BERKELEY, CALIF.—Researchers at the Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) released a new study on the installed costs of solar photovoltaic (PV) power systems in the United States, showing that the average cost of these systems declined by more than 30 percent from 1998 to 2008. Within the last year of this period, costs fell by more than 4 percent. The number of solar PV systems in the United States has been growing at a rapid rate in recent years, as governments at the national, state, and local levels have offered various incentives to expand the...

MILWAUKEE, WIS.—Telkonet, Inc., a company specializing in integrated intelligent networking and smart energy management solutions, is generating savings through a new SmartEnergy installation within the Springhill Suites hotel on Paradise Road in Las Vegas. This recently completed installation has enabled the hotel to expand its environmental awareness initiatives while recognizing significant savings on its energy reduction. By using Telkonet’s SmartEnergy platform, the hotel is able to implement a program that ensures guest comfort while optimizing energy savings. With 300 guestrooms and nine conference rooms totaling more than 4,500 square feet of conference space, the Springhill Suites recognized a significant opportunity...

PALO ALTO, CALIF.—Southwall Technologies Inc. and Dow Corning Corporation announced the availability of energy-efficient Heat Mirror “S” film and 982FS two-part structural silicone sealant for commercial building projects in North America. Having successfully worked together over the past three decades, the two companies are now combining the best of their suspended film and silicone sealant technologies to provide the industry’s lightest weight and most energy-efficient multi-cavity insulating glass available for large glass-intensive projects. With the combined solution, architects and window manufacturers can now increase energy savings by up to 30 percent, block more than 99 percent of UV radiation...

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J.—Distributed Sun LLC (D-SUN), a Washington, D.C.-based solar project developer, owner and operator, announced it has signed a 20-year, 1.1-megawatt power purchase agreement (PPA) to generate solar electricity for the Sheraton Meadowlands Hotel & Conference Center. In the first of several megawatt-scale, commercial solar projects to be commissioned in 2011, D-SUN will construct and operate a solar powered carport facility in partnership with The Buccini/Pollin Group (BPG), the owner of the property, and Pollin/Miller Hospitality Strategies, Inc. (PMHS), the property manager. The solar system will be owned by Distributed Sun’s Solar Energy Investment Company (SEIC), sunTWO, and...

NEW YORK—LG Electronics recently showcased advancements in energy-saving technologies and luxury design elements at the 2010 International Hotel, Motel + Restaurant Show. LG highlighted its Multi-V Variable Refrigerant Flow (VRF) technology and its stylish Art Cool units, demonstrating new ways to reduce energy output and climate control costs without sacrificing design. “As hoteliers continue to look at LEED and green initiatives, LG is proud to offer innovative solutions in our ever-expanding line of commercial HVAC products,” said Steve Schmitt, director, Commercial Air Conditioning, LG Electronics USA. “Our current line of commercial HVAC products demonstrates enhanced air flow options and low...

SAN MARCOS, TEXAS—Philips Wide-Lite, a leading manufacturer of sustainable lighting products, unveils a new family of indoor and outdoor RGB LED floodlights that allows users to simply “paint” with light—thanks to four levels of dynamic color-mixing control. Designers seeking to better integrate lighting solutions with dynamic color mixing schemes now have the flexibility and diversity to do so, thanks to the innovative Color-Tune technology that TAG offers. Color-Tune allows the user to control everything directly at the fixture. Simply power up a TAG luminaire for the first time and 16 million color possibilities are available. Push the Color-Tune button to...

PHOENIX—Phoenix-based Easy Energy just announced the completed installation of a solar water heating system at the Orange Tree Golf Resort, one of Arizona’s finest luxury golf resort destinations. The solar water heating system is designed to offset the natural gas usage in the nine large boilers throughout the Scottsdale Golf Resort. It is estimated that the new system will save 465 tons of CO2 annually, which equates to planting 34,500 trees each year. The new system provides all 160 Orange Tree Golf Resort guestrooms and on-site laundry facilities with water heated by the Arizona sun. “Solar water heating is the...

GOLDEN, COLO.—Lewis Properties announced that it has installed solar panels on its award-winning Colorado-based hotels—the Golden Hotel in Golden and the Boulder Creek Quality Inn & Suites in Boulder—making them the first solar powered hotels in their respective cities. The installations, to be completed this month, will make a significant impact on decreasing the carbon footprint of the hotels. Owners Burt and Andria Lewis stated, “This was an easy decision for us; we are consistently trying to enhance our green practices and what better way to do so than by going solar.” The 62-room Golden Hotel features a 160-panel, 33.6-kilowatt...

NEW YORK—Sterling Planet, Inc. announced that the InterContinental New York Barclay, New York City’s landmark historic hotel, is now supported by 100 percent wind energy. Sterling Planet, a leader in the renewable energy market, supplies the 685-room luxury hotel with wind energy through renewable energy certificates (RECs). The Barclay is among the first New York Hotels to source 100 percent wind energy. Sterling Planet will provide the InterContinental New York Barclay with more than 6.3 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) of Green-e Energy certified RECs from nationwide wind resources to offset 100 percent of the hotel’s conventional electricity. Electricity produced from renewable...

DEZHOU, CHINA—Located in China Solar Valley in the Economic Development Zone of Dezhou, the Solar Valley Micro-E Hotel is part of Sun-Moon Mansion, the largest single solar powered structure in the world. Sun-Moon Mansion, an 800,000-square-foot building, includes more than two thousand solar collectors on its roof. The hotel opened in December 2009 and is part of complex that features solar air collectors, seasonal heat storage, solar heating and cooling, ceiling radiation, geothermal system, photovoltaic (PV) electricity generation, PV lighting, energy-saving glass, sun-shading panels, external wall insulation, and rainwater collection. The five-star Solar Valley Micro-E Hotel was constructed by Himin...