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Local Green – Real Pickles Goes Solar, gets other upgrades with USDA, MA DOER, WMECO boost

October 24, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Well, this was certainly inspiring.

Friday’s Greenfield Recorder had a great article on a great local business, Real Pickles (they’re delicious) and their steps to cut their business’s carbon foot print.  What’s even better? They used a local company to do it. Pioneer Valley Photovoltaics was contracted to install a 17kw array for real pickles, and it will satisfy the power requirements for the 6,500 square foot facility, which is expected to save $300-400 in bills, and of course, plenty of carbon.

The whole cost of this process was reported around $100,000 – a good chunk of change for a small business. How did they afford it? According to several press sources they received a 30% grant from the US Treasury and Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources solar/renewable credits to offset the costs, as well as loans and accelerated depreciation benefits to fund this endeavor.

Other upgrades to the Real Pickles facility include new lighting, furnaces, hot water heater, and passive cooling (vents that cut refrigeration costs in the winter by admitting cold air into the coolers .) The Western Massachusetts Electric Company helped out with these upgrades through their rebate program for light fixtures and a grant that paid for roughly 50% of the walk in coolers.

It is truly great to see a local company with scrumptious products making such steps towards sustainability, and equally exciting to see just how many financing and tax incentives there are to make these improvements possible.

Have you made upgrades to your home or business? Let us know!

Read the original Greenfield Recorder article here.

Filed Under: Green Building, Industry, Renewable Energy, Renewable Energy Tax Credits, Solar, Sustainable Building, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Reading Guide for a New Solar Company

October 21, 2011 By Leave a Comment

We get a lot of requests from professionals who are looking to start new solar companies or expanding their existing businesses into solar. With the last Massachusetts SREC aucton clossing at $535 MWh, and New Hampshire solar incentives coming online it’s no wonder so many companies are looking to it. For those in the NESEA crowd looking to get into the space or expand existing businesses, we’ve compile a list of reading material aimed at helping contractors measure demand in their market, make initial sales, and building a profitable company, or division of an existing company.

Reading Guide for a New Solar Company

Marketing

Sales

Solar Financing

Design and Installation

Other

If you’d like to download the guide, you can find it here “The Ulimate Solar Startup Guide”
Filed Under: Solar Tagged With: , ,

Net-Zero Energy & High Performance Building Presentations, Nov. 10, 2011

October 21, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Curious about zero net energy and high performance buildings?

Ever wonder how zero net energy is possible?

Interested in net zero/high performance building design and mechanical systems?

Join us November 10th at the Mitsubishi Training Center in Southborough, MA to find out! RSVP HERE.

Our hosts and sponsors Mitsubishi Electric have helped us pull together a fantastic evening.

Registration, networking and hors d’oeuvres begin at 5PM
The talks will begin at 6PM, followed by Q&A

Moderating the evening’s discussion (and also sharing more information about NESEA’s Zero Net Energy Building Award) will be Mike Duclos, a principal and founder of The DEAP Energy Group, LLC, a consultancy providing a wide variety of Deep Energy Retrofit, Zero Net Energy and Passive House related consulting services.

Mike is a HERS Rater with Mass. New Homes with ENERGY STAR program, a Building Science Certified Infrared Thermographer, a Certified Passive House Consultant who certified the second Passive House in Massachusetts, holds a BS in Electrical Engineering from UMass Lowell, and two patents. See more from Mike at the DEAP Energy Group website.

Our speakers are R. Carter Scott, President of Transformations, Inc., a sustainable development and building company in Townsend, MA and William Maclay, founding principal of Maclay Architects in Waitsfield, VT. Both have extensive experience with net zero and high performance building design and the technology that makes net zero possible.

R. Carter Scott will talk about several of his recent zero energy homes built throughout Massachusetts, focusing on how to get to zero on a reasonable budget, including how to get the most out of current incentives for solar electric systems.

Transformations, Inc. specializes in developing and building Zero-Energy communities, building out Zero-Energy communities for other developers, building custom Zero-Energy homes and installing solar electric systems for residential, commercial and building clients. Have a look at his work over on the Transformations, Inc. website!

William (Bill) Maclay will talk about the process for achieving net zero energy in institutional and commercial buildings, sharing his experiences on two of his firm’s recent projects and his approach from design to monitoring will illuminate how to achieve net zero energy and operate at net zero energy.

Maclay Architects is an awards winning architectural practice that specializes in environmental planning, healthy building design, energy conservation and net-zero architecture. Their own offices are solar powered and net-zero, even in central Vermont! Maclay Architects most recent projects can be found on their website.

CEUs are pending through the AIA. AIA accredited sessions are also often eligible for self-reporting for other licenses or certifications.

Here is the essential info:
What: Net-Zero Energy & High Performance Building Presentations, hosted and sponsored by Mitsubishi Electric
 When: November 10th, 2011  - starting 5PM (talks starting at 6PM)
Where: Mitsubishi Training Center, 150 Cordaville Rd., Southborough, MA 01772
How? RSVP HERE or contact 413.774.6051 ext. 20, or rheldt@nesea.org

And yes… it’s free. Get excited.

Filed Under: Events, Green Building, NESEA Members, Renewable Energy, Solar, Sustainable Building, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

VOTE: What are NESEAs Members Favorite Solar Modules?

May 13, 2011 By Leave a Comment

At HeatSpring, we’re all about the solar contractors on the ground.

Lately there’s been a lot of debate about solar modules. Which ones are bankable? The most efficient? The best price? We’ve also been reiceving a number of questions from our alumni and readers about modules. While, I could spend plenty of time research modules and using my own experience to create some conclusions, it wouldn’t be very useful. WE WANT to hear from you, the installer and NESEA community, about the solar modules that you most prefer and why. No distributors or manufactueres will be allowed to vote and will make sure of this by requiring a name and valid email address and company name.

After the voting has concluded in one month, we will compile all the data and make it public for you the installers to see and use.

You can vote for your favorite module here. It will take less then 3.8 minutes of you day.

We’re most interested in learning:

1) Your favorite solar module

2) Why?

3) Any anecdote you can share as to why this is your favorite module.

We know that we may have missed a couple companies but feel this represents the majority of products used in the US.

  • EverGreen Solar
  • Kyocera
  • Sharp
  • First Solar
  • Suntech
  • SunPower
  • Schott Solar
  • Yingli Solar
  • Solar World
  • Westinghouse Solar
  • BP Solar
  • Sungen
  • JA Solar
  • Trina Solar
  • Gintech
  • Mitsubishi
  • Bosh
  • Solyndra
  • Canadian Solar
  • Conergy

Again, if you are an installer, you can vote for your favorite module here.

We will never release any of your contact information, this is just used to make sure you are not a distributor or manufacturer.

Thank you,

Brian Hayden

Filed Under: Renewable Energy, Solar Tagged With: , ,

Report from our traveling quartet from Saxony and Upper Austria

February 28, 2011 By 2 Comments

Tom Hartman, Chris Benedict, Andy Shapiro, and I are in the midst of a 2-week tour of high performance buildings in Saxony and Upper Austria. We’ll be presenting our findings during three sessions at Building Energy. Here’s a very quick taste of some of the things we’ve seen.

Andy, Chris, and Tom talking with architect Gunter Lassy at the offices of Lassy Architects in Linz, Austria. Gunter represents the 4th generation in his family to work at the 18-person firm. Gunter’s not sold on Passive House, having tried it. But, based on weather trends over the last 10 summers or so in Linz, he’s getting really worried about the region’s ability to handle increased cooling loads.

Sunset view of part of Solar Village, a 5-year-old development on the outskirts of Linz; Lassy Architects designed some of the apartment blocks in this development. Built to Passive House standards (as defined by the Austrians, anyway — there’s an interesting conversation in and of itself), actual performance data shows a very broad range of energy usage, with some units consuming as much as five times the energy as other, similar units. Bottom line: If you leave the windows open all winter in a high-performance building, it becomes a low-performance building. Who’d have thought?

A view of a delightful Kindergarten in the tiny Austrian village of Schneegattern. One of the first schools in Austria inspired by Passive House strategies, it uses wood pellets for heating. Our host Herbert Nagl told me, “We believe in investing heavily in our children here.”

Here Chris, Tom, and Andy admire the underground wood pellet storage in the school’s backyard. To get a view of just what they’re looking at in there, you’ll have to come to our March 9th sessions.

Herbert also showed us the community music school. Here’s where the village’s two volunteer wind ensembles practice (the town has two bands, five fire brigades, and 4800 citizens). This is a photo of a music stand — note the beer glass holder. Herbert said the typical practice regimen for the bands consists of 2 hours of rehearsing and 6 hours of drinking beer, with considerable overlap between the two activities, apparently. Nonetheless, the local bands fare very well in regional competitions.

Filed Under: Green Building, Solar, Sustainable Building, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Developing more scientists, engineers is goal of $17 million U.S. Army grant to Virginia Tech Consortium

October 12, 2010 By Leave a Comment

BLACKSBURG, Va. — For years the U.S. Army has worked to entice schoolchildren to develop interests in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).  Under a $17.2 million grant, Virginia Tech and partners will determine which programs work best not only in training teachers but also for children from fifth grade up.

Competitions, internships, mentoring, and science fairs are among the high-profile Army-sponsored STEM activities. For instance, the Junior Solar Sprint, orchestrated by NESEA, teaches middle school age students about scientific inquiry; properties of materials; photovoltaic cells; forces and motion; electricity and magnetism; ratios and geometry, and craftsmanship all through a uniquely crafted competition – design, build, and race the most innovative, speedy model solar electric car you can!

“It would be great to know if that middle-school child who worked on a solar electric car went on to become a math teacher or a corporate physicist or a Department of Defense engineer,” says Vice President for Outreach and International Affairs John Dooley. “Training teachers and fostering public-school education in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics is part of Virginia Tech’s strategic plan, and this grant taps into our expertise to help develop that workforce.”

Workforce concerns rise from a projected shortfall in scientists and engineers, both at the Department of Defense and throughout the nation. The Army Educational Outreach Program piques student interest early, enticing more college students to choose STEM disciplines. Under Virginia Tech’s leadership, three important milestones will occur: marketing, data collection, and measurement.

“The U.S. Army has long recognized that a scientifically and technologically literate citizenry is our nation’s best hope for a secure, rewarding, and successful future,” says Ashley Wade, youth science program manager in the Army Research Laboratory’s Army Research Office. “For more than 50 years, the Army has supported a wide range of educational opportunities in STEM for our youth and their teachers. We are excited to partner with Virginia Tech and other consortium members to enhance and grow our STEM education outreach programs.”

Virginia Tech offices working under the three-year grant are Continuing and Professional Education, which is leading the project; the Office of Academic Assessment; and the university’s VT-STEM initiative.

Consortium partners are:

  • The University of New Hampshire’s Leitzel Center, which operates a strong Teach-the-Teacher program and other STEM initiatives
  • George Washington University, which will have responsibility for four STEM programs including math-and-science internships in Army laboratories for students in grades seven to 12
  • Junior Technical Engineering Society, which runs summer programs called UNITE for economically disadvantaged high-school students interested in engineering
  • Academy of Applied Science, which will be responsible for four STEM programs including eCybermission
  • Northeast Sustainable Energy Association, which runs the Junior Solar Sprint
Filed Under: NESEA, Solar Tagged With: , ,

The Passing of Norman Borlaug

September 13, 2009 By Leave a Comment

The world has lost a true hero today – the man credited with saving more human lives than anyone else in history.

Norman Borlaug was dubbed the “Father of the Green Revolution” for his work creating high yielding varieties of wheat and rice which massively increased agricultural productivity in Latin America and Asia. Borlaug’s work is credited with saving over a billion people from starvation.

According to Salon.com,  Borlaug was the recipient of :

–Nobel Peace Prize, 1970
–Election to the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, 1970
–Aztec Eagle, Government of Mexico, 1970
–Outstanding Agricultural Achievement Award, World Farm Foundation (USA), 1971
–Presidential Medal of Freedom (USA), 1977
–Jefferson Award, American Institute for Public Service, 1980
–Distinguished Achievement Award in Food and Agricultural Sciences, Council for Agricultural Science and Technology (USA), 1982
–The Presidential World without Hunger Award: Educator/Scientist category (USA), 1985
–The Americas Award, The Americas Foundation (USA), 1998
–Jefferson Lifetime Achievement Award (USA), 1997
–Altruistic Green Revolution Award, Indian Council of Agricultural Research, 1998
–Recognition Award for Contributions to World Wheat and Maize Research and Production, Republic of El Salvador, 1999
–Dedication of Norman E. Borlaug Center for Southern Crop Improvement, Texas A&M University, 1999
–Vannevar Bush Award, National Science Foundation (USA), 2000
–Memorial Centennial Medial of the N.I. Vavilov Research Institute of Plant Industry (Russia), 2000
–Public Welfare Medal, National Academy of Sciences (USA), 2002
–The Rotary International Award for World Understanding and Peace; Barcelona, Spain, 2002
–The Philip Hauge Abelson Prize, American Association for the Advancement of Science, 2002
–Award for Distinguished Achievements to Science and Medicine, American Council of Science and Health, 2003
–National Medal of Science (USA), 2004
–Padma Vibhushan in Science and Engineering, awarded by the Government of India, 2006
–Norman Borlaug Institute for International Agriculture created as part of the Texas A&M University System, 2006
–Congressional Gold Medal, received 2007
–Texas A&M University honorary doctor of letters degree, 2007 (Borlaug received more than 50 honorary degrees in his career.)

Borlaug was also the inspiration behind the World Food Prize, “the foremost international award recognizing — without regard to race, religion, nationality, or political beliefs — the achievements of individuals who have advanced human development by improving the quality, quantity or availability of food in the world.”

New York Times coverage here.

I couldn’t agree more with the Wall Street Journal’s conclusion in their tribute to Borlaug: “In saving so many, Borlaug showed that a genuine green movement doesn’t pit man against the Earth, but rather applies human intelligence to exploit the Earth’s resources to improve life for everyone.”

Filed Under: Solar, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , ,

Congrats Alteris – "Sun for Rent"

May 26, 2009 By 2 Comments

Hi Everyone:

Longtime NESEA member Alteris Renewables (formerly SolarWrights and Solar Works) recently announced that the company is installing SunRun‘s residential “Solar as a Service” in Massachusetts.

With this new game-changing program, upfront costs plummet from $30,000 to as little as $1,000 for customers to be able to install solar electric systems on their homes. Customers will enjoy savings from day one with locked-in rates for the next 18 years – a valuable protection from future electric rate increases. They can also make a good return on their initial investment.

By turning solar into a user-friendly household service like cable, SunRun and Alteris achieved incredible coverage this last Sunday in the Boston Globe – pitched by yours truly ;)

Called, “Sun for Rent,” this article was written by one of the top reporters in the field, Beth Daley.  In addition to dominating nearly the entire front page of the Money and Careers section, it was the most emailed Globe article the entire day.

It was a pleasure working with Alteris (particulary Ron French and Bill Kenzar) on this project.

Go Alteris!

Filed Under: Renewable Energy, Solar Tagged With: , , , , , ,
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