Energy Management Articles
Microsoft wind PPA paired with storage, trading
Microsoft has announced a unique arrangement through which it will purchase wind energy for its Microsoft Cloud services in Ireland and test the integration of energy storage into the country's grid.
Weekend reads: Amazon energy drones; innovations in grid renewables; ways to cash in on EV boom & more
Kick back with these must-read energy stories from around the web.
Trade dispute bottlenecks US solar purchases
Utilities and corporations are hitting the pause button on the pursuit of solar energy deal as uncertainty around the outcome of a federal trade case on solar modules, Bloomberg News reported Oct. 4.
Massachusetts HS installs massive flow battery project
A private Massachusetts High School is reaping the benefits of a newly installed, 3 MWh energy storage system that is paired with an onsite, utility-scale wind turbine.
5 major corporate buyers headline RES Forum
Energy and sustainability executives from Amazon Web Services, General Motors Co., Intel Corp., Lockheed Martin and Wal-Mart Stores Inc. are set to headline the inaugural Smart Energy Decisions Renewable Energy Sourcing Forum this November.
Facebook, Dominion create renewable energy rate
Facebook and Dominion Energy Virginia designed the new rate option, which must be approved by state regulators, to serve Facebook's future data center and other large energy users through the addition of renewable energy sources to the grid.
PACE helps Alterra revive 100-year-old Dallas building
Dallas-based real estate developer Alterra International has been able to secure $23.9 million in PACE financing to transform the energy efficiency and environmental attributes of a century-old building amid its conversion to a mixed-use development.
GM reveals plans for all-electric, zero-emissions future
General Motors Co. rolled out plans Oct. 2 for how it plans to achieve a "zero crashes, zero emissions and zero congestion" vision for the future in an eventual transition of its fleet to electric vehicles.
Tesla shipping battery packs to Puerto Rico
As Puerto Rico struggles to recover from the devasting impacts of Hurricane Maria, Tesla Inc. is reportedly sending hundreds of its Powerwall battery systems to the island as German storage company Sonnen pledges to build microgrids on the island.
Report: US solar, wind capacity shatters EIA estimates
A new report from the Natural Resources Defense Council shows that in 2016, the country's solar energy capacity came in 4,500% higher than predicted by the U.S. Energy Information Administration in 2006.
Using EMIS to identify top opportunities for efficiency
This guide from the U.S. DOE presents an overview of the top energy-savings opportunities in commercial buildings and shows how these opportunities can be identified using the type of interval meter analytics offered in energy information system technologies or using the automated analytics offered in fault detection and diagnostics systems.
Dyson to join EV market with $2.7B investment
From General Motors to Dyson, manufacturers have made three major electric vehicle announcements - and billions in investment - in the past week.
Oil, gas, solar, wind associations ban together opposing DOE's call for baseload reliability payments
Following the Sept. 29 proposal from U.S. Energy Secretary Rick Perry that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission move to increase compensation for generators providing baseload power supplies such as coal and nuclear, a group of 11 energy industry associations have filed their formal opposition to the request.
Weekend reads: DOE's coal, nuclear bailouts; Puerto Rico's plagued grid; SolarCity's $30M fine & more
Kick back with these must-read energy stories from around the web.
Tiffany & Co. will offset all US electricity use with RECs
"Given the current administration's withdrawal from the Paris Climate accord, every company committed to responsible business is compelled to act," Chairman and interim CEO Michael Kowalski said in a statement.
Massachusetts tops energy efficieny rankings
Massachusetts has nabbed the top spot on an annual ranking of states on energy efficiency, breaking its tie with California, which slipped to second place, compared to the year prior.
Cutting edge energy efficiency, solar tech design on display at Cornell University's new NYC campus
The Cornell Tech campus on Roosevelt Island features a combined 850-kW solar PV installation, the largest in Manhattan, alongside a variety of site-specific strategies and technologies to reduce energy demand.
Public-private sector coalition takes on thermal energy
A large group of manufacturers including Mars, Procter & Gamble and General Motors, has joined government and environmental organizations in launching an effort to increase options for access to sustainable, cost-competitive renewable thermal energy.
Microsoft to build world's 1st gas data center
At a Seattle data center, Microsoft Corp. is piloting a new, advanced energy project in which it has connected natural gas pipelines to racks that are fully powered by integrated fuel cells instead of traditional electrical gear.
CBRE skyscraper undergoes energy efficiency overhaul
For a skyscraper in the heart of the city the never sleeps, the importance of efficiently managing energy is hard to understate, particularly in light of new mandates from city hall for building owners to make sharp greenhouse gas reductions.
An evaluation of efficiency programs in the Southwest
This report from the Southwest Energy Efficiency Project examines the methodologies that electric utilities in the Southwest use to value the avoided costs of their energy efficiency and other demand-side management programs.
Leveraging partners, P&G starts 50 MW biomass plant
Marking another step toward its energy goals, Procter & Gamble Co. announced the completion of a 50-MW biomass-fueled combined heat and power plant at one of its largest U.S. facilities, touting the importance of its partnerships in bringing the project to fruition.
Papa John's franchisee adds solar to 100% RE mix
One of the largest Papa John's franchisees in the country has been powering its more than 85 stores with 100% wind power since 2015, but beginning in 2018, will add solar electricity to its mix through a new, nine-year agreement.
BNEF: Oil majors join C&I sector in cutting GHGs
It's no longer just the C&I sector of the economy that has ramped up its commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions: According to a new report from Bloomberg New Energy Finance, the oil majors have also hopped on board.
Facebook switches to community choice RE option
Social media giant Facebook has switched all electric accounts at its Menlo Park, Calif., headquarters to participate in a 100% renewable energy program created by a newly established California electricity supplier.
Weekend reads: Obama aides launch energy group; mayor's energy use judged; Musk's solar vision & more
Kick back with these must-read energy stories from around the web.
California's SEM program open for business
With a new mandate to double energy efficiency savings by 2030, California utilities are about to roll out a new $4 million industrial energy efficiency program to incentivize Strategic Energy Management, or SEM, in 2018. This column explains how energy managers can capitalize on the opportunity.
ITC finds US solar makers injured, case goes to Trump
The U.S. International Trade Commission on Sept. 22 made its first decision on a high-profile case with major implications for the country's solar industry, voting 4-0 to find that imports of low-cost solar panels are damaging domestic solar manufacturers.
Utility launches 100% RE program for big businesses
One of Michigan's largest utility's, Consumers Energy, on Sept. 22 announced a new program to help large businesses be powered 100% by renewable energy.
Overheard at Climate Week NYC: 'Why wouldn't you set a 100% renewable energy target?'
Energy and sustainability executives from Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan Chase, General Motors, RE100 and Edison Energy on Sept. 20 uniformly predicted a continued acceleration of corporations turning to renewable energy to power their operations.
