| EC Mag

Green Building

A blooming industry, green building is rising with greater public demand, legislative focus, and code and standard mandates. With programs like Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) becoming more popular, contractors are finding new building processes and technologies to be more efficient and environmentally minded. The below articles dive into alternative energies, energy efficiency, the smart grid, and more and include editorial from our annual special issue on the subject.

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DOE Announces Winners of Design Competition to Advance Energy-Efficient Lighting

Staff

May 2013

As part of the Obama Administration’s efforts to reduce energy waste in our nation’s buildings and help save Americans money by saving energy, the Department of Energy (DOE) announced the winners of the fifth annual Next Generation Luminaires Design competition for indoor lighting at the LEDucation

Department of Energy, Energy Efficiency, Lighting

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World's Solar Photovoltaic Capacity Passes 100-Gigawatt Landmark

Staff

May 2013

The world’s cumulative solar photovoltaic (PV) electricity capacity surpassed 100 gigawatts (GW) in 2012, achieving just more than 101 GW, according to market figures from the European Photovoltaic Industry Association (EPIA).

Alternative Energy, Solar & Photovoltaics, Industry Trends

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Walmart Rolling Forward Increases in Energy Efficiency and Renewables Usage

Staff

May 2013

Walmart President and CEO Mike Duke announced the company’s next step on the path to achieving its goal of being supplied 100 percent by renewable energy. Unveiled at Walmart’s Global Sustainability Milestone Meeting, the company committed to achieving the following by Dec. 31, 2020:

Alternative Energy, Energy Efficiency, Industry Trends

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Solar Weather Forecasts to Improve Solar Power

Mike Breslin

May 2013

Intermittency of solar power production is one of the major challenges utility operators face today.

Alternative Energy, Solar & Photovoltaics, Industry Trends

More on Green Building

Design and Specify the Project

Thomas E. Glavinich

| September 2012

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Green Building

Once the owner has secured funding for an energy services project, the next step is installation design.

Nimble Navigation

Darlene Bremer

| September 2012

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Green Building

According to the Energy Star program, lighting accounts for nearly 20 percent of the average U.S. home’s electricity use and close to 35 percent of the total commercial building electricity use.

Southern California Utility Goes Green to the Extreme

Rick Laezman

| September 2012

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Green Building

The headquarters for Burbank (Calif.) Water and Power (BWP) has slowly transformed into a green campus. The effort involved repurposing some of the utility’s decaying old facilities, which, in some cases, were more than 100 years old.

Solar Incentives Heat Up in New York State

Rick Laezman

| September 2012

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Green Building

Despite the growing popularity of solar power, the one thing that still casts a long shadow over the technology, and keeps everyone from installing a new photovoltaic (PV) system on their rooftop, is the high upfront cost. Recognizing this barrier, incentives are the norm.

Transparent Cells Offer a Range of Possibilities for Solar Power

Rick Laezman

| September 2012

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Green Building

Research into photovoltaic (PV) technology, like all renewables, is always striving for greater efficiencies and lower production costs. That quest often creates seemingly unimaginable possibilities. For example, consider solar glass with a view.

Energy Modeling Teams Up With Lighting

Debbie McClung

| September 2012

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Green Building

Lighting continues to be a huge chunk of a building’s annual energy costs—between 20 and 40 percent. While the need for light will never go away, analyzing its costs through energy modeling can help secure the installation of more efficient technologies.