Although connecting energy efficiency programs and private capital may seem like an ideal partnership, program managers from New York and Pennsylvania have found it is challenging to achieve competitive investment ratings for energy efficiency loan portfolios. Jeff Pitkin and Keith Welks discussed their experiences with accessing the secondary market in
After long and diligent work, my own Commonwealth of Pennsylvania announced last week that it had successfully bundled 4,700 residential energy efficiency loans, and obtained $23 million in cash and $8.3 million in deferred payments, for a projected total of $31.3 million. The press release is available here.
Netflix’s ‘House of Cards’ is the latest ‘Downton Abbey.’ Or for us older folks, it is the latest who-shot-JR Ewing – a television series that lots of people are talking about.
A story of Congressional intrigue, the 13-part series has caught the attention of not only the viewing public, but also Washington insiders, who are having
Pluritas, a San Francisco IP advisory firm, is handling the sale of an LED patent portfolio developed and currently owned by a company called Illumitex.
According to the press release, Illumitex has shifted focus from LED design to lighting fixtures and total solutions and is therefore putting its chip patents up for sale.
President Barack Obama recently pushed for increased energy efficiency in his State of the Union address. His endorsement is a plus, no argument. But it may not be the federal government that drives the industry’s next growth spurt.
Increasingly, the push for clean energy seems to be more grassroots, from the city and community.
There have been a number of green patent complaints filed recently in such technology areas as compact fluorescent lamps, LEDs, and battery chargers.
Compact Fluorescent Reflector Lamps
Treatment without diagnosis is risky, for human health or home energy performance.
For any tax-paying citizen, the term “audit” probably has more negative than positive connotations. That’s why companies and individuals who perform home energy audits often refer to their services as “energy assessments” or “energy evaluations.” If the “A” word stigma isn’t bad
The Alliance to Save Energy’s Commission on National Energy Policy included financing as one of the central recommendations in its recent report, “Energy 2030: Doubling U.S. Energy Productivity by 2030.” The commission consists of some of the key leaders in energy policy and business in the United States.
The commission’s plan would use financing programs
Frequent commenter and alternative fuels expert Ben Thorp responds to my piece on electric transportation the other day, noting:
Energy efficiency … may be the largest issue if saving fossil fuel or the global environment is a major concern. The US utility energy efficiency has been
During his State of the Union Address, President Obama set the goal for the entire US economy to become 50% more energy efficient in the next 20 years. This objective is being hailed as an ambitious but achievable target, one that was endorsed by the non-partisan Alliance commission on National Energy Efficiency Policy.
The energy efficiency industry received a nice boost this week during President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address. Obama called for cutting energy use by half over the next 20 years.
Such attention comes at a significant point in the history of the energy efficiency movement. It appears
According to a brand new study carried out by consultancy Ecofys and commissioned by the WWF, the European Union can halve its greenhouse gas emissions by 2030.
We have seen time and again that the European Union has been a leader in the fight against climate change when it unveiled its now famous 20-20-20 by 20 strategy. We also have seen that the EU could go further and that 30 percent cuts are achievable by 2020 as its Emissions keep decreasing.
What the EU currently lacks is a vision for 2020 and a plan for further cuts afterwards. There is indeed nothing official on the much needed energy transition to be done at a European level.
Now the WWF and Ecofys demonstrates that – with the right incentives and policies – by 2030 the 27 members of the EU could get 40 percent of its energy from renewables and cut their energy use by 38 percent (compared to a business as usual projection).
The report is a reminder that achieving 100 percent renewables across the economy by 2050 is absolutely feasible.
By 2030, Ecofys projects that 65 percent of the Union’s electricity, 35 percent of its heat and 29 percent of its fuels could be powered by renewables.
Energy efficiency, as you can imagine, would play an important role in this endeavor. Here is an overview of what could be done.
Ecofys breaks European energy savings by economic sector, with industry consuming 31% less energy, buildings making a 26% saving, and transport energy consumption falling by 11%, all by 2030.
The methods involved in the reductions would change from sector to sector. Transport emissions would be cut by fuel economy measures, improved air traffic management, and greater vehicle electrification and use of hybrids.
In industry, a 60 to 70 percent reduction in the intensity levels on 2000 levels would be achieved through increased recycling, stringent and ongoing ‘best available technology’ guidelines and ambitious plant refurbishments.
By contrast, with buildings, a 2.5 percent annual retrofit is proposed, along with increased heat recovery, insulation and ventilation systems, heat pumps, solar thermal systems and local renewable solutions where possible.
Let’s hope the European Union will take advantage of this report and many others to provide an ambitious energy and climate project for 2030 and beyond.
Events unfolding in two US Northeast states – New York and Massachusetts – signal increased business opportunity for energy efficiency companies, green architects, lighting contractors, smart grid innovators and others in the business of saving energy.
First, the energy efficiency world should keep an eye
Advanced meters are the most visible component of recent smart grid deployments, dominating much public and media attention. However, industry members recognize even greater opportunities and imperatives for modernizing distribution infrastructure and operations further up the line. Distribution automation (DA) is a hot topic in the utility industry, encompassing