Tony Sarich, co-founder of American Modular Systems (AMS), is working on California’s first Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) gold certified winery, with an accompanying LEED-certified home to soon follow. The project is called the River Vine Project and consists of two phases. The first phase included the construction of the 3,000-square-foot River Vine Winery that was actually delivered to the Lodi region last week, fully equipped with a 1.8 megawatt (MW) solar photovoltaic (PV) rooftop energy system large enough to power the entire winery, well, and house that will be built alongside the winery. The finished structures hope to become the Central Valley’s first LEED Gold home and the first prefab winery built offsite to LEED Gold standards.

AMS designs and constructs a wide range of buildings, from warehouses, to homes, to schools. The company is most recognized for its Gen7 Classrooms, which incorporate the cleanest building materials on the market and can cut the cost of a room’s utility bill by as much as 30 percent through various energy efficient solutions.

Sarich used many of the same methods used in Gen7 classrooms to design the winery, which he hopes will be “an inspiration” to others in the area in terms of solar energy use and energy efficiency. The winergy has LED lights, harvests daylight in order to reduce the energy consumption of the winery by as much as 65 percent, and is made of 100 percent recycled or recyclable materials. The construction of Sarich’s accompanying home is the second phase of the River Vine Project. It will include many of the same features as the winery and should be delivered to the Lodi region during the Fall of 2011.

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The Clinton Climate Initiative, Rocky Mountain Institute, Jones Lang LaSalle and Johnson controls will together pay for newly installed insulated windows, lighting upgrades and improved HVAC — a feat that will cut the Empire State Building’s energy consumption by 38 percent and slash its energy costs by $4.4 million annually. The project will make the property eligible for “Gold” status under the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC).

Not to be overlooked, the Empire State’s energy efficiency upgrades will also prevent 105,000 metric tons of atmospheric CO2 emissions over the next 15 years. Since New York’s buildings account for 80 percent of the city’s carbon emissions — and rack up a collective energy bill of $15 billion, relatively small steps — like those being undertaken at Empire State — can combine for big impact.

You too, as a homeowner, can reap similar savings. EnergyStar estimates that similar energy efficiency upgrades to an average American home can trim a utility bill by up to 20 percent. Once you’ve reduced the amount of electricity you need, then you’re really ready to install a solar home energy system. For more solar home tips, see our handy blog post, Five Things You Should Do Before You Get Solar.

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Located about 10 miles southeast of Boulder, the school has been recognized as one of the greenest school in the country, compiling a sustainable report card of achievements that includes: three Green Globe awards; a LEED Gold for Schools certification; and an A+ (99 out of 100) in environmental friendliness from Energy Star.

The school’s latest move is the installation of a new solar energy system courtesy of Bella Energy, a Colorado solar installer. The local installer donated $10,000 toward the new system, which will allow the school to solar power 11 percent of its energy needs. To celebrate Earth Day, the school unveiled the new 90-panel system at a ribbon-cutting ceremony last week. The system is expected to save more than 50,000 pounds annually of carbon dioxide from polluting the rocky mountain air.

Bethke Elementary has demonstrated its commitment to renewable energy measures since 2008, when it became the first school to benefit from Colorado’s Renewable Schools program, with help from Trees, Water & People (TWP), a Fort Collins, Colorado-based non-profit aiming to “protect, conserve and manage the natural resources.”

Learn more about TWP’s Renew the Rockies Program and how they have worked to install renewable energy systems at Colorado elementary schools.

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MARS and PSEG Celebrate New 2 MW Solar Panel Array

What’s better than solar power? Chocolate. How do we compensate for this sad reality? By putting a 2 MW solar panel array next to the Mars Chocolate North America headquarters. Today, New Jersey utility PSEG joined Mars officials (including advertising’s favorite walking, talking M&Ms) in Hackettstown for the official grand unveiling of more than 28,000 solar panels.

The 18 acres of solar power provides an impressive amount of electricity for the factory where M&Ms are brought into their delicious, brief existence. According to the press release from PSEG,

The solar garden provides 2 MW of power during peak hours, which is equivalent to approximately 20 percent of the plant’s peak energy consumption. It will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by more than 1,000 metric tons, equivalent to removing 190 vehicles from the road each year.

The solar garden is owned by PSEG Solar Source, and was installed and engineered by Colorado-based juwi solar Inc. using thin film solar panels provided by First Solar. Together with the solar garden, the Mars facility has undergone a number of energy efficiency renovations and will now be applying for LEED Gold Certification.

Has your candy ever tasted so low carbon? No. We didn’t think so.

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