Check out a recent story I wrote for Technology Review on a new plug ‘n’ play solar shingle from Dow Chemical. Dow plans to release a small test batch of the solar embedded shingles later this year and while they haven’t yet announced who will get them, I think they’d compliment my solar hot water system quite nicely.

My guess is this and other attempts to merge solar panels with conventional building materials will initially cost a premium and the technology will likely encounter some hiccups along the way. But, eventually, I think solar embedded shingles will become a standard part of new roofs. Like one industry analyst told me, “two hundred years ago they didn’t build buildings with electrical systems in the walls and wiring buildings was a really expensive… [view entry]

A third Climate Congress will be held on Saturday, March 6, 2010, from 9am to noon, in City Hall. The Climate Congress is open to the public. The main aim will be for delegates to unite on specific recommendations for City action. The Congress will use the opportunity to decide on whether to accept a final report on proposals and to bring the new citizen action teams together.

During the second Climate Congress, 75 delegates convened to develop recommendations to the city for addressing climate change, but also organize and develop citizen generated solutions.  Highlights from the second congress include:

The Congress discussed priorities among the proposals in the Draft Report. Several common themes emerged and these will be documented in the final report of the Congress.
Delegates formed action teams

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The Commonwealth Solar Stimulus and Commonwealth Solar Rebate Programs will be available today at 2:00 PM EST on Wednesday, January 27, 2010.

The Commonwealth Solar Program provides rebates through a non-competitive application process for the installation of photovoltaic (PV) projects. The Commonwealth Solar II Rebate Program provides rebates for commercial systems up to 5 kilowatts (kW) and all residential systems (regardless of size). The Commonwealth Solar Stimulus Rebate Program provides rebates for commercial PV systems sized greater than 5 kW up to 200 kW.

The Commonwealth Solar program issued awards for the installation of 23.5 megawatts (MW) of solar power over the last two years, but recently ran short of funding. The new rebate programs for homeowners, business, and communities throughout the Commonwealth  will help the commonwealth reach Governor… [view entry]

by congress planning committee member Joanna Herlihy:

The second session of the Climate Emergency congress was even livelier that the first. Delegates found that prioritization of their recommendations had not progressed much beyond the ‘laundry list’ categorization of the ‘Draft Recommendations’ issued a few weeks earlier. Apparently this was partly due to technical and organization problems with incorporating responses to the online survey, most of which came in during the last few days.

The version of the recommendations presented to the second session included a new proposal advanced by the drafting group to encapsulate suggestions to set up provisions for ensuring citizen participation in and adequate city staffing for follow-up on the recommendations.

The next breakout into small groups was self-organized by delegates according to ‘open space’ principles,  grouping according to areas… [view entry]

The Massachusetts Municipal Association (MMA) is offering free Home Energy Saving Seminars to communities across Massachusetts.   The Massachusetts Municipal Association is a nonprofit, nonpartisan association that provides advocacy, training, publications, research and other services to Massachusetts cities and towns. If you are interested in hosting a workshop in your community schedule the workshop soon, as the program ends in March.

Through this free service offered by MMA, the Cambridge Energy Alliance hosted a Weatherizing Your Home for Ultimate Energy Savings event on January 12th, that brought together over 45 individuals wanting to learn how to reduce their energy use at home.  Speaker Clark Goody from the Conservation Services provided detailed information on home energy audits, cost effective investments, and access to resources to help residents save energy and money.… [view entry]

Press Release:  Green Shelter Project Underway at Transition House

Cambridge, MA — Transition House, Cambridge’s nonprofit domestic violence prevention agency, is greening its Emergency Shelter. The 120-year-old building buzzed with activity on Sunday, January 10, as Transition House kicked its Green Shelter Project into high gear with a modern-day weatherization barn-raising in partnership with the Home Energy Efficiency Team (HEET), the Cambridge Energy Alliance and New Generation Energy.  “We were excited to have so many skilled and  enthusiastic volunteers join together to make the Shelter more energy efficient  and more comfortable for the 100 people who live there each year,” relayed Risa Mednick, chair of the Transition House Board. “We’re connecting the dots between environmental sustainability, energy conservation and sustaining vital programs in an era when domestic violence is on the rise and the… [view entry]

After a series of public hearings, the Cambridge City Council adopted the stretch energy code on December 21st.  The stretch code is about 30% more efficient than the baseline building code and has different requirements for both the residential and commercial sectors.  Visit the city’s website to learn more about the stretch code, which includes a summary table that outlines the new requirements.

By passing the stretch energy code, the city of Cambridge demonstrates its continued commitment to reduce its carbon footprint, by requiring higher efficiency standards for buildings, which produce 80% of all carbon emissions in the city.  In addition, the city of Cambridge has now met one of the requirements of the Green Communities Act, that may provide grant funding for  efficiency and renewable energy… [view entry]

As world leaders gathered in Copenhagen,  Our Fair City held its own climate summit inviting townspeople to gather together and brainstorm ideas on how to reduce local greenhouse gas emissions.

On December 12, 100 Cantabrigians from a high school student to a climate expert spent the day at City Hall developing proposals that included eliminating all street parking by 2020 and incorporating landscaped or reflective roofs into building codes.

The ideas seemed rather ambitious, but if the city plans to start meeting its greenhouse gas reduction goals it will likely need to get creative.  In 2002 city officials launched a plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 20 percent below 1990 levels by 2010. Earlier this year, however, they announced that despite their best efforts emissions… [view entry]

Let’s see if we can grasp the so-called agreement reached in Copenhagan.

Many of the Developed Countries (the North) have promised to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions as much as they (comfortably) can in the future. These are not binding commitments; just promises to make a best effort. And, they are all over the place in terms of the cuts they represent compared to past and present CO₂ emission levels. A number of Developing Countries (the South, including China) have now promised to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions. Again, nothing binding and wildly inconsistent targets and timetables. And, even if you add up all the promises, you won’t come close to getting the world on track to stabilizing greenhouse gas emissions at a (350–450 ppm) level by 2050 sufficient to forestall the worst

… [view entry]

Massachusetts’ citizens will be gathering together tonight in solidarity with the citizens of those nations that will be first to face the impacts of climate change.  The candlelight vigil is part of 350.0rg’s call for a science-based international climate treaty and effective U.S. legislation to get us back below 350 ppm of CO2 in the atmosphere.

The program includes compelling speakers invoking the moral imperative for world leaders to act, a group photo documenting the event, and development of photo messages to President Obama calling for action. People will be meeting at Cardinal Cushing Park in Boston, located at the intersection of Cambridge Street and New Chardon Street (across the street from Senator Kerry’s office at One Bowdoin Square).  The vigil is being held from 6:00 – 7:30pm with a… [view entry]