Dallas sprouts green city block downtown

Designed by European architects and led by Central Dallas CDC, new development to transform city hall parking lot to sustainable urban hillside

DALLAS – Today, Urban Re:Vision and the Central Dallas Community Development Corporation announced that they have chosen “Forwarding Dallas” as the winning design for a sustainable urban block to be built in Dallas. The challenge, to transform a vacant inner-city block behind City Hall into a carbon-neutral community, drew hundreds of entries from top architecture firms and city planners in 14 countries worldwide.  Forwarding Dallas is the product of a collaboration between Portuguese-based architectural firms Atelier Data and Moov, and will run “off the grid,” acting as a working model of sustainability for cities around the globe. Ground breaking is scheduled for early 2011. 

Forwarding Dallas is modeled after one of the most diverse systems in nature, the hillside.  The site is a series of valleys and hilltops, the valleys containing trees and more luxurious plants which transition into more resistant plants as the altitude increases.  Atop the hills, solar thermal, photovoltaic and wind energy is harvested. 

Other design components include open ‘green’ spaces, housing options from studio apartments to three bedroom flats, rooftop water catchment system designed to recycle water collected from rooftops and store underground for later use, a 100% prefabricated construction system and public green houses, including a sensorial greenhouse, swimming pool green house and meeting point green house.

A spiritual space, gymnasium, café and exhibition space are also planned to accommodate various lifestyles.  There is a temporary accommodation center as well as a daycare center designed for both children and the elderly. 

Last May, three winners and three honorable mentions were selected from hundreds of entries.  During the months since, Urban Re:vision and the Central Dallas CDC worked with a cadre of pro-bono executives provided by The Real Estate Council Foundation who have done extensive work on the proposed designs, including site analysis, creation of trial pro formas, engineering and  

architectural reviews and estimates of construction costs for all three of the winning designs.  During the first two weeks of November, each of the three winners flew into Dallas for additional discussion.

 “All three of the design teams impressed us, both with the quality of their designs and in the interviews,” said John Greenan, Executive Director for Central Dallas CDC.  “Dallas would be a richer city to have the work of any of these architects represented, but as we went further into our review, we began to see the deep logic of the MOOV-Atelier Data design, Forwarding Dallas. Forwarding Dallas seemed to us to do the best job of incorporating concepts of sustainability into the foundation of the design.”

Considerations for the selection included:

·         Sustainability and reality of intent

·         Affordability/Constructability: Could it be built in the next few years?

·         Innovation and Originality

·         Incorporation of Sustainable Materials and Practices

As the re-visioning of one Dallas city block gains momentum, Greenan is already looking toward future endeavors. “The greatest economic impact will come from rebuilding a long neglected part of downtown,” Greenan said. “There are probably an additional half dozen underutilized blocks in the area of the project, and once we prove up the viability of rebuilding the south central part of Downtown Dallas, I think all those blocks will also be revitalized.”

“What I would love to see is an entire section of downtown notable for innovative, sustainable design--an attraction in the southern part of downtown balancing the Arts District in the northern part of downtown. There are already some interesting, green projects in The Cedars immediately to the south of downtown. A sustainable district that extends from downtown all the way into The Cedars neighborhood is a very reasonable possibility.”

For more information on Re:Vision Dallas, visit http://www.revision-dallas.com .

Other points of reference: Eric Corey Freed 

Job Fair for Solar Hot Water Companies in Lakeland, Florida!

On December 1st 2009 Regenesis Solar Power will be holding a job fair in Lakeland to inform local labor and contractor resources about employment opportunities.

The Work Fair will be held at:
Lake Mirror Center, 21 South Lake Avenue, Lakeland, FL 33801

Presentations will take place at 2pm, 4pm, and 6pm.

The presentations will provide an overview of the Solar Hot Water program and give information on how individuals and companies can get involved.

Regenesis is a growing company and we have relationships with many contractors who are always looking for qualified employees. Learn more at our Opportunity to Work event.

Reprinted from : Solar for Lakeland

FPL's response to a reader on the DeSoto Solar project

I received a request from FPL today to publish their response to an earlier post from a reader concerning FPL's solar facility in DeSoto County.  I am happy to oblige.


Susan,

The letter you recently published from a reader included claims that large scale solar projects like the one FPL just completed in DeSoto County are not cost-effective. This simply is not the case nor supported by the facts. FPL's solar projects benefit from economies of scale in equipment and construction costs and also incorporate more advanced and highly efficient technology to make them very cost-effective for customers. In fact, our bills are the lowest in the state and below the national average and solar projects like the DeSoto Energy Center only serve to enhance our position as an industry leader.

For example, the panels installed at FPL’s DeSoto plant have an efficiency rating of 18.7 percent, and they also track the sun throughout the day to maximize the sunlight they can capture, providing up to 30 percent more energy per panel. By comparison, the panels typically installed on residential buildings usually have an efficiency rating of 12 to 15 percent and are fixed in one position, making them much less efficient.

Also, the federal government offers important tax incentives to utilities that build renewable energy projects, which reduces the cost to customers for commercial-scale solar power even further.

As stated above, buying solar panels by the tens of thousands, rather than a couple at a time, provides economy of scale savings that result is significant cost reductions. Finally, the cost to install panels in at large scale solar facility is much lower when compared to the costs of uniquely designing, engineering and installing small, one-off systems on individual roof tops, particularly with Florida's strict, storm related, building codes.

But perhaps the greatest benefit of large-scale solar projects is the boost they can provide to the local economy. The Desoto plant alone created more than 400 construction jobs, and if the Florida legislature continues to support renewable energy, thousands more construction jobs can be created quickly last for years. More importantly, Florida can become a magnet for solar manufacturers, research and development centers and assembly facilities, bringing even more jobs to the area and developing a true clean energy economy in the Sunshine State that will establish the state as a world leader.

However, solar is not the answer to every energy problem. Solar power can only produce energy when the sun is shining, so we have to pursue other types of clean energy solutions such as nuclear power at the same time. We also have to focus on ways to encourage and increase energy conservation. FPL actually has the nation’s leading energy efficiency program and has been able to eliminate the need to build 12 medium-sized power plants over the past three decades which has saved FPL customers billions in capital spending. Programs such as this need continued focus, and we also need to increase investments in technology such as smart meters that give customers more visibility and control over their energy usage to help increase conservation and infrastructure intelligence for more efficient, more reliable service.

There is no one silver bullet solution to our nation's energy issues, but when you look at the vast benefits, commercial-scale solar power is definitely an important part of the mix.

Thank You.

Eric Silagy

Chief Development Officer

Florida Power & Light Co.

Public Service Commission Takes Positive Step in Deferring Decision

... Appears Intent on Siding with Customers by Setting Stronger Energy Efficiency Goals

TALLAHASSEE, FL -- Today's deliberations on energy efficiency at the Florida Public Service Commission was a positive step toward bringing meaningful energy efficiency to Florida's utility customers. 

By taking time to allow newly-appointed Commissioner Klement to come up to speed on the issue, there was a thorough and extensive deliberation on the benefits of efficiency. The Commission demonstrated a willingness to question the direction that Staff and the Utilities proposed and stand up for customers.

It was clear that the Commissioners wanted to do what was cost-effective for Florida’s energy customers. Unfortunately, the PSC staff continued to promote the utility's misleading claim that doing more energy efficiency would cost ratepayers more.

Quite the contrary, setting strong, cost-effective energy efficiency saves customers money by avoiding wasteful spending on the use of existing power plants and delaying or avoiding the construction of new power plants.   It is the utilities approach of setting low energy efficiency goals that keeps customer costs (and utility profits) high. 

The PSC was given clear direction from the Legislature on this matter when they amended the law in 2008 to authorize the Commission to pursue meaningful efficiency goals and establish Florida as a leader in energy efficiency. We look forward to that goal becoming a reality.

President Obama will attend Copenhagen

This is pretty significant.  Which is why I am sharing this link.

Telegraph.co.uk

Save the rain forest, cool the planet

Rain forests cool the planet. 40 to 75 percent of all species on earth live in tropical rain forests — species that most of us have never seen. It has been estimated that millions of species of plants, insects and microorganisms are still undiscovered within the world of the rain forest. We need rain forests.

Rain forests are known as the “world’s largest pharmacy” because of the large number of natural medicines that are discovered there. And they are also responsible for 28 percent of the world’s oxygen “turnover” – oxygenation through photosynthesis from carbon dioxide and storing it as carbon through a process that is called biosequestration.

But rain forests are also a primary source of revenue for many nations.

Over 1 billion people depend on the rain forest for their livelihood by logging. From this logging, they are able to sell the forest assets cheaply. Multinational companies buy the goods of the rain forests for a small fraction of their real value, which causes the need to log more acres at a faster rate of speed. And as with most deforestation, the effort cannot sustain itself. Once the timber is gone, there is nothing more.

We need rain forests.

Besides the obvious consequences of deforestation, it contributes to global warming. Our best scientific data shows that around 20 percent of all the world’s carbon emissions come from this practice — that is equal to the carbon emissions that come from all of the factories and cars in the United States plus the world’s entire transportation sectors.

We cannot ignore the tremendous loss of the world’s rain forests and the devastating effects of deforestation.
This coming Monday, John Carter — founder of Aliança da Terra in Brazil — will be leading a discussion of how we can save the rain forest’s biodiversity and help stop global warming at USF Sarasota-Manatee.

Carter learned firsthand of the rapid deforestation of the Amazon. From his 20,000-acre ranch near the Xingo River basin in the Brazilian state of Mato Grasso, he witnessed the challenges that Brazilian farmers face in their attempt to protect their land from illegal logging.

He is an engaging and passionate speaker who will be sure to lead a stimulating and informative discussion. Please join him and the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) at 4 p.m. Mon., Nov. 9 at the USF Selby Auditorium, 8350 N Tamiami Trail, Sarasota. Contact Trey Lord at EDF for more information: jlord@edf.org.

"FP&L's token solar project" - a response from a reader.

Normally, when I get a response from an article I have written, I post it in the comment section.  But just the other day I received this response to my article about the President's visit to FPL's Solar Array in Desoto County in my email and I thought it deserved a little more attention.        

    Ms. Nilon,

I read your article about FP&L's token solar project and the president's visit and was inspired to make a comment. But first I'd like to preface my statement by saying that any solar is good solar and even FP&L's less than cost effective attempt to dupe us into believing they actually have the best interest of Florida's environment and it's ratepayers in mind is still a baby step in the right direction so at least a little back slapping might be in order.  But the real truth is being hidden by the fanfare of this impressive project.

Large scale grid connected fields of photovoltaic is absolutely the least effective, most expensive application of renewable energy technology possible! Solar energy by its very nature is an abundant but diffuse energy resource that that does not lend itself well to efficient centralization and redistribution. Solar energy technology gives you 10 times or more energy per dollar when applied on a small scale basis at the point source of use. Put simply we should be feverishly working toward putting a solar water heater on every home in Florida long before we grid connect the first watt of photovoltaic to run all those electric water heaters!  This would displace the need to use the electricity before it is ever produced and help liberate ratepayers from the tyranny of corporate imperialism that is the investor owned utility. (IOU)

 OK, my last statement is just a little over the top but my point is, the goal to truly solve the environmental problems caused by over consumption of conventionally produced energy is in direct contradiction to the business model of investor owned utilities. Energy conservation and point source applications of existing renewable energy technologies is the only way we can achieve real energy independence but this approach will require a tremendous transfer of wealth from the utility industry to the general public and that's why it's not happening.

Why can a utility company get subsidies from the federal government to build inefficient projects like this while consumers can't even get low interest financing on a solar water heater, attic insulation, or a more energy efficient air conditioner? Why can IOUs (Investor Owned Utility) bill consumers in advance for unnecessary nuclear power expansion when, for a fraction of the cost, we could be eliminating our need for that electricity thru conservation, efficiency upgrades, and low cost solar thermal applications?

Feeding the inefficient, centralized energy infrastructure we have in this country with renewably produced electricity will not solve the problem and is simply rearranging the lounge chairs on the Titanic.

We have to fundamentally change the way we use energy, not just the source of where we get it!

It's time to embrace this reality, shatter the strangle hold the utility lobby has on our legislature and get down to making Florida a true leader in a new green economy and share the potential abundance with everyone.

 That's my energy rant for today.

           Carter Quillen, P.E.
           Registered Professional Engineer
           Certified Master HVAC Technician

Mr. Quillen brings up a lot of good points.  Anyone want to weigh in?