News and Events

- Tonkin Wilsonville Nissan delivers all-electric car -

WILSONVILLE, Ore., Dec. 15, 2010 /PRNewswire/ — Nissan North America, Inc. (NNA) brings sustainable mobility to Oregon with arrival of the state’s first all-electric Nissan LEAF, when John Duncan takes delivery of his silver Nissan LEAF SL at Tonkin Wilsonville Nissan. This groundbreaking moment represents the state’s first delivery of an affordable, mass-market, all-electric car.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20080506/NISSANWORDMARKLOGO )

Duncan, 61, is a semi-retired college teacher living in Wilsonville with his wife and two sons. Duncan’s family has lived in Oregon for four generations, mostly in Eugene. He was a faculty member in the English department of the University of Oregon, where his grandfather once served as a dean.

“Electricity is the new fuel for cars, and the Nissan LEAF has the potential to transform the automotive industry and the way people drive,” said Carlos Tavares, chairman, Nissan Americas. “Starting today, drivers in Oregon have the freedom to choose a future that produces zero tailpipe emissions, moves away from our dependence on fossil fuels, and represents the end of trips to the gas station. This Nissan LEAF delivery signifies the dawn of a movement that brings sustainable mobility to within our grasp.”

For more than two years, Nissan has been working in partnership with the State of Oregon and the City of Portland to foster the development of electric vehicle-friendly policies and an EV-charging infrastructure.

“This is an exciting day for Oregon,” said Gov. Ted Kulongoski. “The first electric vehicles are quietly rolling off the lots and onto our roads – showing the rest of the nation that we can make this transition to emissions-free vehicles.”

“Portland’s national reputation as a proving ground for progressive transportation ideas is confirmed with the arrival of our first Nissan LEAF,” said Portland Mayor Sam Adams. “This public-private partnership shows again that our local governments remain supportive of innovative companies working to create new, environmentally friendly markets.”

Portland General Electric (PGE) also has been leading regional efforts for electric-vehicle adoption. Nissan and PGE are collaborating to serve their common customers such as Duncan.

“To be selected as one of the first launch markets for the Nissan LEAF speaks volumes to Oregonians’ commitment to sustainability,” said Jim Piro, PGE’s president and CEO. “We’d like to thank Nissan, the state of Oregon, and all our partners who are collaborating to make EVs a reality for our customers like John Duncan who can now charge up his emissions-free vehicle at home for much less than he’d pay at the pump.”

Oregon is a primary launch market for the Nissan LEAF, as well as a participant in The EV Project, a research and charging infrastructure deployment project. The largest of its kind ever undertaken, The EV Project is funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Energy and administered by electric-vehicle charging company ECOtality.

The Oregon delivery is part of more than a week of festivities, as Nissan delivers the first Nissan LEAF vehicles to each of its primary launch markets in Northern and Southern California, Arizona, Oregon, Seattle and Tennessee. Nissan also is donating $25,000 to the World Wildlife Fund to mark the occasion.

The initial Nissan LEAF deliveries will be followed by a second shipment of Nissan LEAF electric cars scheduled to arrive on Dec. 20 and destined for consumer driveways in time for the holidays. Nissan is on track for a nationwide launch of the Nissan LEAF by 2012, with Hawaii and Texas next to roll out in early 2011. In order to fulfill interest and meet demand in initial launch markets, Nissan plans to reopen reservations in the first half of 2011 as well as shift timing of additional markets until the second half of 2011.

In North America, Nissan’s operations include automotive styling, engineering, consumer and corporate financing, sales and marketing, distribution and manufacturing.  Nissan is dedicated to improving the environment under the Nissan Green Program 2010 and has been recognized as a 2010 ENERGY STAR® Partner of the Year by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. More information on Nissan in North America, the Nissan LEAF and zero emissions can be found at www.nissanusa.com.

SOURCE Nissan North America, Inc.

This week, the San Diego Airport announced they have added a new green fleet of parking shuttles powered by compressed natural gas (CNG). The addition of eco-friendly parking shuttle buses is only the latest step in San Diego’s evolving commitment to cleaner renewable fuels.  Including this new fleet,  San Diego has a total fleet of 24 CNG powered vehicles.

The all-new “green” Airport Shuttle Fleet transports passengers between the terminals and the airport’s nearby SAN Park parking lots. The airport also has  other alternative fuel vehicles in its fleet, including those powered by electricity and bio-fuel, according to Airport officials.

By showing leadership in adopting green practices, San Diego is demonstrating that you can still have the best of both worlds, green fleet transportation powered by a fully hybrid fleet and utilization of the latest technologies. The airport plans to continue to reduce fleet emissions and implement a green fleet tracking strategy. The San Diego Airport Authority provides air transportation services to the region with safe, effective facilities…in a manner that promotes the region’s prosperity and protects its quality of life. Transportation options near San Diego airport are limited. People almost entirely must rely on using a car or shuttle service.

Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) costs about 40% less than gasoline, it emits up to 90% less emissions than gasoline, there’s an abundant supply and it’s produced right here in America. So it’s affordable, clean, abundant and American. Natural gas powers more than ten million vehicles on the road today. Unfortunately, only 150,000 of these are being used today in the U.S. The average growth rate in the U.S. shows a 3.7% per year since 2000, as contrasted with a booming global growth rate of 30.6% per year.

This entry was written by Justin K., posted on December 14, 2010 at 6:57 am, filed under Fleet Emissions. Bookmark the permalink. Follow any comments here with the RSS feed for this post. Post a comment or leave a trackback: Trackback URL.

SustainableBusiness.com News

Senators Ron Wyden (D-Oregon), James Risch (R-Idaho), Jeff Merkley (D-Oregon), and Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) are introducing the Geothermal Production Expansion Act of 2010 in an effort to improve the leasing and development process for geothermal energy projects.

The bill amends the Geothermal Steam Act to allow the Interior Department to issue geothermal leases for adjacent lands on a noncompetitive basis, based on fair-market value, and has a companion bill sponsored by Representative Jay Inslee in the House of Representatives.

“This [bill] would allow a geothermal developer to expand a successful geothermal lease without being forced into a bidding war with speculators or uncooperative competitors who might threaten project expansion or even prevent the project from reaching commercial scale,” Wyden said in a statement.

Daniel Kunz, President and CEO of U.S. Geothermal Inc. provided the following support: “We are grateful to Senators Wyden, Risch, Crapo and Merkley for introducing this important bipartisan legislation which, when passed into law, will provide the geothermal industry with the necessary tools to protect the long term viability and increase sustainable development of geothermal reservoirs after they are discovered.”

In February, GEA Board member Doug Glaspey provided testimony for H.R. 3709 to the House Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources. He said: “The Geothermal Energy Association strongly supports H.R. Bill 3709, the Geothermal Production Expansion Act. Very simply, it allows a developer that has invested capital and taken exploration risk that results in the discovery of a geothermal resource, the ability to assemble the whole resource so a power plant can be financed and built without exposing the project to the high cost of speculation and delays. We believe H.R. 3709 is an important policy adjustment that should be available to the geothermal industry and will accelerate the development of our geothermal resources, create new jobs, and provide additional revenue for the United States treasury.“

Glaspey outlined the following benefits:

• Developers that have invested substantial capital and made high risk investments would be allowed to secure a discovery.
• Development of the geothermal resource would accelerate the creation of drilling, construction, supply and operating jobs.
• The financing capabilities of geothermal projects would increase.
• All non-competitive leaseholders would be required to pay a market average “bonus” fee and thereby increase the short term fees paid to the federal government.
• Increased development will provide higher revenue to the federal government with the payment of production royalties over decades.

“The hope is that with the strong senate leadership this proposal has behind it, Congress will be able to move on this legislation before it adjourns,” said GEA Executive Director Karl Gawell.

In Related News…

Senate Republicans on Saturday blocked a vote on a tax bill proposed by Senator Max Baucus (D-Mont.) that would have–among many other things–extended the Treasury Department’s 30% cash grant program for renewable energy projects.

Republicans made a fillibuster stand in an effort to keep Bush-era tax credits from expiring for upper-income earners.

Baucus’ bill also called for a one-year extension of the ethanol tax credit–though at a 20% reduction to 36 cents per gallon. It also included a one-year extension for the 54 cents per gallon tariff on ethanol imports, and the reinstatement of a $1-per-gallon production tax credit for biodiesel, among other renewable energy provisions.

If Democrats and Republicans are able to come to terms on a tax bill this month, Baucus’ proposals have a good chance of passage.

The Rock Doc

By Dr. E. Kirsten Peters ColumnistWashington — The Gulf oil spill has shown us just one of the downsides of petroleum. It makes the mind of even a geologist like me turn to several questions about the future:

Could Americans grow more of our own fuel – enough to run a number of our cars, trucks and airplanes? And, importantly, could we do so without displacing food crops like corn?

People from all sorts of political persuasions are interested in those issues. The good news is researchers – and farmers with a vision, too – are hard at work laboring on new uses of an ancient crop plant called Camelina.

Also known as “false flax,” it’s a wispy plant in the same group as mustard and Canola.

There are two impressive things about Camelina: Its seeds contain a lot of oil that’s liberated by crushing – and the more oil, the better from the fuel point of view. Better still, Camelina can be grown on pretty lousy soil – areas where no crops grow well or that are at times left fallow by farmers in dry regions of the country.

Score two big ones for Camelina.

Archeologists say Camelina has been grown by people for several thousand years. You can eat Camelina oil, which has a lot of omega-3 fatty acids and antioxidants. Camelina was grown through the 1930s in eastern Europe, where its oil was used in lamps, and the meal left over from crushing the seeds was fed to livestock.

In short, it has been a pretty durable friend of ours, as crops go. It was likely an original biofuel, you could say, and one that only recently fell fully out of use.

Today researchers are investigating bringing back Camelina because it has some highly valuable properties for something much more modern than lamp oil. With processing, Camelina oil can be used in jet engines. It’s a “drop in” fuel, meaning it functions like traditional jet fuel. Blended with petroleum jet fuel, in fact, it has already been “test driven” in jets.

Score a third big one for Camelina.

“This ancient crop has a great deal of new potential,” says Professor Ralph Cavalieri of Washington State University. “We think we are poised to make major contributions to biofuels with Camelina.”

But where can we grow this venerable crop in the United States without displacing food crops?

Here’s an example: In eastern Montana and central Oregon and Washington, where the climate is semi-arid, wheat is often grown on a rotating basis with fallow years. Camelina looks like a good crop for otherwise fallow times. It can hold soil in place instead of leaving it exposed to windstorms. And it can give farmers income during years when they would have none otherwise.

It’s true, of course, that when you burn Camelina-based jet fuel – or corn-based ethanol or soybean-based biodiesel – you liberate carbon dioxide, the well-known greenhouse gas. But that carbon is not ancient, like that of coal and petroleum. It’s part of the life cycle, if you will, of the recent history of the planet.

The worry about global warming rests on our liberation of ancient carbon, the material that upsets the balance of what’s in the atmosphere today.

There are many details to be worked out for Camelina, and much work to do to see if it all makes sense in economic terms on a large scale.

But it looks like the major international airport at Seattle-Tacoma will soon get part of its fuel from Camelina. That’s to be welcomed, especially if it helps global warming, soil conservation and the bottom line of farmers.

Still, it remains true that we cannot yet simply grow ourselves out of our dependence on petroleum. The total biofuel power in our country is a fraction of what we get from our main fluid fuels, petroleum and natural gas.

But every step we take toward energy independence without limiting our food production is clearly great news.

E. Kirsten Peters, PhD, a native of the rural Northwest, was trained as a geologist at Princeton and Harvard. This column is a service of the College of Agricultural, Human and Natural Resource Sciences at Washington State University. Peters can be reached at epeters@wsu.edu. CNHI News Service distributes her column.

Portland Business Journal – by Robert Goldfield

Date: Thursday, October 28, 2010, 5:56pm PDT – Last Modified: Thursday, October 28, 2010, 6:15pm PDT

Intel Corp. received the Manufacturing Company of the Year award from the Portland Business Journal Thursday.

The Business Journal honored Santa Clara, Calif.-based Intel, the winner among Oregon’s large manufacturing companies (annual revenue exceeding $50 million), for its ongoing innovation in product design and production processes, its employment of 15,000 workers in Oregon, and the company’s commitment to spend $6 billion to $8 billion building a new plant in Hillsboro and upgrading two others.

Other finalists in the large-company category were Beaverton’s Micro Power Electronics Inc., a maker of lithium ion batteries, and Vancouver’s Columbia Machine Inc., which makes equipment for manufacturing concrete.

Among medium companies (annual revenue of $10 million to $50 million), the winner was Newberg’s Climax Portable Machine Tools Inc. which produces tools for building and repairing other companies’ large products. Finalists were Portland’s Rejuvenation Inc., which makes lighting fixtures and other home furnishings, and Mulino-based Sunstone Circuits Inc., a producer of printed circuit boards.

The winner in the small-company category (revenue less than $10 million) was Canby bag-maker Package Containers Inc. Finalists were Hillsboro’s ClearEdge Power, a maker of fuel cells for buildings, and Cornelius biofuel company Summit Natural Energy Corp.

The Business Journal also honored Portland-based Blount International Inc. with its Product Innovation of the Year Award, for the company’s PowerSharp, a tool for quickly sharpening chain saw blades.

Newberg-based machining company A.R.E. Manufacturing Inc. was honored for its training program.

Read more: PBJ announces manufacturing award winners | Portland Business Journal

Check out the Segway II. Cool concept!

 Federal grant will pay for stations along Interstate 5

By Elizabeth Bewley • Gannett Washington Bureau • October 21, 2010

WASHINGTON — Oregon will get a $2 million federal grant to build electric-car charging stations along Interstate 5, the U.S. Department of Transportation announced Wednesday.

“The new charging stations that will be built with this funding will help affirm Oregon’s position as a national electric vehicle leader,” said Oregon Democratic Sen. Jeff Merkley.

The new grant will allow residents to drive electric cars longer distances.

Alleviating this “range anxiety” will encourage Oregonians to buy electric cars such as the Leaf, which will be available in Oregon and other states starting in December, said Art James, a project director at the Oregon Department of Transportation. He added that officials will aim to install charging sites where electric-car drivers need them most.

The charging stations will be free, fast-charge units, which can repower a car in 15-20 minutes.

James said Oregon officials are working with Washington, California and British Columbia to create a “green highway” that would allow people to recharge electric cars anywhere along the Pacific corridor. Last month, Oregon was awarded $700,000 in federal stimulus funds to install as many as eight charging sites from Eugene to the California border.

Contact Elizabeth Bewley at ebewley@gannett.com.

Read more: http://www.statesmanjournal.com/article/20101021/NEWS/10210331/1001/news#ixzz131mK29vQ

by Timon Singh, 10/13/10

filed under: Renewable Energy

The US Department of Energy has approved the partial guarantee for a $1.3 billion loan to support the construction of the world’s largest wind farm, located in eastern Oregon. Known as the Caithness Energy LLC’s Shepherds Flat Wind Project, the renewable energy initiative will give way to a massive 845-megawatt wind-powered energy generating facility located immediately south of the Columbia River, built on approximately 32,000 acres in Gilliam and Morrow counties.

Sponsored by Caithness and General Electric (GE) Energy Financial Services, the project will consist of 338 of GE’s 2.5xl turbines, making it the first of its type to be deployed in North America. The wind farm’s construction is expected to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 1,215,991 each year – an amount equivalent to the annual output of 212,141 passenger vehicles.

Once the wind farm is complete it will sell all of its generated power to Southern California Edison under a 20-year fixed-price power purchase agreement. The Shepherds Flat Project is the largest project to ever receive an offer of conditional commitment for a loan guarantee under the Financial Institution Partnership Program (FIPP), a DOE program supported by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

“Thanks to the Recovery Act, we are creating the clean energy jobs of the future while positioning the U.S. as a world leader in the production of renewable energy,” said Secretary of Energy Steven Chu.  “This project is part of the Administration’s commitment to doubling our renewable energy generation by 2012 while putting Americans to work in communities across the country.”

+ The Department of Energy

via EERE News

Read more: World’s Largest Wind Farm To Be In Oregon | Inhabitat – Green Design Will Save the World

Community colleges making it core part of their missions

By Anne Marie DiStefano

Pamplin Media Group, Oct 14, 2010

Lots of people talk a good line about sustainability principles, but how do you land a job putting them into practice?

A good place to start is local community colleges, where the seeds of Portland’s “green-collar” work force are being cultivated.

Portland Community College, Clackamas Community College and Mt. Hood Community College offer a host of career-oriented classes under the broad umbrella of sustainability education.

(Right to left) Linda Gerber, Sylvania Campus president; Erin Sanforth, sustainability coordinator; and PCC President Preston Pulliams talk about the college’s Climate Action Plan under the new wind turbine.

COURTESY OF JAMES G. HILL

Portland Community College

PCC enrolls more students than any other Oregon institution of higher education and aims to be a leader in green-jobs training.

Renewable energy courses train students to install and repair solar energy systems; design, construct and maintain sustainable buildings; and work on hybrid and biodiesel vehicles. The school is Oregon’s first community college to revamp its automotive repair technology program to include hybrid vehicles, with plans to develop new classes in electric vehicle repair.

PCC also is seeking state approval for new programs in sustainable engineering, training for green-building inspectors and building green roofs and walls.

Starting this fall, the Civil and Mechanical Engineering Technology program will offer the Green Technology and Sustainability Option. Students will perform lab tests for water quality and produce biodiesel from school cafeteria waste oil.

PCC’s four main campuses — Rock Creek, Sylvania, Cascade and Southeast Center — plus a number of its other centers, are becoming more sustainable in their operations. The new Willow Creek Center in Hillsboro, for instance, is a LEED platinum building, a step above gold on the rating system used by the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certifying body.

Alexander de Roode, PCC sustainability manager, says green buildings are better for the environment and provide educational tools.

“What you see around you is how you’re learning,” de Roode says, “not just by sitting in a classroom.”

Along those lines, the Sylvania campus has a demonstration wind turbine. The Rock Creek Environmental Studies Center features about 100 acres of natural terrain, native plants and wildlife.

Clackamas Community College

Clackamas Community College also has its own natural area — the John Inskeep Environmental Learning Center — a 5-acre site once used as a jam cannery.

Technical education is available through Energy & Resource Management and Environmental Science courses. The Renewable Energy Systems Technology program trains students for careers in installing, manufacturing and maintaining renewable energy systems such as geothermal and solar.

CCC’s horticulture program includes classes on composting, pesticide-free pest control and organic gardening. A program in the manufacturing department teaches students how to repair wind-turbine blades.

Plans are in the works to build a new center for renewable energy and sustainability.

Mt. Hood Community College

The mountain name for the Gresham college isn’t just for its Mount Hood views.

The Wilderness Education program is the only collegiate-level academic program in the Northwest affiliated with the Wilderness Education Association. The college also is an affiliate of the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics.

A Natural Resources Technology degree includes options for Forest Resources and Wildlife Resources. Or students can study Tourism and Outdoor Leadership, leading to careers in eco-tourism and outdoor education.

Mt. Hood’s Sustainable Building Advisor Training Program teaches working professionals such as architects, engineers and developers about the newest requirements for state-funded building projects and the growing demand for green buildings.

Community colleges are “helping to shape the minds and the knowledge of the future leaders that are going out into our communities,” says PCC’s de Roode.

“A strong foundation and understanding for sustainability is key.”

Sep 13, 2010 12:42 PM

Move over, Thomas Friedman.

The next generation of thought leaders is gearing up to lead America’s energy efforts—and biodiesel is front and center.

Student scientists from Dartmouth College to Oregon State University are leading the new Next Generation Scientists for Biodiesel initiative. The group has formed to demonstrate and grow support for biodiesel among tomorrow’s scientific leaders.

Lucas Ellis of Dartmouth, pursuing his Master of Science in Biochemical Engineering, is one of four co-chairs of the effort. “In college, there is an eagerness to become an advocate or have a cause, and mine was the environment, science and educating others about sustainability,” Ellis said. “Biodiesel combined all of those and became my passion.”

Since then, his passion has led him to create biodiesel education projects in three states, including organizing laboratories to teach students about the chemistry of biodiesel.  At West Virginia University, he created a biodiesel organization that hosts biodiesel events to help recruit children into studying science.

Selected by the National Biodiesel Board, the other co-chairs of Next Generation Scientists for Biodiesel are:
•Bernardo del Campo, Iowa State University (Biorenewable Resources and Technologies)
•Mikkel Leslie, Oregon State University (Environmental Engineering)
• Jason Strull, University of Nevada–Reno (Material Sciences  and Chemical Engineering) The campaign launched with 28 founding members signing an online declaration of support for biodiesel, which in part proclaims: Biodiesel from a variety of feedstocks can meet contemporary needs for environmental stewardship, economic prosperity, and quality of life without compromising the ability of future generations to meet these needs for themselves.

NBB also wanted to create a forum where students who support biodiesel can collaborate and share ideas.

Any student scientist can sign the declaration, found at www.biodieselsustainability.org. They will then have opportunities to learn from each other, including a virtual conference scheduled for Sept 28. A Facebook page also provides students with a forum to discuss biodiesel with each other and view profiles of other students and their biodiesel projects.

The Next Generation Scientists for Biodiesel initiative is modeled after the Scientists for Biodiesel campaign. Launched in February 2009, 125 scientists have signed the declaration.  Both initiatives are led by NBB and supported by the United Soybean Board and soybean checkoff.