Newsletter
February, 2005

In this issue:

Envisioning and Empowering Sustainable Campus Design
8:30- 3:30, Friday, March 11, Kean University
Cost: NJHEPS Members/Students: Free, Higher Education/USGBC Members: $20.00, Non-Members: $30.00
Who should come: academics, planners, administrators, students, construction professions, interested folks

All participant are requested to register through Acteva – http://www.acteva.com/booking.cfm?bevaid=81599
Please Contact Terra Meierdierck at 973.642.7848 or tmeierdierck@njheps.org for more information on this event and visit http://www.kean.edu/publications/2005/AdminReport1-24-05.pdf for building press release.

"Rutgers Going Solar"
When it comes to sustainable energy initiatives in the United States, New Jersey is "an oasis of enlightenment against a backdrop of a total void in energy policy direction," Stated Steve Strong at Rutgers on February 15.

Last Tuesday night Steve Strong - creator of Solar Design Associates, Lance Miller - NJBPU, and Mike Crockford - RUSustainable hosted "Rutgers Going Solar" at the Rutgers Student Center. RUSustainable has been working diligently on a solar campus incentive with the Rutgers Sustainability Advisory Committee. Rutgers has a 3 million dollar proposal designed to install a 500 kilowatt solar system, enough energy to power roughly one-third of Livingston campus, taking advantage of the BPU's solar subsidies.

Steven Strong's speech focused on the importance of solar power as the future of energy not only for the state and the country, but also for the entire planet, touching on the pitfalls of America's ever-increasing thirst for oil. "Solar energy has the likelihood - not just the chance - to change the course of this nation and by extension, the world," Strong said in his opening remarks. Lance Miller and Mike Crockford focused on the renewable advancement of other countries, as compared the United State’s lagging renewable advancement and focused on the efforts of the NJBPU is perusing to make New Jersey a renewable portfolio leader.

Please visit The Rutgers Daily Targum for complete coverage of the event.

From Football to LEED™, William Hill


William Hill an alumnus who graduated from Kean with his Master of Public Administration degree and a 3.7 grade-point-average in 2004. Hill now holds the position as associate supervisor in the Office of Facilities and Campus Planning at Kean.

Hill was once a young man enthusiastic about sports, with little more than a passing interest in his studies. “I was a serious football player, and the game was all I thought about,” he said. “The only reason I paid any attention at all to school was because I knew my father wouldn’t let me play if I didn’t.” Unfortunately, William was injured in a car accident prior to his freshman playing semester. “As a result of the accident, I suffered severe nerve damage in my left arm,” Hill said. “The doctors told me that I would be lucky to even get 60-percent mobility back. Playing football was out of the question.” "Since I wasn’t able to play, I spent my first year at Kean learning how to study.”

Hill’s employment history at Kean goes back to his days as an undergraduate, when he worked as a peer liaison for the Center for Academic Success (then the Center for New Students) for two years, and interned as a construction clerk with Facilities and Campus Planning. He left to accept a fulltime position with a mechanical and industrial plumbing estimator before returning to Kean’s Office of Facilities and Campus Planning as a program assistant in 2002. When his current position became open, Hill filled in on an interim basis. He applied for the permanent position and proved to be the most qualified candidate.

When William learned that the new Center for Academic Success building would be LEED™ Certified by the U.S. Green Building Council, he researched janitorial products that carry the Green Seal, ensuring Kean's environmental standards. “I’m a product of this University and, having been a student here, I will do whatever I can to make today’s students stay here a pleasant one. The most important thing to me is to make this University look good and be as clean as possible. If I can help do all that and also protect the safety of the environment and our community, I can leave at the end of the day feeling satisfied.”

Article extrapolated from the Kean February Administrative Report

St. Philip’s Academy’s, Securing Excellence for 2006
St. Philip’s Academy’s new facility at 342 Central Avenue is designed as a learning space that will greatly enrich their students’ experience and our further enhance their educational program. Research since the Coleman Report, the landmark study in educational equality in 1966, demonstrated the link between the quality of an educational program and the quality of the educational program’s physical space and facilities, especially with populations of urban minority youth.

In the effort to take holistic pedagogy to the next level, St. Philips will increase emphasis on social-emotional and physical wellness. To that end, in conjunction with Gensler Architecture, design and renovation of 342 Central will follow the LEED Green Building Rating System™. Meeting LEED standards will promote St. Philip's as a model urban school and raise awareness about environmental responsibility within the Newark community.

With these ambitious goals in place, the challenge to St. Philip's is securing and maintaining excellence for our community. For more information, or if you would like to become involved, please contact the St. Philip's Academy Development Office at (973) 624-1164 or development@stphilipsacademy.org.

Green Power Choice Program
The BPU has released a draft proposal for the New Jersey Voluntary Green Power Choice Program that would offer electric retail customers the option to select green energy through a sign-up option on their utility bills, without having to switch their supplier. Electric customers who wish to pay a slight premium to encourage the development and expansion of renewable energy sources may subscribe to the program and select from multiple green power products and marketers. The BPU's Office of Clean Energy would oversee and administer the program and ensure that relevant New Jersey consumer protection rules and procedures are followed. The proposal summarizes the general framework of the program, and may be modified based on comments from interested parties and the public. Please visit http://www.state.nj.us/bpu/tmp/GPCpublicnotice.pdf to view the proposal.

Jersey Atlantic Wind Farm
After several years of collecting wind data, community education, avian impact studies and permitting, development of the Jersey Atlantic Wind Farm at the Atlantic County Utilities Authority (ACUA) Wastewater Treatment Plant in Atlantic City, N.J. will begin this year. The first wind farm in New Jersey, it will be the most visible wind energy project in North America with Atlantic City's 34 million visitors driving past it as they enter the city. As an Eastern, Urban, Coastal, Industrial, Onshore, Multi-turbine wind farm, it will be unique in the world.

A joint effort project by Community Energy Inc (CEI) and ACUA involves a wind-generation facility sized to meet the electrical load requirements of the ACUA Treatment Plant and be able to sell excess power to the electrical utility. The project will include up to five 1.5-megawatt (MW) state of the art wind turbines manufactured by General Electric. The tower hubs will be approximately 262 feet high, each with three rotors of 118 feet, for a total height of about 380 feet. The turbines will produce 7.5 MW of electrical energy when operating at design wind speeds. The developer estimates that the ACUA facility will use between 35% and 60% of the wind-generated capacity, providing about 50% of the wastewater plants demand, with the remaining energy being provided to the main power grid.

The estimated cost of the 7.5 MW wind farm is $12 million. CEI has been awarded a $1.7 million grant from NJ Board of Public Utilities that will be used to offset design and construction costs. In addition CEI has applied for a $1.92 million customer supply grant through Conectiv. The remaining costs needed to complete the project will be funded by a variety of sources such as equity investment, public-private partnership(s), or debt financing.

A full press release may be found on Community Energy's website, or please visit the Atlantic County Utilities Authority for more information about the project.

Solar Sheds New Light
New research at the University of Toronto (U of T) promises to yield new ways to capture the sun's infrared radiation, a part of the solar spectrum that's not captured by today's low-cost flexible thin-film solar cells. Using particles of semiconductor only 6 nanometers in size, the U of T team created a suspension of the particles in a solvent, much like paint, and then applied it to a surface to dry. The particles are so small that quantum effects determine the wavelength of light that they absorb, causing them to absorb infrared radiation, the invisible heat radiation given off by warm objects. The key to success was combining these particles—sometimes called "quantum dots"—with a solvent that would cause them to evenly disperse across the surface of a material. According to one reviewer of the work, the finding has the potential of eventually allowing flexible solar devices to boost their efficiency significantly, capturing 30 percent of the sun's energy. Today's flexible solar cells consist of a thin film of semiconductor material deposited on a flexible plastic substrate. Please view the U of T press release for more information.

Researchers at Georgia Institute of Technology are working to boost the efficiency of a new type of flexible solar cell, the organic solar cell, in which the inexpensive, flexible material that forms the cell is also able to capture the sun's energy and convert it into electricity. The Georgia Tech researchers built their solar cells by combining pentane—a 22-carbon molecule in which the carbon atoms form five rings linked together in a chain—with C-60, a large soccer-ball-shaped carbon molecule also called Buckminsterfullerene, or "buckyballs." The resulting organic solar cells were able to convert 3.4 percent of the sun's energy into electricity. For the full article please visit http://www.gatech.edu/news-room/release.php?id=497 for more project information.

Landfill Gas + Plants + Manure = Power
Methane-rich landfill gas is a growing source of power, as landfills seek to reduce both their greenhouse gas emissions and the odors associated with the emissions. Ameresco, Inc. announced in late December that it is working with Santa Cruz County in California to generate 3.2 megawatts of power from the county's landfill in Watsonville. In late January, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) honored Ameresco as its 2004 "Industry Partner of the Year" for its work to complete five new landfill gas projects totaling 81 megawatts in capacity. The EPA also named Dairyland Power Cooperative its "Energy Partner of the Year" for participating in a 3-megawatt landfill gas project in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Ameresco also participated in that project. See the Ameresco press releases from December 28th and January 19th.

Companies are also working to convert forest thinnings and biomass-derived sugars into power. In Colorado, the Governor's Office of Energy Management and Conservation (OEMC) and DOE announced last week that the coal-fired W.N. Clark Generating Station—owned by Aquila, Inc. and located in Canon City—is replacing part of its coal supply with biomass from local forest thinning operations. The plant plans to sell the environmental benefits achieved by this project by issuing Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs), marking the first time that forest-derived biomass is used to create RECs. In Wisconsin, Virent Energy Systems is developing a demonstration project to convert sugars directly into hydrogen, which will help fuel a 5-kilowatt generator. The project will be the first to use Virent's patented Aqueous-Phase Reforming process. See the press releases from OEMC and Virent.

Companies are also continuing to convert animal wastes into energy, relying primarily on anaerobic digesters, which convert the wastes into methane. Central Vermont Public Service (CVPS) supplies its entire green power program with anaerobic digesters, selling the resultant power as CVPS Cow Power. In mid-January, the 1,500-head Blue Spruce Farm in Bridport (west of Middlebury in west-central Vermont) began supplying power to the CVPS program, and is expected to produce 1.7 million kilowatt-hours of electricity each year. The anaerobic digester technology is growing in importance, and in December, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that it will work with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to advance the technology. See the press releases from CVPS and the USDA.

John Deere Gets Gassed Up with Biodiesel
“Our manufacturing plants in the U.S. will use B2 biodiesel for fueling tractors, combines, self-propelled sprayers, and other diesel powered machines.” stated Don Borgman, manager market planning and customer integration, John Deere Ag Marketing Center on February 1.

“Working with the National Biodiesel Board (NBB), we are promoting the use of B2 fuel because it is readily available and meets the high quality fuel standards that we have set for our engines, and it is a positive step toward adoption of renewable fuels,” says Borgman. “If B2 were used in all diesel engines in the U.S., the United States could displace the equivalent of about 1 billion gallons of foreign oil per year. That could, in turn, translate to some very significant increases in the demand for crops from which biodiesel is made, like soybeans and other natural fats and oils grown right here in the United States.”

John Deere plans to transition the B2 biodiesel fuel into its U.S. plants before the end of 2005. The John Deere tractor assembly plant, Waterloo Works, in Waterloo, IA and its combine manufacturing plant, Harvester Works, in East Moline, IL will be the first to begin using the B2 fuel with implementation by March 1, 2005. John Deere also plans to publicize its fuel specs and actively encourage its customers to continue to use the B2 formula in their own operations as well.

“John Deere is an international leader in agriculture and technology. For John Deere to embrace biodiesel in this way is a powerful step that will help raise awareness and increase use of biodiesel,” said Joe Jobe, executive director of NBB. “This decision is a demonstration of John Deere’s commitment to improving America’s energy situation, environmental impact, and economic growth through renewable agricultural fuels like biodiesel.”

Please see the full press release for complete coverage.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Designing and Maintaining Top Energy
March 8th, Morristown, NJ

This two-part presentation will demonstrate how (1) to design buildings for superior energy performance, and how (2) to determine the relative energy performance of existing buildings.

In the first part, the presentation will include how:
1- To set an annual energy use target (kBtu/sf/yr) for a building under design.
2- To increase the attention on building energy throughout the design process;
3- To obtain EPA recognition for A&E firms that design superior energy performance buildings; and,
4- To join as an ENERGY STAR® Partner and obtain a market advantage.

The second part of the presentation will demonstrate a related energy performance rating system, one focused on helping owners maintain cost-effective energy performance. This system determines the energy performance of an existing building relative to similar facilities across the country. That is, if a building uses 45 kBtu/sf/yr, would that be considered superior energy performance, above average, or below average? Attendees are again encouraged to bring 12 months of recent utility data and basic building parameters such as gross square footage, estimated number of occupants, operating hours per week, and number of PCs. The Web-based rating system will calculate the relative energy performance of the building.

To Register Please See: http://www.acteva.com/booking.cfm?bevaid=80112


Globalcon 2005
March 23 - 24, Atlantic City

Decision makers from business, industry and government must now seek integrated energy solutions — solutions which assure both a secure and affordable power supply, and effective management of both energy and overall operational costs. Globalcon 2005, presented by the Association of Energy Engineers, is designed specifically to facilitate those who need to get up to speed on the latest developments in the energy field, explore promising new technologies, compare energy supply options, and learn about innovative and cost-conscious project implementation strategies. The multi-track conference covers a variety of topics, and gives you the opportunity to hear first-hand from some of the major players in the energy field. The Globalcon Expo will emphasize four critical areas of leading edge technology and related services:

Please see http://www.globalconevent.com/ for registration and further information.

Photovoltaics Installer’s Course
March 28 - 31, Rowan University (8:30 to 4:30)

Instructor: Dr. Gay E. Canough,
NABCEP*-certified PV Installer, ISP**-certified Master Trainer. Gay has taught over 40 PV installer courses and installed over 350 kW of PV.

This course will look at the basics of how to site, design and install photovoltaic (PV) systems. The course includes sizing systems for both grid-connected and off-grid PV systems. We will look at the solar resource, the problems associated with shading and what is the best orientation and tilt for PV arrays. We’ll discuss the basic sizing and design of systems to serve a given electrical load. We’ll go over safety practices for installers and study the electrical code for PV systems in some detail. We will study various mounting systems for PV arrays and how they affect roofs. We will install a PV system. This course can be applied toward your NABCEP prerequisites. AND for licensed electricians this class counts for 27 hours of Continuing Education Credit.

Registration DEADLINE March 14, 2005. Tuition: $550
Visit www.etmsolar.com for registration form and syllabus or call Lori at 877-785-6498

High Performance Building Academy
April 4 - 8, New York City

The Graduate Center of the City University of New York and the Center for Economic and Environmental Partnership, Inc. (CEEP) announced the first annual High Performance Building Academy. "The purpose of the Academy is to provide education to all segments of the building industry - from design and construction to building management, from development to brokerage - so that people in each segment are able to participate in the emerging high performance building marketplace."

For more information, contact David Levine DLevine@gc.cuny.edu at the CUNY Graduate Center (212-817-7292), http://web.gc.cuny.edu/cepp, or Donna Denley donna@eba-nys.org at the Environmental Business Association of New York (518-432-6400), http://www.eba-nys.org

Labs 21 High Performance Design
April 7, Titusville, NJ

The Labs21 High Performance, Low-Energy Design Course is a full-day workshop that introduces strategies for designing and constructing sustainable laboratories in both new and existing facilities. While designed as an introductory course, those familiar with sustainable laboratory design are also welcome to attend and contribute to the discussion.

Course topics include:

Please visit http://www.acteva.com/booking.cfm?bevaid=80110 for registration and further conference details.

The Celebration of the Earth Festival
May 15, Paramus, NJ

The Celebration of the Earth Festival is a yearly event, designed to educate the public about ways to celebrate and protect our planet. It is New Jersey's largest Earth Day related event. In our eighth year, it is hosted by The Paramus Environmental Commission and The Learning Center For Exceptional Children. The event’s goal is to reach out to people who normally would not be attending typical environmental fairs. It is our opinion that these people are the ones that most need to be educated and enlightened about environmental issues facing us.

We achieve this by creating a fun atmosphere, one of celebration, filled with entertainment for young and old. The entertainment leans toward children because we realize that children cannot come without their parents, so it is a great way to attract adults. While they are getting entertained, it is our intention that people will walk through the tent and gather the vast amount of information that is available to them about our planet.

The Paramus Environmental Commission and The Learning Center for Exceptional Children would be honored to invite you to attend this coming CELEBRATION OF THE EARTH FESTIVAL, being held on Sunday May 15, 2005 at Van Saun Park, Paramus, New Jersey, from noon till 5PM. Please contact Ivan Salinas for more information.

Upcoming AEE Telecourses

Complete Course Offerings (including sessions on Optimizing HVAC Performance and Emissions Trading): www.aeecenter.org/realtime/.

***
NJHEPS
Dr. Donald Wheeler, Executive Director
Dr. Daniel Watts, President

Want to share progress towards sustainability on your campus? Please send news items to Terra Meierdierck (973-642-7848; tmeierdierck@njheps.org) for inclusion in our newsletter.

NJHEPS gratefully acknowledges the support of the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities, the AT&T Foundation, AT&T, Inc., and the NJHEPS 40 Member Institutions.

This newsletter is available online (from www.njheps.org/press.html). This newsletter is sent out monthly by NJHEPS via an announcements-only listserv, NJHEPS-news@listserver.njit.edu. If you no longer wish to subscribe to this listserv, please use the tools available on the listserv's homepage, at http://listserver.njit.edu/mailman/options/njheps-news/* (replace the "*" with your email address), or notify Terra Meierdierck, NJHEPS Program Assistant.