SC for Green » Business Operations

BMW Excited About Going Green

Rich — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 17:48:16 +0000

Spartanburg-based BMW Manufacturing Co. said Wednesday it will invest $12 million to expand its landfill methane gas-to-energy program.

The program, which was implemented in early 2003, collects methane gas at The Palmetto Landfill in Wellford and transports it more than nine miles via pipeline to BMW’s production plant near Greer.

More than 60 percent of the plant’s total energy requirements are met by burning methane gas, and Bobby Hitt, department manager of media and public affairs for BMW Manufacturing Co., said the expansion will help the company more efficiently use the gas siphoned from the landfill.

“We’re all about innovation and improving our sustainability at BMW,” he said. “We’re happy to be able to add on to this program.”

Hitt said the new system will include two gas turbine generators capable of producing 11,000 kilowatts of electricity. The two new turbines will replace four older ones — improving output from 14 percent to nearly 30 percent while using the same amount of methane.

The landfill project has saved the automaker about $5 million in energy costs annually. The new turbines are expected to increase those savings by up to $2 million a year while reducing carbon dioxide emissions by about 92,000 tons per year.

“BMW’s landfill gas program has been a tremendous initiative for the plant,” BMW Manufacturing President Josef Kerscher said in a statement. “Using methane gas to power our plant is one example of our focus on environmentally-friendly production processes.”

The German automaker has undertaken a $750 million expansion to add 1.5 million square feet of production space and 500 jobs as it seeks to ramp up annual vehicle production from 160,000 units to 240,000 units by 2012.

Once the additions go online, BMW’s X3, X5 and X6 models, and their respective variants, will be produced exclusively in Spartanburg for more than 120 markets around the globe.

But Hitt said the expansion of the gas-to-energy program had less to do with increased energy needs and more to do with improving the plant’s ability to collect and use methane.

“It’s a great project for us,” he said. “The new turbines are highly efficient and that’s really what this is all about.”

Methane, which is produced as landfill waste decomposes, is considered to be a very potent greenhouse gas.

Data provided by BMW said the new landfill gas program will reduce CO2 emissions by 92,000 tons per year, up from 65,000 tons previously reported for the four turbines operating 85 percent of the time.

Via GoUpstate.com

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Carrotmob in Charleston SC

Rich — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 20:45:57 +0000

Green Drinks Charleston is hosting its first “Carrotmob” on Sat., April 11. Carrotmob is a group of organized consumers who buy products to reward businesses that are making socially responsible decisions.

“Think of it as the opposite of a boycott with a little healthy competition thrown in the mix,” says Jason Cronen, organizer of Green Drinks Charleston.

Carrotmob allows consumers to make a difference with the environment by buying normal things in a targeted way and also allows consumers to control businesses with their buying power, he says.

Cronen contacted locally owned coffee shops, corner markets, groceries, and bars. “These businesses were asked to determine a percentage of their one-day sales that they were willing to reinvest in their business towards energy efficiency through simple cost-effective retrofits. The business that makes the greatest commitment wins, and hundreds of Carrotmob consumers deliver rewards by shopping at their store,” he says.

The Carrotmob in Charleston is expected to help businesses make a positive impact on the community and earn loyalty from the consumer. To learn more about the Carrotmob visit www.carrotmobcharleston.blogspot.com. -Emma Hart
By Greg Hambrick

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Summerville Manufacturer Goes Green

Rich — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 23:17:07 +0000

It looks like the low country may be leading the way in South Carolina’s efforts to go green. Check this article out from the business journal in Charleston.

By Andy Owens
aowens@scbiznews.com

Published March 3, 2009

A Summerville-based manufacturer of aluminum products has started offering recycled aluminum products for customers after seeing a growing demand for LEED-certified building materials.

Briteline Extrusions Inc., which operates a 95,000-square-foot manufacturing facility on Beech Hill Road, makes extruded aluminum parts primarily for the shower door industry, retail displays, pivot rods for the vertical blind industry and aluminum trim and molding for floor, walls and doors.

“We are seeing a strong demand now from the building industry for their extrusions to be made with secondary billet,” Briteline President Kenneth Kabine said.

Architects are specifying the use of aluminum extrusions to qualify for the LEED certification — Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, he said.

Read the rest of the article here.

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BMW Investigating Alternative Energy

Rich — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 16:20:30 +0000

The BMW plant in Greer, SC is looking for alternative energy solutions. They have been investigating wind solutions for the plant.

Already a big user of alternative energy, the BMW Manufacturing plant in Greer, S.C., is investigating whether wind turbines can help complete the cycle of self-sufficiency.

BMW is partnering with California-based Gold Ring Power LLC to study using wind energy, according to this GreenvilleOnline.com story.

A couple of 50-foot towers have been installed at the plant site to measure wind speed and direction. After two weeks they will be moved to other locations throughout the 1,100 acre-site, to determine areas that would maximize power production.

BMW’s Greer campus needs a peak of about 30 megawatts of energy per day, and that is expected to rise with a $750 million, 1.5 million square foot expansion, according to an article on Goupstate.com.

BMW already maintains a power station on-site, with four huge turbines fueled by methane gas siphoned from a nearby landfill. The plant generates nearly 63 percent of the plant’s electricity, according to the article, which indicated BMW has saved more than $1 million annually from the program.

BMW has employed an array of environmentally friendly features at the site, according to GreenvilleOnline.com. It put in a solar-powered trash compactor at the site, and a household waste container so far has generated three tons of waste. The plant also has been looking at adding solar.

In its data center, BMW is using energy saving techniques.

In Germany, BMW has been testing electric drivetrains on the Mini platform it owns.

This article comes from www.environmentalleader.com. BMW logo by Scott Gable.

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Starbucks Goes Green In South Carolina

Rich — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 02:25:22 +0000

South Carolina is becoming green by the day. This article came from the bizjournals the link is posted below. South Carolina is behind on its greening efforts compared to other states, but that will change with the right people and the right voices.

Starbucks Corp. said its new roasting plant in Calhoun County in South Carolina has been awarded a “green” designation from a national building organization.

The Seattle coffee giant (NASDAQ: SBUX) said the central South Carolina plant has been awarded a “silver” LEED certificate for new construction from the U.S. Green Building Council.

Starbucks officials have vowed to “significantly” reduce the company’s environmental footprint by 2015. At the new plant, 20 percent of building materials were from recycled content and more than 75 percent of construction waste was recycled, they said, adding that a portion of the plant’s power will be supplied by wind energy.

“In this business climate, it’s more important than ever that we make the right investments in our business, while making sure we do it in ways that support our business, the communities we work in, the environment and our people,” said Howard Schultz, chairman, president and CEO, in a statement.

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