Energy Management Articles
Starbucks to Install EV Chargers at 100 Stores
Starbucks announced a strategic collaboration to electrify over 100 stores across the U.S. with EV chargers.
Iowa Buildings Add Solar Panels
Polk County Supervisors in Iowa approved funding for the first phase of the installation of solar panels on county-owned buildings.
Detroit, Ann Arbor Receive Funding for Low-Emission Buses
The Michigan Infrastructure Office (MIO) announced multiple transit authorities have received a total of $72.5 million in federal funding from the U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Transit Administration (FTA), including Detroit and Ann Arbor.
Net Zero Forum Fall Educational Sessions Announced
Net Zero Forum Fall, set for September 16-18 at the Westminster Westin in Colorado, will present a variety of educational sessions, formats, and topics to provide attendees the opportunity to learn about best practices, cutting-edge strategies and other actionable content.
Tech Companies Seek Supplier Action for Scope 3 Footprint
Tech companies including AWS, Digital Realty, Google, Meta, Microsoft and Schneider Electric, are calling for all suppliers serving data centers to support greater transparency in Scope 3 emissions in an effort to lower the industry's carbon footprint.
University of Iowa Purchases Battery-Electric Buses
The Federal Transit Administration awarded the University of Iowa a $16.4 million grant for improvements to the Cambus system, including the purchase of six new battery-electric buses that will help the university reach its sustainability goals.
Danaher Lowers Emissions, Boosts RE Use
Danaher Corporation, a global life sciences and diagnostics company, announced its divisions lowered emissions and increased the use of renewable sources.
Utah Opens State's First NEVI Charging Station
The Joint Office of Energy and Transportation announced the opening of the first electric vehicle (EV) charging station in Utah that is funded by the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Formula Program.
Pasadena Water and Power to Source Carbon-Free Electricity
The City of Pasadena’s community-owned utility Pasadena Water and Power in California signed an agreement to develop an Optimized Strategic Plan for sourcing carbon-free electricity.
Messick's Farm Equipment Invests in Solar
Messick's Farm Equipment, a provider of agricultural machinery and services in central Pennsylvania, invested in solar energy to increase its operational efficiency and lower energy costs.
Norfolk Southern Sets 2034 Goals
Norfolk Southern Corporation set new goals to lower GHG emissions intensity 42% by 2034.
Preparing for the Next Stage of Corporate Renewable Procurement
There has been tremendous growth in corporate and institutional procurement of renewable energy in the past few years - 172% in C&I purchases since Constellation first started offering customers an off-site renewable product in 2018. "Preparing for the Next Stage of Corporate Renewable Procurement," a white paper from Constellation, offers their approach and lessons that can be leveraged to support the growth that's still required to meet the needs of the clean energy grid of the future, as well as a look at innovations to make sustainability solutions more widely available.
Maryland Transit Center Adds Electric Bus Charging
The David F. Bone Equipment Maintenance and Transit Operation Center (EMTOC) in Maryland began construction to feature electric bus charging and on-site green hydrogen production powered by solar and battery energy storage.
Arizona Public Service Deploys BESS
Arizona Public Service (APS) signed an agreement for the 150-MW/600-MWh Justice Energy Storage project located near Skyline Regional Park in Phoenix, Arizona.
Weekend Reads: The Global Boom of Renewables; $1.7B for EVs Explained
It's the weekend! Kick back and catch up with these must-read articles from around the web.
Southwest Airlines Signs Agreement for Electric Aircraft
Southwest Airlines Co. signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to develop operational plans for electric air taxi networks.
Smart Energy Voices Podcast: Episode 105 - Navigating Building Regulations and Incentives to Empower Sustainability
In this episode of Smart Energy Voices, host Debra Chanil speaks with Melissa Banks, Regulatory and Utility Advocacy Director at Trane Technologies, about the complex landscape of building decarbonization and sustainability. Banks discusses the increasing importance of regulatory compliance, utility incentives, and tax benefits in making energy efficiency projects financially viable for businesses and building owners. She explains the significance of understanding local utility incentives and shares examples of utility programs that offer substantial rebates for energy-efficient upgrades and emphasizes leveraging these incentives and working with experts to help maximize the financial benefits of their sustainability efforts — making the path to decarbonization both achievable and affordable.
Grainger’s Emissions Decrease by 31%
Grainger, a broad line distributor of maintenance, repair and operating (MRO) products serving businesses and institutions, announced the company lowered its global absolute Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions by 31% since 2018 and achieved its previous 2030 target of a 30% reduction seven years early.
Emerson College Converts to Carbon-Free Energy Heating
Emerson College, a higher education institution, announced it entered into a partnership to convert 100% of their heating operations by implementing a thermal energy solution.
DOE Finances EV Plant Conversions
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced $1.7 billion to support the conversion of 11 shuttered or at-risk auto manufacturing and assembly facilities across eight states.
BD Surpasses Scope 1 & 2 Goals
BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company), a global medical technology company, announced it has surpassed its Scope 1 and 2 science-based GHG emissions reduction targets for FY 2023 by 5 percentage points and received approval for near and long-term science-based emissions reduction targets from the Science Based Target initiative (SBTi).
Select Water Solution Lowers Emissions
Select Water Solution, a provider of sustainable water management and chemical solutions, announced its efforts on lowering GHG emissions resulted in a 9% reduction in combined Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions intensity from 2022.
Cummins Lowers Emissions by 31%
Cummins Inc. announced the power solutions company achieved progress in its efforts to lower GHG emissions from its facilities and operations, reaching a 31% reduction of its Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions in 2023.
BorgWarner Reduces Emissions by 32%, Boosts RE
BorgWarner lowered its Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions by 32% through 2023 from a 2021 baseline, achieving progress toward its goal of carbon neutral operations in 2035.
Toyota Joins National EV Charging Network
Toyota Motor North America invested in a new high-powered charging network along with seven other automakers to support its buildout for battery electric vehicles (BEVs) across North America.
City of Boston Expands EV Charging
The city of Boston will expand access to curbside EV charging and establish a public-private partnership that will help the city demonstrate a scalable model of deploying EV charging stations in the public right-of-way.
Snohomish County Public Utility District Adds BESS
Snohomish County Public Utility District signed a contract to construct a battery energy storage system (BESS) with a 20-year guaranteed capacity of 25 megawatts and 100 megawatt-hours.
Google's Environmental Report 2024
Google's 2024 Environmental Report provides an overview of the company's sustainability strategy, targets, and annual progress toward them. Among the highlights to explore are the company's efforts to harness technology — particularly AI — to drive positive environmental change and operate the business sustainably. And the challenges? Total GHG emissions increased 13% year-over-year in 2023, primarily driven by increased data center energy consumption and supply chain emissions.
Amazon Reaches 100% RE
Amazon announced the electricity consumed by its operations, including its data centers, was matched with 100% renewable energy last year.
Ascent Resources Lowers Scope 1 Emissions, Methane Intensity
Natural gas producer Ascent Resources lowered its Scope 1 GHG emissions intensity to approximately 20% below the company's 2020 baseline year.
