Energy products and solutions from The Dow Chemical Company are helping to optimize energy use and minimize energy loss to achieve zero energy homes. The company recently unveiled “the nation’s first affordable, net-zero energy home” in Bay City, Michigan — dubbed the Vision Zero (see the above video).

The innovative company behind the Frederick, MD project mentioned above is Nexus EnergyHomes. The homes are equipped with the latest energy-efficient and renewable energy innovations, including solar panels, geothermal wells and ultra-efficient exterior walls.

The real draw for those looking to buy an energy-efficient home? They go for nearly the same price as other new homes, and are designed to generate as much power as they use, not to mention thousands of dollars in tax credits.

Nexus currently has 59 zero-energy homes under development in Frederick alone. The company describes its building model as a combination of “geo-solar” energy production and effective energy-saving building techniques and is paving the way for energy-efficient building in Frederick.

The state of Maryland is a leader in terms of upping standards for building efficiency, and was the first state to require that new homes meet the 2012 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC), enabling new homes to operate at approximately 30 percent greater energy efficiency than those built just five years prior.

Other states are taking notice, and adoption is beginning to spread to states including Florida, North Carolina, Oregon and parts of Arizona. “There’s definitely been a lot of movement by states to adopt more energy-efficient codes,” says Max Neubauer of the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE).

The chemistry industry is working with legislators and industry members to encourage the adoption of the latest energy efficiency building codes, the benefits of which will be far reaching. Implementation of these codes promises to boost energy savings for home and building owners, create jobs and reduce greenhouse gases, thanks to the products of chemistry.

When Kenneth Boehr instructed his fifth grade class at Border Star Montessori School in Kansas City, Mo. to build molecules with modeling kits, he didn’t expect one of his students to make a scientific discovery.

But that’s what happened when Clara Lazen, 10, randomly arranged a unique combination of oxygen, nitrogen and carbon atoms. The result was a molecule that Boehr had never seen before.

So he emailed longtime friend and HSU Chemistry Professor Robert Zoellner, a computational chemist who uses computer software to mathematically model the properties of molecules.

“Ken sent me a picture of the molecule on my cell phone and usually I can tell right away if it’s real,” Zoellner says. This time, he couldn’t.

So he plugged the arrangement into Chemical Abstracts, an online database searchable through the HSU Library that contains chemistry-related literature published since 1904.

Only one paper came up, Zoellner says. It was for a molecule with the same formula but a different arrangement of atoms than Lazen’s.

Tetranitratoxycarbon is a unique combination of oxygen, nitrogen and carbon atoms. If synthetic chemists succeed at creating the molecule, they could discover a new way to store energy.

Zoellner dug a little deeper and determined that not only was Lazen’s molecule unique, it had the potential to store energy. It contains the same combination of atoms as nitroglycerin, a powerful explosive. If a synthetic chemist succeeded at creating the molecule—dubbed tetranitratoxycarbon for short—it could store energy, create a large explosion, or do something in between, Zoellner says: “Who knows?”

Zoellner submitted a research paper on his findings to the January issue of Computational and Theoretical Chemistry. Both Lazen and Boehr are listed as co-authors.

In an interview with local media, Lazen said she never thought she’d be a published author by age 10.

“Most 10- or 11-year-olds don’t get their names in a science paper,” she told the Kansas City Star.

Zoellner says it still remains to be seen how the research paper will be received. Since scientists are always looking for new ways to harvest energy, synthetic chemists might try to create the molecule, he says. If they succeed, they could discover a new way to store energy.

Regardless of what happens, the experience has already strengthened Lazen’s interest in science, Zoellner says. She is particularly interested in biology and medicine. It’s refreshing, Zoellner says, because so many women shy away from science careers as they get older.

“Women are often better prepared for high school and college than men but they decide not to pursue science careers for whatever reason,” Zoellner says. “If I’ve been able to keep her and some of her classmates interested in science, I’ve succeeded.”

Sen. Rockefeller last month wrote a letter urging President Obama to create or support job training programs in areas with plentiful natural gas reserves, which would yield “significant benefits, including increased employment and economic activity and a broadened tax base at the local and state levels,” to the region as a whole, the senator wrote. He went on:

National Public Radio’s Jeff Brady echoed that sentiment on “All Things Considered” Monday, highlighting the economic impact of natural gas development and the potential for job creation in struggling states across the U.S. – states like West Virginia, as ACC President Cal Dooley explains in the video above.

Indeed, with a thriving economic foundation comes the ability to enhance our nation’s energy security and become more competitive globally. Economist Daniel Yergin, well-known for his research on shale gas, has pointed out that America’s increased natural gas supply and production is providing a much-needed boost to the nation’s economy, Yergin said.

To learn more about the role of shale gas in enabling a strong, secure and sustainable future for America, visit http://chemistrytoenergy.com

The post pays special attention to the Energy Savings and Industrial Competitiveness Act (S. 1000), introduced last year by Sen. Shaheen and Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH). The bipartisan bill seeks to increase the adoption of energy efficiency technologies in the residential, commercial and industrial sectors, and, in doing so, to help address some of the nation’s economic and energy challenges, says Shaheen.

The chemistry industry, which enables the energy efficiency technologies encouraged by S.1000, agrees that the bill would and encourage states to achieve dramatic energy reductions in the residential, commercial and industrial sectors, while realizing important economic and environmental benefits along the way. It’s a step toward an American energy future that is strong, secure and sustainable.

A recent ACC analysis found that the use of chemistry products in various energy-saving applications saves between 8.0 and 10.9 quadrillion BTUs of energy annually, or 8.1 to 11.1 percent of total US energy consumption. That’s equivalent to the amount of energy used to heat, cool, light, and power 41 to 56 million households.

ACC supports public policies that look beyond traditional government subsidies and instead identify new ways to encourage and empower Americans to increase energy efficiency. These include the adoption of the latest residential and commercial building efficiency standards, industrial efficiency such as combined heat and power systems at facilities, and economically sound approaches that encourage energy conservation at every level.

The chemistry industry itself is helping to lead the way, cutting energy consumption in half in the last 40 years. McKinsey & Company found that for every unit of CO2 emitted in the manufacturing of the products of chemistry, two units of CO2 are saved — largely through energy savings enabled by them.

By using chemistry to enhance the way we produce and use energy, Americans will be able to stretch our energy supplies further than ever, reduce energy costs and help our nation become more energy secure.

Get involved and help us spread the message. Follow @AmChemistry on Twitter and use the hashtag #Chemistry2Energy to join the conversation.

Here are some of the ways in which affordable, abundant supplies of domestic shale gas can help the U.S. become more energy secure, create jobs and revive the economy, and build value for the business of chemistry:

Reviving the Economy

An ACC report found that just a 25 percent increase in ethane production made possible by increased supplies of natural gas from shale could generate:

• 17,000 new knowledge-intensive, high-paying jobs within the U.S. chemical industry
• 395,000 additional jobs outside the chemical industry, including 165,000 jobs in supplier industries and 230,000 jobs from new capital investment by the chemical industry
• $32 billion in increased U.S. chemical production
• $16.2 billion in new capital investment by the chemical industry
• $132.4 billion in U.S. economic output

Bolstering U.S. Competitiveness

• Thanks largely to shale gas, chemical exports at the Port of New Orleans jumped 34 percent last year.
• 20 percent of U.S. plastics output was exported in 2010, double the level before the recession.

Fortifying America’s Energy Security

• Increased domestic shale gas production is helping to create affordable, reliable energy.
• Domestic natural gas production grew from 2 percent in 2001 to almost 30 percent in 2011. It is expected to reach 50 percent by 2035.

That is a clear call to action, and the business of chemistry is part of the answer.

Today, ACC launched “From Chemistry to Energy,” a national campaign highlighting the need for a comprehensive energy strategy to stimulate economic recovery, job creation and long-term competitiveness for U.S. manufacturers.

Through this campaign, we hope to promote the development of sound energy policies at the federal and state levels that will enable our industry and others to grow, compete globally and create jobs, while also increasing the understanding of chemistry’s role in enabling a strong, secure and sustainable future for the United States.

As part of a comprehensive energy policy, we’re focusing on three areas in particular. Each will help meet national energy security, economic and environmental goals while also creating value for the business of chemistry:

Abundant, affordable, diverse and efficient energy is fundamental to our business as one of America’s leading manufacturing industries. At the same time, chemistry is the source of many of the innovations, technologies and products that make energy efficiency and renewable and alternative energy sources possible.

A recent ACC study found that the use of chemistry in energy-saving products and technologies helps save up to 10.9 quadrillion BTUs of energy annually, enough to power up to 56 million households or up to 135 million vehicles each year, and saving Americans up to $85 billion in energy costs annually.

Ensuring access to abundant, affordable, and sustainable energy to meet our country’s energy and economic needs today, and in the decades to come, is a challenge the chemistry industry is prepared to meet head-on — and with real solutions. We hope you will join us.

WATCH IT on E&E TV: “ACC’s Dooley discusses new advocacy campaign centered on shale, efficiency”

What we got in return were more than three dozen unique takes on an important American manufacturing narrative, each one revealing great thought and ingenuity on the part of the filmmakers.

Of the 38 videos submitted, we found none to be more unique, visually surprising or thought-provoking than Tyler Depke’s paragon of stop-motion animation “From Chemistry to Energy,” earning Tyler the $10,000 grand prize. The video really holds the viewer’s attention from start to finish — a difficult thing to pull off with this kind of subject matter.

Coming in at second place was “Energy in the Modern World” by Jennifer Chiu, creative director at Motion Sickness — a collaborative band of artists based in Los Angeles, CA that we thought put together the most elegant motion graphics in the lot.

In third, “Chemistry Makes It Possible” by Jeremy Sampson, a talented director, editor and animator from Alabama who delivered a seamless blend of visuals and sound to tell the “From Chemistry to Energy” story.

Finally, creative director Jeff Buss submitted a professionally shot and expertly produced video in “Chemistry to Energy,” which we thought really drove the manufacturing story home, earning Jeff the fourth place spot.

We will be featuring the top four videos on our new ChemistryToEnergy.com website, which goes live Tuesday in concert with ACC’s official launch of its “From Chemistry to Energy” awareness campaign.

Be sure to check back here tomorrow for more information about the campaign and to take a tour of our new microsite!

In Dallas, CPI offered their Spray Polyurethane Foam Chemical Health and Safety Training to nearly 50 spray foam applicators. The training provides information about the use, handling and disposal of spray polyurethane foam (SPF), potential health hazards and control measures, including engineering controls and personal protective equipment (PPE). The training provides guidance to applicators and helpers who apply professional grade, high-pressure SPF in either interior or exterior applications.

Approximately 3,500 people have completed the high-pressure SPF training since it launched. (Click here to see a video about the training program.) We’ve actually lost count of how many people have stopped by our booth to get copies of our guidance documents and other resource materials, and the spray foam training was very well attended.

CPI’s Spray Polyurethane Foam Health and Safety website, www.spraypolyurethane.org, offers a wealth of resources for spray foam professionals, weatherization professionals, homeowners and anyone who wants more information about SPF.