Architecture billings were positive in December 
New construction starts fell 11% in November 
Nevada 110-MW Solar Power Plant Gets OK
SolarReserve’s planned 110-MW concentrating solar thermal power plant recently receive...
ASCE Previews Sustainable Ratings System
After successful case studies, the system called PRISM, or Project Rating for Infrastructure...
Report: Green Building Poised For Explosive Grow
Green building remains red hot despite a sluggish economy that has curtailed new development...
Green Building Market Grows 50% in Two Years Despite Recession
Green building is the bright spot in an otherwise tough economy, and in some sectors, that rate o...
News >> Sustainability
Sustainability industry news from around Nevada - the so-called "Saudi Arabia of Renewables."
Nevada 110-MW Solar Power Plant Gets OK
SolarReserve’s planned 110-MW concentrating solar thermal power plant recently received the go-ahead from the U.S. Dept. of the Interior. The Crescent Dunes Solar Energy Project will be situated on 1,776 acres of federal land 13 miles northwest of Tonopah in the Nevada desert. The project will be the nation’s first commercial solar power plant using salt storage, enabling electrical generation for up to eight hours after dark and during cloudy days.
Crescent Dunes will break ground in mid-2011, and cost between $650 million and $750 million to complete. Construction will generate 450 direct jobs, plus 50 permanent positions upon commercial operation in early 2013. The plant expected to produce $40 million in sales and property tax revenues. Santa Monica, Calif.-based SolarReserve is currently negotiating with an unnamed engineering-procurement-construction contractor.
Report: Green Building Poised For Explosive Grow
Green building remains red hot despite a sluggish economy that has curtailed new development, New York-based McGraw-Hill Construction reported.
Green construction grew 50 percent during the last two years from $42 billion up to $71 billion, the report said. It will account for about 25 percent of all new building activity in 2010, the report added.
McGraw-Hill Construction projected market spending for green building will reach $135 billion by 2015. A third of all new nonresidential construction is green -- a $54 billion market. In five years, McGraw-Hill Construction projects, nonresidential green building activity will triple, reaching up to $145 billion in new construction for a 48 percent market share.
Health care construction is expected to grow its green share up to 40 percent in 2010, representing up to $9 billion in spending, the company said. Education, meanwhile, is valued at between $13 billion to $16 billion, while green office construction is represents a $7 billion to $8 billion market.
Green Building Market Grows 50% in Two Years Despite Recession
Green building is the bright spot in an otherwise tough economy, and in some sectors, that rate of growth has been remarkable. In nonresidential building, for example, the green building market share is even higher than the overall market. Today, a third of all new nonresidential construction is green — a $54 billion market opportunity. In five years, nonresidential green building activity is expected to triple, representing $120 billion to $145 billion in new construction (40%-48% of the nonresidential market) and $14 billion to $18 billion in major retrofit and renovation projects.
To break it down further, health care construction this year is expected to grow its green share to as much as 40% (valued at $8 billion-$9 billion in 2010) — phenomenal growth in just two years.
Read more: Green Building Market Grows 50% in Two Years Despite Recession
ASCE Previews Sustainable Ratings System
After successful case studies, the system called PRISM, or Project Rating for Infrastructure Sustainability and Management, will launch in May 2011. The voluntary rating system, developed by ASCE, the American Council of Engineering Companies and the American Public Works Association, aims to do for bridges, roads and waterways what the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program does for buildings.
“This will be comprehensive and similar to LEED,” but it won’t address habitable buildings, says Sustainable Solutions LLC President Peter D. Binney, a panelist at the event who insists PRISM won’t compete with LEED.
