Don't let LEED proposal stall the drive to EVs
LEED is more than just an environmental 'stamp of approval' for buildings, that gives owners and occupants a warm green glow. A whole raft of state mandates, incentives and low-interest loans are tied to getting LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) certification. With commercial, industrial and residential buildings accounting for 40% of carbon emissions – not to mention a substantial slice of material resources, renewable and otherwise – it's no exaggeration to say that where LEED goes, so goes the direction of the budding green economy.
So when the LEED certification process throws up the
prospect of pulling the rug out from one of the cornerstones of the clean
energy transformation – the electric car (or EV) – it's time to sit up and take
note. That's what's on the agenda of the LEED 2012 process, which seeks to
withdraw the LEED points allocated to buildings hosting Electric Vehicle
Charging Stations (EVCS). LEED Certificates are issued to buildings using a
point-scoring scheme, with credits for positive environmental features.
Currently, alternative fueling stations – such as EV chargers – earn extra
points to for that all-important LEED certificate.
Restricted vision?
But in the Location and
Transportation section of LEED 2012, the credit's scope has been
severely restricted, applying only schools and warehouses. If the revision gets
through the upcoming vote on the LEED 2012 standard, it would throw a major
spanner into the process of rolling out a robust EV charging network. And that
matters hugely. A fast-switch to electrical transport is an absolute
prerequisite for the cleaning and greening of the US transport sector.
The timing is also worrying. The last year-and-a-half have
seen a real shift in the EV equation. With gas prices high, and auto-makers
piling into EVs, there is a gathering momentum behind electric-car adoption.
But for it to gain a critical mass, the network must be built quickly. And
building owners are in a prime position to supply such a network.
They can leverage up on their building stock, turning
parking lots into electric-refueling points. But without the incentive provided
by the LEED accreditation process, there is every chance that EVCS may slip right
off their priority lists.
Backward-looking view of EV's potential
So why have the LEED 2012 drafters plumped for such a
self-defeating measure? A clue lies in the reply to public comments by Chris
Marshall, a LEED Technical Development Associate. It seems the environmental
credentials of EVs are being seriously critiqued by some members of the TAG
(Technical Advisory Group) advising on the LEED 2012 document:
′The Location and Planning TAG currently has concerns about
the life cycle-impact of plug-in electric vehicles versus that of hybrid or
low-emitting vehicles,′ said Marshall. According to him, the TAG's research
′indicated that the "jury's out" on whether an electric vehicle
plugging into a dirty energy source has better overall environmental
performance′
So influential members in the USGBC are concerned enough
about the EV's environmental credentials to remove LEED support from them.
While keeping road transport gas-guzzling seems counter-intuitive, for an
organization promoting environmental sustainability, do they have a point? Are
electric cars only as clean as the electricity supplying them?
Green energy catalyst
Superficially the argument seems plausible – but there are
three factors that reveal it to be damagingly short-sighted. First, even with
the current US energy mix, which is still 'carbon heavy', studies show EVs winning out
on total life-cycle emissions. And the carbon emissions of the US electricity
grid are lowering year-by-year, a process that's set to continue. Secondly,
emissions from the tailpipe really are zero for EVs. A host of locally-damaging
pollutants, that cause serious health issues in cities – from particulate
pollution to ozone-formation – are not an issue with EVs.
And thirdly, those critical of EV adoption miss a vital
point. By making transport electric, the Gordian knot of how to handle moderns
society's kinetic needs, sustainably, can be sliced through. Alternatives, such
as hydrogen and biofuels, are hedged with serious technological and
environmental hurdles. EVs are not. Let's hope the LEED membership can see
beyond a gross simplification of the issue, and avoid shooting out the tires of
the EV revolution, before it really gets spinning.
Martin is a freelance writer from the UK, who specializes in writing on the strategic impact of environmental issues. After a 10-year sojourn as an analyst at Brady plc – a Cambridge-based provider of services to commodity investment banking professionals – Martin set himself up as self-employed writer at the beginning of 2010. Since then he has written for a number of environmental websites and companies, and has been one of the principle journalists for green news website, The Earth Times
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