Companies like Google and IBM are trying to lead the world in cutting-edge, efficient data centers.  Not to be outdone, on Tuesday Yahoo announced they're hoping to change to future of data centers as well.  The company unveiled plans to build one of the world's most efficient data centers in Lockport, NY and the details do sound pretty exciting.

The data center will be powered mainly by hydroelectric power from Niagara Falls, with 90 percent of that energy going towards powering the servers.  The center itself will be built to resemble a chicken coop, using 100 percent outside air to cool the servers, a task which typically gobbles up 50 percent of a data center's energy supply.  And the company expects the yearly PUE average to be 1.1 or better.

In addition to building this super-efficient data center, the company also committed to reducing the carbon footprint of all their data centers by 40 percent by 2014.  They intend to accomplish this through using more renewable energy sources to power their data centers, implementing more efficient building designs and improving the efficiency of the servers themselves.

Another major commitment made in this announcement was that the company would cease purchasing carbon offsets and was aiming to reduce their carbon impact directly through decreasing energy consumption.  We would love to hear of more companies relying less on offsets and more on energy-saving improvements.

via Yahoo Blog

In earlier days of aviation, flying around the world was the ultimate test of pilots and new aircraft and now in the days of alternative-fueled aviation, it seems that test remains the ultimate challenge.  Bertran Piccard, the pilot of the first nonstop, round-the-world balloon flight, hopes to achieve that goal in a solar-powered airplane called the Solar Impulse.

The Solar Impulse design was first unveiled in late 2007, but now a working prototype has been developed.  The plane will get a chance to take its first test flight at the end of the year.  The test flight will consist of flight sequences over two days and one night.  If successful, the team will start preparing for the round-the-world flight.

The Impulse is made of carbon fiber, has a wingspan of 63 meters and is covered in 12,000 solar PV cells.  The power generated by the solar cells is stored in over 400 kg of batteries, which allow for flying at night.  The plane is propelled by four ten-horsepower electric motors.  It can't reach great speeds, meaning circling the globe will take a long time, but if it accomplishes such a feat, we'll know that solar-powered air travel (as well as other types of transportation) could have a real future.

via Inhabitat

Green architecture and design is so important in the world's quest for greater energy efficiency, but a green design is only as good as the person using it.  A low-flow shower head is a great tool for cutting back on water use, but if the owner takes 45-minute showers, the shower head becomes negligible.  Luckily, the U.S. Green Building Council wants to make sure its LEED program stands for more than just Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, but also leadership in energy and environmental performance.

The USGBC announced last week that all projects seeking LEED certification will be required to report their energy and water use as a condition of certification.  This new requirement will allow the USGBC to collect information for future versions of LEED and to ensure that the certification doesn't just mean a building has green features, but is also operating in the most efficient way possible.

The USGBC hopes that energy reporting will highlight any gaps between design and performance that can lead to both better design and better behavior on the part of building occupants.  Any projects applying for certification will have three options for fulfilling this requirement.  They can report energy and water usage on a yearly basis, apply for recertification every two years under LEED for Existing Buildings or they can sign a release authorizing the USGBC to access their energy and water usage directly from their utility.

The council is working to eventually have all LEED buildings metered in some way so that this information is collected automatically.

via USGBC

The University of Illinois, Urbana has not only met its goal of reducing energy consumption by 10 percent, but has saved a whopping $5 million as a result.  The college started the project to cut its energy use only 10 months ago, but they had given themselves a year to accomplish their goal.

The reduction in energy use was achieved by updating old lighting fixtures and ballasts in the buildings that used the most electricity.  The school identified 44 buildings to update and have already made the changes in 24 of them.  The remaining buildings will be updated in the second phase through the end of the year.

Another major factor in the energy savings was the installation of programmable controls and occupancy sensors in several buildings.  The controls have not only led to a 27% energy savings in each building that they were installed, but the Faciliites and Services Department has reported fewer complaints involving the heating, cooling and lighting systems.

The project was funded mainly by grants and rebates and cost about $5 million so far, so the updates have given the school an almost immediate return on investment.  The school estimates that the upgrades will amount to energy bill savings of $1 million a year and as they continue to increase energy efficiency in more buildings, they expect to see that number rise.

via Treehugger

Yesterday, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar signed an order that set aside 676,000 acres of federal land out west for the possibility of developing solar projects.  Of the huge lot, 351,000 acres are located in the Mojave Desert with the rest located in areas in California, Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico and Utah.

The land will be studied for the next two years and environmental reviews will be performed to determine the ability to safely develop large solar projects.  Protected lands are not being considered for these projects.  The proposed areas in California could generate 39,000 to 70,000 MW of electricity and serve millions of homes if fully developed.

This news follows promises by Obama and Salazar to have 10 percent of the nation's electricity coming from renewable sources by 2012 and to have 13 commercial-scale solar projects under construction by the end of 2010.  The two-year study will open up the areas to leasing by private companies and will cost about $22 million.

via LA Times

An interesting op-ed from yesterday’s New York Times discusses clean coal.  I encourage our readers to read the piece themselves, but for those who want the short version, here’s a summary:

1. FutureGen, a federal program to design a zero-emission clean coal power plant is not going to work for two main reasons:

• Zero-emission clean coal technology doesn’t exist, and might take a really long time to get here
• Huge, politically charged federal research projects like these have not historically accomplished anything

• IGCC technology already exists
• Once Washington passes a cap-and-trade law of some kind, the cost of carbon will make IGCC cost-competitive
• To generate the same amount of electricity as regular coal plants, IGCC plants use only one third of the coal, which means they naturally cut GHG emissions by two thirds

Smart USA is hoping to take advantage of the recently passed "Cash-for-Clunkers" program by offering its own joint incentive to lure buyers.  The car hasn't been selling as well in the US as the company hoped, but now with the new incentives making it possible to get one for cheap, that may all change.

The company is offering 4.2 percent financing on the car through the end of July.  When combined with the highest voucher level of $4,500 through Cash-for-Clunkers, you're looking at a fortwo for $99 a month.  The fortwo has had limited appeal because of its small size and the fact that the fuel economy is not much better than some roomier cars that sale for the same price.  These incentives may tilt the balance in the smart's favor though.  At a time when people are concerned with fuel economy and getting a good deal, it may turn out to be a great business move.

I'd love to see other car makers offering similar incentives to go with the Cash-for-Clunkers program.  Making their most fuel-efficient models extra affordable would not only lead to better business for them, but more efficient cars on the road. Instead of people using the program to trade in an old gas-guzzler for a newer, only slightly less gas-guzzling model, we could possibly see this program make a noticeable difference in overall fuel use and emissions.

via Autoblog Green

The Waxman-Markey climate bill passed the House on Friday, but it still has to face the Senate and the changes that body may require.  There has been a lot of controversy over the many aspects of the bill, particularly relating to the coal industry, cap and trade and whether it's strong enough legislation to make a difference, but the lovely people over at the NRDC have pointed out one glowingly positive element of the bill.  They've calculated that the bill will end up saving American households an average of $13.93 a month on gas.

The bill includes funding for fuel-efficient vehicles, which, in addition to the fuel efficiency standards already adopted, the NRDC calculates will lead to a 25 percent increase in fuel efficiency by 2020.  So, even with rising gas prices, the increase in fuel efficiency will still slash our monthly gas bills.  The group estimates the monthly savings for each state, and they range from $5.50 a month to more than $23 a month.  I'm lucky enough to live in a state where I could see savings of almost $22 a month.

An interesting thing to point out is that these gas savings almost negate the cost of the bill for the average family, which is estimated to be $175 per year by the US Budget Office.  The decrease in gas spending will save the average family about $167 a year, meaning the bill will only cost $8 a year per family.  Families in some states will actually see a net gain.

It's easy to listen to all the pundits and all the partisan opinions on this legislation and to be discouraged, but I appreciate the NRDC putting at least part of it into perspective.  Fighting climate change will require money and sacrifices, but there will be a whole host of ways in which it will pay off.   In this case, in cash.

via Treehugger

The U.N. has launched a social media site to inspire international leaders to create a meaningful climate treaty in Copenhagen this December.  The site called Hopenhagen, allows people around the world to create a Twitter-like post (45 characters max) answering the question "What gives you hope for a better planet?"

The site reads:

On December 7, 2009, leaders from 192 countries will gather at the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, Denmark to determine the fate of our planet. Let's turn Copenhagen into Hopenhagen. Hopenhagen is a movement, a moment and a chance at a new beginning. The hope that we can create a global community that will lead our leaders into making the right decisions. The hope that by solving our environmental crisis, we can solve our economic crisis at the same time. Hopenhagen is change – and that change will be powered by all of us.

As people post their responses, a constant moving feed runs down the screen, listing all the statements.  Obviously, it will take more than 45-character expressions to produce an effective climate treaty, but the more pressure we can put on the world's leaders to commit to significant change, the better.

via Environmental Capital