Energy Priorities [Podcasts]

Lower Solar Cost and Higher Efficiency is "Gift from the Sun"

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 10:16:37 -0800

Suniva's investors have put US $55 million of venture capital into a startup whose technology promises to achieve high efficiencies with low-cost monocrystalline silicon solar cells. Denis Du Bois interviews founder and solar pioneer Ajeet Rohatgi about the future of the PV industry and the meaning of his company's name. (podcast)

Three Buildings Net Zero Energy - Building Priorities Briefing

Tue, 15 Apr 2008 06:12:08 -0800

We explore three commercial buildings without power bills, and contrast the many meanings of "zero" in energy and carbon. First, a commercial building proven to be zero energy -- and then some. In the first 12 months after construction, this building produced more energy than it consumed. Then we learn about two more buildings presented in the ZEB session at Globe last month. The Energy Minute is about the meaning of zero: What should be counted when designating a building "net zero energy" or "zero carbon"? In the Program Notes we have photos and links to more information for those of you who are researching the net-zero option for your own buildings. (podcast) (photo)

Sentient Building Marks Major Advance in Artificial Intelligence: Exclusive Interview

Tue, 01 Apr 2008 05:16:06 -0800

CHICAGO, April 1, 2008 -- Remember the turn of the 21st century, when intelligent buildings were at the bleeding edge of technology? Now, artificial intelligence is out of the lab and headed for a building near you. Buildings have literally taken on a life of their own and today, the first of April, the first sentient building opened in Chicago Illinois. Denis Du Bois interviews Cornice Leed, the brains of the new Gore Tower office building in the Windy City. (podcast) (transcript)

Biomass for Central Heat

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 06:31:10 -0800

Energy Minute: Biomass is slowly gaining popularity for space heat -- in part because it's a renewable energy source, and in part because it's less expensive to operate than a conventional furnace. (podcast)

ConnectivityWeek 2008 Promises "Energy Revolution" for Buildings

Thu, 20 Mar 2008 06:43:30 -0800

Energy is the theme of the upcoming ConnectivityWeek conference -- specifically the energy we use in buildings, and how we can leverage things like renewables, distributed energy, demand response, and information to help solve energy-related problems. Denis Du Bois interviews Anto Budiardjo, president and CEO of Clasma Events, about the "energy revolution" that will change the way buildings are designed and built. (podcast)

Energy Independence at the Office and at Home - Building Priorities Briefing

Wed, 12 Mar 2008 08:20:10 -0800

Energy independence comes in many forms. We look at a commercial office example and a residential example that demonstrate how solar helps owners to be self-sufficient in ways that match their values. The California Healthcare Foundation covered the roof of their newly renovated offices with solar panels. Going solar is consistent with their mission to improve the health of Californians. Borrego Solar co-founder Chris Anderson built a new home for himself and went off-grid. He wants to show Northeasterners that a home can be energy independent and comfortable at the same time. Renewable energy isn't the only green-building feature of these two projects. (podcast) (photos)

Day4 Energy Rides Rising Global Demand for Solar Power

Thu, 28 Feb 2008 10:22:13 -0800

RENEWABLE ENERGY WORLD 2008 -- Day4 Energy of Canada is one of the almost 200 exhibitors at the conference. Economic woes don't seem to dampen this company's enthusiasm. With a fresh IPO and a sold-out production run, Day4 is just trying to keep up with demand for its innovative photovoltaic modules. Denis Du Bois interviews Day4's Jake Brown at REW. (podcast) (photo)

Solar Financier's Outlook is Bright; Tax Credits' Future is Cloudy

Wed, 27 Feb 2008 05:53:55 -0800

RENEWABLE ENERGY WORLD 2008 -- Adding solar power to your building is getting easier, thanks to a financing model borrowed from utility-scale renewable energy projects. Power purchase agreements are now an option for getting your own clean energy source, without laying out the capital. But even big projects don't happen without the right incentives in place. Some important federal subsidies are due to expire if Congress doesn't act soon to extend them. Will that happen in an election year? Does this dark cloud cast gloom on renewable energy's future? Denis Du Bois asks Mark McLanahan of MMA Renewable Ventures about his expectations for the production tax credit, the investment tax credit, and the global economy.

Solaicx Anticipates Growth, Even if Economy Slows

Mon, 25 Feb 2008 05:52:24 -0800

RENEWABLE ENERGY WORLD 2008 -- If the global economy coughs, will it choke off the flow of capital into the solar energy sector? Or does this hot industry have a special antibody that makes it immune to a recession? The prospect of a slowdown is a global issue. For a global perspective, Denis Du Bois interviews Peter Bostock of Solaicx, a company that ships its ingots and wafers to major photovoltaic cell manufacturers all over the world. (podcast)

Home Savvi Connects Homeowners with Green Building Resources

Sun, 24 Feb 2008 12:39:33 -0800

Seattle Home Show 2008 -- This is the place where Puget Sound-area homeowners and exhibitors gather twice a year. If you're thinking of building or remodeling, you'd come here to find contractors, retailers, designers -- and if you're an exhibitor here, you'll meet thousands of homeowners in a few short days... but what about the rest of the year? Home Savvi is using technology to bring homeowners together with the green building information, products and services they need, online. Denis Du Bois interviews Villette Nolon, CEO and co-founder of Home Savvi, at the 64th Annual Seattle Home Show. (podcast) (screen shots)

Cohousing: Green Building Trend and Opportunity - Building Priorities Briefing

Wed, 13 Feb 2008 05:08:48 -0800

This month we explore the cohousing trend in residential green building. We start with an audio tour of a cohousing community now under construction in New Hampshire. The sustainable housing development uses wood pellet boilers to provide heat and hot water, so the Energy Minute is about using biomass as a heating fuel. In the third half of the show we hear about what opportunities the cohousing trend creates for builders and developers. (podcast) (photos)

Networked Building Controls: Open or Proprietary?

Mon, 04 Feb 2008 08:47:24 -0800

Energy Minute: Systems in a facility can be networked so they can interoperate. Just stringing a wire between a security system and a lighting controller isn't enough. Your choices will affect the life cycle cost of your building or campus.

Open Networks for Building Control Systems - Building Priorities Briefing

Wed, 16 Jan 2008 08:35:58 -0800

This is the premier edition of the new Building Priorities Briefing. This month we'll see what decisions went into the design of a new mixed-use campus to reduce their costs throughout the building lifecycle. The Energy Minute this month is about open versus proprietary networking methods for building controls. And Denis Du Bois interviews the consultant who designed the networked controls system for the Albert L. Schultz Jewish Community Center in Palo Alto, CA. (podcast)

What Is the Building Priorities Briefing?

Tue, 01 Jan 2008 07:55:42 -0800

A valuable new audio series from Energy Priorities magazine keeps commercial building owners, developers and managers up to date with green building.

Solaicx Begins Full-Scale Production of "Solar-Optimized" Silicon Wafers in Oregon

Thu, 29 Nov 2007 05:04:11 -0800

Solaicx is a manufacturer of silicon ingots and wafers for photovoltaics, and the company recently opened a new manufacturing facility in Portland, OR. The plant will start out producing about 32 megawatts per year, and at full capacity it expects to employ 180 skilled workers and churn out 180 megawatts per year. Solaicx says its proprietary manufacturing technology yields low-cost, high quality cells that are optimized for solar energy applications. Why locate in Oregon, and not Asia? What is it about the Solaicx process that could make solar "affordable?" Denis Du Bois interviews the company's CEO, Bob Ford. (podcast) (photos) (transcript)