All posts published in 2016
A Turning Point For Energy Productivity Alliance to Save Energy, October 20, 2016 We are at an historic turning point, in so many ways. The Paris Agreement to reduce global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions will enter into force on November 4, 2016 after having reached the threshold for enactment on Oct. 5. With 81 countries having ratified … Read more
Large Maine Companies to Get Millions Back in Cap-and-Trade Payments Maine Public, October 24, 2016 Sixteen of Maine’s biggest manufacturers, from Verso Paper to Jackson Laboratories, are in line to get millions of dollars from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, or RGGI. The payments are seen by some as equitable payback for the millions the … Read more
Amanda Gassé, ERS, for Zondits There is an extremely powerful dynamic that has shifted the commercial and cultural relationships in our economy. Technology has, and continues to, enable trust between strangers and is changing the way consumers do business, both locally and globally. By engaging in collaborative consumption in marketplaces, like Airbnb and Etsy, we are … Read more
Ryan Pollin, ERS, for Zondits The Summit Farms solar facility is a landmark collaboration of three Boston-area institutions to collectively purchase 60 MW of power from a solar farm in North Carolina. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Boston Medical Center, and Post Office Square Redevelopment Corporation came together to buy the power from Dominion, which … Read more
Smart Energy Analytics Campaign to Help Buildings Achieve Greater Energy Efficiency ACHR News, October 19, 2016 A new U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)-led Smart Energy Analytics Campaign has been announced to encourage the use of energy-saving building analytics platforms — also known as energy management information system (EMIS) technologies — in commercial buildings nationwide, and refine best … Read more
GM Plants Recognized for Increased Energy Efficiency Reliable Planet Sixteen General Motors (GM) facilities recently earned recognition for their continued efforts to increase energy efficiency. GM’s Lansing Delta Township plant in Michigan and Fort Wayne assembly plant in Indiana earned an Energy Star certification for superior energy performance. The certification signifies that these plants are … Read more
Nano-spike catalysts convert carbon dioxide directly into ethanol ORNL, October 12, 2016 In a new twist to waste-to-fuel technology, scientists at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory have developed an electrochemical process that uses tiny spikes of carbon and copper to turn carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, into ethanol. Their finding, which involves … Read more
Manuel A. Fontan, ERS, for Zondits Steam has an important role in our everyday lives, although we don’t always realize all that it’s doing for us. It can be found virtually in any industry or technology that requires heat, moisture, sterilization, and other crucial processes. Steam can be used to heat the water in our … Read more
LED Replacements to Peak as China Incandescent Bulb Ban Enters Last Phase LED Inside, September 6, 2016 The last phase of China’s incandescent bulb ban will be effective as of Sept. 30, 2016. China will ban the imports and sales of 15W and above general incandescent bulbs Starting from Oct. 1, 2016, and will make … Read more
Gita Subramony, ERS, for Zondits Behavior change might be the next frontier for energy efficiency programs. Although it is not as prevalent as traditional efficiency offerings, these programs offer a new and growing source for savings. Behavior-change programs come in all different shapes and sizes, and there are varying amounts of data on their effectiveness. … Read more