The Power of Energy Efficiency as Capacity

energy efficiency as capacity

Energy efficiency lowers costs in recent PJM capacity auction ACEEE, June 1, 2016. Image credit: AndreasEOS700D By Brendon Baatz, Manager, Utilities Policy Energy efficiency provides many benefits to the electric utility system. One of these benefits is reducing the market price for electric generation. PJM Interconnection, the operator of the largest electric grid in the United … Read more

ENGIE Acquires Stake in Energy Storage Maker Green Charge Networks

ENGIE

A Zondits Rundown: French Electricity Utility, ENGIE, Acquires an 80% Stake in Californian Battery Maker Green Charge Networks ENGIE and Green Charge Networks were introduced through ENGIE subsidiaries Ecova and OpTerra Energy Services. In 2014, ENGIE (known as GDF Suez prior to April 2015) purchased Ecova to reinforce their expertise in energy data management combined with their multi-technical … Read more

Energy Efficiency Retrofitting for the Biggest Impact

retrofitting

How to make cities more energy efficient MIT News, April 20, 2016. Image credit: bryanucla New research shows how to identify the buildings where retrofitting for energy efficiency will have the biggest impact on a city’s overall greenhouse gas emissions. The new findings, which require only minimal information about the buildings and their energy use, was … Read more

The Business Benefits of Energy Saving

led-office Business Benefits leds

A Lightbulb Moment: How Energy Efficiency Builds Business Business Aspects Magazine, April 28, 2016 Plenty of businesses are approaching energy efficiency as a business growth opportunity, seeking to increase their competitiveness, grow their customer base and capitalise on new markets, both at home and abroad. Energy saving is not just about reducing bills, but rather … Read more

Is Outsourcing the Greenest Option for Laundry Operations?

laundry operations

Go Green, Save Green: Sustainable Laundry Operations Facility Executive, April 19, 2016. Image credit: Hans According to the Environmental Protection Agency, businesses and other institutions account for 17 percent of water taken from public water supplies in the United States. They also generate 45 percent of the U.S. green house gas emissions. Nevertheless, healthcare, hospitality, and other industries … Read more

Five Utilities Confirm the Benefits of Decoupling

The Evidence Is In: Decoupling Spurs Energy Efficiency Investment NRDC, April 5, 2016. Image credit: fdecomite The current research was prompted by questions raised about decoupling during our work in Minnesota last year when the state’s largest electric utility, Xcel Energy, with the support of NRDC and Fresh Energy, implemented Minnesota’s first electric decoupling mechanism. To … Read more

Will Energy Efficiency Ever Make Our Spines Tingle?

Want People to Embrace Efficiency Technology? Make It Sexy Huffington Post, January 20, 2016. Image credit: skeeze An American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy (ACEEE) ranked the U.S. among the least energy efficient of the world’s largest economies—13th out of 16—in its most recent international scorecard. (Get the details in Climate Central’s summary.) That’s too … Read more

3D Printing is Revolutionizing the Efficiency of Building Technology

3d printing heat exchanger

3D Printing Enables New Generation of Heat Exchangers Energy.gov, March 17, 2016. Image credit: University of Maryland Three-dimensional printing is revolutionizing how we manufacture objects in almost every industry—from vehicles to medical devices to biotech. Now, the University of Maryland, through a partnership with 3D Systems and the U.S. Department of Energy’s Building Technologies Office, … Read more

BUILD UPON Launches to Reduce EU Building Emissions

Valerie Eacret, ERS, for Zondits March 9, 2016. Image credit: epicantus The BUILD UPON project supports European government, industry, and civil society in delivering plans to renovate each European Union nation’s existing buildings to improve their energy efficiency, as required by law by April 2017. It will bring more than 1,000 organizations through 80 events that … Read more

Corporate Sustainability Drives the HVAC Market Forward

hvac market

Revenue from Commercial Energy-Efficient HVAC Systems to Total $340 Billion from 2015-2024 ACHR News, February 15, 2016. Image credit: As concerns about the environmental impact of energy generation and uncertainty over future energy prices continue to build, commercial building owners are looking for ways to reduce energy spend, notes Navigant Research. This drive for efficiency … Read more