Monthly Archives: June 2012

Philadelphia opted into the Environmental Protection Agency’s Green Power Community Partnership

On June 20, 2012 Philadelphia opted into the Environmental Protection Agency’s Green Power Community Partnership, becoming the largest U.S. city to commit to using green power. The program is voluntary and will set Philadelphia on course to buy all of … Continue reading

Posted in Green Flashes | Leave a comment

National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) released a report in June 2012

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) released a report in June 2012 that contends the U.S. has the capability to obtain 80% of its electricity needs by 2050 from renewable sources of energy coupled with energy efficiency. Specifically, NREL outlines … Continue reading

Posted in Green Flashes | Leave a comment

DoE unveils a energy savings calculator

In an effort to demonstrate the energy and monetary savings that accrue to homeowners when their homes are built to more stringent energy codes, the Department of Energy recently unveiled an energy savings calculator for buildings built to new codes. … Continue reading

Posted in Green Flashes | Leave a comment

“Plug-and-Play” Photovoltaic (PV) Technologies

The U.S. Department of Energy recently announced that $5 million has been made available to research and develop “plug-and-play” photovoltaic (PV) technologies that would enable consumers to purchase, install and begin using PV systems in one day. This effort is … Continue reading

Posted in Solar Power | Leave a comment

Tariff on Chinese wind energy turbines.

In line with an earlier move this month which placed a tariff on solar photovoltaic systems imported from China, the Obama Administration recently imposed a tariff on Chinese wind energy turbines. This trade policy aims to make U.S. wind tower … Continue reading

Posted in Solar Power | Leave a comment

The Albany County State Supreme Court dismissed a lawsuit.

The Albany County State Supreme Court dismissed a lawsuit that sought to exempt New York State from participating in a multi-state Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI). In 2005, New York State, along with a handful of other states in the … Continue reading

Posted in Federal Legislation | Leave a comment

2013 Energy and Water Appropriations Bill

A major tenet of the Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA) of 2007 was to strengthen lighting standards. On June 5, 2012, the House of Representatives took steps to roll back these higher efficiency standards by adopting a provision that … Continue reading

Posted in Federal Legislation | Leave a comment

California Energy Commission Vote

The California Energy Commission voted unanimously to adopt more stringent efficiency standards for residential and commercial buildings, set to be implemented starting January 1, 2014. Building off of existing 2013 California Building Energy Efficiency Standards, the new codes promise to … Continue reading

Posted in Codes | Leave a comment

World Environment Day (WED)

World Environment Day (WED) was celebrated in Rio de Janeiro on 5 June 2012.  This year’s celebration was the largest in the event’s four decade history. This year’s theme was Green Economy: Does it Include You? As part of the … Continue reading

Posted in Green Flashes | Leave a comment

Global Environment Outlook 5 (GEO 5)

UNEP will also launch the Global Environment Outlook 5 (GEO 5) on 6 June. Three years in the making and involving close to 300 experts, GEO is the UN’s most comprehensive environmental assessment. In the run-up to Rio+20, GEO 5 … Continue reading

Posted in Green Flashes | Leave a comment