Energy Efficiency Markets Podcast: Recent Episodes
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Two seasoned energy writers follow the energy efficiency market, which is poised for major growth in North America. They provide news and analysis, and explain how businesses can make money by reducing their electricity use. Sign up for the free newsletter, Energy Efficiency Markets, by visiting www.energyefficiencymarkets.com
What do Americans want from their investments in energy efficiency? First of all, they want cost savings. Miles Meehan, a spokesman for HomeServeUSA, gives details of a new poll conducted by Harris of 2,100 Americans.
Why are National Grid's energy efficiency programs so successful in Rhode Island? Laura Rodormer and Matthew Ray, senior strategic business analysts at National Grid, describe the popular efficiency programs--plus the company's solar program. Customers who achieve high levels of energy efficiency are eligible for higher payments (approximately 40 cents/kWh) if they produce solar under National Grid's program, which does not involve net metering.
If you swap energy management teams with another business, just what will you learn?
In this podcast, Maria Vargas, director of the Better Buildings Challenge, describes what Whole Foods and Hilton Worldwide learned when they swapped energy management teams in San Francisco.
If you swap energy management teams with another business, just what will you learn?
In this podcast, Maria Vargas, director of the Better Buildings Challenge, describes what Whole Foods and Hilton Worldwide learned when they swapped energy management teams in San Francisco.
NV Energy wants more efficiency--but regulators in Nevada want less. That's the ironic situation in Nevada. Last July, NV Energy said its residential lighting programs in southern Nevada were so popular--three times the utility’s initial projections--that it wanted to add more money to the program mid-year. It also wanted to boost its LED lighting program between 2016-2018, but the program was eliminated by the Nevada Public Utilities Commission.
In this podcast, Fridrik Larsens, CEO of Larsen Energy Branding--likely the first CEO in the world to get a Ph.D in energy branding—defines energy branding and explains why many companies are doing a bad job of establishing a clear, consistent and compelling brand.
Disruptive energy technologies provide many opportunities to cut energy bills in commercial buildings—but the many options are leaving building owners confused, resulting in missed opportunities. Mach Energy president Jon Moeller discusses a new survey in this podcast.
Patty Durand, executive director, Smart Grid Consumer Collaborative, shares the results of a study that categorizes consumers in terms of how they use--or avoid--smart grid applications. The most recent version of the study includes in-depth, on-camera interviews with consumers.
Patty Durand, executive director, Smart Grid Consumer Collaborative, shares the results of a study that categorizes consumers in terms of how they use--or avoid--smart grid applications. The most recent version of the study includes in-depth, on-camera interviews with consumers.
Energy harvesting can power the many sensors that are associated with the Internet of Things, says Terry Pennisi, CEO and founder of Jennova in this podcast interview (click on the player above to listen).
When there's energy available as the result of fans or motors running, this energy can be harvested to power things like sensors that send data to the Internet, he explains.
Energy harvesting can power the many sensors that are associated with the Internet of Things, says Terry Pennisi, CEO and founder of Jennova in this podcast interview (click on the player above to listen).
When there's energy available as the result of fans or motors running, this energy can be harvested to power things like sensors that send data to the Internet, he explains.
Energy harvesting can power the many sensors that are associated with the Internet of Things, says Terry Pennisi, CEO and founder of Jennova in this podcast interview (click on the player above to listen).
When there's energy available as the result of fans or motors running, this energy can be harvested to power things like sensors that send data to the Internet, he explains.
Energy harvesting can power the many sensors that are associated with the Internet of Things, says Terry Pennisi, CEO and founder of Jennova in this podcast interview (click on the player above to listen).
When there's energy available as the result of fans or motors running, this energy can be harvested to power things like sensors that send data to the Internet, he explains.
Energy-harvesting sensors that are made of fabric and eliminate the need for batteries in some applications are the focus of this podcast interview with Keith McMillen, CEO and founder of BeBop Sensors. Listen by clicking on the player above.
Energy efficient motors can cut energy costs by 50% to 80% compared to older technologies. Even better, they can do that at the same cost as motors that use old-style technologies, says PJ Piper, president and CEO of QM Power in this podcast interview.
About 97 percent of the energy efficiency market is untapped due to the difficulty finding investors and other issues, says Dennis Quinn, COO of Joule Assets.
And that’s a big market: nearly $279 billion in the US, he says.
In this podcast, Quinn and Richard Jones, senior vice president of Hartford Steam Boiler explain how they’re going to help solve the problem by boosting investor confidence in projects. The two companies announced a portfolio-wide insurance product designed to meet the needs of small to medium-sized enterprises.
USGBC Colorado has seen a number of existing multi-family building owners invest in energy efficiency recently.“The new level of attention these leading multi-family buildings are paying to energy efficiency through their voluntary participation in the Denver City Energy Project (DCEP) points to a new trend that multi-family properties are establishing towards increased investment in energy efficiency,” said Patti Mason, Executive Director, USGBC Colorado. “This positive effort and investment will benefit Denver’s triple bottom line for decades to come."
Government energy efficiency mandates--especially those relating to appliances--are clunky and ineffective, says Ted Gayer, Brookings Institution vice president of economic studies. The costs outweigh the benefits, he says. It would make more economic sense to tax energy use or companies that produce pollution. Learn more about Gayer's views here: http://www.brookings.edu/research/testimony/2015/04/30-energy-efficiency-legislation-gayer
How are solar plus energy storage helping alleviate problems created by the drought in California? Neil Fromer, executive director, Resnick Institute of Sustainability at Caltech, explains the link between water availability and energy generation.
Which ethnic group invests most in energy efficiency? How to homeowners link solar and energy efficiency? Learn the answers to these questions by listening to this interview with Dave Treston, senior account planner at KSV, who give details about a recent energy efficiency study by KSV.
When we get a message from our cell phone provider that we're about to go over our limits, we generally cut back our calls. That's also true of consumers who opt for pre-pay energy, says Jamie Wimberly, CEO of Distributed Energy Financial Group, which has released a study showing that consumer like pre-pay energy and cut their energy use by up to 15% with it.
In 2013, Before California's initiative requiring utilities to install 1,325 MW of energy storage, the market was just in test phases. But now, the market has really heated up and energy storage competes with other sources of energy. Mike Hopkins, CEO of Ice Energy, gives his perspective on the state of the market in California--and the contracts his company has won.
In Ithaca, NY, Herbert Dwyer, president and CEO, ASI Energy, is developing the state's first "nodal microgrid," which is being built in phases. The project combines CHP with solar to provide heat and electricity. In this podcast, Dwyer explains the reasoning behind the "nodal" concept and its benefits.
Here's an interesting idea: creating a system that allows people to save energy, and then donate the amount saved to someone else who needs it! A new project, "Community First! Village" takes a step in that direction. Listen to our interview with Michele Negley, vice president, southern region, CLEAResult.
People Power's Presence Pro Energy Pilot Program--whose app was a Number One seller in the Apple store--has yielded 9% to 10% energy savings. The program first attracts participants with programs that allow them to monitor pets and relatives at home, then adds energy efficiency. Gene Wang, CEO of People Power, explains.
A project at Las Positas College in Livermore, funded by a $1.5 million grant from the California Energy Commission, will test the powers of energy storage and microgrids to integrate renewable energy sources, curb peak power and take a mission-critical circuit off-grid. Herve Mazzocco, vice president of solutions for Imergy Power Systems, describes the project.
Can California double the efficiency of existing buildings? Lauren Faber, west coast political director for the Environmental Defense Fund, describes California's new package of bills aimed at fighting climate change, including an effort to double the energy efficiency of existing buildings.
Building efficiency and energy storage are creating jobs in North Carolina, according to the 2014 North Carolina Clean Energy Industry Census, which showed about 25% annual job growth in clean energy overall since 2012, outpacing growth of other industries in the state. Ivan Urlaub, executive director of the North Carolina Sustainable Energy Association, explains the gains in the energy efficiency industry revealed in the report.
With PG&E planning to offer solar as both a community solar and green power program, we asked what's the difference--and who would be interested in community solar instead of green power. Erica Schroeder McConnell, attorney for Interstate Renewable Energy Council, answers the question in this podcast.
This year's Super Bowl was the first Super Bowl played under LED lighting. What are the advantages to LED lighting in stadiums? What are the biggest energy users in sports stadiums, which generally consume huge amounts of electricity? What are the best ways to green them? Jim Fitzpatrick, business development manager for CLEAResult, answers these questions in this podcast.
With Obama's recent visit to India, and the country's big focus on boosting solar development, what are the opportunities for clean energy developers--including those involved in energy efficiency and microgrids? Anjali Jaiswal, director of NRDC's India Initiative, discusses the opportunities and barriers in India and explains why India is a great market for clean energy in general.
What are states that support energy efficiency doing that other states are not? And the states that don’t support energy efficiency–what are they doing wrong and why? Jeff Haydock, president and CEO of EcoCFO, a consulting firm, gives his point of view. He also explains what needs to be done to boost efficiency in general.
Utilities could be doing more with smart meter data in ways that help consumers cut their electricity use. In this podcast, Nat Treadway, Managing Partner, Distributed Energy Financial Group (DEFG), explains the problem and says that utilities could offer consumers daily energy use summaries, plus incentives for reducing their energy consumption.
A company made up of young entrepreneurs has sold more than 3 million solar-powered lamps and mobile phone chargers for off-grid users using unusual distribution strategies. Listen to the podcast with Jonas Ketterle, Imagineer at Greenlight Planet to learn how they did it.
How do you “credential” energy efficiency projects for investors and what are the benefits? Matt Golden, director of the Investor Confidence Project for the Environmental Defense Fund, answers these questions in this podcast, Part 2 of our interview with him about building investor confidence in energy efficiency.
The Investor Confidence Project provides energy efficiency standards that serve as the "logo in the lobby," building investor confidence in much the same way the LEED program standards and certification build confidence in projects, says Matt Golden, director of the Environmental Defense Fund's Investor Confidence Project in this podcast, which is Part One of Two Parts.
Demand is growing for service technicians who can repair solar modules, electric vehicle chargers, and other products in green industries. Rue Phillips, CEO of True South Renewables, describes a training program for these jobs, whose workers bring in $50,000 - $75,000 a year.
The future of energy is distributed energy, says Bill Watkins, CEO of Imergy Power. Solar, energy storage and microgrids will put power in consumers' control--where it should be, he says. Companies like Walmart should build microgrids and offer power to neighbors, he says in this podcast.
BC Hydro expects that in the near future, it will experience problems meeting the demand from consumers to charge their electric vehicles during peak hours. In a new project, the company has partnered with Greenlots to create standards that will allow for smart grid innovation and solutions to challenges like BC Hydro’s.
Interest in community solar is growing, but one of the main challenges is the red tape associated with getting projects up and running. Tom Hunt, director of research and government relations, Clean Energy Collective, talks about a new DOE-supported web platform that will help overcome this obstacle.
Which states are rolling back their energy efficiency programs? Which states are boosting them–and why? In this podcast, Jordan Doria, Manager of Stakeholder Engagement, Ingersoll Rand’s Center for Energy Efficiency and Sustainability, gives predictions for efficiency in 2015.
There’s a booming market for off-grid energy that takes advantage of solar in urban areas, says Alex MeVay, president and CTO of Blue Sky Energy. Solar street lighting and solar parking meters are two examples. His company offers technology that improves by 10 to 30 percent the output of solar systems that use battery storage.
In a study of Opower’s new behavioral demand response program, the company found some surprising and exciting results. The program costs less than traditional demand response programs, and yields more–up to 5% peak reduction. Learn the three keys to unlocking DR’s full potential. Download the OPower white paper: http://clk.ml-links.com/clk?pub=634&pgr=1166&src=12993&ctg=667&tstamp=20141028T235917*=42350&cmp=13753&crv=0&pos=0&frm=1927&imp=6071841131331717263&yld=0
What’s a microgrid for a home? It’s a system that combines solar and energy storage in a home, and automatically determines when it’s best to use solar, battery storage, or other power sources. Bill Southworth, CEO of Elecyr, describes this system and the possible impact of California’s efforts to require net-zero homes by 2020.
Why is the CHP microgrid market ripe for growth? In this podcast, Chris Lyons, manager of power generation, Solar Turbines, names the factors that are driving growth in the market, including storms like Superstorm Sandy, gas prices, and regulatory issues.
The US Navy wants to show off its energy efficiency efforts--and solicit ideas for new ways to save energy. It's doing all that with a new app. Rear Admiral Kevin Slates, director of energy and environmental readiness, Chief of Naval Operations Staff, describes the app and the efficiency efforts.
Frozen water has been used in the past for commercial energy storage to reduce cooling loads. However, a new product from Ice Energy allows for residential energy storage, which provides many benefits in areas with high cooling loads. James White, owner of Ice Energy, explains the benefits of energy storage for residential customers.
How is NV Energy generating new electricity sales by promoting the use of EVs? And what economic benefits are the company’s customers reaping? In this podcast, Mike Salisbury, transportation program associate with Southwest Energy Efficiency Project describes what the company is doing right–and what’s needed from states to boost EV use.
In response to requests from smart grid companies and homeowners who want to save energy, the North Carolina Sustainable Energy Association wants to make homeowner data available from utilities. Listen to the podcast with Betsy McCorkle, Director of Government Affairs, to learn how the organization is working to make this happen.
SWSX Eco, which takes place Oct. 6-8, provides opportunities for energy efficiency companies to gain exposure to investors, utilities, and others. Chris Sonnier, producer of SXSW Eco, discusses efficiency trends that will be addressed at the conference and describes opportunities, especially for software companies.
Craig Wilkins, chairman and founder of ViZn Energy Systems, which produces large-scale energy storage technology and just won an award from Frost & Sullivan, identifies the top challenges to bringing more energy storage online. He also discusses the top challenges for microgrid developers: integration and standardization.
David Chiesa, director of commercial and industrial and micro grid market segments for S & C Electric Co., says that the military is on the leading edge of using microgrids to provide reliable power, but it's a big challenge to integrate the new technologies with the old grid.
Dr. Ryan Wartena, chief executive officer and founder of Growing Energy Labs, Inc. (GELI), which recently won an innovation award from Energy Storage North America, in this podcast identifies the challenges to integrating energy storage, especially in California. He discusses some solutions–and the many benefits to getting more energy storage online.
Efficiency standards are the most cost-effective way to save money, says Andrew deLaski, executive director of the Appliance Standards Awareness Project. While AHRI says the government is moving too quickly to implement standards, deLaski says, if anything, the process is too slow and explains how it works.
Smart meters can give--and are giving--criminals a route into people's homes, says Tom Kellermann, chief cybersecurity officer at Trend Micro. While the frequency of incidents in small now, it's expected to increase. He explains in this podcast what needs to be done to prevent the problem.
Maglev Energy, in partnership with University of Central Florida researchers, has developed a technology that will reduce fossil fuel use in commercial trucks, potentially saving fleet owners more than $2 million a year and reducing carbon emissions. In this podcast, Jon Harms, president and CEO of Maglev, explains the technology.
Fuel cells provide a number of benefits in microgrid and off-grid applications in developing countries, for the military, and after disasters such as hurricanes. In this podcast, Chris D'Couto, president and CEO, Neah Power Systems, describes the many applications and their benefits.
Schneider Electric has teamed up with Pepco to take advantage of the Green Button Connect My Data program, which stems from the DOE's request to utilities to make available utility data to encourage innovation by third parties. While some utilities have not yet responded to the DOE request, Pepco is enthusiastically opening up its data in this project. Paul Hamilton, vice president, government relations, Schneider Electric, and Greg Thompson, manager, smart grid offers at Schneider Electric, explain in this podcast interview.
With PV costs dropping, storage costs dropping, and the price of serving remote locations using diesel increasing, the market for solar plus storage is increasing. Paul Bundschuh, president and chief commercial officer of Ideal Power discusses this trend and explains why his company's latest product makes solar plus storage even more attractive.
An innovative green finance program from the state of Hawaii should become a national model, says Cisco DeVries, CEO of Renewable Funding, which was recently awarded a contract to develop and manage the program. Listen to this podcast to learn about the program and its many benefits in Hawaii, where electricity prices are the highest in the nation.
Idan Edry, acting CEO of Nation-E–a company based in Israel that brings big data into the energy domain–discusses the challenges and advantages of entering the market in the US. In this podcast interview he also identifies which utilities are most open to innovation.
Most energy storage batteries can only address short-term issues – for example, frequency and voltage regulation – or long-term issues, including time-shifting and ramping. However, with the help of Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, a new company has released a battery that does both simultaneously. Russ Weed, vice president of business development for UniEnergy Technologies, which is an offshoot of Pacific Northwest National Labs, explains in this podcast interview.
No standards exist for microgrids that address reliability, connection to the grid, efficiency and other issues, says Michael Overturf, CEO of ZF Energy Development. His firm has partnered with the Perfect Power Institute to provide LEED-like standards for these facilities, located in campuses, medical facilities, industrial plants and other areas. ZF Energy is now applying these standards to some of its projects. Joining Overturf in this podcast is John Kelly, executive director of the Perfect Power Institute.
The Association for Demand Response & Smart Grid applauds the federal EPA for its draft plan for reducing carbon emissions, but wants to see the agency directly spell out the important role of smart grid and demand response in reducing emissions. The EPA didn't acknowledge the importance of these tools in its plan, says Dan Delurey, executive director of the organization. Industry members need to write the EPA to voice their opinion, he says.
Opower's new residential demand response program has yielded 23% savings in homes that have load control devices and peak rebate rates. Homeowners that have taken voluntary action--such as changing thermostat settings--have seen 5% savings. As a result, the company is expanding its program to include 1 million customers, said Tom Mercer, group product manager
What's one of the best ways for consumers, businesses and towns/cities to avoid the kinds of emergencies we experienced with Hurricane Sandy? Energy storage allows consumers and businesses to reduce their reliance on the grid, and can be implemented in a number of ways, says Darren Hammell, co-founder and chief strategic officer for Princeton Power Systems. He explains why solar users lost power during Hurricane Sandy and what they should have done differently. He outlines some of the challenges to getting more energy storage online.
What do microgrid developers need from policymakers now? Rob Thornton, president and CEO of IDEA, explains how Hurricane Sandy made micro grids ”cool.” But regulations and policy still stand in the way of realizing the many benefits of microgrids, which can provide reliable power, especially during storms like Sandy. Mayors, CEOs, schools and universities are beginning to see the advantages of microgrids, he says. But developers should be properly compensated for the important services they provide. And regulators need to understand that microgrids don’t pull loads off the grid; they work in conjunction with the grid. IDEA–the International District Energy Association– is now in its 150th year.
The power costs associated with operating a data center are about 30 percent of total expenses. And most data center operators know that. But save them a little energy, and show them the results, and they're often surprised. Aaron Rallo, founder and CEO of TSO Logic, has released a dashboard that helps data centers "see" the results of their efficiency efforts and explains what it means to the customers.
Smart appliances offer lots of opportunities for energy savings, but there are risks too. Energy Efficiency Markets interviews Thomas Blewitt, Director of Principal Engineers for the appliance and lighting industries at Underwriters Laboratories about some of the challenges that may arise when new users adopt smart appliances for the first time, like more complicated installations and challenges operating the new user interfaces.
California is a leader in boosting energy storage and self generation for commercial and industrial energy users with its Self Generation Incentive Program. Other states are expected to follow, says Vic Shao, CEO of Green Charge Networks in this podcast interview. Keep an eye on New York, New England, Texas and Hawaii.
A number of states and cities now require benchmarking of buildings, which involves collecting energy use data and plugging it into software that feeds data to the EPA. The states--California and Washington--plus eight major cities have achieved a 7% reduction in savings over the past three years, says Timothy Croman, manager of energy efficiency business for Standard Energy Solutions. What's more, their energy intensity scores increased by 6 points. Expect more benchmarking regulations and their associated benefits, he says in this podcast.
The money pumped into the energy efficiency industry is not yielding sustainable results: What we need is a performance-based industry, says Matt Golden, principal, Efficiency.org. Golden is spearheading a movement to transform the industry into a market-based approach in which incentives match real savings--not predicted savings. Under his model, utilities would issue RFPs for energy efficiency and would treat efficiency like other resources. Competition would drive innovation, benefitting contractors, utilities and ratepayers. Listen to our interview with Golden to learn more about his goals for transforming the industry.
Why is California's energy storage mandate so difficult to implement? In part, the challenge stems from the fact that there are so many energy storage products available. How can they be priced? That process has just begun. Listen to our interview with Elliot Hines, a partner with Akin Gump, to find out more.
Connecticut has seen its share in recent years of severe weather events that have sparked outages--one, in fact, that left numerous residents in the dark for days. The state sees microgrids as a way to provide a "baseline level of safety and security." How is the state getting funding its microgrid program and what are its plans for the future? Listen to this podcast with Alex Kraigie, Deputy Chief of Staff for the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection to find out.
Laws in California, New York and Illinois now require owners of certain sized new buildings to "commission," or survey their energy use. Are these a bitter pill for building owners or do they yield important benefits? Energy Efficiency Markets interviews Jerry Schmits, director of business development with KLH Engineers, Energy solutions group, about some unexpected benefits that arise from commissioning.
Energy efficiency spending has jumped from $5.5 billion to $11.5 billion over the last five years, and 40% of that is commercial and industrial customers, says Swap Shah, CEO of energy use intelligence provider FirstFuel. What's driving the increase? Shah provides some insight in this podcast.
Call them the outliers–the buildings that are massively inefficient. With energy efficiency, you can take these outliers and reap savings as high as 300% to 400%, says Barun Singh, CTO and cofounder of WegoWise. The company is now helping these energy users and others better understand big-picture trends with a new visualization tool. Listen to this podcast to learn more about the tool and the trends.
What's one way to avoid high peak usage charges? Vic Shao, CEO of GreenCharge Networks, says in this podcast interview that energy storage can solve the problem, especially when it's combined with predictive analytics. By predicting peak usage, and using energy storage to change energy usage during peak usage, customers can save money and utilities can avoid building peaking plants. He also addresses legislation affecting energy storage, noting that Hawaii, New York and California are at the forefront of energy storage.
Energy data analytics company Bidgely says it can reduce energy consumption in homes by 6%, which is 300% better than other home energy platforms, the company says. This is based on a survey of 500 users, says Abhay Gupta, CEO. How is this happening? The company uses "whole house data," providing information about what air conditioners, lights, and other electricity users are consuming, he claims. This allows residents to see where they need to cut back. Listen to our podcast interview with Gupta and visit our LinkedIn page if you're curious about or have questions about this study: http://www.linkedin.com/groups/Energy-Efficiency-Markets-5095376
Seattle, one of the first cities to implement benchmarking, has released a report about the initial results of its benchmarking efforts: A retirement home focused on behavioral changes and cut energy bills by 12 percent. What's more, of the 8,000 buildings that needed to be benchmarked, 90 percent have benchmarked. The city expects $90 million a year in savings from its benchmarking. Corey Weathers, principle of Catalyst 2030, outlines the city's benchmarking successes in this podcast.
In Massachusetts, consumers aren't exactly racing to get their hands on efficient bulbs, even though some incandescents are no longer available. They're likely to purchase any incandescent instead of one of the newer, non-incandescent, efficient bulbs. A podcast interview with Wendy Todd, lead analyst with National Grid, reporting from the AESP conference.
In a pilot project with the Southwest Research Institute and ERCOT, a fleet of electric powered trucks is making money by helping stabilize grid frequency. Electric trucks stop charging quickly and automatically when the grid's frequency is unstable, and the un-named fleet owner gets paid for doing this. In this podcast, Sean Mitchem, a project manager for the research institute, explains this "fast response regulation service" project.
Think about all the people who fill up at a water cooler every day. With a new product provided by Aqwastream--stations that allow people to fill up their own bottles with water--the company flashes the water fillers with energy efficiency messages. In addition to providing energy efficiency education--especially to college students--the company aims to help cut the energy used in producing plastic bottles. In 2006, a whopping 17 million barrels of oil were used to produce plastic bottles by avoiding the use of them altogether. In this podcast, Mare Van Dyke, Aqwastream's Co-Founder, also talks about the advantages of managing such systems remotely.
Utilities will need to change their business model and offer new services and products next year, says Jill Feblowitz, vice president, IDC Energy Insights in this podcast interview. This is due in part to the new power coming into the grid from microgrids, solar and other sources. Because the grid was designed for one-way traffic, there's a need for balancing, and this creates new business opportunities, including demand response opportunities, she says. Listen to learn more about the company's predictions for utility spending next year.
Submetering helps commercial and industrial companies understand where they're using the most energy and gives them critical information, which, combined with controls, can cut energy use by up to 30%. In this podcast interview, Mark Straton, senior vice president for GridPoint, outlines this and other benefits of submetering. The company provides energy management solutions for leading enterprises and government agencies, including seven of the top 10 retailers nationwide and seven of the top 20 quick serve restaurants, plus the U.S Postal Service.
What keeps utility CFOs from embracing energy efficiency and demand-side management? What convinces them to invest in energy efficiency and demand-side management? Ward Eames, president, NTC, which provides educational content for utilities, provides tips based on his new ebook, "7 Strategies to Power Up Your CFO's Support."
Listen to the podcast interview to learn about how NTC helps utilities reach their customers--by providing education in the schools that trickles up to parents. Eames says this strategy has proven a successful way to entice residential homeowners to embrace energy efficiency.
While cleantech investment in general has dropped over the past five years, investment in energy efficiency is booming, says Sheeraz Haji, CEO of the market intelligence firm Cleantech Group. In its latest report–about third quarter 2013–the energy efficiency topped the investment charts in clean tech, with 33 investment deals in energy efficiency. In addition, there was a 33 percent jump in the number of energy efficiency companies on the Global Cleantech 100 list. The trend is due to the convergence of data, software, the web and energy, which has yielded companies like Opower, says Haji in a podcast interview.
Automated energy management software from BuildinIQ cuts energy use by 12 percent in one casino, and is expected to slash energy use in other casinos by 12 percent to 18 percent, says Pete Bickinson, CTO of BuildingIQ in a podcast interview. The software, provided to NV Energy, the utility that supplies energy to the city of Las Vegas, provides both energy efficiency and demand response. The automated system responds to pricing, weather conditions, market conditions, and comfort levels. The software yields immediate cash flow, he says. Users are seeing $1.50 to $3 in savings for every $1 they spend on the software.
United Technologies Research Center (UTRC), the research and innovation arm of United Technologies Corp. (UTX), has won an innovation award for its PureStorage flow battery energy storage technology. The award comes from industry experts and the editors of R&D Magazine, and is listed among the 100 most technologically significant products introduced during 2012. In this podcast interview, Sri Divakaruni, director, innovation business development, and Mike Perry, project leader for UTRC, explain how much less expensive the technology is and how it could be best used. UTRC is now talking to potential partners who could bring the technology to market.
In a draft report, Michigan revealed that it has surpassed its 1 percent annual electricity savings targets by 116 percent to 124 percent. That was achieved at a cost of $20 per megawatt-hour, much less than the $60 per megawatt-hour for electricity from gas-fired units, said Michigan Public Service Commission Chairman John Quackenbush in this podcast interview. Now, the commission wants to achieve 10.8 percent to 14.7 percent savings for gas, and 14.5 percent to 16.1 percent savings for electricity over the next 10 years. Is that possible? Listen to learn more about Michigan's incentives for utilities and its problems with its de-coupling efforts.
Accenture and Siemens have launched a joint venture, Omnetric Group, in the smart-grid field that will work with utilities to improve energy efficiency, grid operations and reliability. Jack Azagury, global managing director for Accenture Grid Services, explains in this podcast that the effort will help utilities solve the problem of integrating data with engineering. For example, the joint venture will take smart metering data and package it to help customers make better decisions about saving energy. Azagury says the effort can be "market changing" and save utilities up to 20% in their demand response efforts.
We've got much of the technology needed to solve the climate crisis. What we need now is financing innovation, says Jigar Shaw, author of "Creating Climate Wealth" in an interview with Lisa Cohn of EnergyEffficiencyMarkets.com. If we can break that barrier, we'll create what he calls climate wealth. The founder of SunEdison and the former CEO of the Carbon War Room quotes the EIA, saying we need $10 trillion by 2020 to fight climate change. We're on the path to invest $4.5 billion. "We have the technology to meet the 2020 goal," he says. "Many existing technologies are ready to be deployed." What's needed now is smart money, he says.
Listen to learn what smart money is, why many EE subsidies should be eliminated and why Shaw's plan would create wealth.
Where are the jobs? You don't have to look far, when it comes to energy efficiency, says Suzanne Jones, vice president of sales and marketing for the Association of Energy Services Professionals (AES). In fact, filling the void created by retiring baby boomers is a big challenge for the industry. People are needed across the board, especially at utilities, where many boomers stayed for 20 years and are now retiring, she says. Researchers, marketers, energy efficiency program designers, and program implementers are just some of the people needed.
AESP offers a website, www.myenergygateway.com, for students interested in these jobs.
As more distributed generation comes online, will we see more energy efficiency? The number of rooftop solar systems has increased dramatically. It makes most sense for solar users to focus on efficiency first, says Tom Hulsevosch, managing director, energy and utility practice, West Monroe Partners. This presents an opportunity for both energy efficiency companies and solar installers: They could focus on both installing solar and providing efficiency, he says.
California's plan calling for a massive amount of energy storage poses challenges for utilities that would be required to implement it. Mark MacCracken, CEO of Calmac, a manufacturer of thermal energy storage systems, discusses the technology options available to utilities in this podcast interview with Lisa Cohn of EnergyEfficiencyMarkets.com. "There will be a big learning curve," he says. "We'll see some test projects." Utilities will experience multiple benefits with energy storage under the plan. For example, they could use one energy storage device to help them address power quality and arbitrage.
The EPA estimates that 3 to 4 percent of national annual electricity consumption (or approximately 56 billion kilowatts), or $4 billion, is used to provide drinking water and wastewater services. Albert Cho, vice president for strategy and business development at Xylem, says this can account for 30 percent of the energy used by a city. Much of that energy is wasted, he says. One solution is adding equipment that can change how air is blown into the water to provide aeration, cutting by 50 percent the amount of energy used. Lisa Cohn of EnergyEfficiencyMarkets.com interviews Cho.
If you follow the money in clean energy, the first place you'll stop is energy efficiency, says Craig Shields, author of "Renewable Energy – Following the Money." The editor of 2greenenergy.com says, "If you want to put people back to work, energy efficiency is the place to start." His book, based on interviews with economists, philosophers and scientists, says the trajectory for long-term, high-paying jobs is energy efficiency. However, a number of challenges stand in the way, chief among them federal policy-making, he says in an interview with Lisa Cohn of EnergyEfficiencyMarkets.com.
With California's strict new guidelines for LED lighting, manufacturers are working to come up with LED lights that provide both energy savings and lighting quality. As they work to improve their technologies, we're seeing LED lights that can be used for many, if not all, applications.
That's the word from Mike Watson, vice president of corporate marketing for the LED manufacturer Cree. The company has released the first LED bulb to exceed the California Energy Commission2019s new guidelines for LED lighting.
The new Cree bulb achieves a color rendering index (CRI) of 93, making the TW Series Bulb the first to be eligible for utility rebates in California in 2014. SMUD has already confirmed it will provide a rebate for the new Cree TW Series LED Bulb.
Radiant barriers, which reduce air conditioning costs, have been around for many years. They save up to 17% per month on cooling costs by reducing attic temperatures by up to 30 degrees. They achieve this by blocking radiant heat from the sun.
New building codes and mandates have boosted the market for radiant barriers. Lisa Cohn of EnergyEfficiencyMarkets.com interviews Lorraine Bittles, the OSB product manager for LP Building Products about the uses and market for radiant barriers.
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How can quantum computing reap energy efficiency? In lots of ways. It helps solve complex problems in ways that reap energy efficiency. For example, it can be used to solve complicated scheduling challenges for Fed Ex, which leads to more efficient routes and gas savings. It can help airlines schedule flights more efficiently, again, saving on fuel costs. And it can be used to help decide how best to plug surplus energy into the grid.
In this podcast, Lisa Cohn of EnergyEfficiencyMarkets.com interviews Jeremy Hilton, vice president of processor development for D-Wave, which is the world's first commercial quantum computing company.
What could energy efficiency and innovation do for climate change? Tom Stoner, author of "Small Change, Big Gains: Reflections of an Energy Entrepreneur," describes Project Butterfly, which aims to create a new business case for the global energy system--a case that reduces carbon emissions as quickly and cost-effectively as possible. A seasoned energy industry player, he worked with top scientists, researchers and economists to evaluate a number of options, and found that shutting down all coal-fired plants and other policy changes wouldn't be effective. Instead, he came up with a plan that focuses on energy efficiency, redirecting energy subsidies, and opening up energy markets to innovation. "This could alter forecasted carbon dioxide levels to keep us out of the danger zone," he says in a podcast interview with Lisa Cohn of EnergyEfficiencyMarkets.com.
Lean energy is an old term that has been re-invented, says Michael Overturf, CEO of ZF Energy Development. How does the new lean energy cut costs for industrial energy users by 18 to 20%? He explains how industrial users can use equipment and systems that allow them to change fuels quickly and take advantage of the best possible energy pricing.
Lean energy is an old term that has been re-invented, says Michael Overturf, CEO of ZF Energy Development. How does the new lean energy cut costs for industrial energy users by 18 to 20%? He explains how industrial users can use equipment and systems that allow them to change fuels quickly and take advantage of the best possible energy pricing.
In a smart grid application, utility Sacramento Public Utility District (SMUD) has moved from using maps and push pins to visual analytics to help make decisions about outages, smart meters, and other issues.
Steve Ehrlich, SVP, Marketing, of Space-Time Insight, which has supplied a smart grid system to SMUD, says that many utilities are still using maps and push pins. But situational intelligence software can help utilities unite and analyze data from various sources--outage information, wind speed data, and smart meter data, for example.
One of the biggest benefits of this type of system: It helps utilities avoid outages and prevents crises. Lisa Cohn of EnergyEfficiencyMarkets.com interviews Ehrlich about how utilities benefit from such systems.
PNC, a financial services bank, has just certified its 200th LEED building. Why the big push in LEED buildings for this company? They save on energy costs, boost productivity, and are customers' preferred place to bank, says Nana Wilbeforce, energy manager with PNC Realty Services Group, which maintains the buildings. In fact, the LEED-certified branches see $463,000 more deposits per paid employee per year than the non-certified buildings. The green buildings, with their increased sunlight, low-VOC materials, and pleasant lighting make employees more productive and draw more customers, he says. While others complain that the certification process is too timely and costly, he says the time and effort are worth it.
What's a secret for improving data center efficiency? A big energy loser for data centers is the closet that house air conditioning. Frank A. Coluccio, principal for Cirrant Partners Inc., an IT infrastructure consulting firm, tells how to solve the problem and also identifies the management issues that can prevent data centers from saving energy.
Energy Storage will get a boost from cities and other governments worried about the potential for natural disasters, says Ron MacDonald, former Canadian Parliament member and Executive Chairman of American Vanadium, which produces energy storage systems. Policy makers in New York State and elsewhere are improving their infrastructure systems, which will result in more money going into energy storage, he says.
For example, New York City is funneling funds into improving its infrastructure in response to natural disasters--and that could affect the energy storage market, he says. When one city or state takes action, others often follow the lead, he says. And investors take notice, he says.
MacDonald also provides tips for people in the energy storage industry, saying they should connect with their policy makers. Interview by Lisa Cohn of EnergyEfficiencyMarkets.com
Lisa Cohn of EnergyEfficiencyMarkets.com interviews Hemant Teneja, co-founder of the Advanced Energy Economy. What needs to happen for utilities to take more risks and adopt new technologies and services in EE?
The ultracapacitor market is growing 30 to 40 percent annually, says Mark McGough, CEO of Loxus, a manufacturer of ultracapacitors. The "ultracaps," provide quick surges of power and don't need to be replaced as often as batteries. They're found in windmills, solar systems and conventional cars to boost efficiency – to name just a few applications.
In Michigan, Consumers Energy is attracting customers to its efficiency programs using a number of innovative tactics – including asking them to invest in energy efficient housing when the local sports team hits a home run. Teri VanSumeren, manager of energy efficiency for Consumers Energy tells the story to Lisa Cohn of EnergyEfficiencyMarkets.com
President Obama has called for utilities to use more renewable energy. What does this mean for distributed generation and energy efficiency? Lisa Cohn interviews David South, senior manager in the sustainability practice for West Monroe Partners, who identifies the challenges and benefits of the Obama plan for energy efficiency and distributed generation.
Knowing a utility's peak power hours can help businesses cut bills by up to 35%, says Mike Gordon, CEO of Joule Assets, which has launched Peak Power Index. Lisa Cohn of EnergyEfficiencyMarkets.com interviews Gordon about the many businesses and organizations that can benefit from this knowledge.
Lisa Cohn of EnergyEfficiencyMarkets.com continues her interview with Robert Weisenmiller, chairman of the California Energy Commission, who hails the many benefits of California’s microgrid projects—including cutting foreign oil use and saving lives for the military. The commission has awarded $1.7 million for a military microgrid demonstration project.
Lisa Cohn of EnergyEfficiencyMarkets.com interviews Robert Weisenmiller, chairman of the California Energy Commission, who hails the many benefits of California’s microgrid projects—including cutting foreign oil use and saving lives for the military. The commission has awarded $1.7 million for a military microgrid demonstration project.
A report from Acccenture Energy Consumer Services concludes that small and medium sized businesses want utilities to provide more products and services that could satisfy customers and reap revenues for utilities. Lisa Cohn of EnergyEfficiencyMarkets.com interviews Greg Guthridge, global managing director of Accenture Energy Consumer Services.
Lisa Cohn of EnergyEfficiencyMarkets.com interviews NRDC senior scientist Noah Horowitz, who provides news about just how much the US could save with efficient routers, modems and other black boxes that connect to the internet--and what can be done about it.
Lisa Cohn of EnergyEfficiencyMarkets.com interviews Stacey Lawson, CEO of Ygrene, which provides software that helps administer green projects, about the impact of Obama's climate plan on energy efficiency. She gives the good and bad news about the plan.
Lisa Cohn of EnergyEfficiencyMarkets.com interviews Barun Singh, CTO and founder of WegoWise, about President Obama’s Climate Plan. He discusses what it means to the built environment and the benefits of boosting EE.
Lisa Cohn of RealEnergyWriter.com interviews Inara Scott, Assistant Professor at Oregon State University’s College of Business, who describes a study about what can be done to increase energy efficiency. What are the barriers and how can they be overcome?
Lisa Cohn of RealEnergyWriters interviews Larry Rallo, LEDtronics business development manager, who discusses misconceptions about LED lights and what manufacturers and policy makers can do to fix this problem.
What is Seattle learning as it gathers energy-use information for all its public buildings? Lisa Cohn of RealEnergyWriters.com interviews Sandra Mallory, Seattle's Office of Sustainability and Environment’s Green Building and Resource Conservation Program Manager. The report comes as hundred of private building owners are reporting their energy use information under the city's benchmarking and reporting law.
Lisa Cohn of RealEnergyWriters.com interviews Matthias Kurwig, co-founder and CEO of Enervee, which provides an energy-smart scoring platform for appliances and electronics. Enervee just launched an integration with Amazon Marketplace. Now shoppers can obtain energy scores, real-time Amazon reviews and Amazon rankings to help them choose green products.
Lisa Cohn of RealEnergyWriters.com interviews Joanna Mauer and Andrew deLaski, the lead authors of a new ACEEE and ASAP report about appliances. The study found that as appliance efficiency has improved, prices have declined. Manufacturers have offered new features without sacrificing performance.
Lisa Cohn of RealEnergyWriters.com interviews Alex Lasky, president of Opower, about President Obama’s proposal, included in the budget, to double energy productivity through a “Race To the Top” program that would focus on energy efficiency. Benefits would include 1.3 million new jobs and slashing the cost of energy imports. Opower is a member of the Alliance to Save Energy's Commission on National Energy Efficiency Policy.
Lisa Cohn of RealEnergyWriters.com interviews Dave Erickson, president of Grayhawk Homes, which is based in the small town of Columbus, Georgia and builds all its homes to Energy Star 3.0 standards. Why does he do it and what are the benefits?
Lisa Cohn of RealEnergyWriters interviews Matt Frey, president and CEO of Optimum Energy, a leading provider of scalable optimization for enterprise level HVAC systems. The company has seen 70% growth. What’s driving it?
Lisa Cohn of RealEnergyWriters interviews two University of Utah students who invented a portable cook pot that doubles as a thermoelectric generator, primarily to charge cell phones. They raised $126,000 on Kickstarter and created a startup, Power Practical, which aims to sell the product in developing countries, as well as its existing (mostly camping) markets. Interviewed are Power Practical's marketing director, Riley Swenson and David Toledo,co-founder.
Lisa Cohn of RealEnergyWriters interviews Suzanne Shelton, founder and CEO of the Shelton Group, which is a marketing and communications agency that focuses on sustainability and energy efficiency. A new study from the Shelton Group shows a decline in purchases of energy efficiency products and services by consumers. Shelton says consumers are apathetic and angry about their energy bills and often blame utilities, rather than taking control of their energy usage.
Lisa Cohn of RealEnergyWriters interviews Suzanne Jones, Vice President at the Association of Energy Services Professionals. She says the organization's new State of The Industry Report shows that policy is focused on energy efficiency, employment in energy services is growing, and workers will be needed soon.
Lisa Cohn of RealEnergyWriters continues her interview with Susan Mazur-Stommen, ACEEE’s Program Director for Behavior and Human Dimensions, about her new report, “Trusted Partners: Everyday Energy Efficiency Across the South.”
Lisa Cohn of RealEnergyWriters interviews Susan Mazur-Stommen, ACEEE’s Program Director for Behavior and Human Dimensions, about her new report, “Trusted Partners: Everyday Energy Efficiency Across the South.”
Lisa Cohn of RealEnergyWriters interviews Ogi Kavazovic, Vice President of Strategy & Marketing for Opower, which works with utilities to help their customers save energy. The company has just released a new mobile app and has saved 2 TWH for customers. The company does all this with software.
Lisa Cohn of RealEnergyWriters interviews Ogi Kavazovic, Vice President of Strategy & Marketing for Opower, which works with utilities to help their customers save energy. The company has just released a new mobile app and has saved 2 TWH for customers. The company does all this with software.
Lisa Cohn of RealEnergyWriters interviews Richard Kadzis, editor of Leader Magazine for CoreNet Global, an association for corporate real estate executives that is calling for net-zero commercial buildings. As part of the effort, CoreNet will share the results of AT&T's efforts to retrofit its 150 million square feet of buildings globally.
Lisa Cohn of RealEnergyWriters interviews David Davis, product designer for Fresh Air Manufacturing Co., talks about the benefits of home automation versus remote control, saying that remote control can wow homeowners, but won’t necessarily save energy.
Lisa Cohn of RealEnergyWriters interviews Anthony Giancatarino, coordinator for research and advocacy for the Center for Social Inclusion, which has launched the Energy Democracy Program that will help communities build strategies to create changes in energy efficiency and create jobs, especially in communities of color.
Lisa Cohn of RealEnergyWriters interviews Eric Murray, CEO of Tantalus, a provider of Smart Grid communications technology, talks about Smart Grid trends of 2013.
Lisa Cohn of RealEnergyWriters interviews Gene Wang, CEO of People Power, about a new APP that targets 50 million unused iPhones, turning them into wireless web cameras and remote assistants.
Lisa Cohn of RealEnergyWriters interviews Norm Daigle, executive vice president at Harris Utilities SmartWorks, about the benefits of meter data management and customer engagement programs. The company has gained 53 new utility customers in the past three years, 20 of which were added in the past year.
Lisa Cohn of RealEnergyWriters interviews Norm Daigle, executive vice president at Harris Utilities SmartWorks, about the benefits of meter data management and customer engagement programs. The company has gained 53 new utility customers in the past three years, 20 of which were added in the past year.
Lisa Cohn of RealEnergyWriters interviews Gary Fromer, senior vice president of load response for Constellation, about its new VirtuWatt Link, the first web service application to facilitate automated load response program participation.
Lisa Cohn of RealEnergyWriters.com interviews Riggs Eckelberry, CEO of OriginOil, who talks about a new project to convert wastewater to energy and about why his company earned a Popular Science "Best of What's New 2012" award.
Lisa Cohn of RealEnergyWriters interviews Bill Radvak, CEO of American Vanadium, which is developing America’s only vanadium mine in Nevada. He talks about the potential of using this steel byproduct in battery storage systems.
Lisa Cohn of RealEnergyWriters.com interviews John Englander, author of the book, “High Tide on Main Street: Rising Sea Level and the Coming Coastal Crisis," explains why it's so critical to curb carbon dioxide emissions. He says more storms like Sandy and higher sea levels are ahead.
Lisa Cohn of RealEnergyWriters.com interviews Warren Leon, deputy director of the Clean Energy States Alliance, who shares the results of a study showing that state clean energy development, in terms of projects, was up 18% in 2011. He explains why the results may not be so positive next year.
Lisa Cohn of RealEnergyWriters interviews Jordan Ramer, CEO of EV Connect, which provides EV charge station solutions, talks about a new program to help educate dealers about EV charging options, utility rates and other issues.
Lisa Cohn of RealEnergyWriters interviews Rainer Boelzle, co-founder of WattPeople, which helps consumers understand the costs and benefits of using solar and electric vehicles. He explains the challenges and how the company approaches them.
Lisa Cohn of RealEnergyWriters interviews James Aman, a meteorologist with Earth Networks, who discusses the winter outlook and what it means for energy markets. He also touches on global warming.
Lisa Cohn of RealEnergyWriters continues her interview with Alex katzman, head of business development for Enervee, which has released a report about the efficiency of tvs and explains how consumers can an app on Enervee's website to rate the efficiency of their TVs and compare the efficiency to others'.
Lisa Cohn of RealEnergyWriters interviews Alex Katzman, head of business development for Enervee, which has released a report about the efficiency of TVs. He explains how consumers can use an app on Enervee’s website to rate the efficiency of their TVs and compare the efficiency to others’.
Lisa Cohn of RealEnergyWriters interviews Brad Wahlen, Dept. of Chemistry and Biochemistry at Utah State University, about the biofuel speedster he and students have developed that has set land speed records. The biofuels is based on a cheese byproduct.
Lisa Cohn of RealEnergyWriters interviews Andy Gellman, head of chemical engineering at Carnegie Mellon University and head of the Institute for Energy Innovation. He describes the goals of the new institute--to develop new energy technologies and promote their adoption.
Lisa Cohn of RealEnergyWriters interviews Eloy Torrez, founder of SEI Group Inc., which provides energy services and technologies. Eloy explains how the US Military has created a market for EE and renewable energy and has driven innovation.
Lisa Cohn of RealEnergyWriters interviews Laurie Johnson, chief economist for the climate and clean air program for the Natural Resources Defense Council, about her study concluding the federal government is underestimating the cost of carbon pollution. What are solutions?
Lisa Cohn of RealEnergyWriters continues her interview with Graham Richard, CEO of the Advanced Energy Economy Institute, about new surveys showing most voters support clean energy as a key to economic growth.
Lisa Cohn of RealEnergyWriters interviews Graham Richard, CEO of the Advanced Energy Economy Institute, about new surveys showing most voters support clean energy as a key to economic growth.
Lisa Cohn of RealEnergyWriters continues her interview with Rachel Barge, partner at Greenstart, a seed investor for cleantech startups, about its latest round of funding--and what the company looks for in cleantech software companies.
Lisa Cohn of RealEnergyWriters interviews Rachel Barge, partner at Greenstart, a seed investor for cleantech startups, about its latest round of funding--and what the company looks for in cleantech software companies.
Elisa Wood, author of the popular “Energy Efficiency Markets Blog,” discusses why energy is a hot topic in this year’s election. Elisa's work has been picked up by Reuters, CNN, the New York Times and other national media. See her energy voter series on AOL Energy.
Lisa Cohn of RealEnergyWriters.com interviews Todd Recknagel, the new CEO of AM Conservation Group, which is one of the nation’s largest producers of water & energy conservation products about the increased demand for EE during the hot summer months and other trends.
Lisa Cohn of RealEnergyWriters.com interviews Jason Tiener, CEO of Telkonet. He explains where and how occupancy-based energy management is most helpful.
Lisa Cohn of RealEnergyWriters.com interviews Ory Zik, president of Energy Points, about its new application, based on feedback from its pilots with Fortune 500s and Harvard (among others). Energy Points helps businesses with energy management and planning by analyzing fuel and water usage.
Lisa Cohn of RealEnergyWriters.com interviews Ron Dizy, president of Embala Power Networks, about its $1.8 million award from the Ontario Ministry of Energy to use large energy users' electricity to provide flexibility in the grid and eventually integrate green resources.
Lisa Cohn of RealEnergyWriters.com interviews Michael Butler, chairman and CEO of Cascadia Capital, about why there's hope for the sustainable industries, despite weak first quarter financings and discusses how EE is the top sector attracting investment.
Lisa Cohn of RealEnergyWriters.com interviews Ted Konnerth, founder, president and CEO of Egret Consulting Group, which recently conducted a study finding that the number of lighting distributors stocking LED grew by more than 50% in less than two years.
Lisa Cohn of RealEnergyWriters interviews Kurt Vogel, director of product development, RELIGHT at Lithonia Lighting. He discusses new advances in lighting retrofit technology and addresses when it's best to retrofit vs. choose other lighting upgrade options.
Lisa Cohn of RealEnergyWriters.com interviews Jeff Blankman, sustainable manufacturing manager for McCormick and Co. and Michael Smith, vp of solar and efficiency sales at Constellation Energy about Constellation Energy’s work at McCormick and Co's 363,000-foot distribution center, which is now a net-zero building.
Lisa Cohn of RealEnergyWriters.com interviews Jeff Blankman, sustainable manufacturing manager for McCormick and Co. and Michael Smith, vp of solar and efficiency sales at Constellation Energy about Constellation Energy’s work at McCormick and Co's 363,000-foot distribution center, which is now a net-zero building.
Lisa Cohn of RealEnergyWriters.com interviews Amber Maechler, a spokeswoman for Sports Art Fitness, which creates exercise products that generate electricity and feeds it back into the grid.
Lisa Cohn of realenergywriters.com interviews Chris Cantone, senior vice president, load response sales for Constellation Energy, about helping customers understand their behavior about how they use power--and what it means for EE projects.
Lisa Cohn of RealEnergyWriters.com interviews Doug Bloom, CEO of RealWinWin, which finds, collect and creates rebates and other incentives to make energy projects more cost-effective. He describes available rebates and trends in cost-effective EE.
Lisa Cohn of RealEnergyWriters.com continues her interview with Adam Cooper, research manager for the Institute for Energy Efficiency, which recently identified the top ten LED reflector bulbs--the bulbs that are the most energy efficient and appealing to consumers.
Lisa Cohn of RealEnergyWriters.com interviews Adam Cooper, research manager for the Institute for Energy Efficiency, which recently identified the top ten LED reflector bulbs--the bulbs that are the most energy efficient and appealing to consumers.
Lisa Cohn of RealEnergyWriters.com interviews Mike Murphy, executive vice president, Nexus EnergyHomes, which won builder of the year from the National Assoc. of Home Builders (NAHB). He describes the benefits of net zero homes and the challenges of getting more built.
Lisa Cohn of RealEnergyWriters.com interviews Mike Murphy, executive vice president, Nexus EnergyHomes, which won builder of the year from the National Assoc. of Home Builders (NAHB). He describes the benefits of net zero homes and the challenges of getting more built.
Lisa Cohn of RealEnergyWriters.com interviews Zach Gentry, vice president of marketing and product management for Enlighted Inc., an energy efficiency and building information company creating networked control systems. He explains how the California Public Utilities Commission is restructuring incentives by focusing on lighting as a system.
Lisa Cohn of RealEnergyWriters.com continues her interview with Andy Frank, VP of business development for Efficiency 2.0, which helps utilities meet their EE goals using creative techniques such as competitions and rewards. The programs yield up to 6% savings.
Lisa Cohn of RealEnergyWriters.com interviews Andy Frank, VP of business development for Efficiency 2.0, which helps utilities meet their EE goals using creative techniques such as competitions and rewards. The programs yield up to 6% savings.
Lisa Cohn of RealEnergyWriters.com interviews Bill Kosik, Principal Data Center Energy Technologist with HP Technology Services, about what’s most effective in data center EE.
Lisa Cohn of RealEnergyWriters.com continues her interview with Tom Granville, CEO of Axion Power, about how the company's battery is bringing clean energy to PJM's grid, stabilizing the grid, and supporting PJM's demand-response programs. The efforts have been helped by a new FERC rule.
Lisa Cohn of RealEnergyWriters.com interviews Tom Granville, CEO of Axion Power, about how the company's battery is bringing clean energy to PJM's grid, stabilizing the grid, and supporting PJM's demand-response programs. The efforts have been helped by a new FERC rule.
Lisa Cohn of RealEnergyWriters interviews Michael Butler, Chairman and CEO of Cascadia Capital, an investment bank serving public and private growth companies in the sustainable industries. Cascadia just released its top predictions for 2012, and Butler says the hottest industry is EE, and there's a big demand for companies that provide real-time energy information.
Lisa Cohn of RealEnergyWriters interviews Reed Finlay, project manager of the SCI-Arc/Caltech Hanwha Solar CHIP House, which is a demonstration net-zero home built by SCI-Arc and Caltech students. It features recycled denim insulation, controls using an iPad, the ability to turn lights off by waving arms, and more.
Lisa Cohn of RealEnergyWriters interviews Scott Blackstone, CEO of Vu 1 about the company's light bulbs, which he says are more efficient than incandescents, safer than CFLs and less expensive than LEDs. They are now being carried by Lowe's.
Lisa Cohn from RealEnergyWriters.com interviews Don Gilligan, president of the National Association of Energy Service Companies, about the recent White House announcement to use energy savings performance contracts in federal facilities. He likens such project s to recycling money that would otherwise be wasted.
Lisa Cohn from RealEnergyWriters.com interviews Kara Saul-Rinaldi, executive director, National Home Performance Council about why certain utility cost-effectiveness tests are more accurate--and why certain tests undermine the implementation of EE programs.
Lisa Cohn from realenergywriters.com interviews Gary Fromer, senior vice president of demand response for Constellation Energy, about growing efficiency/electricity usage trends in 2012.
Lisa Cohn from realenergywriters.com interviews Gary Fromer, senior vice president of demand response for Constellation Energy, about growing efficiency/electricity usage trends in 2012.
Lisa Cohn of RealEnergyWriters.com interviews Catherine Bell, senior economic analyst at ACEEE and author of a new report from ACEEE about financing EE using a number of methods, and having these financing costs included in utility bills. She describes growth in on-bill financing, advantages, and ACEEE's recommendations for boosting the use of it.
Lisa Cohn of RealEnergyWriters.com interviews Craig Compiano, CEO of Modius, a company that provides software that optimizes the infrastructure and operations of critical facilities. He explains how using monitoring technology can significantly increase overall energy efficiency in data centers. Check out our new report on data center efficiency by visiting www.realenegywriters.com.
Lisa Cohn of RealEnergyWriters.com interviews Patrick Costello, co-author of "Data Center Energy Efficiency, Renewable Energy, and Carbon Offset Investment Best Practices - A Guide to Greening Your Organization’s Energy Consumption," about the report and why its findings apply to any organization interested in greening its operations. The report is available at http://www.realenergywriters.com.
Lisa Cohn of RealEnergyWriters.com interviews Adam Borut, co-founder of Eco Hatchery, which develops the Light Bulb Finder mobile app. It was the winner of the "Best Overall App" in the EPA Apps for the Environmental Challenge.
Lisa Cohn of RealEnergyWriters.com interviews Dan Schaefer, president of Ygrene, which has launched a clean energy finance and job creation model. Ygrene's PACE enables building owners to fund renewable energy and efficiency improvements at no upfront cost though an annual assessment on building owners' tax bills. The savings pay back the cost of the program.
Lisa Cohn of RealEnergyWriters.com interviews Dan Schaefer, president of Ygrene, which has launched a clean energy finance and job creation model. Ygrene's PACE enables building owners to fund renewable energy and efficiency improvements at no upfront cost though an annual assessment on building owners' tax bills. The savings pay back the cost of the program.
Lisa Cohn of realenergywriters.com interviews Chris Hartmann, executive vice president and CEO of Rexel Holdings USA, one of the world2019s largest electrical distributors, about an international study that showed 95% of Americans consider EE an important issue. However, fewer Americans have taken action than people in Europe.
Lisa Cohn of RealEnergyWriters.com continues her interview with Susan Mazur-Stommen, director of the Behavior and Human Dimensions Program for ACEEE, about her plans to radically change our programs for motivating people to conserve energy.
Lisa Cohn of RealEnergyWriters.com interviews Susan Mazur-Stommen, director of the Behavior and Human Dimensions Program for ACEEE, about her plans to radically change our programs for motivating people to conserve energy.
Lisa Cohn of RealEnergyWriters.com interviews a team of students from the West Philadelphia High School Auto Academy who were winners in the Spirit of Innovation awards for their design of an electric very light car. The car, being prepared for commercial markets, is expected to set the efficiency standard for EVs. The award program is seeking more entries: http://www.conradawards.org/
Lisa Cohn of RealEnergyWriters.com interviews Bruce Measure, chairman of the Northwest Power and Planning Council, about how the Pacific Northwest achieved its biggest one-year EE gain since the efficiency program began more than 30 years ago. He also explains why he's worried the region may not see such big gains in coming years.
Lisa Cohn of RealEnergyWriters.com interviews Farah Saeed, an energy and power systems principal for the consulting firm Frost and Sullivan, about the need by utilities to rename "Smart Grid." She describes how some utilities are using AMI for new purposes.
Lisa Cohn of RealEnergyWriters.com continues her interview with Brooke Coleman, Executive Director of the Advanced Ethanol Council, about a new initiative, FuelChoice, to ensure consumers have more choice in fuels at the gas pump. Three fuels are now less expensive than gasoline, he says.
Lisa Cohn of RealEnergyWriters.com interviews Brooke Coleman, Executive Director of the Advanced Ethanol Council, about a new initiative, FuelChoice, to ensure consumers have more choice in fuels at the gas pump. Three fuels are now less expensive than gasoline, he says.
Lisa Cohn of RealEnergyWriters.com interviews Brent Perry, CEO of Corvus Energy, maker of a lithium polymer battery used for a number of applications, including backup for wind and solar power systems. He describes the Aquarius System project, which uses solar "sails" and the Corvus battery to improve the efficiency of ocean-going ships.
Lisa Cohn of RealEnergyWriters.com continues her interview with Bill Hyman, co-founder of Greenfoot Global, which sells a tablet that cuts gasoline consumption, increases power in cars and reduces emissions. It's based on a technology whose inventor won the Nobel Prize for chemistry.
Lisa Cohn of RealEnergyWriters.com interviews Bill Hyman, co-founder of Greenfoot Global, which sells a tablet that cuts gasoline consumption, increases power in cars and reduces emissions. It's based on a technology whose inventor won the Nobel Prize for chemistry.
Lisa Cohn of RealEnergyWriters.com continues her interview with John Conklin, president and CEO of New Energy Technologies, which is developing SolarWindow. The product, now in the prototype phase, generates electricity on see-through glass using natural or artificial light sources.
Lisa Cohn from realenergywriters.com interviews John Conklin, president and CEO of New Energy Technologies, which is developing SolarWindow. The product, now in the prototype phase, generates electricity on see-through glass using natural or artificial light sources.
Lisa Cohn from realenergywriters.com interviews Rowan Sanders, director of marketing and communications for Veolia Energy North America. Our topic: The company’s Hickory Meadows Landfill Gas-to-Energy Project and the many benefits such projects provide.
Lisa Cohn interviews Paul Wickberg, CEO of the outdoor solar lighting company SOL, Inc., a 20-year-old company that has more than a third of the market share of outdoor solar lighting in North America. He discusses trends in solar lighting and describes what's to come in the future.
Lisa Cohn of RealEnergyWriters.com interviews Michael Clark, senior vice president of Encorp, an energy technology company, about the company's microgrid technology and how it helps users save money and increase reliability.
Lisa Cohn of RealEnergyWriters.com continues her interview with Allison Schieffelin, Chairman and CEO of The Lighting Quotient, about lighting incentives – many of them little-known – and the politics behind them.
Lisa Cohn of RealEnergyWriters.com interviews Allison Schieffelin, Chairman and CEO of The Lighting Quotient, about lighting incentives – many of them little-known – and the politics behind them.
Lisa Cohn of RealEnergyWriters.com continues her interview with Gene Wang, CEO of People Power, which provides cloud-based energy management software and hardware to electronic device manufacturers and service providers. He offers opinions about why Google and Microsoft have pulled out of the energy management business and talks about his company's strategy in this field.
Lisa Cohn of RealEnergyWriters.com interviews Gene Wang, CEO of People Power, which provides cloud-based energy management software and hardware to electronic device manufacturers and service providers. He offers opinions about why Google and Microsoft have pulled out of the energy management business and talks about his company's strategy in this field.
Lisa Cohn of RealEnergyWriters.com continues her interview with Metrus Energy CEO Bob Hinkle. Metrus Energy has been chosen as a financial partner under the White House’s Better Buildings Challenge. Hinkle discusses his company’s participation as a provider of innovative financing.
Lisa Cohn of RealEnergyWriters.com interviews Bob Hinkle, CEO of Metrus Energy, which has been chosen as a financial partner under the White House’s Better Buildings Challenge, about the challenge and Metrus Energy's participation as a provider of innovative financing.
Lisa Cohn of RealEnergyWriters.com continues her interview with Michael Leppitsch, CEO and founder of Gridata, about the company’s recently unveiled energy intelligence platform, which allows appliance and consumer electronics manufacturers to add energy management capabilities to their products. He discusses how this type of technology will affect the grid and smart grid.
Lisa Cohn of RealEnergyWriters.com interviews Michael Leppitsch, CEO and founder of Gridata, which recently unveiled its energy intelligence platform, which will allow appliance and consumer electronics manufacturers to add energy managmenet capabilities to their products. He discusses how this type of technology will affect the grid and smart grid.
Lisa Cohn of RealEnergyWriters.com continues her interview with Michael Butler, chairman and CEO of Cascadia Capital, about the return of the financing market for sustainable industries. EE software companies and lighting companies are among the winners. "The second quarter was a banner quarter," he says.
Lisa Cohn of RealEnergyWriters.com interviews Michael Butler, chairman and CEO of Cascadia Capital, about the return of the financing market for sustainable industries. EE software companies and lighting companies are among the winners. "The second quarter was a banner quarter," he says.
Lisa Cohn of RealEnergyWriters.com interviews Michael Valocchi, global energy and utilities industry leader for IBM Global Business Services. He describes IBM's Watson and how it will help save energy.
Lisa Cohn of RealEnergyWriters.com continues her interview with David Lis, appliance standards project manager for Northeast Energy Efficiency Partnerships, about opposition to and acceptance of energy efficiency standards for appliances and lighting.
Lisa Cohn, of RealEnergyWriters.com, interviews David Lis, appliance standards project manager for Northeast Energy Efficiency Partnerships, about opposition to and acceptance of energy efficiency standards for appliances and lighting.
Lisa Cohn, of RealEnergyWriters.com, continues her interview with Brian Owen, program advisor for greenTbiz and columnist and editor for LEDs Magazine. He discusses energy efficient lighting options for businesses.
Lisa Cohn of RealEnergyWriters.com interviews Brian Owen, program advisor for greenTbiz and columnist and editor for LEDs Magazine. He discusses what options exist for businesses today to use energy efficient lighting to reduce energy use and save money.
What surprises did Amazon find when it studied which green products consumers buy? Lots! Lisa Cohn of RealEnergyWriters.com interviews Lakshmi Nidamarthi--who manages the Green Program for Amazon World Wide Operations--about Amazon's recent study and its findings.
Lisa Cohn of RealEnergyWriters.com interviews Gene Wang, CEO of People Power, which builds EE monitoring and control systems and is opening up offices in China and Japan.
Lisa Cohn of RealEnergyWriters.com interviews Michael Proper, CEO of ClearCenter, which sells energy efficient IT hardware in more than 180 countries.
Lisa Cohn of RealEnergyWriters.com interviews Glenn Williams, president of Bell Performance, which has exported fuel additives for the past 25 years and in the past five years has seen exports jump to 40% of overall sales.
Lisa Cohn, of RealEnergyWriters.com, interviews Jim Kapsis, OPOWER’s director of market development and policy strategy. OPOWER is an energy efficiency and smart grid company that’s serving on the US Trade Administration’s Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Advisory Committee to strengthen US clean energy exports.
Lisa Cohn, host of EE Markets Podcast, interviews John Pitek, founder of johnnyonenergy.com, which provides educational resources about energy. What do residential customers want to learn about efficiency? And how do they want to get the information?
Lisa Cohn of realenergywriters.com interviews Tim Young, CEO of HyperSolar, which aims to produce solar cells that put out 400% more energy than they’re currently capable of.
Lisa Cohn of realenergywriters continues her interview with Dan Ariely, a professor of psychology and behavioral economics at Duke University and author of “The Upside of Irrationality.” He talks about why people don't invest in EE and how to motivate them.
Lisa Cohn of realenergywriters interviews Dan Ariely, a professor of psychology and behavioral economics at Duke University, and author of The Upside of Irrationality, talks about why people don't invest in EE, and how to motivate them.
Lisa Cohn of realenergywriters.com interviews Gordon Handelsman co-founder and chief marketing officer, PVT Solar, which delivers twice the energy of a traditional solar PV system by taking advantage of waste heat and delivering electricity, hot water and cooling.
Lisa Cohn of realenergywriters.com interviews Mike Paparone, the CEO/president of ECR International, the only US manufacturer of residential micro-CHP. He describes the benefits and says this technology has a lower carbon footprint than solar power, which needs backup power.
Lisa Cohn interviews Desmond Wheatley, president of Envision Solar, which develops solar charging systems for vehicles and buildings. He describes the advantages of using solar power to charge electric vehicles.
Lisa Cohn of RealEnergyWriters.com interviews Michael Butler, chairman and CEO of Cascadia Capital, who gives his financial prediction for sustainable industries in 2011. Energy Efficiency—especially smart grid software—is the number two energy industry attracting investment. And that trend will continue for at least three years, he says.
Lisa Cohn from realenergywriters.com interviews Anthony Toderian, product safety expert for CSA International, a leading provider of product testing and certification services, about the need for testing of EE products, how the EPA and Energy Star are involved, and how the move toward testing will affect EE product manufacturers.
Lisa Cohn of realenergywriters.com interviews Chad Bulman, program manager for the Midwest Energy Efficiency Alliance, who discusses the fast-growing market for LED lighting, how and where LED is best applied and challenges to spreading the use of LED lighting.
Lisa Cohn of realenergywriters.com interviews Leslie Tyler, vice president of marketing for ZipRealty, about a recent survey of homebuyers. Her survey tells what percentage of surveyed homebuyers say green features are an important part of their purchasing decision.
Lisa Cohn of realenergywriters.com interviews Madeleine Tan, a partner in the New York office of Kaye Scholer, who works on the financing of major energy infrastructure projects. What's hot in EE right now?
How can companies provide the visibility and traceability needed to prove that their EE programs are truly making a difference? Ryan Vankessel, vice president of business development for Parachute Software and David Linton, a founder of Parachute Software, provide some input about this topic and address the growing market for tracking and measurement programs.
Lisa Cohn from realenergywriters.com interviews Kate Gerwe, vice president of marketing for People Power, an EE solutions company. Gerwe talks about the company’s new energy services platform, which is an open energy management cloud service that allows companies and homeowners to monitor energy use down to the individual plug level, compare energy use and manage energy use from any Internet-enabled device.
Lisa Cohn of realenergywriters.com continues her interview with Chad Gottesman, president and CEO of Neuwing Energy Ventures, about EE certificates or "white tags." What are they, who buys them and what is driving the market? He talks about the role of incentives and government policy.
Lisa Cohn of realenergywriters.com interviews Chad Gottesman, president and CEO of Neuwing Energy Ventures, about EE certificates or "white tags." What are they, who buys them and what is driving the market? He talks about the role of incentives and government policy.
Lisa Cohn interviews Paul Jones, a partner in IMAP UK, which is a global organization of leading middle-market merger and acquisition advisory firms providing strategic merger, acquisition and related corporate finance services. He talks about the firm's 2010 alternative energy report, which identifies growing EE markets that are attracting capital. To listen to the rest of this audio, visit http://www.realwriters.net/rew/rtlnkpr.htm and check out the Top Markets Audio.
Lisa Cohn of realenergywriters.com interviews Michael Butler, chairman and CEO of Cascadia Capital, an investment bank that serves both private and public growth companies around the globe and has become a key player in sustainable industries. He describes what an energy efficiency company needs to secure financing, where the industry will see significant activity and talks about Cloud Computing's effect on data centers and EE. To listen to the entire interview, visit RealEnergyWriters.com's Free Downloads section, http://www.realwriters.net/rew/rtlnkfd.htm
Lisa Cohn of realenergywriters.com interviews Larry Goldenhersh, president and CEO of Enviance, a 10-year-old company that provides software for environmental compliance and green gas tracking. He addresses the ramifications of California's AB 32--especially its provisions calling for cap-and-trade by 2012--and efforts to repeal the law. To listen to the entire interview, visit the Free Downloads section, go to http://www.realwriters.net/rew/rtlnkfd.htm
Lisa Cohn of realenergywriters.com interviews Maurice Gunderson, senior partner for CMEA Capital, which has been investing in energy and technology for 20 years and manages $1.2 billion. He identifies the top three EE markets. To listen to the rest of this audio, visit http://www.realwriters.net/rew/rtlnkpr.htm and check out the Top Markets Audio.
Lisa Cohn of realenergywriters.com interviews Danny Yu, CEO of Daintree Networks, which is a wireless lighting control company that is offering the first open-standards platform for commercial lighting controls. He explains how lighting control companies can take advantage of his platform and gives a feel for the size of the booming lighting controls market.
Lisa Cohn of realenergywriters.com continues her interview with Marianne Swanson, chair of the Cyber Security Working Group and a senior advisor for information system security at the National Institute of Standards and Technology. She describes an initial set of smart grid standards and how they affect smart grid product vendors and utilities.
Lisa Cohn of realenergywriters.com interviews Marianne Swanson, chair of the Cyber Security Working Group and a Senior Advisor for Information System Security at the National Institute of Standards and Technology. She describes an initial set of “Smart Grid” standards and how they affect Smart Grid product vendors and utilities.
Lisa Cohn from realenergywriters.com interviews Bob Hunter, CEO of TrendPoint Systems, about a new approach to managing data center efficiency to meet new EPA standards.
Lisa Cohn from realenergywriters.com continues her interview with Rick Bauer, director of product management for CompTIA, a nonprofit trade organization for information technology. They discuss a new study showing a worldwide cut of more than 32 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions associated with IT equipment since 2007.
Lisa Cohn from realenergywriters.com interviews Rick Bauer, director of product management for CompTIA, a nonprofit trade organization for information technology. They discuss a new study showing a worldwide cut of more than 32 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions associated with IT equipment since 2007.
Lisa Cohn of realenergywriters.com continues her interview with Sergio Trindade, Ph.D., director of science and technology for International Fuel Technology. He's a co-laureate of the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize, as a member of the International Panel on Climate Change. He served as the assistant secretary-general of the United Nations (UN) for Science and Technology. Our topic: stretching the oil supply with additives.
Lisa Cohn of realenergywriters.com interviews Sergio Trindade, Ph.D., director of science and technology for International Fuel Technology. He's a Co-laureate of the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize as a member of the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and served as the Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations (UN) for Science and Technology. Our topic: stretching the oil supply with additives.
Lisa Cohn of realenergywriters.com interviews Nathan Rothman, founder and CEO of Optimum Energy, LLC, about the advantages of standardized, integrated building EE programs. He also discusses why the commercial EE market is so big--and challenges to tapping that market.
Lisa Cohn of realenergywriters.com continues her interview with Moin Sarker, COO of Natural State Research, who recently was recognized by the Association of Energy Engineers for NSR's technology that converts waste plastic into hydrocarbon liquid fuel. This high-octane fuel burns cleaner and more efficiently than traditional gasoline and diesel, and it can be produced at a lower overall cost, he says.
Lisa Cohn of realenergywriters.com interviews Dr. Moin Sarker, COO of Natural State Research, who recently was recognized by the Association of Energy Engineers for NSR's technology that converts waste plastic into hydrocarbon liquid fuel. This high-octane fuel burns cleaner and more efficiently than traditional gasoline and diesel, and it can be produced at a lower overall cost, he says.
Lisa Cohn of realenergywriters.com continues her interview with Oliver Hazimeh, director of the global e-Mobility practice at the management consulting firm PRTM. He describes what's needed to jump-start and sustain the electric vehicle industry. We need to create a viable "ecosystem," he says.
Lisa Cohn of realenergywriters.com interviews Oliver Hazimeh, director and head of the global e-Mobility practice at the global management consulting firm PRTM, about what's needed to jump-start the electric vehicle industry in ways that create a sustainable industry. We need to create a viable "ecosystem," he says.
Lisa Cohn from realenergywriters.com interviews William “Bill” DiCroce, chief operating officer of Veolia Energy, about the company’s long-term agreement to operate and maintain the Medical Area Total Energy Plant (MATEP) in Boston, which serves six world-class hospitals. He talks about the advantages of combined heat and power.
Lisa Cohn of realenergywriters.com interviews Larry Sunshine, vice president of sales and marketing for Plasma Air, about how new code changes allow building owners and operators to save money by cleaning the air and reaping energy efficiency.
Lisa Cohn of realenergywriters.com continues her interview with J. Michael Walker, president of Beacon Consultants Network, who describes ways to help change people’s behavior so they invest in EE measures.
Lisa Cohn of realenergywriters.com interviews J. Michael Walker, president of Beacon Consultants Network, who describes ways to help change people’s behavior so they invest in EE measures.
Lisa Cohn of realenergywriters.com interviews Steven Nadel, executive director of ACEEE, about a new report that shows current climate change proposals under-utilize energy efficiency. He explains how much would be gained--in terms of jobs and energy savings--by providing for additional EE.
Lisa Cohn of RealEnergyWriters.com continues her interview with Steve Nguyen, director of corporate marketing and Anders Axelsson, senior VP of sales and market development for Echelon about the factors blocking smart grid in the U.S. Echelon is working to transform the grid into a smart, communicating network.
Lisa Cohn of realenergywriters.com interviews Steve Nguyen, director of corporate marketing and Anders Axelsson, senior VP of sales and market development for Echelon Corp. about the factors preventing Smart Grid implementation in the U.S. Echelon is working to transform the grid into a smart, communicating network.
Lisa Cohn of realenergywriters.com continues her interview with Greg Barry, president and CEO of Topanga Technologies, about efficiency and best applications in advanced plasma lighting technology.
Lisa Cohn of realenergywriters.com interviews Greg Barry, president and CEO, Topanga Technologies about the efficiency advantages of and best applications for advanced plasma lighting technology.
Lisa Cohn of realenergywriters.com continues her interview with Judith McGarry, vice president of marketing for Grid Net, a leader in smart grid and smart home platforms. She gives an update on smart grid and smart home technology and identifies the challenges to building a smart grid.
Lisa Cohn of realenergywriters.com interviews Judith McGarry, vice president of marketing for Grid Net, a leader in smart grid and smart home platforms. She gives an update on smart grid and smart home technology and identifies the challenges to building a smart grid.
Lisa Cohn of realenergywriters.com continues her interview with Ron Harwood, president of Illuminating Concepts, about the advantages and disadvantages of LED lights. When is it best to use them? What kind of advances will we see in them?
Lisa Cohn of realenergywriters.com interviews Ron Harwood, president of Illuminating Concepts, about the advantages and disadvantages of LED lights. When is it best to use them? What kind of advances will we see in them?
Lisa Cohn of Energy Efficiency Markets interviews Jamie Wimberly, CEO of the marketing agency EcoAlign, about a new study of consumer perceptions of the EnergyStar brand. Among other things, the study found that consumers would like a "tiered" approach -- "Gold" and "Silver" labels.
Lisa Cohn of Energy Efficiency Markets interviews Jamie Wimberly, CEO of the marketing agency EcoAlign, about a new study of consumer perceptions of the EnergyStar brand. Among other things, the study found that consumers would like a "tiered" approach-- "Gold" and "Silver" labels.
Lisa Cohn of Energy Efficiency Markets interviews John Martin, principal of Pro-Tech Energy Solutions about the advantages of light-emitting diodes. Top among the pluses: They don't pose the disposal issues that are associated with CFLs.
Lisa Cohn of Energy Efficiency Markets checks back in with Jeff Wilson, a host for the HGTV and the DIY Network, about deep energy retrofits. He discusses the opportunity that residents have to save money by retrofitting their homes. Check out his website at www.thegreenedhouseeffect.com.
Lisa Cohn of Energy Efficiency Markets interviews Charlie Allcock, director of economic development for Portland General Electric, about the utility’s efforts to make Oregon ready for all-electric vehicles. He addresses the rate and infrastructure changes needed.
Lisa Cohn of Energy Efficiency Markets continues her interview with Dan Pauley, principal, American Renewable Energies, about why it's tough for small- to mid-sized businesses to get startup funding in EE.
Lisa Cohn of Energy Efficiency Markets interviews Dan Pauley, principal, American Renewable Energies, about why it's tough for small- to mid-sized businesses to get startup funding in EE.
Lisa Cohn of Energy Efficiency Markets continues her interview with Jeff Wilson, a host for HGTV and the DIY Network, about deep energy retrofits. How are they different from energy audits and what are their benefits? Check out his website at www.thegreenedhouseeffect.com.
Lisa Cohn of Energy Efficiency Markets continues her interview with Jeff Wilson, a host for HGTV and the DIY Network, about deep energy retrofits. How are they different from energy audits and what are their benefits? Check out his website at www.thegreenedhouseeffect.com.
Lisa Cohn of Energy Efficiency Markets interviews Alexis Huggins, market analyst for Global Market Consultants, about how certain air quality improvements cut energy use.
Lisa Cohn of Energy Efficiency Markets interviews Joe Grimes, chief operating officer of XsunX, about how the company has made solar thin film more efficient. In the lab, XsunX’s solar technology has reached 20% conversion efficiency, the highest in the world for thin film. The challenge is transferring this efficiency to the field.
Lisa Cohn of Energy Efficiency Markets continues her interview with Matt Marshall, founder of VentureBeat, about Silicon Valley's role in smart grid innovation. He explains how companies are developing new technologies for the grid that give consumers easier access to information and increased control of their personal energy use.
Lisa Cohn of Energy Efficiency Markets interviews Matt Marshall, founder of VentureBeat, about Silicon Valley's role in smart grid innovation. He explains how companies are developing new technologies for the grid that give consumers easier access to information and increased control of their personal energy use.
Lisa Cohn of Energy Efficiency Markets continues her interview with Frederic Scheer, founder and CEO of Cereplast, a company that produces plastics without petroleum. Ten percent of the fossil fuels imported into the US are used in plastics, he says.
Lisa Cohn of Energy Efficiency Markets continues her interview with Frederic Scheer, founder and CEO of Cereplast, a company that produces plastics without petroleum. Ten percent of the fossil fuels imported into the US are used in plastics, he says.
Lisa Cohn of Energy Efficiency Markets interviews Frederic Scheer, founder and CEO of Cereplast, a company that produces plastics without petroleum. Ten percent of the fossil fuels imported into the US are used in plastics, he says.
Lisa Cohn of EE Markets continues her interview with Byron Elton, CEO of Carbon Sciences, about the company's work repurposing and recycling CO2 produced by coal plants and other industries. The more traditional method is to bury carbon dioxide underground, he explains.
Lisa Cohn of EE Markets interviews Byron Elton, CEO of Carbon Sciences, about the company's work repurposing and recycling CO2 produced by coal plants and other industries. The more traditional method is to bury carbon dioxide underground, he explains.
Lisa Cohn of EE Markets interviews Leo Loflin, the western region business director for Veolia Energy North America. He discusses how Veolia's district cooling system increases energy efficiency and reduces greenhouse gas emissions by serving many buildings with one plant.
Lisa Cohn from EE Markets continues her interview with Michael R. Woelk, president and CEO, Picarro, Inc., about the need for the US to measure whether its (proposed) climate change legislation is working. Scientists need to be able to measure consistent data from a variety of locations in order to detect actual greenhouse gas trends over large temporal scales, he says.
Lisa Cohn from EE Markets interviews Michael R. Woelk, president and CEO, Picarro, Inc., about the need for the US to measure whether its (proposed) climate change legislation is working. Scientists need to be able to measure data all day, every day, and from a variety of locations in order to detect actual greenhouse gas trends over large temporal scales, he says.
Lisa Cohn of Energy Efficiency Markets continues her interview with Sumir Karayi, CEO of 1E, a power management software developer. Karayi discusses a recent study of server efficiency that found there is much room for improvement.
Lisa Cohn of EE Markets interviews Sumir Karayi, CEO of 1E, a power management software developer, about a recent study of server efficiency that found there’s much room for improvement.
In Part 2 of this interview, Lisa Cohn of Energy Efficiency Markets continues her interview with Josh Schellenberg, senior analyst at Freeman, Sullivan & Co. about California's statewide base interruptible program, one of the largest DR programs in the country, with nearly 1,000 MW of load reduction capacity.
In Part One of this interview, Lisa Cohn of Energy Efficiency Markets interviews Josh Schellenberg, senior analyst, Freeman, Sullivan and Co.--who specializes in demand-side program evaluation--about the role of DSM in integrating wind into the grid.
Lisa Cohn from Energy Efficiency Markets interviews Tom Twist, sustainability educator for the Chewonki Foundation in Maine about replacing home heating oil with heat pumps. He talks about the quick payback and why more residents don't take advantage of the technology.
Lisa Cohn from EE Markets interviews Audrey Zibelman, Viridity Energy’s president and CEO and a former CEO of the regional transmission organization PJM. She describes efforts to establish market rules that will allow demand response providers to receive the same compensation as generators.
Lisa Cohn of Energy Efficiency Markets interviews Ujjwal Bhattacharjee, a principal consultant with PA Consulting Group who specializes in renewable energy and energy efficiency. He evaluates energy efficiency in Massachusetts green buildings from 2004 - 2007.
Lisa Cohn of Energy Efficiency Markets interviews Meetesh Patel, president and CEO of New Energy Technologies, which develops next-generation alternative energy technologies. He describes a technology called MotionPower, which harnesses the untapped potential generated from the kinetic energy of moving vehicles. It's being developed to be installed anywhere vehicles slow down--outside fast-food drive-ups, for example.
Lisa Cohn of Energy Efficiency Markets interviews Mike Lang, executive vice president of Numerex, a network service and solution company. He discusses the security issues surrounding the smart grid and its two-way communication system. He also addresses some of the ways to prevent security leaks.
Lisa Cohn of Energy Efficiency Markets continues her interview with Larry Owens, manager of customer services for Silicon Valley Power, which is creating a smart metering system. He describes his project, talks about the challenges of keeping up with smart grid applications and describes future technologies, such as appliances that will be operated remotely.
Lisa Cohn of Energy Efficiency Markets interviews Larry Owens, manager of customer services for Silicon Valley Power, which is creating a smart metering system. He describes his project, talks about the challenges of keeping up with smart grid applications and describes future technologies, such as appliances that will be operated remotely.
Lisa Cohn of EE Markets interviews Field Pickering, managing director, North America, of CoolNRG, which is a project development company that operates in energy efficiency and carbon markets. He explains why the company pulled out of Connecticut’s EE market: The state didn’t provide enough economic incentives for CoolNRG to operate its programs there. In Part 2, he explains why the state made it so difficult for CoolNRG to work there and talks about what other options will be available for CoolNRG and similar companies in the future.
Lisa Cohn from Energy Efficiency Markets interviews Field Pickering, managing director, North America, of CoolNRG, which is a project development company that operates in energy efficiency and carbon markets. He explains why the company pulled out of Connecticut’s EE market: The state didn’t provide enough economic incentives for CoolNRG to operate its programs there. In Part 2, he explains why the state made it so difficult for CoolNRG to work there and talks about what other options will be available for CoolNRG and similar companies in the future.
Lisa Cohn of Energy Efficiency Markets interviews Tony Erickson, global utilities industry director for EDS, a Hewlett Packard company, about privacy issues and the Smart Grid.
Lisa Cohn of Energy Efficiency Markets interviews James McClelland, senior director of utilities and energy, global marketing for SAP, which is a software provider for utilities and energy companies, about privacy issues and the Smart Grid.
Lisa Cohn of Energy Efficiency Markets interviews Jack Parchesky, application specialist for Onset Computer. He talks about the growth in the EE market, what’s driving it, and how the growth affects the need to accurately measure energy savings.
Lisa Cohn of Energy Efficiency Markets continues her interview with Dick DeBlasio, life senior member of IEEE and principal laboratory program manager for electricity programs at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. DeBlasio is developing a guide for smart grid standards. In part one, he explains how the guide will bring together different entities to establish standards for the smart grid. In part two, he discusses the smart grid pilot program, which has received $4.5 billion from the federal government for demonstration projects.
Lisa Cohn of Energy Efficiency Markets interviews Dick DeBlasio, life senior member of IEEE and principal laboratory program manager for electricity programs at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, who is developing a guide for developing smart grid standards. In Part One, he discusses how this guide will bring together different entities to establish standards for the smart grid. In Part Two, he discusses the smart grid pilot program, which has received $4.5 billion from the federal government for demonstration projects.
Lisa Cohn of Energy Efficiency Markets continues her interview with Bill Olson, senior vice president of business development for ElectraTherm, about how the company produces emissions-free electricity from small geothermal heat sources. Employing ElectraTherm’s products to recycle industrial waste heat on a wide scale in the U.S. could generate the equivalent electric output of ninety-two 500-MW gas-fired combined cycle plants without any fuel consumption or emissions, he says.
Lisa Cohn of Energy Efficiency Markets interviews Bill Olson, senior vice president of business development for ElectraTherm, about how the company produces emissions-free electricity from small geothermal heat sources. Employing ElectraTherm’s products to recycle industrial waste heat on a wide scale in the U.S. could generate the equivalent electric output of ninety-two 500-MW gas-fired combined cycle plants without any fuel consumption or emissions, he says.
Lisa Cohn of EE Markets interviews Brandi McManus, energy services manager for TAC by Schneider Electric, which provides building automation, energy solutions and security systems. She talks about how companies can balance their environmental ethics with cost, given that stakeholders and consumers are exerting pressure on businesses to go green.
Lisa Cohn of EE Markets continues her interview with Mark Sinclair, head of the Clean Energy States Alliance, about how states can create effective clean energy programs using funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. In Part One, he explained how and when the states will use the money--and what restrictions the government has placed on the money. In Part Two, he describes some of the clean energy best practices implemented by forward-looking states.
Lisa Cohn of EE Markets interviews Mark Sinclair, head of the Clean Energy States Alliance, about how states can create effective clean energy programs using funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. In Part One, he explains how and when the states will use the money - and what restrictions the government has placed on the money. In Part Two, he describes some of the clean energy best practices implemented by forward-looking states.
Lisa Cohn from Energy Efficiency Markets continues her interview with Rich Becks, senior vice president, strategic supply-demand solutions for E2open, who talks about how businesses can plan for sustainability regulations by embracing a smart “demand-supply network.” Companies must focus on moving from an inefficient, carbon-intense supply chain to a smart demand-supply network, targeting partners in the extended network, he says. In Part 1, he explains how a smart “demand-supply network” can save energy and cut costs. In part 2, he gives examples.
Lisa Cohn from Energy Efficiency Markets interviews Rich Becks, senior vice president, strategic supply-demand solutions for E2open, who talks about how businesses can plan for sustainability regulations by embracing a smart “demand-supply network.” Companies must focus on moving from an inefficient, carbon-intense supply chain to a smart demand-supply network, targeting partners in the extended network, he says. In Part 1, he explains how a smart “demand-supply network” can save energy and cut costs. In part 2, he gives examples.
Lisa Cohn of EE Markets interviews Mark Dyen, senior vice president of Conservation Services Group. He's here to talk about EE opportunities in the face of the economic downturn and the funding provided by the federal stimulus bill.
Lisa Cohn of EE Markets interviews Mark Dyen, senior vice president of Conservation Services Group. He's here to talk about EE opportunities in the face of the economic downturn and the funding provided by the federal stimulus bill.
Lisa Cohn from Energy Efficiency Markets interviews Kerry O'Neill, CEO, Earthmarkets, which aggregates residential customers, develops and finances EE measures, and sells white tags in Connecticut.
Lisa Cohn of EE Markets interviews Derek Murrow, director of policy analysis for Environment Northeast, about the proposed Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 (the Waxman-Markey bill) and what it means for energy efficiency and the creation of new jobs.
Lisa Cohn from EE Markets interviews Dave Carswell, director of business development for Ziphany, a software and services company that provides the tools and technology for demand-response companies to serve their end-use customers. He explains why the market for demand response is growing and describes the benefits of demand response.
Lisa Cohn of EE Markets continues her interview with Eric Giler, CEO of WiTricity, a company that aims to make everyday products more environmentally friendly through wireless technology. He explains how WiTricity technologies cut energy costs.
Lisa Cohn of EE Markets interviews Eric Giler, CEO of WiTricity Corp., a company that aims to make everyday products more environmentally friendly through wireless technology. He explains how WiTricity technologies cut energy costs.
Lisa Cohn of Energy Efficiency Markets continues her interview with Brian Keane, president of SmartPower, who says studies show that the Echo Boomers—teens and young adults—are the biggest energy wasters. He describes SmartPower's plan for motivating them to save energy.
Lisa Cohn of Energy Efficiency Markets interviews Brian Keane, president of SmartPower, who says studies show that the Echo Boomers—teens and young adults—are the biggest energy wasters. He describes SmartPower's plan for motivating them to save energy.
Lisa Cohn continues her interview with Scott Sklar, founder and president of The Stella Group and chair of the Steering Committee of the Sustainable Energy Coalition. He explains how people can move toward having net-zero homes through efficiency improvements and renewable energy system installations. We may not all achieve net zero, he says, but can take action that affects climate change, reduces energy and water use, and saves money.
Lisa Cohn welcomes back Scott Sklar, founder and president of The Stella Group and Chair of the Steering Committee of the Sustainable Energy Coalition. He explains how people can begin moving toward net-zero homes through efficiency improvements and renewable energy system installations. While not everyone may reach net zero, everyone can take actions that affect climate change, energy use, water use, and financial savings, he says.
Lisa Cohn of Energy Efficiency Markets Podcast continues her interview with Andrea Fabbri, chief operating officer of EcoAlign. He explains why people want to save energy—but don't. A smart grid could help solve the problem. He addresses some of the challenges of implementing a smart grid.
Lisa Cohn of Energy Efficiency Markets Podcast interviews Andrea Fabbri, chief operating officer of EcoAlign. He explains why people want to save energy--but don't. A smart grid could help solve the problem. He addresses some of the challenges of implementing a smart grid.
Lisa Cohn of Energy Efficiency Markets continues her interview with John Petersen, chairman of the environmental studies program at Oberlin College. In addition to his work with the Dorm Energy Orb, Petersen is working to motivate homeowners in the surrounding community to be more aware of their energy use. Again, providing real-time energy use information is the key.
Lisa Cohn of Energy Efficiency Markets interviews John Petersen, chairman of the environmental studies program at Oberlin College. In Part I, he describes Oberlin’s Dorm Energy Orb, which gives students feedback about their energy use and -- coupled with an energy saving contest -- inspires them to save energy.
Lisa Cohn from Energy Efficiency Markets interviews Mike Messenger, director of the electronics group for the law firm Sterne Kessler Goldstein Fox. He explains what issues EE companies should consider when filing for patents and how to avoid patent problems that affect green industries.
Lisa Cohn interviews Ken Bossong, coordinator of the Sustainable Energy Network, about the recommendations 116 businesses, organizations and activists offered President Obama on Jan 21. The recommendations are designed to quickly provide action on climate change.
EE Markets' Lisa Cohn interviews Paul Tyno, executive vice president of program development for Energy Curtailment Specialists about its PowerPay! Program, an Energy Efficiency Markets' 2008 contest winner. He also discusses demand-response market trends.
Lisa Cohn of Energy Efficiency Markets interviews Scott Sklar, founder and president of The Stella Group and Chair of the Steering Committee of the Sustainable Energy Coalition. Energy efficiency will likely grow even more than it would have without a recession because of the strong efficiency stipulations outlined in the federal economic stimulus package, he says. What's more, businesses seeking to save money will find ways to invest in EE. He identifies the sector most likely to grow.
Making Obama's infrastructure plan "smart" part 2 Energy Efficiency Markets continues its conversation with Saifur Rahman, vice president of new initiatives and outreach for IEEE Power and Energy Society. He's back to talk about President-elect Barack Obama's proposals to invest in infrastructure—and how to ensure the investments are "smart."
Energy Efficiency Markets continues its conversation with Saifur Rahman, vice president of new initiatives and outreach for IEEE Power and Energy Society. He's back to talk about President-elect Barack Obama's proposals to invest in infrastructure—and how to ensure the investments are "smart."
Arnold Klann, president and CEO of BlueFire Ethanol, explains how his company makes cellulosic ethanol out of municipal waste and other waste. He projects what the future of cellulosic ethanol will look like in the US and how it will be distributed.
Why are people willing to buy a Toyota Prius but less likely to buy energy efficient lightbulbs? EE Markets interviews Suzanne Shelton, CEO of the Shelton group, which recently conducted its fourth annual Energy Pulse study looking at consumer attitudes about saving energy. She gives tips for convincing consumers to conserve.
Energy Efficiency Markets interviews Saifur Rahman, vice president of new initiatives and outreach for IEEE Power and Energy Society, about how President-elect Obama’s energy policies will affect the world-wide energy crisis. He explains how Obama’s policies will create a ripple effect around the world because people are looking to Obama to claim a leadership role in energy. His policies will lay the framework for other countries to follow and execute their own energy plan, says Saifur. He also critiques Obama’s call for 1 million plug-in hybrid cars by 2015.
Energy Efficiency Markets interviews Firas Ahmad, director of U.S. business development for Emergence BioEnergy. He explains how Emergence BioEnergy installs simple biowaste burners with sterling engines in developing countries where electricity is unreliable. He hopes to develop a franchise-like system that will allow individuals to own systems and provide energy to others in their area.
Energy Efficiency Markets interviews Mark Breuker, director of client solutions for Advantage IQ, which provides facility information and expense management services. He provides an overview of how President-elect Barack Obama's energy policies will affect industries and how they use energy.
Energy Efficiency Markets interviews Neal Elliott, Ph.D., associate director for research for the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy (ACEEE) about the new tax credit for Combined Heat and Power (CHP) Systems. He tells just how important CHP is, given that 20% of our power could come from it.
Energy Efficiency Markets Podcast interviews Jennifer Zerwer, spokesperson for Pacific Gas and Electric Company, about its use of Raser Technologies’ hybrid-electric trucks that get 100 miles per gallon. She also talks about the challenges of integrating hybrid vehicles into the grid.
In part 2 of this interview, Energy Efficiency Markets Podcast interviews Ray Wuslich, partner with the law firm Winston & Strawn, Washington D.C., about the presidential candidates' energy policies. He discusses the surprising similarities between the two candidates’ positions on many of the main issues, highlights the candidates' differences and offers commentary on the issues.
Energy Efficiency Markets Podcast interviews Ray Wuslich, partner with the law firm Winston & Strawn, Washington D.C., about the presidential candidates' energy policies. He discusses the surprising similarities between the two candidates’ positions on many of the main issues, highlights their differences and offers commentary on the issues.
Energy Efficiency Markets interviews Ralph Cavanagh, co-director of the energy program for the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC), about the challenges facing the EE industry—including lack of programs in higher education—and the programs and policies needed to ramp up EE as quickly as possible. Cavanagh, whose organization has partnered with the American Public Power Association, calls, among other actions, for creating more rewards for customers using EE—including inverted rates that provide an incentive to use less energy.
Energy Efficiency Markets Podcast interviews Susan Meredith, author of Beyond Light Bulbs: Lighting the Way for Smarter Energy Management, about how energy storage plays an integral role in transmission. She discusses how energy demand doesn’t always match supply, especially with the introduction of intermittent forms of energy, such as wind and solar. Energy can be stored in batteries, hydrogen fuel cells, ultra-capacitors, pumped hydro power, geothermal, or compressed air. Combining these different energy storage techniques with renewable energy is critical for developing a comprehensive and stable energy grid, she says.
Energy Efficiency Markets interviews Kenneth Reich, partner in WolfBlock's Environmental and Land Use Practice Group in Boston. He discusses the need for federal policy to fix the outdated and inefficient US transmission system. A national energy policy must alleviate grid congestion, implement energy efficiency and demand side resources, and eliminate electric heat loss over long distances, he says.
Energy Efficiency Markets Podcast interviews Kurt Yeager, co-author of the new book "Perfect Power: How the Microgrid Revolution will Unleash Cleaner, Greener, More Abundant Energy." The electric transmission grid in the US is outdated and overloaded and is not sufficient for the addition of new, intermittent, renewable energy sources. He argues that we need to use smart technologies and implement new policies at the local and national level to solve this problem. His plan would put consumers in control of their energy usage.
Energy Efficiency Markets interviews Nancy Edwards Cronin, principal partner with IP Capital Group. She discusses the growing market for "new" Smart Buildings and how science fiction is becoming a reality as technology advances and prices drop for energy efficient appliances. For example, technologies are under development that may deliver wireless electricity or turn off all appliances and lights with one main switch.
Energy Efficiency Markets interviews Steve Wunker, senior partner with Innosight, which advises businesses about entering new markets. He discusses the strategic side of entering new markets for companies that offer energy efficiency technologies. He recommends that expanding businesses try to win on several performance metrics and seek trade offs to facilitate innovations.
Energy Efficiency Markets interviews Steve Wunker, senior partner with Innosight, which advises businesses about entering new markets. He discusses the strategic side of entering new markets for companies that offer energy efficiency technologies. He recommends that expanding businesses avoid chasing big name customers initially and instead seek strong “foot-hold” customers that need the efficiency product and do not compete with other customers.
Energy Efficiency Markets interviews Mark Breuker, director of energy consulting for Advantage IQ, a comprehensive expense management and an energy and environmental solution service for multi-site companies. He explains how companies can measure and reduce their carbon footprint in order to receive carbon credits, which are quickly becoming a hot commodity as legislation changes. He discusses how CEOs and employees feel empowered once they get a handle on their carbon emissions by cutting operational costs, helping control climate change, as well as generating good PR.
Energy Efficiency Markets Podcast interviews Susan Haifleigh, director of sustainability solutions with VFA Incorporated in Boston, Mass. She discusses how to use technology to implement energy efficiency. The latest technology in newer buildings, for example, can monitor the amount of energy used by each boiler in real time from a control room.
Energy Efficiency Markets Podcast interviews Jim Kolb, senior director of automotive programs for the plastics division of the American Chemistry Council. He discusses how plastics are used for light-weighting cars for energy efficiency. Contrary to popular belief, lightweight cars are not necessarily small and often rival the safety of their heavier counterparts.
EE Markets Podcast interviews Gail Suchman, an attorney at the New York law firm, Stroock & Stroock & Lavan, who discusses forces that drive today’s building retrofits. She explains how building owners can offset the cost of retrofitting by following state green building codes and pursuing efficiency tax credits.
EE Markets Podcast interviews Drew Clark, co-founder and director of strategy for IBM Venture Capital Group, who addresses venture capital and start-up opportunities in EE. He explains how IBM Venture Capital Group partners with traditional venture capital firms, then uses its expertise and skills to leverage start-ups into profitable opportunities. He reveals why EE investments are growing quickly and which technologies draw investments.
EE Markets Podcast interviews Drew Clark, co-founder and director of strategy for IBM Venture Capital Group, who addresses venture capital and start-up opportunities in EE. He explains how IBM Venture Capital Group partners with traditional venture capital firms, then uses its expertise and skills to leverage start-ups into profitable opportunities. He explains why EE investments are growing quickly and which technologies draw investments.
Mark Crisson, CEO of the American Public Power Association, discusses how the public power business model lends itself to efficiency efforts. He describes APPA's new partnership with the Natural Resources Defense Council, and its plans to help expand energy efficiency offerings for the 2,000 not-for-profit utilities it serves.
Mark Crisson, CEO of the American Public Power Association, discusses how the public power business model lends itself to efficiency efforts. He describes APPA's new partnership with the Natural Resources Defense Council, and its plans to help expand energy efficiency offerings for the 2,000 not-for-profit utilities it serves.
Jorge Lopez, president and CEO of ConEdison Solutions, which recently acquired Custom Energy Services, addresses demand and trends in energy efficiency. He identifies EE "hot spots" in the U.S., and describes innovative trends in LED lighting and demand response.
Nick Brass, CEO of CoolNRG USA, describes policies in France and Italy that allow for companies like CoolNRG USA to implement innovative EE programs. He contrasts them to US policies, which often present stumbling blocks to innovation, he says.
Ken Elsey, President and CEO of the Canadian Energy Efficiency Alliance, tells Energy Efficiency Markets about the exponential growth in support for efficiency in Canada. The nation is increasing its pursuit of cogeneration, demand response, better appliance standards and efficient lighting and building practices. Exactly how well Canada is doing will be revealed soon when CEEA releases its next national report card evaluating the performance of the federal government and provinces.
Ken Schisler, senior director, regulatory affairs for EnerNOC, a demand response firm, explains the difference between demand response programs in regulated and unregulated markets. In competitive regions, DR adapts to requirements created by regional transmission organizations, while in regulated markets DR companies tailor programs to meet specific utility needs. He also explains why EnerNOC operates more in unregulated markets.
Energy Efficiency Markets interviews Duane Hallowell, president and CEO of Hallowell International, about how to make it easy for consumers to locate energy efficient products. EE companies need to tap into conventional dealer networks and other Yellow-page type services.
Energy Efficiency Markets interviews Nick Brass, chief executive, CoolNRG USA Inc., about the challenges--especially from utilities and regulators--his company faces implementing energy efficiency in the US. He explains how the process is much more streamlined in other countries, and how it could be improved in the US.
Energy Efficiency Markets interviews Steve Cowell, CEO of Conservation Services Group, about policy initiatives that could revolutionize energy efficiency. Part Two of Two Parts.
Energy Efficiency Markets interviews Steve Cowell, CEO of Conservation Services Group, about policy initiatives that could revolutionize energy efficiency. Part One of Two Parts.
Energy Efficiency Markets Podcast interviews Brandi McManus, energy services manager for TAC, which provides energy, building automation and security solutions. She discusses how legislation, including the Kyoto Protocol, affects how businesses view energy efficiency in the US. Even though the US hasn't yet ratified the Kyoto Protocol, global emission standards are influencing all US businesses that hope to be competitive in the future market. Businesses now recognize that their customers are demanding sustainable practices. McManus describes California’s leading-edge energy efficiency legislation, as well as voluntary cap-and-trade programs in the US designed to reduce greenhouse gases.
Energy Efficiency Markets Podcast interviews Aaron Nelson--project director for the Alliance for Sustainable Colorado and a U.S. Green Building Council LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) accredited professional--about how building owners can save money and attract clientele by following the LEED energy guidelines. He explains how building owners receive LEED ratings and how LEED certification helps promote business. In LEED-certified buildings, energy consumption is reduced, emissions are lowered, and, often, the value of the building increases. What’s more, potential tenants are attracted to LEED buildings.
Energy Efficiency Markets Podcast Interviews David Brewster, president and co-founder of EnerNOC Inc. He explains that up to 10% of the capacity of US power plants and transmission infrastructure is used solely to provide energy during peak (high-demand) periods that occur 1% of the time. Demand-response programs like EnerNOC’s collect loads from hundreds of different facilities and network them together to help meet peak demand and to avoid construction of new power plants. “We can shave off those peak demand periods and eliminate the need to build all that infrastructure,” Brewster says. Customers who implement demand-response programs reduce their non-essential use of electricity to help make the electric grid more efficient and cut carbon emissions. Brewster provides some background about demand response and EnerNOC.
Energy Efficiency Markets Podcast interviews Bob Hinkle, vice president of MMA Renewable Ventures' Energy Efficiency Business Unit, about how businesses can take advantage of energy efficiency incentives offered by state and local governments and utilities. He also describes technical assistance programs offered by the U.S. Department of Energy—including lists of service providers land financing opportunities.
The Ukraine has one of the most inefficient and environmentally polluting economies in the world. Energy Efficiency Markets Podcast interviews Ken Bossong, co-director of the Ukrainian-American Environmental Association about how U.S. businesses can use the mechanisms in the Kyoto Protocol to invest in energy efficiency projects and help clean up the environment. He also tells how businesses can take part in carbon credit trading with The Ukraine. The World Bank estimates that the Ukraine’s carbon credits could be worth as much as $17 billion.
Energy Efficiency Markets Podcast interviews Brandi McManus, energy services manager for TAC, which provides energy, building automation and security solutions. Today’s topic: EE has moved out of the boiler room and into the board room. What is the board room looking for in terms of EE? Brandi addresses both the financial and social issues that are so important to companies implementing EE today.
Just sitting in port, ships use 10-11 megawatts of electricity—enough to service 10,000 homes. When they’re running, they use 40-95 MW of electricity. New technologies allow cruise lines, ferries and others to cut ships’ energy use by 8-15%, and in some cases, by as much as 20%. Bob Fesmire, media relations manager for ABB Inc. explains how. He also talks about energy efficiency trends in general.
Energy Efficiency Markets interviews Matt Heinz, senior director of marketing for Verdiem, Seattle, a PC power management company. He tells us that energy usage in the commercial sector is expected to increase 75 % by 2030. Information Technology (IT) energy consumption alone is expected to double by 2021. What's more, the typical personal computer wastes 2/3 of the energy it consumes. What are solutions?
Energy Efficiency Markets interviews Carol Mulholland, a principal consultant at PA Consulting Group, based in Arlington, Va. who has been working in energy efficiency for 20 years. She explains how Duke Energy’s new “Save A Watt” program--recently approved by the North Carolina Utilities Commission—helps overcome a major obstacle to implementing energy efficiency.
Longtime energy writer Elisa Wood explains how businesses can make money taking part in Energy Efficiency programs. She explains the economic and societal benefits of "demand response" programs.