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Casa Verde: Texas Approves Wind Power Superhighway

CasaSugar — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 08:30:00 -0700

According to an Associated Press article, Texas has preliminarily approved "a $4.9 billion plan to build new transmission lines to carry wind-generated electricity from gusty West Texas to urban areas like Dallas," and "build a slew of new turbines." The Lone Star State already stands as the nation's leader in wind power, generating about 5,000 megawatts with the nearly 4,000 wind turbines already in place, but a lack of transmission lines has prevented that energy from being used. The new plan will mobilize about 18,000 megawatts, "enough to power more than 4 million Texas homes." Texas electric customers will see a $3-4 price increase on their monthly bills, but it is likely to be offset by lower energy prices. The plan awaits final approval later this year, and the lines won't be ready for use for three to five years. It looks like Chicago may no longer be "the Windy City" . . .
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Wind Power For Your Home

CasaSugar — Sun, 11 Nov 2007 05:33:24 -0800

Those endless fields of windmills are becoming a more and more common sight across the country. I personally find them beautiful on a purely aesthetic level, and love them for their renewable power-generating capacity. Now, Canadian company Windterra has announced that they will be introducing residential wind turbines for California.

While wind is less expensive than solar to install, you will still get a similar energy output. There's also the advantage of it having a very low visual profile. However, your house will need to be assessed by an architect to make sure it is structurally sound to support the wind turbine. And while it's almost 75% cheaper than solar panels, it's still expensive for most of us, at $5900 pre-installation.

To watch a video of this wind turbine in action, just read more

Open House: Historic Preservation vs. Energy Efficiency

CasaSugar — Sat, 30 May 2009 05:30:00 -0700

There is something - much - to be said for historical accuracy. Architects of the past have left a legacy for us, so we should respect their work. But sometimes this conflicts with efforts toward energy efficiency and renewables. A recent post in the New York Times blog Green Inc. talks about this incongruence, citing failed efforts to double-glaze the windows of a Frank Lloyd Wright-designed cottage (in order to keep it warmer and use less energy) as an example of this conflict. Al Gore's attempt to install solar panels on his over-70-year-old Nashville home passed, but only on the condition that the panels were out of sight of neighbors. Personally, I think the merits of installing clean energy features and energy-efficiency upgrades on historic homes should be considered on a case-by-case basis. Until we're all running graywater systems in our homes and using wind turbines and solar panels to channel energy, it shouldn't be assumed that historic buildings should make the change. On the other hand, if Frank Lloyd Wright were alive today, he might be a leader in the green building movement.

Do you think historic homes should be exempt from integrating energy-efficient and green energy technologies? Do you think the two can meet halfway? Do you think all buildings should make the move to clean energy?
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Coveted Crib: A Modern Farmhouse

CasaSugar — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 10:00:47 -0800

If you happen to be traveling through the Green Mountains of Vermont, you may be taken off guard by a decidedly modern interpretation of the classic farmhouse. Set on 44 acres of rolling hills and open farmland, this passive solar house, which won the 2008 AIA Vermont Honor Award in Sustainability and Design, manages to successfully marry vernacular architectural traditions with modern sensibilities.

The home, which was designed by Pill-Maharam Architects, has a laundry list of green features, including a LEED platinum rating, a 5+ Energy Star rating, a ground source heat pump, high efficiency lighting and appliances, and a 10KW wind turbine that supplies all of the energy for the home's heating, hot water, lighting, and appliances. Its wind turbine ensures that the home has a net zero energy output, and results in zero carbon emissions - incredibly impressive.

To see what this home looks like on the inside, read more.

This home manages to combine all of these fantastic green design features with a beautiful, modern look both inside and out. I love the minimalist furnishings in the rooms and the calming and warm color palette.

View 7 Photos ›

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This Just In: Wind Could Fuel Britain's Homes by 2020

CasaSugar — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 05:00:01 -0800

England Prime Minister Gordon Brown's government is unveiling a proposal to build 7,000 new wind turbines off the country's coast by the year 2020. This number of wind turbines would produce 22 gigawatts, which is enough to power all of England's homes. John Hutton, the Secretary of State for Business, will make the announcement, which is backed by both the Labourites and Conservatives, at a conference in Berlin.

Britain currently has enough offshore wind turbines to produce 2 gigawatts of electricity, which is enough to power approximately 1.5 million homes. The plan to extend wind power is part of the European Union's target goal of producing 20 percent of energy from renewable sources by 2020. This move has been supported by environmentalists and energy experts alike. Since the production of petroleum is becoming increasingly costly and harmful, solutions like this are worthy of praise.

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Link Time!

CasaSugar — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 15:00:03 -0800

Take the full tour of this stylish ranch home.- The Style Files
Get some free, downloadable holiday decorations.- PoppyTalk
Check out some gorgeous embroidery.- Simply Stated
Drool over some pretty Aussie interiors.- Desire to Inspire
Danny Seo shares his green holiday decorations.- Danny Seo
How about trading wind turbines for wind jets? - Forecast Earth
Make this fabric wall mural.- Craft

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In the News: A Costly Green Home in Chicago

CasaSugar — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 06:00:14 -0700

The New York Times' "In Chicago, Tinted Green" chronicles the story of Frances Whitehead and James Elniski's house in Chicago, which was built using a number of green technologies. The house is equipped with corrugated steel-and-zinc siding, radiant heating in the floor, energy-efficient kitchen appliances, solar panels on the roof, wind turbines, and trays of artificial soil which soak up rainwater to prevent flooding the city's storm drainage system. Despite all of these eco technologies, and the high costs of installing them (wind turbines alone cost $40,000), "they estimate that they will probably save only about $500 annually in energy costs." But, Elsinki says, "You’ve got to be doing it for other reasons," and they're committed to "raising the flag" and educating others about environmentalism.
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Casa Verde: LA Gets Windy

CasaSugar — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 07:15:20 -0800

While most folks think of Hollywood decadence and glamour when they think of Los Angeles, the second largest city in the US has pledged to procure 20 percent of its energy from renewable sources by 2010. According to the LA Daily News, one critical part of this renewable equation is the construction of a wind farm in the Tehachapi Mountains, located about 100 miles north of the city. Costing an estimated $425 million, the 120-megawatt facility will feature 80 turbines as well as a new high-voltage transmission line. The wind farm will essentially double the amount of electricity that the city currently receives from wind power. While this wind farm was slated for opening more than four years ago, delays (very possibly related to earthquakes) prevented its building. LA's Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa has also announced plans for another wind farm on a nearby site. This boost in wind power would result in enough electricity to generate power for almost 130,000 homes. The project has the support of environmental groups, including the Natural Resources Defense Council, Sierra Club, and Union of Concerned Scientists.

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What's Your Most Coveted Eco Upgrade of 2008?

CasaSugar — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 09:15:27 -0800

If money weren't an issue . . . we'd all have houses decked out with solar panels and roof-mounted wind turbines. Alas, many of us don't have the extra money to retrofit our house with these energy-saving measures quite yet. But, if you could have any eco upgrade on your house, what would it be?

In the News: Philippe Starck's Democratic Ecology

CasaSugar — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 04:30:00 -0700

Back in March, in an interview with German publication Die Ziet, prolific industrial designer Philippe Starck admitted to feeling "ashamed" for being "a producer of materiality," saying, "Everything I have created is absolutely unnecessary." In shock, the design world was buzzing. Would this mean retirement for the can-do-no-wrong designer? What would we blog about? Well, luckily, we haven't yet had to cross that bridge. It turns out, according to a New York Times article, despite his misgivings, Starck has been "advocating environmentalism" for some time in his personal life with his "organic diet, the solar-powered oyster farm he owns in Arcachon Bay in southwestern France, and so forth - ending with 'the least polluting plane on the market,' his private jet." And, more buzzworthy, he has designed a line of products called "Democratic Ecology," which are "relatively cheap, attractive, energy-saving products" meant to “introduce everybody to ecology.” The first is a "miniature rooftop wind turbine, priced between $780 and $1,250, which Mr. Starck said can produce up to 80 percent of a home’s energy." In the works as well is a solar panel film that covers existing windows, a prefab green house, an electric car, an eco-moped, and a solar- and hydrogen-powered boat. As to be expected, these eco products won't be a stitch "granola": Starck says, “It’s very, very important that they’re beautiful, because ecology should be a pleasure, not a punishment." Read more about the line in The New York Times's "And Now, to Try and Catch the Wind."
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