Dominion Virginia Power to Install Northern Virginia's Largest Solar Energy Project to Date at Prologis Concorde Distribution Center

Dominion News

Dominion Virginia Power to Install Northern Virginia's Largest Solar Energy Project to Date at Prologis Concorde Distribution Center

-- More than 3,000 solar panels to be located atop two buildings at Sterling, Va. site

-- Project will produce enough energy to power nearly 200 homes

-- Dominion will operate up to 30 megawatts of solar power under partnership program

Jul 15, 2014

STERLING, Va., July 15, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Dominion Virginia Power will install more than 3,000 solar panels capable of generating more than 800 kilowatts of electricity – enough to power nearly 200 homes – at the Prologis Concorde Distribution Center in Sterling, Va. The panels will be installed on the rooftops of two adjacent buildings on its campus and will cover nearly 102,000 square feet.

"Our customers in Northern Virginia are focused on renewable energy and this installation reflects Dominion's commitment to understanding how solar power can fit into our generation mix," saidKen Barker, vice president of Customer Solutions. "The partnership with Prologis will enable us to evaluate the benefits and study the impact of distributed solar generation on our electric grid."

Prologis, Inc. (NYSE: PLD), the global leader in industrial real estate, is committed to minimizing the environmental impact of its operations and development activity in ways that benefit its customers, business and the communities where it operates.

"Prologis is dedicated to leading the industry in sustainable development, renewable energy and energy efficiency," said Drew Torbin, vice president of renewable energy for Prologis. "This project with Dominion Virginia Power supports our efforts to improve the efficiency and profitability of our partners in the region."

This installation for Prologis is the first Northern Virginia project in Dominion's Solar Partnership Program, where the company leases rooftop or ground space at commercial, industrial or public facilities for installation of solar panels. All the electricity generated in the $2.5 million project will flow to the electric grid for use by Dominion Virginia Power customers. Construction is scheduled to begin in July. The panels are expected to be fully installed and operational in October.

PowerSecure (NYSE: POWR), a North Carolina-based company with offices in Virginia, has been selected as the engineering, procurement and construction company.

Dominion's Solar Partnership Program will construct and operate up to 30 megawatts of company-owned solar facilities on leased rooftops or on the grounds of commercial businesses and public properties throughout the company's service areas. When fully implemented, the program will generate enough power for up to 7,500 homes. Dominion has already completed roof solar installations at the Canon Industrial Resource Technologies facility in Gloucester and at Old Dominion University in Norfolk.

About DominionDominion (NYSE: D) is one of the nation's largest producers and transporters of energy, with a portfolio of approximately 23,600 megawatts of generation, 10,900 miles of natural gas transmission, gathering and storage pipeline and 6,400 miles of electric transmission lines. Dominion operates one of the nation's largest natural gas storage systems with 947 billion cubic feet of storage capacity and serves retail energy customers in 10 states. For more information about Dominion, visit www.dom.com.

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About Prologis
Prologis, Inc., is the leading owner, operator and developer of industrial real estate, focused on global and regional markets across the Americas, Europe and Asia. As of March 31, 2014, Prologis owned or had investments in, on a wholly owned basis or through co-investment ventures, properties and development projects expected to total approximately 574 million square feet (53.3 million square meters) in 21 countries. The company leases modern distribution facilities to more than 4,700 customers, including manufacturers, retailers, transportation companies, third-party logistics providers and other enterprises.

SOURCE Dominion

Solar-powered smart park benches charge your gear - CNET

Park benches are usually pretty passive objects. You sit on them to read the paper or watch your kids on the playground. Changing Environments, a spin-off company from the MIT Media Lab, thinks benches should do a lot more than just sit around.

The Soofa is a solar-powered bench that can be used to charge small gadgets via USB. That's not the outdoor furniture's only trick. Each bench also acts as a data hub, collecting information on noise levels and air quality. That data will be accessible online, so you can check to see if it's sunny, cool, quiet, or loud at your favorite park bench location.

Solar-powered smart park benches charge your gear - CNET

Energy Department Announces Up to $31 Million for Initial Phases of Enhanced Geothermal Systems Field Observatory | Department of Energy

As part of the Administration’s all-of-the-above energy strategy, the Energy Department today announced up to $31 million to establish the initial phases of the Frontier Observatory for Research in Geothermal Energy (FORGE), a field laboratory dedicated to cutting-edge research on enhanced geothermal systems (EGS).  EGS are engineered reservoirs, created beneath the surface of the Earth, where there is hot rock but limited pathways through which fluid can flow. During EGS development, underground fluid pathways are safely created and their size and connectivity increased. These enhanced pathways allow fluid to circulate throughout the hot rock and carry heat to the surface to generate electricity.  In the long term, EGS may enable domestic access to a geographically diverse baseload, and carbon-free energy resource on the order of 100 gigawatts, or enough to power about 100 million homes.



Energy Department Announces Up to $31 Million for Initial Phases of Enhanced Geothermal Systems Field Observatory | Department of Energy

Departments of Energy and Agriculture Announce Bioenergy Projects in 10 States | Department of Energy

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced the selection of 10 projects that will receive funding aimed at accelerating genetic breeding programs to improve plant feedstocks for the production of biofuels, biopower, and bio-based products. The investment is part of the Obama Administration’s broader effort to diversify the nation’s energy portfolio and accelerate development of new clean energy technologies designed to decrease dependence on foreign oil, providing a more secure future for America’s energy needs and enhancing rural economies.



Departments of Energy and Agriculture Announce Bioenergy Projects in 10 States | Department of Energy

151 New England Buildings compete in EPA’s 5th Annual Energy Star Battle of the Buildings

EPA News Release:

News Release U.S. Environmental Protection Agency New England Regional Office July 16, 2014  Contact: David Deegan, (617) 918-1017 151 New England Buildings compete in EPA’s 5th Annual Energy Star Battle of the Buildings BOSTON – More than 150 buildings across New England have entered the 2014 Energy Star Battle of the Buildings: Team Challenge. The competition specifically targets wasted energy in commercial buildings, and will motivate businesses to improve energy efficiency, reduce carbon pollution, and save money. “The competitive spirit is alive and well among the New England building teams trying to improve their energy efficiency in this year’s Battle of the Buildings,” said Curt Spalding, regional administrator of EPA’s New England office. “After four successful years, we’re excited to see what innovative ideas will emerge from the competitors as they continue to find new ways to save energy, save money, and protect the environment.” In the only coast-to-coast competition of its kind, more than 5,500 buildings nationwide are going head-to-head to reduce their energy use. This year’s theme, Team Challenge, features teams of five or more buildings who will work together to reduce their collective energy use over the course of a year. For example, Team Staples includes 17 Staples stores and Team Whole Foods Market includes 15 Whole Foods stores. Competitors will measure and track their building's monthly energy consumption using EPA's Energy Star online energy measurement and tracking tool, Portfolio Manager. Over the course of the competition, building teams will work to optimize or upgrade equipment, retrofit lighting, and change occupants’ behaviors – all with help from Energy Star. The team reducing its buildings’ average energy use the most, on a percentage basis, over a 12-month performance period, will be declared the winner. Seven hundred buildings, including 37 from New England, are also competing in a special water reduction category, and will work with EPA’s WaterSense program to apply best practices for commercial building water management. EPA will maintain a website devoted to the competition, featuring a listing of competitors and their starting, midpoint, and final standings, a live Twitter feed where competitors will post updates on their progress, and an interactive map of the competitors’ locations. Midpoint results will be posted in October. The winner will be announced in April 2015. This year marks the fifth year EPA is hosting the Battle of the Buildings. The competition—and positive environmental impacts—have grown exponentially since that time. Last year’s competitors saved a combined total of more than 900 million kBtus of energy and an estimated $20 million on utility bills. Nearly 50 buildings in the competition demonstrated energy use reductions of 20 percent or greater. Commercial buildings in the United States are responsible for approximately 20 percent of the nation’s energy use and greenhouse gas emissions at a cost of more than $100 billion annually. By improving the energy efficiency of the places we work, play, and learn, the competitors will save energy and reduce harmful greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change. President Obama’s Climate Action Plan calls for businesses to cut in half the amount of energy they waste over the next 20 years. Products, homes and buildings that earn the Energy Star label prevent greenhouse gas emissions by meeting strict energy efficiency requirements set by EPA. From the first Energy Star qualified computer in 1992, the label can now be found on products in more than 70 different categories, with more than 4.5 billion sold over the past 20 years. Over 1.5 million new homes and 23,000 buildings have earned the Energy Star label. New England Battle of the Building competitors by state include: Connecticut: 63 buildings in the competition, including 29 courthouses Maine: 18 buildings including 16 owned by the Government Services Administration, (GSA) Massachusetts: 43 buildings including a team of 6 buildings from Hanscom AFB New Hampshire: 6 buildings Rhode Island: 4 buildings Vermont: 17 buildings, all owned by GSA More information: Current Battle of the Buildings competition: http://www.energystar.gov/BattleOfTheBuildings 2013 Battle of the Buildings Wrap up http://www.energystar.gov/buildings/tools-and-resources/energy-star-national-building-competition-2013-wrap-report-trends-best-practices #  #  #

NW&RA applauds EPA’s decision on cellulosic biofue - Renewable Energy from Waste

The National Waste & Recycling Association (NW&RA), Washington, D.C., has applauded a decision by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to publish a final rule qualifying additional fuel pathways as cellulosic biofuel, including landfill gas, under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) program.



According to the final rule, the EPA will allow biogas from landfills to be counted as cellulosic biofuels under the standard. Specifically, compressed natural gas, liquefied natural gas and electricity used to power vehicles derived from landfill biogas or separated municipal solid waste digesters will qualify as cellulosic and advanced fuel pathways. The EPA did not finalize qualifications for waste-derived renewable diesel, naptha and renewable gasoline from biogas.



NW&RA applauds EPA’s decision on cellulosic biofue - Renewable Energy from Waste

GE Press Release:

Save Cool Cash this Summer with an Energy-Efficient Second Fridge

July 11, 2014

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LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- July 11, 2014 -- (NYSE:GE) -- Summer is here, and that means playing outside, get-togethers with families and friends for holiday barbecues, weddings and backyard or pool parties. All of that entertaining often requires extra fridge space for beverages, snacks and leftovers. More than 40 percent of appliance owners solve that problem by keeping their old refrigerators when they buy a new one, often moving the old one to the basement, garage or man cave.1

Having a second fridge is handy, but it can be costly.

If the refrigerator humming away in your garage or basement is Avocado Green, Coppertone or Harvest Gold, it was probably built in the 1960s or 1970s and is sucking hundreds of dollars in electrical costs from your bank account each year. Average yearly electrical consumption of a 1972 refrigerator2 is 2,000 kilowatt-hours, which adds up to about $270 every year.3 Even a fridge built in the 1990s costs far more to operate than today's models. Replacing a 1999 fridge with one of today's ENERGY STAR® models will save about $55 each year.4

There are several good reasons to replace your old fridge with a smaller energy-efficient model:

• Second fridges are seldom full, meaning that a smaller refrigerator will do just as well and take up less floor space.
• A new fridge uses less electricity than an older refrigerator, saving you money and improving the environment by helping to reduce greenhouse gases.
• A non-dispensing fridge uses less electricity than a model with an ice-maker or water dispenser.3
• A top-freezer model uses 10 to 25 percent less electricity than a side-by-side model.3

Newer models offer significant energy savingThis year, GE's Decatur, Ala., plant is manufacturing new 15-, 16- and 18-cubic-foot top-freezer refrigerators that meet new energy efficiency standards. "The new GE top-freezer refrigerator models are attractive, energy efficient and well suited for smaller homes or as second refrigerators in garages or basements," said Dan Goldstein, refrigeration marketing manager for GE Appliances. And depending on the age of your old fridge, the payback on a new model can be only a few years.

The manufacturer's suggested retail price for a new GE 16-cubic-foot top-freezer refrigerator (modelGTE16DTHWW) is $599; the estimated cost of electricity to run it for a full year is only $41, almost 85 percent less than a 1972 model. Choose a smaller fridge---GE's 15-cubic-foot model (HPE15BTHWW)---and pay only $549 with estimated annual energy costs of $40. When compared to the cost of operating that 1972 model, these new refrigerators can pay for themselves in less than three years. Consumers can use the ENERGY STAR website's Refrigerator Retirement Savings Calculator to estimate their savings.

When you buy that newer, more energy-efficient model, be sure to responsibly dispose of your old refrigerator. Some states and municipalities offer rebates for recycling. See tips and information on recycling here as well as learn more about GE's newest recycling initiative in the Northeast.

About GE AppliancesGE Appliances is at the forefront of building innovative, energy-efficient appliances that improve people's lives. GE Appliances' products include refrigerators, freezers, cooking products, dishwashers, washers, dryers, air conditioners, water filtration systems and water heaters. General Electric (NYSE: GE) works on things that matter to build a world that works better. For more information on GE Appliances, visitwww.ge.com/appliances.

1. Early Replacement of Appliances. AHAM Consumer Information. Retrieved fromhttp://www.aham.org/consumer/ht/d/sp/i/68938/pid/689382. Automatic defrost, top-freezer style3. Cornell University's College of Human Ecology, www.human.cornell.edu4. Early Replacement of Appliances. AHAM Consumer Information. Retrieved fromhttp://www.aham.org/consumer/ht/d/sp/i/68938/pid/68938

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• Business Unit: Appliances and Lighting