North Carolina is the leader in the Southeast in the clean energy economy. Below are just a few of the recent announcements and innovations from across the state. Follow each link to read more about these projects. 

WIND

North Carolina's Wind for Schools project team installed nine projects in the Tar Heel State in 2011 and hopes to facilitate more installations in 2012. Dave French, associate director of the Appalachian State University Wind Application Center, credits the group's preliminary work preparing for the multiple installations which was rewarded when funding was received late in the year. 

ENERGY EFFICIENCY

The North Carolina Energy Star Appliance Replacement and Rebate program reopened on Feb. 15. The program aims to cut consumer’s energy costs by providing incentivies for them to replace older, less-efficient models, according to a news release.  

SOLAR

Joel Olsen of O₂ energies Inc. plans to build his company’s largest solar project to date. The 4.4-megawatt, $15 million solar farm, planned on a field that Ararat Rock Products Co. of Mount Airy leased to raise corn on until this year, is one of four projects of that size that Olsen plans to build by September.

Self-Help Credit Union is offering $15 million in low-interest loans for energy-efficiency projects in Charlotte and other cities. Over 50 economic developers, energy professionals and others attended the Feb. 16 launch of the program in Charlotte.

The event was as part of the North Carolina Sustainable Energy Association's Clean Energy Connections education series. NCSEA's Communications & Government Affairs Specialist, Amneris Solano, spoke with Melissa Malkin-Weber, Green Initiatives Manager at Self-Help Credit Union, about the program. 

More businesses are seeing the benefits of adopting energy efficient practices. Has that lead to the need for this kind of loan program? 

The Self-Help Energy Loan Fund is exciting because it opens the door to energy efficiency to those borrowers who might have not been considering it at all. For instance, where a small-business is borrowing for working capital, we can help them improve their efficiency by upgrading their old T12 lights or inefficient HVAC.

Why should building owners take advantage of this program?

There are still a lot of disincentives that prevent even very savvy property managers from making energy investments in their buildings. For instance, they may have scoped out great projects with very strong return on investment over time, but it’s hard to make that investment when there’s economic uncertainty. Small businesses face the additional disincentive that they may not have staff with enough bandwidth and resources to identify the best energy investments. We hope that the reduced-cost financing will encourage building owners to take a second look at their energy investment opportunities.

How does this loan program allow businesses to meet their energy savings goals?

One of our key goals is to reduce the cost barrier to implementation. Because of Bank of America’s funding and leadership, we will be able to offer a 1.5 percent interest rate discount through the Self-Help Energy Loan Fund.

Cape Fear Community College is now a registered NABCEP PV Entry Level Exam Provider.

The North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners (NABCEP) is a volunteer board of renewable energy stakeholders whose mission is to promote quality in renewable energy training and technology.  Achievement of the NABCEP PV Entry Level Exam is a way for candidates to demonstrate a basic knowledge of the fundamental principles of the application, design, installation and operation of solar photovoltaic systems and serves to enhance employment opportunities in the field of solar. 

Successful completion of fall curriculum course ALT 220 Photovoltaic System Technology is required to sit for the exam.  For more information about the NABCEP Entry Level Program at CFCC, contact John Wojciechowski – CFCC Sustainability Technologies Lead Instructor at jwojciechowski@cfcc.eduor (910) 362-7761

ReVenture Park is now control an additional 578 acres of residential land that wraps the primary ReVenture site. This brings the total project size to 1, 245 acres that will include a proposed mix of residential, retail, office and industrial spaces. The vision for the new housing component is a community where sustainability is ingrained into people’s lifestyles and is woven through the fabric of the community. Forsite has engaged UNC Charlotte’s Urban Design program to help mold the initial vision and design principles that will be incorporated throughout the project.

"This is a unique and interesting project," said Professor David Walters, Director of UNC-Charlotte's Urban Design program, who is working on the project with his colleague, Dr. Jose Gamez. "It has great potential for creating a national model for a sustainable community in the face of future uncertainties about climate change and energy supplies. The graduate Urban Design Program and its research arm, the Design+Society Research Center, are ideally placed to explore community design solutions that go beyond current thinking yet are financially feasible in a recovering property market".

         6^th Annual awards will recognize leaders in reducing transportation related emissions

WHAT: Nominations are requested for the 6^th Annual Mobile Clean Air Renewable Energy (CARE) Awards. Mobile CARE awards recognize initiative and leadership efforts at improving North Carolina’s air quality through alternative fuel, advanced transportation technologies and fuel economy practices.    

WHEN: February 14- March 23, 2012 ~ Nomination Period

Award announcements, April 19 at the9^th Annual Sustainable Energy Conference in Raleigh, N.C.

WHERE: Guidelines and application available at www.cleantransportation.org

WHO: The N.C. Solar Center/N.C. State University, with support from the N.C. Department of Transportation, is organizing the 6^th Annual Mobile CARE awards as part of the Clean Fuel Advanced Technology Project. Applicants are sought in four categories: Individual, Fleet, Technology/Fuel Provider, and Policy/Organization Innovation. Applicants are encouraged to nominate themselves or a colleague for efforts involved with transportation efficiency and/or expanding the use of alternative transportation fuels such as biodiesel, ethanol, electricity, natural gas, and propane through direct use, business development, policies and organizational enhancement.

WHY: Over 6.5 million North Carolinians are at risk due to the health effect of poor air quality.  North Carolina’s reliance on imported transportation fuel contributes to air quality problems. The 2012 Mobile CARE awards will recognize exemplary efforts to reduce transportation related emissions and support fuel diversity options that benefit North Carolina.

CONTACT: Shannon Helm, N.C. Solar Center, 919-423-8340, shannon_helm@ncsu.edu or Anne Tazewell, N.C. Solar Center, 919-513-7831, anne_tazewell@ncsu.edu

Alganomics, LLC of Southport, a leader in culturing algae for biomass, installed in cooperation with the region’s leading solar company, Cape Fear Solar Systems, LLC, a photovoltaic solar system to offset energy used during the process of culturing algae for biofuel. With the aim to add new alternative energy sources to the renowned tubular photo bioreactor processes, a 4.8 kW solar electric system and hybrid windmills were installed at the algae culturing plant at Oak Island’s Wastewater Treatment Facility.

Implementation of this unique project was possible thanks to a 2009 NC Green Business Fund grant award. This funding source was a conversion from State of NC funds to Federal American Recovery & Reinvestment Act (ARRA) Stimulus funds for conserving energy, utilizing renewable sources and reducing the carbon footprint. “Creative applications of renewable energy will keep North Carolina in the forefront of innovation for biofuels development and environmental remediation. We are very appreciative to have the opportunity to showcase North Carolina’s vision by teaming with such NC organizations as the Biofuels Center and the Dept. of Commerce,” states Dr. Kimberly Jones, Founder and CSO of Alganomics. The solar system mainly saves energy needed for fluid circulation during the biomass creation process. The hybrid windmills, installed by R.L. Jones & Sons Construction, LLC, feed compressed air into the photobioreactors.

BMW Manufacturing has completed the installation and commissioning of solar panels that are providing solar energy to fully power the 24,000 square foot Zentrum Museum, the plant’s heritage museum and visitors’ center. In addition to the new solar panels, the plant also installed three new electric vehicle charging stations throughout the main facility.

“Adding a new, alternative energy platform to our energy portfolio is another step in our commitment to sustainable methods of generating power at our factory,” said Duncan Seaman, Department Manager, Market Operations USA & Canada. “It is the perfect complement to our existing landfill gas-to-energy and hydrogen fuel cell program and offsets the fossil fuel requirements otherwise needed to run our facility.”

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recognized Fort Bragg with the Energy Star Combined Heat and Power (CHP) award for taking an efficient, clean, and reliable approach to generating power and thermal energy from a single source. U.S. Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine in Palms, Calif. also received the award.

By using CHP technology, the award winners demonstrated leadership and a commitment to protecting people's health and the environment while reporting annual energy savings of $6.8 million.

“I congratulate these military bases for leading by example in the efforts to reduce pollution, improve energy efficiency, and cut energy costs,” said Gina McCarthy, assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Air and Radiation. “These advanced CHP systems give us reliable, clean and cost cutting ways to keep our military bases powered and our environment protected.”

The CHP awards were presented Feb. 8 at the International District Energy Association’s Annual Campus Energy Conference in Arlington, Va. CHP technology produces both electricity and steam/hot water from a single heat source, using fuels such as natural gas, biomass, or wasted energy. By using this technology, the bases' CHP systems achieved operating efficiencies of nearly 65 percent, much higher than the efficiency of separate production of electricity and thermal energy (typically less than 50 percent). Based on this comparison, the CHP systems avoided carbon pollution equal to that from the electricity used by more than 4,000 homes.

The CHP systems also increase the bases’ energy security and reliability because the systems can run independently in the event of a power outage. As the largest U.S. energy consumer, DoD recognizes that reliable energy supplies for its military installations are critical to our nation’s security. Established in 2001, EPA’s CHP Partnership is a voluntary program that encourages the use of CHP to reduce the environmental impact of power generation. The partnership works closely with energy users, the CHP industry, state and local governments, and other energy stakeholders to facilitate the development of new projects and to promote energy, environmental and economic benefits.

The offshore-wind industry has the potential to create jobs, boost the economy and become a reliable source of renewable energy, according to a study by the NC Governor’s Scientific Advisory Panel on Offshore Energy. The panel found that North Carolina has the largest offshore wind resource on the East Coast, according to a news release. “North Carolina’s extensive coastline and large offshore wind resources appear to make it a prime area for offshore wind development,” the panel says. The report, which was released Wednesday, says North Carolina should continue to promote opportunities for offshore-wind development with the appropriate statutes, rules and regulations that “foster and encourage appropriate offshore-wind development consistent with concerns for the coastal environment and communities.”

The report said the state needed to “engage with the industry to attract to North Carolina a wide range of supply-chain facilities and jobs associated with the emerging wind-energy industry.” Research and development on other forms of ocean renewable energy, such as thermal and hydrokinetic technologies is ongoing and appears promising, although these technologies are not yet ready for widespread commercial development. North Carolina is poised to be a leader in the research and development of these potential energy resources.

With its energy-efficient lighting and a dual-flush toilet system that reduces cold water usage by 88 percent in the bathrooms, the new Rockingham County Courthouse complex is being touted as one of the leaders in green construction along the East Coast, the Greensboro News and Record says.

Lawns are irrigated with “reclaimed” water and prime parking spaces are marked for low-emission vehicles, the newspaper reported.

The $34 million building is the first judicial center on the East Coast to meet the benchmark for the construction of green buildings, as determined by the U.S. Green Building Council. The county is the first to earn the group’s gold Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification, an internationally recognized symbol of excellence, according to the paper.

“It’s quite an achievement,” said Ashley Katz, a spokeswoman for the nonprofit told the newspaper. The commendation recognizes energy-efficiency, the use of resources and design innovations. It rewards cost-cutting and reducing carbon footprints.