Getting architects, contractors and businesses in general to embrace technology that saves energy is easier said than done, according to panel members at the Sustainability Summit held at SUNY Orange Newburgh”™s new Kaplan Hall May 26.
Even the zoning can be stacked against you.
The seminar, hosted by SUNY Orange in Newburgh, Mt. St. Mary College, the Orange County Chamber of Commerce and Orange County Partnership, drew more than 75 attendees, who wanted to learn more about the prospects for minimizing reliance on foreign oil and how to cut energy costs for consumers and businesses.
Jack Phillips of the ROI Institute, based in Alabama, travels the world talking to company owners, stakeholders and those in the energy business on how to help clients measure their return on investment in alternative energy. Phillips was keynote speaker for the event, and brought along his “green scorecard” for attendees to fill out.
“Many people in the audience were well versed in the technologies,” said Phillips of the results. “Others need to learn more and discover that alternative energy sources can and do pay for themselves.” Phillips”™ goal is to get those on the other side of the fence ”“ or who are sitting on it ”“ to embrace the technology. He”™s not alone.
In one breakout session, panelists Dennis Collet, co-founder of CLD Industries, Russell Tencer, CEO of Wind Products Inc. based in New York City, James Taylor, founder, CEO and president of Taylor Biomass Energy, and Vince Cozzolino, founder of the Solar Energy Consortium, spoke about their challenges and the return on investment for businesses and residents who invest in photovoltaic panels, geothermal heating and cooling, wind energy and reducing landfill waste by turning it into electricity.
One problem businesses and residents face, said Taylor, was the fact that banks do not see geo-thermal, wind power and solar energy as investments. “We need local banks to realize that alternative energy is a sound investment.”
Panelists heartily agreed, with Collet pointing out that many families were more apt to invest $40,000 in an SUV with a 10-year life span than in geo-thermal heating and cooling for their homes, “which would significantly cut their cost and be a real return on their investment for many more years than that car will.”
While hedge funds are looking and are showing an interest in alternative energy technology, “Banks will be the last to come on board,” said Tencer. “They are very conservative in their investments.”
Taylor, who has been waiting for the go-ahead to finish construction on his patented gassification process at a plant he”™s building in Montgomery, said the goal of biomass is turning trash into electricity and putting it back in the grid. Taylor has been at work getting Congressional and state leaders, as well as residents, on board to help bring the biomass facility to fruition ”“ a process that has taken him more than a decade.
The biomass plant will also be able to handle electronic waste when it is up and running, said Taylor. “Under current regulatory permitting, it can”™t be done. But when the new plant comes on line, it can and will be done and dramatically cut down on landfills and waste while producing energy.”
Tencer said implementing wind energy is viable and measurable. “There are 500 airports in New York, with tons of wind data available. The bottom line is, we can let our customers know how much of a savings they can expect to achieve using a wind turbine.”
Wind turbines are also available for residential use. One model Tencer spoke of was a Skystream 3.7, which has a 10-foot rotor diameter. “It can generative approximately 5,000 kilowatts in a year,” he said. Why haven”™t people in the Hudson Valley seen many ”“ or any? “There are permitting, zoning and ”˜nimbyism”™ issues.”
Vince Cozzolino, founder of The Solar Consortium based in Kingston, said Tech City is growing and is on the national and international radar. “Many like-minded companies are coming in because they like to be clustered together, share information and work in a similar environment. One company the Consortium advises is Honeywell Business Solutions, which has just contracted with the city of Wooster, Mass., to install energy-saving technology in its municipal buildings and schools. “This is the future,” said William Taylor, engineering manager based in New Milford, Conn.
“Kaplan Hall is one example of a building that took advantage of the benefits of alternative energy, thanks to college President Bill Richards,” said Cozzolino. “When the architects originally designed the building, there were no energy-saving features. It”™s because of his insistence they design it with energy savings in mind that it has photovoltaic roofing and many ”˜green”™ benefits.”
Denise Dougherty, director of sales and marketing for The Hampton Inn in Middletown, said her company”™s sister hotel on Crystal Run Road, The Courtyard at Marriot, has embraced the new technology, and the Hampton Inn is next on the company”™s list. “This was great information to bring back to corporate because they are definitely looking to be more efficient, effective and are energy-conscious. I learned a lot and am amazed to see this beautiful building and realize how much they were able to incorporate into its design. It will definitely have a return on its investment for many years to come.”
