Green Options » costs

Carbon Capture and Storage Progressing Toward Feasibility

Ruedigar Matthes — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 21:34:01 +0000

Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) has the potential to cut global Co2 emissions dramatically. We’re talking huge cuts. It has been estimated that a plant implementing CCS can cut emissions by 80-90 percent compared with a plant that doesn’t use CCS. Sounds great, right? Well, there are some some problems.

Cost is the number one challenge that CCS faces. “Applying it would significantly increase the cost of electricity beyond what society is likely willing to pay,” said Sarah Forbes, a World Resources Institute Senior Associate. Another challenge is that no fully integrated demonstrations have taken place. The pieces have been tested individually, but the entire puzzle is yet to be seen.

Forbes describes CCS and its current challenges in more detail:

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Solar Energy Breakthrough Could Cut Costs By More Than 50%

Andrew Williams — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 12:23:08 +0000

A US-based company has successfully tested a revolutionary solar panel that is expected to cut the costs of photovoltaic solar power generation by more than 50 per cent, and herald a new era of improved efficiency and lower production costs of solar energy globally.

The panel, known as the Alubond Solar Collector Panel (SCP), was created by American Building Technologies, a subsidiary of the UAE-based multinational group Mulk Holdings. Commenting on the breakthrough, a spokesman for Mulk said, “We hope the success of this project will lead to an upsurge in the development of more solar energy plants, which will not only lessen the strain on existing energy resources, but also severely reduce the pollution levels that are currently witnessed in power generation.”

Book Provides Green Options for Home Improvement

Dawn Killough — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 17:34:31 +0000

RSMeans recently published Green Home Improvement by Daniel D. Chiras, PhD. It includes 65 home improvement projects that can be used to “green up” a house or building. The projects range from laying bamboo flooring, to heating system upgrades, to building an addition.

The book is wonderfully written, and is meant for the average home owner, not contractors. However, I believe this book would be a good reference for contractors as well, as it presents projects in an easy to understand way that would help educate their customers as to what is involved in a particular project. Do-it-yourselfers would also like this book, as it tells you how much of a particular project you can do, gives pretty detailed instructions, and lets you know when you are in over your head and should call someone.

For those used to RSMeans’ other publications on construction costs, this book will be a bit of a disappointment. It does discuss cost, but only at a higher level for comparison of materials. The good thing is this can start the conversation with an owner about the cost effectiveness of a project, without locking in a price. It also compares apples to apples, when possible, allowing the reader to get a good idea of how much more or less expensive a project will be when compared to other alternatives.

Green Home Improvement is a good reference for both building owners and contractors on some of the possibilities available for greening up an existing building. It provides cost data, along with potential savings, in a way that makes assessing a project easy. With many alternatives to choose from, it allows for a high level comparison of project options. The variety of projects included ensures that information is available for any potential improvement.