Cedar Hills Methane Generates Electricity

SEATTLE

King County, Puget Sound Energy, Bellevue, and Bio Energy-Washington, Seattle are building a system to convert landfill gas to energy at the county’s Cedar Hills Regional Landfill in Maple Valley, about 20 miles southeast of Seattle. Methane produced by the landfill will be collected, processed, and piped to Puget Sound Energy’s natural gasfired power plants.

The power PSE produces from Cedar Hills’ methane will make Cedar Hills the third-largest landfill-gas energy project in the nation.

Because the converted methane gas from the landfill replaces an equal amount of nonrenewable natural gas, the landfill gas-to-energy project will result in an overall reduction of emissions, including greenhouse- gas (GHG) emissions. This project translates into an estimated 63 percent reduction in the carbon footprint of the landfill.

A connecting line that runs between the landfill and the adjacent Northwest Pipeline – the region’s main transmission supply line for natural gas – will transport the methane gas to PSE natural gas-fired power plants. PSE will use the methane – the primary component of commercialgrade natural gas – to generate an estimated 287,000 megawatt-hours of electricity annually, on average, enough to meet the entire power needs of 24,000 homes.

Bio Energy-Washington, a subsidiary of Richmond, Va.-based INGENCO, is building and operating the gas-to-energy facility at Cedar Hills, which includes the quarter-mile pipeline for shipping the processed landfill gas to Northwest Pipeline and on to PSE’s natural gas-fired power plants.

The gas-processing plant includes a series of sequential steps which remove all the contaminants found in landfill gas. The end result is gas cleaner than natural gas recovered from conventional gas wells.

SolarWorld to Expand Manufacturing Plant to Increase Capacity

HILLSBORO, ORE.

Five months after the grand opening of North America’s biggest solar manufacturing plant, the SolarWorld group announced it will begin construction of a new, adjacent facility.

The building, dedicated to logistics, distribution and production, will measure about 210,000 sq ft, increasing the site’s plant space by 44%.

“We are fully committed to not only marketing the proven renewable energy of photovoltaic technology in the United States but also manufacturing it here,” said Boris Klebensberger, SolarWorld’s chief operating officer and president of SolarWorld Industries America.

The company plans to have 500 MW of production capacity and about 1,000 employees by 2011. The project will employ between 150 and 200 construction workers at peak.

Completion is scheduled for November. SolarWorld’s 100-acre property near the corner of Northwest Evergreen and Shute roads provides still further room to grow, an opportunity that the company intends to seize as market and company conditions direct.

Oregon School Turns to Solar Energy for Power

BEAVERTON, ORE

The German American School of Portland inaugurated one of the biggest solarpanel installations at an Oregon school last month with the activation of a 45- module, 7.8kW system on the school’s roof and facade.

The system is expected to generate about 7800 kWh of electricity per year – equivalent to the output of three residential solar-energy projects.

The project, valued at a total of about $100,000, was made possible by several organizations, Bonneville Education Foundation, SolarWorld, Portland General Electric and Energy Trust.

Through its Solar 4R Schools program, BEF has orchestrated nearly 100 solar demonstrations nationwide, includingmore than 20 in Oregon.

Survey Shows Consumers Spend on Conservation Despite Slowdown

KNOXVILLE, TN

Although worried about the economy, consumers are willing to buy energy-efficient products and services – if they see immediate savings, according to a national survey.

The survey, one of four annual surveys conducted by The Shelton Group, found that 71% of consumers cited saving money as a reason to buy energy-efficient products. Far fewer chose “to protect the environment” (55 percent) and “to protect the quality of life for future generations” (49 percent). That is a notable change from the surveys conducted by The Shelton Group in 2006 and 2007 – before the recession – when consumers cited “to protect the environment” most often.

According to the survey, consumers said they are likely to take a number of energy-efficient measures after learning they would save over the long term. Among them:

• 44 percent responded they are likely to buy a programmable thermostat; 32 percent already have;
• 43 percent responded they are likely to install insulation in their homes; 26 percent already have;
• 42 percent responded that they are to install a higher-efficiency water heater; 26 percent already have.

Students Compete in LEED Rating Construction Contest

BEAVERTON, ORE

This year, more than 650 students competed in the third-annual LEED Problem Statement, part of the larger Associated Schools of Construction (ASC) Region six and seven competition, which was held in Sparks, Nev. Overall, more than 1,500 students, representing 38 colleges, competed in the 22nd annual event.

Skanska USA Building USA employees developed this year’s problem statement, which tested the student’s abilities to research and make recommendations for a large big-box retail project in northern California to achieve LEED certification.

The problem statement required the students to analyze the difference between LEED-NC v2.2 (New Construction) and LEED 2009 and make a recommendation as to which rating system should be used to achieve the project’s LEED goals.

The 2009 winning teams included Cal- Poly San Luis Obispo, Brigham Young University and University of Southern California. University of Florida was recognized for best presentation. The teams proved to be highly competitive and produced extremely innovative solutions. Only three points separated the top six teams in the event Central Washington University and University of Washington students participated.

Annual Energy Challenge Starts in Portland Area

PORTLAND

BOMA Portland kicked off the 2009 Office Energy Showdown—the search for office properties in the Portland Metro and Southwest Washington area that are leading the way in energy performance. In its third year, the competition challenges building owners to assess their buildings’ energy performance and recognize achievements made over the past year.

Last year’s winners were chosen from among 25 entries, representing over seven million square feet of Portland Metro and SW Washington office space. For the second year, Russell Development Company’s 200 Market Building took first place and 16 additional buildings qualified for the ENERGY STAR® label—denoting superior energy performance as compared with buildings nationwide.

OSU Scientists Close to Stronger Wood Product

CORVALLIS

Scientists at the Oregon State University say, may help produce a new type of wood product industry in Oregon based on hybrid poplar – and nurtured by a new Green Buildings Material Testing Laboratory being set up at Oregon State University. It is one part of a new grant announced from the Oregon Built Environment and Sustainable Technologies Center, or Oregon BEST.

The process uses steam, heat and pressure to transform alder into a wood product stronger than Douglas fir.

Hybrid poplar trees can grow up to 12 feet a year and be produced in plantations much like an agricultural crop, but the wood itself is about 60 percent voided space. Researchers are using a technique called “viscoelastic thermal compression” that combines moisture, heat and mechanical compression to reduce that space, creating veneers that resemble hardwoods in their strength and density.

The new Green Building Materials Laboratory is a collaboration of OSU’s College of Engineering, College of Forestry, and one of Oregon BEST’s shared-use research facilities, and will be designed to serve as a showcase for green building in Oregon.

Living Buildings Financially More Efficient Than the Norm

SEATTLE

A new study finds that the most financially responsible design approach to new construction in the mid-to-long term is a “Living Building,” a building that generates its own power, as well as cleans and reuses its water. In fact, a building that is only slightly green may end up costing more in ten years than a building that is designed and built as high performance as is currently possible. Living Buildings offer significantly larger savings in water and energy costs, and cost less to construct than previously believed.

Given the rising cost of energy and water, Living Buildings, as defined by the Cascadia Region Green Building Council, are the smartest financial option in today’s economy. The only exceptions, according to a study team led by SERA Architects with Skanska USA Building, Gerding Edlen Development, New Buildings Institute, and Interface Engineering, are “spec” buildings meant to be “flipped” in a few years.

The study was initiated in an effort to put a price tag on the Living Building Challenge rating system – a relatively new program that has already sparked huge interest in North America with at least 60 proposed Living Buildings in some stage of design or actual construction.

The study was done by examining construction documentation on nine buildings, ranging from schools to homes and high-rises, in four different US cities representing various climate zones. Each of these reference buildings were certified LEED Gold, already incorporating many green features and representing current best practices. The construction documents were modified to meet the goals of a Living Building and then re-priced based on the modifications, with the purpose of comparing the cost difference of making the leap to net-zero energy and water.