ESCI KSP

There are many types of sustainable roofs including white roofs, green roofs, and roofs with solar photovoltaic (PV) panels and solar hot water systems. The performance of sustainable roof technology often can be optimized if it is integrated with a different, complementary sustainable roof technology.

An example would be that the efficiency of a PV system frequently improves when it is placed above a cool roof. Because of their lighter color, cool roofs reflect sunlight (solar reflectance) and efficiently emit thermal radiation (thermal emittance). By cooling the roof and lessening heat transfer into the building, cool roofs reduce the cooling load of the air-conditioning system. This leads to both energy and financial savings while improving sustainability by minimizing greenhouse gas emissions.

A 2001 study by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in cooperation with the EPA underscores the value of cool roofs for reducing energy usage and related costs. The study focused on a 100,000-square-foot building owned by a major retailer in Austin, Texas, built with a traditional roofing system featuring an exposed black rubber EPDM membrane.

After 13 years of operation, the black roof was replaced with a white thermoplastic roofing system. Direct benefits of the new roof included daily savings from reduced demand for operation of the air-conditioning system as well as present value of future savings. These savings were coupled with benefits from energy conservation programs sponsored by the local utility as well as state and federal programs.

Specific benefits from the cool roof based on 2001 factors included the average summer temperature of the cool roof compared to
the black roof was 42 percent less, dropping from 168 degrees Fahrenheit to 126 degrees Fahrenheit. Th is increased the useful life of the roof and reduced summer air conditioning usage by 14 percent resulting in average monthly savings of US$490.

Biomass is receiving increasing attention as scientists, policy makers, and growers search for clean, renewable energy alternatives. Compared with other renewable resources, biomass is very flexible: it can be used as fuel for direct combustion, gasified, used in combined heat and power technologies, or biochemical conversions. Due to the wide range of feedstocks, biomass has a broad geographic […]

Car-sharing is a way for a group of people to share vehicle ownership, thereby reducing costs of ownership.  By joining a car-sharing organization, members have access to a fleet of vehicles, parked in a variety of locations.  The cars can be reserved for short periods of time, with members paying for their individual usage.  Car-sharing […]

This paper will introduce bicycling as a planning strategy, review the existing conditions and the potential for improving the conditions for bicycling in the region, and examine the effects of implementing this strategy.  This paper is intended to be a planning tool—to initiate dialogue and discussion on the possible impacts of improving bicycling conditions in […]

Some cities in America have been preparing for many years, but PEVs will affect the entire country relatively quickly. The first wave of electric vehicles is upon us (starting by the end of 2010) and will hit specific, well-known areas where , for a number of reasons, readiness and appetite is highest (e.g. LA, San […]

This report examines public policies toward Plug-In Electric Vehicles (PEVs), taking into account the promise and limitations of PEVs, recent improvements in battery technology, market dynamics, and the proliferation of policies around the world that promote the use of PEVs. Our focus is primarily near term (i.e., 2011-25), recognizing that the transportation electrification process will evolve in stages based on the learning that occurs in the years and decades ahead.

WPPI Energy (formerly Wisconsin Public Power Inc.) is a Joint Action Agency serving 51 customer-owned electric utilities in three Midwestern states with annual revenues close to $1/2 billion. WPPI Energy leverages collective buying power for energy purchases and has increasingly started to use its central organizational role for joint actions that obtain synergies and offset […]

In 2007, NREL and Xcel Energy collaborated on an analysis study to better understand the fuel displacement potential, the costs, and the emissions impacts of market introduction of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) into the Xcel Energy Colorado Service Territory. The study indicated the potential for petroleum displacement and highlighted the value of vehicle charge management to limit costs and emissions impacts.

Today there are over a billion vehicles in the world, and within twenty years, the number will double, largely a consequence of China’s and India’s explosive growth. Given that greenhouse gases are already creating havoc with our climate and that violent conflict in unstable oil-rich nations is on the rise, will matters only get worse? Or are there hopeful signs that effective, realistic solutions can be found?