Energy Exchange

Texas Leaders Can Use Clean Energy to Increase Investments and Create Jobs. Here’s How.

GA_Washington_DC4It’s that time again. Texas leaders are meeting in Austin for the 85th Legislative Session and the next five months will be an interesting wrestling match over human rights, voting rights, bathroom rights, and local rights.

But what about our economic rights? A new report Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) issued to the Texas Legislature, Texas’ Clean Energy Economy: Prioritizing Jobs, Investments, and Growth, shows the Lone Star State’s evolving electricity landscape has created enormous economic growth and jobs. The report explores the policies put in place years ago that has allowed Texas’ power market to become cleaner and more affordable, and it outlines the state’s impressive job growth in energy efficiency, wind, and solar power.

The report urges our leaders to develop and implement a bold, comprehensive Texas energy plan to create well-paid jobs, drive innovation and investment, make us more energy independent, and protect our water supplies, while improving the health of Texans and the environment. Read More »

Posted in Clean Energy, Solar Energy, Texas, Wind Energy / Comments are closed

Another Study Confirms Methane Problem Warrants Action

natgaswellThis post was updated on February 10th.

A new study from the U.S. Department of Energy adds to the large and growing body of research on the problem of methane emissions from the oil and gas industry. Methane is both the main component of natural gas and a powerful climate pollutant – which is why regulators, scientists, and industry all have a vested interest in developing a more complete understanding of how much methane is emitted and from which sources.

Researchers with the Department of Energy’s National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) used a life cycle model to integrate data from several of EDF’s methane studies, and estimated that 7.3 million metric tons of methane were emitted along the natural gas supply chain in 2012. This value is about 10% higher than the corresponding estimate in the 2016 EPA Greenhouse Gas Inventory (GHGI), although the difference was not statistically significant (the NETL confidence interval ranged from -20% to +30% of the central estimate). Read More »

Posted in General, Methane, Natural Gas / Comments are closed

Trump wants to reduce waste and grow jobs? Good, these methane policies do just that.

Casing-head gas

This post originally appeared on the EDF Voices blog.

Today, lawmakers are using the Congressional Review Act to dismantle common-sense energy policies that can save Americans hundreds of millions of dollars and prevent massive amounts of energy resources from being needlessly wasted.

The targeted policies from the Bureau of Land Management apply to oil and gas companies that operate on 245 million acres of federal and tribal lands. Since 2013, these operators have wasted more than $1.5 billion worth of natural gas that belongs to the American public, with millions in lost royalties as a result.

That comes to more than $1 million every day – hardly what President Trump had in mind when he promised to maximize our natural resources. Read More »

Posted in BLM Methane, General, Methane, Natural Gas / Comments are closed

Rollbacks to National Standards Jeopardize California’s Efforts to Reduce Methane Emissions

California’s Air Resource Board (ARB) recently released a strong and likely final draft of new regulations that will reduce methane pollution from new and existing oil and gas facilities across California.

CAOilAndGas

Methane essentially is natural gas — wasting it is tantamount to wasting an energy resource. California producers report losing about 75,000 metric tons of methane every year, while nationally companies on publicly owned lands reportedly waste more than $1 million worth of natural gas every day. Alongside methane, oil and gas facilities also emit a list of toxic pollution like hydrogen sulfide, toluene, xylene, and benzene, all of which can be harmful to public health. Read More »

Posted in Air Quality, California, Climate, General, Methane, Natural Gas / Comments are closed

This Year’s Super Bowl is Energy-Efficient. Shouldn’t Texas Be?

nrg stadium flickrThis weekend, thousands of people will descend upon Houston to watch the New England Patriots and Atlanta Falcons duke it out at the Super Bowl. But the game won’t be the only thing on display.

In 2014, Houston’s NRG Stadium became one of the first major sports venues to use LED energy-efficient lights. The system uses 60 percent less power than the previous lighting array, translating to significant energy savings. What if Texas took a page from NRG’s book to lead the country in saving energy?

Texas recently kicked off its 85th Legislative Session. Now is the time for state leaders to seize on energy efficiency as a win-win-win path, creating local jobs while helping Texans save money and water, and reducing electricity waste and pollution. Read More »

Posted in Energy Efficiency, Energy-Water Nexus / Comments are closed

Ohio’s Electric Grid is Getting Smarter, Thanks to AEP

power lines unsplashAfter a century in use, the American electric grid is on the precipice of transformation. The technology is here and customers are ready, but we need a modernized grid to unlock the clean energy future. Fortunately, utilities like AEP Ohio are taking advantage of the potential to lower pollution and customers’ energy bills by updating – and upgrading – their operations.

For the past several years, AEP Ohio has been thoughtfully implementing grid modernization, and the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) today approved a settlement in the utility’s program. In a win-win for the environment and customers, AEP Ohio’s grid modernization plan will result in less energy waste, as well as significant customer benefits that greatly exceed the program costs: Every dollar spent will produce nearly three times as much in savings. Read More »

Posted in Grid Modernization, Voltage Optimization / Comments are closed