game.
Wells Fargo, just like Citigroup and U.S. Bancorp, which have both been very active in the clean energy space, has already invested $2.7 billion in more than 300 projects since 2006.
Enfinity is one of the world's largest solar development companies on the planet, with activities in North America, Europe and Asia. The company has developed some of the largest solar projects in the world, and it continues to expand its operations on a global scale.
Here's a quick history on Enfinity. . .
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Columbia University Sustainability
Shawn Lesser shares the top ten sustainability initiatives of Columbia University.
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