All posts published in 2016
The Evidence Is In: Decoupling Spurs Energy Efficiency Investment NRDC, April 5, 2016. Image credit: fdecomite The current research was prompted by questions raised about decoupling during our work in Minnesota last year when the state’s largest electric utility, Xcel Energy, with the support of NRDC and Fresh Energy, implemented Minnesota’s first electric decoupling mechanism. To … Read more
Jesse Remillard, ERS, for Zondits. April 5, 2016. Image credit: ColiN00B Zondits spoke with Michael Hopkins, the CEO of Ice Energy, a Santa Barbara energy storage company which makes smart ice batteries called Ice Bears. These specially designed storage systems are equipped with a reservoir for storing thermal energy in the form of ice, which is … Read more
Waiting for a Rockefeller: Meet the Next `Supermajors’ of Energy Bloomberg, April 3, 2016. Image credit: geralt Clean power remains a tumultuous and fragmented business, crowded with companies grabbing for slices of an emerging market that aspires to reshape how the world meets its energy needs. They rise and fall as technology advances and demand seesaws. … Read more
Ryan Pollin, ERS, for Zondits April 4, 2016. Image credit: Ben_Kerckx The deployment of electric vehicles (EVs) has begun, albeit slowly. EV sales are barely past the 1% of market share milestone, and 40% of those vehicles have been sold in California – progress elsewhere is even slower. But there is reason to be positive, because … Read more
Compressed air sustained pumped hydraulic storage Intelligent Utility, March 15, 2016. Image credit: gr8effect The development of deep water compressed air energy storage (DW CAES) involves placing weight ballasted inflatable bags on the seafloor or submerged on a lake bed, with an air pipe connecting between ground level and submerged bags. It is a variation of … Read more
How to determine if energy efficiency upgrades are right for your home (and budget) Inhabitat, April 1, 2016. Image credit: AllanW So how do home performance upgrades pay off? From 2010 to 2013, the Better Buildings Neighborhood Program upgraded nearly 120,000 homes and buildings achieved total verified energy savings for the 3-year evaluation period provided of … Read more
Washington, DC Tops EPA’s List of Cities with the Most Energy Star Certified Buildings/Energy efficiency leads to a stronger economy and healthier environment EPA, March 30, 2016. Image credit: patticake1601 The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced its eighth-annual “Top Cities” list, which ranks the 25 U.S. metropolitan areas with the most Energy Star certified … Read more
Gas-to-electricity plant debuts at Irvine’s Bowerman Landfill LA Times, March 30, 2016. Image credit: Alexas_Fotos The proverbial link between trash and treasure has evolved into a symbiotic relationship between energy and efficiency with the coming of a renewable-energy power plant to Irvine’s Bowerman Landfill. [bctt tweet=”The Bowerman Power Project is capturing methane gas from trash and … Read more
Making Water Service Energy-Neutral Automation World, March 24, 2016. Image credit: Quadronet_Webdesign Typically, water and wastewater treatment processes account for 25-40 percent of a local municipality’s electricity consumption. With energy reduction in water production, water distribution, wastewater pumping and wastewater treatment, combined with increased energy production from the wastewater treatment process, water service companies can achieve … Read more
This chart shows the United States’ mind-blowing clean energy potential Grist, March 30, 2016. Image credit: Greyerbaby The United States uses about 3.7 million gigawatt-hours of electricity each year. That’s an unfathomably huge number. But the next time someone tries to make the argument that 100 percent renewable energy is out of reach for the U.S., show them this image: … Read more