Proposals are due by June 28, 1999 for grants from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) to cover up to 50% of the cost of installing

grid-connected photovoltaics at New York State residences. A total of $1 million will be awarded, with a maximum of $500,000 for any one project. Look up PON 448-98 in the opportunities section of NYSERDA’s Web site (www.nyserda.org), or contact Jane Powers at 518/862-1091 (fax) or jap@nyserda.org (e-mail) for an application and instructions.

(formerly Trex LLC), maker of wood-plastic composite lumber for decking and other outdoor applications, went public on March 29, 1999 with an offering of 3.35 million shares. The company’s stock is being traded on the New York Stock Exchange with the symbol TWP. Trex is using the capital from the public offering to repay $26.3 million in debt and to outfit its new manufacturing facility now under construction in Fernley, Nevada.

has arrived at the University of California Riverside. Two hundred students and faculty members at UC Riverside have begun sharing 15 Honda EV PLUS electric vehicles as part of an international experiment Honda is conducting on car sharing. Through this IntelliShare program, which is part of Honda’s Intelligent Community Vehicle System (ICVS), each member receives a smart card that provides access to any of the electric cars housed in three port locations at the UC Riverside campus and University Village, where the vehicles are kept charged. Honda researchers are examining car sharing as a way of enhancing the convenience, efficiency, and environmental responsibility of our transportation system. For further information, contact Robert Bienenfeld, Advanced Environmental Vehicles Marketing Manager at American Honda Motor Co., 310/781-4455.

The Yestermorrow Design/Build School in Warren, Vermont, which offers a wide range of courses and workshops on sustainable design and building, is looking for an assistant director. For information, contact executive director Peter Walcott at 888/496-5541 or designbuild@yestermorrow.org. For more about the school, visit their Web site:

www.yestermorrow.org.

Newsbriefs

For more than 30 years, the

Yale School of Architecture has required first-year students to design and actually construct a building. Working in teams, students come up with designs and submit them to a design competition, which is judged by the School of Architecture faculty. The entire class then refines the winning design and builds it. In recent years, students have built one- and two-family homes for low-income New Haven neighborhoods. At a recent meeting

without the faculty present, students decided that the house they build this year will be sustainable. With intensive design beginning this March, students are hoping to interest manufacturers in the project and obtain donated materials. The faculty advisor for the Building Project is Paul Brouard. For information, contact the Yale School of Architecture at 180 York Street, New Haven, CT 06520; 203/432-2298.

Paula Springer of Seattle, Washington has been chosen as the NWEBG’s first Director. The organization is an association of designers, builders, manufacturers, and suppliers interested in environmentally friendly building, with six local chapters in Washington and Oregon. For more information call 206/575-2222 or check out their Web site: www.ecobuilding.org.

Newsbriefs

Laurence Doxsey is leaving his position as Sustainability Officer for the City of Austin to take a Community Builder fellowship with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) in San Antonio. Doxsey was a leader and key spokesperson for Austin’s groundbreaking Green Builder Program from its inception. Along with his other responsibilities, he will help to bring green building consciousness to the communities HUD serves.

The Illinois Department of Commerce and Community Affairs has just launched a $3.9 million

Renewable Energy Resources Program to provide rebates of up to $5,000 for solar thermal energy and PV systems, and cost-sharing grants for eligible larger projects. Contact the Bureau of Energy and Recycling at 217/785-2800.

According to the

Los Angeles Times, a storage tank exploded on February 26 at the

SEGS II solar power plant in Barstow, California. The 900,000-gallon (3.4 million l) tank held Therminol, a hydraulic fluid that is used as a heat-transfer fluid, and was still burning four hours after the explosion. Heated to 850°F (450°C) by solar-thermal collectors, the fluid’s heat produces steam for generating electricity. Nine SEGS plants with a total capacity of more than 350 megawatts were built by Luz International during the 1980s and in 1990. While Luz International ultimately went bankrupt because of investment tax credit changes in California, the SEGS plants have been operated very successfully (except for this accident) by a successor company. Fortunately, nobody was injured in the explosion, though a half-square-mile (1.3 km²) area was evacuated. The cause of the explosion was unknown.

(APC) of Lacey, Washington announced on February 26 its acquisition of

Ascension Technology, Inc., headquartered in Waltham, Massachusetts. APC, a subsidiary of Idaho Power, is a leading photovoltaic (PV) systems provider. Ascension Technology, founded in 1987, is a leading developer of balance-of-system equipment for PV installations, including circuit-protection equipment, solar radiation data collection equipment, and PV module-integrated inverters for grid-connected systems—i.e., PV panels that supply alternating-current (AC) power directly, obviating the need for a separate inverter. For information, contact APC at 800/777-7075 or www.appliedpower.com.