Rhode Island signs off PPA
legislation
The Rhode Island state Senate has
passed a bill to enable development of
the 20-MW Block Island offshore wind
farm.
Senate bill 2819 would authorize
utility Narragansett Electric, a subsidiary of National Grid, to enter into a
power purchase agreement (PPA) with
developer Deepwater Wind for the eight-turbine installation. The two parties had
agreed to a PPA, but it was rejected in
March by the state public utilities commission, which said the agreed price
was too high.
Deepwater Wind plans to build the
wind farm to prove the viability of a larger project off the Rhode Island shore,
with a capacity of at least 350 MW.
RES Americas begins
construction on wind project
Renewable Energy Systems Americas
Inc., Broomfield, Colo., has started
balance of plant (BOP) construction on
the 343-MW Lower Snake River wind
project (Phase I). BOP construction
includes all infrastructure of the project
(roads, foundation, electrical infrastructure, and other structures) and specifically excludes the supply, installation,
and commissioning of wind turbines.
The project will consist of 149 Siemens turbines ( 2. 3 MW each) installed
on nearly 40,000 acres of leased
farmland near the town of Pomeroy in
Garfield County, Wash. Phase I of the
project is expected to generate enough
clean, renewable energy to power more
than 100,000 average U.S. homes and
will create up to 150 temporary jobs
during construction.
RES Americas sold its interest in the
project’s development assets to Puget
Sound Energy (PSE) in 2009, at which
time PSE assumed the role of owner
and developer. RES Americas is serving
as the project’s prime construction
contractor.
Adept Technology acquires
MobileRobots
Adept Technology Inc., a provider of
vision-guided robotics and global robotics services in Pleasanton, Calif., has
entered into an agreement to acquire
privately held MobileRobots Inc., a New
Hampshire provider of autonomous robot
and AGV technologies. Adept says the
acquisition allows it to address the needs
of the production logistics markets.
Upon completion of the acquisition,
MobileRobots employees will become
part of the Adept MobileRobots group
and will work with Adept’s existing engineering, operations, and service teams in
Pleasanton, Calif.; Dortmund, Germany;
and Singapore.
Envision Solar, GRID Solar
announce alliance
Envision Solar Intl. Inc., San Diego, a
solar master planner, architect, and
inventor that designs and deploys advanced solar systems globally, has announced a partnership with GRID Solar,
a turnkey solar developer that provides
consulting, project management, and
financing for companies looking to incorporate solar technology into the design of a new or existing project. The
partnership will help property owners
to create environmentally sustainable
commercial, retail, and industrial installations.
The partnership enables companies
to incorporate large-scale solar developments without the need for major up-front investment. The alliance provides
financing options for commercial developments to integrate Envision Solar’s
products.
“More developers and property owners are incorporating environmentally
friendly features into the design of commercial and light industrial projects,
and this new partnership will give customers the opportunity to fulfill their
commitments to sustainability,” said
Bob Noble, CEO of Envision Solar.
Leggett & Platt certified green
through EFEC system
Leggett & Platt’s Branch 0N64 High
Point Furniture Components in High
Point, N.C., has become a certified
green company through the furniture
industry’s Enhancing Furniture’s Environmental Culture (EFEC) management
system. EFEC is a structured compliance system similar to ISO certification, which focuses on the responsible
selection of renewable raw materials
and following environmentally sustainable methods throughout the manufacturing process.
The High Point branch is an international manufacturer and reseller of several types of components used within
the home furnishings industry such as
coil, helical, and sinuous springs; seating grids; furniture suspension units;
fabric pocketed seating coils; and assembled motion hardware and sofa
sleeper units.
Kimberly-Clark Professional
headquarters building earns
LEED certification
Kimberly-Clark Corp. has achieved its
first LEED® certification from the U.S.
Green Building Council for its Kimberly-Clark Professional headquarters building (Building 100) in Roswell, Ga. The
building obtained certification under the
LEED for Existing Buildings: Operations
& Maintenance program for existing and
new practices in energy use, water use,
and indoor environmental quality.
To obtain the certification, the Roswell North Atlantic Facilities Management team focused on water efficiency,
energy efficiency, the use of sustainable
materials and resources, and indoor environmental quality. The facility already
had many environmentally sustainable
features in place, but the team also
made several improvements to the four-story, 80,000-sq.-ft. building, which
houses about 350 employees and was
originally constructed in 1980.
