Energy Exchange

A Powerful Proposal To Increase Groundwater Knowledge In Wyoming

By Jon Goldstein / Published: September 3, 2013

Jon Goldstein The Latin phrase “Scientia potentia est” may not ring a bell, but its translation should: knowledge is power.

The oil and gas industry spends millions every year to expand its knowledge of underground energy reserves. That is because better geologic knowledge is powerful stuff, it can mean the difference between a very profitable well or a very expensive dry hole.

Doesn’t it make sense then for the industry to also invest in better knowledge of local water resources? Investing a small amount in understanding local groundwater quality before you drill, and following up to monitor whether that water is potentially impacted once energy production commences is also incredibly powerful for local residents, state regulators and the industry alike.

Wyoming oil and gas regulators have proposed a testing program that aims to do exactly this – establish a groundwater quality baseline in areas where oil and gas development is planned, and then follow up with two sets of tests to monitor for potential impacts from this specific activity. Read More »

Auto dealers vs. Tesla: Why the market will decide

By Brad Copithorne / Published: August 29, 2013

This commentary originally appeared on EDF’s Voices blog.

Source: jurvetson/Flickr

The European Union, the United Kingdom, Australia and the State of California have all set ambitious targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 80% by 2050. Given that a large share of global greenhouse gas emissions comes from transportation (including 29% of U.S. emissions), it will be very tough to meet this goal without “decarbonizing” our cars and trucks.

The most obvious solution is electric vehicles (EVs) charged by clean energy sources like solar or wind. While several startup EV companies – including Fisker, Coda and Better Place – have struggled, the Tesla car company seems to be succeeding. At least that’s the current view of the markets: Tesla shares have more than tripled since March and in May the company raised almost $1 billion in new capital.

Posted in California, Electric Vehicles / Tagged EV, Tesla | Comments are closed

Rural Communities Need Extra Support In Light Of Energy And Water Constraints

By Kate Zerrenner / Published: August 29, 2013

Source: Winning Communities

Around 20% of the US population lives in an area that is classified as “rural.” The US Census Bureau defines an urban area as a territory with a population of at least 50,000, or a cluster of 2,500 to 50,000 people. Rural is then defined as anything outside of that definition. Rural areas face particular challenges when it comes to energy and water use. For example, utilities are met with higher costs and often find it harder to implement new clean technologies to modernize their energy infrastructure because of the great distances between customers and an irregular patchwork of reliable resources. Besides, many system planners and thought leaders for innovative energy technologies live in urban or suburban areas and may find it harder to relate to the specific challenges of rural settings.

It’s likely that climate change will impact rural communities in different ways than it will urban areas, due to a number of factors including the types of common occupations, poverty levels and demography. Of particular concern is the “climate gap”, which refers to the lower economic and physical adaptability of rural communities. It will vary based on region, but research indicates that rural communities in the Southeast and Southwest could face particularly dire circumstances due to changes in electricity prices and water scarcity.

Posted in Climate, Energy Efficiency, Energy-Water Nexus, Utility Business Models / Tagged climate change, Energy Efficiency, Utility Business Models | Comments are closed

Duke Energy Agrees To New Model For Energy Efficiency

By Greg Andeck / Published: August 28, 2013

Environmental Defense Fund and the North Carolina Sustainable Energy Association recently joined the North Carolina Utilities Commission Public Staff and environmental colleagues in reaching an agreement with Duke Energy on its new incentive mechanism for energy efficiency investments.

The NC Utilities Commission is expected to issue a ruling on the agreement by the end of November 2013. If approved, the agreement will motivate Duke to implement energy efficiency measures as broadly and cost-effectively as possible. Duke’s efforts, in turn, can help ensure a robust market for providers of energy efficiency goods and services.

The agreement would replace Duke’s avoided cost energy efficiency program, “Save-a-Watt,” with a business model known as “shared savings.” Save-a-Watt, which expires at the end of 2013, was successful in motivating Duke to make investments in energy efficiency. In fact, the company exceeded its energy savings targets, but the program was overly complex for energy regulators and stakeholders.

In contrast, the shared savings approach will split the anticipated dollar savings between Duke and its customers and set a single, flat rate of return. By sharing the savings, the model properly balances the interests of the utility and customers, and it will motivate Duke to make energy efficiency investments that save customers money. The shared savings model is the most commonly used energy efficiency utility incentive mechanism in the United States.

Posted in Energy Efficiency, North Carolina, On-bill repayment / Tagged Clean Air, Energy Efficiency, OBR, On Bill Repayment, Shared Savings, Utility Business Models | Read 2 Responses

Agricultural Offsets are to 2013 as Energy Efficiency was to 1973

By Robert Parkhurst / Published: August 28, 2013

In 1973 Chase Manhattan Bank saw “virtually no scope for conservation” of electricity. In 2011 the total market for energy efficiency in buildings was worth $68 billion and is expected to grow more than 50% by 2017.

The same thing is being said about greenhouse gas (GHG) protocols for agriculture today as energy efficiency 40 years ago. When the California Air Resources Board (CARB) stated that they plan to consider a protocol for rice farmers in California and the Midsouth, some stated that the reductions from the protocol would be “very small” and not “widely used.” These criticisms miss a key point.

The rice protocol is the jumping off point for a wide-range of agricultural offsets. The rice protocol will demonstrate the benefits from the use of biogeochemical models, such as the DeNitrification DeComposition (DNDC) model, pioneered by the University of New Hampshire over the past two decades. It will show how agricultural producers can aggregate their reductions with fellow farmers to create an offset project. It will revolutionize ways to verify large amounts of data through risk-based sampling. In short, this is the start of something significant.

Once the rice protocol is approved, CARB can turn its attention to other crops such as corn, wheat, or leafy greens. They can look at grazing practices on land across the United States. These practices, just like energy efficiency, add up fast. It is entirely possible to achieve annual GHG reductions of one hundred million metric tons of CO₂e reductions, equivalent to taking more than 20 million cars off the road, over the next ten years.

Because agriculture is the largest uncapped sector under California’s cap-and-trade program, it has a unique potential to help California meet its 2020 target. To play a role in the program, the rice protocol needs to be adopted this spring and additional offset protocols from agriculture need to be considered in the upcoming years.

Posted in California / Comments are closed

How Smarter, More Flexible Energy Can Help Communities Weather Future Storms

By Andy Darrell / Published: August 27, 2013

Last week, the Hurricane Sandy Rebuilding Task Force released a Rebuilding Strategy, which aims to rebuild communities affected by Hurricane Sandy in ways that are “better able to withstand future storms and other risks posed by climate change.” From an energy perspective, the main goal of these recommendations is to make the electrical grid smarter and more flexible. This effort would minimize power outages and fuel shortages in the event of similar emergency situations in the future.

The Task Force is led by President Obama and chaired by Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Shaun Donovan. The recommendations put forth in the report were developed with Governor Cuomo, Governor Christie, and a number of federal agencies and officials from across New York and New Jersey, representing an unusual opportunity to make changes that will help communities weather future crises.

This key idea – smarter, flexible energy – is central to resilience, safety and quick recovery in a storm, as well as reducing the harmful pollution linked to climate change in the first place. This has been a key theme of EDF’s efforts to help the Northeast region respond to Sandy.

When the power grid went down on most of New York City following Hurricane Sandy, a number of buildings were able to keep their lights on thanks to existing microgrids and on-site, renewable energy sources. The Task Force report lays out a path forward for taking these isolated success stories to scale and making these clean technologies available to everyone.

Posted in Climate, Grid Modernization, Investor Confidence Project, New York, On-bill repayment / Tagged climate change, energy, Grid Resiliency, Smart Grid, sustainability | Read 1 Response