A Pathway to Zero Energy Schools
Spring break is almost upon us and students are getting ready for some time away from reading, writing, and mid-terms. While students are hoping to return to high-scores, others may be returning to low scores – even zero. Zero energy buildings, that is.
A Key to the Future: Utilities’ Vital Role in Widespread Adoption of Geothermal Heat Pumps
Utilities are a natural partner for the geothermal heat pump (GHP) industry. Why? Because utilities have a broad consumer base and infrastructure, and need to both build load (sales) and levelize that demand to make the most efficient use of their electrical generation capacity throughout the year. GHPs are a technology that fills that niche.
Efficiency Startup Gets Funding to Cut Energy Use by Buildings
Carbon Lighthouse, a San Francisco-based energy-efficiency company, raised $27 million to expand its engineering and marketing efforts. GRC SinoGreen Fund led the oversubscribed funding round and JCI Ventures, SV Tech Ventures and EBay founder Pierre Omidyar’s Ulupono Initiative also participated, according to Carbon Lighthouse Chief Executive Officer Brenden Millstein. Other investors included Ekistic Ventures, Tom Steyer’s Radicle Impact Partners, former General Motors Co. Vice Chairman Steve Girsky and Tesla Inc. Chief Technology Officer Jeffrey B Straubel.
NY Gov. Cuomo Names New Energy Efficiency Target
Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo announced an acceleration of energy efficiency in New York, including a plan to achieve a new target for greenhouse gas emission reductions, decrease consumer energy costs and create job opportunities.
City Utility Trials Voltage Optimization in First for Western Canada
The city utility for Lethbridge, Alberta is starting a voltage optimization trial that is expected to deliver energy savings for customers while reducing overall energy usage in the city’s electricity distribution system.
Trump Said to Mull 2015 Grid Emergency Law to Save Coal Plants
The Trump administration is weighing a broad array of strategies for keeping coal and nuclear power plants online as a matter of national security, with options ranging from invoking a 68-year-old law to a three-year-old one, according to a senior Energy Department official.
To Save Coal Jobs, Trump Should Train Coal Workers to Perform Energy Audits, Install Solar and Maintain Wind Farms
A recent report by the Energy Futures Initiative (EFI), established by former Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz, and the National Association of State Energy Officials confirms that the energy sector as a whole grew 2 percent last year, which is .3 percent more than the national job growth percentage of 1.7 percent.
Energy Efficiency Leads in Job Growth as Energy Sector Adds Over 130,000 Jobs in 2017
The nation’s energy sector employed 6.5 million Americans in 2017, up 133,000 jobs from the year prior, according to a comprehensive report released today from the Energy Futures Initiative (EFI) and the National Association of State Energy Officials (NASEO). This two percent growth rate exceeded the national average of 1.7 percent.
3@3 on Solar PV: 201 & Module Supply, Reviving Coal Jobs, and Women in Power
Today’s topics include the impact of section 201 tariffs on module supply and prices. Will they go up? We’ll also talk about developing the next generation solar workforce based on a new report about energy jobs in the U.S.
The President’s Climate Change Executive Order: Wrong Pretense
Some context:
According to MorningConsult
The order directs officials to review the Environmental Protection Agency regulations on new and existing power plants, withdraw the Obama administration’s “social cost of carbon,” which puts a price on greenhouse gas emissions, end a moratorium on new coal leases on federal land, review regulations on methane emissions from natural gas systems, end a guidance for agencies to consider climate change, and end Bureau of Land Management restrictions on hydraulic fracturing.
The Trump administration has not yet released the text of the order which is based solely on saving coal and other fossil jobs, but a senior White House official shared details with reporters in a call on March 27th.
