Energy Management Articles
Honda rolls out SmartCharge beta
Honda has introduced a new SmartCharge™ beta program to Honda Fit EV customers as a way to permit these customers to charge their vehicle when electricity demand is low and when the availability of renewable energy is high.
RESF Presentation: Fifth Third Bank - 100% Renewable with a Single Solar PPA
Fifth Third Bank and Schneider Electric's presentation on "Fifth Third Bank’s bold entry into RE sourcing" was a highlight of Smart Energy Decisions' recent Renewable Energy Sourcing Forum Spring event.
Solar sings at Miami concert venue
The amphitheater at Bayfront Park, a downtown Miami performing arts venue, will add a ring of solar panels and a retractable roof following approval by the Miami City Commission for a no-bid, 25-year contract to Florida Power & Light for the project.
Trinseo reports 24% GHG reduction
Trinseo, the global manufacturer of plastics, latex binders, and synthetic rubber, announced it has achieved a number of notable reductions in its environmental footprint from 2011 to 2017, including a 24% decline in GHG emissions from sources owned or controlled by the company
Weekend reads: Shaving peaks, saving bucks; Mine is bigger
It's the weekend! Kick back and relax with these must-read energy stories from around the web:
Wind Catcher canceled
American Electric Power (AEP) announced on July 27 that it has canceled the $4.5 billion, 2000-megawatt Wind Catcher project, which would have created the largest wind farm in the U.S.
Michigan adds PACE energy efficiency projects
Roberts Riverwalk Urban Resort Hotel in Detroit and the Liquid Web Data Center in Lansing are each beginning new energy-efficiency projects through the Lean and Green Michigan program, funded by Property Assessed Clean Energy, or PACE.
BlueScope signs Australia’s largest solar PPA
Australian manufacturer BlueScope Steel announced a seven-year PPA to offtake 66% of the 133MW of energy generated from ESCO Pacific’s Finley Solar Farm. This represents 20% of BlueScope’s total Australian electricity purchases.
Yum! Brands restaurants go green
Yum! Brands announced that more than one-third of their new restaurants are meeting the requirements of the company’s Green Building efforts that provide guidelines for reducing energy and water consumption and constructing buildings to leave a smaller footprint.
White paper: Reinventing Electrical Resiliency - Power Failure and Your Business
This white paper, presented by Enchanted Rock, begins with the warning that as the electric grid becomes more vulnerable to disturbances, organizations must be able to endure, minimize, and recover from disruptive power outages.
Fujitsu accelerates RE use to achieve Vision
Fujitsu announced that it has set a goal of sourcing 100% of the electricity consumed at its group locations, both inside and outside of Japan, from renewable sources by 2050, with an intermediate goal of 40% by 2030. The company has also joined The Climate Group’s RE100 initiative.
Honolulu airport installs solar carport
The Honolulu airport will install an array featuring 4,260 solar modules atop a new carport on the roof of its Terminal 1 parking garage in a project that aligns with the state’s goal to reach 100% renewable energy by 2045.
General Motors revamps lighting for efficiency
Efforts to reduce lighting-related energy consumption have brought General Motors closer to its goal of reducing energy and carbon intensity by 20% from a 2010 baseline by 2020 and have generated more than $3 million in annual energy cost savings
Goodyear reports energy intensity, GHG reductions
The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company reported a 15% reduction in manufacturing energy intensity and a 20% reduction in GHG emissions in 2017 compared to its 2010 baseline. Results were released as part of the company’s 2017 Corporate Responsibility Report.
Case Study: Cargill's 20+ Years of Setting & Achieving Energy Savings Goals
This case study by the Alliance for Industrial Efficiency documents the process taken by Cargill, a leading provider of food and agricultural products and services, in setting energy efficiency goals.
Daimler, Penske, NFI partner for electric fleet innovation
Daimler Trucks North America (DTNA) announced that Penske Truck Leasing and NFI, a supply chain solutions provider, have agreed to partner in operating the Freightliner Electric Innovation Fleet of eCascadia™ heavy-duty trucks
AT&T drives towards 15,000 alternative fuel vehicles
AT&T announced plans to reach 15,000 alternative fuel vehicles on the road by the end of this year.
Weekend reads: Microsoft data center tests batteries; Croatia takes the (energy) lead
It's the weekend! Kick back and relax with these must-read energy stories from around the web:
BB&T announces investment for energy reduction
BB&T Corporation announced it will invest more than $40 million in 1,200 of its facilities with the goal of decreasing energy and water consumption. The company also set new corporate sustainability targets of reducing energy consumption by 25% and water consumption by 10% over the next five years.
Tiffin University adds 240-kW rooftop solar array
Tiffin University in Ohio announced construction will begin on its first rooftop solar project. Located at the University’s Heminger Center, the solar array will feature 705 panels constructed on 14,000 square feet of rooftop space.
Webinar: Walmart's Project Gigaton - Driving RE in the supply chain
Walmart's Project Gigaton is a bold global initiative that best exemplifies the emerging dynamic of supply chain initiatives as an important growth engine for renewable energy sourcing.
Fordham University benefits from largest NYC solar array
The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) announced on July 18 the completion of the largest solar system installed in New York City, located in Staten Island. The 3.1-megawatt solar array will offset a large portion of the electricity used by Fordham University and Fordham Preparatory School in the Bronx.
IKEA powers largest rooftop solar project in Wisconsin
IKEA has installed a solar array on top its new 290,000-square-foot store in Oak Creek, Wisconsin. The 1.6-megawatt array is expected to provide between 20% and 50% of the power needed for the store, producing more than 2 million kilowatts of electricity annually.
The Great REC Arbitrage
No longer reserved for the Fortune 500, financial instruments like Virtual Power Purchase Agreements (VPPAs) are gaining popularity among smaller companies and public-sector entities looking to cost-effectively meet clean energy goals. Google, Apple, Amazon, and Walmart have paved the way for other, more risk averse but environmentally-minded entities to power their operations with renewable energy.
Facebook plans six solar projects to power data centers in Oregon
Facebook has announced it will finance construction of six large solar projects that will generate 437 megawatts of power for its Prineville, Oregon campus, home of three existing and two more planned data centers.
Lockheed Martin reports progress on energy management goals
Lockheed Martin implemented more than 70 energy efficiency and carbon reduction projects in 2017 as the company heads towards a series of 2020 energy management goals. Progress was detailed in their recently released 2017 Sustainability Report
Gemini Solar Project to be largest in Nevada
The 690-megawatt Gemini Solar Project, expected to be one of the largest solar projects in Nevada’s history, has been proposed by Quinbrook Infrastructure Partners. The project will be located on almost 44,000-acres of Bureau of Land Management supervised property approximately 25 miles northeast of downtown Las Vegas, Nevada.
NASA reaches for solar power in Alabama
Marshall Space Flight Center in Alabama has completed the addition of a 120-kW rooftop solar array, featuring more than 370 solar panels on one of the center’s newer buildings.
Audi Field to add PACE-funded solar array
Audi Field hosted major league soccer franchise D.C. United’s first game July 14 as the stadium premiered a set of initiatives designed to create a more sustainable facility.
Kroger sets table with sustainability goals
With the release of its company’s 2018 Sustainability Report, The Kroger Co. shared progress on a variety of sustainability goals, including two climate-related goals for Kroger Retail.
