Source: Environmental Leader.com
Solar panel makers are generating millions of pounds of polluted sludge and contaminated water, hazardous waste that is not always reported, an investigation from Associated Press found.
Solar hazardous waste has increased over the past five years alongside the industry’s growth. As of the close of 2012, there was more than 6.4 GW of solar electric capacity installed in the US alone.
Continue reading Solar Panel Makers Fail to Report Waste
Source: SustainableBusiness.com News
In February, Germany will begin offering incentives for people to tie energy storage systems to their solar arrays.
The three-year subsidy program is for relatively small solar systems, less than 30 kilowatts, that send electricity to the grid. Grants of $1080 will be available for each kilowatt hour of energy storage added. The program is capped at $67 million.
This new, if temporary addition to Germany’s feed-in law is meant to reduce peaks in electricity production and take pressure off the grid.
Storing excess energy in batteris can reduce peaks in electricity production up to 40% and grid capacity by 66%, according to Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems.
Continue reading Germany’s Feed-In Law Adds Energy Storage, Huge Project Slated for California
On February 1, 2013, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) partially approved and partially disapproved Nevada’s 2008-2010 303(d) list of waters requiring a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL). EPA approved waters Nevada identified as requiring a TMDL, and disapproved the omission of 19 waters EPA determined to be impaired due to mercury in fish tissue. EPA is taking action to add the 19 identified impaired waters.
EPA is starting a public comment period during which interested parties are invited to submit written comments on EPA’s action to add the identified 19 waters. The partial approval / partial disapproval letter and a link to the Nevada’s 2008 – 2010 Integrated Report and 303(d) List of Impaired Waters are provided below.
Continue reading EPA partially approved Nevada’s 2008-2010 303(d) list of impaired waters
The City of Reno (City) is proposing Reno Municipal Code (RMC) revisions for certain pretreatment program mandated activities as specified by the United States Environmental Protection Agency. The proposed RMC revisions will ensure that ordinance and methodology comply with 40 Code of Federal Regulations Part 403 and its Nevada Pollutants Discharge Elimination System Permit. These revisions will apply to the City’s local limits, industrial users, Publicly Owned Treatment Works legal authority, and enforcement documents.
Proposed Ordinance Changes- Reclaimed Water Services
The City of Reno (City) is proposing Reno Municipal Code (RMC) revisions by adding Chapter 12.24, Reclaimed Water Service, for establishing requirements and a schedule of rates and charges for Reclaimed Water Service. At the present time these requirements and rates will only apply to the City’s truck fill station located at the Reno-Stead Wastewater Treatment Plant. The City may furnish future systems for the filling of construction water trucks and other reclaimed water service uses at locations designated by the City. The proposed RMC revisions will ensure that the requirements, rates and charges will be uniform and fairly applied to all users of the City’s reclaim water truck fills.
EPA has released a series of six factsheets on incorporating green infrastructure measures into National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) wet weather programs. The series builds upon existing EPA authority, guidance, and agreements to describe how EPA and state permitting and enforcement professionals can work with permittees to include green infrastructure measures as part of control programs. The six fact sheets and four supplements address stormwater permits, total maximum daily loads, combined sewer overflow long-term control plans, and enforcement actions. See EPA’s Green Infrastructure website at:
http://water.epa.gov/infrastructure/greeninfrastructure/gi_regulatory.cfm#permittingseries
This webinar is intended to help publicly owned treatment works (POTW) personnel implement their local pretreatment program. The National Pretreatment Program regulations identify specific requirements for controlling the wastewater discharges from nondomestic users. When a control mechanism is used to authorize the discharge of wastewater to a POTW, it must contain certain conditions and requirements. The control mechanism outlines all the duties and obligations of the nondomestic user, including all applicable Pretreatment Standards and Requirements.
This webinar introduces EPA’s revised Industrial User Permitting Guidance Manual and provides an overview of the nondomestic user permitting process, including preparing effective and enforceable control mechanisms and recommendations and requirements for content and structure. See
http://cfpub2.epa.gov/npdes/courseinfo.cfm?program_id=0&outreach_id=652&schedule_id=1176
The Water Quality Standards Virtual Academy webinar “Water Quality Standards 101” is available as an archived recorded webinar. Water quality standards are the foundation of the water quality-based pollution control program mandated by the Clean Water Act. Water quality standards define the goals for a waterbody by designating its uses, setting criteria to protect those uses, and establishing provisions such as antidegradation policies to protect water bodies from pollutants.
Learn how you can use water quality standards to protect water resources. This webinar is aimed at states, territories, tribes, environmental groups, industrial groups, municipalities, the academic community, federal agencies, watershed groups and any other interested parties. Find the archived webinar and other water quality training at http://water.epa.gov/learn/training/standardsacademy/index.cfm (scroll half way down).
Source: Environmental Leader.com
Sustainability is paying off for a growing number of companies with 37 percent of surveyed executives reporting a profit from their efforts, a 23 percent rise over last year, according to a global study by the MIT Sloan Management Review and The Boston Consulting Group.
The fourth annual study, which is based on a survey of 2,600 executives and managers from companies around the world, found nearly half of the companies have changed their business models as a result of sustainability opportunities, a 20 percent jump over last year.
Continue reading More Companies Profit from Sustainability, Survey Finds