Energy/Sustainable Development
Recent Features
Special Investment Report: California’s Central Valley
It’s a region of great contrasts. More than four million people call it home, and so do hundreds of thousands of cows. It’s a region big on oil production that also happens to have some of the world’s biggest wind and solar power installations. More than 200 crops grow here, and so do dozens of companies developing new aerospace technologies and countless other innovations.
Location Notebook: Tesla’s “Gigafactory” - Reno’s Game Changer
With the announcement that Tesla picked Reno for its highly publicized $5 billion “gigafactory,” the area took a giant step toward civic leaders' goal of remaking its economy and image. To win the project, the state offered a rich — and what will be a highly scrutinized — incentive package. Will the bold gamble pay off?
Design Firms’ Increasingly Integrated Role in Facility Development Projects
The process of client engagement for design firms is evolving from a late-stage entry into the game by RFP response to a proactive approach that includes crucial due diligence factors that come before any facility design can even be conceptualized.
How Companies Can Get the Utility Packages They Need
Energy availability is a vital factor in any site selection process. Making an energy decision is more than just cost per kilowatt-hour — a well-designed utility plan should also take into account grid capacity, rate structure, service/distribution, and related utilities, such as wastewater treatment.
In Focus: For Property Managers, a Penny Spent is a Penny Earned
By making smart energy-saving investments, property managers will reap long-term savings.
Critical Site Selection Factor #9: Energy Availability & Costs Leading Companies To Reshore
Competitively priced energy is having a transformative effect on the U.S. economy.
In Focus: Funding Solar Projects for Commercial Facilities
Although companies can reap huge savings from installing solar energy, they may need to employ some creative strategies in order to secure project financing and must also consider the real estate available for such an installation.
In Focus: Leveraging Applications Experts and Tools for Effective HVAC Systems
Given the complexity of HVAC systems, their impact on performance, and the investment required, leveraging the expertise of HVAC manufacturer applications can be a critical enhancement.
Canada: A Leader in the Development of Smart Grid Technology
Smart grids and smart buildings work together to save energy and keep the production line moving.
U.S. Auto Manufacturing Through the Eyes of a Design-Build Contractor
Though uncertainties always exist, Gray Construction is optimistic about the future of the automotive industry and looks forward to opportunities the changing industry will provide.
The Case for Supplier Parks in the Automotive Supply Chain
With the auto industry in a cycle of growth, OEMs need to meet new industry standards while keeping costs in check; locating at a supplier park may help to achieve these goals.
How the Location Decision Affects LEED Certification
Corporate site selectors, economic developers, real estate professionals, and regulators need to understand the relationship between environmental sustainability and industrial location decisions.
Renewed Expansion for Renewables Industry
For companies in the renewables industry, preparing for expansion to capture growth needs to be done with care in order to capture the best deals and position the company in the marketplace.
In Focus: Utilizing Data to Enhance Energy Management Strategies
By analyzing usage and consumption patterns through energy management software, facilities are able to bridge the gap between the theory of saving energy and the act of actually eliminating wasted dollars through reduction in energy usage.
Energy-Rich States Growing U.S. Economy, Shifting Global Balance
States with plentiful energy resources exhibited the fastest rates of economic growth last year; nationwide growth in energy-related jobs was more than twice the national average of overall job growth.
Tesla’s New Battery Plant to Bring Electric Vehicles to the Masses
A comprehensive incentives package (pending legislative approval), proximity to natural resources and abundant renewable energy potential are significant factors that will improve Tesla’s odds of success in the “get things done state.”
Domestic Oil Production Spurs Regional and Manufacturing Industry Renaissance
Today's thriving domestic energy industry is stimulating local economies across the map, from major cities like Denver and Houston, to small towns at the epicenter of shale plays like Williston, North Dakota.
Canada’s Clean Little Secret
Canada’s clean-technology sector — including water, wind, solar, smart grid technology, and more — offers numerous opportunities and advantages to relocating or expanding companies.
Developing a Sustainable Facility
From using locally sourced materials during construction to utilizing renewable energy sources to distributing products by rail, each company is embarking on its unique path to sustainability.
Energy Innovation Boosts Foreign Direct Investment
International investors can avail themselves of incentives to develop conventional as well as non-conventional sources of energy and other innovative technologies.
Public Power Communities: Future-Focused
America’s public power communities are places where local governments and other public entities have taken charge to deliver services their communities need to prosper.
10th Annual Survey of Site Selection Consultants: Economy on a More Continuous Growth Track
Area Development asked the consultants who work with corporate clients to tell us about their clients’ facilities plans and priorities in making a location decision. Nearly half of the respondents believe the economy will achieve a more continuous growth track this year but, how will that affect their clients’ facility decisions?
28th Annual Survey of Corporate Executives: Availability of Skilled Labor New Top Priority
The results of our survey show a modest improvement in short-range new facility and expansion plans, as well as a realignment of site selection priorities with the availability of skilled labor being the number one concern, outranking highway accessibility and labor costs.
Manufacturing in America: Bigger, Better and Bolder
American manufacturing is on the upswing, with advances in innovation and productivity buoyed by decreased energy and transportation costs, and new efforts to increase work force skills.
Major New Developments for Keystone Pipeline
Even without approval of the controversial Keystone XL phase, Canadian crude oil is now flowing through the pipeline from Canada to the Gulf for the first time.
Opelika, Alabama Builds High-Speed On Ramp to the Future
Opelika is developing a comprehensive broadband fiberoptic system, connecting the city and a growing industrial base to the booming global business opportunities of the future.
Sustainability: The “Invisible Hand” Shapes Next-Generation Location Selection
Companies that view their location strategies through a “sustainability filter” are more likely to achieve competitive advantage and long-term stakeholder value.
Manufacturers Surveyed in Q4 2013 Optimistic About the 2014 Economy
As we move through the first quarter of 2014, winter storms and frigid temperatures are being blamed for slowing manufacturing and hiring. Will the predictions made in the following survey be realized?
Optimizing Economic Growth in Shale Zone Communities
The ability to access oil and natural gas reserves found in the nation’s shale regions has presented new opportunities for economic growth along with a host of infrastructure and real estate challenges.
In Focus: Solar Commercial Outdoor Lighting Benefits the Industrial Property Sector
Solar commercial outdoor lighting offers many advantages to owners and occupiers and is cost-effective now in many industrial property applications.
Regional Report: Energy Sector Bringing Jobs and Wealth to Plains States
Winners of numerous accolades, the Plains States are garnering investment across diverse industry sectors and growing their economies.
Shale Regions Face the Challenges of Rapid Growth
Those states with recently discovered oil- and natural gas-rich deposits, like North Dakota’s Bakken Shale region, are experiencing demands on everything from infrastructure and real estate, to employment and industry services.
Hydraulic Fracturing Gives Rise to New Water-Treatment Technologies
Innovative companies are developing better ways to clean and recycle drilling water on site, as well as manufacturing “greener” drilling solutions that have fewer harmful chemicals.
In Focus: Achieving Business Outcomes With Energy Intelligence
Businesses have traditionally approached energy consumption as a fixed overhead, but the real opportunities lie in approaching it as a variable cost that can be tightly controlled with advanced energy-management systems.
Critical Location Decision Factor #6: Powering Up While Keeping Costs Down
While some operations are more energy-intensive than others, reducing energy costs is always an important consideration in the location decision. This is the Fifth in a series of articles examining the top-10 site selection factors as decided by the respondents to AD's Q1 Corporate Executive Survey.
Highly Efficient Buildings: Making Sustainable Decisions Economically Viable
As societal and environmental pressures to adopt sustainable practices into our daily lives grow, companies are increasingly motivated to operate their facilities more efficiently. The quest for operating efficiency can include anything from minor equipment adjustments to major investments — but even small improvements can make a difference.
