Energy Management Articles
Solar Tax Credits Are Stepping Down Next Year: What Does This Mean for Corporate Solar Projects?
The U.S. solar industry is continuing to flourish with the help of the federal investment tax credit, otherwise known as the ITC. As this column from EnterSolar notes, this incentive has been a major part of solar project economics for the past decade, but changes are coming in 2020. Here is what you need to know about the ITC Step-Down, and how your company can maximize the monetary benefits of a solar project today.
Murphy Oil touts emissions reduction efforts
Murphy Oil Corporation has spent approximately $95 million from 2015 to 2018 on environmental expenditures in order to reduce GHG and other emissions. The company reported this investment with the release of its inaugural sustainability report
Top 3 corporate sustainability trends all business leaders should be watching in 2019
Last year, Daniel Hill of EDF Climate Corps identified top corporate sustainability trends and revisited these trends six months later. Now he's repeating the process for 2019.
Microsoft signs 5-year hydropower deal in WA
Microsoft Corp. announced new agreements to boost clean energy and connectivity in Washington state. The two agreements with Chelan County Public Utility District (PUD) will see Microsoft receive carbon-free electricity to power its Puget Sound campuses
University of Michigan signs PPA for 50% of campus power
The University of Michigan has committed to purchase approximately 200,000 megawatt hours of renewable energy annually beginning in 2021. The deal puts the University on track to reduce GHG emissions significantly by powering about half of the purchased electricity for the Ann Arbor campus with Michigan-sourced renewable resources.
Weekend reads: Vehicle-Grid integration is the key; London premieres ultra low emission zone
It's the weekend! Kick back and catch up with these must-read articles from around the web:
2019 ENERGY STAR Award Winners
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) are honoring 183 ENERGY STAR partners for their outstanding contributions to public health and the environment.
Apple reveals new supplier clean energy commitments
Apple® announced it has nearly doubled the number of suppliers that have committed to run their Apple production on 100% clean energy, bringing the total number to 44. Because of this partnership between Apple and its suppliers, Apple will exceed its goal of bringing 4 gigawatts of renewable energy into its supply chain by 2020, with over an additional gigawatt projected within that timeframe.
Walmart reports Project Gigaton progress, offers emissions calculator
Walmart announced that in the first two years of Project Gigaton, the company’s suppliers have combined to avoid more than 93 million metric tons of emissions as they head toward the goal of one gigaton (1 billion metric tons) by 2030.
CooperVision eyes 100% RE, efficiency advancements
CooperVision, a manufacturer of soft contact lenses, has converted its three Rochester, N.Y.-area sites to 100% renewable electricity usage. The company began moving to electrical power using RECs two years ago in Rochester.
Hormel closes in on 50% RE with VPPA
Hormel Foods Corporation has signed a virtual power purchase agreement (VPPA) for wind energy. Through this and other initiatives, the company will be supplied by almost 50% renewable wind power.
Iron Mountain expands to 100% RE in Texas and Illinois
Iron Mountain Inc. announced new energy transactions in Texas and Illinois that will provide access to 100% renewable power for its facilities in both states. The deals amount to more than 25,000 MWh of green energy per year over the next three years
Innovation Summit Presentation: Delta Force - Driving Energy Efficiency at UVA
The University of Virginia is having a great year, winning both the NCAA championship AND the Smart Energy Decisions Innovation Award for Energy Efficiency Technology! In this recap from the 2019 Innovation Summit, Jesse Warren of UVA offers a detailed look at the Clark Hall project, one of Delta Force's biggest successes.
Limoneira raises the roof on solar energy
Limoneira Company, a diversified citrus packing, selling and marketing company with related agribusiness activities and real estate development operations, announced the unveiling of the Company’s latest solar project, a solar array on the roof of its new packinghouse in Santa Paula, California.
Ameren Missouri offers C&I demand response program
Ameren Missouri has signed an exclusive agreement with Enel X to deliver 100 MW of demand response resources from the utility’s commercial and industrial (C&I) customers for the 2019 - 2021 program period. Customers participating in the program can earn payments for committing to reduce their electricity consumption temporarily during peak load times.
Amazon delivers three new RE projects
Amazon.com announced three new renewable energy projects as part of its long-term goal to power all Amazon Web Services (AWS) global infrastructure with renewable energy. These projects – one in Ireland, one in Sweden, and one in the U.S. – will deliver more than 229 MW of wind-generated energy.
Hawaii airport completes solar installation
The Hawaii Department of Transportation (HDOT) announced the completion of the installation of 2,980 additional photovoltaic panels on the 5th floor of the Terminal 2 (formerly the Overseas Terminal) garage at the Daniel K. Inouye International Airport.
Aurora Public Schools Energy Management System
Aurora Public Schools (APS), which serves 40,000 students across 63 schools, has a goal to reduce energy usage by 10% by 2023. Knowing they needed to step up their efforts to reach that goal, APS decided to implement an energy information system (EIS). This case study follows the journey taken by APS and successes achieved.
Weekend reads: Energy Star shines; Utilities drive towards EV charging
It's the weekend! Kick back and catch up with these must-read articles from around the web:
Innovation Summit Presentation: The Evolution of Sustainable Operations at Bloomberg
Continuing our recap of the 2019 Smart Energy Decisions Innovation Summit, we present "The Evolution of Sustainable Operations at Bloomberg" from Michael Barry, global head of sustainable business operations. Barry discusses Bloomberg's efforts around sustainability and energy efficiency and emphasizes the importance of collaboration and building a business case to support sustainability efforts.
Corning signs PPA for solar at Oneonta plant
Corning Incorporated announced it is building a solar array at its Corning Life Sciences (CLS) facility in Oneonta, New York, the company’s first solar project in New York state and 11th worldwide.
Renewable energy = one-third of global power capacity
The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) announced an annual increase of 7.9% for 2018 of global renewable energy capacity, bolstered by new additions from solar and wind energy. Globally, total renewable energy generation capacity reached 2,351 GW at the end of last year – around a third of total installed electricity capacity.
Solar on deck for Cleveland Indians
Installation of solar panels on Progressive Field, home of the Cleveland Indians, will begin in the upcoming months. This new solar array will be located on the roof behind home plate and will help further reduce energy costs and expand the Indians' sustainability initiatives.
Target’s light bulb moment
Target Corporation announced that more than 2 million LED fixtures are currently in place across nearly all 1,800-plus Target stores nationwide and that these fixtures will now be added to every new store opened by the company, which expects this strategy to reduce energy use at their stores by 10% annually.
University of Georgia purchases 20 e-buses
The University of Georgia will purchase up to 20 Proterra Catalyst E2 electric buses, calling the move a significant step forward in reducing carbon emissions and increasing alternative transportation options for the UGA campus transit system, one of the largest of its kind in the country.
H&M cuts emissions, sets new goals
The H&M Group announced an 11% reduction in CO2 emissions from its operations in 2018. The company also set new goals to reduce the absolute GHG-emissions in the company's own operations by another 40% by 2030.
Newark plans 17-building upgrade project
The City of Newark, New Jersey announced an energy savings improvement project that includes upgrading building infrastructure in 17 facilities, from City Hall to Symphony Hall, that will cut the city’s annual energy operating costs by an estimated 36% with potential savings of nearly $1 million a year.
SC Johnson shifts to geothermal power at Wisc. HQ
SC Johnson announced its intention to use geothermal energy to power its Racine, Wisconsin headquarters, a move the company says will greatly reduce their environmental footprint and position the company as a leader in the private sector in the transition to cleaner, renewable energy sources.
REI's net zero distribution center
This week, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) recognized Better Buildings Alliance partner REI for the energy productivity advances made in its Arizona distribution center located in Goodyear, Arizona. The center has achieved an annual energy savings of 18% and annual cost savings of $170,000 from the baseline in the first two years of operation. The goal is to have the facility be net-zero energy. How was this accomplished?
Denver lights up 44,000 LEDs
The City of Denver will install about 44,000 LED to outdoor fixtures that will emit a neutral, whiter light and save the city some $844,000 a year on their energy bill.
