News Digest 25 April – 6 May 2009

Companies
Wal-Mart expands solar energy use
L’Oreal to halve emissions by 2015
Intel is top US purchaser of green power
Ad spoofs big oil executives
Boeing biofuel partnership announced
AEP doubles renewable energy goals
Data campus awarded for energy efficiency

Policy
UK to build clean tech plants

Research
Building energy use study released
Report: Cost-cutting environmental innovations
Shoppers consider product sustainability


Companies

Wal-Mart expands solar energy use

Wal-Mart announced that it will be adding solar panels on up to 20 facilities in California within the next 18 months. Eighteen solar arrays are currently in use at Wal-Mart facilities in the state; with the addition of the new installations, Wal-Mart’s total solar energy capacity is expected to reach 32 million kilowatt hours a year, which will prevent over 22,500 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions from entering the atmosphere.

L’Oreal to halve emissions by 2015

L’Oreal announced a new goal to cut its greenhouse gas emissions in half from 2005 levels by 2015, in addition to halving figures for water used and waste generated per unit of production. Since 2005, L’Oreal has already reduced its emissions of 230.3 thousand tonnes by 11.5%, as well as cutting its water and waste figures by over 10% each.

Intel is top US purchaser of green power

For the second year in a row, Intel topped the US Environmental Protection Agency’s list of the nation’s largest purchasers of green power, released as part of the EPA’s Green Power Partnership. At over 1.3 billion kWh, wind power provides close to half of Intel’s total purchased electricity usage, and the company is followed closely on the list by PepsiCo, which purchased over 1.1 billion kWh to represent 100% of its total usage.

Ad spoofs big oil executives

Avaaz.org, a grassroots advocacy group, released a television ad spoofing an advertisement from ExxonMobil, in which the company discusses its concern for climate change. The ad will run on major networks in the US, UK and Canada, in an effort to draw attention to what Avaaz says are propaganda campaigns by the oil companies.

Boeing biofuel partnership announced

Boeing has entered talks with Danish oil group AP Moller-Maersk to develop biofuel for ships and planes in a joint research project. A Danish newspaper reported that AP Moller-Maersk wants to prepare its ships to run on biofuels, and that both companies are eager to enter into a partnership.

AEP doubles renewable energy goals

American Electric Power announced that it would be doubling its renewable energy goal, and now aims to add 2,000 MW by the end of 2011 with regulatory support. The goal is one of a dozen announced in AEP’s new corporate sustainability report, and if successful will bring the company’s total renewable energy portfolio to over 2,600 MW by 2011.

Data campus awarded for energy efficiency

The Elean Data Centre, located north of Cambridge, has been recognised by the U.S. Department of Energy as Europe’s leading energy efficient data centre. The 62,000 square-meter development guarantees an energy savings of 40%, and use only fully carbon-neutral waste as a power source.

Policy

UK to build clean tech plants

Any new coal plants built in the UK would have to demonstrate carbon capture and storage technology, under a new proposal made by Energy and Climate Change Secretary Ed Miliband to Parliament. In addition, Miliband suggested that CCS be retrofitted to all existing plants within five years of the technology being proved commercially viable, in a bid to keep the UK at the forefront of developing CCS technology.

Research

Building energy use study released

Energy use in buildings could be cut 60% by 2050, says the new Energy Efficiency in Buildings report from the World Business Council for Sustainable Development. Making these reductions is essential for meeting global climate change targets, says the WBCSD, but immediate action on a global level must be taken to ensure that new buildings are constructed with energy efficiency concerns in mind.

Report: Cost-cutting environmental innovations

The Environmental Defense Fund’s Innovations Review 2009 was released, highlighting innovations that can be used by businesses to cut costs and provide environmental benefits. Programmes and products from companies including Coca-Cola, Google, and Verizon were showcased, as well as a weather-monitoring computer system that can help reduce water use for landscaping companies, a mortgage program offering incentives to buyers of homes with solar panels, and a way to calculate employee bonuses that takes into account a company’s environmental performance.

Shoppers consider product sustainability

Over half of shoppers consider the environmental sustainability of their projects when making purchases, says a new report from Deloitte and the Grocery Manufacturers Association. Ninety-five percent of shoppers surveyed said they were open to considering green products, and the survey found that for most shoppers, sustainability considerations can be a tiebreaking factor between otherwise equal products.