Summary of Current Pennsylvania Renewable Energy Incentives

• Posted On August 30, 2011
• in
• Sustainability

To assist our clients to include the latest technology to reduce energy consumption for their projects AHAdams&Company monitors current grant/incentives/load programs to fund construction and purchase the latest systems to engage environmentally responsible design.  The attached summary details current Pennsylvania Incentives/Policies for Renewables & Efficiency credits, programs, incentives, and grant funding for solar, geo-thermal, renewable energy, energy conservation which can offset the initial cost to help our clients build for the future.

Sustainable Insulation

• Posted On July 1, 2011
• in
• Sustainability

Wool - it is not just for clothes and rugs.  We have begun to see an interest in wool insulation for buildings.  Before there was fiberglass, there was sheep wool insulation, and the product has never become obsolete. If anything, it may remain a better product in terms of building science. Although sheep wool insulation had nearly disappeared in this country, it has remained popular in the U.K, Australia, New Zealand, and other nations.

It’s green appeal is rather obvious: sheep wool is a rapidly renewable agri-based resource produced with a remarkably small carbon footprint, and it is completely biodegradable.

But sheep’s wool insulation also provides some intriguing functional advantages.  It will absorb up to 20 percent of its own weight in moisture.  In a humid environment it will actually absorb moisture from the room, and as the humidity drops it expels the moisture back into the room. During that process, the water vapor does not alter the thermal characteristics of the product at all, or effect its life cycle.

It also actively contributes to indoor air quality. A lot of materials that go into residential and commercial construction contain formaldehyde, and sheep wool will simply absorb it from out of the air.  As for life cycle issues, wool insulation should last as long as the the typical building that houses it.

Wool is naturally fire resistant, but t must be treated for additional protection against mold and vermin infiltration. The products should contain no added formaldehyde or VOCs. The products can contribute three different LEED credits.

All of those benefits add up to higher retail price points, but it is provides a higher value product.  It is a product worth watching - 
www2.blackmountaininsulationusa.com

Solar Power

• Posted On May 23, 2011
• in
• Sustainability

The US Department of Energy is investing in Innovative strategies to bring the cost of producing energy from the sun down.  Through the “Sun Shot” Program (http://www.eere.energy.gov/solar/SunShot/) new technologies are moving forward to contribute to the goal of increasing the amount of energy produced by solar in the United States.  A recent development AHAdams&Company thought was interesting:

U.S. Department of Energy to Invest in Silicon Ink Manufacturer Innovalight
SUNNYVALE, Calif., May 20, 2011 /PRNewswire/—Innovalight, Inc., a privately-held company selling silicon ink and advanced solar cell process technology, today announced it has been selected for funding under the SunShot initiative by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). Innovalight will receive $3.4 million to accelerate the development and production of silicon ink material and processes for high efficiency solar cells at its operations in Silicon Valley.  Innovalight manufactures a nanotechnology-based silicon ink and licenses a proprietary process which allows for a simple upgrade to solar cell manufacturing lines to boost the performance of solar cells and lower production costs. The company recently announced supply agreements with several of the largest solar cell manufacturing companies in the world.
“After a hyper competitive selection process, we are thrilled that we were selected for funding by the U.S. Department of Energy,” said Conrad Burke, President and CEO of Innovalight. “This endorsement from the DOE for our innovative silicon ink technology which was invented and is exclusively manufactured here in the United States, is very timely for our expansion plans,” he added.
The DOE’s SunShot Initiative aims to dramatically decrease the total costs of solar energy at the utility, commercial and residential levels by 75% before the end of the decade, making solar energy cost-competitive with conventional forms of electricity without subsidies and enabling widespread deployment of solar energy.

About The U.S. Department of Energy’s SunShot Initiative
The SunShot Initiative builds on the legacy of President Kennedy’s 1960s “moon shot” goal, which laid out a plan to regain the country’s lead in the space race and land a man on the moon. To achieve the SunShot goal of reducing the total installed cost of solar electricity by about 75 percent, DOE will be working closely with partners in government, industry, research laboratories and academic institutions across the country. More information can be found at http://www.eere.energy.gov/solar/SunShot

About Innovalight
Innovalight is based in Sunnyvale, California. The company manufactures silicon ink and licenses a proprietary process technology to solar cell manufacturing companies. Innovalight is venture capital backed and has received additional development funds from the U.S. Dept. of Energy. For more information, visit http://www.innovalight.com

PET/CT WINS GOLD!

• Posted On May 7, 2011
• in
• Sustainability
• Project News

Montgomery County Advanced Medical Imaging and Abington Hospital PET/CT facility, recently completed, has received a coveted United States Green Building Council LEED GOLD certification.  This certification distinguishes the new PET/CT facility as a project designed and constructed to the highest environmental standards and recognizes it as an outstanding achievement.  AHAdams&Company is proud of our contribution to this project and commends Dr. Paul O’Moore, President of Montgomery County Advanced Medical Imaging and Angel Fatz the PET/CT Manager, George Felici, LEED AP, Freedom Enterprise, Incorporated (contractor), Shannon Kaplan, PE, AKF Engineering, and John Zabilowicz, PE, Z&F Consulting Engineers, Richard Palmer and Elizabeth Emig at AHAdams&Company for assistance.  We want to extend a generous thank you! to Dr. Paul O’Moore for his vision to establish this environmental goal and supporting this achievement. AHAdams&Company would like to extent a thank you to the entire project team for their commitment to see beyond the horizon and improve the quality of the environment for us all..

New Materials to Generate Electricity

• Posted On May 6, 2011
• in
• Sustainability

Advanced Materials for Thermoelectric Devices

We see an opportunity to generate electricity from low grade waste heat through the application of Thermoelectric semiconductors.  Thermoelectric semiconductor materials are recognized as having the potential to provide clean, reliable and highly effective cooling, refrigeration and energy harvesting solutions. Typical electricity generation processes burn fossil fuels generating heat that is then used to produce power in a series of efficiency-robbing mechanical steps. A staggering 50 to 60% of this heat is wasted due to technology limitations. Furthermore, passive or active cooling techniques are often required to mitigate the damaging effects this heat can have on operating equipment and electronic systems.

A new company, Phononic Devices (www.phononicdevices.com) is an ARPA-E awardee commercializing advanced materials nano-engineered to recapture this waste heat and convert it into useable electric power, or conversely, to provide highly efficient refrigeration and cooling. Phononic Devices’ proprietary thermal-to-electric approach is designed to make possible a more than $35B market opportunity.  AHAdams&Company is exploring the potential and opportunities to design the use of Thermoelectric semiconductors into a project.   

Integral Sustainable Design

• Posted On June 4, 2010
• in
• Sustainability
• Staff Thoughts

Elizabeth, an Intern Architect here at AHAdams&Company, has some thoughts on new integral approaches to “green” design:

The “Green Movement,” along with recently created specialty grants and programs, has recently created a need to explore an integral approach to architecture and planning.  Recent projects in the education sector, in particular, have used sustainable design not only to improve building efficiencies, but also as a tool for teaching and learning.  In these projects, aesthetics embedded in the design reveal information about the buildings performance, the surrounding site, and community.

“Greening Greenfield” is a renovation project to Philadelphia School District’s Greenfield Elementary school play yard on 22nd and Chestnut in Center City.  Greenfield Elementary is just one school that has recently taken to the “green movement” by using an integrated and creative design approach.  Including the community, students and teachers in the design process from day one, the project immediately gained perspective on the importance that the design be both a visual and experiential learning tool.  This is achieved by using the project’s constraints, such as the asphalt schoolyard and the associated heat and drainage issues, as design opportunities.

Funding Available to Cut Your Energy Costs

• Posted On April 5, 2010
• in
• Sustainability
• Industry News

Are you recognizing the need to cut your energy costs and begin to rely on alternative forms of energy?  As you may be aware, The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 has made $275 billion available in Federal grants, contracts and loans.  As a result, various funding opportunities now exist at the federal, state and local levels of our government that are making energy conservation initiatives more financially viable.  AHAdams&Company has been actively involved in assisting our clients to follow these programs and identifying those that are useful for their projects.

We would like to share with you a reference table that has been published by the PA Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) that makes it easier for individuals, businesses, non-profit organizations, etc. to understand which programs they are eligible for.  Please see our link below to a list of the energy and green technology funding programs offered by the PA DEP and other Commonwealth agencies.  You will find them sorted by eligible candidate.
http://www.dsireusa.org