Category Archives: Sustainability

Insurance Industry Urged To Divest From Fossil Fuel Activities and Firms

A coalition of NGOs, including the Sierra Club, the Waterkeeper Alliance, the Rainforest Action Network, and Greenpeace, has been putting pressure on certain industries to encourage renewable energy and end support of the fossil fuel industry for some time. The latest industry to be targeted is insurance based on the logic that while attempting to protect us from catastrophic risk, supporting the dirtiest fossil fuel industries is, instead, adding to worldwide climate change adverse risk.

These NGOs sent letters to the CEOs of 22 major US insurance companies, urging them to stop insuring projects of and to start divesting from companies that produce coal and those that extract and transport tar sands. These US insurers hold hundreds of billions of dollars in coal, oil, gas and electric utility stocks and bonds. Similarly, the letter requested that these major insurance companies underwrite and invest in more clean energy companies and projects.

In addition, these NGOs recommended that these insurance companies insist that all insured quantify the carbon footprint of their projects as a prelude to being insured. Campaign leaders claimed that several insurance companies have divested about $30 billion from coal companies and stopped or limited insuring the coal industry in recent years.

Climate change-caused or -enhanced incidents pose great risk to insurance companies. More than 10,000 claims were filed from the Carr and Mendocino fires, whose intensity were said to be contributed to by climate change, totaling $845 million in insured losses.

Insurance industry leaders, regulators, and business leaders acknowledge that climate change is a major strategic issue for the industry, and are beginning to be addressed in terms of their business model. As we see with the intense recent storms of Florence and Michael in the US, not to mention recent very deadly storms, tsunamis, and typhoons in Indonesia, the Phillipines, and India, there is an increase in the frequency and intensity of storms, and in particular, more rain, which has caused widespread flooding and destruction. The insurance industry is being hit hard by this increase in destruction and is being urged to take more steps to both add climate change to their risk equations and to take an active part in investing in a future to mitigate climate change.

CCES has the experience to help your firm cope with climate change, evaluate risk and protections for your business and asset, and reduce your carbon footprint. Contact us today at 914-584-6720 or at karell@CCESworld.com.

90% Of World’s Population Breathe Polluted Air

Data from the World Health Organization shows that in 2016 over 3 billion people were exposed to air containing dangerous levels of pollutants. An estimated 7 million people die every year from ailments related to outdoor or indoor air pollution. See: http://www.who.int/phe/health_topics/outdoorair/databases/cities/en/

The air pollutant with the greatest impact is fine particulates that penetrate our defenses and settle deep into the lungs and can enter the cardiovascular system, causing stroke, heart disease, lung cancer, asthma, and respiratory infections, including pneumonia. The WHO estimates that nearly one-quarter of adult deaths from non-communicable diseases (heart disease, stroke, lung cancer, etc.) comes from exposure to air pollutants.

The biggest cause of this exposure to dangerous concentrations of fine particles is from combustion from inadequate stoves inside the home or uncontrolled combustion of solid waste outdoors. More than 40% of the world’s population must cook with dirty cooking fuels and/or uses cooking devices that do not shephard away the byproducts of combusting those fuels. While several programs have brought cleaner burning fuels and devices to many people, population growth has not reduced the level of exposure.

While natural elements can contribute to air emissions, such as desert sand and dust, other major sources of fine particulates include industrial emissions, agriculture, dirty burning cars, trucks and buses, and coal-fired power plants.

Air pollution does not recognize borders. Countries implementing and enforcing new programs and rules to reduce air emissions within their borders are often inundated by air pollution coming from other nations. Wind can take fine particulates and gaseous pollutants long distances from their sources.

CCES has the expertise and experience to help your firm assess what your air pollution emissions inventory is and (from a technical point of view) how your facility stands in terms of compliance with applicable federal, state, and local air quality regulations. We can develop economic options for you to consider to reduce emissions to improve the health of your employees and neighbors and comply with regulations. Contact us today at 914-584-6720 or karell@CCESworld.com.

Benefits of Trees for Sustainable Cities

More than half the population of the world now lives in areas defined as urban. There is growing pressure to convert more open space into residences and commercial buildings to serve the growing urban population than ever before. More people means more customers for entrepreneurs and more businesses means more revenue (taxes) for municipalities. But is this growing dense, urban development costly for urban living?

While this seems trite and inefficient, trees have been shown to be effective in preserving urban ecosystems. Of course, the trend is commonly to chop down trees to build another development. But keeping and increasing the number of trees have been shown to have many benefits for urban residents and businesses. Trees clean the air and water, reduce health costs, improve stormwater management, optimize building energy use, mitigate climate change, and provide many cultureal treats.

According to the US Forest Service, for every dollar invested in planting, cities get a $2.25 return on their investment each year. https://www.fs.fed.us/ucf/supporting_docs/UCF-Brief-Feb2018.pdf

A recent aerial survey of 35 megacities showed that 20% of the average city’s urban core is covered by trees, ranging from just 1% in Lima, Peru to 36% in New York City.

A study published last year aimed to determine how much trees contribute to human well-being in urban locations showed a correlation between the number of trees planted and human well-being. https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0304380017300960

The study focused on 10 very large cities worldwide. The study estimated that each square kilometer of tree cover saved a city significantly in air pollution health care costs, water runoff, building energy heating and cooling costs, and in the value of CO2 removed. Total savings was estimated to be about $1.2 million per square kilometer of trees, on average in these 10 very large cities.

Despite the feeling that large cities have no room to plant trees, the study indicated that, on average, about 18% of a metropolitan area is available to plant additional trees. Potential locations included sidewalks, parking lots and plazas. Tree trunks can be located in narrow bands, yet the tree’s canopy could shade these areas and allow pedestrians or cars to move freely.

CCES has the experts to help your company or municipality (any size) design a sustainability plan involving trees (as well as other strategies) to maximize benefits, such as the ones above (energy savings, healthier employees, etc.). We can use the latest science to develop a plan that is specific and will benefit you. Contact us today at 914-584-6720 or at karell@CCESworld.com.

The Positive and Negative Impacts of Solar Energy

by Arthur Smith, LEDwatcher  http://www.LEDwatcher.com

Solar energy can be a vast source of power that can provide clean, sustainable electricity. We are now able to use solar panels in all types of weather. It used to be that if it was cloudy the panels would quit charging. But now, with newer technology, solar power can be generated even on snowy and cloudy days. And as we focus more on cleaner power, solar energy is making its way further into our daily lives. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/science/science-news/10701064/British-scientists-develop-solar-panels-which-work-better-on-a-cloudy-day.html

Of course, solar energy isn’t perfect. Just like everything else in life it has its positives and negatives. And one of the biggest downfalls of solar energy is its negative effect on the environment. So in this article we will look at both the negative and the positive impacts of solar energy, so you can judge for yourself whether solar energy could be beneficial for your home or business how environmentally-friendly and good solar power actually is.

The Negatives

• Taking Up Space. The more electricity that needs to be produced, the more solar panels you will need. And the more panels are needed, the more space they will take up. Because of this, large solar farms will need to be set up to meet solar energy demands. Rendering this land useless. How to counteract this? By setting up the solar power plants on land that otherwise can’t or isn’t used. This would make the acreage beneficial again, and would mean that no farmland needs to be sacrificed to generate more solar energy.

• Pollution. Although solar panels have the reputation of being pollution-free, pollution is produced while the panels are being manufactured and installed. Hazardous products are used in the manufacturing process of solar panels. The transportation and installation of the panels also emit greenhouse gasses. How to make solar panels a completely pollution-free technology? By creating greener ways of producing the panels, as well as employing electric cars to transport them to the place of installation.

The Positives

• Electricity Savings. Harnessing solar energy and using it to power your home will lower your energy bills. By how much? That will depend on the size of your solar system and your electricity usage. But the good news is that in some countries if you produce more electricity than you consume, you can sell the surplus to your electricity supplier letting you not only save but actually earn money from your solar panels.

• Reduced Greenhouse Gas Emissions. The more energy that we can create with solar power the less fossil fuels we will be burning and the smaller amount of greenhouse gasses we will release into the atmosphere. Solar energy is an amazing way to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions and live greener lives.

• Sustainability and Resilience. Solar energy is also a renewable resource,whereas fossil fuels are not. As long as the sun is shining in the sky we will always have access to solar energy. So solar power is an unlimited energy source, which will be there to meet the energy needs of generations to come.

• Low Maintenance. After installation, solar technology is low-maintenance. Therefore, they are great for rural areas that are off the grid and can’t be accessed easily, and don’t require as much man-power to maintain.

• Cost Advantages. The source of solar energy is free and is in great abundance. Which means that as long as there are discount schemes to help with the solar panel costs, they can also be a great help to people in more remote areas that might not have access to electricity, due to the lack of infrastructure to bring in electricity or fuel or a power plant.

• Energy Independence and National Security.  Finally, relying on fossil fuels can exacerbate many technical, political, and financial issues. We can better safeguard ourselves by collecting our own energy and not being dependent on others. Wars and natural disasters can also put a heavy strain on the existing fuel supplies leading to very high prices. This makes solar power that much more a cost-efficient solution.

For many locations, buildings, and regions, the benefits of solar energy far outweigh its negative effects. Solar should be seriously considered by businesses as not only a cost-effective energy management strategy, but part of the way to a greener, more sustainable future.

Arthur Smith is the lead editor of LEDwatcher, a blog that focuses on solar and LED lighting. With years of experience working in both solar and lighting industries, Arthur has turned to blogging and writing guest articles for different websites to help others learn more about these technologies as well.  See    http://LEDwatchter.com.

Time to Plan for Your Energy Resiliency

It’s all over the news. Worldwide we have seen many news stories about extreme events: historic fires in California, 127℉ recorded in Death Valley, record heat and fires in Scandanavia, record heat and draughts from Japan to Europe. This impacts our lives. See the terrifying natural conditions in Africa where many farmers can no longer subsist, resulting in the worldwide immigration crisis we see. So these have great impacts on our lives and economics. And we’re not done yet. It’s only summertime and hurricane season is starting – the prime time when the risk of grid-disrupting events where you live and work is greatest. Why this is happening (climate change?) is not important. You are concerned with keeping your facilities operating and being energy resilient.

First, think about how important energy resiliency is for you. What if a major storm were to come through your city and damage the grid so that electricity is no longer delivered? What are the potential practical and financial impacts to your company?

  • You cannot make or deliver product. You cannot do what you do (and charge for it). Yet you still pay staff. Speaking of which: the very safety of your staff!
  • Uncertainty. You don’t know if your power will come back to resume normal services in one hour, a day, a week, or much, much longer (like in Puerto Rico).
  • Lost data. Your business is your data, and losing it because of a power loss can be existential. A number of firms went “under” directly due to Hurricane Sandy.
  • Efforts to get back in operation. Once a system is down – even if only for a few minutes – it may take a long time to get it operating normally again. And the cost. One study estimated that companies generally spend 20-30% of annual revenue to recover from even a brief power loss, in some cases requiring new equipment.

And a storm is not needed to knock out power. Many parts of the country are growing in population and electric demand, and utilities cannot keep up with the additional needed infrastructure to meet this growing demand. Several utilities have openly admitted they may be unable to reliably deliver electricity to people and businesses during peak need.

Energy resiliency means being less or non-dependent on the grid to deliver needed electricity – to develop your own reliable, secure source of electricity. What can your facility do to lower peak need and/or produce power independently? Being energy independent is not cheap, but could be worth it to avoid or lessen the risks above.
An energy resiliency strategy consists of:

  • Understanding your systems, equipment and peak electric needs;
  • Understanding the effects of a power outage and what redundancies exist to minimize its chances of happening;
  • Estimating when/how you are most vulnerable to a potential interruption;
  • Designing of absolute needs should there be a loss of power. Which systems must be maintained and which are less critical?

Options:

  • Sufficient emergency back-up power or combined heat & power (CHP);
  • Monitors to detect when grid power is interrupted – even in neighboring areas – so you are prepared and can automatically have backup systems supply power;
  • Batteries to store excess power in case of an interruption.

Proper strategies and implementation can greatly reduce the chance of your facility being impacted by a power interruption. Such long-term thinking is often a low priority. But in this summer of extremes, it is more important than ever to begin to plan and implement smart strategies to reduce the risk and impacts of electricity outages. Make sure you put money in your budget to begin such planning soon.

CCES can help your firm develop an energy resiliency strategy and plan to assess and lessen the risk of power interruptions and improve your bottom line. Contact us today at 914-584-6720 or karell@CCESworld.com.

1st Commercial Ferry Using Fuel Cells Will Launch in 2019

One of the most problematic segments of the economy when it comes to the environment is the shipping industry. Since most ships travel outside of countries’ boundaries, it is hard to enforce environmental rules. In addition, the culture of shipping is overwhelmingly avoiding rules and regulations and having the “freedom” to do what one wants. Countries, NGOs, and other organizations have tried to educate shipping companies about the values and benefits of climate change and environmental responsibility, but nobody wants to spend resources to address problems that their competitors are not addressing.

Thus, it was a bit of a surprise when Water-Go-Round announced the first commercial fuel-cell-operated ferry in the world beginning in 2019. The hydrogen fuel cell-powered ferry will be monitored by Sandia National Laboratories. The project received a $3 million grant from California Air Resources Board (CARB).

According to passengership.info, the aluminium catamaran will have a capacity of 84 passengers. The vessel has a top speed of 22 knots and will be powered by 360 kW-worth of Hydrogenics fuel cells, alongside lithium-ion battery packs. It will carry a 264 kg tank array of 250-bar compressed hydrogen, which should permit up to two full days of operation. Propulsion will come from two 300 kW shaft motors.

Following its launch, Water-Go-Round will undergo a three-month study period in San Francisco Bay, during which time Sandia National Laboratories will gather and assess performance data. CARB will use this data to assess the suitability of the technology for wider marine use. A hydrogen-battery hybrid system was chosen over a purely electric system because of its perceived greater flexibility, their lack of moving parts, near-silent operation, and scalability, as fuel cells can be combined into larger systems.

CCES has the experts to help your firm assess whether new technologies or applications can save you costs, boost productivity, and put your business in a more competitive position. Contact us today at 914-584-6720 or at karell@CCESworld.com.

Paving Roads With – Eh, Solar Panels?

French and Chinese companies are experimenting with new technologies that would revolutionize the solar industry, producing solar panels that can be placed on our roads to make electricity. The appeal of “solar roads”, solar panels installed in place of asphalt, is clear. Generating electricity from already developed areas, like highways and streets, rather than from fields could conserve a lot of land.

By producing electricity on roads in and around cities, the electricity can be transmitted relatively shorter distances with less lost in transmission, as opposed to electricity from solar panels in rural fields. And procuring the land is essentially free because roads are needed anyway. Durable solar panels could reduce the cost of road maintenance, too.

Generating electricity on roads themselves could have other advantages, such as melting snow that falls on them or embedding them with lights for better illumination. There has been experimentation of using solar roads to re-charge electric vehicles.

The surface of experimental solar panels is composed of a complex polymer that has slightly more friction than a conventional road surface. Developers are trying to modify manufacturing procedures to ensure a tire’s grip on it is equivalent to asphalt.

A number of challenges exist for this technology before it is widely used. For example, a solar road is currently about 3 to 4 times the cost of a conventional asphalt road, although solar roads produce a sellable commodity, electricity. Based on current costs of electricity, the payback for the increased cost of a solar road is about 15 years. This payback can decrease if the solar panels can be made more efficient in producing electricity, as they lie flat and are occasionally blocked by vehicles.

One critical question left unanswered is how well solar panels can take the pounding of huge numbers of tires daily for many years. Most U.S. roads are made primarily with asphalt, which can buckle or shift under the weight of many cars, potentially damaging the solar chips that produce the electricity. European and Chinese roads have more concrete to absorb the flow, compared to U.S. roads. In addition, solar panels on roads might be stolen, leaving large potholes in the road and reducing productivity.

CCES can use our technical and economic experience to help your company or building assess a wide array of renewable energy options and which make the most sense for your specific building and circumstance. Contact us today at 914-584-6720 or at karell@CCESworld.com.

Is Your Building “Smart” or “Well-Managed”?

We all see the expression “Smart Building” a lot. What really is the definition of a “smart” building? Is any building using a BMS a “smart” building? Can a well-managed building (with simpler technology or a good manager) still be “smart” or is it its own category?

There are no established answers; definitions are a matter of degrees. A BMS is simply a series of thermostats or meters that allow adjustment of parameters based on pre-programmed inputs. Even if thermostats are primed from the building manager’s mobile device, is that really “smart”? Most BMSs include sequences to respond to needs and energy efficiency (turn off when unneeded), so they are at least a little smart.

Some people define a “smart” system as one integrating data to predict needs and adjust accordingly. Here are two examples. A smart system will recognize that a certain rooftop HVAC unit is not working properly (exit air temperature is too high) and provides the building manager with a list of potential issues that may be causing this; perhaps even self-investigating and resolving the problem itself, saving time and energy.

Second, a specific employee enters the building’s garage and the smart system knows which particular office will be occupied in X minutes by which hallway, so the necessary lights and HVAC loops are activated ahead of time. Both of these examples show the functionality and energy saving capability of a smart system.

New smart building technologies not only improve equipment operation and efficiency, but also address the daily habits and experience of the occupants. Traditional BMS systems were programmed to give optimal results for building management, while today’s smart technologies try to optimize the comfort of each occupant.

The question comes down to whether you need a “smart” building and whether the extra cost is worth it. If all employees arrive and leave at about the same time, then the capability to react to an employee’s unique arrival is not useful. Since there will probably always be a custodian on staff, are the extra “bells and whistles” of self-repair really necessary? Might a good alarm system (found in conventional BMSs) communicating a problem be sufficient? On the other hand, “smart” technology that makes employees more productive is worth quite a bit in terms of what the company pays its professionals and for the quality of the product it produces, and might justify such an investment.

CCES has the experts to help you make your building more energy efficient and your workers more productive, whether it be as a “smart” building or utilizing something simpler. We want to help you improve your business! Contact us today at 914-584-6720 or at karell@CCESworld.com.

Growing Demand For Green Building Materials

Many building owners want to be more “green”, but among the reasons some hesitate to do so is they feel it may be a hassle to buy and maintain. They don’t want to expand building maintenance staffs or spend more money to ensure “green” solutions work. But if “green” strategies can be made a part of the building itself, has tangible benefits and does not need special or increased maintenance, then that concern goes away.

There is a growing industry exactly working toward that end. Paints and glues that are solvent (VOC)-free are available that are just as attractive and effective (attach the parts, water-resistant, etc.) as those that contain solvents, and will not leach out and risk exposing workers or residents. In other words they meet “green” and WELL health standards. Carpets, steel, lumber, and insulation using recycled materials have been formulated and successfully tested to be just as attractive and hearty as those using virgin materials.

The movement for using green building materials in renovating or building a new structure is a growing business segment worldwide, as the “green” replacements are just as effective as the conventional ones.

One report projected that the global green building materials market will grow on average 12.5% annually between 2013 and 2019. Insulation accounted for the largest product segment, and is a welcome new home for recycled materials in the recycling industry which has a growing amount of recycled materials to find use for.

In addition, the “green” movement is also influencing and growing several conventional industries that were feared to be slowing down. For example, the growing interest in green roofs (vegetation) will drive demand for roofing application materials.

CCES has the experts to help provide advice on new technologies and approaches to building “green”, whether it is a new building or a renovation to save you costs, improve comfort for your tenants and workers, and/or be more innovative and reliable. The technologies are there, proven, and quite beneficial. Contact us today at 914-584-6720 or at karell@CCESworld.com.

Incentives For Lighting Upgrades Are Flickering

There’s no doubt about it. LED lights are now accepted as a way to reduce electricity for all types of buildings. They use much less electricity than historic bulbs and their prices have come down. Bloomberg estimated that nearly 500 million were installed nationwide in 2016. With this recognition, many utilities and government agencies are wondering whether it is time to gradually end incentive programs for LED lights.

But there are some strong arguments to keep incentives to encourage companies and the public to purchase LEDs. Despite their advantages, they have not totally won over the market. According to the National Electrical Manufacturers Association, LED lamps accounted for 36% of national light bulb sales in the 4th quarter of 2017, while halogen lamps still held 48% of market share. LEDs are displacing CFLs.
Also, the 36% market share is not consistent across the US, but is greatest in states or areas that either have strong financial incentives or high electric rates, from as high as 50% of the market in California to about 12% in Kentucky, according to the USEPA.

Some statistics in New York and Massachusetts, whose utilities have begun to reduce incentives, show that conversions to LEDs have also slowed down. Although switching to LEDs is strongly financially beneficial, consumers and companies have an expectation to get a further financial reward from the utility or government.

The belief is that when the new federal DOE standards come into effect on January 1, 2020 making it illegal to sell most halogen and incandescent light bulbs (less efficient than 45 lumens per watt), LED sales will increase. However, such sales may not soar because retailers will still be allowed to sell its non-complying products in the store past the compliance date and enforcement is unknown. The burden is not on the manufacturer or consumer, but on the retailer to stop selling non-compliant lights. How DOE will enforce these measures in many type of retail stores is unknown.

Utilities are realizing that targeted incentive programs may be best to encourage LED sales in the long term. Some utilities are beginning to focus on underserved markets to promote LED lights, such as rural and low-income urban areas. Programs may also be effective if they target the elderly market who have been slower to adopt to LEDs.

Some consumers have shied away from LEDs thinking they are limited in terms of beauty and utility. Focusing incentives to encourage people to buy decorative and reflector lights can improve this market and convert very energy inefficient lamps of these types to more efficient ones.

Finally, comes the transition to more robust incentives for lighting controls, turning lights – even more efficient ones like LEDs – off altogether when a room is not in use. Utilities are beginning to incentivize effective dimming and occupancy controls that are easy to install and operate.

CCES has the experts to help you upgrade your lights to LEDs to maximize the energy cost savings and to improve your employee’s or customer’s productivity and comfort. We know the existing incentive programs and can maximize these to provide you the best performing project economically with the shortest payback and return on investment. Contact us today at 914-584-6720 or at karell@CCESworld.com.