All Entries in the "Green News from Around the World" Category
Maui sets goal of 95% renewable energy by 2020
When you think of places that are making great strides forward in utilization of renewable energy, Maui isn’t necessarily one of them. But it should be.
Right now Maui produces just over 15% of its energy needs from renewable sources. Wind farms capture the South Pacific breezes and turn them into energy, while the left over product from sugar cane, bagasse, has been used by Hawaiian Commercial and Sugar Company to power steam generators since the early 1900s. But is 95% renewable a realistic goal? Absolutely. Maui has great natural resources that, with efficient utilization, can provide an enormous amount of power. Abundant sunshine and good winds make solar photovoltaic panels and wind farms viable. By the end of this year Maui’s new wave platforms should be operational. These platforms, located off the north shore, were built by Oceanlinx Limited, an Australian company, and are designed to operate by wave energy that displaces air and pushes a turbine located inside. New wind farms are being built at various locations on the island to capture winds that blow from different directions seasonally.
A new biodiesel plant is under construction that will be one of the largest on the island. Texas and Arizona developer BlueEarth Biofuels, is expected to produce 40 million gallons per year of biodiesel, eventually operating entirely from Hawaiian grown feed stock.
One of the greatest, largely untapped, sources for renewable energy on the island is geothermal. Utilizing this resource necessitates great care as it is an issue with tremendous cultural sensitivity. Volcanic areas hold spiritual significance for many indigenous Hawaiians who view excavation and construction in these areas as a desecration of the land. Geothermal is a desirable energy source as the power supply doesn’t fluctuate like other sources, i.e. solar and wind that depend on sunshine and steady breezes.
The Renewable Resource Development Group has also recommended lifting the current cap on energy from solar installations that can be pumped back into the grid. Lifting the cap would provide incentives for both homeowners and businesses to install additional PV panels, which would reduce the demand off the main power grid. Maui is already one of the first places to require a solar hot water heater to be installed in every new home. Arizona is also set to start mandating similar systems. Building permits will not be issued to homes in Arizona unless they will be equipped with a solar hot water heater, starting in 2010.
Vancouver gets it right with Laneway Housing
Photo: H O T Architecture, Vancouver
It’s an urban planner’s dream. Increased density, smaller footprints and minimal garages. Now, if you live in downtown Vancouver you can replace your garage or empty car lane with a small footprint home. The allowable home size is determined by ratios of lot coverage, etc. with most of the homes averaging somewhere between 500-800 s.f. This is part of Vancouver’s Eco Density initiative and the small “garden cottages” will be similar to other communities in different parts of the world. The homes can be rented out to offset mortgage costs or designed for ease of mobility to allow aging parents or relatives to live independently while still close by. Vancouver firm Hot Architecture has developed a series of prototype plans for the Laneway Homes in various styles.
Masdar City. The most ambitious sustainable development in the world.
Image: Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture
When we think of developing a green community there are a lot of different products and technologies that go into the structures and the infrastructure. But how many developers worry about the energy that is expended during construction? Let’s talk about Masdar. In keeping with their goal to be completely carbon neutral the Masdar headquarters building is being constructed “roof first” so it can receive its power for construction from an enormous PV array mounted on the roof.
The government of Abu Dhabi is behind this development whose goal is to take sustainable development and living to a new level and lead the world in understanding how all future cities should be built. I have visited the Masdar construction offices and from what I’ve seen there I know they are practicing what they preach. Every jobsite trailer, every bit of electricity, every material that goes into pre-construction for this massive development is required to be carbon neutral. For example, building materials as well as interior furnishings must be manufactured near the construction site to minimize the carbon footprint for transportation of materials. This one aspect alone is quite a challenge for an Emirate that is located in the desert and must rely on many goods manufactured and brought in from other countries.
It seems like science fiction, but construction is well underway. Phase One of Masdar City – The Masdar Institute of Science and Technology is underway and by the end of this year Masdar City should be home to 100 students and faculty, many from the established partnership with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Students and faculty will live and work in the city and be shuttled around in pods that look like something out of a science fiction film.
