Green Business » Technology

Clean Energy and Green Jobs in 2010

robertludvig — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 19:52:44 +0000

Green energy is taking center stage as 2010 gets underway. The Obama administration is making good on their promises that were made in 2009. There are critics who point out that the pace of these changes is too slow, and although they do make valid arguments, the pace is accelerating. When watching President Obama make speeches regarding green energy, he speaks with guarded optimism. In my mind he too realizes that the changes will be slower than he wishes, but he does believe in these changes, and that may be the single most important thing.

With the change to green energy, wind, solar and geothermal energy will create green jobs by the thousands. It will not happen over night. This transition may take decades – yes, I use the plural. The transition to these new and clean forms of energy has begun, and with it green jobs have also slowly made their way into middle America. The need for solar panel installers is growing. Did anyone truly believe that this type of job would be possible for the average American to have? Now it is, and it will only continue to be, a skill that will be in demand as time passes and clean energy becomes mainstream.

Government spoke and now they are accountable to the American people. America is not only waiting for this new energy and job opportunities, they are expecting it. Green business leaders are demanding tax incentives as a motivator from government to speed things up. Only a cynic believes that things will stay the same. The entrepreneur is the one who sees the transition to clean technologies as one of the greatest opportunities in the history of business.

The 21st century is known as the information age, but it will also be the time in history where protecting our environment pushed America through this horrible recession. It may not be the only factor that gets us through it, but it will be a very important reason. What was old will be new again and with it prosperity will come for those who embrace it fully. Don’t watch the train go by without jumping on board and joining the tens of thousands of people who will one day have a green job working in a wind turbine factory, or installing solar panels on homes throughout America.

Obtain the skills now by contacting local solar power companies that sell their products to businesses who want to transition green. Talk with like-minded individuals who care for the environment and want to help preserve it by getting a green job. The time is now.

Canada’s First Sustainable Brewery

robertludvig — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 22:42:32 +0000

Being a sustainable company can mean many things, from treating your employees with respect and paying them a fair wage to using organic and recycled materials, all the way to producing your product in a building that leaves small or zero emissions. Turning Point Brewery in Vancouver, BC, Canada claims to be Canada’s first sustainable brewery. They produce a Belgian Style amber beer at their state-of-the-art brewery. The things that makes their brewery so unique is the fact that it is completely powered by a wind turbine. The following video shows the installation of the wind turbine at the brewery. Although handcrafted, the beer isn’t made with organic ingredients but they do say that they use less energy, conserve water and of course, they generate power with their wind turbine.

A Green Recovery

robertludvig — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 16:52:31 +0000

Invovative to cut costs. Make trucks more effeciaent. It, districution, fleet, LED are the norm now, thoook for innovation.

By focuses on getting ‘greener’ can speed up economic recovery. Taking a new path with big chunks of their opperations.Zero landfill waste, SUBERU in AMERICA.

Goal being sustainability. Person mention Walmart, series of innovations. new trucks to trainig drivers to be more efficient behind the wheel.. Make sustainabilty a part of normal work day. HOW?

1) set aside TIME,,,ask your employees ‘how can we be more efficenta? How can we get greener? Brainstorm. By becoming greener you might become more profitable. Less waste, more green, less financial watse.

2) Set aside money. Put money into research and developemnt – money that goes strictly to green projects.

3) awards and incentives. the ways we normanlly get people to do things.

By making it the everday normal part of business, then you wont have to wait for something, it is there, it is working, and it is getting bigger and better. Invest in yourself and in your comapny in these ways and you will surely become a green and more profitable business.

Andrew Winston is interviewed by Harvard Business Publishing on green recovery. He offers some amazing tips to green your business, and by doing so, becoming more efficient and profitable- being innovative to cut costs. By focusing on getting ‘greener’ we can actually speed up economic recovery. A company can become more efficient by taking a new path with big chunks of their operations. How does a business become greener? One way is to make their trucks more efficient. Also using Information technology and changing their distribution, fleet, and making LED lighting products the norm.

Look for innovation in any and all ways. In the end the goal is sustainability. A specific example mentioned is how Walmart made two innovations. They updated their trucks as well as training their drivers to be more efficient behind the wheel. Companies must make sustainability a part of the normal work day.

Mr. Winston says invest in yourself and in your company in these ways and you will surely become a green and more profitable business.

1. Set aside time: Ask your employees ‘how can we be more efficient? How can we get greener? Brainstorm. By becoming greener you might become more profitable. Less waste+More green=Less financial waste.

2. Set aside money: Put money into research and development, money that goes strictly to green projects.

3. Awards and incentives: The ways companies normally get people to do things.

Environmentally Friendly Data Centers

robertludvig — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 05:51:56 +0000

Data centers are not the first thing that comes to mind when thinking about green business, but that is changing with the increasing presence of data centers located in Stockholm, Sweden. Stockholm offers an almost perfect data center location because it has near zero environmental impact. The use of outside air-cooling year round is a key factor in Stockholm being perfectly suited for a data center of any size. With cooling systems being a key component to maintaining data centers, no air conditioning is needed to keep the massive computers from over-heating. Stockholm represents a cost efficient and very green alternative to other areas around the world.

Dean Nelson, Senior Director of Sun Global Lab & Data Center Design Service, explains the importance of choosing the right location for a data center. A key reason being the environmental impact aspect, specifically how clean and efficient the power is. A cost aspect is also of crucial importance, specifically the cost of the power itself. Sweden is located in a climate where outside air is cold enough to be used to cool the data center, Mr. Nelson points out that because of this, costs go down substantially.

Mr. Torbjorn Bengtsson, Business Development Manager for Stockholm Business Region Development, recognized early on that Stockholm could be the perfect place to have data centers. They let the world know how Stockholm could be a major player in data center location so he contacted potential clients.

Martijn Loderus, who works for Sun Microsystems, has two key criteria in choosing a location for his data centers.

1. The availability of natural resources to power and cool the data center.

2. The people in the location to build and maintain the data center.

Two interesting side notes – two German submarine engines provide backup power for the data center in the video, and the data center is located below ground in a former bunker.

Renewable Energy Producer

robertludvig — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 19:48:03 +0000

Bullfrog Power is a leading renewable energy producer providing electricity to homes and businesses in the three Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columbia and Ontario. They claim to be Canada’s leading 100 per cent green electricity provider. Bullfrog Power generates its electricity by using wind turbines and injects clean energy into power grids throughout the provinces. What a home or business can do if it wants to run on green powered electricity is match the amount of electricity it uses with a purchase through Bullfrog Power. For example, the Calgary International Film Festival was Bullfrog powered. This was done by matching the total amount of power used by the events of the film festival with Bull Frog renewable electricity, thus powering the event with one hundred percent renewable electricity.

Bullfrog Power simply infuses clean, zero emissions electricity into the provinces electricity grids to match the amount of power used by thousands of homes and hundreds of organizations in Alberta, B.C. and Ontario. How much does this cost? In B.C., Bullfrog Power sends out a monthly statement. They charge 2 cents per Kilowatt hours. So in addition to a monthly electrical bill from B.C. Hydro, Bullfrog charges 2 cents per kilowatt hour or kWh. Here is a link the their website’s FAQ, for British Columbia homes, to help you get a better understanding of their services.

The Green Economy 2009

robertludvig — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 03:34:46 +0000

Like the Phoenix rising from the ashes the green economy will be a significant participant in bringing an end to the current worldwide recession – the key reason being the enormous investment in alternative energy. When we look back, 2009 will be viewed as a monumental year in terms of the economy. Critical to the green economy is alternative energy and the willingness of governments around the world to jump-start their economy by investing billions of dollars into these once scoffed at energies. The solar and wind energy that we use in our homes and businesses, and the hybrid electric cars that we drive, will be the reason we exit a recession and sidestep another Great Depression.

The auto industry needs new markets. We all have cars, but how many of us have hybrids or cars that run exclusively on electricity? The market is massive and the auto industry is currently being given money to research and manufacture these new types of cars that few people own. Instead of asking if you have a car that is standard or automatic you can now ask if your car is run on electricity or not. The auto industry, specifically, is teetering on the brink of collapse, as of this writing. There have been rumblings that the big three auto makers could be filing for bankruptcy. What was unthinkable a mere 10 years ago is the reality today. The potential for new sales is enormous with regards to cars run by alternative energy. The survival of the auto industry is dependent on the the sale of cars run by electricity. The auto industry either fully adapts and creates automobiles that satisfy the needs of the green era or they perish. The consequences are too tragic. Our future, environmentally speaking, and their future, economically speaking, is relying on it.

On the alternative energy front, governments are throwing money into producing energy from sources other than coal. Low carbon emissions is where it’s at, and I believe solar energy is leading the way. Whether we are talking about North America or Europe, companies that are in the solar energy sector will be thriving in 2009. Green technology is leading green business on a macro level. With all of the money being pumped into the economy by governments throughout the world much of the money in these stimulus packages is going to alternative energies. The consensus seems to be that the alternative energy sector as well as the automobile industry, is where the bulk of innovation with regards to green technology is being made.

Green Company Profile: Suntech

robertludvig — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 03:45:49 +0000

Here at Green Business we like to profile small businesses that are environmentally friendly. We decided to do something a little different this time and profile a large company that is a leader in the creation of alternative energy – specifically solar power. Just to make things clear to our readers, we are not affiliated with Suntech and make no stock recommendations. This article is strictly a company profile accompanied with personal commentary. We are giving our readers an example of a company that is making the bulk of their revenues by helping the environment.

Suntech Power Holdings Co. Ltd. is led by Chinese-born, Australian-educated, businessman Dr.Zhengrong Shi. Started in 2001, Suntech is a low-cost producer of solar technology. They develop, market and manufacture solar products that create electrical power. A few of Suntech’s competitors in solar energy includes (stock symbol in brackets): Canadian Solar (CSIQ), GT Solar Intl. (SOLR), Ascent Solar(ASTI), First Solar (FSLR), Sunpower (SPWRA).

What:
Solar Energy

Who:
Dr.Zhengron Shi – Founder and CEO of Suntech Power Co. Ltd.

Where:
17-6 Changjiang South Road
New District
Wuxi, JNG 214028
China
Telephone(510)534-5000

Why:Massive untapped market for alternative energy. Reduction in global greenhouse gas emissions.

How:
By providing solar energy on a mass scale.

In the video interview below, Zhengron talks about Suntech and the opportunities for solar energy. He believes there are great possibilities for solar power to one day become a mainstream power supply. With Government subsidies coupled with the fact that it is becoming cheaper to produce solar energy, Dr.Shi’s goal of reaching ‘grid parity‘ by 2012 might actually become reality. In the video, both Dr.Shi and the interviewer refer to the conversion of solar radiation into electrical power as PV, which is the shortform of the scientific term photovoltaics.

The Global Green Future

robertludvig — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 02:29:33 +0000

Investing in green technologies has become the most logical way to stimulate the economy on a mass scale by creating green jobs by the millions. The effects of this will be felt well into the future as the infrastructure of all of these cities will be green. The short-term benefit is job creation while the long-term benefits will be environmental. We are witnessing the greatest example of what green business truly is and are prospering from it. This is an amazing time in our history.

This video from Linktv.org brings together news footage from around the world. It showcases how governments such as Turkey and Germany are investing in green technologies and products to help jump-start their economy while helping save the environment.

Alternative Energy: CEO Interview

robertludvig — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 07:29:49 +0000

I just wanted to thank the guys at Alternative Energy News who published my interview with Gary Thompson, CEO of Sierra Geothermal Power Corp. It was a great experience talking with the head of a company specializing in creating alternative energy. If you want to read the interview in its entirety, please click here. A special thanks goes out to Alex Ramon, webmaster at Alternative Energy News, for getting the ball rolling.

Airline Goes Carbon Neutral

robertludvig — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 18:12:18 +0000

Harbor Air, the largest all-seaplane airline in the world, has chosen to go carbon neutral. They report that they will be the only air carrier in North America to be 100% carbon neutral.

This may seem like an insignificant piece of news to many, but it is interesting that a small company from Canada’s pacific north west is deciding to go green. When companies choose to become a little more green it is proof that business is changing. Companies can, and will, be financially successful while being concerned about the environment. Maybe another company will read this story and research how they can become greener – creating a snowball effect.

Could your company reduce its emissions by using solar energy?

Research, change, care.