Renewable Energy Comes of Age, Part 8

Last week, I attended the Clean Economy Summit in Washington DC.  It was full of movers and shakers in the emerging markets of clean and green business.  The following series of posts are from an article by Don Schjeldahl, Vice President of Renewable Energy Strategies.

Continued Growth in Renewable Energy

“Congressional inaction aside, continued growth in renewable energy and related industries in the U.S. is expected but perhaps not as robust as it might be. Helping move the market forward in the leadership vacuum are federal and state regulators who will likely step forward to drive industry supporting initiatives. Guaranteed markets for renewable energy products exist in the 29 states that have adopted mandatory RPS. An additional seven states have RPS goals.

Limits placed on greenhouse gas emissions, such as carbon cap-and-trade legislation, would help renewable energy markets to develop by shifting demand from coal to non-emitting power sources. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has authority, under the Clean Air Act and confirmed by an April 2007 Supreme Court ruling, to regulate greenhouse gas emissions. However it is unlikely that the EPA will issue carbon regulations anytime soon.

Congressional and EPA inaction on carbon doesn’t mean the EPA won’t dramatically impact the future for renewable energy. By mid-2011 the EPA is expected to finalize power plant emission regulations for mercury, SOx (sulfur oxides) and NOx (nitrogen oxides) under the current Clean Air Act. With compliance targeted for 2015, up to 30% of U.S. coal plants could be decommissioned because they use older technology and plant upgrades are not economical. When this happens greenhouse gas emissions will be reduced by default and renewable energy systems become more attractive from both cost and clean air standpoints.”
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Part 7

Part 9

Renewable Energy Comes of Age, Part 5

Last week, I attended the Clean Economy Summit in Washington DC.  It was full of movers and shakers in the emerging markets of clean and green business.  The following series of posts are from an article by Don Schjeldahl, Vice President of Renewable Energy Strategies.

Renewable Energy is Growing

“Although renewable energy is a relatively small portion of total energy supply both globally and in the United States, renewable energy installations in both the world and in the United States nearly tripled between 2000 and 2008. In the United States, growth in sectors such as wind and solar photovoltaics (sunlight to electricity, also known as “PV”) signify an ongoing shift in the composition of the U.S. electricity supply. Markets for wind turbines continue to grow as economics become more favorable and product offerings expand. The U.S. wind industry installed nearly 10,000 megawatts (MW) of new generating capacity in 2009 - enough to serve over 2.4 million homes. The industry consists of at least four market segments as defined by the power output; offshore turbines (>5MW output), onshore big wind turbines (1 to 5MW output), community wind turbines (100kW to 1.5MW output) and small wind (<100kW output). Investment in each of these sectors is expected to grow in the coming years.”
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Part 4

Part 6

Renewable Energy Coming of Age, Part 1

Last week, I attended the Clean Economy Summit in Washington DC.  It was full of movers and shakers in the emerging markets of clean and green business.  The following series of posts are from an article by Don Schjeldahl, Vice President of Renewable Energy Strategies.

The New Energy Economy: The Smart Grid

“A characteristic of the new energy economy is how technologies and markets are interlaced. The smart grid provides a mechanism for accommodating power generation alternatives like solar, wind, and geothermal.  The smart grid also provides an opportunity for increased protection from cyber attack and will facilitate the incorporation of power storage. One power storage option gaining strength is the integration of after-market electric car batteries for storing distributed power from renewable sources such as solar modules on a residential rooftop. Incorporation of storage batteries on the power grid would accelerate adoption of both electric vehicles and distributed renewable energy. The smart grid’s backbone is the digital electric meter that supports two-way communications between users and producers.  Nearly 15 million smart meters are already deployed in the U.S., with over 50 million expected by 2014,  and many more in subsequent years.”

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Part 2

Share comments with President Obama after the State of the Union!

Business: working toward a clean economy, now.

I have exciting news to share.

I have spent the last two days at the Clean Economy Summit in Washington, DC and met amazing and influential people from all corners of the country.

This weekend, I became acquainted with Greg Nelson, Deputy Director of Public Engagement for President Obama.  As we spoke about energy policy and real estate development, Greg was curious to hear what my thoughts would be on the President’s energy policy–to pass on to the President.   And I’d like to hear from you to help formulate what I will share.

Here’s what I’m looking for: watch President Obama’s State of the Union address tonight at 6 pm PST, January 25.  Take notes on what your opinions are regarding the parts of his speech that refer to energy policy and business in clean economy.  Send them to me via email or Facebook.  Greg Nelson will be sending me a text file of the President’s script for me to make notes on and send back to the President.  I look forward to sharing with him my tenets about sustainability, green innovation, and business.

-Kevin

Clean Energy Summit, 2011, Washington DC

I’m excited to let you know I’ll be attending the Clean Energy Summit in Washington DC next week.  I’ll be speaking about the real estate and construction industry.  Buildings are one of the largest users of energy, and optimizing their efficiency will be key to stabilizing and decreasing our energy use in the future.  I’ll be discussing ways we can make buildings more efficient and green while we also keep costs down.

Here is a summary of what the Summit is about:

“On January 24-25, 2011, the Clean Economy Network Education Fund will host its first annual Clean Economy Summit.   The Summit will convene the existing and emerging leadership of the clean economy business community from across technology silos and across the nation.    With stimulus investments coming to a close and the 112th Congress officially beginning, the Summit will take advantage of the political reset to evaluate the landscape.   It will engage delegates to surface and prioritize policy proposals with the greatest potential to unleash economic growth and job creation in the sector, while also helping identify market opportunities existing within the current policy and political constraints.

SUMMIT PARTICIPATION

The Summit is not a conference.  It is an annual invitation only event with no fee to attend that will produce concrete outcomes for the clean economy community. Attendance is limited to those invited leaders from both the business and policy communities that have the capacity to engage and add value to the final outcomes.  Given the significant requirements for attendance and cap at 150 participants, the Summit will be ripe with high-level relationship building opportunities with other senior business and policy leaders.

The creation of a clean economy requires long-term consistent public policy necessary to create market clarity and certainty.  Consistent policy requires consistent engagement by this community in the policy development and political process.   To that end, unlike a conference composed of random individuals with minimal connections and widely varying levels of expertise, the Summit will annually convene those who have made the ongoing commitment to assume leadership roles in building a clean economy.   It will bring together CEN’s executive and corporate members, chapter steering committees, CEOs of affiliated organization, the CEN and CENEF boards of directors, and key legislative and administration staff.”

Financing Possibilities on New Tulsa Condos

1432 Trenton Condos

We’ve designed a new presentation to tell you about our condos for sale.  Click below to view.

Our news condos in Tulsa, Oklahoma coming down the pike will be available in the spring, and we’ve already got considerable interest in them.  The 1432 South Trenton condos are fabulously appointed.  There are three units available, each between 2000 and 3000 square feet.  The following features apply to each unit.

• 3 bedroom/3 bath condos, 2000-3000 s.f. units
• downtown skyline views, built-in home sound system
• custom wood cabinets & solid slab counters
• stainless steel appliances & smart wiring
• hardwood floors, private courtyard, 2 car garage
• optional: hot tub, outdoor kitchen, solar power
• unit a $345k, unit b $395k, unit c $445k

See the Presentation on 1432 S. Trenton Condos here.

We support the philosophy of living near where you work, of walkable and bikable neighborhoods, local and sustainable foods, rooftop gardens, and open spaces where people can gather and share a sense of community.

We want to make homes truly available to you.  We believe that, even in challenging economic times, home ownership is an important part of life, and we want to help make that possible.  To this end, we work with an advocate who can offer financing that fits a wide range of needs if you are interested in learning more about possible fianancing solutions for homes that we’re building.

Do you want to buy one of these homes or one like it in Tulsa but don’t think you’ll qualify for a loan?  Ask us about alternative financing possibilities, which could include lease to own or buy option, owner financing/owner carry, or credit restoration.  Our financial advocate can help you assess your situation and purchase a home from first step of inquiry to closing on a property.  If you are interested in hearing more, click here and tell us more about yourself.

Kevin’s Latest Project is Featured in this Month’s Tulsa Business Journal!

Check out the Tulsa Business Journal’s Guffey’s Report for details on Kevin Stephens Design Group’s latest project! This three-unit luxury condo project began construction last week!

Check out previous Guffey’s Report articles here: “Former Temple Being Reborn” and here: “Melks Lofts Nearly Complete”

1429 S. Quincy, Tulsa, Oklahoma

 

a modern 5-unit condo development in the cherry street restaurant and shopping district of mid-town tulsa, ok with views of the downtown skyline. the 1280 s.f. interior units are available for $245K and the exterior units are available for $250K. many modern amenities include: roof deck with hot tub, smart wiring for household computer and entertainment networking, custom made solid wood cabinets, granite counter tops, stainless steel appliances, hardwood floors, stone tile in bathrooms, private courtyard, living room, dining room, kitchen, master suite with a large bathroom, guest suite, and a 1 car garage. one interior unit and one end unit still available. ready to move in november 2008. 

Visit the Kevin Stephens website for more photos of this project.