Green Business

Several states are floundering financially, according to a new report by the Pew Center on the States. Another recent report by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) cites energy efficiency as contributing to certain states’ bottom lines.

UQM Technologies Inc., a Colorado company that specializes in electric drive systems in all-electric and hybrid cars, buses, and other vehicles, has been awarded a $45 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) through its Vehicle Technologies program, according to an October Recovery Act announcement.

Environmental Defense Fund’s Climate Corps is working to identify energy waste at Fortune 500 and top American companies that could be turned into more than $54 million in savings through energy efficiency projects.

EDF, a nonprofit that partners with businesses to affect resolutions for environmental problems, recruited MBA students from top schools such as Duke University, Stanford University, Cornell University and Yale University

The Department of Energy (DOE) is ramping up its ability to enforce energy efficiency standards by streamlining the multitude of regulations and creating stricter protocols. DOE, in partnership with the Obama Administration, has instituted three new steps to increase their power to begin their more concerted effort.

Mississippi Gulf Coast residents and property owners can pursue oil, chemical and coal companies for allegedly contributing to global warming that lead to the enormous power and destruction of Hurricane Katrina in that region, according to a court decision issued Oct. 16.

A study by the University of California at Berkeley concludes that programs like the American Clean Energy and Security Act (ACES) would create approximately 1.9 million jobs, reaffirming the positive economic implications of clean energy policy in the U.S.

Is it any coincidence that in the beginning of Energy Awareness Month, news would emerge that cleantech and alternative energy could be on the verge of an economic boom – THE next boom?

American Airlines and Oncor Electric Delivery Company LLC are close to completing a project that will replace more that 1,600 incandescent lighting fixtures with new LED bulbs. The venture is set to completely retrofit two multi-story parking garages near the airline’s corporate headquarters in Fort Worth, Texas.

New technologies are making it possible for commercial businesses to reduce energy consumption and lessen their environmental footprint. Many U.S. companies are taking advantage of tax incentives for projects that have major impact on energy reduction such as LED lighting retrofits, which can cut electricity costs by 80 percent.

CASH for CLUNKERS Lighting UPDATE in 2012: Pennsylvania based Independence LED Lighting is a leading U.S.