Posted by: Katie Romans

Focusing light onto a small, special photovoltaic cell that can absorb large concentrations of sunlight -- bring on the giant ball of popcorn kernels.

Not unlike the 1985 classic movie, Real Genius, Discovery News reports that MIT students recently demonstrated their idea of a good time, not by cooking a giant ball of popcorn kernels with a laser, but by vaporizing wood through solar concentration. Cool.

While the means would surely seem to justify the end, these overachievers have loftier applications in mind. Starting the aptly named Raw Solar company to sell their patented dish design, the students plan to focus on boiling water to create 'wet steam' for industrial and commercial applications. In fact, it's estimated that the solar collector could generate temperatures higher than 1,300 degrees C (2,372 F), hot enough to melt steel. Way cool.

Far from the old magnifying glass trick, these real geniuses could bring about a cheaper and more efficient form of solar energy.

Posted by: Leonard Anderson

Electric utilities in North America are building infrastructure to support "smart grid" applications for plug-in electric vehicles and other energy features for residential, business and industrial customers. Jill Egbert, manager of Pacific Gas and Electric Co.'s Clean Air Transportation program, talked recently with "Living on Earth" radio program host Bruce Gellerman about the California utility's vision for a two-way power grid.

 You can download the audio version of the interview. | mp3 (4MB) |

Every week, about 300 Public Radio stations broadcast Living on Earth's news, features, interviews and commentary on a broad range of ecological issues.

Posted by: Keely Wachs

A roundup of green headlines that caught our eye this week.

• Spring 2008 was a hot one!  The Daily Green reports that the National Climatic Data Center found this spring to be the seventh hottest worldwide on record.

• The oceans are getting hot too.  Andy Revkin's DOT EARTH blog highlights a recent report from the journal Nature illustrating the world's oceans' temperatures are rising faster than previously estimated as a result of climate change.

• But it's not all doom and gloom. Treehugger wrote a story on a new tool to help pet cats reduce their carbon paw print.  This is not a joke.  Apparently, CatGenie has created a self-flushing litter box.  And get this; the millions of cat litter dumped in landfills may actually be contributing to climate change. 

• More innovation.  Attendees at the UK's Glastonbury Festival 2008 later this week will be able to charge their mobile phones using wind energy.  The charging stations are produced by an organization aptly named Gotwind. 

• And finally, a tribute to history and the man who brought climate change onto the world stage.  No, not Al Gore.  Monday marked the twentieth anniversary of James Hansen's testimony before Congress when he first brought forth the threat of global warming.  Since his testimony, the science has overwhelmingly provided evidence to Mr. Hansen's theory.  Yet, the anniversary also provides a time for us to reflect on how much more we all can do to help address this challenge, the greatest of our time. 

Posted by: Keely Wachs

A new study issued today by UC Berkeley and Duke University provides another grim illustration of climate change's impact on the natural world as we know it.

According to the study, two thirds of the 2,300 plants found only in California could disappear if emissions continue to rise at their current rate and reach 970 million parts per million in the atmosphere by the time period 2080-2099.

Under this scenario, which predicts rising temperatures and changing rainfall patterns, the impact would be especially severe in the foothills of the northern Sierra Nevada and less so on the state's central coast from Big Sur to Mendocino County.

To survive, California's plants would have to shift 100 miles or more from their current range - a nearly impossible task given adaptation rates and the boundaries created by urban development. 

Half of the unique plants found on the continental United States only grow in California, so the loss of the country's biological diversity is at stake.   

On the bright side, if emissions drop to below 1990 levels by 2099, researchers predict that carbon dioxide emissions would reach 550 parts per million.  At this level, the impact on plants would be significantly less. 

Currently, carbon dioxide concentrations are 387 parts per million.

Posted by: Katie Romans

Apparently, they do make them like they used to -- at least how the Three Little Pigs used to. And that big, bad wolf can huff and puff all he wants. These houses aren't coming down.

According to the Kansas City Infozine, the latest in energy efficient building materials: good, old fashioned straw bales.

A few qualities that make hay:

• In hot places -- like Tuscon, AZ -- houses built with straw bales use only a minimal amount of air conditioning.
• In cold places -- like Colorado or Maryland -- straw-bale homes require minimal heating and even just a small space heater in some cases.
• In shaky, wet and windy places -- like earthquake, hurricane and tornado country -- research so far has found straw-bale buildings are safer than traditional buildings because they are strong, yet have some movement that would give people more time to escape than a brick building would.
• In moderate places, like Switzerland, some houses built out of straw bales need no additional heating besides sunlight through the windows.

What will come of housing as we know it? The continued exploration and development of viable energy efficient materials may just take its breath away.

Posted by: Leonard Anderson

It's 11 o'clock in the morning and the kitchen staff is busy baking pizzas, cooking batches of french fries, and warming golden macaroni and cheese. This kitchen in the San Francisco Bay Area suburb of San Ramon, however, won't be rushing platters of food out to the dining room. There is no dining room. The kitchen behind the doors of a nondescript office building tests the energy efficiency and performance of equipment used in commercial kitchens, and business is booming as the restaurant industry scrambles to put a dent in rising energy costs, which run from 3 percent to 8 percent of annual restaurant costs. 

This is the 21-year-old Food Service Technology Center, funded by California utility customers and operated under contract to PG&E by Fisher-Nickel Inc. The other utilities in the program are Southern Califiornia Edison, San Diego Gas & Electric, and Southern California Gas Co.

"The interest in green buildings and energy efficiencies is increasing. In the last year we have seen an explosion of interest. The lab is running full out testing appliances and it seems we're on the road every week speaking at industry seminars," Richard Young, a center staffer, told NEXT100. Young handles education and outreach, efficient building technologies, and rapid cook ovens.

The center develops standard testing methods for food service equipment for the American Society of Testing Materials. The center's first test procedures were developed for griddles and broilers and it has expanded to include braising pans, fryers, ovens, pasta cookers, ranges, steam kettles, steamers, and warewashers, among other kitchen gear. It also offers a lot of information about product rebates, Energy Star commercial food equipment, energy tips and much more.

On a tour last week of the 9,000-square foot center, the kitchen was putting a variety of manufacturers' equipment through their paces. A "holding warmer" was undergoing a 3-hour test of mac&cheese for the retail Target chain, while a few feet away a white-coated lab tester was busy slipping baskets of frozen french fries into a deep fryer hooked up to a nearby computer. At another station, a steam cooker was testing with green peas, and a lab attendant nearby was busy sprinkling cheese over pizza dough and sliding the pies into test combination ovens. Also in the lab were a large rack oven and a new self-cleaning rotisserie awaiting tests for the Safeway supermarket chain.

The center was also working with new low-flow pre-rinse spray nozzles for dishwashers, efficient gas-saving water heaters (save up to 300 thems a year), refrigerators, ice machines, lighting systems, and big kitchen exhaust and ventilation hoods. A Melink ventilation control system can save commercial kitchens from about $9,000 to $19,000 in total yearly opertaing costs with a pay-back period of about 1 to 2-1/2 years.

The commercial food industry is moving toward greener settings with the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System for design, construction and operation of green buildings. The test lab has been invited by LEED to help them develop the criteria for commercial food services that may be included in new retail construction. The criteria will likely be available by the end of summer.  

Posted by: admin

A roundup of green headlines that caught our eye this week.

• Car running on empty? Look to your tap! Genepax, a Japanese company, just introduced water-powered wheels. One liter will keep you cruisin' for an hour at 50 mph.
• TreeHugger shows us new ways to turn old incandescent bulbs into art.
• The Wall Street Journal reports on a New Jersey private school raising green building standards by creating a campus that is regenerative to the local ecosystems and healthier for students.
• San Francisco's getting greener, one park at a time.
• Happy solstice! As the Northern Hemisphere basks in the first day of summer, the Daily Green reflects on Spring 2008 - apparently the world's seventh warmest spring ever.
• The Atlantic profiles GM's development of the highly-anticipated plug-in hybrid electric Volt. PG&E has offered an electric vehicle rate for its customers since the 1990s, encouraging our customers to charge off-peak, when energy is cheaper, cleaner and demand is low.
• In honor of Take Your Dog to Work Day, have you thought about your best friends' carbon paw print? TreeHugger brings us CatGenie's self-flushing litter box which uses washable, litter-like granules. No need for your four-legged buddy to add to the millions of tons of used cat litter in our landfills. Also helps to deter those dogs who treat your cat's throne as the cookie jar.

Posted by: Keely Wachs

This week has unexpectedly been dominated by the topic of Green Buildings. 

On Monday, I attended a presentation at PG&E by UC Davis Professor Deb Niemeier on energy use in the context of neighborhood design.  She presented research on a comparison of energy use by two distinct communities in Davis, Village Homes and Mace Ranch.  Created by Mike Corbett 25 years ago, Village Homes is a seventy acre subdivision designed to focus on the conservation of energy use and natural resources.  Mace Ranch, on the other hand, is a typical 1990's style subdivision, with little conservation design philosophy.  It makes for an interesting comparison as household income and size do not very much by each community. 

Not surprisingly, Dr. Niemeier's research based on PG&E energy use data, found that Village Homes used considerably less energy annually than the homes in Mace Ranch.  The smallest design considerations - such as which direction a home faces, how it heats its water, the use of trees for shading, and the types of construction products - can have a significant impact.  More surprisingly, Village Homes had considerably older appliances than those in Mace Ranch.  With updated appliances in Village Homes, the energy use variances would have been even greater, according to Dr. Niemeier. 

On Tuesday, I attended a panel on green buildings called "Going Green" and hosted by iReuse, Studley, and Skyline Construction.  The panelists included David Hayes, CEO of Skyline Constructionn; Lynelle Cameron, director of sustainability for Autodesk; Steven Wolmark, vice president of SKS Investments; and Eunice Barnett, a business manager for PG&E.

Two points from this panel really stuck out:

1.  David Hayes said that, if done correctly, there is now only a one-two percent marginal difference on building a LEED Certified building and a traditional building. In the last couple of years he's really seen the price of LEED inputs decrease.  David also made the point that buildings account for 50% of the world's greenhouse gas emissions, so there's a huge opportunity and responsibility for

2.  Lynelle Cameron made a very compelling case for why Autodesk's CAD technology is at the center of the green building industry and alluded to some very cool new technology that will help planners and builders account for sustainability when beginning the design process.

Posted by: Katie Romans

As solar technology continues to race ahead and companies continue to throw R&D dollars behind the next big thing, here's a quick snapshot of a just a few recent headline grabbers...

Intel / SpectraWatt

• Investors: Intel Capital, Cogentrix Energy, PCG Clean Energy and Technology Fund and Solon AG
• Technology: super secret, cheap and easy silicon-based solar cells
• Funding: $50 million
• Timeline: Product ready mid-2009

Brightsource Energy, Inc. / Luz II, Ltd.

• Investors: VantagePoint Venture Partners, Google.org, BP Alternative Energy, Chevron Technology Ventures, StatoilHydro, Draper Fisher Jurvetson, DBL Investors, and Black River
• Technology: large scale solar plants that deliver low-cost solar energy in the form of steam and/or electricity to industrial and utility customers (including PG&E)
• Funding: more than $160 million, of which $115 million came from its most recent round of financing last month
• Timeline: Luz II, Ltd. concept is in the final testing stage. Results expected by end of summer. Full-sized facilities in California's Mojave Desert to be completed by 2011.

IBM / Kogyo Co.

• Investors: IBM and Tokyo Ohka Kogyo (TOK)
• Technology: licensing of CIGS (copper, indium, galium and selenide) solar power technology that could be applied to building material
• Funding / Timeline: According to earth2tech's Craig Rubens, IBM hasn't attached any production dates or funding estimates to its new research program.  

And, there's plenty more where these came from. Clearly, these announcements not only present different solar technology options and alternatives, they also present a clear trend of high-tech and other companies tripping over themselves to bring about the next big thing in solar.

Posted by: Leonard Anderson

Fuel efficient, clean energy cars and trucks were front and center in Washington D.C. last week with a hearing at the House Subcommittee on Energy and the Environment on hybrid technologies for trucks and a conference at the Brookings Institution pondering federal policies to promote plug-in electric cars. To learn more about hybrid vehicles NEXT100 visited PG&E's sprawling service yard on Harrison Street in San Francisco's Mission District to look over a new heavy duty diesel-electric hybrid bucket truck.

First, some background: For most repairs on overhead wires, transformers and other energy gear attached to power poles, the utility industry standard is to dispatch large diesel-powered bucket trucks. These trucks often must idle for long periods of time to complete the repairs, burning up fuel at a rate of about one gallon of diesel per hour of idle time. The idling engine is needed to power a hydraulic arm and maneuver the bucket hoist servicemen who make the repairs. 

Last year, PG&E was one of 14 utilities in North America to deploy diesel-electric hybrid bucket trucks developed by International Truck and Engine Corp. and Eaton Corp. for field tests to be measured against a conventional diesel truck. The benefits jump out: preliminary results indicate that the hybrid trucks cut fuel consumption by 40 to 60 percent and slash emissions by 50-90 percent by operating the bucket in battery-only mode without the engine running. With a hybrid, a truck's diesel engine may run only about one hour during eight hours of overhead work. Another plus: the trucks can generate 25 kilowatts of standby electricity, enough to power several homes and traffic lights while service is being restored.

PG&E has also acquired two Peterbilt diesel-electric hybrid trucks for its fleet designed specifically for work on live overhead wires in the electric distribution system, and Lineman Rob Galligani showed off one for us on Friday at the Harrison yard.

Galligani, harnessed and snapped inside the bucket, takes the controls and, tapping lithium ion battery power, rides the bucket atop the truck's hydraulic Terex boom to a height of about 50-55 feet before the diesel motor starts up to boost the batteries. Suddenly we can't hear Galligani well because the diesel motor is making loud growling noises along with some nasty fumes.

"With the batteries on, it's a lot easier to talk back and forth," Galligani shouts down; minutes later, the batteries kick in again and we're able to lower our voices. "This is a big safety feature for communicating between the bucket and a crew below on the street," he says, especially on the busy and crowded streets of San Francisco where traffic noise can drown out conversation. Also, repairs needed during nighttime hours can be made without keeping the neighborhood awake.The diesel-electric hybrid also drives down maintenance costs due to reduced engine use.

New hybrid utility bucket trucks offer environmental benefits and reduced fuel and maintenance costs, but vehicle costs can run 50 percent more than a conventional bucket truck.

At the House subcommittee hearing last week, Jill Egbert, manager of Clean Air Transportation at PG&E, said "in order to accelerate the procurement of hybrid trucks into utility fleets, we believe some financial incentives will be needed in either the form of grants or tax credits...At a time of historically high diesel prices, increasing concern over climate change and energy security, the time is right to accelerate the research and deployment of hybrid and plug-in hybrid electric truck technologies."

Posted by: Katie Romans

We all know the movie...picturesque Camp Crystal Lake, young summer camp counselors frolicking in the night, then...the lights go out.

And nobody thought to thank that thoughtful Jason Voorhees?? Teenagers.

The International Dark Sky Association, a group dedicated to preserving and protecting the nighttime environment, might even argue that the notorious Friday the 13th villain, Jason, did that campground a favor by eliminating all that pesky light pollution.

In fact, the group will host a Congressional Briefing on the subject next Friday, June 20. Among the topics to be discussed are consequences of light pollution on human health and the environment, as well as energy wasted as a result of light pollution. Of those presenting will be representatives from the Bassett Healthcare Institute (New York) and The Urban Wildlands Group. PG&E will also present, addressing IDA's estimate that more than $10 billion is wasted annually on unnecessary lighting.

Call me devil's advocate, but I think that poor Jason was misunderstood.

Posted by: Jennifer Zerwer

Chalk this up to the "only in California" file - the concepts of traditional renewables and emerging renewables. Thanks to California's natural heritage, PG&E has a long history of utilizing hydroelectric, geothermal and wind resources to meet energy demand.

Well, as a sign of things to come, enter PG&E's newest renewable energy project with San Joaquin Solar LLC, a subsidiary of Martifer Renewables Electricity LLC. 

Through our agreements with San Joaquin Solar, we're adding 106.8 megawatts (MW) of solar thermal-biofuel hybrid power to our energy mix. What's cool about this project is the combination of two renewable resources abundant in California - solar energy and biofuel from the Central Valley - to produce renewable energy around-the-clock, even at night.

Here's how it works: Martifer's hybrid projects combine Luz solar thermal trough technology and steam turbines powered by biomass to produce hybrid solar-biofuel renewable electricity 24/7. Each hybrid project will require 250,000 tons of biofuel annually, which will come from a combination of locally-produced agricultural wastes, green wastes and livestock manure.

These projects will be located near Coalinga, CA. And for anyone who's driven the I-5 to L.A., you'll have experienced first-hand the abundance of biomass material.

Posted by: Keely Wachs

 PG&E's Peter Darbee today joined Google's Dan Reicher, ex-CIA head Jim Woolsey, GM-North America's President Troy Clarke, Better Place's Shai Agassi, the New York Times' Thomas Friedman, Senators Kerry, Alexander, Hatch, and Congressmen Dingell and Inslee during the Brookings Institution's policy event, "Plug-in Electric Vehicles 2008:  What Role for Washington?"

 This venerable group is meeting over the next couple of days to discuss the potential and long-term viability of PHEV's, and to identify federal policies that promote the widespread market adoption of these clean energy automobiles. 

The breadth of this group's interests reflects the breadth of great reasons why PHEV's may play a large role in the future of the transportation industry.  Among factors driving the adoption of these vehicles includes fighting climate change, cleaning the air we breathe, building a new energy economy, and achieving energy independence.   

Remarkable comments so far include Dan Reicher's plea to lawmakers to take action by highlighting a new poll, which shows that 75% of all U.S. voters would support policies that promote plug-in technology.

Another compelling moment was Jim Woolsey's vivid comment that we are paying for both sides of the war on terrorism by purchasing oil.  He asked the audience to look at themselves in the rearview mirror the next time they purchase oil.  He then emphatically concluded his comments by saying, "We can destroy oil's monopoly!"

Darbee added a pragmatic view to the event by highlighting the need for greater investments in the nation's electricity infrastructure to meet the needs of a growing electric vehicle market.  Specifically, he called out other utilities, state regulators, and federal legislators to support smart meter technologies to create a grid that is capable of communicating in real time with vehicles.

Posted by: Leonard Anderson

Small restaurants are taking steps to install energy-saving equipment to reduce operating costs, yet another sign that green business is expanding into more sectors. The San Francisco Chronicle today looks at mom-and-pop eateries in the Bay Area that may not be able to put a full organic menu on the table but can do some other things to put out an  environmentally friendly welcome mat.

Tin's Tea House Lounge in Walnut Creek, for example, replaced Styrofoam takeout containers with biodegradable ones made of cornstarch, installed low-flow nozzles and faucets in the kitchen, and got utility rebates to switch to energy-efficient chandeliers for just $200. The lowered energy bill and other measures will save about $4,500 each year.

"The steps that are the most financially viable are lighting, changing the gaskets in refrigerators, and installing strip curtains (to save energy) in walk-in refrigerators," says Suparna Vashisht of Thimmakka, a Berkeley nonprofit that has helped more than 125 restaurants including Tin's Tea House figure out how to be greener, the Chronicle says.

Bianco's Deli in El Sobrante places empty pickle barrels at workstations for compostable food waste, reducing trash sent to a landfill from four large bins each week to less than two.

Food-to-compost is growing in the Bay Area. Sunset Scavenger Co. and Golden Gate Disposal & Recycling Co. launched the first urban collection of food waste in the nation in 1996 and is now collecting 300 tons of scraps a day from 2,100 restaurants in San Francisco, Robert Reed, a spokesman for the companies, told NEXT100. They also collect food waste from 80,000 homes in the city. The waste is processed into fertilizer and marketed to some 200 vineyards in northern California. 

Seattle, Portland, Denver, and St. Paul, Minn., are collecting food scraps and New York City and Dallas also are looking at the program, Reed said.

Here at PG&E, our Food Service Technology Center offers a range of services including test reports on kitchen equipment, advice on cutting energy use and costs, commercial kitchen seminars, and design consultation.

Posted by: Katie Romans

In the great game of green, perhaps least noticed is the work done at the community level. Such is the work of the Sacramento River Cats and Raley Field -- not only in following the lead of many major league stadiums by going green, but also in raising community awareness.

Having lived in Sacramento for a time myself, I write this as a tried and true River Cats fan. I have seen firsthand the great influence of this ball club in its community -- from the loveable Dinger, to the $7 lawn seats on Home Run Hill, to the rally of the games.

So, when "yooouur Sacramentooo River Caaats" host a Green Awareness Weekend, the community listens. At a time when green means so many things to so many people, this level of community engagement is perhaps the home run the movement needs.

Recognizing this, PG&E helped the River Cats host a weekend focused soundly on education and awareness. By packaging the fan-favorite games with green education such as a pre-game ceremony on Saturday and a solar seminar on Sunday, the River Cats and PG&E were able to reach out to the community in way simply not possible on a larger stage. 

Hopefully, other ball clubs and community icons will follow suit. Their role in translating an increasingly global dialogue to local action will be crucial. In the meantime, GO CATS!

Posted by: Leonard Anderson

Did you know that SunPower CEO Tom Werner is a "fanatic" about packing his groceries in reusable bags? And Arch Coal boss Steve Leer is thinking about getting a Volt, the battery-powered car in the works at GM?

Top executives at Reuters' Global Energy Summit this week were asked what they were doing to reduce their personal "carbon footprints."

You can read their answers at the CEO list compiled by reporter Nichola Groom. (Full disclosure: Groom is a former colleague covering renewable energy.)

Posted by: Katie Romans

Call it a phase, but somewhere between the Seabear and the North Sea, I've found myself on a Scandinavian kick lately. This brings me to my most recent discovery, compliments of my friends across the pond...

Floating wind turbines in the North Sea. What a concept -- windmills out at sea, far away from the critical eyes of landlubbers and the wandering routes of migration birds. But, will it work?

With an investment of about $78 million, StatoilHydro takes on the task of building the world's first full-scale floating wind turbine prototype to test for two years. The Hywind design uses a three anchor moorings that hold a 200 meter tall steel tube with an attached turbine and three 60-meter-long blades. 

It will take a village to bring such a massive project to life by Fall 2009. 

To be assembled in Norway (in Åmøyfjorden near Stavanger and located about six miles offshore Karmøy in the county of Rogaland), the wind turbine itself will be built by Siemens. Technip will be charged with floatation element building and offshore installation. Nexans will lay cables to shore, and Haugaland Kraft will be responsible for the landfall. Enova will support the project with about $11.5 million.

StatoilHydro admits that floating wind power is not a mature technology yet and anticipates a long road to large-scale development. Among the key issues are price, servicing and the wear and tear of Mother Nature. However, success will be a major step in moving the wind power industry offshore. 

With more projects like this coming to commercialization, it looks like clean power may go the way of oil -- out to sea.

Posted by: Jennifer Zerwer

Over the Memorial Day weekend, I got to play tour guide for my cousin visiting from New Orleans. I always enjoy those opportunities because, despite having lived in the Bay Area for five years now, I still have not experienced many of the routine tourist attractions SF has to offer. So, cut to our day roaming around the de Young museum and their coolest exhibit - the observation tower which provides an amazing view of the new California Academy of Sciences' undulating, living roof.

Opening this September, the Academy's new building is a model of environmental sustainability. It will consume 30-35% less energy by employing the latest in energy-saving materials and technologies, including jean insulation, natural ventilation and a solar canopy for which PG&E will award a rebate.

Adding to their theme of environmental sustainability, the new Academy will feature some cool exhibits aimed at educating Californians about how they can take action on climate change. The building is even an exhibit in and of itself. How's that for walking the talk?

PG&E is granting the Academy $1.5 million over the next four years to participate in this climate change education campaign. We'll provide energy-related content for their "Science in Action" exhibit and PG&E subject experts will be incorporated into ongoing Academy programming. There will also be volunteer opportunities for our employees year-round.

My cousin's visit to California was his first trip out west and although he was blown away by pretty much everything he saw, his one disappointment was that the Academy was not yet open for "learning."