Consumers previously committed to being coal-free by 2040 in its Integrated Resource Plan which included building 6,000 MW of new solar by 2030. The utility also launched a public outreach campaign focused on energy efficiency.
The new commitment will supplement Consumers' existing plan to eliminate coal, expand renewable energy resources and help customers reduce their energy use.
Consumers also may offset further emissions through strategies such as carbon sequestration, landfill methane capture or large-scale tree planting.
(Source: Consumers Energy, PR, Grand Rapids Business Journal, Mar., 2020) Contact: Consumers Energy, Patti Poppe, CEO, (517) 788-0550, info@cmsenergy.com, www.ConsumersEnergy.com
More Low-Carbon Energy News Consumers Energy, Net-Zero Carbon,
This autonomous building solution is focused on cutting energy consumption and costs and decreasing building's carbon footprint without significant upfront capital expenses or changes to a building's current operational processes.
Honeywell Forge Energy Optimization autonomously and continually optimizes a building's internal set points across hundreds of assets every 15 minutes to evaluate whether a building's HVAC system is running at peak efficiency. Honeywell Forge Energy Optimization offers plug-and-play capabilities. (Source: Honeywell, Facilities Exec., Mar., 2020) Contact: Honeywell, www.honeywell.com/en-us
More Low-Carbon Energy News Honeywwell, Energy Efficiency, Energy Management,
Hungary's combined energy and climate change plan targets a reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of 40 pct compared to 1990 levels, and a minimum 21 pct share of renewable energy sources in gross energy consumption by 2030. The country plans to increase its photovoltaic capacity, almost six times the current installed solar capacity to 6,000 GW while maintaining its wind energy capacity at 330 MW.
(Source: Hungary Minister of State for Energy Affairs and Climate Policy, Budapest Business Journal, 29 Feb., 2020) Contact: Hungary Minister of State for Energy Affairs and Climate Policy, Peter Kaderjak, www.bruegel.org/author/peter-kaderjak
More Low-Carbon Energy News Solar,
The WSP project has a completed and certified programmatic environmental impact report and is one of the few renewable energy zones identified as a Competitive Renewable Energy Zone (CREZ) through the Renewable Energy Transmission Initiative (RETI) process.
(Source: CIM Group, Mar., 2020) Contact: CIM Group, 323.860.4900,
323.860.4901 - fax,
www.cimgroup.com
More Low-Carbon Energy News CIM Group, Solar,
Since 2010, UK emissions from coal power sank 80 pct, CO2 from gas dropped by 20 pct and from oil fell 6 pct, according to Carbon Brief data. The Carbon Brief analysis is in agreement with the UK Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) data which confirmed low carbon sources -- including renewables and nuclear generation -- for the first time provided more than half of the UK's electricity in 2019, while overall energy production fell for the first time since 2014.
Climate Brief is funded by the European Climate Foundation. (Source: Carbon Brief, BEIS, Mar., 2020)Contact: UK Business and Energy Department, www.gov.uk/.../department-for-business-energy-and-industrial-strategy; Carbon Brief, www.carbonbrief.org; European Climate Foundation, www.europeanclimate.org
More Low-Carbon Energy News Carbon Brief, Carbon Emissions, CO2, UK Carbon Emissions,
Net Zero Teeside aims to capture up to 6 mtpa of CO2 emissions from local industries.
There are also plans for a combined-cycle gas turbine (CCGT) facility with carbon capture technology which will provide low-carbon power as a complement to renewable energy sources and underpin the investment in the infrastructure.
Net Zero Teesside also said it signed memorandums of understanding (MOUs) with three existing industrial partners demonstrating the strong local commitment to decarbonizing existing local industry.
(Source: OGCI, OIL GAS Facilities, 2 Mar., 2020)Contact:
OGCI Climate Investments, +44 (0) 203 922 0853,
contact@climateinvestments.energy, www.
oilandgasclimateinitiative.com › climate-investments; Oil and Gas Climate Initiative, www.oilandgasclimateinitiative.com
More Low-Carbon Energy News CCUS, Teeside, Oil and Gas Climate Initiative, ,
The combined generation from solar, wind turbines, solar thermal, small hydro, biomass, bagasse, and other sources stood at 10.647 BU in December 2019, as against 9.083 BU of green energy generation for the same month in 2018, the data showed. Among renewable sources, wind power generated the highest amount of power followed by solar at 3,943 million units (MU) and 3,932 MU, respectively, in December 2019. For the corresponding month in 2018, solar generated more power than wind energy at 3,182.12 MU and 2789.24 MU, respectively.
According to the Australia-based Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis, India's
renewable energy sector needs between $500 billion and $700 billion by 2030 in new investments to meet its target of 450 GW of installed capacity.
(Source: India Central Electricity Authority, PR reve, 2 Mar., 2020) Contact: India Central Electricity Authority, www.cea.nic.in
More Low-Carbon Energy News India Wind, Wind,
The company expects to deliver on the contract beginning in the second quarter of 2020 with completion expected by year-end.
Since 2007, Energy Focus has installed approximately 650,000 lighting products including TLEDs, waterline security lights, explosion-proof globes and berth lights, saving more than four million gallons of fuel and 200,000 man-hours in lighting maintenance annually. (Source: Energy Focus, Renewable Energy, 3 Mar., 2020) Contact: Energy Focus Inc., James Tu, CEO, and President, (440) 715-1300, www.energyfocus.com
More Low-Carbon Energy News Energy Focus, LED Light, Energy Efficiency,
Kinetrex developed the facility in conjunction with Australia-based sustainable energy producer EDL and South Side Landfill of Indianapolis.(Source: Kinetrex, Inside Indiana Bus., 2 Mar., 2020) Contact: Kinetrex Energy, Aaron Johnson, CEO, 317-886-8179, www.kinetrexenergy.com
More Low-Carbon Energy News Kinetrex Energy , Biogas, Methane, Landfill Methane, RNG, Renewable Natural Gas,
RGGI member states include Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island, and Vermont. New Jersey is expected to rejoin and Pennsylvania is in the process of joining this year.
(Source: Shore Daily News. 3 Mar., 2020)Contact: RGGI, www.rggi.org
More Low-Carbon Energy News RGGI, Virginia RGGI, Cap and Trade,
The Bio-200 is a small-scale -- 75 kW power, 125 kW thermal -- modular unit that provides 24/7 continuous renewable power. The hurricane-proof unit is ideally suited for renewable energy microgrids and can be installed and commissioned within one day. The unit, which is fueled by a blend of on-site or locally sourced organic materials, offsets as much as 2,200 metric tpy of CO2 emissions.
The company's Energy-as-a-Service (EaaS) partnership model eliminates upfront customer capital-outlay and delivers immediate cost savings unlike typical on-site energy projects, according to the company website. (Source: Enexor BioEnergy, PR , EngineerLive, 3 Mar., 2020) Contact: Enexor BioEnergy, Lee Jestings, CEO, (615) 656-0762, info@enexor.com, www.enexor.com
More Low-Carbon Energy News Enexor BioEnergy ,
The bilateral agreement will facilitate Ghana's National Clean Energy Access Programme (NCEP), which will enable the country to receive international financial support to implement projects in fulfilling its climate commitments.
(Source: Various Media, Ghana Web, 3 Mar.,2020)
More Low-Carbon Energy News Climate Change, Paris Climate Agreement, Carbon Emissions,
The 10-year green bond -- Africa's largest and South Africa's first offshore green bond issuance -- is compliant with the International Green Bond Principles and will enable Standard Bank Group's Sustainable Finance Business Unit to on-lend to and finance climate-smart projects in South Africa such as renewable energy, energy efficiency, water efficiency and green buildings.
(Source: IFC, 2 Mar., 2020) Contact: IFC, www.ifc.org; Standard Bank of South Africa, Nigel Beck, Sustainable Finance, www.standardbank.co.za
More Low-Carbon Energy News IFC, Green Bond, Climate Change,
The increases are intended to redirect 700,000-800,000 tpy of surplus sugar in each of the next two years for ethanol production, cut fuel and oil imports and to maximize profitability of sugar companies, according to officials. (Source: Economic Times India, 3 Mar., 2020)
More Low-Carbon Energy News Ethanol India Ethanol, Biofuel Blend,
Under the agreement, Vestas will deliver to maximize the project's energy production. Delivery of service will commence immediately and will include scheduled maintenance for the substation, all high voltage equipment and the facility roads.
Nexif and Denham Capital partnered to form Nexif Energy, a South East Asian, Bangladesh and Australian focused independent power producer. (Source: Vestas, Mar., 2020) Contact: Nexif Energy, Matthew Bartley, Founder and Co-CEO
www.nexifenergy.com;V estas, +45 97 30 00 00, vestas@vestas.com, www.vestas.com; Senvion, Jurgen Geissinger, CEO, +49 40 5 55 50 90 0, www.senvion.com
More Low-Carbon Energy News Nexif Energy, Vestas, Senvion, Wind, Wind Turbine,
The MoU calls for the exchange of information on the production and sustainable use of ethanol as well as encouraging and increasing investment in biofuels, bioelectricity, and biogas. I also aims to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and help redirect the sugar surplus in India, which currently requires government subsidies to guarantee competitive prices in the international market.
India has set an Ethanol blending target of 10 pct by 2022 rising to 20 pct by 2030.
(Source: UNICA, EnergyInfraPost, 28 Feb., 2020)
Contact: Brazilian Sugarcane Industry Association, (202) 506 5299, (202)747-5836 - fax (Washington DC office), english.unica.com.br
More Low-Carbon Energy News Brazilian Sugarcane Industry Association, India, Etanol,
The two 50 MW lithium-ion battery projects will be the first projects completed as part of Pivot Power's programme to develop, own and operate up to 2GW of grid-scale energy storage and high volume power connections which are directly connected to the UK high-voltage transmission system.
The systems are based on Wartsila's advanced energy management software platform GEMS, which leverages AI and machine learning to enable the intelligent management of large-scale energy storage systems.
(Source: Wartsila, PR, utilities, 29 Feb.,2020) Contact: Wartsila Energy, Christophe Demay Senior Business Development Manager, +33 6 7889 2182, christophe.demay@wartsila.com, Andrew Tang, VP, Energy Storage and Optimization, www.wartsila.com; Pivot Power, Matt Allen, CEO, www.pivotpower.co.uk
More Low-Carbon Energy News Lithium-Ion, Battery, Pivot Power, EDF Renewables, Energy Storage, Wartsila,
These actions have the potential to increase USDA's annual consumption of E15 by up to 9 million gallons, E85 by 10 million gallons, and biodiesel and renewable diesel blends by up to 3 million gallons.
The agency also announced it will offer $100 million in grant funding this year for the newly created Higher Blends Infrastructure Incentive Program (HBIIP) to help transportation fueling and biodiesel distribution facilities install, retrofit, and/or upgrade fuel storage, dispenser pumps, related equipment and infrastructure to be able to sell ethanol and biodiesel.
Download HBIIP program details HERE.
Download the USDA order HERE. (Source: USDA, 28 Feb., 2020) Contact: USDA, Sonny Perdue, Sec.,www.usda.gov
More Low-Carbon Energy News USDA, Biofuel Fleet, Biofuel, Biodiesel, Biofuel Infrastructure,
Going forward, instead of being voluntary, the company's carbon offset and biofuel purchase schemes will be sold to customers as they order tickets. The cost of offsetting a round trip domestic flight was €1 while European and international return flights cost €2 and €6 respectively.
The collected funds support emissions reduction projects in Mozambique, Africa through the Nordic Environment Finance Corporation (Nefco), a financial institution founded by governments of the five Nordic countries in 1990.
The funds are applied to the purchase of biofuels and emissions reductions projects which support the use of fuel efficient stoves in Mozambique, according to the company. (Source: Finnair, Yle, 3 Mar., 2020) Contact: Finniar, www.finnair.com/fi/gb/pushforchange
More Low-Carbon Energy News Aviation Emissions, Carbon Offset,
The DOE's "unlawful and ill-advised decision ignores direction from Congress to transition the nation to inexpensive, efficient, and widely available lighting sources. It would increase greenhouse gas emissions and consumers' energy costs," the suit claims.
According to the California AG release, approximately three billion lighting sockets -- nearly half of all lighting sockets in U.S. homes -- contain bulbs affected by this proposal. DOE's decision directly impacts consumers who stand to lose significant energy savings.
On December 27, 2019, DOE issued its final determination halting energy efficiency improvements to the lightbulbs in question, also known as General Service Incandescent Lamps (GSIL). It concluded that improved GSIL standards were not "economically justified." DOE's decision is part of an ongoing effort by the agency to stifle progress in energy efficiency. The agency's decision attempts to undermine a provision in federal law that moves retailers away from selling lightbulbs that do not meet the minimum standard of 45 lumens per watt. This decision would cost consumers $12 billion each year in lost electricity savings by 2025 -- a $100 loss per household per year, accoding the the California AG release.
DOE's decision amounts to a failure to enact a stronger standard in violation of the Energy Policy and Conservation Act.
Joining Attorney General Becerra in filing this lawsuit are the Attorneys General of New York, New Jersey, Oregon, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, North Carolina, Vermont, Washington, and the District of Columbia, as well as the City of New York.
(Source: Office of California Attorney General, Xavier Becerra, YubaNet, 26 Feb., 2020) Contact: Office of California Attorney General, Xavier Becerra, www. oag.ca.gov
More Low-Carbon Energy News Energy Efficiency.Light Buld Energy Efficiency,
"The costs of these advanced Biofuels are currently higher than those of the fossil fuels which they can displace and of more conventional biofuels such as ethanol from sugar or corn, or biodiesel. It is therefore important to consider what scope there is to reduce the production costs of a range o advanced biofuels, and to identify under what conditions they could become affordable."
Download the full IEA Advanced Biofuels -- Potential for Cost Reduction report HERE. (Source: IEA Bioenergy, Feb., 2020) Contact: IEA Bioenergy, www.ieabioenergy.com
More Low-Carbon Energy News IEA Bioenergy, Biomass, Biofuel, Bioenergy,
The project, which incorporates 26 separate wind farms in Huesca, Zaragoza, and Teruel provinces, will be constructed and operated by the subsidiary Repsol Electricidad y Gas and will be developed over the next three years. When fully operational, they will be able to supply electricity to around 1.8 million people.
Repsol's renewable assets under development total 2,045 MW.
(Source: Repsol, Feb., 2020) Contact: Repsol SA, Josu Jon Imaz, CEO, (+34) 91 753 8100, 91 753 8000, sacportal@repsol.com, www.repsol.com
More Low-Carbon Energy News Repsol, Wind, Wind Spain,
Details of Ameren's Smart Energy Plan are HERE.
(Source: Ameren Missouri, Ameren Corporation, PR, Feb., 2020) Contact: Ameren Missouri, Michael Moehn, Pres., Andrew Kirk, 314.554.4859, akirk@ameren.com, www.ameren.com, Andrew Kirk, 314.554.4859, akirk@ameren.com, Twitter at @AmerenMissouri, Facebook.com/AmerenMissouri.
More Low-Carbon Energy News Ameren Missouri,
To that end, the city council wants to retrofit and upgrade the energy efficiency of as many of the 350 city-owned buildings, install solar and wind energy generation capacity on city owned sites and housing complexes, complete the ongoing replacements of the city's street lighting with energy efficient LED lighting, promote energy conservation, incentivize cleaner and more efficient transportation and other energy efficiency initiatives.
Under the plan, the city council will work with and continue to fund the Manchester Climate Change Agency to establish community-wide climate change related engagement activities and to encourage businesses to improve their energy efficiency reduce their carbon footprint. (Source: City of Manchester, Manchester Evening News, Mar.,2020) Contact: Manchester Climate Change Agency, www.manchesterclimate.com
More Low-Carbon Energy News Energy Efficiency,
To address the issue, CFIB recommends the federal government::
exempt natural gas, propane, and aviation fuel used by farmers for farming activities such as drying grain, heating livestock facilities, or spraying crops from the federal carbon tax, including those farm expenses from 2019;
end the practice of charging GST on the federal carbon tax;
stop further increases in the overall tax burden (e.g. CPP and carbon tax) on farmers; and
work to improve Canada's overall tax and regulatory competitiveness in the agriculture sector. (Source: CFIB, Weyburn Review, 26 Feb., 2020) Contact: CFIB, Marilyn Braun-Pollon, VP Western Canada and Ari-Business, 416-222-8022,
844-242-4400,
416-222-4337 - fax, www.cfib-fcei.ca
More Low-Carbon Energy News Canadian Federation of Independent Business, Carbon Tax, Canada Carbon Tax,
To that end, the city council wants to retrofit as many of the 350 city-owned buildings with more efficient technology, install solar and wind energy generation capacity on city owned housing sites and complexes, and complete the ongoing replacements of the city's street lighting with low energy LED lighting. The city will also invest roughly £10 million to replace diesel power fleet vehicles with alternative fuel and electric vehicles. City staff will also be incentivized to use cleaner transportation and to conserve energy.
The council also intends to plant 2,000 trees, hedge trees and four community orchards per year beginning this year. The city's existing tree coverage stores 124,330 tonnes of carbon, absorbs 4,980 tonnes and removes 84 tonnes of pollution, according to the city release.
Under the plan, the city council will work with and continue to fund the Manchester Climate Change Agency to establish community-wide climate change related engagement activities and to encourage businesses to reduce their carbon footprint and sign up to the zero-carbon ambition.
(Source: City of Manchester, Manchester Evening News, Mar.,2020) Contact: Manchester Climate Change Agency, www.manchesterclimate.com
More Low-Carbon Energy News Climate Change, Energy Efficiency,
The Westmoreland County project is one of three projects totaling 115 MW at a cost of roughly $150 million that Savion is expected to construct in the Old Dominion State this year. (Source: Savion. PR, Virginia Business, 28 Feb., 2020) Contact: Savion, LLC, Rob Freeman, CEO, Kelly Cooper, Parris Communications (816) 931-8900, kcooper@parriscommunications.com, www.savionenergy.com; Dominion Energy Virginia, Keith Windle, VP Business Development and Merchant Operations, www.dominionenergy.com
More Low-Carbon Energy News Savion LLC, Solar, Dominion Energy Virginia ,
Salt Lake City, Utah-based energy management company Blue Source is leading the project. Bluesource works with companies, governments and NGOs to reduce and mitigate environmental impacts.
the company develops projects that create land, water and climate benefits using
strategic partnerships, finance, innovation and markets to achieve these goals, according to the company website.
(Source: City of Lincoln, Yankton Press & Dakotan, AP, 28 Feb., 2020) Contact: Blue Source Inc., Will Overly, VP Bus. Dev., 801-322-4750, www.bluesource.com; City of Linclon, Elizabeth Elliot, Director Utilities, 402-441-7548,
402-441-7590 - fax, www.lincoln.ne.gov
More Low-Carbon Energy News Biogas, Blue Source,
The proposed schedule calls for the next 1,200 MW solicitation to be opened by September 2020, with an award made by Q2, 2021.
New Jersey aims to source 50 pct of it energy from renewables by 2030 and achieve a 100 pct clean energy economy by 2050.
(Source: Office of Governor Phil Murphy, PR, 28 Feb., 2020) Contact: NJ BPU, www.bpu.state.nj.us
More Low-Carbon Energy News NJ BPU, New Jersey Offshore Wind, Wind, Offshore Wind,
The University's pledge exceeds the carbon reduction targets of the commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the City of Pittsburgh. Pitt's progress toward carbon neutrality will be shared via a newly created online "sustainability dashboard" updated by the University Office of Sustainability. (Source: University of Pittsburgh, PR 28 Feb., 2020) Contact: University of Pittsburgh, Office of Sustainability, Dr. Aurora Sharrard, Dir., (412) 624-5122, asharrard@pitt.edu, sustainability@pitt.edu,
www.sustainable.pitt.edu
At the end of 2019, Acciona had a portfolio of green power generation facilities of 10,117 MW installed -- 56 pct in Spain and 44 pct in international markets -- 13 GW of renewable energy between consolidated and semi-consolidated, 835 MW under construction., according the company release.
(Source: Acciona, PR, Mar., 2020) Contact: Acciona SA, +34 91 663 28 50, +34 91 663 28 51 - fax, www.acciona.com
More Low-Carbon Energy News Acciona, Wind, Solar, Renewable Energy,
The two projects will incorporate 62 units of Vesta's flagship V174-9.5 MW wind turbines. Changfang Phase 1 will comprise 10 wind turbines for an installed capacity of 95 MW and will be installed in 2022. Changfang Phase 2, comprising 47 wind turbines with an installed capacity of 446.5 MW, and Xidao, comprising 5 wind turbines with an installed capacity of 47.5 MW, will be installed in 2023.t
MHI Vestas Offshore Wind is a 50-50 joint venture between Vestas Wind Systems A/S and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI). The company designs, manufactures, installs and services wind turbines for the offshore wind sector.
(Source: MHI Vestsa. PR, reve, 25 Feb., 2020) Contact: MHI Vestas, Philippe Kavafyan, CEO, +45 97 30 00 00, vestas@vestas.com, www.vestas.com; Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners, Kristina Negendahl Jessen, +45 70 70 51 51, cip@cip.dk, www.cip.dk
More Low-Carbon Energy News Taiwan Wind, Offshore Wind, Wind Turbine, MHI Vestas, Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP),
More than 1,279 MW were developed incorporated into the installed capacity, so a total of in 2019, bring the country's total wind capacity to 6,237 MW.
(Source: Mexican Wind Energy Association, PR, reve, 25 Feb., 2020)
More Low-Carbon Energy News Mexican Wind Energy Association, Wind, Mexico Wind ,
Since 2005, Xcel has reduced carbon emissions by 44 pct due in part to the completion of three significant wind projects in 2018 and 2019, including Rush Creek in Colorado, and Hale and Bonita in Texas. Other factors include flexible coal plant operations, strong performance from the company's nuclear fleet and low natural gas prices, which allowed Xcel Energy to continue reducing coal generation, according to the release.
Xcel Energy notes it has joined ONE Future -- a consortium of natural gas companies working to voluntarily reduce methane emissions below 1 pct by 2025 -- and has pledged to keep its own methane emissions to less than .2 pct in its natural gas operations.
The company has also invested more than $1 billion to improve its natural gas pipelines and tighten its system. The company also participates in EPA's voluntary Natural Gas STAR and its Methane Challenge program.
(Source: Xcel Energy, PR, Bus.Wire, 26 Feb., 2020) Contact: Xcel Energy, Media, (612) 215-5300, www.xcelenergy.com; ONE Future, www.onefuture.us
More Low-Carbon Energy News Methane, Xcel Energy, Carbon Emissions,
The € 25 million ($27.1 million), 7-turbine installation is expected to generate sufficient electric power for 30,000 homes and avoid around 63,157 tpy of pollutant and greenhouse gas emissions.
Overall, the autonomous community has 3,033 MW of wind and 980 MW of solar photovoltaic (PV) parks in operation, and a project pipeline of 5,400 MW.
(Source: Naturgy, Renewables, 26 Feb., 2020)
Contact: Naturgy Energy Group, www.naturgy.com
More Low-Carbon Energy News Naturgy Energy , Wind,
Shreveport, Louisiana-based Southwestern Electric Power Co
will own the remaining lion's share of the project which includes three wind farms in Alfalfa, Blaine, Custer, Kingfisher, Garfield, Major and Woods counties in the Oklahoma panhandle region. (Source: Oklahoma. Public Service Co, Lexington Herald-Leader, AP, 23 Feb., 2020)Contact:
Oklahoma. Public Service Co., 888-216-3523, www.psoklahoma.com; Oklahoma Municipal Power Authority, 405-340-5047, www.ompa.com; Southwestern Electric Power, www.swepco.com
More Low-Carbon Energy News Southwestern Electric Power, Oklahoma Municipal Power Authority, Wind,
One of the cornerstones of the Energy Action Plan is leveraging data to optimize energy usage to achieve energy efficiency at scale on campus. Ten new buildings are added to the university's energy management platform during each phase. Proposed projects under Phase 5 (2019-20) of the Energy Action Plan include:
buildings into the university's energy management platform
To refresh your memory, on Dec 11, 2019, we quotes "The Donald" as saying --
"It (standard light bulb) gives you an orange look, I don't want an orange look. Being a vain person, that's really important to me." -- Trump commenting on his administration's move to kill the Obama administration's light bulb energy efficiency standards.
More Low-Carbon Energy News Energy Efficiency, Light Bulb Efficiency, Trump,
From 1 October 2020 all new residential rentals will be required to have a minimum EPC rating of E and as of the 1 April 2022 all new rentals s must have a minimum EPC rating of D.
The regulations will be enforced by local authorities. .
(Source: ARLA/Property Mark, 26 Feb., 2020)
More Low-Carbon Energy News Energy Efficiency ,
The energyOrbit Marketplace, housed and powered on the Salesforce cloud platform, simplifies the application process for energy efficiency incentive offerings from utilities into a single platform, making it accessible on-demand to any customer in any utility territory or on a statewide basis. energyOrbit Marketplace also enhances customer engagement opportunities through simplified collaboration in the EE ecosystem. Specifically, WVPA will use energyOrbit Marketplace to provide self-service functionality to its distribution members for its Power Moves program, a portfolio of rebates and EE incentives for WVPA membership area residents.
As of 2018, energyOrbit has helped utilities and third-party implementers collectively manage more than 15.2 TWh of electricity savings. Additionally, 9.5 GW of peak demand has been reduced by efficiency measures tracked by energyOrbit, and more than $2.6 billion in incentive dollars were managed and prepared for payment, according to energyOrbit.
(Source: Wabash Valley Power Alliance. PR, 26 Feb., 2020)
Contact: energyOrbit, Lance Maxwell, Director of Strategic Accounts, North America, www.energy-orbit.com;
energyOrbit Marketplace portal www.energy-orbit.com/marketplace.php; Wabash Valley Power Alliance, Laura Matney, Energy Efficiency & Marketing Manager, 317-481-2800, 317-243-6416 – fax, info@wvpa.com,
www.wvpa.com
More Low-Carbon Energy News energyOrbit, Energy Efficiency,
With 860,000 +- residents, Charlotte will be the most populous U.S. city to obtain renewable energy through a utility "green tariff" such as Duke's Green Source Advantage program that lets large customers negotiate directly with solar developers.
Under the program, customers enter into trilateral agreements among the customer, the solar developer and Duke. Duke buys the solar energy generated by the projects and credits the customer's account. The customer keeps renewable energy certificates that prove that a percentage of its energy use is from a renewable source.
(Source: City of Charlotte, Tribune News Serv. 27 Feb.,2020) Contact: City of Charlotte, Heather Bolick, Energy and Sustainability Coordinator, www.charlottenc.gov; Duke Energy North Carolina, Stephen De May, Pres., www.duke-energy.com
More Low-Carbon Energy News Duke Energy, Solar, Renewable Energy,
The program provides climate change and resiliency educational resources, data, performance bench marks and establishes a peer network for increased communications and idea sharing.
More than 100 cities and communities worldwide have already participated in the program. (Source: City of Tampa, FLAPOL, 26 Feb., 2020)
Contact: US Green Building Council. LEED for Cities and Communities Program, www.usgbc.org/leed/rating-systems/leed-for-cities, Mahesh Ramanujam, Pres., CEO, (202) 552-1500, www.usgbc.org
More Low-Carbon Energy News U.S. Green Building Council, Climate Change, Energy Efficiency,
McDonnell's comments came in response to concerns from the House Appropriations Committee over how the state's share of the RGGI programs quarterly auction program would be used by the state, relative to climate change issues rather than unrelated programs and projects.
Sec. McDonnell assured the Appropriations Committee "improvements to public transportation, installing energy efficient windows, insulation, or appliances, or building out alternative fuel vehicle infrastructure" were among the projects the RGGI funds would be applied to.
Governor Wolf's executive order follows the implementation of aggressive clean energy targets announced last year, including a goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions 26 percent by 2025. Pennsylvania also became the 24th state to join the U.S. Climate Alliance -- a group formed in 2017 after President Donald Trump withdrew the nation from the Paris Agreement.
Critics of RGGI argue it will cripple Pennsylvania's economy, force fossil fuel plants into early retirement and drive up electricity prices. Critics note that Pennsylvania is the nation's number two natural gas producer and the region's top power exporter -- making it very different, economically, from the other RGGI participants.
(Source: Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, The Center Square, 26 Feb., 2020) Contact: Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, www.dep.pa.gov; C RGGI, www.rggi.org
More Low-Carbon Energy News RGGI, Carbon Emissions, ,
The auction raised roughly $600 million for the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, which California will use for programs that further reduce climate and local air pollution and advance environmental equity.
Quebec raised over $240 million (Cdn) ($185 million) to support climate action in the province.
Western Climate Initiative Inc is a non-profit corporation formed to provide administrative and technical services to support the implementation of state and provincial greenhouse gas emissions trading programs.
(Source: Western Climate Initiative, 26 Feb., 2020)
Contact: Western Climate Initiative, www.wci-inc.org
More Low-Carbon Energy News Western Climate Initiative, Cap-and-Trade,
Following the Bloomberg report, renewable fuel credits for 2019 traded at 35 cents each , up 7 cents while credits for 2020 traded at 40 cents each.
As previously noted, "hardship waivers" were intended for refineries producing 75,000 bpd or less and suffered "disproportionate economic hardship" from the costs of RFS compliance. The waiver frees the refineries from an obligation to provide the EPA with biofuels credits proving compliance. Under the now vanquished administrator Greg Pruitt's direction, the EPA handed out 54 exemptions over two years and not a single request for an exemption was denied.Under the U.S. Renewable Fuel Standard, the nation's oil refineries are required to blend billions of gallons of biofuels such as ethanol into the fuel or buy credits from those that do. But the EPA can waive their obligations if they prove compliance would cause them financial distress.
(Source: Various Media, Successful Farming, Reuters, 26 Feb., 2020)
More Low-Carbon Energy News Renewable Fuel Standard, RFS, "Hardship" Waiver,
BP is dropping the Western Energy Alliance because its interests did not aligned on federal regulation of methane in the US, and the Western States Petroleum Association and American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers over carbon pricing positions.
As previously reported on 14 Feb., BP plans to:
BP's current worldwide greenhouse gas emissions from its operations stand at 55 million tpy of CO2 equivalent (MteCO2e), and the carbon in the oil and gas that it produces is equivalent currently to around 360 MteCO2e emissions a year -- both on an absolute basis. Taken together, delivery of these aims would equate to a reduction in emissions to net zero from what is currently around 415 MteCO2e a year, according to the BP release.
(Source: BP Website, 26 Feb., 2020) Contact: BP Press Office, +44 (0) 20 7496 4076, bppress@bp.com, www.bp.com
More Low-Carbon Energy News BP, Climate Change, Carbon Emissions,
Biomethanol is produced from the crude methanol recovered from the manufacturing process at Sodra's pulp mills. It is part of the circular process in which all parts of forest products are used for the best possible effect.
Emmelev A/S is a Danish family-owned agricultural company that has developed large-scale biodiesel production from local canola, but uses fossil methanol as a raw material in production.
(Source: Sodra, Website, PR, 20 Feb., 2020) Contact: Sodra, Henrik Brodin, Strategic Business Development Manager,
+46 (0)470-856 24,
henrik.brodin@sodra.com, www.sodra.com; Emmelev A/S, Morten Simonsen, www.emmelev.dk
More Low-Carbon Energy News Woody Biomass, Forest Biomass, Sodra, Emmelev, Biomethanol, Biodiesel,
The Nebraska Ethanol Board serves and advocates for the state's 25 ethanol plants with a combined total capacity of over 2.5 billion gpy of ethanol.
In addition to building consumer support for biofuels and guiding public policy, the Nebraska Ethanol Board helps market growth through targeted strategies and programmes.
(Source: USGC, 26 Feb., 2020) Contact: Nebraska Ethanol Board, Roger Berry, (402) 471-2941, www.ethanol.nebraska.gov; U.S. Grains Council, Tom Sleight, Pres., (202) 789-0789, (202) 898-0522, www.grains.org
More Low-Carbon Energy News US Grains Council, Nebraska Ethanol Board,
Under the agreement, IMTT will construct two pipelines connecting the terminal with the DGD Norco, LA renewable diesel facility, as well as re-purpose approximately 790,000 barrels of storage capacity from petroleum storage to renewable diesel feedstock and finished product prior to the end of 2021 -- coinciding with the anticipated startup of DGD's current 400-million gpy expansion project. (Source: Darling Ingredients, PR, 25 Feb., 2020)
Contact: Darling Ingedients, Melissa A. Gaither, VP IR , (972) 281-4478, mgaither@darlingii.com, www.darlingii.com;Diamond Green Diesel, sales@diamondgreendiesel.com, www.diamondgreendiesel.com;
Valero Renewable Fuels, Joe Gorder, Pres., (800) 324-8464, www.valero.com
More Low-Carbon Energy News Darling Ingredients , Diamond Green Diesel,
The W2B fund provides targeted funding for pilot, demonstration or commercially scalable biorefinery projects in Queensland that use conventional waste streams or biomass to produce bioenergy, biofuels and high-value bioproducts.
For this project, Gevo is evaluating the most likely 2G biomass to carbohydrate conversion process to use in conjunction with its proven carbohydrate to low carbon biofuel process.
(Source: GEVO Website, PR, 27 Feb.,2020) Contact: GEVO, Patrick Gruber, CEO, 303-858-8358, pgruber@gevo.com, www.gevo.com;
Queensland Waste to Biofutures Fund, www.qtic.grantguru.com.au/grant/queensland-waste-to-biofutures-fund-w2b-fund-/
More Low-Carbon Energy News GEVO, Biobutanol, Biomass, Biofuel Feedstock,