ICIC and Staples Honor Baltimore Solar Energy Firm for Business Growth

BALTIMORE, Md., Oct. 20 /CSRwire/ – The Initiative for a Competitive Inner City (ICIC) and FORTUNE announced that Baltimore based  Bithenergy, a renewable energy firm, topped the 2015 Inner City 100 list of the fastest-growing inner city businesses in the U.S. Bithenergy was recognized by longtime ICIC partner Staples, Inc. for both its top place on the list, and for its growth rate of 2,973 percent. Staples presented the company with the annual Staples Business Growth Award for this impressive rate.

“Entrepreneurship is in our blood and we are committed to honoring the entrepreneurs who are bringing economic opportunity to America’s inner cities,” said Shira Goodman, Executive Vice President, North American Commercial at Staples. “ICIC and Staples share a common vision and congratulate Blithenergy for helping create an urban marketplace that is critical to the long-term health of the economy.”

Bithenergy’s Chief Executive Officer, Robert Wallace, has founded several companies, including an IT consultancy. Bithenergy applies a professional services model to the energy business and offers intelligent strategies for development of renewable energy systems, managing energy consumption, and building smart grid infrastructure. Through its internship program, Bithenergy works to connect local youth to future opportunities in the energy industry, and Wallace is active in promoting small and minority business in Baltimore and beyond.

Each year, ICIC works with a national network of nominating partners to identify, rank and spotlight rapidly-growing urban businesses. The top 100 are determined by revenue growth and are honored on the Inner City 100 list published in FORTUNE. This year’s full list of winners can be viewed at Fortune.com.

Before the Awards celebration, winners gathered for a full-day business symposium featuring management case studies from Harvard Business School professors and interactive sessions with top CEOs. Keynote speakers included Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker, Harvard Business School Professor and ICIC Founder and Chairman Michael E. Porter, University of Massachusetts Boston Chancellor J. Keith Motley, Boston Beer Chairman and Co-Founder Jim Koch, Hill Holliday CEO Karen Kaplan and Uber East Coast General Manager Meghan Verena Joyce.

“These entrepreneurs are strong community leaders and industry game changers,” ICIC CEO Steve Grossman said of the 2015 Inner City 100 winners. “Their businesses are critical drivers of economic development and job creation. Together, they demonstrate the competitive advantages of doing business in our inner cities.”

Boasting an average five-year growth rate of 378 percent between 2010 and 2014, the 2015 Inner City 100 winners represent a wide span of geography, hailing from 45 cities and 23 states. Collectively, the winners employ 6,168 people, and on average, over a third of their employees live in the same neighborhood as the company. 

Highlights of the 2015 Inner City 100 include: 

• 
  

  Employ 6,168 workers total. 

  
  


• 
  

  Created 3,755 new jobs in the last five years.

  
  


• 
  

  On average, 32 percent of employees live in the same neighborhood as the company.  

  
  


• 
  

  Average company age is 15 years.

  
  


• 
  

  Average 2014 revenue is $12 million.

  
  


• 
  

  25 percent have female CEOs.

  
  


• 
  

  40 percent have a minority CEO.

  
  


• 
  

  12 percent of the winners are certified veteran-owned.    

  
  

Inner City 100 Methodology: The Initiative for a Competitive Inner City (ICIC) defines inner cities as core urban areas with higher unemployment and poverty rates and lower median incomes than their surrounding metropolitan statistical areas. Every year, ICIC identifies, ranks, and spotlights the 100 fastest-growing businesses located in America’s inner cities. In 2015, Companies were ranked by revenue growth over the five-year period between 2010 and 2014. This list was audited by the independent accounting firm Rucci, Bardaro, and Falzone, PC.

Initiative for a Competitive Inner City (ICIC)
ICIC is a national nonprofit founded in 1994 by Harvard Business School professor Michael E. Porter. ICIC’s mission is to promote economic prosperity in America’s inner cities through private sector investment that leads to jobs, income and wealth creation for local residents. Through its research on inner city economies, ICIC provides businesses, governments and investors with the most comprehensive and actionable information in the field about urban market opportunities. The organization supports urban businesses through the @icicorg. 

ICIC and Staples Honor Baltimore Solar Energy Firm for Business Growth

Not Winterizing Your Vehicle Can Leave You Cold

Though this warm weather is holding on for dear life, we do know winter is on the way. Here are some suggestions on how to prepare your vehicle for cold weather.

October is Fall Car Care Month so let’s go over some of the things you should have checked over before the cold weather arrives. Many times a properly maintained vehicle won’t need too many expensive repairs all at the same time.

Air filters block contaminants from getting inside the cylinders in your engine. But there is also a cabin filter on many newer vehicles that cleans the air that comes into the passenger compartment. Replacing a dirty cabin air filter will keep the interior air fresh and help the defroster work more efficiently.

A battery that is starting the vehicle okay now might fail when the temperature drops. Hot summer weather and the additional electronic systems on newer vehicles can put a large strain on the battery and charging system, so make sure it’s all thoroughly inspected.

Many people wait to hear a noise coming from their brakes before getting them inspected, but that can be a costly mistake. Waiting too long can add to the number of brake parts that become damaged, raising the cost of the repair.

In many cases you will not need to have your drive belt and hoses replaced, but having them inspected can give you some peace of mind. The fluids also need to be checked and replaced if necessary to keep things flowing like they should.

Making sure the heating and defrosting systems are working properly will not only keep you comfortable, but allow you to clear the windshield during the cold winter months. Having good wiper blades will keep the windshield clear so you can see everything that’s in front of you on the road.

The suspension is one of the most neglected systems on a vehicle and if a suspension part breaks it will usually leave you stranded. Make sure that you specifically ask your mechanic to check it all out this fall.

Having all of your lights working is always very important, but especially now, when we have less and less sunlight every day. You definitely want to see and be seen during the dark winter months.

Tires can require replacement for a number of reasons, from normal wear and tear to damage from a pothole. The entire weight and control of your vehicle comes down to your four tires, so do not hesitate replacing them when they are worn out.

Having a thorough fall inspection done can help you and your vehicle make it through the winter months without any trouble on the road.

Not Winterizing Your Vehicle Can Leave You Cold

Braddock Locks and Dam hydropower plant project off to slow start

A Dallas-based startup is moving ahead with a plan to become the first company to operate a hydropower plant in Allegheny County, but don’t expect a heavy flow of followers just yet.

Despite a federal push to generate more electricity from water, especially at existing structures such as the Braddock Locks and Dam on the Monongahela River, expansion has been slow.

“It is more economically feasible right now to build generators that burn off natural gas … than to build hydro,” said Penn State University mechanical engineering professor John M. Cimbala, who was the principal investigator on a $3 million project between the school and the Department of Energy to train graduate students in hydropower research and development.

Eight proposed Pennsylvania hydropower projects pending before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, which grants licenses, would total about 120 megawatts of capacity — less than 5 percent of the power of the state’s largest coal and nuclear plants. Nationally, hydropower supplies about 7 percent of electricity.

“Hydropower plants pay themselves off eventually, but it’s a big up-front investment. It’s hard to justify right now with the cost of natural gas,” Cimbala said.

Licensing delays can make the decision to invest even tougher, said LeRoy Coleman, spokesman for the National Hydropower Association in Washington.

Dallas-based Hydro Green Energy got its license in July to build a 5.25-megawatt, low-impact hydroelectric plant on the Braddock dam, for which it applied in 2011. The company expects the $15.7 million construction project to last a year starting next July.

“(In) Pennsylvania, with its rivers and hills, there’s tremendous opportunity, not just in Braddock but in other locations around Pittsburgh,” said Mike Maley, Hydro Green’s president and CEO.

The plant, running on technology patented by Hydro Green, will generate enough electricity to power about 5,250 homes, but the power might not be used for that purpose, Maley said. He has an agreement with an entity to buy the power but won’t disclose the buyer until a contract is signed.

Adding hydropower to non-powered dams such as Braddock could generate up to 12 gigawatts of power, according to the Energy Department, which gave Hydro Green a $1.8 million grant to develop its technology. The company received a $4 million grant from the state Alternative and Clean Energy Program and a $500,000 grant from the Pennsylvania Energy Development Authority, through the Department of Environmental Protection.

The Department of Energy is promoting development of small hydropower at existing, unpowered dams, especially those owned by the Army Corps of Engineers, because it is cheaper and has less impact on wildlife and the environment than new dams.

In June 2014, Congress passed the Water Resources Reform and Development Act, which is supposed to expedite the corps’ review of permit applications for hydropower plants at its dams. Developers are waiting for the corps to issue guidance for its permits, the National Hydropower Association said.

A 2012 department report listed 597 non-powered dams in the United States where hydropower facilities could be developed. Forty-five of those sites were in Pennsylvania.

Since the report was issued, two hydropower plants, including Braddock, have received FERC licenses.

The corps, the largest hydropower producer in the country, has 75 federally run hydro plants on its 700 dams, producing about 21,000 megawatts of power, said Kamau Sadiki, national hydropower business line manager. There are another 59 nonfederal hydropower plants, owned by counties, municipal governments and private companies, at the corps dams, he said.

About one-third of the agency’s remaining dams are feasible sites for hydropower development, he said.

“We want to see more renewable energy online. We want to reduce the carbon footprint, and so it’s a good thing for the corps,” Sadiki said.

But the low price of natural gas has put a damper on many hydropower plans, and it doesn’t look like that will change anytime soon, Cimbala said.

Santa Monica, Calif.-based U.S. Renewables Group’s Boston company, Rye Development, has FERC permits to study building small hydropower facilities at existing dams in the corps’ Pittsburgh District, but it needs licenses before any work could begin, said Don Lauzon, vice president of regulatory affairs for the company.

It applied for the licenses under the name Free Flow Power in February and March 2014, but the regulatory requirements make the process long, Lauzon said.

“That causes an additional time because it’s additional coordination for us as developers, which makes the process a little bit more … complicated for a coordination perspective,” Lauzon said.

Tory N. Parrish is a Trib Total Media staff writer. Reach her at 412-380-5662 or tparrish@tribweb.com.

Braddock Locks and Dam hydropower plant project off to slow start

Udall chairs SWNM Energy, Green Jobs Task Force meeting

U.S. Sen. Tom Udall chaired a meeting of the Southwest New Mexico Energy and Green Jobs Task Force on Friday at WNMU. (Photo: Rebekah Stevens/Sun-News)

SILVER CITY — U.S. Sen. Tom Udall (D-NM) visited Silver City on Friday where he chaired the Southwest New Mexico Energy and Green Jobs Task Force meeting in the Western New Mexico University Student Memorial Building.

All of you know how important public service is,” Udall said. “I’m very proud of your work.”

Mary Stoecker, task force member who works at the New Mexico Department of Health office in Silver City, gave a history and update.

“I came on in 2011 when we were addressing issue areas from a regional perspective. We built a strategic plan. I was insistent that it be a short plan,” Stoecker said.

“By 2013, we were ready to go to the governments and ask for their support of implementation of the plan,” she said. “All agreed, except for Catron County, but it’s now considering joining.”

“At the point of implementation, we are focusing on the guiding plan,” Stoecker said. “As slow as it may feel, we’ve come a long way.”

“Collaboration and consensus are tremendously important,” Udall said. “The EDA (Economic Development Administration) feels like this is a real model for other places in the country.”

Priscilla Lucero, Southwest New Mexico Council of Governments executive director, talked about the receipt of an EDA Economic Adjustment Assistance Grant for $250,000.

“We are partnering with New Mexico Tech to do the feasibility study for an incubator for the $25,000 match,” Lucero said. “A lot of the award is for how we develop collaboration to assist businesses and local governments around renewable energy. As we accomplish one task, we move to the next one.”

Udall thanked the COG for taking on the task.

The task force also heard a report on the McCune Foundation award.

“New Mexico is lucky to have a foundation like McCune. My sense is that they saw the collaboration and consensus,” Udall said.

Stoecker said the group submitted the application to McCune last fall.

“It came to us through The Wellness Coalition, also active in the four counties. The award, for $15,000, helps support strengthening the four counties, municipalities, commercial, residential and financial entities,” Stoecker said.

Lucero said the award would allow a half-time Americorps volunteer and a quarter-time one to provide outreach on “what we can do with energy efficiency and conservation to complement the EDA award.”

“We saw that the USDA Rural Development Rural Energy for America Program could jumpstart the plan,” said Denise Smith, speaking for the Silver City Office of Sustainability. “The town applied and received the $83,000 grant, with $65,000 going toward energy audits.”

Businesses pay a 25 percent cost share which is rolled back into the program, creasing the number above the 26 businesses we already have participating, Smith said.

“We will hire an energy auditor. Once we have that, we will have recommendations for how to increase energy efficiency, which opens the business up to apply for a grant for energy efficiency,” Smith said.

“As a small business owner,” Silver City Mayor Michael Morones said, “we had an energy audit, not under this program. What we ended up doing was changing all our light fixtures with cost sharing vehicles. Within five years, our investment paid off.”

Morones said his business looked at USDA Rural Economic Development and put solar panels on its roof.

“We now have no electrical costs. With the addition of the state and federal rebates, it was a three-year payoff. Hopefully everyone can take this information back to your communities,” Morones said.

Benny Jasso, Mayor of Deming, reported on the Regional and local Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy successes.

“I’ve been in office only 1½ years, but we look constantly for energy savings,” Jasso said. “We bought a natural gas compressor and have already sold $3,000 worth of compressed natural gas. It has been a significant investment, but is it capable for vehicle filling. Two of our trash trucks are powered by compressed natural gas.”

Deming City Manager Aaron Sera said the station is just now coming online. “The collection trucks used to use fuel at about $400 to $500 a month. Now the compressed natural gas costs us $50 a month.”

The city is also looking at solar development and a partnership with PNM.

Morones said the biggest successes for the Sustainability Plan for 2030 were hitting a huge set of goals.

He said the solar array at the wastewater treatment plan saved money — according to Smith, about $2 million over the 20-year lease. The small array at the Visitor Center takes care of electricity costs, and the timed sprinkler system at the Ben Altamirano field provides about $80,000 savings in water costs. With the water savings, even with population growth the town provides about two-thirds of the high amount used in 2006 to a larger number of people.

“Water rights, with conservation, should sustain us for about 100 years,” Morones said.

Sera said when Silver City did the solar array, Deming piggybacked on the process for Deming, saving it about $60,000 a year.

He said Deming has tapped into PNM rebates for lights at the ballfield and rodeo area, which will return money to the city.

“New Mexico has inadequate transmission systems,” said John Strand of SunZia Transmission. “SunZia is for wind energy transmission. For PNM, most of their load is to Albuquerque. SunZia could help PNM with a transfer station at Socorro.”

Strand said the natural gas plant in Deming is running at 50 percent, because of the lack of transmission infrastructure.

“With SunZia, it will make more renewable energy available to more of New Mexico,” Strand said.

“We see it with the whole Western grid,” Udall said. “We have 73 times the renewable of what we need, but we don’t have the grid to export it. People should see a better grid ties into better employment.”

“We should be looking long-term, so we know how to plan,” Udall continued. “New Mexico has a renewable energy standard. If we had a national renewable standard, it would put pressure to lower costs and get transmission lines. I will work hard on the Production Tax Credit extension.”

Read or Share this story: http://scsun.co/1RQkHYW

Udall chairs SWNM Energy, Green Jobs Task Force meeting

Ice Energy Ties With Solar Panel Providers For Energy Bundle

In 2006, an estimated 30,000 homes had solar panels installed. California’s growing solar market is also making California a national leader in climate action and the clean energy economy. ““They think the state should do more to encourage rooftop solar, not make it more expensive”.

Amber Rudd has defended the government’s controversial cuts to support for the solar industry as another firm collapsed.

But the George Osborne acolyte, under increasing pressure from the Chancellor’s Treasury to rein in renewable energy costs, has changed tack, announcing plans to slash subsidies by nearly 90%.

“Solar plus storage presents opportunities for larger properties with demand charges, in contrast to individual residential property owners”. With its willingness to work with other pioneers in the industry, Panasonic Eco Solutions has become a one-stop shop for expertise in solar photovoltaic engineering, construction, finance, and even long-term operation and management.

Nationally there are around 35,000 jobs within the solar industry and its supply chain and job losses of up to 27,000 are predicted.

He said: “It is with great sadness that the directors of Southern Solar have no choice other than to appointment administrators”. “Reon is part of the Dawood Hercules Corporation – which is the single largest contributor to the private energy sector of Pakistan – that controls nearly 1,800 megawatts of generation capacity, boasting large-scale ventures such as the Hub Power Company Limited, Sindh Engro Coal Mining Company, Tenaga Generasi Limited and Laraib Energy Limited”, he added. Dr Tripathi said solar energy would account for 1,00,000 MW of power while 60,000 MW would be generated by harnessing wind capacity.

One of the UK’s most trusted and pioneering solar installers has been forced to call in the administrators. John Craggs, its acting chief executive said: “We are bitterly disappointed with the changes proposed”. EnviroGroup is one of the founding members of Yingli Solar’s YINGLI 4 YOU Partner Program.

The social housing sector has been at the forefront of large-scale PV installation.

‘This makes a mockery of any claim the United Kingdom might have to be offering global leadership on climate change’.

In an effort to the reduce the impact of negative factors overseas, domestic firms have turned to their home market to explore more stable growth and are urging the government to relax a number of regulations to help promote green energy in the nation. More importantly though is that this decision will certainly affect the UK’s ability to achieve their strategic aims in addressing climate change and carbon targets.

A spokesman for the Solar Trade Association (STA) said: “The government’s proposals for solar are so extreme that most solar companies are not able to envisage surviving next year”.

Resilience for Free uses project data for buildings in New York, Chicago, and Washington, D.C.to examine the financial case for installing solar+storage systems to support critical common area loads in multifamily affordable housing. But we don’t have to resign ourselves to $5/gallon gas prices, $200/month electric bills and $500 heating bills. “We’re looking at it and will respond once I’ve sufficiently digested what’s in the consultation”. “Now we need to tell people what we are going to do”.

To be clear, we’re not saying that petroleum will cease to be used, just that it will fall from its dominant position in energy and chemical production.

Contact Panasonic Eco Solutions for more information on solar energy in the United States and Canada.

Last updated: Saturday 17 October 2015

Ice Energy Ties With Solar Panel Providers For Energy Bundle

Clogged Filter Monitor Indicates Time to Replace HVAC Air Filters

AUSTIN, Texas — Airflow1 has announced a clogged filter monitor, called the CFM-GM, that signals the ideal time to replace HVAC air filters, which the company says can help homeowners keep a cleaner indoor environment, reduce the need for maintenance on HVAC equipment, and trim energy costs. The company currently has a Kickstarter campaign to fund the final development and production of the device.

Airflow1 notes that replacing HVAC air filters is necessary to keep equipment running at optimal efficiency, but knowing exactly when to replace them is equally important. Unfortunately, there has never been an easy or precise way to address that question. Filters become more efficient the longer they’re in place, so replacing one too soon is wasteful. But there comes a point when a filter is no longer performing at all, and the HVAC unit suffers a drop in efficiency, not to mention the accumulation of dust and dirt on the components and in the indoor environment. By some estimates, inefficient HVAC units waste up to a billion dollars in electricity each month.

Seeing this problem and finding there was no straightforward way to check for clogged air filters, engineer and product developer Mike Sweaton set out to design a solution that could adapt to most standard HVAC units. “My goals were to develop a product that was easy to install and see, cost effective for homeowners, and most of all, accurate. The reality is that many people change their filters on a set schedule, but that may not be ideal from a cost and resource-use perspective. Once in full production, I believe the CFM-GM will make a tremendous difference in our nation’s energy usage.”

The CFM-GM is said to allow homeowners to find the “sweet spot” — the moment just before a filter clogs and loses its efficiency. The device works by sensing the differential air pressure between the front and the back of the filter. Sweaton said he conducted rigorous testing and research to identify the most robust, accurate, and reliable pressure sensors.

The CFM-GM is designed to work with 1-inch width filters mounted in a wall or ceiling return grille. The device is also compatible with Supermechanical’s Twine, a wireless home monitoring system.

For more information, visit www.airflow1.com.

Publication date: 10/16/2015

Want more HVAC industry news and information? Join The NEWS on Twitter, and LinkedIn today!

Clogged Filter Monitor Indicates Time to Replace HVAC Air Filters

Closing Bell Reports: Yingli Green Energy Holding Co. Ltd. (YGE), Enterprise Products Partners ...

WallStreet Scope – Thursday October 15th: Closing Bell Reports

Yingli Green Energy Holding Co. Ltd. (YGE) of the Technology Sector closed the day at $0.77 (a change of 4.73%) at a relative volume of 3.17. Yingli Green Energy Holding Co. Ltd. (YGE) had a change from open of – 0.51% trading at a volume of 4,304,490 shares. Yingli Green Energy Holding Co. Ltd. (YGE)’s weekly performance is 54.17% and against their 52 week low Yingli Green Energy Holding Co. Ltd. is 134.85% with total insider ownership of 5.32%. Yingli Green Energy Holding Co. Ltd. (YGE)’s monthly performance stands at 29.82% in the Semiconductor – Specialized industry with an analyst recommendation of 3.50

Enterprise Products Partners L.P. (EPD) of the Basic Materials sector (Independent Oil & Gas) closed the day at $28.81 gaining 3.60%, a change from open of 2.38% after trading at a volume of 4,274,692 shares. Enterprise Products Partners L.P. (EPD) weekly performance is – 1.17% and EPS growth this year of4.30%.Enterprise Products Partners L.P. (EPD)’S monthly performance ended at 6.72% and Enterprise Products Partners L.P. (EPD) has a YTD performance of -23.01% in the Independent Oil & Gas industry. We give this a recommendation of 1.60

MetLife, Inc. (MET) finished up today at $48.41 with a volume of 4,273,421 shares, changing by 2.56% ( 1.320% change from open) with a profit margin of 9.20%. The return on investment for MetLife, Inc. (MET) is currently6.00% and MetLife, Inc. (MET)’s weekly performance is – 2.05%. MetLife, Inc. (MET)’s monthly performance stands at – 4.28% with current market cap of 52,716.74million and insider ownership of 0.10% in the Financial sector of the Life Insurance industry. We give this an analyst recommendation of 2.10

DexCom, Inc. (DXCM) of the Healthcare sector closed out today at $84.35, a change of 19.39% at a volume of 4,270,812 shares with return on investment of -14.90%. DexCom, Inc. (DXCM) currently has a weekly performance of -10.18% and return on investment of -14.90%. DexCom, Inc. (DXCM)’s monthly performance stands at -26.95% and DexCom, Inc. (DXCM) YTD performance of 28.34% in the Medical Laboratories & Research industry. Current analyst recommendation 1.90

Dick’s Sporting Goods Inc. (DKS) of the Services sector was down -0.70% finishing up today at $46.75, a change from open of- 1.12% at a volume of 4,255,743 shares. Dick’s Sporting Goods Inc. (DKS) has a weekly performance of – 8.14%, insider ownership of 0.40% and Dick’s Sporting Goods Inc. (DKS)’s monthly performance stands at – 7.34% with YTD performance of -4.44% in the Sporting Goods Stores industry with an analyst recommendation of 2.50

Closing Bell Reports: Yingli Green Energy Holding Co. Ltd. (YGE), Enterprise Products Partners ...