January 2012
SEIA Merges With Solar Alliance for State Policies
WASHINGTON — The Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), the national trade association representing the solar energy industry, recently announced a merger with the Solar Alliance, an advocacy group that works to establish solar policies at the state level.
Effective immediately, the Solar Alliance will operate under the SEIA brand in an effort to present a unified solar industry voice in all advocacy efforts at the state level, a statement from the association said.
Green Trends for 2012: LEED, Net-Zero Energy and the Living Building Challenge
Green building in all U.S. construction sectors will continue its rebound this year as the economy struggles to return to pre-recession levels. While the slowdown in commercial real estate projects and funding has definitely put a crimp in many green building projects, interest does remain high for green school construction.
Sex, Drugs, Rock ‘n Roll and Big Ass Fans
When Athens’ celebrated Georgia Theatre burned down on June 19, 2009, owner Wilmot Greene took the misfortune as an opportunity to modernize the space, while retaining the theatre’s historic roots.
Roofing Repair Tape
OMG extended its Everseal Roof line with its 4-inch wide repair tape. The new EverSeal tape bonds to all common roof materials for long-lasting, watertight repairs, according to the company. Ideal for repairing punctures, tears, splits, and seams, the product can also be used to flash curbs, edge metal and skylights, and repair gutters.
LED Luminaires
Lithonia Lighting launched its Z Series LED striplight luminaires — compact, low-profile solid-state strips that deliver long maintenance-free performance in a wide range of retrofit and new construction applications, according to the company.
High Strength, Fire-Shield Gypsum Board
National Gypsum released its new Gold Bond Brand High Strength Fire-Shield LITE gypsum board, developed to be 15 percent lighter, according to the company. The board also offers the potential to both improve productivity and reduce transportation costs with reduced dust and an improved strength-to-weight ratio feature.
Arc Fault Detection System
To address the risk of PV systems starting fires — required by the new 2011 National Electric Code — SolarBos unveiled the Arc Fault Detection and Interruption (AFDI) combiner box and the Ground Fault Interruption (GFI) solution.
The AFDI combiner contains a module that detects series arcs and automatically disconnects the ungrounded conductor from the rest of the system, breaking the circuit, which stops the arc and prevents a fire from starting.
Energy-Recovering A/C System
PROMOTION — Oasis™ uses a corrosion-resistant polymer heat exchanger to produce dry, cool air without refrigeration. Best suited for hot, dry climates, Oasis™ treats makeup air for 50% less energy and provides cooling energy recovery and winter heat recovery. Oasis™ also reduces peak demand loads to help qualify for utility rebates.
E-mail dhinfo@munters.com or call 800-843-5360.
NDAA Requires Cost-Benefit Analysis of Energy Programs
WASHINGTON — As part of the bill drawing controversy for its detainee provisions, the National Defense Authorization Act signed into law by President Barack Obama on Dec. 31, 2011, authorizing funding for the Department of Defense., including its energy management goals, and national security programs of the Department of Energy.
The bill — adopted for the 50th consecutive year — aims to terminate troubled programs and activities and approve efficiencies to apply savings to higher priority programs.