retrofit archives - planet forward - 克罗地亚vs加拿大让球 //www.getitdoneaz.com/tag/retrofit/ inspiring stories to 2022年卡塔尔世界杯官网 tue, 07 mar 2023 19:39:50 +0000 en-us hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.6.2 5 things we learned at greengov //www.getitdoneaz.com/story/5-things-we-learned-at-greengov/ tue, 16 jun 2015 14:42:10 +0000 http://dpetrov.2create.studio/planet/wordpress/5-things-we-learned-at-greengov/ the council on environmental quality hosted greengov, a symposium at gw's jack morton auditorium on june 10, to discuss federal sustainability.

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did you know the federal government is mandated, by executive order, to cut greenhouse gas emissions 40 percent from 2008 levels by 2025? because of this, the council on environmental quality created an initiative called greengov that’s focused on federal energy and sustainability efforts. the council hosted a symposium at gw’s jack morton auditorium on june 10, where a number of senior administration officials and other sustainability leaders showed off strategies to green the supply chain, improve water management, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and waste, and increase energy efficiency and renewable sources of energy.

here are the top five interesting updates in federal sustainability we heard about at greengov:

1. the general services administration (gsa) just issued a proposal request to have solar roofs installed on 18 federal buildings throughout the national capital region.


the photovoltaic array on top of the u.s. department of energy headquarters. (source: national renewable energy laboratory, u.s. department of energy)

this is part of the capital solar challenge that has federal agencies competing to see whose buildings can become most efficient. if approved, gsa will enter a power purchase agreement contract with a single contractor to purchase electricity generated from these photovoltaic systems for a base period of ten years.

this is awesome because a large capital investment from a buyer such as the government gives the renewable energy sector leverage to expand and extend further opportunities in solar to other agencies, big companies, and small businesses alike. with solar the second fastest growing energy sector, this is great news for the climate.

2.the u.s. navy has an all-electric ship, the uss zumwalt ddg 1000.

 
the zumwalt-class guided-missile destroyer ddg 1000 is floated out of dry dock at the general dynamics bath iron works shipyard. the ship, the first of three zumwalt-class destroyers, will provide independent forward presence and deterrence, support special operations forces and operate as part of joint and combined expeditionary forces. the lead ship and class are named in honor of former chief of naval operations adm. elmo r. “bud” zumwalt jr., who served as chief of naval operations from 1970-1974. (source: u.s. navy, photo courtesy of general dynamics)

the uss zumwalt’s microgrid generates and distributes electrical energy everywhere in the ship, so its propellers and drive shafts are turned by electric motors instead of being directly attached to combustion engines. this could pave the way for future integration of biogas and other renewable energy sources in military vessels and vehicles. hopefully these electrical systems and energy efficiency innovations will then trickle down into the next generation of civilian electric vehicles.

3. by 2022, the u.s. aims to become the first nation in the world to produce plug-in electric vehicles (evs) that are as cheap and convenient as gas vehicles.

 
an all-electric nissan leaf charging at an event in washington, d.c. (source: national renewable energy laboratory, department of energy)

the ev-everywhere challenge, announced by president obama in march 2012, calls for collaboration between the private sector, the federal government, states and communities, national laboratories, universities, nongovernmental organizations, and individual consumers to modernize the grid, increase charger accessibility, and generate larger demand for evs and ev infrastructure.

4. federal agencies are required to buy eco-friendly bio-based products such as hand soap derived from soybeans, furniture from sunflower hull wood or disposable spoons from potatoes.

 
soy-based products. (source: united soybean board)

where purchases exceed more than $10,000 per fiscal year, federal agencies are required to give preference to the products with the highest percentage of bio-based content (these items can be made with biodegradable plastics and adhesives, construction materials, paper, plastics, plant and vegetable inks, and more). this green purchasing program, in substituting bio-based products for fossil energy-based products, will increase demand for domestic crops and feedstock. because there are less synthetic chemicals involved in the production, consumption and disposal of these items, they’re a lot better for the environment.

5. retrofitting in one gsa building on the virgin islands is going to create net-zero energy consumption and save $500,000 in the first year.


christiansted, st. croix, us virgin islands. facing north. photo taken on the slopes of recovery hill. (source: jason p. heym)

as part of the deep retrofit challenge, gsa went into a 19-year energy savings performance contract with schneider electric to upgrade the almeric christian federal building. they upgraded the building’s chilled water and automated energy metering systems, made improvements to interior and exterior lighting, heating and cooling systems to maximize efficiency, and added solar photovoltaic panels. these changes will result in a savings of 962,916 kilowatt hours per year, which provides enough energy for 100 percent of the building’s baseline usage.

in order to talk the talk, you’ve got to walk the walk. the u.s. government is making strides to lead by example, as shown by these, and more recent federal sustainability initiatives. to see more on the greengov symposium, visit the event website

(photo at top: kathleen merrigan, far right, moderates a q&a on executive order 13693 with christy goldfuss, managing director for the white house council on environmental quality, and kate brandt, federal chief sustainability officer for the council on environmental quality. merrigan is the executive director of sustainability at the george washington university. / source: eleanor davis/gwu)

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retrofitting the transportation fleet with plug-in technology //www.getitdoneaz.com/story/retrofitting-the-transportation-fleet-with-plug-in-technology/ wed, 28 dec 2011 12:32:00 +0000 http://dpetrov.2create.studio/planet/wordpress/retrofitting-the-transportation-fleet-with-plug-in-technology/ if we are truly serious about slashing the amount of oil america imports, we must address the most popular and inefficient vehicles that are already on the road, not just new vehicles. to date, a number of companies have tackled the idea of retrofitting the existing transportation fleet with plug-in hybrid technology.

year-after-year, the ford f-150 pickup truck tops the sales charts. the f150’s ubiquity (and utility!), combined with its fuel-thirsty nature makes ford’s popular pickup the most logical choice for aftermarket plug-in hybrid development. over the years, i’ve shot segments on three different efforts to electrify the f-150, with the latest being this piece from the 2011 sema show last month in las vegas.

xtreme power takes a completely different approach that uses lead-acid batteries, rather than lithium-ion batteries. xtreme power’s system uses a highly-innovative fully-submersible switched reluctance motor and is designed to be installed in two hours or under. the company claims a 60% improvement in city gas mileage, with an added 350 foot pounds of torque.

to demonstrate the rugged nature of their kit, xtreme power displayed a jeep wrangler with their plug-in hybrid kit installed, along with the f-150.

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doe and solar decathlon director: rebuilding the 20th century //www.getitdoneaz.com/story/doe-and-solar-decathlon-director-rebuilding-the-20th-century/ thu, 27 oct 2011 08:00:39 +0000 http://dpetrov.2create.studio/planet/wordpress/doe-and-solar-decathlon-director-rebuilding-the-20th-century/ richard king, doe’s director of the solar decathlon, talks to planet forward about one smart community in kansas and how if the housing market has got you down your best bet is to retrofit.

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tomorrow’s solar communities, today //www.getitdoneaz.com/story/tomorrows-solar-communities-today/ sat, 22 oct 2011 12:13:16 +0000 http://dpetrov.2create.studio/planet/wordpress/tomorrows-solar-communities-today/ environmental prototype homes of tommorrow (ephot inc)a 501c non-profit will buy, rehab, retrofit with co-generating solar systems, on-demand hot water and radiant barrier insulation foreclosed and bank owned properties; then will either hold and rent for 5 yrs depending on demographic or sell the properties back to the general public using the fha 203k loans(1978 carter administration), which gives the buyer the funds to acquire, renovate, and add solar co-generation equipment to the depressed property.

these foreclosed properties that are not only a blight on the communities they are in but a consistant reminder of the economic times we live in. by renovating them and reducing their carbon footprint; we are vertually killing to birds with same stone…providing a renovated home that is helping the locale community turn around while costing less to live in 50 to 75% depending on personal conservation efforts of dwellwers.

by investing in real estate this initiative will always hold more value on paper than any other value added corporation from start-up. this being said we will always own properties worth as much as 50% of the actual appraised value. this will assure that we are in better cash position in case of more downturn in reit’s.
something stockholders as well as board members will appreciate.

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san francisco’s melanie nutter on getting to zero waste //www.getitdoneaz.com/story/san-franciscos-melanie-nutter-on-getting-to-zero-waste/ tue, 19 jul 2011 12:22:09 +0000 http://dpetrov.2create.studio/planet/wordpress/san-franciscos-melanie-nutter-on-getting-to-zero-waste/ “san francisco prides itself on being one of the most sustainable cities in the u.s.,” the city’s director of the department of environment, melanie nutter, told the c40 news team in this interview. the city brought its experience with innovative programs to the c40 mayors summit in sao paulo last month, among them, a plan to get to zero waste by 2020. the city already recycles or composts 77 percent of its waste, the highest rate of any major u.s. city.

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retrofit canal structures to utilize elevation changes for power generation //www.getitdoneaz.com/story/retrofit-canal-structures-to-utilize-elevation-changes-for-power-generation/ sat, 09 jul 2011 08:00:43 +0000 http://dpetrov.2create.studio/planet/wordpress/retrofit-canal-structures-to-utilize-elevation-changes-for-power-generation/ a ship passing through the panama canal goes through a series of dramatic elevation changes, 85 feet in total.
my idea is to retrofit the locks with an apparatus that attaches to the ship during these elevation changes. by using the force of gravity and the weight of the ship, convert the elevation changes to electric power via a large gearing format combined with a large pump/generating system.

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empire state of energy //www.getitdoneaz.com/story/empire-state-of-energy/ wed, 15 dec 2010 12:55:44 +0000 http://dpetrov.2create.studio/planet/wordpress/empire-state-of-energy/ the empire state building retrofitted all 6,514 windows completing the first phase of its sustainability initiative, which will reduce the buildings consumption of energy by 38%!

talk to kevin surace, ceo of serious materials, and find out how his company improved the quality of every single empire state building window by 400%!

by devin & kristina
special thanks to kevin surace and scott bittle

also thank you to daniel hernandez and melanie maasch.

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convert millions of gas guzzlers already on the road to plug-ins //www.getitdoneaz.com/story/convert-millions-of-gas-guzzlers-already-on-the-road-to-plug-ins/ mon, 22 feb 2010 19:42:13 +0000 http://dpetrov.2create.studio/planet/wordpress/convert-millions-of-gas-guzzlers-already-on-the-road-to-plug-ins/ from felix kramer, founder of the california cars initiative

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convert millions of gas guzzlers already on the road to plug-in //www.getitdoneaz.com/story/convert-millions-of-gas-guzzlers-already-on-the-road-to-plug-in/ mon, 25 jan 2010 21:06:57 +0000 http://dpetrov.2create.studio/planet/wordpress/convert-millions-of-gas-guzzlers-already-on-the-road-to-plug-in/ from felix kramer, founder of calcars

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tax lien financing //www.getitdoneaz.com/story/tax-lien-financing/ mon, 25 jan 2010 21:02:38 +0000 http://dpetrov.2create.studio/planet/wordpress/tax-lien-financing/ from the policy greenhouse at the george washington university

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