“It’s 110 percent safer to have a professional do it than to spray Raid,” says George Williams, a staff entomologist at a removal service in Norwood, Massachusetts, “because the homeowner doesn’t understand the biology and behavior of the pest. Their strategy is to spray all over, instead of where the pests are. They always over apply.”

A technical director at Green Plant Pest Control in Boston compares pest control to medicine, highlighting the importance of getting to the root of the disease, not just treating the symptoms, and asking an expert for his or her opinion on the subject.

Maintaining healthy exteriors are also important to prevent pests from coming inside. Basic tips include trimming shrubs and trees, along with maintaining good soil. To remove pests outdoors, some experts recommend bringing ladybugs, crickets, frogs, and other harmless critters that will eat unwanted pests.

Sources: Boston Globe, The Bay Net 

The Manhattan Beach Unified School District recently benefited from Cenergistic’s consulting services. In the past two and a half years, the school district has saved energy equal to the amount reduced by removing 200 cars off the street, and growing over 28,500 trees for 10 years. Though some administrators were initially hesitant about the significant upfront costs, the returns have been apparent. In terms of monetary savings, schools have cut energy bills by 15 percent over the past 31 months.  Most notably, energy saving measures don’t interrupt day-to-day operations, or alter the way teachers generally conduct class, as some had suspected. Small changes such as unplugging refrigerators over school vacations, and covering the pool when it’s not in use, as well as larger practices, like monitoring electrical usage via smart meters have enabled the schools to save energy and money.

Since 2000, Cenergistic has aided over 4,500 buildings in earning Energy Star certification. In 2012, it recruited over 130 new Energy Star partners and supported 85 school districts that ultimately achieved Energy Star Leaders recognition. About 65 percent of Energy Star’s Top performers in the K-12 category are Cenergistic clients. In school districts across the country, Cenergistic teams up with superintendents, facility managers, financial managers, and school boards to provide the most comprehensive energy education and energy-conservation solutions possible.

Sources: Cenergistic News, Beach Reporter  Image: ceha.org

Riverstone Holdings focuses on investments in the energy and power sectors. The firm is comprised of seven investment funds, including the largest renewable energy fund in the world, which altogether make up $24 billion of capital. On the conventional energy side, Riverstone conducts business in four major categories including exploration/production, midstream (transportation), energy services, and power/coal. Since 2003, the year that Riverstone began pursuing renewable energy investments, special attention has been given to wind, solar, biomass, and biodiesel types of energies.

The partnership with Utex will give Riverstone immediate access to equipment in tools used in oil and gas drilling, mining, water treatment, and other energy related activities.

John Lancaster, a Partner at Riverstone said, “This investment is consistent with Riverstone’s prior investments in niche manufacturing companies that provide engineered consumable products for which demand is driven by the increasing challenges of deeper, higher-pressure, and more service-intensive oil and gas drilling and production operations,”

David Leuschen founded Riverstone Holdings in 2000 along with co-founder Pierre F. Lapeyre Jr. Leuschen previously worked at Goldman Sachs for 22 years, where he was responsible for managing relationships with executives from notable companies in the energy and power industries including Amerada Hess, BP, Chevron, and Mobil, among many others. While at Goldman, he also head started the Goldman Sachs Global Energy & Power Group in the 1980s. Leuschen graduated from Dartmouth College, and frequently gives back to his alma matter and other causes he’s passionate about including organizations supporting his home states Montana and Wyoming, ranching, and the arts.

Sources: Riverstone LLC, Businessweek Image from: info.firstcarbonsolutions.com

Earlier this week, the University of Texas at San Antonio’s Institute for Economic Development published a report highlighting the economic impact of the Eagle Ford Shale region—an oil rich area in southern Texas. The study notes that the region has created over 116,000 jobs, drastically revamping the economy in counties that, just five years ago, faced widespread population losses. In this region, oil production has tripled from 126,000 barrels per day to 352,000 barrels per day in just one year. In fact, the demand for labor has been so high, that some counties are finding it difficult to find people with the right skill sets to match the desired job descriptions. Some of these shortages are being filled through innovative solutions, like training school bus drivers to become truck drivers during their off seasons.

Throughout the country, hundreds of energy firms are creating thousands of jobs that are boosting local economies, like Cunningham Energy in West Virginia. They expect to drill 85,000 square feet in Big Sandy, Elk Districts, and Union District in West Virginia. Jobs in this sector span a wide range of disciplines and skill levels. Some examples of jobs include drilling supervisors, engineers, inventory coordinators, technical writers, chemists, and health and safety advisors among many others.

Source: Businessweek; Image: icpj.net

ILC Dover CEO Bill Wallach said that the company’s claim to fame for years has been developing the space suit used for NASA. Adam Sadkowski, a Design Engineer with Dover said that the company makes blimps for both government and commercial use. He added that ILC Dover produces the majority of blimps the public sees flying above football stadiums.

Recently, ILC Dover purchased Grayling Industries, with the intent of moving their plant from Mexico to a new location at the Old Dupont Warehouse in Seaford, DE. Wallach commented that the business costs required to move operations locally would either be equal to or less than the cost of running a remote facility. The new facility is expected to open some positions as early as April, with six total production lines and some 115 new jobs.

“The people that run the manufacturing equipment that make the product, and at the same time, there will be a series of management positions. People will be responsible for purchasing material or doing the maintenance,” Wallach said.

Training and documentation for these new positions will be offered in both English and Spanish. Bilingual candidates are a plus, but officials say that the training will provide opportunities for Spanish speaking individuals as well.

“Really excited on that, just to have that opening for people who won’t speak the best English but still have an opportunity to have a job,” Sadkowski said.

By late April, an expected 35 to 40 jobs will be open, with others to follow. To date, ILC Dover said they have received many applications.

From: wmdt.com, Image from pbs.org

Garland doesn’t expect to see a significant boom in wind power purchases over the next few years, but requests to upgrade current wind power developments and a steady demand for new projects should mean constant business for companies in wind power. Over the course of the next four years, he expects that his firm might be involved in the development of new projects that could total up to 1 gigawatt of wind energy.

“The growth of the economy is very good,” Garland said. “And as the economy grows, new [project] demand will be coming out and old demands [for projects] will be coming back.”

New growth in wind power demand is expected to come from outside of the U.S., primarily. Pattern Energy has work and developments in Canada that will bring business for the next two to three years. While the market in the U.S. is predicted to stay flat, around 4 to 5 gigawatts of new wind energy are expected to be added annually.

Garland expects that Pattern Energy will turn to investors for a source of new capital in the next year or two. The company closed an investment totaling $800 million in 2010 with Riverstone Holdings. Riverstone is a private equity firm focused in energy and power. The firm was co-founded in 2000 by Pierre F. Lapeyre and David Leuschen and Riverstone has committed over $19 billion globally to date.

From: blogs.wsj.com

A prime example of energy waste in homes is energy that is leaked through the windows and roof of your property. Using tools to measure and detect areas of energy leakage can help you save money on your monthly utilities. If you find, for example, that you are losing a certain percentage of energy through your roof, you can then make sure that cavities where energy is escaping are properly sealed and insulated.

Take a look at some popular energy saving instruments and tips on how to utilize them in your home.

Laser Thermometer: These digital devices report highly accurate temperature readings and can identify locations in your home that are losing heat energy. Some models include a USB connection so that you can store and track energy data on your home computer for analysis.

Thermal Imaging Equipment: Rather than measuring visible light, thermal imaging devices detect and measure heat radiation. Electricians can use this type of equipment to locate electrical wiring and observe the flow of electricity in a home to ensure that energy is not being wasted.

Electrical Power Analyzer: Such devices have a variety of uses that include the ability to measure the circulation of energy throughout a home, as well as the amount of energy that is consumed. Power analyzers are a great solution for both home and business owners to measure and track energy output in effort to identify areas of waste and reduce costs.

Companies like Energy Education Inc. can help you evaluate your energy usage and take control of your energy costs.

From: energydigital.com

The L.A. Metro will now use recycled kinetic energy to power its trains by installing a Wayside Energy Storage Substation (WESS). The concept is relatively simple: save and collect the energy created by breaking and use it while the train accelerates. The project is estimated to cost $3.6 million, and will be overseen by Vycon, a leader in eco-friendly flywheel systems.

According to Metro’s project manager Frank Castro, “Metro is committed to an extensive energy savings and sustainability program. In the last five years, two megawatts of photovoltaic energy-saving equipment has been already installed. The WESS Project alone, with its two megawatts of flywheel energy recycling power capacity, will double this number.”

The technology is similar to that used in hybrid cars, except on a much larger scale. Vycon experts estimate that the technology is able to put back 90 percent of what it captures. The flywheels would be located at the station, allowing the train to send back power via rail.

Besides reduced energy costs, the WESS system would also reduce the number of train slowdowns and increase system reliability by improving power capacity. The system would also aid in storing power that would be useful in the case of outages or emergencies.

The Los Angeles project is funded by the Federal Transit Administration, made possible, in part, by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

New York City experimented with a similar project, using flywheels on the Long Island Rail Road through a $5.2 million contract.

In June 2012, when Audi’s R18 e-tron Quattro became the first hybrid vehicle to win the Le Mans race, it used the same technology that will be used in the Los Angles metro. The front wheels were controlled by an electric motor while the back wheels were powered by a V6 engine.

Sources: Sustainable Business, Green Tech Media, Vycon Energy, The Verge

The completion of these financings places AES Solar among the largest operators and owners of utility-scale solar energy plants. Globally, the corporation’s portfolio now encompasses over 500 operational megawatts in seven different countries.

In mid-November, AES Solar began construction on its Mount Signal Solar project in Imperial County, California after the project’s finances were settled. The proposed 226 megawatt solar photovoltaic generating power plant is expected to be functional by early 2014. Its output energy will be sold to San Diego Gas & Electric Company as part of a long-term agreement.

“We are pleased to have begun construction of this important solar project. It is the first of several that we look forward to developing in the Imperial Valley,” Bob Hemphill, CEO of AES Solar, said in a statement. “This project doubles the size of our company’s portfolio and will provide electricity to over 65,000 homes in California.”

Sources: virginiabusiness.com, benzinga.com

AES Solar is a joint venture of AES Corporation (based in Arlington, VA) and Riverstone Holdings LLC. The mission of the AES Corporation is to provide energy solutions that are sustainable, safe and reliable in each serving market. The corporation is headed by President and Chief Executive Officer Andre R. Gluski.

Riverstone Holdings LLC is a private equity firm focused in the energy and power sectors. Founded in 2000 by Pierre Lapeyer, Jr. and David Leuschen, Riverstone has since committed $19.6 billion to 91 investments globally.

As a result of structural inefficiencies, buildings can actually waste as much as 80 percent of their energy. Issues like lighting, faulty insulation, leaks and outdated HVAC systems can all contribute to the waste of energy in a building on a daily basis. Beyond the harm that wasting energy can cause to the environment, it’s also a waste of money. Tenants and building owners alike are essentially paying for electricity that they don’t need or use.

To relieve such issues and reduce energy costs, building owners are implementing retrofit renovations. The Empire State Building, one of the most famous buildings in the world, is an excellent case study of how operational costs can be reduced by increasing energy efficiency.

Retrofits to the Empire State Building are part of a more expansive renovation plan designed by owner Malkin Holdings to combat the building’s aging infrastructure. Malkin Holding’s President Anthony E. Malkin worked with a team of real estate, climate and energy experts to develop several strategies and confirm that the retrofit renovations were an economically sound decision.

“A series of cost-effective, energy-efficient retrofits have dramatically reduced energy waste in the Empire State Building, saving $2.4 million in operating costs in the first year alone. In the next few years, when the project is complete, the building is expected to reduce its energy use by nearly 40 percent—and save about $4.4 million each year.”

Source: switchboard.nrdc.org

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