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MEA Game Changer Grant

MEA Game Changer Grant

photo by: Stewart Russell via flickr, licensed under creative commons

Maryland Goes Green partnering with LCPF (Land & Cultural Preservation Fund) was recently awarded a Maryland Energy Administration “Game Changer” grant for “Community-Scale Wind Project Assessments” to develop community-scale wind projects.

Up to five sites will be identified, resulting in the deployment of several Megawatts (MW) of new community wind generation. The experiences of these sites will provide guidance for other communities to deploy wind energy generation throughout the state.

LCPF, in collaboration with Associated Wind Development (AWD), will use sonic detection and ranging (SODAR) technology to assess and identify likely community wind project sites across Maryland, such as the Quaker Camp in Frederick County. It is expected that this project will accelerate the deployment of new community wind generation.

Electric Cars are Charging Down the Highway!

Electric Cars are Charging Down the Highway!

This year has been the best year yet for electric car fans. The Big Auto companies are bringing some great products to market. On the 2012 solar tour, local dealers provided some fantastic examples, such as a Chevy Volt, the Nissan Leaf and a Toyota Prius Plug-in for you to check out!

Chevy Volt © 2012 General Motors

The Chevy Volt with their plug in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) has led the way. Several local DC area folks have been tooling around in their Volts and even brought them to the EV drag and autocross races sponsored by some of the same people who help put on the Solar Tour. See www.powerofdc.com for pictures and all the action. The Volt can go about 40 miles on batteries using electricity from the wall socket, at a cost of 75 cents per gallon equivalent, before the batteries are depleted and the Volt reverts to 36 mpg hybrid mode, just like a Prius, using gasoline to drive as far as you want.

Nissan Leaf © 2012 Nissan

Nissan’s LEAF is a very slick all electric 5 seater vehicle with a 100 mile all electric range, but no gasoline motor to back it up. It is great. Very quiet, quick, smooth. Who could ask for a better vehicle? The only potential drawback is the range, but you should know that the average commute is well under that 100 mile range.

There are lots of other PHEVs [Fisker Karma] and EVs [Smart Fortwo, Ford Focus] coming to market very soon. Join us. Buy or lease an EV. Locally, the Electric Vehicle Association of DC, www.evadc.org is leading the “charge” with monthly meetings in Silver Spring, MD, parades, community fairs and ride and drive events, among others.

Originally published, 2012 Maryland Solar Tour guide by Charlie Garlow

 

Building a Zero Energy Community in Frederick City

Building a Zero Energy Community in Frederick City

NEXUS Homes, Bentz Street
Located on a busy street in downtown Frederick, Bentz Street might seem like an unlikely location for some of the most technologically advanced, environmentally conscious housing in the county.  Once you’re inside the model home there’s an immediate quiet, though it might take a few minutes to notice that the cars streaming by outside are nearly inaudible.  Once it’s pointed out you realize how much care has gone into the construction of these homes.

Every home follows strict net zero energy standards.  Under normal conditions, each house will produce as much energy as it uses in a year.  This includes heating and air conditioning.  This is achieved through a combination of super insulation, tight building envelope using SIP’s, photovoltaic panels, geothermal heating and cooling, and a duct system that is sealed at every single joint with a caulk-like substance.  No duct-tape in this house!

The innovative TRV (Total Recovery Ventilation) allows all Nexus Homes to operate at peak efficiency during either summer or winter and lower ventilation load by up to 90%.

TRV dynamically mixes the incoming and outgoing air to lessen the heating load on the house.  It also reduces humidity by offloading water molecules to a separate exhaust system.

Most interesting, however, is the suite of electronic monitoring systems available for homeowners.  These include “house of the future” style touches like remote control over lights in the house, remote access to security cameras and text message alerts about whether doors are locked or whether the doorbell has just been pressed.  You can monitor energy usage, produce reports and graphs that let you see your usage over time to develop strategies to get you closer to the net zero ideal.

Nexus Vision software puts all the information you need in your hands.  Nexus Energy Homes each come with an iPad and a custom app to allow control over your thermostat and other Nexus Vision features.  Nexus Vision can also be accessed via a desktop or laptop PC from any location.

All these technologies have existed for a while, but Nexus Homes is the first company to devote the time and energy to research and develop ways to combine them in a user friendly, maximally efficient design.