QUEST Community Science Blog

Low winter light over the town of Iqaluit,
the capitol of Nunavut,Canada. Photo by Bill Semple,
architect and senior researcher at the Canada Mortgage
and Housing Corporation.I recently heard Tom Friedman, the New York Times columnist, speak at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab about his soon to be published new book, Green: The New Red, White and Blue. I can’t say much about his book because it hasn’t yet been published, and he only offered an outline. He did conclude his talk by emphasizing the need to take a systematic approach to solving our energy problems. “We need clean electrons traveling though an efficient distribution system into smart homes.” Amen to that! By the way, I’ll probably be shelling out some cash for Tom’s book, even though I hardly ever buy the hardback version.

Among home performance professionals, we also call the systemic approach, the whole house approach. For example, we think it is best to retrofit your home to make it more energy efficient before you invest in an expensive solar electric, or PV, system. You can buy a smaller PV system that way, and draw less energy from the electric grid. We think you should switch to CFL bulbs right now, buy Energy Star appliances when you need new appliances, and before the next hot summer have a home performance professional air seal your attic and add insulation. Make sure the contractor checks to see if you have proper ventilation in your home after air sealing-otherwise your gas appliances may back draft nasty things like carbon monoxide into your living spaces. Don’t go out and buy new windows, no matter what the advertisers tell you, until your old windows are worn out. In other words, do it all, but when the time is right.

There is a debate going on in our country about how to solve our energy and environmental problems. Some say corn ethanol is the answer; others say it’s cellulosic ethanol. Some say wind energy and some say solar energy; some say more government regulation is the answer and some say let the free market decide. These either/or approaches are wrong in my book. The more we are divided in our passion to solve our problems, the less likely we are able to solve them. The best-built homes are the ones in which all the parts-building site, building envelope, walls, foundation, attic, roof, HVAC system, appliances, lighting, and people-work in harmony and are most adaptable to change.

Tom Friedman also said in his talk at Berkeley Lab that writing in blogs about solving our energy problems is not enough. In our March/April 2008 issue of Home Energy we will publish a story about home building in the far north of Canada, within the Arctic Circle. The Inuit people who live there are already building to adapt to the climate change that is already occurring, as well as preparing for more climate change in the future. They are building homes that are culturally appropriate. They are also building in a way that will reduce as much as possible the emissions of greenhouse gases that are causing climate change. Amen to that! Amen to the systematic approach!

Jim Gunshinan is Managing Editor of Home Energy Magazine. He holds an M.S. in Bioengineering from Pennsylvania State University, State College, Pennsylvania, and a Master of Divinity (MDiv) degree from University of Notre Dame.

In Silicon Valley, a battle between neighbors has turned into a different kind of face off: solar energy versus trees. It turns out that growing redwood trees can actually be a crime in California, if they block solar panels… as one couple in Sunnyvale found out the hard way. David Gorn reports on a new kind of legal battle — the struggle over who has the right… to sunlight.

You may listen to the “The Right to Sunlight: Solar vs. Redwood Trees” Radio report online, as well as find additional links and resources.

Andrea Kissack is Senior Editor for QUEST at KQED Public Radio.

If investment is any guide, California’s renewable energy companies are leaping into the new year. Investors poured billions of dollars into clean tech in 2007 to catapult green technologies to market. In the first three quarters of 2007, U.S. venture capital firms invested $2.6 billion in clean tech companies. That’s compared with $1.8 billion for all of 2006.

Over the past year, a few types of renewable energy have seen a lot of attention. One is solar thermal power - a form of energy that hasn’t been built in decades. In the 1980’s, several large solar thermal plants were built in the Mojave Desert. The technology sounds pretty simple: Mirrors are used to reflect sunlight onto on a liquid or substance, usually water. The water is super-heated by the sun and bingo - becomes steam. The steam is then used to turn large turbines. California utilities are starting to look these plants again, and companies like Ausra in Palo Alto and BrightSource Energy in Oakland are benefiting.

Thin-film solar is another area that has gotten a lot of buzz. Only a few companies are currently selling thin-film. While today’s panels aren’t quite as efficient as silicon solar cells (the kind you see on rooftops), many are hoping they’ll be cheaper and stronger. That makes it easier for companies to manufacture Building Integrated Photovoltaics - building materials like roof tiles with solar built-in.

Energy efficiency is another area companies are getting into, and in this case, it’s energy management. Several companies are working on devices would manage energy use in your home. They could feed power from a solar system back to the grid and turn on your appliances late at night, when power is cheapest. PG&E is taking a step forward by installing Smart Meters in homes now - new digital electric meters that provide real-time data to customers and utilities. After that comes real-time electricity pricing for those who want it, meaning it’s not just how much you use, it’s when you use it.

You may listen to the “The New Clean Tech” radio report online, as well as find additional links and resources.

Lauren Sommer is an Associate Media Producer for QUEST.

latitude: 37.2647, longitude: -121.79