Category: News

Venture capitalists invested $100 million in 14 LED lighting companies in the first quarter of 2010, up from $14 million in the same quarter a year ago, according to Cleantech Group, reports Reuters.

Leading the way is Silicon Valley, the U.S. technology capital. Alan Salzman, chief executive of Silicon Valley-based venture fund VantagePoint Venture Partners told Reuters that his company has $4.5 billion in committed capital in startups across different sectors, but lighting is the largest sector in its portfolio.

Investors are betting that LEDs will take hold with their long life and high energy efficiency benefits, consuming about 20 percent of the energy used by incandescents, despite their higher price tag, report Reuters.

Read the complete article at Environmental Leader

Google hopes to expand the capabilities of its PowerMeter technology to monitor water and natural gas use, in addition to its ability to monitor home electrical use, according to a report on CNET.

PowerMeter allows homeowners to monitor their home’s energy consumption on their smartphone or computer using data collected from smart meter sensors.  According to the report, a Google executive said that while there are no immediate plans to move into adjacent utility spaces, the adoption of smart meters among water and gas utilities could allow the company to add those features to PowerMeter in the future.

Like electricity, PowerMeter could be used by consumers to take advantage of off-peak pricing for gas and water demand, and to monitor their appliances remotely.

The company recently announced a trial in Plumas-Sierra County, CA, in which it will use TV White Spaces spectrum to transmit smart grid data.  TV White Spaces are unused TV broadcast channels made available by the recent transition from Analog to Digital TV.  As part of the National Broadband Plan, the FCC has declared that TV White Spaces are well suited for wireless data networks and can be used to deliver cost effective broadband connectivity for a wide variety of consumer, business and government applications.  The experiment will allow consumers to monitor their energy use from a Google web page in real time.

The company also said it is conducting research and development into “demand dispatch” technology.  Demand dispatch would use PowerMeter to help coordinate small reductions in household electricity loads, allowing power companies to avoid having to increase energy generation at peak times.

Google unveiled PowerMeter last year.  Recently, the company rolled out an API for the application hoping that appliance manufacturers will incorporate the program into new products.  Meanwhile, PG&E has advocated the adoption of an open-source solutions while Microsoft recently introduced Hohm, which also allows consumers to measure electricity use.

About 84 percent of consumers think of “green” products as those that are made of recyclable or reusable material, or include such packaging, according to new research from Grail Research.

About 78 percent associate “green” products as being energy efficient or using renewable energy, according to “The Green Revolution” report (PDF).

Another top association for consumers was that green products are made with natural or organic ingredients. About 71 percent of consumers made that association.

When it comes to water, however, only 30 percent of consumers considered reducing water use to be a green practice, according to the report.

Bill Roth founder of Earth 2017 interviews Lee Ann Head, VP of Market Research with the Shelton Group on what consumers will buy and won’t buy in terms of green or sustainable products.

Even the greenest of consumers are pretty conservative about what they’ll spend their money on, says sustainable-business marketing specialist Lee Ann Head. Customers will try out a product on the strength of its environmental claims, but ultimately they’ll only keep coming back if the product is at least as effective as less-green alternatives. “They aren’t buying to save the world. … If they’re buying a cleaning product, it needs to clean,” Head says.

Watch the video at Environmental Leader

A new study from Pike Research forecasts that LEDs will account for almost half of a $4.4 billion market for lamps in the commercial, industrial and outdoor stationary sectors by 2020. Almost 18 percent of global electricity use goes toward lighting, and lighting in the U.S. consumes a fifth of the amount at an annual cost of more than $40 billion. LEDs present an opportunity to cut expenses and reduce electricity use since they consume less energy and last far longer when producing the same amount of light as traditional bulbs. For a round-up of some the latest advances on the LED front see GreenBuildings.com

A programmable thermostat helps you save energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to global warming. Now ENERGY STAR offers a programmable thermostat tool to help you learn how to use the thermostat most efficiently, saving money and energy along the way. Interact with ENERGY STAR’s programmable thermostat tool to learn how to use your thermostat most efficiently, saving money and energy along the way. Learn More The programmable thermostat is one of the easiest ways you can save energy, money and help fight climate change. The pre-programmed settings that come with programmable thermostats are intended to deliver savings without sacrificing comfort. The key is to establish a program that automatically reduces heating and cooling in your home when you don’t need it as much. For more information on programmable thermostats, visit the product pages.

SACRAMENTO, CA – California consumers worried about toxic chemicals in the products they purchase got a glimpse of a brighter future today with the release of a draft regulation that sets forth a process for the design of safer products. Released by the Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC), the Draft Regulation for Safer Consumer Products will implement a key component of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Green Chemistry Initiative, which he signed into law in 2008. The draft regulation creates a systematic, science-based process to evaluate chemicals of concern in products. They will also stimulate innovation in California’s product development sector.

“Study after study have shown that many consumer products are not safe, resulting with more and more being recalled,” said DTSC Acting Director Maziar Movassaghi. “This draft regulation is the first of its kind in the nation, and it essentially shifts the way government, industry and the public think about the products that end up in our homes.” Movassaghi cited the recently released report from the President’s Cancer Panel, which made “green chemistry” approaches a priority recommendation. The report concluded that “safer alternatives for many currently used chemicals [are] urgently needed.” He also cited the recently released report from Environment California “Green Chemistry at Work” which recognizes 11 California companies that are already leading the green chemistry revolution as a part of their existing business model.

Released following 16 months of intense dialogue with stakeholders, the draft regulation would prioritize toxic chemicals and products, require manufacturers to seek safer alternatives to toxic chemicals in their products, and create tough governmental responses for lack of compliance.

Specifically, under the draft regulation, DTSC would create a list of chemicals that are toxic and can harm people or the environment. Products containing those chemicals would be prioritized based upon such factors as the volume in commerce, the extent of public exposure and how the product is eventually disposed. Manufacturers of those products would perform an “alternatives assessment” to determine if a viable safer alternative is available.

“I’m confident companies will step up to the plate and create new markets for ‘green’ products,” Movassaghi said. “We’re already seeing the demand, and innovative industry leaders are responding to that demand more and more. California is a cradle for innovation, and these companies are clearly leading the way. We are on the threshold of achieving what no other state or country has achieved.”

DTSC, in its continued commitment to transparency and public involvement, will hold two half-day public workshops on the draft regulation on July 7^th & 8^th, 2010. Over the past year, as part of the regulatory development process, DTSC has held numerous public meetings, workshops and worked with all stakeholders to develop the draft regulation. Following the July workshops, DTSC intends to begin the formal Administrative Procedures Act (APA) rulemaking process which it plans on completing by the end of this calendar year.

For more information and to access a copy of the draft regulation, go to: http://www.dtsc.ca.gov/PollutionPrevention/GreenChemistryInitiative/gc_draft_regs.cfm

Written comments on the draft are due to DTSC by July 15, 2010. and should be sent to: gcregs@dtsc.ca.gov or mailed to: Heather Jones, Office of Legislation & Regulatory Policy, California Department of Toxic Substances Control, 1001 I Street, Sacramento, CA 95814.

WASHINGTON, DC — A new rule from the Federal Trade Commission aims to make it easier for consumers to compare types of bulbs by making lumens, not watts, the most prominent figure on packaging.

Starting in the middle of next year, labels on the front of light bulb packaging must emphasize the bulb brightness measured in lumens as opposed to emphasizing watts, which is a measurement of energy use.

Until incandescent bulbs are phased out in the U.S. in 2012, consumers have the choice of incandescent, compact fluorescent (CFL) and light emitting diode (LED) bulbs. Since CFLs and LEDs consume less energy, they use fewer watts, and most CFL and LED packaging also lists how many watts a comparable incandescent would use.

Under the new rule, all bulb packaging would be streamlined so all focus on lumens on the front of packaging and list other information on the back of the packaging in a new Lighting Facts box similar to the Nutritional Facts boxes on food.

The Lighting Facts will include brightness, estimated yearly energy cost, bulb life expectancy, light appearance (from warm to cool) and if the bulb contains mercury. The bulbs themselves will be imprinted with their brightness and a disclosure if they contain mercury.

LEDs, the most costly of all bulbs, last much longer than both incandescents and CFLs, and do not contain mercury. A number of companies have released or plan to put out LEDs, and research estimates that LEDs will make up half of the $4.4 billion market for lamps in the commercial, industrial and outdoor stationary sectors by 2020.