Archinect - News

The Pentagon will install solar panel array as part of $55 million DOD initiative

2024-02-03T08:00:00-05:00

The Pentagon has announced it will be installing a solar panel array on its roof in a historic first that’s part of a new $55 million Department of Defense clean energy initiative at military installations in the United States and Germany.

The DOD has been active in attempting to mitigate the large carbon footprint caused by the U.S. military with similar conservation strategies for several years. The money for the new solar panels is being sourced from a larger Department of Energy program that will spend $104 million in total on 31 projects affecting ten other federal agencies. The DOD says this is necessary to bolster its energy resilience and defense operational capabilities while also improving the quality of life for service members living and working at bases full-time.

"We have a moral obligation to the people that defend our nation, to their famili...

Explore job opportunities involving passive house design

2024-01-18T13:22:00-05:00

Dive into this week's curated job roundup as we spotlight eight architecture firms on the lookout for architects and designers experienced or interested in passive house design.

To learn more about previous coverage explore our 2017 op-ed piece from Zack Semke "How Passive House Design Can Propel the Clean Energy Transition in Architecture" and a previous interesting job piece highlighting how passive house design can shape one's career. And for a fun yet related pop culture reference see how passive house design plays a thematic role in the hit Showtime TV series, The Curse, starring Nathan Fielder and Emma Stone.

The Musial Group Architects is hiring a Project Architect and Architectural Designer
Location: Mountainside, NJ

Project Architect details: The Musial Group, specializing in public sector architecture in the tristate area, is seeking a Project Architect with 10-15 years of experience for diverse projects including civic, educational, and residential buildings. The role inv...

Chicago could become site of the Great Lakes' first offshore wind farm

2022-09-10T09:00:00-04:00

If state Rep. Marcus Evans has his way, Chicago will enter the race to build the first offshore wind farm on the Great Lakes. Evans has introduced a bill that lays the groundwork for a proposed wind farm in Lake Michigan, about 10 miles from the shores of the Southeast Side. The bill sets up a fund that would help the state to compete for federal money, including $230 million for port infrastructure projects available from the U.S. Department of Transportation.

Evans introduced the bill, the Illinois Rust Belt to Green Belt Pilot Program Act, in January. The legislation would establish a path toward creating the offshore wind farm by allowing the state to apply for federal infrastructure funds. The proposal promises to create over 1,200 jobs, primarily occupied by underrepresented populations, an aim bolstered by its potential location near Black and Latino communities. The bill has since been referred to a House committee.

Illinois will face competition from Ohio and New York state in its quest to be the first home of an offshore wind farm via the Great Lakes as the two states are developing plans to respectively establish farms in Lake Erie.

As reported by the Chicago Tribune, the initiative has garnered support from local community groups, however, there remain reservations due to concerns over whether the promise to reserve jobs created from the...

Mass timber, clean energy, biotech, and Indigenous communities are among the biggest winners of the $1 Billion Build Back Better Regional Challenge

2022-09-02T17:17:00-04:00

The Biden Administration has announced 21 winners of its $1 billion Build Back Better Regional Challenge funded through last year’s American Rescue Plan and administered by the U.S. Commerce Department’s Economic Development Administration (EDA).

Five-year capital grants ranging between $25 million and $65 million were awarded to transformative projects in 24 different states with demonstrated potential to rebuild regional economies, promote inclusive and equitable recovery, and create jobs.

The Brookings Institution today commented that the funding “represents a critical test for key assumptions of the broader Biden administration economic framework” and said it will critically deliver infrastructure investments with a mind for integrating marginalized groups and communities into the post-pandemic economic recovery nationwide. A survey of the projects seems to signal an interest in things like clean energy, advanced and next-gen manufacturing, biotechnologies, and a host of others...

Chicago signs agreement to power all city operations with renewable energy by 2025

2022-08-11T18:31:00-04:00

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot has announced the finalization of a deal between the city and retail electricity supplier Constellation, in collaboration with Swift Current Energy, to shift all city facilities and operations to run on renewable energy by 2025. This makes Chicago one of the largest cities in the country to commit to such a move.

The contract is valued at up to $422 million, with an initial five-year term with Constellation starting in January 2023. As part of the agreement, beginning in 2025, Chicago will source energy from a new solar power plant currently being built in Sangamon and Morgan counties to partially power its large energy uses, such as the airports, Harold Washington Library Center, and the Jardine Water Purification Plant.

“I am incredibly proud to advance this commitment to transitioning all city operations to 100% renewable energy by 2025,” said Mayor Lightfoot. “The signing of this agreement demonstrates that the City of Chicago is leading by example...

President Biden invokes Defense Production Act to stimulate domestic clean energy construction

2022-06-08T17:33:00-04:00

President Joe Biden is using his executive powers Monday to boost the domestic production of solar panels and their parts and will issue a 24-month tariff exemption on imports of the products from several countries. The White House said Biden will authorize the use of the Defense Production Act to accelerate manufacturing of solar panels in the United States as a way to strengthen the administration's efforts to shift the country toward clean energy.

Invoking the Defense Production Act (DPA) allows the President to order private businesses to prioritize the production of materials deemed necessary for national defense. Aside from accelerating the domestic production of solar panels, Biden is using the Act to rapidly expand American manufacturing of building insulation, heat pumps for buildings, equipment for making and using clean electricity-generated fuels, and critical power grid infrastructure.

Previously on Archinect: U.S. Department of Energy says solar energy has the potential to produce 40% of the nation's electricity by 2035

The White House also signaled its intention to direct the development of master supply agreements to increase the speed and efficiency by which domestic clean electricity providers can sell their products to the U.S. Government.

Furthermore, this move includes an order to establish a two-year tariff exemption for solar panel imports from Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam in order to meet th...

Penn State Architectural Engineering professor recognized by UN for work in sustainable buildings

2021-11-08T14:07:00-05:00

A professor of architectural engineering at Penn State by the name of James Freihaut has been recognized by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) Committee on Sustainable Energy for his work in improving sustainability and safety in buildings. During the committee’s 30th Jubilee session on September 22, Freihaut was honored for his contributions over the past 30 years.

Freihaut’s research focuses on building mechanical systems, with specific interests in indoor air quality and building science, combined heat and power systems, distributed energy systems, enclosed space air quality issues, and system constraints on air treatment/filtration solutions.

The UNECE Committee on Sustainable Energy’s work is designed to improve access to affordable and clean energy and help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and the carbon footprint of the energy sector. The focus is on energy efficiency, cleaner electricity production from fossil fuels, renewable energy, natural gas, and ...

LA City Council approves 2035 100% clean energy target — a decade sooner than planned

2021-09-03T17:07:00-04:00

The Los Angeles City Council voted Wednesday to have the Department of Water and Power transition to 100% renewable energy by 2035, as well as develop a long-term hiring plan for nearly 10,000 “green” jobs. The 2035 deadline is a decade earlier than the city’s previous goal.

The plan was passed in a 12-0 vote. It also tasks the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) to report every six months on the transition to renewable energy to the City Council’s Energy, Climate Change, Environmental Justice and River Committee.

In March, the city of Los Angeles released the LA100 Study, one of the largest studies of its kind conducted by the federal government, that explored potential pathways Los Angeles can pursue to achieve a 100% clean energy future. First introduced in 2016, the study was conducted by the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in partnership with the LADWP and USC.

Video via National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) on YouTube

The study states that Los Angeles could achieve 98% clean energy within a decade and 100% clean energy by 2035. Meeting its goal would require a massive expansion of wind and solar resources, which also calls for shutting down local gas power plants. While this transition i...

Clean energy jobs evaporate amid COVID-19

2020-04-20T12:53:00-04:00

More than 106,000 clean energy jobs were eliminated in the month of March due to the novel coronavirus outbreak, according to an analysis of unemployment data by BW Research Partnership and E2. The layoffs reflect a 3% drop in overall industry employment.

According to Smart Cities Dive, the layoffs come as hundreds of clean energy-related manufacturing plants have closed, including those producing building materials and solar/wind power infrastructure. The largest drops have been seen Hawaii (6.4%), Pennsylvania (6.2%) and North Carolina (5.9%), while California lost the most clean energy jobs overall (19,949), Smart Cities Dive reports. It is projected that the industry could lose up to 500,000 which would be roughly 15 percent of its workforce.

Scotland's wind energy production capabilities surge

2019-10-09T15:00:00-04:00

Scotland will soon be meeting the equivalent of 100% of its electricity needs from clean energy sources. That’s the prediction made in a new report published by member organisation Scottish Renewables, which suggests renewable energy is providing signficant benefits to almost every aspect of the nation’s economy and is supporting major growth in terms of innovation, jobs, communities, climate progress and the rural economy.

The United Kingdom's green energy revolution is continuing apace following record-setting sustainable energy generation initiatives that have nearly eliminated the use of coal-fired energy in the country.

According to the Scottish government, Scotland's recent move to double-down on wind generation has produced enough electricity to power over 1.8 million homes.

Energy derived from anaerobic digestion could fuel the future

2019-08-17T07:00:00-04:00

U.S. investors are beginning to smell an opportunity in the waste-to-energy market, where livestock dung and food garbage is traded. Interest is being fueled by new state laws and by demand from companies such as UPS Inc. After a lull in investor interest stretching back a decade, attention to “anaerobic digestion” waste-to-energy is surging in the United States, developers in the sector have said.

Power companies take the pledge to deliver carbon-free electricity — one fossil-fueled plant at a time

2019-08-02T14:02:00-04:00

New Jersey's largest and oldest power company is pledging to deliver carbon-free electricity to fight climate change. To get there, the power company is shutting down its coal plants, betting big on offshore wind and working hard to keep its existing nuclear plant alive. PSEG said it won't build or acquire any new fossil-fueled power plants, including those running on dirt-cheap natural gas.

Announced in July, one of the oldest power companies in the U.S. is taking the next step towards addressing their involvement in battling climate change. The New Jersey power company PSEG has used fossil fuels to power their plants for the last 116 years. As the oldest power company in America, their initiatives to make changes addressing their plants' carbon emissions is a big step.

According to CNN, "To get there, the power company is shutting down its coal plants, betting big on offshore wind and working hard to keep its existing nuclear plant alive. PSEG said it won't build or acquire any new fossil-fueled power plants, including those running on dirt-cheap natural gas."

PSEG is not the only company to address these issues on climate change. Companies like Xcel Energy, formerly a coal-first company, is making moves to provide zero-carbon electricity by the year 2050. Although the Trump administration has made efforts to save the coal industry by promoting fossil fuels and cutti...