tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28553300013957730462024-03-13T02:42:41.787-06:00Denver Sun SpongeMoving toward a more sustainable, renewable, and efficient world. <br> How do we get there? <br>Justin A. Rickardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00101079979652597297noreply@blogger.comBlogger574125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2855330001395773046.post-65166061381689412992013-06-05T21:04:00.001-06:002013-06-05T21:06:18.063-06:00Good News for Colorado: Hickenlooper Signs Bill to Increase Rural Renewable EnergyToday is a good day for the people of Colorado. It was a little over two months ago that the Colorado legislature passed SB-252 to increase the renewable portfolio standard of large rural electric co-ops (more details on the bill here). All we were waiting for was the good governor's signature. Well, today Gov. Hickenlooper signed the bill into law! It wasn't a perfect bill (is there any Justin A. Rickardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00101079979652597297noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2855330001395773046.post-70759057266159865162013-05-31T21:46:00.000-06:002013-06-02T21:46:24.961-06:00Xcel Asking for 550 Megawatts of Wind Power in Colorado
I feel like a kid on Christmas morning. Xcel Energy is asking the
Photo courtesy of NREL
Colorado Public Utilities Commission (PUC) for 550 more megawatts of clean renewable wind energy. The driving force behind this request for more wind power? Well, you have to thank Congress for extending the wind Production Tax Credit for two more years. This tax credit is going to keep wind Justin A. Rickardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00101079979652597297noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2855330001395773046.post-36754754898176652072013-04-09T20:09:00.001-06:002013-04-16T21:21:34.125-06:00Call to Action: Increase Renewables in Colorado
Image courtesy of UCAR
It's been awhile since my last post and I apologize. Much of my free time has been dabbling in worlds of Twitter / Facebook / Google+. How I've neglected you dear Denver Sun Sponge readers! Well, I do have something exciting to tell you about, which came to me through the good people at Alliance for Sustainable Colorado.
Colorado Senate Bill 252 was Justin A. Rickardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00101079979652597297noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2855330001395773046.post-6890639810150339512013-01-24T22:12:00.001-07:002013-01-24T22:12:19.705-07:00Overcoming the Seven Sustainability BlundersAs sustainability practitioners we are used to banging our heads against the wall. We wonder why our bosses and colleagues don't "get it". We are dumbstruck by those that refuse to make a profit and still do good. We shake our heads at the refusal of people to think about future generations on the planet and what the world will look like if we propagate 20th century behavior in the 21st century. Justin A. Rickardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00101079979652597297noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2855330001395773046.post-19519129079579858412012-12-19T21:49:00.003-07:002012-12-19T21:49:54.998-07:00100 Green Small Business TipsAbout six months ago we resurrected a dormant green team at the company I work for to expand the focus to the triple-bottom line - people, planet, and profit. One of our initiatives is to reduce water and energy consumption as well as divert as much as we can from the landfill. These initiatives not only reduce the company's greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs), but they also save the business money.&Justin A. Rickardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00101079979652597297noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2855330001395773046.post-82071822710466016132012-12-19T20:03:00.000-07:002012-12-19T20:03:51.995-07:00Cost of Installed Solar Power is Sinking Like a StoneThis should be music to all of our ears. According to the Tracking the Sun report by the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab the cost of residential and commercial installed solar installations dropped 11 to 14 percent from 2010 to 2011. Of course the larger the solar installation (like utility scale solar plants) the cheaper the price. These sinking prices will only help the adoption of renewable Justin A. Rickardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00101079979652597297noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2855330001395773046.post-54880957018570507052012-11-04T15:30:00.000-07:002012-11-04T15:30:02.221-07:00A Chat with the Building Science Wizard (aka the Comfort Cowboy)
The Comfort Cowboy is one unique individual and we're lucky to have his presence here in Colorado. Frankly, we need more folks like him on the planet. This cowboy has the mind of a scientist and the spirit of a shaman. Energy efficiency is his raison d'être and he wears his lust for building science on his sleeve. Comfort Cowboy's goal is to not only save you money from increased energy Justin A. Rickardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00101079979652597297noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2855330001395773046.post-12809113781671889002012-10-07T21:07:00.002-06:002012-10-07T21:07:31.384-06:00State Energy Efficiency Scorecard Released – Colorado Ranked 14th
Source: ACEEE
The American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy (ACEEE) released their report ranking states by energy efficiency (via Triple Pundit). Massachusetts received the number one ranking for the second year in a row. Colorado didn't make the top 10, but is getting ready to knock on the door with a ranking of 14. Kudos to Oklahoma, Montana, and South Carolina for being the most Justin A. Rickardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00101079979652597297noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2855330001395773046.post-59797565859038969122012-09-30T19:49:00.000-06:002012-10-04T20:29:07.713-06:00CU-Boulder Says Graywater System Could Save 800,000 Gallons a YearBetter late than never. It's good to see graywater systems gaining some traction on the Front Range in Colorado. We experience low humidity levels, and even though the mountains supply us with fresh water from the snowpack, the last decade or so the Front Range has seen more frequent bouts with drought. We cannot take water for granted here. But strict water laws disallow individuals from Justin A. Rickardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00101079979652597297noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2855330001395773046.post-49512004279082978582012-09-02T20:44:00.000-06:002012-09-02T20:44:53.251-06:00REA Dedicates Northern Colorado's First Solar FarmDelicious. The first solar garden in Windsor, Colorado has popped up to feed the community with clean renewable power. Solar gardens are gaining steam across the country. These gardens are essentially a mini renewable power plant that people can buy into - people that are unable to purchase solar power on their own property for whatever reason, whether it be that they're renters, there are too Justin A. Rickardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00101079979652597297noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2855330001395773046.post-23863011971879795232012-09-02T20:16:00.000-06:002012-09-02T20:16:05.635-06:00University of Colorado to Receive $450,000 to Accelerate Solar EnergyHere's some excellent news for the University of Colorado. The U.S. Department of Energy has given a $450K grant to the university to help advance concentrated solar power technology. I think it's a pretty good idea for the government to invest in universities to help advance and reduce the cost of various technologies. This is an investment in our educational system, which is ultimately an Justin A. Rickardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00101079979652597297noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2855330001395773046.post-71528334289199455402012-08-22T22:18:00.000-06:002012-08-22T22:18:12.381-06:00Demand High for Xcel's Solar Garden Program in ColoradoThe appetite is huge for solar gardens in Colorado! Xcel's solar garden program has received a slew of applications to build solar arrays up to 500 kilowatts. What is a solar garden? The Solar Gardens website gives a great definition: "a solar garden is a community shared solar array with grid-connected subscribers. Homes and businesses, even if shaded by trees, receive a bill credit as if Justin A. Rickardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00101079979652597297noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2855330001395773046.post-10067881392528892562012-08-08T21:58:00.000-06:002012-08-08T21:58:22.780-06:005 Gigawatts of Renewable Energy Projects Fast-Tracked by Obama AdminMore good news from the Obama Administration. In addition to the solar energy zones that the Department of Interior designated at the end of July, the Obama Admin just fast-tracked seven wind and solar projects in four western states. This is all part of the We Can't Wait Initiative the Obama Admin created in response to Congress's inability to pass legislation that will move the Justin A. Rickardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00101079979652597297noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2855330001395773046.post-62194342924365730122012-07-29T21:27:00.000-06:002012-07-29T21:27:01.345-06:00Colorado Tapped for Government's New Solar Energy ZonesThis is pretty big news. The U.S. Department of Interior has designated solar zones across the western U.S. where utility-scale solar power plants will be built generating up to 24,000 megawatts of clean renewable power. By my conservative calculations, 24K megawatts can power at least 5 million homes, but other sources say that it could power over 20 million homes. Regardless, millions of homes Justin A. Rickardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00101079979652597297noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2855330001395773046.post-37175556970963687302012-07-05T21:28:00.000-06:002012-07-17T21:35:01.274-06:00Opening My Eyes to Possibility: An Insider’s View of WREF 2012Before I attended the combined 2012 World Renewable Energy Forum (WREF) and American Solar Energy Society (ASES) national conference, I was just an islolated blogger toiling away on my own blog during my dwindling free time. I was writing as much as I could about the impact of energy efficiency, renewables, and sustainability to an audience that was frankly Justin A. Rickardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00101079979652597297noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2855330001395773046.post-21149063106981098642012-06-28T21:22:00.003-06:002012-07-07T07:51:34.004-06:00VegetableYarden in Ferguson, Missouri
Picture of the beautiful VegetableYarden.
I was going to title this post, "Food Security in the Age of the Supermarket" but that sounded too boring and uppity. "VegetableYarden in Ferguson, Missouri" is a much better title and, I must admit, stolen from the intertubes. I stole it because it's beautiful in its simplicity but also disguises an issue that tends to be ignored, even by the most Justin A. Rickardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00101079979652597297noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2855330001395773046.post-20982152967807958032012-06-22T21:22:00.000-06:002012-07-17T21:33:48.563-06:00Renewable Energy Markets Face a Bevy of Surmountable Challenges
Photo Credit: Creative Commons
user Lucas Braun
As I write this, the first day of the World Renewable Energy Forum is coming to a close and my mind is swimming with a plethora of information on the status of renewable energy (RE). One thing has been already made clear – clean techies around the world still have much work to do to ensure RE markets continue to thrive. If we would Justin A. Rickardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00101079979652597297noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2855330001395773046.post-11488043239054363802012-06-21T21:16:00.000-06:002012-07-17T21:17:57.773-06:00Are Humans Sustainable?
Answer: We’re getting there. It’s always good to ask the question of whether or not our society is sustainable. At home or within our places of business it is necessary to live within our means and do our part to reduce our consumption of natural resources, reuse things instead of throwing them away into a landfill, and recycle materials so that they can be reused in another product. The Justin A. Rickardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00101079979652597297noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2855330001395773046.post-44761568848392108912012-06-21T21:11:00.000-06:002012-07-17T21:14:13.311-06:00A Journey Around the Globe in Search of Energy Efficiency
We were transported around the world during an Ignite session at WREF 2012 that featured case studies for making buildings efficient in different climates. The audience was taken on a journey to climate extremes from the muggy island climate of Cuba to the hot and arid desert climate of Iraq. It was quite the whirl-wind tour with other stops in Taiwan, Ethiopia, and Justin A. Rickardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00101079979652597297noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2855330001395773046.post-53431923029175075752012-06-16T20:55:00.000-06:002012-07-17T21:00:24.573-06:00Secretary Chu: The Government’s Role in the Future of Renewables
Midway through the week at the 2012 World Renewable Energy Forum, Secretary Steven Chu of the United States Department of Energy and Santiago Seage, CEO of Abengoa Solar spoke during the plenary session titled, “Government and Industry: Driving the Clean Energy Transition.” Even though there are many threats today to the expansion of the renewable energy (RE) market, Justin A. Rickardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00101079979652597297noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2855330001395773046.post-60051733324291732972012-06-10T20:30:00.000-06:002012-06-10T20:33:02.402-06:00Colorado Energy-efficiency Law Spurred $166 Million in Investments
Creative Commons License:
User Riisipuuro
Over the last 5 years two Colorado utilities (Xcel and Black Hills) have invested about $166 million in energy efficiency programs for their customers. This is an incredible of amount of money and an incredible amount of energy saved in just half a decade. Utility energy efficiency programs can not only help you reduce your monthly energy bill Justin A. Rickardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00101079979652597297noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2855330001395773046.post-29540144803031282792012-06-07T20:46:00.000-06:002012-07-17T21:04:00.144-06:00Community Solar: A Smart Approach to Bolstering the Renewables MarketA session at the World Renewable Energy Forumon Community Solar Energy Development was full of informative presentations on how to think outside the box a bit to help make solar PV and wind energy more prevalent in our world. Traditional solar applications tend to focus on a small slice of individual homes, which have south facing roofs unencumbered by shading. Financing for a solar array isJustin A. Rickardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00101079979652597297noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2855330001395773046.post-90297574723987742292012-05-22T20:31:00.000-06:002012-07-17T21:00:50.411-06:00Efficiency Is No Waste of EnergyIn the opening plenary session at the World Renewable Energy Forum, Dr. Dan Arvizu, Director of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory said it makes no sense to shove green electrons into an inefficient system. This is sage advice. Most of our residential and commercial structures across the globe are quietly consuming copious amounts of energy to keep computers and Justin A. Rickardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00101079979652597297noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2855330001395773046.post-80065496085381790992012-04-15T14:01:00.000-06:002012-07-17T21:07:53.352-06:00WREF 2012: A Delicious Potpourri of Renewable Energy
Photo Credit: Ryan Somma,Creative Commons [CC-BY-SA-2.0]
I must admit, I have butterflies in my stomach. I've been invited to blog and tweet during the World Renewable Energy Forum 2012 in Denver, Colorado, May 13-17. There really aren't enough positive adjectives to describe how remarkable this event is going to be. There are 900 presentations on renewable energy and sustainability topics Justin A. Rickardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00101079979652597297noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2855330001395773046.post-48600121853244201172012-04-15T11:45:00.000-06:002012-04-15T11:45:06.117-06:00Grappling With a Garbage Glut
Landfill Compactor
It's the elephant in the room. It's your crazy old uncle that everybody ignores at family gatherings. We have a problem and it's related to our consumption. I say "we" and "our" because I am just as guilty of blindly consuming and watching the by-products of this consumption go out to the curb each week and get taken away to somewhere, out there, wherever that is. Out of Justin A. Rickardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00101079979652597297noreply@blogger.com0