Practical Facilities Tips, News & Advice.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has awarded funding to help make airports across the country more sustainable. As part of nearly $268 million in grants, about $92 million will go to 21 airports for solar panels, electric buses, charging stations, and electrification studies. The funding is part of the Airport Improvement Program (AIP) Supplemental Grant Program. It […]
Organizations wanting to go green typically install rooftop or ground-mounted solar projects or buy renewable energy credits. But a water utility in New Jersey has embraced a novel approach, installing North America’s largest floating solar project. Consisting of 16,510 solar panels, the 8.9-megawatt (MW) solar array covers 17 acres of the Canoe Brook reservoir in […]
Earth Day 2023, which is being celebrated on Saturday, April 22, has a theme of “Invest in Our Planet.” To participate, facilities management professionals should consider ways to invest in making their facilities more environmentally friendly. Sustainability often benefits not only the planet, but also the bottom line. Here are five ways to make facilities […]
In line with its goal to reach net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2050, major home improvement company Lowe’s has announced plans to have rooftop solar installations atop 174 store and distribution center locations nationwide, including 20 sites currently in operation. Once each site is completed, the solar panels will provide approximately 90% of the […]
The LEGO Group has broken ground on its new carbon-neutral-run factory in Chesterfield County near Richmond, Va. The 340-acre site is the size of 260 American football fields, and the project represents a $1 billion investment. Sustainability When completed in 2025, the factory will include tens of thousands of rooftop and ground solar panels to […]
City officials have announced completion of a $2.4 million project to install solar photovoltaic (PV) systems atop six New York City Fire Department (FDNY) firehouses in Queens and Brooklyn. In addition to generating emissions-free energy, these systems will use battery storage to ensure that the firehouses remain operational during blackouts, brownouts, or storms if electric […]
Led by tech and retail giants, American companies are installing record levels of solar to power their operations and now account for 14% of all installed solar capacity in the United States, according to the Solar Means Business 2022 report released by the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA). The report, which tracks and analyzes commercial solar adoption, named […]
Supported by a landmark commitment from Johns Hopkins University, a brand-new solar facility is now up and running, providing the university with two-thirds of its annual electricity use from clean power. With this agreement—one of the most substantial clean energy pledges by any higher education institution in the U.S.—Johns Hopkins achieved its goal to cut greenhouse gas […]
Universities across the country are embracing solar energy to help power their campuses, become more sustainable, and save money. Proving that point, here are three major announcements U.S. universities made in late May alone. Brigham Young University–Hawaii Brigham Young University–Hawaii announced completion of a campus-wide renewable energy system that includes rooftop solar, carport solar, and […]
What would you do if the power went out for 2 hours, 2 days, or even 2 weeks? This question was posed during a recent Facilities Management Now webinar, featuring Norman Campbell, Federal Team Manager of Go Electric, and Tony Mayfield, Senior Consultant and Managing Partner at On-Target Innovations. In the virtual forum session, titled […]