All posts published in 2016
Could green mortgages help deliver the energy efficiency revolution Europe needs? Business Green, September 20, 2016 Backed by the World Green Building Council, the “groundbreaking” energy efficiency financing project could offer homebuyers across the EU better borrowing rates on mortgages in return for purchasing more energy efficient homes or committing to implementing energy saving work … Read more
Energy Efficiency Meets Reality TV The Wall Street Journal, September 13, 2016 Companies usually don’t allow managers from other businesses to poke around their facilities, with television cameras no less, and criticize how they do things. But that is just what happens in “Better Buildings Challenge Swap,” a reality-video series produced by the Energy Department … Read more
Cornell wants to drill 2 to 4 miles underground for enhanced geothermal heating ARS Technica, September 19, 2016 Geothermal energy—energy drawn from the internal heat of the Earth—has long been the purview of mountainous, volcano- and earthquake-prone regions like the western United States or Iceland. The US’ eastern states, on the other hand, have been … Read more
Jim Paull for Zondits More money has been pumped into copper indium galium di-selenide (CIGS) solar cells than any other photovoltaic (PV) technology. Less than a decade ago, CIGS was thought to be the heir to the future of PV: inexpensive materials only nanometers thick, deposited on glass or stainless steel foil. The “roll-to-roll” notion … Read more
DOE Publishes New Forecast of Energy Savings from LED Lighting DOE, September 7, 2016 The U.S. Department of Energy has just published the latest edition of its biannual report, Energy Savings Forecast of Solid-State Lighting in General Illumination Applications, which models the adoption of LEDs in the U.S. general-lighting market, along with associated energy savings, based … Read more
Progress on Commercial Building Energy Efficiency has been Good, but More Attention is Needed to Decrease Waste in Several Areas The Energy Collective, July 4, 2016 Data recently released as part of the Commercial Building Energy Consumption Survey (CBECS) highlights changes in commercial sector energy demand between 2003 and 2012. The Energy Information Administration conducts CBECS approximately … Read more
California is about to find out what a truly radical climate policy looks like Vox, September 9, 2016 Within the United States, California is No. 1 (by far) in solar power and No. 3 in wind power. It boasts the third-lowest carbon dioxide emissions per capita behind New York and Vermont. Since 2000, the state has managed to shrink its overall carbon footprint slightly … Read more
Jesse Remillard, ERS, for Zondits In a small, coastal Maine town near the border of Canada, a group called the Ocean Renewable Power Company (ORPC) has been testing undersea turbines to generate power from the large tidal flows characteristic of the area. The units, which resemble vertical wind turbines, are undergoing testing to further refine … Read more
Valerie Eacret, ERS, for Zondits As with any nonrenewable resource, there are limits to efficiency as a resource. Steven Nadel’s recent paper explores the potential for energy efficiency to provide consistent, sustained savings. The good news is that a 1% load reduction appears to be feasible to at least 2030 – and potentially 2050 – … Read more
Building green with energy-efficient materials: Insulation USGBC, September 7, 2016 Did you know that the energy lost through a building’s walls, roofs and windows is the largest single waste of energy in most buildings—especially in hot summer months? As a result, the energy efficiency of a building often depends on the materials that help create … Read more