Monthly Archives: January 2014

Google Partners with Nest in Race to be Your Smart Home Provider

By Marita Mirzatuny / Published: January 15, 2014

On Monday, Google announced it is spending $3.2 billion to buy Nest Labs, the trailblazing company funded through its Google Ventures program and responsible for transforming “unloved” home products into beautiful, smart appliances. That’s a lot of money for a business with only two products: a thermostat and a smoke detector. Nest is not exactly reinventing the wheel, right? Well, actually they are.

Welcome to the Smart Home

Google’s move is a starting shot in the race to become the go-to smart home provider, putting in place stepping stones to realizing a future in which our homes will become one ecosystem – integrated and functioning as a whole. Customers are looking for smart appliances that can notify you when they are wasting energy or not performing properly. Plus, these innovative technologies provide customers with more opportunities to engage with and benefit from other cost- and energy-saving solutions, like demand response, rooftop solar power and electric vehicles. This puts customers in the driver seat, giving them insight and control over their daily lives in ways never before imagined (even if just to use automated, “set-it-and-forget-it” functionality).

The Nest thermostat learns household behaviors and habits and sets temperatures at the optimal comfort and energy-saving level accordingly. Nest also enables residents to control their electricity remotely and provides the interface needed to participate in demand response, an energy management program that rewards participants for conserving energy during peak, or “rush hour,” times on the electric grid. Read More »

Posted in Grid Modernization, Renewable Energy / Tagged Google, Nest | Comments are closed

Public and Private Financing Drives Energy Efficiency in Rural America

By Marilynn Marsh-Robinson / Published: January 15, 2014

This commentary originally appeared on our EDF Voices Blog.

Those of us from rural areas know the special beauty of natural landscapes – and we know the challenges of living in sparsely-populated regions. Rural areas have higher rates of poverty and economic disparity, lower per capita income and disproportionate elderly and veteran populations when compared to more urban areas.

Rural homes and commercial buildings tend to be older and less energy-efficient, and more than half of all manufactured homes are located in rural communities. Many homes lack adequate insulation, weather stripping around windows and other basic improvements that reduce energy use and add dollars to household budgets.

Additionally, rural communities account for over 70% of our country’s land mass, about 12% of total electric utility customers, and are crucial to advancing national energy and economic goals. These often overlooked and underserved rural areas are ready for innovative public and private partnerships that promote the transition to a clean, low-carbon economy and wise energy choices. Read More »

Posted in Energy Efficiency, Energy Equity / Tagged Clean Energy Financing, On Bill Finance | Read 3 Responses

We Can’t Expect a Reliable Energy Future Without Talking Water

By Kate Zerrenner / Published: January 14, 2014

This commentary originally appeared on our EDF Voices blog.

It’s no secret that electricity generation requires substantial amounts of water, and different energy sources require varying amounts of water. Nor is it a surprise that Texas and other areas in the West and Southwest are in the midst of a persistent drought. Given these realities, it is surprising that water scarcity is largely absent from the debate over which energy sources are going to be the most reliable in our energy future.

Recent media coverage has been quick to pin the challenge of reliability as one that only applies to renewables. The logic goes something like this: if the sun doesn’t shine or the wind doesn’t blow, we won’t have electricity, making these energy sources unreliable. But if we don’t have reliable access to abundant water resources to produce, move and manage energy that comes from water-intensive energy resources like fossil fuels, this argument against the intermittency of renewables becomes moot.

Moving forward into an uncertain energy future, the water intensity of a particular electricity source should be taken into consideration as a matter of course. Read More »

Posted in Climate, Energy-Water Nexus, Grid Modernization, Renewable Energy, Texas / Tagged Energy-Water Nexus | Comments are closed

Governor Cuomo Announces $40 Million in Post-Sandy Microgrid Competition

By Rory Christian / Published: January 14, 2014

Since Superstorm Sandy stranded thousands without power across the state of New York in 2012, it has become clear that infrastructure upgrades are a necessity for the state. The current, outdated energy system is not up to the challenges of the present day and a changing climate. A year after Sandy, New York has a plan. Last week during his State of the State Address, Governor Cuomo announced the allocation of $40 million to the new Community Grids NYPrize Competition, a program which promises to help New York achieve a more sustainable, resilient energy future.

The competition, aimed at jump-starting at least ten “independent, community-based electric distributions systems” across the state by the end of 2014, is a highlight of a larger $17 billion plan to prepare for future storms like Sandy. Upon full implementation, the NYPrize Competition Community Grids are expected to support approximately 40,000 New York residents.

A “community microgrid” is a new type of energy system that leverages decentralized, local, clean power sources such as solar and wind that are able to operate independently of the centralized electric system. Microgrids are small-scale distribution systems that link multiple distributed energy resources (DERs) into a network that can generate, store and control its own power. Microgrids can operate in tandem with the main power grid during normal conditions, but can disconnect and function as an independent “island” of stable power if the main grid fails. The use of microgrids greatly reduces the number of outages and allows more people to keep their lights on during (and in the wake of) extreme weather events. Read More »

Posted in Demand Response, Grid Modernization, New York / Tagged Clean Energy, Energy Efficiency | Read 1 Response

Cost Savings Aren’t the Only Benefit to Energy Efficiency

By Kate Zerrenner / Published: January 9, 2014

This commentary originally appeared on our Texas Clean Air Matters blog.

I often refer to energy efficiency as being cost effective, and it is. It is always cheaper not to use energy or to get the same result while using less energy. But monetary cost savings are just one of the many benefits associated with implementing energy efficiency measures. Reduced pollution, improved health and reduced strain on our water supply are other notable benefits of energy efficiency, though they are not always taken into consideration when a utility proposes a new energy efficiency project.

At the state regulatory level, Public Utility Commissions or similar entities are required to do a cost-benefit analysis for each energy efficiency project or program that a utility proposes, in order to determine how cost effective it may be. This analysis is called an ‘energy efficiency cost test,’ and although the concept may seem straight forward, its application is based on a varying set of pre-defined criteria that are not always consistent. Furthermore, the subject of cost-effectiveness tests is sensitive in the utility sector, because it’s at the core of how energy efficiency programs are valued.

There are several different types of energy efficiency cost tests that differ slightly and are often customized to reflect a state’s values. Before diving into the options, it’s important to note that a cost-effectiveness test of some sort is a necessary measure as more and more states implement ratepayer-funded energy efficiency programs. Customers need to know that the programs they’re paying for are delivering the promised benefits, and regulators need to ensure that the costs paid by the customers are justified. Read More »

Posted in Energy Efficiency, Texas / Tagged Clean Energy | Read 1 Response

California on Course to Give Power to the People

By Jamie Fine / Published: January 9, 2014

In a report issued by the Energy Division at the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), experts demonstrated their commitment to the transition toward greener electricity rates in the Golden State. This is good news for two reasons: It will give customers more control of their utility bills and it keeps the state on course to cut pollution.

Today, most Californians are frozen by energy bills that are hard to understand and even more difficult to keep under control. Fortunately, recommendations from the CPUC released Monday will put the power in the hands of customers by transitioning to rates that vary with the time of energy use.

These “time-variant rates” (TVR) can cut pollution by giving customers tools to directly influence how much money is spent on the least-efficient, most-expensive, and most-polluting power plants. Critically, it’s also a way to avoid ever-growing, system-wide peak demand that leads to the building of additional power plants, known as “peaker plants” as they are specifically designed to serve customers at times of peak demand. Read More »

Posted in California, Clean Energy, Electricity Pricing, State / Comments are closed