This week in Jetson Green Energy News, we’re celebrating the 13th birthday of LEED, reporting on renewable energy in Germany, Australia, and the United States, talking about why incandescent bulb sales are declining, and checking out a molten salt thermal plant (a what?) in Nevada. Plus, our calendar of upcoming green events keeps on growing, especially with Earth Day just around the corner.
Happy Birthday LEED!
On March 30, 2013, it was thirteen years since LEED became a fully functioning rating system. There are now more than 184,000 professionals with LEED credentials and 9.7 billion square feet of 51,000 construction projects are participating in LEED. Each day, over 1.5 million square feet are certified LEED. Get more LEED facts and trivia from the U.S. Green Building Council and check out LEED projects on Jetson Green.
Estimates for 2013 World Wind Power Top 300,000 Megawatts
CleanTechnica reviews figures from the world’s installations of wind power and estimates that, worldwide, we’ll have over 300,000 MW of power from wind this year, with expectations of around 425,000 MW by 2015.
Germany Has Quadrupled its Electricity Surplus
The clean energy revolution in Germany has resulted in significant surpluses of electricity, whose omestic energy consumers pay surcharges on electricity to fund green energy incentives.
Australia Competes with Germany in Solar Pricing
While one out of every three solar panels worldwide is in Germany, Australia has them beat in their pricing of solar PV systems. A 3 kW PV system is around $2.85 USD/W after backing out federal-level Australian subsidies, while a study from University of New South Wales shows that “a carbon price of between $50 and $100 per tonne would make Australia’s coal- and gas-fired electricity less economical than renewable electricity.”
U.S. Solar System Prices Dropped 27% Last Year
U.S. solar installation figures for 2012, just released by the Solar Energies Industries Association (SEIA) show that 3313 megawatts of solar power came online in the United States, an increase of 76 percent over 2011. PV system prices dropped by 27% and almost 83,000 home installed solar.
Sales of Specialty Incandescent Light Bulbs are on the Decline
In spite of the fact that they are exempt from efficiency standards, the sales of incandescents is decreasing, perhaps due to a broader transformation of the lighting market.
Crescent Dunes May be World’s Largest Molten Salt Thermal Plant
Molten salt thermal technology is being used to harvest renewable energy at the Crescent Dunes Solar Energy Plant in Nevada. Molten salt flows through receiver panels in the recently completed 540-foot tower to retain solar energy in the form of heat from the sun.
Mark Your Calendars for these Upcoming Green Events
Greenroofs and Walls of the World Virtual Summit 2013 – through April 13, 2013 on the Internet – Live and On Demand
Design With a Conscience Webcast – April 11, 2013 at 12:30 p.m. PST (3:30 p.m. EST)
Reclaim + Remake Symposium – April 11-13, 2013 in Washington, D.C.
Good Jobs, Green Jobs 2013 Conference – Let’s Get to Work: Climate Change, Infrastructure and Innovation – April 16-18, 2013 in Washington, D.C.
American Solar Energy Society (ASES) SOLAR 2013 – April 16-20, 2013 in Baltimore, Maryland
Future Energy Conference – April 16-17, 2013 in Portland, Oregon
San Francisco Exploratorium Grand Opening – April 17, 2013 in San Francisco, California
Green California Summit: Greening by Example – April 18-19, 2013 in Sacramento, California
Solar Living Institute Earth Day Festival – April 20, 2013 in Hopland, California
Bullitt Center Grand Opening – April 22, 2013 in Seattle, Washington (read the Jetson Green post about The World’s Greenest Commercial Building)
Earth Day Picnic for Earth – Earth Day, 2013 – Worldwide, for The Nature Conservancy All Hands On Earth
New York Times Energy for Tomorrow Conference – April 25, 2013 in New York City, New York
Social Venture Network Spring Conference – April 25-28, 2013 in San Diego, California
2013 ACI National Home Performance Conference – April 30 – May 3, 2013 in Denver, Colorado
Tenth Annual AltBuild Expo: Alternative Materials and Design Expo – May 10-11, 2013 in Santa Monica, California
Sustainable Brands 2013: From Revolution to Renaissance – June 3-6, 2013 in San Diego, California
Pacific Coast Builder Conference (PCBC) 2013: The Art, Science + Business of Housing – June 5-6, 2013 in San Diego, California
Got news or events that you want to see reported here? Fill out the contact form and select “Submit a tip” or “Submit a press release” and ask that it be directed to Lynne.
Related Articles on JetsonGreen.com:
The World’s Greenest Commercial Building Now Leasing for Spring 2013 Opening
Blu Home Builds Joshua Tree Vacation Home for Disney Family
Inspiration Home is Affordable Cottage for Energy-Conscious Washington State
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