When electric vehicles transform the auto-driven landscape of the United States, what will low-to-moderate-income communities do? A new report from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, “The Future of Transportation Electrification: Utility, Industry and Consumer Perspectives,” evaluated this accelerating controversy and emerged with some solutions. “Aren’t electric vehicles just for the wealthy?” said Jenifer Bosco, staff attorney at National Consumer Law Center …
How Might Electrification Affect Electric and Gas Systems? Recent Studies Shed Both Light and Heat
Electrification is gaining a lot of attention as efforts mount to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) and address climate change. There is an important role for energy efficiency in these efforts. In fact, beneficial electrification – that which reduces total energy, costs, and emissions – is a valid form of energy efficiency. It can complement traditional efficiency approaches, and together, …
Can Electrification Short-Circuit the Utility Death Spiral?
The road to electrifying heating and transportation in the United States is being mapped out by Electric Power Research Institute and The Brattle Group. Their forecasts show that different paths may yield a range of environmental, business and health benefits. Electrification could also stoke the fire of utility profits, which has dimmed in recent years. “A greening grid, alongside rapid …
N.Y. grid operator moves toward landmark carbon price
New York’s electric grid operator moved a step closer to finalizing a carbon pricing proposal last week, as a task force issued draft recommendations containing new details on its plans. The recommendations made by the Integrating Public Policy Task Force, a joint effort between the New York Independent System Operator and the state government, build on an April proposal and …
New company develops ultra-low cost, long duration energy storage systems
Renewable energy technology has come a long way in the past few decades, finally making solar and wind power generation competitive with fossil fuels on price. But they don’t work when the sun isn’t shining or the wind isn’t blowing. “If we want to power the world mainly with renewables we need to find a way to overcome that variability, …
A house could be printed in a day using a novel peat material created in Estonia
Cut peat blocks were already being used for building houses thousands of years ago. Now, scientists at the University of Tartu in Estonia have developed a material which could make it possible to print energy-efficient houses out of milled peat and oil shale ash using a 3D printer. A couple of years ago, Dr Jüri Liiv invented an organic humate soil improver, …
Scientists use ‘funnel-vision’ to pioneer cheap and efficient solar energy
Scientists have developed a pioneering new technique that could unlock new methods of making solar energy more efficient. A team of experts from the University of Exeter has discovered an innovative way for generating photovoltaic (PV) energy – or ways in which to convert light into power. The new technique relies on ‘funnelling’ the sun’s energy more efficiently directly into …
Xcel Energy plans to retire two coal plants, and rely more on wind and solar
Colorado’s biggest utility company recently released details of its $2.5 billion proposal to become a cleaner power generator, retiring two coal-burning plants and by 2026 replace them with projects generating nearly 55 percent of its electricity from renewable sources. Xcel Energy (Nasdaq: XEL) submitted its plan to the Colorado Public Utilities Commission late Wednesday, laying out extensive options how it …
Little-Known Accounting Policy Could Fuel Green Infrastructure Surge
Most water agencies don’t think of local water projects like green roofs or efficiency rebates as assets, but now they can. And that means agencies can now access capital markets for funding, which could help dramatically grow these projects. IN THE YEARS to come, we’re likely to see a lot more “green” and distributed infrastructure projects from water utilities, like permeable pavement, …
Florida’s Newspaper Editorial Boards Collaborate to Raise Awareness of Sea Level Rise
Across South Florida, people are joining hands to address the threat they face from sea-level rise. To that list, add the editorial boards of the South Florida Sun Sentinel, Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, along with WLRN Public Media. The media outlets have created an unprecedented collaborative, “The Invading Sea,” because the threat of sea level rise becomes more …