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Renewable Energy
Renewable energy sources offer environmentally attractive alternatives to fossil fuels and nuclear power. Although no energy system can claim to be 100 percent pollution free, renewables are orders of magnitude better than our conventional energy systems.
The U.S. Department of Energy estimates that the annual influx of accessible renewable resources in the U.S. is more than 200 times the total amount of energy used. Technologies for converting these energy sources into electricity or usable heat are improving in efficiency and dropping in price.
Read more about the GreenSpec Renewable Energy including a few strategies, systems, concerns, and GreenSpec listed products.
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Welcome to GreenSpec Insights, an independent resource for architects, green consultants, and building product specifiers. Each week, we aim to bring you not only unbiased new product reviews, but also insights into what's really important for environmental performance in specific product categories. We hope you find it useful -- send your suggestions and other comments to Insights@GreenSpec.com.
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— Alex Wilson
Wind turbines on buildings could produce electricity where it's needed and catch high winds above ground level. However, wind turbulence, safety, cost, and
The appeal of integrating wind turbines into our buildings is strong. Rooftops are elevated above ground, where it’s windier; the electricity is generated right where it’s needed; and wind energy can make a strong visual statement. Dozens of start-up wind turbine manufacturers have latched onto this idea since it fits well with a strong public sentiment to shift from fossil fuels to renewables. The 30% tax credit for the technology (that’s 30% without a cap) provides a strong financial incentive. A year ago, Mayor Michael Bloomberg even suggested building-integrated wind as a greening strategy for New York City’s many tall buildings. What’s not to like about it?
It turns out that, despite some benefits, building-integrated wind doesn’t make much sense as a renewable-energy strategy. In this article, we’ll examine both the pros and cons of this technology, look at some examples of how it’s been tried, and explain why it’s usually a bad idea.
Read the rest of the Environmental Building News feature article
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- Tristan Roberts
Stormwater and habitat impacts of big wind projects can be huge.
What impacts? When viewed from afar, many people think that large wind turbines look picturesque, even inspiring. It would be easy to imagine that those turbines were planted in the ground like trees from some sort of giant helicopter, with no effect on the surrounding area.
Not so. The road you have to build to get the turbine there, and building infrastructure like transmission lines, has a huge effect. "There is a huge difference between planting a turbine in a cornfield next to a residence, versus putting a turbine on a ridgeline where there are no roads and no transmission lines, which is the case with most of Vermont's ridgelines," says Wright.
Read the rest of the blog post
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