Sustainable Industries Daily Update

What's a third-party certified home worth? A survey of the Portland housing market found that new homes that had received either an Earth Advantage, Energy Star or LEED certification sold for 18 percent more than non-certified homes, while certified existing houses sold for 23 percent more than their non-certified counterparts. Almost a quarter of new homes in the Portland area that were sold between Spring 2009 and Spring 2010 were third-party certified, according to the survey.

EcoFactor, a Bay Area startup whose energy management software targets home heating and cooling systems, announced its first commercial service with Texas utility Oncor.

A study released this week from UC Berkeley's Renewable and Appropriate Energy Laboratory Energy and Resources Group, found that a Feed-In Tariff in California on solar projects of up to 20 megawatts would increase state revenues by $1.7 billion, drive $50 billion in investment, create jobs and put the state on track to meet its renewable portfolio standards.

We recently took a look at the costs and potential of carbon capture and storage technologies, which have received hefty amounts of government dollars. The pot got bigger on Wednesday when U.S. Department of Energy announced more than $50 million for advanced carbon capture projects.

Vestas Wind Systems, whose North American base is in Portland, is creating a research and development center targeting turbine efficiency near Denver that is expected to create about 240 jobs.