Energy Exchange

Game Time for Fixing The Gas Industry’s Achilles Heel

By  Ben Ratner and Sean Wright

GametimeAs the dog days of summer expire and football season approaches, many sports fans will anxiously scan their favorite team’s rosters for training camp injuries–finding everything from the innocuous, to the dreaded torn Achilles that already sidelined several pro players for the season’s start.

When it comes to the energy industry, methane emissions loom as the Achilles heel of natural gas. On the surface, natural gas appears to many as a star American player – abundant and cleaner burning than coal.

But unchecked methane emissions, which are 84 times more potent than CO2, undercut natural gas’ climate change performance. Read More »

Posted in Climate, Methane / Tagged , | Comments are closed

Clean Energy Conference Roundup: August 2015

rp_Source-National-Retail-Federation-Flickr-300x2001.jpgEach month, the Energy Exchange rounds up a list of top clean energy conferences around the country. Our list includes conferences at which experts from the EDF Clean Energy Program will be speaking, plus additional events that we think our readers may benefit from marking on their calendars.

 

 

 

 

August 4-6: 2015 ACEEE Summer Study on Energy Efficiency in Industry (Buffalo, NY)

  • This year’s ACEEE Summer Study on Energy Efficiency in Industry will bring you the latest thinking on managing plant energy use, national energy policy, and industrial energy efficiency program administration. Session topics include Strategic Energy Management, Sustainability, Smart Manufacturing, Beyond Best Practices, Policy and Resource Planning, and Delivering Results.

Read More »

Posted in Conference Roundup, General / Comments are closed

How Does the Investor Confidence Project Work? Check Out Our New Factsheet

By: Max Wycisk

ICP Logo newestThe Investor Confidence Project (ICP), Environmental Defense Fund’s (EDF) signature buildings efficiency finance program, is sometimes hard to explain in a nutshell. Ultimately, the program aims to create confidence among investors financing energy efficiency projects by standardizing how projects are designed and implemented across the commercial buildings sector. But how do we get from the origination of a project to a successful return on investment?

Our new ICP factsheet aims to answer this question and more. We’ve even developed this helpful infographic depicting a step-by-step process for using the ICP system: Read More »

Posted in Clean Energy, Energy Efficiency, General, Investor Confidence Project / Comments are closed

Clean Energy Conference Roundup: July 2015

rp_Source-National-Retail-Federation-Flickr-300x2001.jpg

Each month, the Energy Exchange rounds up a list of top clean energy conferences around the country. Our list includes conferences at which experts from the EDF Clean Energy Program will be speaking, plus additional events that we think our readers may benefit from marking on their calendars.

Top clean energy conferences featuring EDF experts in July:

July 12-15:  NARUC Summer Committee Meetings (New York, NY)

Speaker: N. Jonathan Peress, Air Policy Director – Natural Gas

  • The NARUC Summer Committee Meetings are an opportunity to meet with utility regulators from every State in the U.S., along with federal and international officials. Meetings topics include the latest in regulatory trends and best practices within utility sectors, including electricity, natural gas, telecommunications, and water.

Read More »

Posted in Clean Energy, Conference Roundup / Comments are closed

Don’t Write Off Energy Efficiency. It’s Just About to have its Day.

By: Matt Golden, Senior Energy Finance Consultant

pgegreenenergy-smartmeterA few days ago, economists from the University of Chicago and the University of California, Berkeley released a study that called into question the cost-effectiveness of energy efficiency. The study was based on the team’s analysis of energy savings shortfalls in the Michigan low income Weatherization Assistance Program. Since then, a host of articles have used the study’s results to call into question the value of utility-sponsored energy efficiency programs.

While this study did raise some thought-provoking points, it also contained biased assumptions and reached conclusions that far exceed its scope, lumping together market-based efficiency with low-income weatherization programs. Read More »

Posted in California, Clean Energy, Energy Efficiency, Energy Financing, Grid Modernization, Illinois, Investor Confidence Project / Read 14 Responses

Building Blocks of a True Energy Efficiency Market Now in Place

By: Matt Golden, Senior Energy Finance Consultant

qa provider logos2The Investor Confidence Project (ICP), an Environmental Defense Fund initiative designed to unlock investment in energy efficiency, announces the launch of the ICP Quality Assurance Credential for companies with the skills, training, and experience to provide independent review of ICP projects.

This last of three key credentials authorizes third-party Credentialed Quality Assurance providers to verify that a project conforms to a set of ICP protocols, as well as certify it as an Investor Ready Energy EfficiencyTM project. The completion of the ICP credentialing system marks a crucial step forward for ICP and the standardization of the commercial and multifamily energy efficiency industry.

Read More »

Posted in Clean Energy, Energy Efficiency, Energy Financing, Investor Confidence Project / Comments are closed