Energy Management Articles
Humana highlights sustainability goals
Humana announced on August 8 the company’s alignment with the United National Sustainable Development Goals, calling itself one of the first U.S. health insurers to commit to the international targets. The company also released its 2016-2017 Corporate Social Responsibility report.
Golden State Foods goes electric
Golden State Foods (GSF), a supplier to the foodservice and retail industries, will participate in Duke Energy’s electrification project, installing a total of 32 electric power outlets to help trucks at its distribution center in Wake County,
Levi Strauss & Co. ramps up climate commitments
Along with Levi Strauss & Co's recent announcement of their new climate action strategy, which sets aggressive targets for reducing carbon emissions across its owned-and-operated company-owned facilities, Michael Kobori, vp of sustainability, penned this column for the company's "Unzipped" blog, to explain the company's position as a corporate citizen and a sustainability leader.
Digital Realty aggregates customer demand to cut energy costs
Digital Realty, a global provider of data center, colocation, and interconnection solutions, announced it is contracting electricity supply in bulk to achieve lower prices throughout the year, while simultaneously providing protection against escalating prices during seasonal spikes.
Tour Amazon's rooftop solar system
Amazon offered a tour of their fulfillment center in Tracy, California, which now features one of the largest rooftop solar systems in California.
Six steps to efficient sustainability
Integrated efficiency and sustainability efforts can improve ROI but operating these initiatives in tandem comes with its own set of complexities. This column, presented by Schneider Electric, outlines a six-step approach designed to break down outdated, compartmentalized structures and encourage more collaboration across organizations in order to reach efficient sustainability.
Apple, Akamai, Etsy, Swiss Re collaborate on RE aggregation
Apple, Akamai, Etsy and Swiss Re announced on August 6 an agreement to develop two new wind and solar energy farms in Illinois and Virginia. Spearheaded by Apple, the new projects will generate 290 megawatts to the PJM electric grid serving much of the Eastern U.S.
Green energy glut = power prices at zero
As wind and solar systems continue to expand, the amount of electricity being generated is outstripping demand during certain hours of the day, resulting in power prices falling to zero or even below in more jurisdictions.
Weekend reads: One trillion watts; Energy vs. facility managers
It's the weekend! Kick back and relax with these must-read energy stories from around the web:
Infographic: Energy efficiency inside Yum! buildings
Yum! Brands 2017 Global Citizenship & Sustainability Report recorded the company's 22% energy reduction compared to a 2005 baseline, saving an estimated 4.3 billion MWh of electricity. Company efforts included 40,000 energy- and water-saving technologies implemented in 2017 alone.
Novartis signs 12-year wind VPPA
NJ Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp., an affiliate of Novartis, has signed a virtual power purchase agreement (VPPA) with Invenergy for 100 megawatts of wind power from their Santa Rita East wind farm, located west of San Angelo, Texas.
Kona brews solar-plus-battery storage project
The Kona Brewing Company has signed a 20-year PPA with Holu Energy, a subsidiary of EnSync, Inc. to build a solar-plus-battery storage system at the beer company's new brewery, under construction in Kailua Kona. The system, expected to be online in 2019, will meet one-quarter of the brewery’s electricity need and will allow the company to produce a peak output of 6,875 cans of sun-powered beer per hour.
Facebook signs wind PPA in Indiana
Facebook has signed a 15-year PPA for 139 MW of power from the Headwaters II Wind Farm in Randolph County, Indiana. The wind farm, operated by EDP Renewables, SA, produces a total of 200 MW and is expected to be operational in 2020.
UPS partners on electric delivery truck
UPS announced a collaboration with Thor Trucks, Inc., to develop and test a fully-electric medium-duty delivery truck in Los Angeles. The truck, which will have a driving range of approximately 100 miles powered by a Thor-designed and built battery, is expected to be ready for deployment later this year.
Case Study: Bloomberg—From RECs to RE100!
This case study, presented by Edison Energy, powered by Altenex, details the renewables efforts made by Bloomberg L.P. — from their initial procurement of RECs in 2007 to a commitment to source 100% of electricity from renewable sources by 2025.
J.M. Smucker signs wind PPA
J.M. Smucker announced on August 1 that it has signed a long-term PPA with Lincoln Clean Energy (LCE) for 60 megawatts (MW) of the utility-scale 230 MW Plum Creek Wind Project in Wayne County, Nebraska. Starting in 2020, the wind energy produced from this project will cover approximately 50% of Smucker's total electricity use.v
Detroit Lions score with solar
The Detroit Lions have added solar-powered lights to the parking garage at their Ford Field home as well as their training facility in Allen Park, representing their first foray into solar energy as part of the team’s ongoing sustainability efforts.
Levi Strauss targets 100% RE, supply chain goals
Levi Strauss & Co. announced on July 31 a new climate action strategy, which includes a 100% renewable electricity target in company-owned facilities, a 90% reduction in GHG emissions in all owned-and-operated facilities, and a 40% reduction in GHG emissions in its supply chain, all by 2025.
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.
