Energy Exchange

Clean Energy Conferences Roundup: August 2014

By EDF Blogs / Published: August 1, 2014

Source: National Retail Federation Flickr

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 August:

Aug 17-22: 2014 ACEEE Summer Study on Energy Efficiency in Buildings, Pacific Grove, CA
Speaker: Jamie Fine, Senior Economist

The 2014 Summer Study is the 18th biennial American Council for an Energy-Efficiency Economy conference on Energy Efficiency in Buildings. A diverse group of professionals from around the world will gather at this pre-eminent meeting to discuss the technological basis for, and practical implementation of, actions to reduce energy use and the climate impacts associated with buildings. The Summer Study enables sharing ideas and engaging in dialog with leading thinkers, visionaries, and luminaries in the field, while in the midst of the magnificent natural setting of Asilomar Conference Grounds. Read More »

Posted in Clean Energy, Conference Roundup / Comments are closed

Military Saves Energy, Money on the Home Front

By Stephanie Kline / Published: July 31, 2014

Source: The U.S. Army Flickr

Home energy bills are not something most people think about when it comes to military energy conservation. Most service members are unlikely to think about them either, especially those who live in military housing, which are communities on or near bases that are managed by private firms. For soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines living in these communities, their Base Allowance for Housing (BAH) covers rent and utilities and is automatically taken out of their paychecks. While convenient and easy to manage, this system can have the negative, unintended consequence of removing responsibility for individual energy use – an issue of particular concern this time of year when temperatures are at their highest and air conditioners are working overtime.

For service members who do not live in privatized military housing, their BAH is not taken out of their paychecks, and they are responsible for paying rent and utilities. My husband and I lived off base at all of our duty stations and were responsible for paying our own bills. Although our BAH was specifically designated for these expenses, we conserved energy whenever possible to keep more money in our pockets. Read More »

Four Lessons in Corporate Water Efficiency

By EDF Blogs / Published: July 30, 2014

Susannah Harris pictured here on site at Verizon headquarters in Basking Ridge, NJ By: Susannah Harris, 2014 Climate Corps Fellow

I received quizzical looks from family and friends when I told them I was working on water efficiency projects at Verizon this summer. They paused, racking their brains about where water is used within the telecommunications industry. “Like in the bathrooms?” they’d ask.

The reality is that domestic telecom companies rely on billions of gallons of water per year to cool, clean, and maintain the buildings and equipment that support their expansive networks. And because customers require networks to operate 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, much of that equipment is running around the clock. From cooling tower adjustments to grey water recycling, there are a number of water-saving opportunities available for the telecommunications industry. Implementing these practices – thereby reducing municipal water, sewer and energy bills – can also make a noticeable impact on the company’s bottom line. Read More »

Posted in Clean Energy, Energy-Water Nexus / Tagged Verizon | Read 1 Response

The 2014 U.S. Clean Tech Leadership Index: Did your State, City Make the Cut?

By Gavin Purchas / Published: July 30, 2014

If there is one thing that works in the world of advocacy, it is a ratings table that shows how one state, metropolitan area, or utility compares to its peers. The latest report, U.S. Clean Tech Leadership Index, from Clean Edge does just that.

The fifth annual U.S. Clean Tech Leadership Index finds that California, Massachusetts, Oregon, Colorado, and New York lead the way among states in solar and electric vehicle adoption, with smart climate policies and clean energy financing driving the clean tech leadership index growth.

Clean energy is becoming a popular choice for mainstream America with 11 states now generating more than ten percent of their electricity from non-hydro renewable sources, according to the Clean Edge report. As seen in the graph below, Iowa leads the way in utility-scale wind, solar, and geothermal electricity generation. Read More »

Posted in Clean Energy, Electric Vehicles, Energy Financing, Renewable Energy / Comments are closed

Clean Air Opportunity Knocks, But Will Wyoming Answer?

By Jon Goldstein / Published: July 30, 2014

$frackingwyo_92689731_rf_0$ One of the most difficult and urgent challenges facing Western leaders today is how best to regulate the oil and gas development that is quickly spreading to new areas and encroaching on towns and homes.

Last weekend, The Casper Star-Tribune covered this very topic as oil and gas drilling, once mostly confined to less populated parts of the state, begins to expand into areas near Cheyenne and close by northeastern towns like Douglas that have not experienced this new neighbor before.

This same friction is fueling a rancorous political debate in Colorado, pitting industry against citizens who want their local governments to have more control over oil and gas development. But as the Star-Tribune’s Ben Storrow points out in his column, this isn’t the Wyoming way. Read More »

Posted in Air Quality, Wyoming / Tagged Oil And Natural Gas Air Pollution Standards | Comments are closed

How Big Data Can Fight Climate Change in Los Angeles

By Jorge Madrid / Published: July 29, 2014

Map from the LASER Atlas showing temperature rise projections in Los Angeles

You may be wondering – as I was before we started a project with the UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation over a year ago – “what the heck does Big Data have to do with climate change?”

To start, here’s a piece from Climate Central that exemplifies the new power of big data.

“Big Data allows you to say simple, clear things…to tell people about their climate locally in ways they can understand.”

Through taking information created all around us and applying thoughtful analysis, we can comprehend and unleash it to solve our greatest challenges. For EDF, that means partnering with the country’s top universities and most innovative companies to address the biggest challenge of our time – climate change.

Today we launch the newest version of the Los Angeles Solar & Efficiency Report (LASER), a data-driven mapping tool that can help stakeholders and local leaders understand climate and pollution risks in their own communities. Empowered by this information, they can seek out and maximize available resources to deploy clean energy, reduce climate pollution, and create tens of thousands of much-needed jobs. Read More »

Posted in California, Clean Energy, Climate, Energy Efficiency, Renewable Energy / Comments are closed