Advanced Energy Perspectives

Working in the advanced energy field, we all know about the law of conservation of energy, which states that total energy remains constant but can be converted into new forms. Advanced energy takes advantage of that in a big way: turning sunlight, wind, tides, waste, and more into energy that is secure, clean, and affordable. There is a small but growing trend suggesting a new corollary. Call it “the law of conservation of energy sites.” Aging or outmoded power plants are being turned into advanced energy outposts, from energy storage taking over old coal and gas plants to a solar farm proposed for one of the most notorious abandoned power plants in the world. This week Advanced Energy Perspectives gets metaphorical as we apply the first law of thermodynamics to old power plants sites.

This is a guest post by the Center for the New Energy Economy at Colorado State University.

As Energy Efficiency Resource Standards (EERS) approach their target dates and are in need of renewal or replacement, many states are looking for ways to provide market certainty for energy efficiency in a way that would complement an energy efficiency mandate but do not necessarily require one to be in place. With the maturation of the energy efficiency industry driven over the last decade by EERS policies, there are many policy options for states to consider that will reduce barriers, provide financing, and expand the productivity of utility systems across the spectrum. In a new paper prepared for the Advanced Energy Economy Institute (AEE Institute), the Center for the New Energy Economy at Colorado State University (CNEE) examines a suite of policies and programs to expand and grow the marketplace for energy efficiency. With 20 in all, state leaders have a lot of energy efficiency policies to choose from.

Image courtesy of Jeff Grybowski, originally posted to Twitter.

It’s officially late August, and, if there’s any justice in this world, you’re reading this on your smartphone or tablet while lounging on a beach somewhere, feeling the sea breeze stir your hair. Even if you’re sitting in a stuffy office or cubicle farm, take a second to imagine the whiff of salt air, the cries of seagulls, and – and I can’t emphasize this enough – the sea breeze. That pleasant breeze is about to change the way some Americans get their electricity. It’s an offshore wind news update here on Advanced Energy Perspectives! (Bonus, if you read to the end: robot cars.)

This is a guest post by Scott Hennessey, Vice President of Policy & Electricity Markets and Regulatory Counsel for SolarCity.

In late March, California Independent System Operator (CAISO) approved its 2015-2016 Transmission Plan, which included gratifying news for consumers as well as distributed generation and energy efficiency providers. Thanks to consumer investments in rooftop solar and energy efficiency, CAISO cancelled 12 transmission projects in Pacific Gas & Electric territory, saving all ratepayers $192 million. In this way, CAISO has validated what many of us have known for years: When private homeowners and companies invest their own money in rooftop solar and energy efficiency, it results in all ratepayers not having to pay for new expensive generation and transmission projects.

Anyone who cares about making energy cleaner, cheaper, and safer should celebrate this story. By averting the need for utilities to build more infrastructure and pass along the cost to ratepayers, private investment in local clean energy and energy efficiency benefits everyone. Everyone who supports or sells distributed generation or energy efficiency resources needs to share this story – and move it to the center of our policy and regulatory discussions.