Renewable Energy Tax Package Will Boost Economy, Create Jobs, Says Business-Consumer Coalition

Passing Federal legislation that would extend tax credits for renewable energy efforts, such as this Illinois wind farm, would create jobs and generate extensive investment, according to a coalition of more than 100 business, trade, and advocacy groups. Photo: Don Burkett

   A coalition of more than 100 business, trade, and advocacy groups has called on the U.S. Senate to pass bipartisan legislation that extends renewable energy and efficiency tax credits that have already expired or will expire at the end of this year. The tax incentives would strengthen the renewable energy industry and expand the market for energy-efficient products, which ultimately would reduce residential and commercial energy costs, generate new domestic jobs, and boost a flagging economy, according to the coalition.
   "Renewable energy sources like solar and wind are a proven economic engine for our country. They've created tens of thousands of green collar jobs and billions of dollars in investment," said Rhone Resch, president of the Solar Energy Industries Association, Washington. "Congress and the administration should seize this opportunity to support this high-growth sector."
    The business-consumer coalition includes 47 manufacturers, including Dow Chemical, DuPont, Owens Corning, and Whirlpool; eight retailers, including Best Buy, Home Depot, Lowe's, and Wal-Mart; 23 trade associations, including the American Institute of Architects, Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers, the National Association of Homebuilders, and the National Small Business Association; 25 advocacy groups, including Environment America, Natural Resources Defense Council, Sierra Club and Union of Concerned Scientists; and 10 utilities, including Constellation Energy, Exelon, and Florida Power & Light.
    Historically, Congress has extended clean energy tax incentives in only two-year increments, creating a boom-bust cycle that impedes industry development. The ideal Senate tax incentive package, the coalition said, would extend incentives for wind, solar and biomass for a number of years to provide the stability financial investors need to back new projects.
   In addition to extending tax credits for renewable energy sources, the coalition urges the Senate to extend tax incentives for constructing energy-efficient buildings, investing in solar electric systems, installing efficient home heating and cooling equipment, manufacturing efficient home appliances, and retrofitting existing homes to save energy.
   "Our nation's buildings account for 70% of our nation's electricity use, and that's why these incentives are vitally important to deploy energy-efficient designs, technologies and equipment," said RK Stewart, FAIA, former president of the American Institute of Architects. "The end result is that we would get the most energy-conserving buildings possible, which means reduced utility bills for businesses and homeowners, and lower overall energy demand across the nation."
   Besides the economic rationale for supporting the incentives is the pressing need to address global warming, said Marchant Wentworth, a clean energy advocate at the Union of Concerned Scientists, Cambridge, MA. "We don't have to choose between the economy and the environment," said Wentworth. "Extending these tax credits will help stimulate the economy and protect public health and the planet at the same time."
For more information and a complete list of the coalition membership, visit www.aia.org.

Cree Purchases LED Lighting Fixtures Inc.

   Cree Inc., Durham, NC, has completed the acquisition of privately held LED Lighting Fixtures Inc., Research Triangle Park, NC. Cree's agreement to acquire LLF was announced on February 8, 2008.
   This acquisition expands Cree's market opportunity by providing direct access to the lighting market. Cree's business now encompasses LED chips, components, and lighting solutions. The transaction further enables Cree to drive retrofit solutions to convert existing lighting infrastructure to energy-efficient lighting, and to accelerate the adoption of LED lighting.
   "The new Cree LED Lighting Solutions team is delivering industry-leading LED lighting products and working to set the standard for 21st century energy-efficient lighting," said Chuck Swoboda, chairman and chief executive officer of Cree. "We are out to lead the LED lighting revolution and to obsolete the lightbulb."
   The company plans to announce financial results for its third fiscal quarter, ending on March 30, after market close on April 22 and will provide additional information about the acquisition at that time.
   Cree is a manufacturer of lighting-class LEDs, LED lighting retrofit solutions, and semiconductor solutions for backlighting, wireless and power applications. Cree's product families include blue and green LED chips, high brightness LEDs, lighting-class power LEDs, power-switching devices, and radio-frequency/wireless devices. Cree solutions are driving improvements in applications such as general illumination, backlighting, electronic signs and signals, variable-speed motors, and wireless communications.

Tile Roofing Institute Launches "Go Green" Campaign

   The Tile Roofing Institute (TRI), Chicago, has announced the launch of the tile roofing industry's first-ever "Go Green" green-building campaign, which involves educating and informing design/building professionals and homeowners about the environmental "green" benefits of concrete and clay tile roofs. The national campaign will also shed new light on the unique, energy-saving properties of tile roofing systems, along with the financial benefits and LEED credits that builders and homeowners can gain by using tile on their new and re-roofing projects.
   The new campaign further establishes the TRI as the single-source authority for information on tile roofing's green benefits, including life-cycle cost, recycling, reflectivity, and sustainability. The GO Green Campaign will feature:

• A new "GO Green with Tile" brochure, that will highlight and compare tile's energy-saving benefits to other roofing products in the areas of durability, recyclability, reflectivity, financial incentives/insurance rebate's and other categories
• GO Green Media Blitz: TRI will reinforce the "GO Green" green-building message through a comprehensive media relations and advertising campaign. The campaign will target building/design and home improvement publications, e-newsletters, and syndicated TV/radio programs. TRI will also secure bylined articles, speeches, or interviews to highlight tile's sustainable qualities.
• GO Green Website: The website will feature articles, reports, photos, and information on the environmental benefits of tile roofing, including quarterly updates on current research, along with current and pending (local/regional) energy code requirements and standards.

   In addition to its energy-efficient properties, tile roofing is highly durable. Installed properly, tile roofs can withstand harsh weather conditions including high winds, snow and ice build-up, hail, and earthquakes.
   For more information on the Tile Roofing Institute, visit www.tileroofing.org.

GreenMachine Cranks Out TerraBricks for Afghan Reconstruction

The GreenMachine uses subsoil and cement or lime to produce energy-efficient, sustainable bricks.

   In a country that has been torn apart by civil strife over the past several decades, there is a new hope for those looking to rebuild their homes and lives. This March, Geo-Building Technologies LLC (GBT), a licensee of TerraBuilt Corp. Int'l, Middleburg, VA, is introducing a machine with a new technology that may revolutionize the construction industry in Afghanistan and other developing countries.
   Simply called "The GreenMachine," this piece of machinery is a portable, self-powered system designed to manufacture structural, precision-engineered tongue-and-groove compressed-earth blocks. The blocks, nicknamed "TerraBricks," are made from subsoil and small amounts of either cement or lime, requiring no mortar for construction. The bricks cost less than half the price to produce as conventional kiln-fired bricks (currently the most popular building material in the region). Not only are the TerraBricks affordable, but they exceed all U.S. code standards and are far more energy efficient to produce than concrete or kiln-fired bricks.
   GBT will introduce the technology to the region in March 2008, and will gradually expand training and availability of the portable units in coming months. "There has already been a massive outpouring of interest in our GreenMachine TerraBrick technology," said Rafaat Ludin, Founder of GBT. "We currently have orders for a number of rebuilding projects, including a Kabul housing complex, gymnasium, orphanage, and a vocational training institute."
   In the United States, several large construction materials companies are showing an interest in the largely carbon neutral TerraBricks as a cost-effective, energy saving means of building green wall systems for housing, commercial buildings, landscaping, and farm outbuildings. To supply the huge potential demand for this kind of product in the US market, TerraBuilt's technology would be used in high-volume production plants, turning out millions of TerraBricks weekly.
   Learn more at www.terrabuilt.com

FMI Sees Nonresidential Decline in 2008

   According to The Construction Outlook, a quarterly construction market forecast developed by the Research Services Group of FMI Corp., Raleigh, NC, the company's outlook for construction for 2008 and 2009 has been revised down since the fourth quarter of 2007. Recently released economic indicators are far bleaker than the previous months and the housing downturn, weakening employment rates, worsening consumer confidence, credit tightening, and the threat of inflation are all expected to slow the economy. FMI is an organization of management consultants and investment bankers serving the construction industry.
   The nonresidential segments that are the most cyclical, or tied to the economy, will see declines in 2008 and 2009. These segments include office, commercial, religious, and amusement and recreation. Lodging is the only exception as there is enough overhang from starts in 2007 that are still under construction in 2008. Publicly funded nonresidential segments, such as healthcare, educational, public safety and Homeland Security construction, will fare much better.
   Healthcare construction will remain positive partly due to facility upgrades across the country and seismic retrofits in California. Education construction will decline in some areas of the country due to less property taxes and therefore less state revenue. However, many school systems in several states have passed education bonds that will offset some of the downturn.
   "The economic indicators look bleak for construction in the upcoming year, but the outlook is optimistic for a few nonresidential and nonbuilding segments," said Heather Jones, construction economist for FMI's Research Services. "The segments that will remain positive in 2008 are either non-cyclical or are being propped up by large starts last year. The slowing economy will cause total nonresidential construction to decline in 2009 as lower starts in 2008 are finally felt.
   For more about FMI and its report, visit www.fminet.com

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