Green Energy News Items - 04/10/2008
Solar Houses All in a Row
Row houses aren’t new. Baltimore, MD, Washington DC and Chicago, IL all have them. It saves energy, building materials and time to build houses with adjoining walls. In Boulder, Colorade, a company called Solarrow is taking the concept to a new level by integrating solar power into their rowhouse project.
With garden spaces, bright interiors and energy-saving built in, these houses are selling like hotcakes. If the idea catches on, what was old will be new again, only better for the environment and - judging by the photos that accompany the story - much more colorful. More …
Museums are Going Green
When the Grand Rapids Art Museum became the first art museum to earn a Gold Certificate LEED, it made the news. But it’s not the first museum to integrate environmental sustainability into its footprint. From green roofs to goats for maintenance, many cultural institutions are making green changes.
The groundswell started with children’s museums and has filtered through to art and science museums - which are a natural fit for eco-responsibility. More …
Hybrid or Tankless - These Water Heaters Are Hot!
GE is introducing a new hybrid water heater that uses heat drawn from the air to preheat water. This heat-pump technology could cut thousands of dollars off the cost of heating water over the average lifespan of a water heater.
Oddly enough, up until now, the government hasn’t included water heaters in their Energy Star appliance program. Why they haven’t is a mystery because water heaters use more energy than lighting in most homes. The tankless heater line is available now, but you’ll have to wait for the hybrid. GE says it will go on sale in the last quarter of 2009. More …
Wind Turbines as Kinetic Sculpture
Aerovironment’s Architechtural Wind turbines aren’t designed to be unobtrusive. They attach to the parapets of downtown buildings and make it obvious that the building’s owner cares about the environment. They also just look cool. With a guard to protect our feathered friends and no need to penetrate the roof, the turbines are an attractive alternative to solar panels.
With a savings similar to solar, the company is planning to market the turbines to companies with high-rise office buildings and older brick buildings in mostly downtown settings. More …
Best Alternative Lawnmower?
In Turin, Italy, the city council was paying over 30,000 Euros to mow the city parks and green spaces. To save money and decrease the pollution created by lawnmowers, they turned to Mother Nature’s lawnmowers: a flock of sheep.
There’s been some grumbling about sheep doo-doo and traffic jams when the sheep move around the city, but maybe it’s an idea whose time has come. More …