6/24 – Investment In Renewable Energy Yields More Jobs Than Fossil Fuels

Posted on June 24, 2015 by Leslie Rylke

Wednesday, June 24th 2015

A new report has determined that investments in energy-efficient and renewable energy sources yield more jobs for a set amount of spending than investing in maintaining or expanding the fossil fuel industry.

wind turbine cowboy jobsThe report, Global Green Growth: Clean Energy Industrial Investment and Expanding Job Opportunities, was published earlier this week and presented at the Vienna Energy Forum 2015 by its two authors, the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO).

“Significant progress has already been made in overcoming the hitherto conventional wisdom that taking steps to cut GHGs is incompatible with economic growth,” said Yvo de Boer, Director-General of GGGI. “This report moves the debate another positive step forward by showing that employment and development result from sustainable, green growth.”

6/15 – Switch to Wind Energy on Global Wind Day

Posted on June 15, 2015 by Leslie Rylke

Monday, June 15th 2015

Did you know that June 15th is Global Wind Day?

Currently, Pennsylvania has twenty-four operating wind farms with a total installed capacity of over 1,340 megawatts (MW) that generate over 3 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh) of clean electricity each year. That’s enough to power nearly 330,000 homes.

Your home and business is probably eligible to tap into this clean, renewable energy. Check out ChoosePAWind.com for more information!

6/3 – Job Alert: Director of Sustainability at Liberty Property Trust

Posted on June 3, 2015 by Leslie Rylke

Wednesday, June 3rd 2015

SEI is pleased to post job openings from member companies and partners, as a means of effectively reaching qualified, local candidates in the smart energy industry. Additionally, SEI staff can review applications on you company’s behalf. If you’d liked to post a Job Alert, send descriptions and application instructions to Will Williams.

Founded in 1972 and headquartered outside Philadelphia, Liberty develops, acquires, leases and manages properties with the mission to enhance people’s lives through extraordinary work environments. As passionate as we are about the real estate that we develop, lease and manage, we are just as committed to our most valuable asset – our employees. Employment with Liberty is an experience where you’ll experience engaging work, mutual respect and people-first values. We are currently in search of a Director of Sustainability to join our team and enable Liberty to further reach our goals!

Position Objectives:

The Director of Sustainability will function as an organizational strategist to help Liberty maintain its leadership position in sustainable and high-performance real estate. The Director of Sustainability’s primary responsibilities will be to work with senior management and field offices to develop, communicate, and implement sustainability objectives that create value and align with Liberty’s corporate strategy.

Essential Duties:

Develop and execute Liberty’s corporate sustainability strategy
Establish a business plan for the Sustainability Department that includes definition of goals and metrics relevant to Liberty’s current portfolio structure
Partner with and make recommendations to senior management within Liberty’s core disciplines (development, leasing and property management) to craft and implement objectives that further our position as a leader in sustainable practices
Promote and integrate sustainability throughout the organization, including operations and core business practices and processes
Manage and lead Liberty’s Sustainability team who are accountable for LEED and R&D project work, data collection, analysis and reporting, and ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager
Administer Liberty’s GRESB Report submission and partner with Investor Relations on applicable inquiries and surveys
Refine and promote tenant engagement programs, including LEEP (Liberty Energy Efficiency Partnership) and the Liberty Green Guide microsite
Serve as Liberty’s sustainability thought leader, consistently sharing state-of-the-art trends, materials and advances that have potential to further value creation in Liberty’s portfolio
Act as the company spokesperson for sustainability at industry presentations, panels, conferences, meetings, events, and professional organizations
Facilitate sustainability training and education for Liberty staff and assist with tracking of required employee accreditations
Remain on top of any city, state and federal legislation or policies that affect the Liberty portfolio and communicate that information

Desired Skills and Experience

4 year degree required. Master’s Degree (in business, real estate or sustainability) preferred
LEED Accreditation required
A minimum of 5 years sustainability experience required
Real Estate experience preferred
Strong communication skills, including written, verbal, and presentation
Strong qualitative and quantitative analytical skills
Experience managing and mentoring a team
Passion for sustainability and the built environment
Comfortable as a change agent working in a position of influence rather than authority

Learn more on LinkedIn

6/1 – SEI Hosts “Backing Up The Grid” at PJM Interconnection

Posted on June 1, 2015 by Leslie Rylke

Monday, June 1st 2015

The Smart Energy Initiative hosted 50+ at PJM Interconnection on Friday May 29th for a technical discussion on backing up the grid, from an organizational and community view point. The panel discussion, moderated by Paul Spiegel of Practical Energy Solutions, included:

Steve Boyle – Director, State Government Affairs
PJM Interconnection

Patrick Looney, PhD – Assistant Director
Brookhaven National Lab

Thomas Walker – Assistant Director
New Jersey Energy Resilience Bank

Gearoid Foley – Senior Technical Advisor
Mid-Atlantic CHP Technical Assistance Partnership

Click here to download the slides (.PDF)
Special thanks to PJM for hosting our group!

5/27 – Keares Electrical Contracting Proposes Coatesville Energy Park

Posted on May 27, 2015 by Leslie Rylke

Wednesday, May 27th 2015

From VISTA.today:

If Bob Keares, President of Keares Electrical Contracting, has his way, Coatesville area eco-friendly businesses looking for sustainable power to fuel their operations may have everything they need in a new multi-source energy park.

The 20-megawatt or more City of Coatesville Energy Park Keares proposed last week will attract new office or warehouse buildings to the community, all powered by renewable energy sources, according to a Daily Local News report.

The energy park project aims to combine a wind turbine, an anaerobic digestion plant, a hydro-power plant, compressed natural gas and combined heat and power with a micro-grid energy storage system to provide nearby businesses with reliable heat and power at below market prices.

The innovative energy park project is to be built on Manor Road behind the city’s Courtyard by Marriott, Keares Electrical Contracting’s President Bob Keares told the Coatesville City Council recently, the article said.

5/21 – PECO Completes $56 Million in Work to Prepare for Summer

Posted on May 21, 2015 by Leslie Rylke

Thursday, May 21st 2015

Summer is just around the corner, and PECO is ready. PECO has invested nearly $56 million and completed 21 projects that are essential to keeping homes and businesses cool during the hot summer months. This work includes substation equipment upgrades, transmission and distribution line improvements, new pole installations, and circuit and equipment inspections.

Summer preparedness is part of PECO’s ongoing investment in the reliability and safety of the systems serving customers. This includes more than $1.5 billion invested in electric system upgrades and expansions during the last five years. PECO also plans to continue to invest at least $300 million in ongoing system work each year, including replacing equipment and upgrading infrastructure to continue to provide safe and reliable service to customers. In addition, through PECO’s System 2020 plan, PECO plans to spend an additional $275 million during the next five years to install advanced equipment and reinforce the local electric system, making it more weather resistant and less vulnerable to storm damage.

5/1 – Tesla Introduces New, Scalable Home Battery System

Posted on May 1, 2015 by Leslie Rylke

Friday, May 1st 2015

From CNET.com:

Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk officially announced two battery backup solutions, one for homes and one for industrial use, at an event at the company’s Southern California design studio. The lithium-ion battery modules can store electricity from solar panels and serve to balance loads from the grid, charging up during non-peak energy usage hours, then providing energy to a home or facility during peak hours.

Homeowners will be able to get the Powerwall, which Tesla will sell in 7 and 10 kilowatt-hour modules. Musk said that certified installers could buy the smaller pack for $3,000 and the larger pack for $3,500 (UK and Australian details were not announced).

For industrial applications, Tesla offers the Powerpack, sold in 100 kilowatt-hour modules at $25,000 each. Musk said that Tesla would work with industrial customers on these installations. The battery backup systems come under a new product line at Tesla called Tesla Energy.

4/27 – Pennsylvania PUC Proposes New Net Metering Rules

Posted on April 28, 2015 by Leslie Rylke

Monday, April 27th 2015

Last week the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission proposed a new rule regarding net metering limits for distributed generation, such as solar PV installations. The rule, tentatively adopted at this point, would allow customers to produce (and sell back to the utility) up to 200% of their annual power needs, an increase from the current limit of 110%.

From Philly.com:

“The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission moved forward Thursday to set controversial rules and limits for “net-metering” customers who generate their own power from sources such as solar cells.

The commission tentatively adopted regulations that would allow “customer-generators” to produce up to 200 percent of their annual power needs and receive retail electricity prices for any surplus they sell back to the grid.

Solar-energy proponents were encouraged that the PUC’s rules were more generous than earlier proposals, which would have limited power production to 110 percent of power needs. But they questioned whether the PUC has the authority to set even a 200 percent limit.

“There’s no legal basis in the statute to add that restriction,” said Robert Altenburg, a senior energy analyst with PennFuture, who represented several environmental groups in the rule-making process.

The complex rule-making procedure attracted much testimony last year, including support from power producers such as small-scale solar developers and farmers who produce power from digesters that capture gas from livestock manure.

The PUC’s authority to regulate net-metering was outlined under the Alternative Energy Portfolio Standards Act of 2004. That law was amended by a 2008 law known as Act 129, which set targets for utilities to reduce energy demand.”

4/22 – A Bipartisan Idea: Energy Efficiency

Posted on April 22, 2015 by Leslie Rylke

Wednesday April 22nd, 2015

It might not be a blockbuster bill, but Congress easily passed efficiency legislation yesterday proving that one energy issue both sides can get behind is simply using less energy. From the New York Times:

‘The bill, which President Obama is expected to sign into law this week, is a modest one. But its authors, Senator Rob Portman, Republican of Ohio, and Senator Jeanne Shaheen, Democrat of New Hampshire, who had worked together for years on more ambitious energy-saving legislation, called it a significant victory.

“On the bill’s merits — creating jobs, saving consumers money and reducing pollution — it was never a hard sell,” Ms. Shaheen said. “The tough part was convincing Washington to not play politics with a good idea.”

Mr. Portman said, “Our targeted energy efficiency bill has garnered widespread support because of a simple fact: It is good for the economy and good for the environment.”’

Amen. So what exactly does the legislation entail?

“The narrower bill would create a voluntary program for landlords and tenants to improve energy efficiency in commercial buildings, mandate that large electric water heaters be run in a highly energy-efficient manner and require federal agencies to perform energy-use assessments on commercial buildings that they lease.”

4/2 – SEI Tours Independence LED in Boyertown

Posted on April 6, 2015 by Leslie Rylke

Thursday, April 2nd 2015

Members of SEI’s Board of Directors and a handful of guests toured Independence LED‘s Boyertown, PA LED factory yesterday. The group learned how various components are manufactured into high-performance LED light fixtures for almost any application right here in Southeastern Pennsylvania.

Special thanks for Charlie Szoradi, Chairman and CEO of Independence LED, and his team for showing us their facility!