HP buys renewable energy in US and Ireland

Renewable energy is short in supply, more expensive than ‘regular’ and being bought by a lot of big corporations.

Don’t get us wrong - it’s great they’re doing it. But just to provoke debate, why not ask a big FTSE company: “Aren’t you taking all the renewable energy away from consumers?”

There’s part of being a journo that involves playing devil’s advocate. The flip side to this argument is: “We’re creating demand.”

Anyway - this is what HP is up to - buying renewable in Ireland and the US. Big wooh

HP today announced relationships with two renewable energy providers, Airtricity in Ireland and SunPower Corp. in the United States, as part of the company’s goal to reduce its energy use by 20 percent by the end of 2010.

The contract with Airtricty will ensure that nearly 90 percent of HP’s energy use in Ireland is renewable, exceeding the company’s 2007 target for carbon emission reductions.

Under a power purchase agreement with SunPower, HP will install its first-ever, large-scale solar power installation at its San Diego facility.

“Switching to renewable energy sources such as solar and wind power makes both environmental and business sense,” said Pat Tiernan, vice president, Social and Environmental Responsibility, HP. “These advances are just part of HP’s comprehensive energy-efficiency programme, which we believe is the most aggressive in the technology industry.”

Wind technology in Ireland
HP’s contract with Airtricity, a renewable energy company developing and operating wind farms across Europe and North America, is for the supply of renewable wind energy to a number of its facilities in Ireland for fiscal year 2008. The electricity supplied by Airtricity is generated by both onshore and offshore wind farms.

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Plane sailing for hydrogen

Hydrogen engines: is there nowhere they haven’t appeared? Cars, buses, vans - all have succumbed to the charms of hydrogen. At this rate, if you look down the back of the sofa, there will probably be one there too.

And now, The Telegraph reveals, you can find one on a Boeing plane:

Last month Boeing successfully tested the unit with a multi-stage turbocharger running continuously over four days, including simulated conditions at 65,000 feet. The HALE aircraft are designed to stay in the air for seven days, carrying up to 2,000lb and maintaining communications links or surveillance over specific areas.

FTC to tackle carbon offset claims

Consumers! Beware! There is a raft of green advertising out there and - whisper it - some of it may be stretching the truth a little.

Greenbang has never been so taken aback since Bobby Ewing turned up in the shower after being shot dead.

For those delicate flowers that don’t have enough in built skepticism to spot marketing nonsense a mile off, the Federal Trade Commission is coming to your rescue with a review of the way companies are allowed to market their green claims. Says Business Week:

One area of particular interest is the marketing of so-called carbon offsets, or funding for activities, such as planting trees, intended to counter, or “offset,” increased emissions of carbon dioxide from power plants and other industrial sources.
Such offsets, if purchased by a company, may be used to claim that the company’s products are “carbon neutral.”

The agency said it can be difficult for consumers verify the truth of that claim, or to know if they have gotten what they paid for in the event they purchase carbon offsets directly.

China green plan goes back to the future

China has been going back to the future this week, according to newshounds on the ground, telling everyone about an environmental plan the country dreamed up in 2006. Yep, 2006.

Xinhua has the scoop, saying Monday saw the belated publicising of a five year environmental plan which was meant to run from 2006 til 2010 and only adopted earlier this year.

From the article:

As part of the plan, China aims to cut its chemical oxygen demand (COD), a major index of water pollution, in 2010 by 10 percent from 2005 and sulfur dioxide emissions also by 10 percent.

By 2010, the plan says, 75 percent of China’s large cities will enjoy more than 292 days of good air quality (air quality level IIor better) every year. In 2005, the percentage was 69.4.

While Greenbang applauds the targets set and the plans made, she can’t help thinking that adopting a plan that’s two years old doesn’t signal the healthiest future for environmental action, especially when the targets set in the last action plan weren’t met.

When is a skip not a skip? When it’s a recycling pod

Walking through the drizzly streets this morning, Greenbang came across a skip. Not your usual skip, mind, replete with a dead mattress, a hobbled kitchen chair and a decimated pram, but a green skip.

It looked like any other skip, parked outside a building which was being refitted. Only this was no humble skip — it was a ‘recycling pod’. A recycling pod that was full of rubble and looked a lot like a skip.

Despite Greenbang’s best efforts to find out more about the ‘recycling pod’ and how the building rubble it held is being recycled, she’s drawn a blank.

If you have more info on the elusive ‘recycling pod’, or have seen one yourself, post a comment below and make Greenbang’s day.

Oceanlinx prepares to float

Some days Greenbang likes to give thanks to the pun gods for making her job easy. Today is one of those days, after Greenbang discovered that a wave power company wants to float on the stock exchange.

Wave power. Float. You can see where this is going. Greenbang is welling up with enthusiasm to tell you Oceanlinx is going for an IPO that should help it raise up to £35 million, according to Reuters. The company is presumably hoping interested buyers will flood in.

Reuters goes on to say that the company could be valued at up to £100 million - no drop in the ocean for a wave power company.

What the impact on other environmental stocks will be is unknown, but anyone will tell you a high tide raises all ships.

Innocent boasts of carbon cuts

Smooth

This CBI blah that came out today is really generating a lot of press releases from companies that boast they’re up to the challenge.

Here is one such company - although it’s still not been proven smoothies are actually good for you…

Innocent, one of the first three companies to sign up to the Carbon Trust labelling scheme, is delighted to announce we’ve reduced our carbon footprint by 15% in just six months.

On the back of our audit with the Carbon Trust, we got to work on a number of initiatives to reduce our carbon emissions, including rolling out a 100% PCR bottle and encouraging our suppliers to go green.

Here’s what they claim:

• First ever drinks company to offer 100% recycled plastic bottlesIn September we became the first ever drinks company in the world to put 100% recycled PET packaging on shelf
• No virgin material is used in the making of our new bottles. They are fully recyclable at the end of life and use 20% less plastic overall than our original packaging
• The move will see a dramatic 55% reduction in the overall carbon footprint of our drinks
• Four of our recipes are currently available in the new 100% recycled plastic, and the rest of the range will join them in January 2008
• Moving suppliers to greener options
• As part of our drive to turn our suppliers green we have been paying them all a visit to discuss sustainable initiatives to help reduce their carbon footprint
• One of our co-packers has already achieved a 54% reduction in waste to landfill within six months, and hopes to achieve a 10% energy usage saving by the end of this year
• Encouraged by the results, they recently made the ultimate carbon commitment of purchasing 100% renewable energy for their site. Just like innocent.

Jessica Sansom, sustainability manager at innocent drinks says “We are all really proud of what we’ve managed to achieve following our carbon audit. We’d encourage everyone out there to take a look at their carbon footprint – this year has shown that a few simple measures, and some hard work, can make a real difference. We have lots more to do next year to continue to reduce our environmental impact”

CBI proposes carbon prices…

And support for new eco-tech firms…

British businesses are committed to do what it takes to tackle climate change but the UK effort will only succeed if it becomes an urgent, shared national priority for companies, consumers and the government, a groundbreaking new report said today.

The CBI Climate Change Task Force report is the culmination of ten months’ intensive work by 18 Chairmen and Chief Executives from some of the UK’s biggest companies, under the independent chairmanship of BT Chief Executive Ben Verwaayen.

Analysis developed specifically for the report by consultants McKinsey shows the UK’s carbon reduction targets for 2020 are likely to be missed but that 2050 goals, whilst stretching, can be achieved at a manageable cost - provided a greater sense of urgency is now adopted. It identifies priority areas for action that would put the UK back on track to meet its targets by 2030. Today’s report explains how business will play its part, and commits the CBI to continue to play a leading role, both nationally and internationally.

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Orange monitors pollution over mobile networks

Vive Cagnes-sur-Mer! With a French A level to her name, Greenbang is something of a Francophile - blame the croissants and cheap red wine if you must - and also something of a mobile-phile. Or should that be a mo-phile?

Which is why Greenbang is excited - so very very excited - to hear all about Cagnes-sur-Mer, a French town where a sustainable city project is being trialled by Orange. The mobile operator says:

Using a multi-network solution (radio, GPRS, Internet), providing coverage of isolated areas, connected to standard sensor/triggers, the city government has access to a wide choice of usable information for optimum management of the city: temperature sensors (sea water, air), sound sensors (detection of noise pollution), air pressure sensors, UV index sensors, and hydrometric sensors.

The data is then transmitted automatically to a server able to perform a broad range of operations: communication (city information web site), management (automation of sprinkling, of lighting) and safety (pollution alert, fire alert, flooding). The panel for communicating the information is equally extensive: sending of SMS, voice messages, e-mail notification, faxes, etc.

C’est magnifique!

New York gets solar powered Christmas tree

After Greenbang’s earlier Grinch-like rant about Christmas, it seems there’s still a little bit of environmental work going on in amongst all the zombie-like consumerism and Everest-like piles of non-recyclable wrapping that Greenbang will be wading through come Yule.

The Rockefeller Centre now has solar-powered Christmas tree lights. No, really, it does. You may be recalling that old joke about solar powered torches, so let the Mayor of New York explain it like this:

“The solar energy roof, which will be the largest privately owned solar energy generation station in Manhattan, will conserve energy during peak usage times year-round and help power the famous Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree’s new energy-efficient LED lights. The Mayor and Tishman Speyer also announced the installation of a new green roof atop Radio City Music Hall that will minimize wastewater and cool the area, and an ice chiller plant to cool the entire complex and reduce energy consumption. Both will be completed in 2008.”

And if you fancy going down the Gotham route yourself (Greenbang doesn’t mean being rescued by Batman here) and getting your own solar Christmas lights, they’re doing the rounds here.

Greenbang tracks the explosion of the environmental industry, reporting on news of green innovation and thought leadership.

We blog on this rather than the environmental problems of the world because we are interested in the answers to climate change.