2007 July

Real Renewable Energy vs. Renewable Energy Credits

July 30, 2007 By Philip Proefrock 2 Comments

A couple of my friends have recently asked about the new renewable energy credit program that our local electricity utility, DTE Energy, is now offering. One friend asked me about it directly, and another raised the question on the state mailing list for the o2 Network. There was an interesting discussion about the topic on the 02 list, and I’ve included some of the information that other people shared on that list in this article.

In southeast Michigan, the local electricity company is DTE Energy. Although it has (or had) a number of business units exploring all manner of alternative energy production, DTE has been relatively resistive to including any renewable energy in its portfolio. Despite consumer demand for green energy, DTE has no plans to construct anything, and has been very resistive to connecting alternative producers to its grid. (This is the same company that fought against connecting a wind turbine installed at a local middle school from connecting to the grid.)

Looking at the renewable energy credit (REC) program that DTE is offering, there isn’t much to it. DTE is offering now has two options for residential customers. One is a premium of 2 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh) on all electricity used. The other is to buy RECs in blocks of 100 kWh for $2.50 each (2.5 cents per kWh). These are supposed to come from in-state sources, to the greatest extent possible, but DTE has argued that there aren’t many in-state sources available to them.

Michigan’s Pubic Service Commission "Opinion and Order" (PDF) regarding DTE’s program recognizes the comments and criticism about the program and how much (or how little) it will do to encourage the development of renewable energy production in the state of Michigan.

Is Green Just a Fad?

July 25, 2007 By Philip Proefrock 5 Comments

An article on the ABC News website with the provocative title "Going Green: Fad or the Future?" suggests that while right now "green is the new black," the long term-prospects for the green movement are less certain to remain as strong and as much a part of public awareness as they currently are.

But are Americans experiencing "green fatigue"? The ratings for Live Earth, which was billed as a must-see event, were dismal. The American broadcast drew just 2.7 million viewers, making it the least-watched U.S. program on Saturday night. Despite its undeniable entrenchment in pop culture and media, some experts say that the current incarnation of the green movement is just another "We Are the World" moment that consumers and businesses won’t be able to sustain over the long term.

Of course, this perspective is coming from a media outlet (ABC News) for whom the number of viewers are the most significant measure of importance. But that may not be a reliable indicator of how influential the green movement is. There is a wide gulf between public enthusiasm for a green-oriented rally like Live Earth, and public participation in actual green practice in their daily lives. Small steps, in many cases, but a lot of people have started taking at least a few steps to green their lives.

My perspective lies with the building and construction industry. I see increasing numbers of ads and new product announcements from hundreds of manufacturers. I can’t begin to count the number of trade magazine editorials I’ve seen that begin along the lines of this one: "These days, it seems everyone is jumping on the "green" bandwagon — including many companies in [your industry here]." Green awareness has permeated the building industry from top to bottom. And, while not every new building is a new model of sustainability, green building practice is here to stay.

What If Plug-In Hybrids Work?

July 23, 2007 By Philip Proefrock 10 Comments

Plug-in hybrids seem like a fantastic technology that could make a serious impact in the amount of petroleum fuel needed for transportation. GM executives have been using the phrase "displacing petroleum" when talking about the long term strategy for powering vehicles in the future. Biofuels, rather than fossil fuels, are drawing a lot of attention, and hydrogen is being explored both as a combustion fuel and for use in fuel cells. And many of these systems are being considered in conjunction with vehicles with some battery-powered component.

What happens to the air we breathe when plug-in hybrids become commonplace in a few years? Are we going to suddenly need hundreds of additional electrical plants to make all that extra electricity for the power that is no longer being supplied by gasoline? Would wide-scale switching from gasoline vehicles to plug-in electric vehicles be jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire?

A report jointly issued by the National Resources defense Council (NRDC) and the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) addresses some of these questions in greater detail. It is worthwhile to think about these questions as these technologies get closer to widespread implementation. Unintended consequences of increasing numbers of electric cars already include concerns about the very quiet operation of electric hybrids when their gas engines are not running, and the potential hazard these vehicles now pose for blind pedestrians, who have much more difficulty detecting the approach of these vehicles than ordinary internal combustion vehicles.

Green Building Tour: FCNL Building

July 18, 2007 By Philip Proefrock 2 Comments

FCNL Although there is a growing push for incresing sustainability for buildings, our nation’s capital is lagging behind other cities when it comes to green buildings. Though there are over 600 LEED certified buildings nationwide, only 6 of them are in Washington DC.

The Friends Committee on National Legislation is a Quaker lobbying group in Washington DC. Their building is the first "green" building on Capitol Hill. The building received bipartisan congressional recognition at an event last week. They are anticipating LEED certification (which normally takes a few months after the building is substantially completed), and the building has already received other accolades, including the Washington Chapter of the American Institute of Architects awarding a presidential Citation for Sustainable Design.

Green Building Elements: Alternative Countertops

July 16, 2007 By Philip Proefrock 7 Comments

Huainan, China There are a number of options available when it comes to selecting material for counters and tops. There are options from the all-natural to the all-synthetic, and ranges in between. Some countertop materials are more impervious to stains or heat than others are. Colors range throughout the pallette, and if one manufacturer’s product doesn’t offer a particular color, another option likely may.

The most common materials are plastic laminate and solid surface materials. Plastic laminate is a thin sheet of colored plastic glued to a backing which is most often composition wood board – a combination of wood bits and glue – which offgasses formaldehyde from the urea formaldehyde glue used to make it. Solid surface countertops (including such brands as Corian) are made from plastics and epoxy resins. Some solid surface materials have some mineral content (like Zodiaq, a sister line to Corian that incorporates quartz chips into the material), which lessens the use of petrochemicals and other synthetics.