Boulder, Colorado won’t be going off-grid or relying on 100% solar energy anytime soon, instead it is pioneering the nation’s first fully integrated digital technology system to manage its electrical grid. Xcel Energy, one of the nation’s leaders in supporting aggressive renewable energy programs, selected Boulder to test its Smart Grid technology. The system will track power loads from devices installed on homes and businesses around the city so that supply can be met from all its power sources, including wind farms and solar installations.
Working with the City of Boulder and sharing funding with a consortium of technology vendors, Xcel plans to spend $100 million over the next 2-years to install 50,000 smart meters on buildings throughout the city. Xcel expects to switch on the system this August.
Boulder’s abundant sunshine and commitment to carbon-neutrality helped make it the winning recipient of Xcel’s pilot (in 2006, Boulder was the first US city to pass a local carbon tax).
Cooler Planet applauds Xcel and Boulder for taking on a truly cool project. We look forward to hearing about its results.
May 15, 2008
Curious to know your own carbon footprint? We checked out two different online calculators over the weekend. The EPA has published its own carbon calculator tool: http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/emissions/ind_calculator.html. Another useful carbon footprint tool can be found on www.carboncounter.org.
Be ready to collect some data about yourself. Each tool requests that you compile annual data from your electricity and gas bills. The EPA tool asks for actual costs while the Carbon Counter tool prefers the same data in terms of kilowatt hours of electricity or therms of natural gas. Both tools also ask you to enter information about how many miles you drive each year and the fuel efficiency of your vehicle.
The tools also differ. The EPA tool asks about your recycling habits; while the Carbon Counter is more interested in your annualized miles via air travel.
In the end, both tools calculate your carbon dioxide emissions and provide national averages so you can see how you fare. The EPA calculates emissions in terms of pounds of carbon dioxide per year, whereas the Carbon Counter tracks total carbon dioxide emissions as metric tons. So if you’d like to compare, remember that 1 metric ton = 2204.62262 pounds.
Each tool suggests ways that you can reduce your carbon dioxide emissions. The EPA tool allows you to readily see how much you might save once you’ve answered a series of questions. The Carbon Counter offers ideas on how much money you could contribute to a carbon offset organization to neutralize your activities. Either way, it’s good to note where each of us stand in terms of carbon dioxide. As we all learned in kindergarten – there’s always room for improvement. We could all help reduce carbon emissions.
February 4, 2008
Most scientists agree our climate is changing – they may not agree on the causes for that change – but most concur that global warming is real. Essentially, too much heat remains in the earth’s atmosphere.
The main culprit for that heat retention is carbon dioxide, a byproduct of combustion. The coal, oil, natural gas, gasoline, diesel fuel, and wood we burn emit carbon dioxide. Of course, we have used these materials and have emitted carbon dioxide for millennium. What makes our actions different now is the magnitude of our emissions and their cumulative effect on our atmosphere.
Trees and other vegetation have always helped (and will continue to help) process carbon dioxide and release oxygen, however, our continuous use of fuels, demand for wood to make paper, furniture, and houses, and clearing of land to make way for agriculture exceed our planet’s “natural” pace to consume carbon dioxide.
Carbon neutral is the term coined to rebalance our consumption. You can calculate the carbon you use, and then purchase credits from companies that invest in clean energy projects. These “carbon neutral” companies pool resources to invest in large-scale development of projects such as wind power, solar power, or land preservation to help our planet heal.
Mind you a quid-pro-quo attitude is not enough to “fix” our addiction to combustion-production. That’s where actions such as installing solar panels come in. The more all of us choose less energy producing products and activities (like Energy Star appliances, compact fluorescent light bulbs, and high gas-mileage cars, to name just a few) the more hopeful we can all be that our lifestyles we so enjoy will not wreak total havoc on our environment.
January 30, 2008
