I learned something new in the past couple of weeks.  We recently closed on a house (yay!) and one of the first things I mused with our realtor about was, “should we install A/C?”  The Bay Area in general has great weather, but the last few summers have had a few days here and there where temperatures were above 90 degrees, making it unbearably hot indoors as well.  Today happens to be one of those days – yesterday, temperatures were almost 90 in our apartment, and today, it definitely went past the 90 F mark.  It’s hard to resist the temptation to install A/C on days like this.

Anyway, our realtor mentioned installing an attic fan instead.  Have you heard of these?   During the summer, the temperature in your attic can get well over 100 F.  Without an attic fan, heat gets trapped, and it makes your house warmer.  An attic fan helps cool down your attic, making your house much cooler.  IF you also happen to have A/C running, an attic fan improves efficiency; there’s less work required by your A/C unit to cool down the house.  I’ve read that it can save up to 30% on cooling costs, so in the long run, it may be cheaper for you to install one in your own home.

By the way, attic fans are electric or solar.  I think they may also come in hybrid versions but I haven’t seen any so far.  We’re thinking of installing the solar fan since no energy would be required to run it.  Now we just need to figure out where to buy one of these and who can install it.  Anyone have any recommendations?

One area bucking this trend is green technology. A United Nations report indicates over $148 billion was invested into alternative energy last year, up a whopping 60 percent from the $92.6 billion spent in 2006. The report describes this as a “green energy gold rush”. Wind energy led with $50 billion in investments, but solar was the largest gainer with a 90 percent rise, totaling $28 billion in investments. Even high profile venture capital firms such as Kleiner Perkins have established funds and partner areas earmarked for green investments.

What’s great is that this appears to be a global trend led by Europe, which as we all know is far more advanced from clean tech and alternative energy perspectives than the rest of the world. There appears to be strong and growing interest in emerging countries such as Brazil, China, and India as well, as these countries recognize their growth and development will soon be hindered by their consumption and dependence on foreign energy. In case you’re wondering, not only do we pollute the most in the U.S. (on both an absolute and per capita basis), but we are one of the worst, least advanced clean tech, developed countries in the world.

It was only a matter of time before this happened. Planet Green, the first and only (so far) 24-hour channel devoted to eco-friendliness just launched. Planet Green is part of the parent company that own the Discovery Channel, which I admit is one of my favorite channels. I never thought non-fiction television could be so compelling – and I’m not talking about “reality TV” folks.

Planet Green offers both television and online content focused around all things green. This includes not only tips and suggestions to help make your life more green, but also the latest green technology, how others are going green, and how you can detoxify your home and your lifestyle. As Planet Green says, it, along with TreeHugger.com, is helping to energize and move the green conversation into the spotlight.

There is a handy channel finder for you to located the channel it’s on in your area and with your particular subscriber. It’s even offered in HD quality if you want to be really blown away by green! They appear to have some great programming that I can’t wait to start watching.

According to one of our favorite blogs, Inhabitat:

An annual budget of $3 million dollars will help create incentives for individuals and businesses to install solar photovoltaics systems with a $3,000 to $6,000 rebate available to individuals and a $10,000 rebate for businesses.

This site also has some good FAQs if you are seriously considering installing solar panels.

Well here’s one more reason why Chicago is a great city: Mayor Daley. Regardless of your political party affiliation, you have to admit that he’s doing a pretty good job of making Chicago one of, if not the greenest cities in the US today. Here are just a few examples:

• Chicago’s City Hall is the country’s first rooftop garden on a municipal building – Check out the Featured Projects link on this website
• The Green Alley Project where alleys are retrofitted with environmentally sustainable road-building materials (there’s a lot more interesting information about this project here)
• Museums (all of them) have been converted to partially run on solar power
• All new public buildings to achieve at least LEED Silver status

Check out this cool PDF which shares more info on some of the other big green projects Chicago has completed.

Okay, Google hasn’t really unlocked the genetic secret to grow solar trees (I’m sure they will soon), but their solar installation is really like a solar forest. In a previous post, I wrote about how Google gave its employees a lift with the Google Shuttle Program. The program brings hundreds of workers to and from its offices each day, and in the process, removes hundreds of cars from the roads.

I recently discovered another great Google initiative, the Google Solar Project, which “went live” last year. In October 2006, Google announced an initiative to install over 9,200 solar panels in its Mountain View campus, nicknamed the “Googleplex”. The solar panels are installed everywhere from the top of their buildings to their parking lots. In fact, one great side benefit of the solar arrays is that a huge amount of covered parking was produced. I wonder how much energy is saved for employees who don’t have to use their air conditioning because their cars were not baking under the sun all day?

Google’s solar array went live last year and produces an estimated 1.6 megawatts of electricity, enough to power about 1,000 homes. The undertaking was immense and is one of the largest corporate installations at the time (and it is still one of the largest corporate installations). To understand the scale of electricity produced, the panels are expected to offset approximately 30% of Google’s peak electricity consumption at those buildings. Although the return on investment is estimated to be between 5 – 10 years, Google undertook this project to help fulfill its role as a responsible corporate citizen, something more companies and people should aim to do. Not only is Google saving electricity, but they are also saving money and using this as a working lab to demonstrate the feasibility of large solar installations.

Although installing a solar array can be fairly expensive and not an option for many people, it’s great to see companies like Google stepping up to do its part. Many other companies have already installed solar arrays, and many more are beginning to do so. I do have one question. Who gets the fun job of cleaning all these solar panels?

Maybe it’s because I am a mechanical engineer by training, and I always think in terms of mechanical mechanisms, but whenever I think of storing solar power, I think of a giant flywheel. Spinning and spinning. That’s what you all think of too, right?

Well, it turns out that that’s just not right, and it’s the New York Times that sets me straight. Last week they had a fascinating article that talks about how the new solar utility facilities are using giant tanks of molten SALT to store heat energy generated by thermal solar plants during the day, for use when clouds pass overhead, or at night. Did you even know that salt melts?

These technologies and techniques are truly fascinating because they get one of the obstacles which prevent us from exploiting the almost limitless solar energy that we receive every day.

To understand the positive environmental impacts Wal-Mart can make, it’s important to first understand Wal-Mart’s massive scale. We all know Wal-Mart is “big”, but here are some Wal-Mart numbers to help put things into perspective.

• Over 4,100 stores in the US and another 3,125 internationally for a total of over 7,200 stores globally
• Saw nearly $350 billion in revenue for the last fiscal year and over $100 billion in this past 4th quarter
• Visited by over 100 million shoppers each week (that’s only counting America)
• Employs over 1.9 million people
• Accounts for 8 percent of retail sales in the U.S. (excluding automobiles)

As we can see, anything Wal-Mart does is simply huge. One thing Wal-Mart has done well is experiment with energy saving techniques such as solar power, wind power, new HVAC technologies, waterless urinals, and new lighting technologies. In 2005, Wal-Mart opened two experimental supercenter stores in McKinney, Texas and Aurora, Colorado. These stores employ the latest technologies and use 20% less energy than the standard baseline superstore. They are platforms for a lot of the technology rolled out to their other stores. In January 2008, Wal-Mart opened a second high-efficiency store, which employs state-of-the-art technologies to use 25% less energy than standard stores. They employ technology such as water reclamation, waterless urinals, and intelligent lighting sensitive to time of day and store traffic. As some of this technology is rolled out to their other stores, efficiencies and energy savings will really add up quickly.

Wal-Mart is employing solar technology in 22 of its Hawaii and California stores. These stores generate 30 percent of the power needed to operate a store, or over 20 million Kilowatt hours of energy per year. This helps reduce greenhouse gases 6,500 – 10,000 metric tons per year.

In 2006, Wal-Mart installed high efficiency auxiliary power units on all trucks that make overnight trips, allowing drivers to turn off their truck engines during breaks. The annual impact is estimated to be 100,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions and a savings of 10 million gallons of diesel fuel. Also, the company estimates it will save $25 million per year. In addition, Wal-Mart is working to convert its entire fleet of trucks to hybrid diesel technology by 2010 and to double the fuel efficiency of its fleet within 10 years.

By May of this year, Wal-Mart plans to only sell concentrated liquid laundry detergent in all its U.S. stores and Sam’s Clubs. Although this may sound like a small change, reduced packaging and water needs will save an estimated 400 million gallons of water, 125 million pounds of cardboard, and 95 million pounds of plastic resin. There are also huge transportation reductions and savings.

On October 3, 2007, Wal-Mart sold its 100th million compact florescent light bulbs. Each CFL saves $30 in utility costs, uses 70 percent less energy than a traditional light bulb, and prevents 450 pounds of greenhouse gases from being released into the atmosphere. Multiply these benefits by 100 million, and you can see the impact add up quickly.

Wal-Mart also started selling reusable plastic bags for $1 in its stores. If Wal-Mart sells its projected 2 million bags, Wal-Mart will have avoided producing 100 million disposable plastic bags. This is equivalent to 1,185,000 pounds of plastic resin.

Again, the cynic in me says that Wal-Mart is likely taking these actions to increase their bottom line or to create some good press. However, whether or not we are personal fans of Wal-Mart, the fact is Wal-Mart is taking action, and they are making a huge, noticeable difference. In the next and final article, we’ll discuss how Wal-Mart is working with suppliers to increase efficiencies beyond its own stores.

I did just a bit of digging, and found a few other amazing tidbits:

• Capturing 0.02% of the solar energy that hits the earth could supply ALL of our energy needs. (Wikipedia)
• There is 10,000 times more sunlight than we need to meet 100 percent of our energy needs (scientist Ray Kurtzweil)

Of course, there are major problems that need to be resolved, including how to capture that energy, the fact that solar is mostly available during the day, and transport issues, but they really seem solvable.

We’re going to be posting more about this topic in the coming months, but in the meantime, take a look at the Science Friday page, or listen to their podcast. It’s really encouraging!

According to their website, “[GRID Alternatives has] installed 151 solar electric systems for low-income families throughout Northern and Southern California. These systems are reducing each family’s electric bills by approximately 75%, which will translate to a total of over $2.49 million in energy cost savings over the systems’ projected life spans. They will also prevent roughly 7,555 tons of greenhouse gas emissions over the next 30 years, the equivalent of planting 10,544 trees.”

Great stuff. But there’s also a benefit to you, as a volunteer. You’re making a meaningful impact on your community as well as the environment, and you’ll pick up cool, hands-on solar electric installation experience.