News Archives: April 2011
Quinn on hand to open new ‘green’ Walgreens in Oak Park
Illinois communities should follow Oak Park’s lead in encouraging businesses to build energy-saving stores. That’s the advice Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn gave Tuesday morning while touring the new conservation-designed Walgreens at 811 Madison Street.
“Oak Park has seen the future, and it understands green practices,” Quinn said, noting the village encourages new businesses to consider green technologies in water efficiency, carbon emission reductions and lighting.
Expanding Electric Vehicle Market Will Likely Necessitate More EV Charging Stations and Education for Property Managers Interested in Investing
CHICAGO, April 21, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — As the acceptance and use of electric vehicles is becoming more prevalent, thanks to recent investment from the government and car manufactures, more commercial property owners and managers are grappling with how to react to growing demand for EV charging stations at their properties.
“The growth of the electric car sector is very real,” said Bob Best, SVP and head of Jones Lang LaSalle’s EV Task Force. “We know the eventual demand for charging stations is going to hit the real estate market, and we need to be prepared to guide owners on the best approach to tackling this issue.”
Galvin Electricity Initiative Introduces Landmark Smart Grid Rating Program
Energy Experts Develop First-of-Its-Kind Perfect Power Seal of Approval Program to Drive Innovation, Transformation in Electricity Industry
CHICAGO, April 20, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — The Galvin Electricity Initiative today introduced the Perfect Power Seal of Approval™ (PPSoA), a program to drive innovation in the electric power industry by embracing consumer needs. The program, modeled after the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED certification for buildings, will evaluate and recognize the nation’s top-performing smart microgrid projects in key performance categories.
“The Perfect Power Seal of Approval program establishes much-needed metrics that can empower consumers, businesses, communities and regulators to demand better performance from the power system,” said John Kelly, deputy director of the Galvin Electricity Initiative. “Today’s monopoly-driven business model does not hold participants accountable for quality in electricity service. The PPSoA program shines a bright light on this issue, shifting the focus from technology for technology’s sake to measurable system performance outcomes. By providing a standard set of consumer-focused criteria, we aim to inspire continuous improvement in smart grid projects, as those projects innovate to meet the Seal of Approval criteria over time.”
Secretary Chu Announces New Funding and Partnership with Google to Promote Electric Vehicles
Washington, DC – As part of the Obama Administration’s efforts to reduce U.S. oil imports by one-third by 2025, Energy Secretary Steven Chu today announced new steps underway at the Department of Energy to accelerate the deployment of electric vehicles. This includes the availability of $5 million in new funding for community-based efforts to deploy electric vehicle (EV) infrastructure and charging stations. He also outlined a partnership with Google Inc. and more than 80 EV stakeholders to help consumers find charging stations nationwide. Secretary Chu and Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood made the announcement on a conference call with Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper, Tucson Mayor Bob Walkup, and St. Paul Mayor Christopher Coleman – leaders of three of the nation’s nearly 100 Clean Cities Coalitions.
Electricity legislation sparks debate
Everyone can agree on one thing: Illinois needs to update its energy grid. But the Energy Modernization Act, also known as House Bill 14, would allow $2.6 billion worth of upgrades. It sounds like a good thing but the proposal is meeting resounding opposition from critics.
Twig is exhibit A in power outage
What is long and spindly, weighs only slightly more than a feather, has scorched bark and is blamed for casting a thousand or so Elmhurst residents into darkness?
In the case of a power outage that took place Sunday in Elmhurst, it is a twig — not a big, heavy branch — a twig.
