Efficiency

Saving Energy in Commercial Buildings: Philadelphia Navy Yard

By


Around 3,000 commercial building owners and contractors are weighing a new request for proposals on energy retrofits from an institution that’s a national leader in reducing energy consumption by existing buildings.

The Energy Efficient Buildings Hub, a public-private organization whose largest funder is the U.S. Department of Energy, sent out the RFPs on October 12 as the latest step toward fulfilling its ambitious goal of reducing energy use by commercial buildings in the Philadelphia region by 20 percent by 2020. Keep reading →

 /  Published October 17, 2012 at 8:30 AM

Nuclear Power Debate Heats Up in NYCs Backyard: Relicensing Controversy Intensifies

By


The battle lines have been drawn for years, but the fight over nuclear power’s risks and benefits reached a new stage in New York this week where issues including public safety, reliability, the environment and ratepayer costs are being disputed.

The Indian Point nuclear power plant run by Entergy generates over 2,000 MW approximately 30 miles north of New York City. Supplying roughly 25% of New York City’s and Westchester County’s electricity, the plant’s operating licenses are due to expire within the next few years and the federal hearings are drawing Indian Point’s proponents and critics into stark relief. Keep reading →

 /  Published October 16, 2012 at 2:30 PM

Fuel Switching Is Not So Easy

By


In the United States, utilities have been switching fuels for the power generators. While many commentators believe the motivation to switch is regulatory, the primary incentive is economics.

Of course, the Environmental protection Agency’s (EPA) new coal and coal-fired power plant rules influence a utility, but the markets are the primary driver behind utilities to seek fuel options. EPA’s rules are not the prime mover, at least not now. Keep reading →

 /  Published October 15, 2012 at 8:30 AM

How to Make Energy Efficiency Sexy

By


Touted by movie stars, discussed in presidential debates, solar and wind energy are the technological ‘it girls’ of our time. Meanwhile, combined heat and power, 100 years old and shaped like a box, can’t get a date with popular culture.

Such was the lament that threaded through last week’s annual gathering in Washington, D.C. of about 120 industry supporters of CHP, as the technology is more commonly known (for those who know it). Keep reading →

 /  Published October 10, 2012 at 8:30 AM

Missouri’s ‘Dancing Rabbit’ Ecovillage (Off the Grid)

By


The verdant, rolling hills of Northeast Missouri look as if they were lifted straight from a George Inness painting. A blend of scattered, open-grown trees and lush prairie grassland — an idyllic savanna ecosystem — peppered prettily with ponds, small creeks and wildlife. Country life at its finest.

 /  Published October 5, 2012 at 2:00 PM

Optimize Your Building with Innovative Energy-efficient Technology

By


Buildings represent a large percentage of all the energy consumed in the United States. That’s why increasing the energy efficiency of buildings – especially existing ones – has become a major priority for many cities throughout the country. In addition to enhancing overall quality of life, transforming commercial and industrial properties combats climate change and fosters innovation that ultimately strengthens our economy.

This push for high-performance buildings has created a market ripe with innovations in building technology. Building technologies such as high-efficiency replacement motors, variable frequency drives (VFDs), lighting and controls for heating and cooling equipment are rapidly improving. Keep reading →

 /  Published October 5, 2012 at 9:00 AM

Market Driven: Corporate Sustainability Builds on Data and Metrics

By


Recent evidence suggests companies that score highly on sustainability metrics tend to be well run and have solid business models – 655 institutional investors representing $78 trillion in assets appear to agree.

The 655 investors are signatories to the Carbon Disclosure Project, which is a global greenhouse gas emission reporting initiative that incentives companies, governments and cities to voluntarily disclose data pertaining to key sustainability metrics. Keep reading →

 /  Published September 26, 2012 at 2:30 PM

Energy Venture Capital CEO Discusses M&A ‘Arms Race,’ and More

By


Energy venture capital is a challenging business in the best of times, but greater competition from large non-traditional players and lingering economic weakness in many of the world’s largest economies mean that, more than ever, finding and doing successful deals requires a disciplined, yet open minded approach.

The entrance of large companies into the energy venture capital space, the US elections’ impact on investment cycles, identifying opportunities and dominant sector trends were just a few of the topics Breaking Energy recently discussed with Dr. Wal Van Lierop, CEO of Chrysalix Energy Venture Capital. Keep reading →

 /  Published September 18, 2012 at 11:30 AM

Major Global Companies Get Aggressive on Minimizing Future Energy Risks

By


The world’s biggest companies are developing concrete strategies for confronting the potential for higher energy costs in the future. In fact, 70% of the world’s billion dollar businesses are planning to put more time and money into generating their own power, growing their renewables portfolios and ramping up energy efficiency efforts, according to a new survey report from Ernst & Young.

The survey was conducted with 100 global company executives working in sectors that use a lot of electricity. Here are some of the interesting numbers set out in the survey report: Keep reading →

 /  Published September 14, 2012 at 9:15 AM

What Obama and Romney Don’t Say About Energy

By


Fossil fuels and renewable energy have become touchy topics in this election, with challenger Mitt Romney painting President Barack Obama as too hard on the first and too fanciful about the second – and Obama saying Romney is out of touch with energy’s future.

But two other significant resources, nuclear power and energy efficiency, are evoking scant debate. Keep reading →

 /  Published September 13, 2012 at 11:30 AM
Page 4 of 71234567