Energy Efficiency

The Francis Beidler Forestry Project is a unique and rare property located in the South Carolina lowlands. It is the world’s largest virgin cypress-tupelo swamp forest, a pristine ecosystem of thousand-year-old trees. Because the property features stands of highly valuable timber, logging has been an attractive management option for the property in the past. Preservation of forests such as the Frances Beidler forest are critical but can be challenging due to the value of timber on properties like these.

Nitrous oxide (N₂O) is a greenhouse gas (GHG) that contributes to global warming. It is 265 times more effective at trapping heat in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide (CO₂) and is often overlooked. Ascend Performance Materials has a plant in Cantonment, FL, where they voluntarily chose to add a new absorption system that captures and destroys N₂O emissions from their process. This is the largest voluntary N₂O abatement project in North America and results in improving local air quality due to a significant reduction of emissions that otherwise would have been released into the atmosphere. Ascend's safety and environmental performance guides their commitment to zero: zero personal injuries, zero process safety incidents, and zero environmental releases. This project is third-party verified and registered through the Climate Action Reserve (CAR) Registry.

A shipowner enrolls into the GreenScreen Program, a model that can easily simulate and calculate the greenhouse gas savings from various retrofits. The retrofits include modifications to the propeller or applying low-friction paint to the hull. Utilizing Gold Standard’s carbon credit methodology, the ship generates carbon credits based on the actual reduction in CO2 emissions attributable to the retrofits. Revenue from the sale of carbon credits helps to fund the retrofits and incentivizes the shipowner to cut emissions.

The Turkish power grid depends mainly on fossil fuels to provide energy to the country. Demand for electricity in Turkey is growing rapidly; thus, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are projected to increase. The Gunder Hydro Power Project is a 28.22 MW hydropower plant that channels water from the Gunder Creek to produce electricity. Located in the Karaman Province of Turkey, the project generates clean, renewable power that can be fed into the national grid to displace fossil-fuel-based power. As a result, the hydro project reduces a significant amount of carbon dioxide and other pollutants from power generation that would otherwise have been emitted into the atmosphere. Co-benefits for this project include creating local employment opportunities and helping Turkey to stimulate and commercialize the grid-connected to renewable energy technologies and markets. This project is third-party verified and registered through the Verified Carbon Standard.

The Waste Energy Co-Generation Project utilizes surplus waste gases to generate electricity and steam. It generates nearly three million megawatt-hours of electricity and more than one million tonnes of steam to be used by both the plant and the local electric grid. This project is the first-ever Verified Carbon Standard project in South Korea and consists of a 400-megawatt cogeneration plant at Hyundai Steel. Mitigating climate change and reducing the importation of fossil fuels are significant environmental benefits. This project meets South Korea’s environmental policies and benefits the community by developing new technologies, creating additional jobs, and reducing environmental pollution.

The Davidson County Gas-To-Energy Project is a municipal solid waste facility in Lexington, North Carolina. Operating at a 1.6 MW capacity, the project collects and combusts landfill gas to generate renewable energy. It is estimated to reduce 50,000 tonnes of CO2e annually. This project produces enough energy to power approximately 1,500 to 2,000 homes. The Davidson County Gas-To-Energy Project contributes to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) including SDG #13 – take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts. This is accomplished by destroying the methane in the collected landfill gas that would have otherwise been emitted into the atmosphere.

Environmental problems linked to plastic waste have become a significant concern in Malaysia. The country is currently ranked 5^th globally for ocean plastic. The rural areas and islands of Malaysia face a major challenge when it comes to managing this plastic waste. There is a lack of adequate collection infrastructure and a high cost associated with the transport of the waste to urban centers. This is where Heng Hiap Industries (HHI) and ClimeCo have come together to collect this waste in these remote Malaysian communities and turn it into a product that can be reused.

Set on a 36,000-acre plot in South Dakota and comprising of 108 1.5MW wind turbines, the Crow Lake Wind Farm displaces fossil fuel-generated energy, meeting growing demands with clean energy and helping drive a low carbon future for the mid-west.  In addition to generating clean energy, the project is building the next generation-in-energy workforce.  American wind power supports more than 120,000 jobs.  Mitchell Technical College, located in Mitchell, South Dakota, created a Wind Turbine Technology program in 2009 to give local students a new career option. The program teaches students how to meet the workforce challenges of the wind industry and provides a fast track to these high-demand, well-paying jobs.  The college received a generous donation of a wind turbine from NextEra Energy Resources, LLC, the Crow Lake Wind Farm owner and operator, to provide their students with hands-on training.

Solar projects generate renewable, clean energy from the sun. The Gujarat Solar Project in India has a capacity of 25 MW that will generate electricity for export to the regional electricity grid under a power purchase agreement with the Gujarat State Electricity Utility (Gujarat Urja Vikas Nigam Limited). This project also contributes to sustainable development by bringing social, economic, environmental, and technological well-being to the area where it is implemented. It has led to local employment in the region, creating direct and indirect economic benefits, development of local infrastructure, and improved electricity generation capacity to the grid.

The preservation of natural forest habitat is essential for the continued survival of these species. The Afognak wildlife and Native peoples co-existed for centuries on the island before the towering Sitka spruce trees first took hold some 800 years ago. Afognak is home to a 200-year-old forest. This pristine environment also has an increasingly important environmental value: the old-growth trees sequester millions of tonnes of carbon dioxide. This creates a new resource opportunity for the forest and habitat based on their environmental benefits. The Afognak forest carbon project has retained large tracts of undisturbed native trees (180-250 years old) and regenerated trees' growth over the past 30 years. Besides protecting the habitat, the project also prevents land disruption from logging and GHG emissions from the logging process.

In the beautiful Rocky Mountains of Northwest Montana, just south of the Canadian border, lies an area that is known for its forests, lakes, and rivers that create a picturesque landscape of the American West. This area is known for its rugged wilderness and 71 species of mammals, ranging from the tiny pygmy shew to the majestic elk to the wolverine (currently a threatened endangered species) – most of which is protected by Flathead National Forest and Glacier National Park. This little slice of Heaven is known as Flathead Valley, and in the center of it sits the town of Kalispell, MT – the Soul of Montana.  Kalispell is home to many residents and hosts thousands of adventurers who come into the valley to ski, camp, hike, fish, and explore. So, with all this year-round beauty, how can there possibly be an issue here?  Well, as is the case with anywhere there are people, there is also trash. Lots of trash, which creates environmental issues.  Fortunately, with more people also comes the need for more energy, which in itself creates opportunity.

In 2009, in partnership with the Flathead County Landfill, Flathead Electric Cooperative created the first landfill gas-to-energy plant in Montana. This new project offered many benefits to the community, including a new source of clean energy, job opportunities, reduced greenhouse gases, odor control, and improved air and water quality.

Nitrous oxide (N₂O) is a greenhouse gas (GHG) that contributes to global warming. It is 265 times more effective at trapping heat in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide (CO₂) and is often overlooked. Ascend Performance Materials has a plant in Cantonment, FL, where they voluntarily chose to add a new absorption system that captures and destroys N₂O emissions from their process. This is the largest voluntary N₂O abatement project in North America and results in improving local air quality due to a significant reduction of emissions that otherwise would have been released into the atmosphere. Ascend's safety and environmental performance guides their commitment to zero: zero personal injuries, zero process safety incidents, and zero environmental releases. This project is third-party verified and registered through the Climate Action Reserve (CAR) Registry.