From the Editor
Rejoice! Summer is finally upon us. And that means relaxing vacations at the beach (hopefully), suntans, baseball, fireworks, and a photovoltaic array’s whirring energy meter. Wait, what was that last one, you might be asking?

Admittedly, PVs may not be the first thing in the hearts and minds of many facility executives as the calendar flips to June, but summertime is truly when PVs reap the highest rewards because the long, sunny days mean best efficiency and most energy production. As climate change concerns mount and we move closer to a carbon cap-and-trade system, PVs will continue to get more than cursory looks.

I’d also like to welcome you to the first GreenTech Conference and Exposition Green Building Alert. This biweekly e-mail will keep you updated on all things green, leading up to the GreenTech Conference and Exposition, March 10-12, 2009 at the Baltimore Convention Center. I’d love to hear what you think, or if you have any suggestions. Please feel free to e-mail me.

— Greg Zimmerman, Editor

Green Strategies
A Look at Solar PV Roofing Options
Facility executives take advantage of technology innovations, third-party ownership, to move ahead with photovoltaic systems. Two case studies show different, creative methods of funding and justifying the use of photovoltaic panels on commercial facilities.

In the News
SCE To Cover Cali in PVs
This release hit the wire a few months ago, but in case you missed it, Southern California Edison announced plans to install PV panels on 65 million square feet of roofs in Southern California. The 250 MW project will provide enough energy to power more than 162,000 homes. The project will cost $875 million.

Green Toolkit
Fun with Calculators
Here’s a tool that helps determine the electricity produced by a grid-connected PV system.

Green Pulse
What is your level of experience with PV panels?
- We have them on our building.
- We’re interested and hope to use some soon.
- We have no interest or we can’t justify them.
- What’s a PV?

Click here to answer and view results.

GreenTech University
Best Practices for Finding and Capturing Incentives
This presentation from the 2008 GreenTech Conference and Exposition provides a blueprint for how facility executives can get utilities and other third-party organizations to help them pay for energy efficiency upgrades and investments in alternative energy sources, like solar.