“Make Solar Sonic” workshop comes to Manhattan Comprehensive
Monday, March 29th, 2010Week 4 of the “Village Solar” course at Manhattan Comprehensive Night and Day High School introduced students to a basic electronic circuit that converts light into sound.
This workshop, facilitated by electronic sound artist Phillip Stearns, offered students a fun and creative introduction to electronics that will prepare them for a more complicated four-week solar lantern building project that will begin next week at the Cooper Union.
Posted in Solar One | Permalink
Understanding Energy Policy: the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act
Monday, March 22nd, 2010By Casey Schepp
Editor’s Note: Understanding Energy Policy is a series of occasional posts examining key energy policy issues that impact the daily lives of New Yorkers in ways that are often unseen or poorly understood. Understanding Energy Policy is a project of the Solar One Energy Connections program.
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (commonly known by its acronym, ARRA, or simply “the stimulus”), was signed into law by President Obama on February 17th 2009. While the focus of fiscal stimulus is typically to provide assistance to low-income and laid-off workers, a substantial portion of this bill is directed toward addressing long term energy issues through investments in transportation, infrastructure, and sustainability. The goal is to reduce energy consumption by offering more satisfactory public transportation and incentivizing alternative vehicles, improving the efficiency of buildings and electricity grids, and advancing renewable energy research and development.
Implementing the stimulus, an influx of approximately 11% of GDP, is taking a considerable amount of time and administrative resources. However slowly, the funds are being distributed, tens of billions is being awarded in tax cuts, bonds, and grants to promote energy efficiency and renewable energy.
The Energy Policy Act of 2005 started offering incentives and tax credits to grow the renewable energy market and the ARRA develops them further. Although ARRA funding for energy projects originates with federal agencies, including the Department of Energy and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), most of these funds are passed on to state agencies such as the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) and New York State Division of Housing and Community Renewal. The individual states then award funding via grants to municipalities, companies, and organizations who propose projects that fulfill the requirements for each grant. For example, of $40 million allocated to New York State’s Energy Research and Development Administration (NYSERDA), $16M is currently being distributed to New York City schools, agencies, and nonprofits.
Harlem will reap the benefits of one of the first ARRA-funded energy projects in New York City. The HUD Green Retrofit Program for Multifamily Housing is helping finance the $3.6 million retrofit of 200 low-income housing units on 135th Street. Renovations include new Energy Star appliances, energy efficient boilers, roof-top photovoltaic panels, low-flow fixtures, efficient windows and doors, Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)-certified wood, and non-toxic paints and sealants. The updates are expected to reduce utility costs by 25% for this housing development and owner Jonathan Rose, a New York City developer and “green” advocate. Beyond cost savings, these renovations intend to improve the quality-of-life for future residents.
Other allocated funds are for projects updating municipal, hospital, and public school structures throughout New York City. The grants are intended to increase efficiency through the use of new boiler heaters and light fixtures as well as new photovoltaic energy and thermal systems. These improvements continue to be implemented and expect savings of approximately $4 million annually, making up for their cost in just 4 to 6 years.
These are just a few examples of ARRA money funding energy efficient and renewable energy projects throughout the city. Expect grant awards of $8.8 million for projects proposals due to NYSERDA by April 7th. Stay tuned to the NYSERDA and ARRA websites and local news sources for press releases on current and future energy efficient projects funded by the ARRA.
Casey Schepp is a Master’s Candidate in Public Administration at Bernard M. Baruch College.
Sources and Resources:
American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE). Overview of Renewable Energy Provisions of ARRA 2009. 2009.
New York Real Estate Rama. Harlem Receives First ‘Green Retrofit’ Housing Stimulus Award. 26 January 2010.
New York State Energy Research and Development Authority. Projects Awarded Through NYSERDA Administered ARRA Funding Opportunities. 2010.
New York State Office of the Governor. Governor Paterson Announces $40 Million in Stimulus Funding for State Energy Program Projects. 1 March 2010.
New York State Recovery and Reinvestment Cabinet. Recovery.NY.gov: Stimulus Spending by County. 2010
New York City Mayor’s Office. Mayor Bloomberg, HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan, Federal, State, and City Elected Officials Announce Federal Stimulus Projects List for the New York City Housing Authority. 26 April 2009.
Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board. Recovery.gov. 2010.
STAR Coalition. States for a Transparent and Accountable Recovery (STAR). 2010.
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“Village Solar” takes off at Manhattan Comprehensive.
Monday, March 22nd, 2010For the past five years Solar One has enjoyed a wonderful collaboration with nearby Manhattan Comprehensive Night and Day High School. No fewer than 15 separate “green” internships, focused on solar technology, sustainable design, energy efficiency and conservation, park management and eco-entrepreneurship, have been offered at the school to date. As a result, hundreds of students have gained hands-on experience in these future-oriented fields.
A couple of weeks ago, a new program called Village Solar launched at Manhattan Comprehensive. This 10 week, design-focused internship will introduce 18 students to the rapidly emerging field of ‘rural solar’, which encompasses a growing number of off-grid solar applications that extend clean, reliable power to energy-poor regions of the world. (Currently 1/4 of the global population is without access to electricity). Students will complete a series of increasingly complex group build projects, and build their skills in basic electricity, electronics and industrial design. Over the past 3 Fridays, the group completed their first assignment: the construction of two photovoltaic panels. The short video above captures a few scenes from their experience.
In two weeks, the group will begin a unique solar-powered lantern project in conjunction with the Cooper Union. Stay tuned for pictures and updates!
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People’s Garden NYC!
Saturday, March 20th, 2010| March 23, 2010 | ||
| 6:30 pm | to | 8:00 pm |
Daniel Bowman Simon will speak about his latest petition campaign
Peoples Garden NYC (www.PeoplesGardenNYC.org) The petition
respectfully requests that Mayor Bloomberg plant a vegetable garden in
front of City Hall, to be tended by public school kids and the bounty
be donated to a nearby food pantry. Come hear how such a garden would
showcase and indeed help NYC meet the goals of PLANYC 2030, and about
some of the historical garden movements in our small town on the
Hudson.
This event is FREE and will take place at the Solar One center on the FDR Drive. Delicious snacks will be provided.
Daniel has previously spoken at Solar 1 on the topics of Green Roofs
in NYC and his previous campaign, The White House Organic Farm
Project.
Posted in Solar One Events | Permalink
Worlds Collide: Mary Tchamkina Interviews Greg Kiss for GreenHomeNYC
Thursday, March 18th, 2010
If you came to a Solar One event last summer, or if you’ve attended any of our Green From the Inside Out workshops, you may know, and have most likely seen, NYSERDA E$C Program Assistant Mary Tchamkina. But did you know that she’s a wonderful designer and aspiring architect? It’s true! And now she can add another talent to her resume: journalism. When she’s not working at Solar One or preparing grad school applications, Mary finds time to work as a staff volunteer for GreenHome NYC, a community-oriented, volunteer-run organization that promotes green building practices in our city. And it just so happens that they recently published an interview she did with Greg Kiss of Kiss+Cathcart Architects, the very same firm that designed the Solar 1 building and are designing Solar 2!
You can read the interview here.
Posted in Design, Energy Efficiency, Green Building, New York City, Photovoltaics, Solar 2, Sustainability, Technology | Permalink
