Largest Rooftop Solar Power Plant in North America Formally Completed
New Jersey loves setting rooftop solar power records. It did in 2009 when it opened the largest solar rooftop in North America (2.4 MW of capacity), again in 2011 when Toys”R”Us got a 5.38-MW solar roof, and again later in 2011 when a 9-MW solar roofwas installed on a large Holt Logistics refrigerated warehouse, the Gloucester Marine Terminal. This solar rooftop just achieved its formal completion this week.
Riverside Renewable Energy Solar Array- Largest Rooftop Solar Array in North America
The solar rooftop project is called Riverside Renewable Energy, LLC. It cost $42 million, includes 27,526 photovoltaic rooftop solar panels, and covers 1.1 million square feet.U.S. Rep. Robert Andrews (D-NJ) this week “presented Gloucester Marine Terminal officials with an award letter announcing an $11 million federal tax credit rebate” for the project, a news release stated.“The Riverside project is an outstanding example of how we can create jobs that move us towards cleaner, more efficient and cost-saving energy that doesn’t come from overseas,” said Congressman Andrews. “By partnering with the federal government, private industry is able to make strides that are good for job creation and the economy right now, and also for a cleaner, healthier and more energy efficient future here in South Jersey and the country.”The project, construction of which started in June 2011, was completed on budget and ahead of schedule — not something you’re likely to read about some of solar power’s conventional competitors. And this despite the fact that it is located in a high-wind location on the Delaware River, is located on a federal EPA Superfund site, and required oversight from the Terminal by the Department of Homeland Security.Riverside will generate the equivalent of up to 80 percent of the Terminal’s power demand. The system is expected to offset more than 8,100 tons of carbon dioxide, approximately the same amount that would be offset by planting 400,000 trees or removing 1,200 cars from the road.Aside from Holt Logistics, SunPower, Rabobank, and PSE&G were involved in this record-breaking solar power project.
The State of Sustainability - Illustrated
By Stephen Lacey
This was originally published on Climate Progress and has been reposted with permission.
It’s hard to rally around the term “sustainability” these days. When we consider the record amount of emissions we’re spewing into the atmosphere and the slow pace of change relative to our compounding environmental problems, the term “sustainable” has lost much of its meaning.
At the same time, however, businesses are getting focused on the problem. Many of the top companies in the world are investing trillions of dollars to change farming practices, reduce packaging, make operations more efficient, and deploy renewable energy. These are real, necessary, and positive steps. But they’re not nearly enough.
Last week, GreenBiz released its latest “State of Green Business” report. And it shows a very mixed picture for sustainability practices in the business community. In this post, we feature some of the best charts from the report on energy production, efficiency and corporate accounting.
1. U.S. carbon intensity is flat lining. In 2010, our economy increased emissions per dollar of GDP. That may decline slightly in 2011, but it still shows worrisome stagnation.
Free Energy from Air Heat Pumps – is that Magic?
October 30, 2011 By:
Moving back to my native New Zealand this year, I had the chance to try a different kind of heating system for our house here. One of the most intriguing technologies I’m hearing about here is something I never heard of – an air heat pump.
I was familiar with the very eco correct “geothermal” or ground heat pump, only because I write about green building.
