Load Management, Efficiency & Demand Response
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DOE school program helps districts decarbonize, identify best practices
Benchmarking and retrofit implementation are among the categories in which school districts can apply for recognition as part of the Efficient and Healthy Schools program, the Energy Department says.
By Joe Burns • Oct. 29, 2024 -
What does it take to electrify, decarbonize a manufactured home community?
A community-scale retrofit project in Colorado offers a path toward lowering power bills for a population that faces high levels of energy insecurity.
By Leslie Nemo • Oct. 25, 2024 -
Building retrofit data sheds light on energy efficiency: Harvard study
A two-year dataset on a residential-to-office building retrofit shows how low-energy and passive building systems can boost performance and sustainability in future projects, according to a paper published in Scientific Data.
By Nish Amarnath • Oct. 23, 2024 -
AI, data center load could drive ‘extraordinary’ rise in US electricity bills: Bain analyst
Utility revenue requirements to serve growing data center electricity demand could increase customer bills by 1% annually through 2032, according to Bain & Company.
By Robert Walton • Oct. 23, 2024 -
Nissan joins ChargeScape EV charging joint venture
The company, along with BMW, Ford and Honda, will deploy electric vehicle charging software aiming to simplify charging and return power to the grid.
By Kalena Thomhave • Oct. 22, 2024 -
Opinion
Can America keep up with AI’s energy appetite in the race with China?
Even with companies like Amazon, Google, Meta and Microsoft making big moves on clean energy, without an improved permitting process, their data centers might struggle to get the power they need to go online.
By Divyansh Kaushik • Oct. 21, 2024 -
California enrolls 515 MW in load management program featuring 200 MW VPP
More than a quarter of a million participants are helping to ensure a reliable electric grid during extreme demand, the California Energy Commission said.
By Robert Walton • Oct. 16, 2024 -
Sponsored by Black & Veatch
Are utilities ready for data centers’ big AI energy?
Amidst challenges of renewable integration and aging infrastructure, Black & Veatch’s new report signals data center power demands may test utilities’ capacity planning.
By Phil Fischer, Black & Veatch, Data Center Client Executive • Oct. 14, 2024 -
‘Split incentive gap’ impedes building decarbonization, SMI says, as it suggests solutions
Emission reduction targets, legislative measures and green leases can resolve the misalignment between landlords and tenants in decarbonization efforts, the Sustainable Markets Initiative says.
By Nish Amarnath • Oct. 11, 2024 -
DOE allocates $43M+ to advance industrial decarbonization technologies
The projects selected for the funding are expected to have implications for operators of industrial and commercial buildings, a U.S. Department of Energy official says.
By Nish Amarnath • Oct. 11, 2024 -
Demand flexibility programs ‘need to evolve’ as utilities shift to winter peaking: LBNL report
Today, most utilities in the U.S. operate summer-peaking electricity systems, but that could change as building electrification shifts consumption patterns.
By Robert Walton • Oct. 9, 2024 -
Skills gap looms for energy efficiency jobs tied to net-zero emission goals: IEA
Retrofitting buildings could create 1.3 million jobs by 2030 in areas such as HVAC installation and insulation, but labor shortages persist, according to the agency’s scenario for reaching net-zero emissions by 2050.
By Nish Amarnath • Oct. 7, 2024 -
For data center cooling project, Advanced Cooling Technologies gets $1.1M DOE grant
ACT is a subcontractor on two COOLERCHIPS program projects aimed at cutting total cooling energy expenditure to less than 5% of a data center’s IT load.
By Joe Burns • Oct. 7, 2024 -
Affordable multifamily housing owners would get decarbonization help in NYC proposal
Building owners purchasing “offset certificates” to help meet Local Law 97’s greenhouse gas emissions-reduction requirements would pay into the fund.
By Ysabelle Kempe • Oct. 2, 2024 -
AI will help, not hinder, grid decarbonization: NVIDIA CEO
Artificial intelligence will make computing and data centers more efficient — if they're built in regions with excess energy, NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang said.
By Emma Penrod • Sept. 30, 2024 -
Sponsored by GridX & Uplight
Virtual power plants and time-varying rates: The next big power move for a smarter grid
The energy system is fundamentally changing. There is a major need for new grid management strategies to handle this transition and the challenges that come along.
By Rachel Bryant, Senior Director of Regulatory & Policy Business Development at GridX and Alex Lopez, Senior Product Marketing Manager at Uplight • Sept. 30, 2024 -
Schneider Electric’s building decarbonization tool aims to ease regulatory compliance
The new calculator allows building owners and operators to simulate energy-saving retrofits and evaluate their impact on emissions to aid compliance with laws such as New York City’s Local Law 97, the company says.
By Nish Amarnath • Sept. 26, 2024 -
Policy support, utility buy-in key for VPP growth, say experts from Ford, EnergyHub
Legislation, program design and appropriate compensation for their grid benefits will help realize virtual power plants’ full potential, said panelists at a webinar hosted by Advanced Energy United.
By Brian Martucci • Sept. 25, 2024 -
Seattle boosts electric heat pump incentives with goal to eliminate oil-heated homes
With the city's new rebate, income-qualified households can access up to $8,000 each to switch from oil heat to an electric heat pump.
By Ysabelle Kempe • Sept. 25, 2024 -
Sponsored by Uplight
Overlooked and underestimated: The untapped potential of business customers
Discover the untapped potential of business customers and how energy providers can activate this crucial segment to advance the clean energy future.
By Emily Rich, Senior Product Marketing Manager • Sept. 23, 2024 -
FERC rejects CPower’s challenge to PJM demand response rules, plus 4 other open meeting takeaways
CPower had argued that PJM’s rules are a “Catch-22” that effectively block large-scale residential demand response aggregation, potentially increasing energy and capacity prices.
By Ethan Howland • Updated Sept. 23, 2024 -
$38.8M earmarked for building decarbonization, energy efficiency, resilience research: DOE
The funding will support next-generation retrofits to improve the building envelope, lighting and HVAC systems, the U.S. Department of Energy said.
By Nish Amarnath • Sept. 19, 2024 -
Opinion
Misguided DOE rules on fossil fuel use will harm human health and risk national security
Two recent DOE actions will effectively ban more resilient building solutions like microgrids and combined heat and power that are among the cleanest, most versatile and efficient ways to power buildings.
By Cameron Brooks • Sept. 18, 2024 -
Businesses saved nearly $22B and cut emissions via Better Buildings Initiative, DOE says
Program partners have collectively cut their greenhouse gas emissions by 220 million metric tons since 2011, with over $37 billion extended for energy efficiency and renewable projects since then, per a progress report.
By Nish Amarnath • Sept. 18, 2024 -
DOE spurs new building energy codes with another $90M
Construction-heavy states that lack the latest energy-efficiency codes are among the focus areas for this round of federal funding, a U.S. Department of Energy official said.
By Ysabelle Kempe • Sept. 16, 2024