Verallia glass manufacturing facility wins an Energy Star award, Illinois Smart Grid Program selects energy companies, and how troubles in Egypt could impact energy markets.
Verallia Glass Manufacturing Facility Wins Energy Star Award
The EPA awarded Verallia North America, a part of Saint-Gobain Inc., the coveted Energy Star award. Verallia, a glass container manufacturer located in Fairfield, California was rewarded for its energy efficient production techniques. The facility is a distribution center that caters to Northern California’s food and wine industries and the main energy consumption used is in lighting. By installing energy efficient lighting, the company reduced its carbon footprint by 1,077 metric tons of CO2 emissions annually. Verallia saved $210,000 per year in energy costs. When the EPA rated the distribution center using its National Energy Performance Rating System, Verallia scored 98 out of 100. The score recognizes that only two percent of all warehousing facilities in the nation are more energy efficient than the Fairfield facility.
Research Demonstrates New Wind Farm Setup
A fluid mechanics and turbulence expert from Johns Hopkins and his Belgian colleague have researched a new idea to arrange wind turbines using an optimal amount of spacing for a large array of machinery. The turbines currently used in most wind farms are three-bladed and point towards the wind. The towers supporting the blades are typically 300 feet rods of steel. The diameters of the turbines range to about 300 feet as well and turbines are then placed about seven rotor diameters apart. The new model developed by Charles Meneveau and his partner advocates placing turbines 15 rotor diameters apart for more cost-efficient power generation. This new setup reflects the interaction of arrays of turbines with the entire atmospheric wind flow rather than simply single wind turbines.
Illinois Smart Grid Program Selects Energy Companies
Illinois Smart Grid Regional Innovation Cluster selected 10 companies to participate in its new multi-tiered incentive to bolster small grid technology. Companies will be able to use space at the Illinois Institute of Technology’s Technology Park for their projects. Participants will also receive business support from the University’s School of Business and technical support through ITT’s Center of Electricity Innovation. Selected companies include Power2Switch LLC that helps small businesses manage their energy and Intelligent Generation LLC that develops software to manage renewable energy storage.
Middle East Unrest Can Lead to Energy Stalls
The latest trouble in the Middle East sparked questions about the future of solar projects , especially in the tumulus environment in Egypt. The country is involved in a number of renewable energy projects including solar energy projects such as the thermal energy initiative at Kuraymat. Other projects were in the planning session for the Gulf of Suez to generate up to 1,000-MW of wind powered electricity. With the current political distress in the country, there is risk that many of the projects are put on hold and gas contracts for natural gas could be cancelled.
Texas’s Greenest Building
Schott Solar and BuiltSmart Resources opened San Antonio’s first Net Zero Green Home. The space will serve as BuiltSmart’s Resource Center and it scored a negative three on the Home Energy Rating System, making it one of the most energy efficient homes in the Lone Star state. MSA Architecture designed the home in a contemporary, but still country, style with an open floor plan. Lori Caldwell, renowned interior designer, also worked on the project. The structure’s energy is supplied by an 11-kW PV system that uses Schott solar panels.