IKEA Surpasses 85% Solar

IKEA, the world's leading home furnishings retailer, today officially plugged-in the solar energy system installed at its store in Stoughton, Massachusetts. The 118,000-square-foot PV array consists of a 590.8-kW (DC) system, built with 4,220 laminated panels. IKEA Stoughton's program will produce approximately 695,000 kWh of clean electricity annually, the equivalent of reducing 479 tons of carbon dioxide (CO₂), eliminating the emissions of 94 cars or powering 60 homes yearly (calculating clean energy equivalents at www.epa.gov/cleanenergy/energy-resources/calculator.html).

This installation represents the 38th completed solar project for IKEA in the U.S., with one more location underway, making the eventual IKEA solar presence nearly 90% of its U.S. locations, with a total generation of 38 MW. IKEA owns and operates each of its solar PV energy systems atop its buildings – as opposed to a solar lease or PPA (power purchase agreement) – and globally has allocated $1.8 billion to invest in renewable energy through 2015. This investment reinforces the long-term commitment of IKEA to sustainability and confidence in photovoltaic (PV) technology. Consistent with the company's goal of being energy independent by 2020, IKEA has installed more than 250,000 solar panels on buildings across the world and owns/operates approximately 110 wind turbines in Europe.

For the development, design and installation of the Stoughton store's customized solar power system, IKEA contracted with REC Solar, Inc., a national leader in solar electric system design and installation with more than 9,000 systems built across the U.S

"We at IKEA believe in the never-ending job of improving the sustainability of our day-to-day business," said Frank Briel, store manager. "The Stoughton coworkers are excited to help contribute to this goal with our newly operational solar energy system. We appreciate the support of the Town of Stoughton, National Grid and REC Solar, our partners in this project."

IKEA, drawing from its Swedish heritage and respect of nature, believes it can be a good business while doing good business and aims to minimize impacts on the environment. IKEA evaluates locations regularly for conservation opportunities, integrates innovative materials into product design, works to maintain sustainable resources, and flat-packs goods for efficient distribution. U.S. sustainable efforts include: recycling waste material; incorporating key measures into buildings with energy-efficient HVAC and lighting systems, recycled construction materials, warehouse skylights, and water-conserving restrooms; and operationally, eliminating plastic bags from the check-out process, phasing-out the sale of incandescent light bulbs, facilitating recycling compact fluorescent bulbs, and by 2016 selling and using only L.E.D. bulbs. IKEA also installed electric vehicle charging stations at nine stores in the Western U.S.

Video: Sustainable distribution warehouse

This video shares sustainable building concepts that facility managers and building owners can use to incorporate into new construction or renovation of any type of distribution warehouse facility. It would be see more industrial centers around the globe incorporate these concepts.

Yingli Green Energy and GRID Alternatives Partner to Provide Solar Energy to 400 Low-Income Families Across California

Yingli Green Energy Holding Company Limited (NYSE: YGE) ("Yingli Green Energy" or the "Company"), a leading solar energy company and one of the world's largest vertically integrated photovoltaic (PV) manufacturers, which markets its products under the brand "Yingli Solar," announced today that its U.S. subsidiary, Yingli Green Energy Americas, Inc. ("Yingli Americas"), has formed a strategic partnership with GRID Alternatives, a nonprofit solar installer whose mission is to empower communities in need by providing renewable energy and energy efficiency services, equipment and training. Under the terms of the agreement, Yingli Americas will provide the largest donation in GRID Alternatives' history, and will become the organization's official solar module provider
Combined with a network of community volunteers and green job trainees, Yingli Americas and GRID Alternatives will work together to install 1 MW of solar energy systems for 400 low-income families during 2011 using a combination of donated modules and modules purchased from Yingli at fair market value. These solar energy systems will generate $10 million worth of renewable energy over their lifespan, while eliminating 40,000 tons of greenhouse gas emissions. In addition, the projects will provide hands-on job training opportunities in solar PV installation to thousands of individuals looking to enter the solar workforce, through direct participation in the installations.

"GRID Alternatives is grateful to Yingli for helping us make solar power available to the working families that need the savings the most, while helping build the clean energy workforce of the future. We are also proving that if solar is a viable technology for low-income families, it can work for anyone anywhere," said Erica Mackie, Executive Director and Co-Founder of GRID Alternatives. "We are thrilled to announce this partnership – which is the first of its kind in our organization's history – and commend Yingli Americas for their vision and dedication to helping disadvantaged communities in the US."

"Social responsibility is a key pillar in our mission, and we're very proud to announce this partnership with GRID Alternatives," said Robert Petrina, Managing Director of Yingli Americas. "At Yingli, we believe in making solar power an affordable option for everyone, and addressing our local underserved communities is an important step in achieving this -- we're delivering clean energy and job training where it's required most."
Mr. Liansheng Miao, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Yingli Green Energy, commented, "We have a long-standing commitment to global social responsibility and to improving the lives of our future generations. That's why we seek out collaborations such as this one with GRID Alternatives in order to make a tangible difference."

Visit: http://www.igreenbuild.com/

Credit Union members request solar power

Cooperative Center Federal Credit Union Members request solar to be installed on their main office

March 15 (San Francisco) – Unlike most financial institutions that are owned by stockholders, who own a part of the institution and intend on making money from their investment, credit unions are owned by their members who own one “share” of the organization. The user of credit union services is also an owner, and is even entitled to vote on important issues, such as the election of member representatives to serve on the board of directors.

Recently, at the request of the members and owners of the Cooperative Center Federal Credit Union in Berkeley, (CCFCU) chose to go solar with a 29.7 kW DC photovoltaic solar system being installed by their Berkeley neighbor and industry pioneer, Sun Light & Power.

The solar installation is comprised of 108 Suntech 275 modules that are expected to produce at least 42,028 kWh each year. That equates to the emissions from 6 cars or the electricity to power 4 homes.

A Web-based monitoring Data Acquisition System will help keep track of daily-weekly-yearly and lifetime system production.

In the words of the Co-op to their members: “Once completed, the system will represent your genuine commitment to responsible energy consumption and sustainability. It will also result in lowered operating costs for the Credit Union! “

About the Cooperative Center Federal Credit Union
The Cooperative Center Federal Credit Union was chartered on April 20, 1942 to serve the employees and members of the Consumers Cooperative of Berkeley, Inc. (Co-op Market Chain). The Co-op Credit Union continues to serve members from their original group, even though the Co-op Market Chain is no longer in business. These members see the Credit Union as their primary financial institution. This inherently stable "core" membership has provided a solid foundation from which to build.

During the 1980s Cooperative Center became the survivor of a series of mergers with other credit unions in the area. Two of these were the Cal Berkley Credit Union and Alta Bates Credit Union. These, two along with our original Co-op Markets, continue to make up our largest field of membership.

Today, the CCFCU continues to expand their membership base by accepting qualified private companies, organizations and associations. To this day they continue to bring in other groups. This careful expansion has helped build a uniquely diversified membership around the stable core of original members.

The Credit Union has over $80 million in assets and over 10,000 members, offering a full range of services from their main office at 2001 Ashby Ave. office and their branch on the UC Berkeley Campus.

About Sun Light & PowerSun Light & Power is a design/build solar firm based in Berkeley, CA with 34 years of leadership in alternative energy systems and innovative designs for homes and businesses. The company is committed to creating living environments that serve people's intrinsic needs, supporting the human spirit and preserving the planet’s resources for future generations.

Founded in 1976 by Gary Gerber (who is also the 2008-2011 President of the California Solar Energy Industries Association - CALSEIA), Sun Light & Power is the first renewable energy contractor to be certified by the Alameda County Green Business Program, and among the first in the nation to qualify as a B Corporation.

The company’s professional staff includes specialists in engineering, system installation, project management, electrical system design, financing and contract administration, including: 5 Professional Engineers, 7 LEED AP Green Building professionals, 3 Electrical Contractors (C-10) and 7 NABCEP Certified Professionals. Sun Light & Power is licensed as both a General Contractor (B) and Solar Contractor (C-46).

More information is available at: www.sunlightandpower.com

Blog post approved by www.iGreenBuild.com.

Rooftop Solar Panels for PSS Distribution

PSS Distribution Services Replaces Annual Electricity Consumption With Rooftop Solar Panels
Leading logistics/supply chain management company, PSS Distribution Services, takes warehousing and transportation to a new level of environmental responsibility as its Dayton, NJ headquarters undergoes construction for the installation of solar powered rooftop panels.
Dayton, NJ – March 15, 2011 – PSS Distribution Services aims to replace its annual headquarters’ electricity consumption with clean energy generated by rooftop solar panels during a six-month project consisting of a 200,000 square foot operation on the roof of the company’s Dayton, NJ facility.
The goal of PSS Distribution Services’ solar energy project is to replace its annual electricity consumption of 550,000 kWh with clean solar power. Successful completion of the project will be equivalent to eliminating 2 million miles driven in a car per year or preventing the production of 750,000 lbs of carbon dioxide. To accomplish this goal, more than 2,000 230-watt solar panels are currently being installed on a rooftop mounted non-penetrating self-ballasting racking system.  The project is scheduled to be completed by the end of April 2011.
The solar panels will utilize power inverters to convert DC power to AC power.  Because the building will still be connected to the grid through a Net Meter, the solar panel system will be able to generate more power than the building uses during sunny times, in order to draw that power back during non-sun times.
According to officials at PSS Distribution Services, the company is committed to demonstrating environmental awareness through corporate example because PSS understands its environmental responsibility as a leader in logistics, warehousing and transportation.
“This solar energy project is a big step for PSS in its commitment to environmental awareness,” says Gary Borne, President of PSS Distribution Services. “As we proudly make this transition to solar energy, we look forward to dramatically reducing our environmental impact while maintaining high levels of productivity.”
PSS Distribution Services provides third party logistics services throughout the Northeast.

For more information, visit http://www.pssdistribution.com/.
About PSS Warehousing & Transportation
PSS Warehousing & Transportation is the Northeast's premier services provider and a leader in warehousing, storage, transportation and distribution since 1983. PSS is an industry-leading third party distribution services provider whom Fortune 500 companies have come to rely on for their expertise in consumer product distribution, reverse logistics, transportation and packaging services. The company's state-of-the-art Warehouse Management and Road Transportation Systems offer applications that include: EDI, Radio Frequency and Bar-coding, Comprehensive Inventory Control and Activity Reports, Lot Code and Shelf Life Management and Monitoring, Document Imaging, Product Recall Program and our Net View Internet Enabled Access.
For more information, visit PSS Warehousing &; Transportation online at http://www.pssdistribution.com/

Blog post approved by www.iGreenBuild.com.

Solar incentives threaten local ownership

Minneapolis, Minn.—(May 28, 2008). Large, remote concentrating solar power systems are the new darlings of the solar industry. Some observers now see centralized, not decentralized solar as the future. But a new report by the Institute for Local Self-Reliance reveals that the economic advantage of centralized solar and absentee owned solar arrays rests on federal tax incentives that discriminate against locally owned, decentralized solar arrays.

John Farrell, the report's author and a strong voice in the energy community, calls for Congress to change federal tax incentives to give equal benefits to residential solar arrays, instead of favoring commercial and centralized projects.

"Decentralized solar arrays avoid the cost and hassle of building new high voltage transmission lines", says Farrell. "They also enable local ownership, which should be a goal of public policy."

Concentrating solar power plants work more like conventional power plants than solar photovoltaic panels. They use large arrays of mirrors to focus sunlight for heat, using the heat to create steam and generate electricity. These plants, mostly built in the deserts of the American Southwest, must send their power over long-distance transmission lines and are much larger than the rooftop solar panels that were previously the dominant form of solar power production.

The size of concentrating solar plants precludes local ownership, a benefit that renewable energy policy must factor in. "Ownership converts citizens into energy producers, which in turn gives them a personal stake in expanding the use of renewable energy," notes Farrell. "It also encourages them to maximize energy efficiency, because the greater the efficiency the more independent they become, perhaps even becoming a net exporter of electricity."

The full report, Concentrating Solar and Decentralized Power: Government Incentives Hinder Local Ownership, is available online at http://www.newrules.org/.

For more information, or to arrange an interview with John Farrell, please contact Brooke Gullikson.

About ILSR and the New Rules Project: Since 1974, ILSR has worked with citizen groups, governments and private businesses in developing practices that extract the maximum value from local resources. A program of ILSR, the New Rules Project was designed to build community by supporting humanly scaled politics and economics.

Wind Turbines Used At Major Airport

Massport, The Massachusetts Port Authority, announced on March 5, 2008 that it will be installing 20 building integrated wind turbines at Boston Logan International Airport. This is an impressive and promising project for the renewable energy community and iGreenBuild.com is very happy to report this news.

The complete article has some great details about this major project.

A Bit About Solar Power

Here's a quick read about solar power published on our website iGreenBuild.com. If you are like most of us here in the office you can sense that Solar is finally gaining the momentum and acceptance it truly deserves. If so, its time to get knowledgeable about active solar and passive solar, this article will help.

Read Affordable, Low Maintenance Solar Energy on iGreenBuild.com.