All posts published in 2017
Opening Energy Efficiency To All With Inclusive Financing Alliance to Save Energy, January 25, 2017 More than a third of US residents are effectively locked out of financing programs for energy efficiency, especially renters and those homeowners who can neither afford to pay upfront for efficiency upgrades nor take on debt.1 Similar barriers affect businesses … Read more
Employment in the Energy Efficiency and Renewables Sectors Track Upward Energy Manager Today, January 25, 2017 The numbers are in and the results are clear: Energy efficiency is a growing source of employment. Earlier this month, the U.S. Department of Energy (DoE) released its second annual analysis on employment in the energy industry. The 2017 U.S. … Read more
Want to reduce the energy used by buildings? Make cities denser. Vox, January 26, 2017 For many years, urbanists have been singing the praises of urban density. Done well, density can increase economic output, increase per capita productivity, increase disposable income (by reducing heating, cooling, and transportation costs), and improve physical and mental health. Compact, … Read more
Katie Robinson, ERS, for Zondits More and more companies are looking to save energy – and energy costs – by changing their operating hours or allowing employees to work from home. Can flexible schedules make a significant dent in energy consumption and cost? Implementing a work schedule that strays from the regular 9–5/Monday–Friday is a … Read more
Daniel Pidgeon, ERS, for Zondits Southern California Edison, Pacific Gas & Electric, and San Diego Gas & Electric are seeking a combined $1B over the next five years (in addition to $200M already going towards electric vehicle charging infrastructure) to help the state meet its electric vehicle targets and carbon reduction goals. This figure would … Read more
How the World Defines Microgrids and Why You are Confused Microgrid Knowledge, January 30, 2017 Microgrid, mini-grid, picogrid… All this tiny terminology can add up to some big confusion. Even the industry itself defines microgrids in different ways. Microgrids, mini-grids and picogrids have some things in common: they are all locally generated, locally distributed sources of clean energy. Is … Read more
BP’s Energy Outlook: Between Forecasting and Advocacy The Energy Collective, January 30, 2017 BP’s new Energy Outlook predicts ever-growing demand for oil and gas, and rising emissions that would take the world well beyond 2°C of warming. According to Greg Muttitt, Senior Advisor at NGO Oil Change International, previous Outlooks do not provide much confidence in BP’s projections, but … Read more
Northwestern Cuts Energy Use in the Battle of the Buildings Northwestern, January 23, 2017 From September 1 through November 30, 2016, Northwestern competed in the U.S. EPA ENERGY STAR’s Battle of the Buildings, a national competition to reduce energy use in buildings. The top performer among the University’s competing buildings was the Tarry Research and Education … Read more
Trump freezes EPA grants while California plans to slash emissions ARS Technica, January 24, 2017 With the swearing in of a new administration, the federal government and California, the most populous state in the union and the only state currently allowed to set emissions standards different from the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA), seem set to … Read more
Ethan Forauer, ERS, for Zondits Over the last 2 years, China has proven to be a respectable player in the global renewable energy arena, smashing solar and wind installation targets by several orders of magnitude. In fact, in 2015, China set a world record for the most solar capacity installed in a single year. In … Read more