Jim Harris

investment

DLSC homes decrease GHGs by 5 tonnes each/yr

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jlevineBy: Jordana Levine

The first of its kind in North America, the Drake Landing Solar Community (DLSC) is heating its homes with solar energy and reducing five tonnes of greenhouse gases per year in every house.  The community, located in Okotoks, Alberta, has 52 homes heated by seasonal thermal energy storage; the solar heat is stored underground in the summer and used in the homes during the winter.

The project, which was first created by Natural Resources Canada (NRCan), began collecting solar energy in June of 2007 and, after five years, the community is expected to receive 90 percent of its heat from solar alone. The need for non-renewable fossil fuels will diminish and shift to a cleaner and more sustainable unlimited source of energy: the sun.

The DLSC project leader, Doug MeClenahan, says that there are almost no other projects like this one anywhere in the world.  “You could probably count them on two hands.”dlsc-aerial solar energy

The community’s space and water heating comes from solar energy, which is collected by 800 panels arranged on garage roofs around the community.  Each panel generates about 1.5 MW of thermal power on a summer’s day. There is a combination of seasonal and short-term thermal storage (STTS), with boreholes in the ground to store the seasonal energy.

When heat is transferred to the homes, there is an automatic valve in the basement of every house that shuts off the heat transfer when the temperature of the thermostat in the home is reached.  If the STTS doesn’t have enough heat to distribute to all the homes, there is a back-up gas boiler Energy Centre that will turn on to help out.

Energy in a community the size of the DLSC costs 14 to 17 cents per kWh.  “Fifty-two homes was a reasonable size, but it was still considered to small… to be cost effective today,” says McClenahan. He explains that the next step is an analysis of a larger-scale project using a computer simulation.  The analysis should be completed within a year.

“If you go to larger scale, you have much less surface area for heat loss… so the efficiency can go up considerably,” McClenahan explains.  “The bigger the project, the less cost it is per unit volume or per unit area.”  Drake Landing isn’t that effective now because it’s losing heat on the surface area of the land.

Still, McClenahan says, I know [the technology]’s promising enough that we should pursue it until we are able to do the analysis.”  However, beyond that, he says it’s incredibly difficult to tell exactly what the costs and savings could be in a larger community. “Until we do the analysis, I’d hate to guess.”

The community does more for the environment than just conserve energy, though. Homes are designed with low-impact landscaping and use locally manufactured materials.  The materials used include upgraded insulation, certified sustainable lumber, drywall made from recycled materials, and well-insulated windows, among other environmentally friendly products.

Also, the homes are all required to follow The Town of Okotoks’ water stewardship measures: low flush toilets, ultra low flow showerheads and faucets, and insulated water lines.  Larger homes require a recirculation pump and every home is supplied with a low water consumption dishwasher and clothes washer.  A rain barrel supplies water for gardening.

By the end of the community’s second year, McClenahan says it’s already receiving 67 percent of its space heating from the sun.  “We’re hoping that this will continue to increase” to over 90 percent.

“I would like to see, in the next 2 to 3 years, a [larger] follow-up project,” says McClenahan, hopefully with bigger cities in Canada like Toronto and Montreal.  “We don’t want to end up with just one demonstration and that’s it.”

Intel to open LEED certified building in Israel

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Intel in Haifa

By: Jordana Levine

After much debate and analysis, Intel is preparing to open its first green-registered building.[1]  The research and development building in Haifa, Israel will cost $600,000 of green investments, which will be paid off in just three years.[2]

The building will follow the Leadership in Energy and Environmental (LEED) rating system, which is a voluntary, consensus-based standard to develop sustainable and efficient buildings.[3]  The Intel building is receiving the LEED certification for a variety of technologies that the building is being outfitted with; it will have an environmentally friendly construction process with green materials, natural lighting via an internal patio that distributes light from an atrium, efficient electricity and air conditioning and an irrigation system that uses recycled water only.[4]  It is set to open in early in 2010.[5]

Intel hopes that the building in Haifa will lead to more LEED certified office buildings and, ultimately, to Intel’s first LEED certified Fab.  A Fab is a semiconductor fabrication plant, meaning it is a factory that fabricates designs for other companies to use as well.[6]

Although Intel has reduced its overall needs for freshwater in the long run, the corporation’s water consumption actually rose by four percent between 2007 and 2008.  Intel says this increase is probably because of production growth and the complexity of its new manufacturing processes, which require more water.[7]  Although some countries can withstand this strain on their freshwater supply, it could be detrimental to Israel’s fragile water supply, which has to be monitored carefully as it is.

Overall, Intel cut its greenhouse gas emission by 27 percent in 2008, and the company’s Corporate Responsibility Report aims to decrease its carbon footprint by 20 percent from 2007 until 2012.  Intel is a strong supporter of green power, having bought over 1 billion kWh of green power each year to fulfill 47 percent of the company’s electricity needs; Intel also built the first solar installations.[8]

In 2009, Intel will invest more than $5 million on over 30 projects to save a minimum of 30 million kWh of electricity each year.  The corporation has already targeted energy efficiency and conservation since 2001, saving Intel more than $50 million and 500 million kWh.[9]

1  Kloosterman, Karin.  “Intel Makes a Green Debut in Haifa, Israel.”  TreeHugger.  8 Dec 2006.  http://www.treehugger.com/files/2006/12/intel_makes_a_g.php
2  Solomon, Stephen.  “Intel Saves Air and Money.” Scientific American – Earth 3.0: 18.5, 2008.
3  Kloosterman, Karin.  “Intel Makes a Green Debut.”
4  “Intel’s First Green Building.”  http://www.intel.com/cd/corporate/europe/emea/eng/339775.htm
5  “Intel Cuts Emissions by 27% in 2008.”  Environmental Leader.  21 May 2009.  http://www.environmentalleader.com/2009/05/21/intel-cuts-emissions-by-27-in-2008/
6  “Intel’s First Green Building.”
7  “Intel Cuts Emissions.”
8  “Intel Cuts Emissions.”
9  Ibid.

Green Energy Act could create 90,000 jobs in Ontario

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building-the-green-economy

By: Jordana Levine

The Green Energy Act (GEA) could employ over 90,000 Ontarians in green jobs. The government of Ontario is prepared to initiate the GEA, which focuses on the possibilities for employment if a large investment is made in green practices.  Along with increasing employment opportunities, the program could have a huge positive impact on the environment.

The main goals of the GEA are to ensure that Ontario is the country’s leading green economy, create over 50,000 green collar jobs, and generate billions of dollars worth of economic activity as quickly as possible – ideally in three years.  The plan involves phasing out the province’s coal plants by 2014 and shifting the province’s economy so that it is based on energy efficiency and renewable energy sources.

Building the Green Economy: Employment Effects of Green Energy Investments for Ontario is a report done by the Political Economy Research Institute, which gives recommendations and ideas regarding the GEA.  The report identifies two levels of investment that would help the GEA.  The first program is the baseline Integrated Power System Plan (IPSP), which would invest $18.6 billion over the next ten years in: conservation and demand management, hydroelectric power, on-shore wind energy, bioenergy, waste energy recycling and solar power.

However, the report also looks at an enhanced green investment program, which is referred to as the Green Energy Act Alliance (GEAA) plan.  The GEAA plan would involve spending $47.1 billion over ten years and would do everything the baseline IPSP would do, plus it would invest in off-shore wind energy and a smart grid electrical transmission system for Ontario.

Although the baseline IPSP would generate 35,000 jobs, the expanded GEAA program would create 90,000 jobs for Ontarians.  The occupations created would range from construction workers to financial auditors and engineers to research scientists.  For the most part, wages would exceed $20 per hour.

Three types of employment effects would come out of these programs: direct, indirect and induced effects.  The direct effects would be the jobs created within Ontario by the environmentally related activities, such as conservation, hydroelectricity and solar power.  The indirect effects involve jobs associated with these green industries that provide goods and services for the green investment activities, like hardware and metals.  Induced effects would be the employment that is created when the people who are paid via green investment projects spend the money they earn on other products and services within the province.

The baseline IPSP would lead to 15,500 direct jobs, 11,600 indirect, and 8,100 induced, while the expanded GEAA program would create 38,400 direct, 31,100 indirect and 20,900 induced jobs.

The IPSP would create nearly 12,000 MW of new electricity or conservation capacity; the expanded GEAA program would produce over 22,000, though.  In March 2009, the Ontario Power Authority operated with about 27,000 MW of electricity-generating capacity.  This means that the $47.1 billion investment program could either replace or expand capacity by 82 percent in the province (and the IPSP by 44 percent), leading to higher efficiency and a huge increase in renewable energy levels.

Nations everywhere boast a ‘green stimulus’

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jlevineBy: Jordana Levine

International climate change talks are continuing in Bonn, Germany.  The second round of discussions begun on June 1, 2009, and the negotiating time for the 192 collaborating countries ends in mid-July. By then, they need to reach an agreement with new emissions reduction targets and compensation packages for poor countries that have already been him with impacts of climate change.  These new decisions will be the basis for the final negotiations in Copenhagen in December 2009.[1]

These discussions on how to replace Kyoto Protocol targets are pushing countries to pump money into a “green stimulus.”  China and the US, who never signed the Kyoto Protocol, are likely to join in the new plans for shrinking greenhouse gas emissions.[2]

Canada has set aside eight percent, or US$2.6 billion of its total stimulus package, for green measures.  Although Canada’s emissions have gone in the opposite direction, reaching 26 percent above the 1990 levels and 33.8 percent above the country’s Kyoto targets[3], the country has agreed to cut emissions by 20 percent from 2006 to 2020.  The majority of the money is estimated to increase clean energy and create 407,000 jobs over 5 years:[4]

greenstimulus-graphs-ft-canada

The US is setting aside $112.3 billion for green measures, 12 percent of its fiscal stimulus.  The nation’s first stimulus package, which was approved in October 2008, contained a lot more features than the second one, which was approved February 2009 and cut out $57 billion of environmental spending.  Originally, it would have included $18.2 billion in taxes cuts and clean energy credits and $2 billion for carbon capture and storage.  Still, the updated stimulus gives $22.5 billion for renewable energy incentives, $52 billion for energy efficiency, including updating the electricity grid, and $10 billion for public transit.  The green stimulus is projected to create 2.5 million green jobs.[5]

China, the country whose emissions grew 250 percent between 1990 and 2006, plans to use 38 percent of its stimulus, equivalent to US$22.8 billion, to go green, according to HSBC.  (However, Beijing and other economists say this number is higher than what they will invest.)  Their green package will include over ¥350 billion (US$51 billion) for environmental projects and around ¥450 billion (US$66 billion) for the country’s rail infrastructure.[6]  China is spending the most money per-capita to invest in going green.[7]

The European Union has set aside a whopping 59 percent of its fiscal stimulus, €16.4 billion (of US$22.8 billion), for green measures.  The EU recovery plan should get the European Investment Bank to give an extra €12 billion of funding for green infrastructure over two years.[8]

1 Marsden, William.  “Crunch time for climate talks.”  Ottawa Citizen.  6 Jun 2009. http://www.ottawacitizen.com/business/fp/Crunch+time+climate+talks/1669662/story.html
2  Pedersen, Mike.  “Keeping ahead of the green curve.” Ottawa Citizen.  5 Jun 2009.   http://www.ottawacitizen.com/Technology/Keeping+ahead+green+curve/1652801/story.html
3  Munro, Margaret.  “Canada may be blowing smoke about intentions to reduce greenhouse gas.”  Canada.com.  21 Apr 2009.  http://www.canada.com/Canada+blowing+smoke+about+intentions+reduce+greenhouse/1517913/story.html
4  Bernard, Steve and others.  “Which country has the greenest bail-out?” Financial Times.  2 Mar 2009.  http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/cc207678-0738-11de-9294-000077b07658.html?nclick_check=1
5  Steve Bernard and others. “Which country?”
6  Steve Bernard and others. “Which country?”
7  Mike Pedersen.  “Keeping ahead”
8  Steve Bernard and others. “Which country?”

Inaction will cost $7 trillion

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By: Jordana Levine

If the issues of climate change are not addressed, it could cost every person on earth $1000 a year, or $7 trillion worldwide, says Nicholas Stern, former World Bank chief economist.  In the report, Climate Change and Green Jobs: Labour’s Challenges and Opportunities, the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) stresses that taking action will cost a lot less than doing nothing.

If the federal government invested $30 billion over ten years to transition to an economy that is consciously aware of climate change, 330,000 jobs would be created and Canada’s GDP would increase by $140 billion.  There would be $95 billion added to personal income and $28 billion in energy savings.

Just under half of Canada’s CO2 emissions come from heavy industry, mainly using coal, gas and oil.  The report gives the example of the tarsands, which the CLC says are the single most destructive project anywhere in the world, consuming one gallon of oil for every two gallons it produces.  The tarsands have already made a hole the size of Vancouver Island, and it is predicted to grow by 400-500% in the next ten years if no changes are made, which would make the area the size of Florida.  The CLC urges Canada to stop racing to provide the US with oil and focus on slowing down the use of non-renewable energy in its own country.

The CLC believes that good jobs and a strong economy will only happen if we take into account every area that contributes to a high-quality life, including the economy, jobs, equality an the environment.  Both the global economy and the environment will be in major trouble if temperatures rise more than two degrees Celsius, leading to destruction of ecosystems, hugely diminished biodiversity, dangerously high sea levels and extreme weather.

The CLC especially supports four major areas:
•    Promoting energy efficiency
•    Investing in rail and mass transit infrastructure
•    Creating proper fuel efficiency standards
•    Developing renewable energy sources

The report stresses the importance of ensuring that policies, such as carbon taxes, do not increase inequality between classes.  The biggest polluters should be paying the most and household carbon taxes should only be imposed if 100% of the revenue goes towards reducing greenhouse gas emissions. A Just Transition Fund is a vital aspect that would compensate communities and individuals for wage cuts, displacement and job losses; it would fund the retraining of these workers and encourage them to work in a greener economy without diminishing the quality of life or contributing to inequality.  

 

CLC: “There will be no good jobs on a dead planet”

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By: Jordana Levine

To prevent global warming, Canadian experts call for a 25% reduction below 1990 levels of CO2 emissions by 2020 and 80% below by 2050.  

The CLC Statement on Climate Change was written for the House of Commons regarding Bill C-30: Canada’s Clean Air and Climate Change Act as a recommendation.  It insists, “There will be no good jobs on a dead planet.”

The statement highlights key opportunities to create new jobs that do not generate emissions.  A serious program to retrofit older houses in Canada over 25 years would create 50,000 jobs a year on its own; construction jobs can substitute industrial, polluting jobs.  There could also be opportunities for jobs developing efficient and renewable fuels.  The CLC gives a number of ways that new industries could create more jobs that are kinder to the earth.

The CLC insists on creating strategies to regulate practices, encourage public investment and get the government directly involved through taxes and spending measures.  The government will need to be active, insuring that it makes useful investments that will help us transition to an environmentally sustainable, low-carbon economy.

The CLC calls for eliminating tax subsidies for the oil and gas industry.  Instead, the government should provide companies with tax incentives to invest in equipment that reduces emissions and that there should be a cap-and-trade system to limit emissions. Emissions caps should be lowered as green strategies and tax measures improve and the cost of reducing emissions falls.  The Pembina Institute and other experts calculate that a carbon charge of $30 per tonne would force actual change in an orderly manner.

The report points out that energy-efficient and low-carbon economies are more labour intensive, creating new opportunities for workers, but notes that some sectors will see job loss.  The CLC suggests that a Just Transition fund should be set up, which will compensate workers for loss of money and contribute to retraining them in new, greener fields.

The Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) calls for new, effective climate change policies to keep emissions down and provide new jobs centred around environmentally sustainable practices in the workplace.

The CLC brings Canada’s national and international unions, as well as provincial and territorial labour federations and district labour councils.  The members work in nearly every sector, occupation, and area of the country.

5M US green jobs by 2018 & $284B energy savings

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apollo 04

The Apollo Alliance calls for investing $500 billion by 2018, which will create five million high quality green-collar jobs.  The Alliance’s first report, New Energy for America (Jan ’04) called for $300 billion of public expenditure to create three million jobs, stimulate $1.4 trillion in new GDP, add billions in personal income and retail sales, and produce $284 billion in net energy savings –- all while generating sufficient returns to the U.S. treasury to pay for itself over 10 years.

The 2004 report pointed out that 43% of the global solar power market is controlled by Japan, while European countries control 90% of the wind turbine production.

The 2008 report revised upwards the potential for green collar jobs by two million. What accounted for the difference? Well, when Obama was elected President committing to create five million green collar jobs, two million more than the Apollo Alliance’s 2004 report, the Alliance could not very well be lagging the new Prez – so they revised upwards their numbers. That’s my theory.

Apollo Alliance Board member Van Jones was appointed Special Advisor for Green Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation to the White House Council on Environmental Quality in March 2009.  Jones’ book, The Green Collar Economy,  was a 2008 New York Times bestseller. He launched Green for All  – a campaign to create 250,000 green-collar jobs in urban neighbourhoods.

The Apollo Alliance is a coalition of environmental groups, labour unions and politicians seeking to convince legislators to have a concerted effort to transform the US economy into a green economy based on energy efficiency and renewable energy. A green-collar job is, in essence, a blue-collar job that has been upgraded to address environmental challenges.

 

Jim Harris is an expert on disruptive innovation, who has appeared on Idea City, Canada’s version TED Talks on numerous occasions. Contact him today to book him for your next event.

$150B/yr Investment in Building Efficiency gives 2X long-term return of stocks

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energy-efficiency-in-buildings-report-193-x-193

A $150 billion a year can be invested in energy efficiency retrofits of buildings in six major markets with returns substantially better than the stock market and real estate investing.

 

In 2008 buildings account for 40% of the world’s energy use — resulting carbon emissions substantially greater than those from the transportation sector.

 

Aggressive reductions in energy use in buildings in order to reduce the planet’s energy-related carbon footprint by 77% (or 48 Gigatons) by 2050 to stabilize CO2 levels as called for by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

 

At $US60 per barrel oil, $150 billion a year can be invested building energy efficiency in the six markets which will reduce energy use and carbon footprints by 40% with five year discounted paybacks. That’s a 20% internal rate of return (IRR) – better than the long-term historical stock market returns (10% IRR) and better than real estate investment (16% IRR).

 

A further US$ 150 billion a year can be invested with paybacks between five and 10 years (10% to 20% IRR) will further reduce energy use and carbon emissions by 12% and bring the total reduction to slightly more than half.

 

Energy Efficiency in Buildings: Transforming the Market released May 2009 developed by World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) and published by Continental Automated Buildings Association (CABA) focused on six markets that produce more than half of the world’s GDP and generate almost two-thirds of global primary energy: Brazil, China, Europe, India, Japan and the US.