Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency

President Trump has recently launched a crusade against newer and more energy and water-efficient appliances and plumbing products, claiming that they do not perform as well as their energy-intensive predecessors.

Appliance and plumbing fixture standards have cumulatively saved consumers billions of dollars on energy and water utility bills. But do these energy and cost savings come at the expense of performance? Or is this false nostalgia? Here’s a look at the evolution of three common items the president likes to discuss.

Toilets

At a roundtable on small businesses and regulation in December, the president took a pot shot at modern toilets, lamenting that people need to flush them “10 times, 15 times, as opposed to once.”

Since 1994, new toilets have been subject to the standards mandated in the Energy Policy Act of 1992, a landmark bill signed by President George H.W. Bush that included water efficiency standards for a number of fixtures. When the standards went into effect, the low-flow toilet became commonplace.

It’s true that the first generation of low-flow toilets – which flush waste using 1.6 gallons of water instead of the pre-1994 norm of 3.5 gallons – worked poorly and often required multiple flushes. But that’s because toilet manufacturers merely reduced the size of the tank to comply with the water reduction mandates without making any other design alterations to accommodate for the reduction in water used per flush. After widespread consumer backlash, toilet manufacturers stepped up to make low-flow toilets that better usher waste out of sight.

The current toilets fall into two different types: gravity-feed and pressure-assisted. Both have passed the plumbing industry’s unofficial toilet efficacy test (flushing a mixture of soybean paste) and even perform better than old models. The bottom line? Low-flow toilets restore power – and money – to the people.

Showerheads

President Trump also promised to restore “full shower flow” to all Americans. But judging by the reviews, Americans are very happy with today’s models – including ones that use even less water than the federal standard of 2.5 gallons per minute.

The standard, which hasn’t been updated since 1994, elicited consumer concerns that water flow would not be as satisfying or effective at rinsing off. But Amazon reviews of the top five water-efficient showerheads indicate that performance is not an issue. And, after testing more than 100 showers with a dozen different showerheads, Wirecutter determined that a model that uses even less water (1.75 gallons per minute) than the federal requirement was the highest-performing and most satisfying.  

People can feel a lot better about staying in the shower knowing that their money isn’t pouring down the drain along with soapsuds.

Dishwashers

In a December rally in Michigan, President Trump told a crowd of supporters that recent models “give you like four drops of water” and have to be run “12 times.”  

Relative to other appliances and fixtures, dishwashers have a long history of regulation. The average energy use of dishwashers has decreased by about 50 percent since 1987, when Congress established the first national standard for the products. Today, standard-size dishwashers are required to use no more than 307 kWh per year and 5.0 gallons of water per cycle. But does this compromise cleanliness?

To ensure that machines could clean dishes with less water, manufacturers altered the arrangement of dish racks to optimally expose dishes to spouts of water and lengthened the cycles. Consumer Reports’ top-rated dishwasher in one recent test uses only four gallons of water per wash. Numerous other models, all of which must meet the federal standards, received ‘Excellent’ ratings.

While some individuals report finding dirty dishes after a cycle, experts have identified the top culprits, and they’re generally in the hands of the user to fix. Fixes include periodically cleaning the filter, skipping gel detergents that lack enzymes, and avoiding nesting dishes.

While dishwashers use a fraction of the energy and water they used to (saving costs every day), the average price of buying one – measured in real terms – has decreased by about 30 percent.

For Appliances and Plumbing Fixtures, the Good Ol’ Days Are Here

It’s natural for manufacturers to have some growing pains while they adjust to new regulations or market trends. But the examples above illustrate that manufacturers can produce products that not only work just as well as energy hogs, but in most cases even better.

Москва, 31 января. – В Минэнерго России под председательством заместителя Министра энергетики Российской Федерации Павла Сорокина состоялось заседание рабочей группы по развитию водородной энергетики в Российской Федерации. В мероприятии приняли участие представители МИД России, Минвостокразвития России, Минобрнауки России, ПАО «Газпром», ГК «Росатом», а также научного и экспертного сообщества.

Москва, 1 февраля. - Заместитель Председателя Правительства Российской Федерации Юрий Борисов и министр энергетики Александр Новак в ходе производственного совещания в ПАО "Россети" ознакомились с основными результатами деятельности компании и обсудили текущие вопросы развития электросетевого комплекса.

Три бельгийские компании объявило о создании в мире первой в мире промышленной установки по производству экологически “зеленого” водорода. В процессе электролиза используется исключительно избыточная ветровая энергия.

Во многих регионах мира солнечная энергетика сегодня способна предлагать самую дешевую электроэнергию. Это произошло в результате постоянных технологических усовершенствований процессов производства энергетического оборудования (в первую очередь, солнечных модулей), приводящих к последовательному сокращению энерго- и материалоемкости изделий. Операционные затраты в солнечной энергетике очень низки, поэтому для отрасли, как никакой другой, действует правило: дешевое оборудование — дешевая электроэнергия.

Правилами предусматривается предоставление субсидий на реализацию мероприятий по реконструкции и модернизации объектов коммунальной инфраструктуры в сферах теплоснабжения, водоснабжения и водоотведения с износом более 60 процентов. Соответствующий проект постановления Правительства Российский Федерации опубликован на федеральном портале проектов нормативных правовых актов.

В «Россети Центр» и «Россети Центр и Приволжье» подвели итоги выполнения в 2019 году Программы обеспечения экологической безопасности (далее Программа), направленной на реализацию Экологической политики электросетевого комплекса. В минувшем году компании выполнили в регионах своей деятельности (20 субъектов РФ) 45 природоохранных мероприятий. На эти цели было направлено 84.5 млн рублей.

Research Report

Dan York and Alexander Jarrah

Energy efficiency and renewable energy can enhance community resilience in the face of shocks and stresses like extreme weather caused by climate change. Despite this, our review of 66 city resilience plans from all over the world finds that most fail to include comprehensive sets of efficiency and renewable energy strategies. We rate the plans for both types of initiatives, identify the most widespread strategies, and highlight efforts to improve energy equity.

28 января 2020 г. на площадке Санкт-Петербургской торгово-промышленной палаты состоялось совместное заседание России Научно-экспертного совета при Рабочей группе Совета Федерации по мониторингу реализации законодательства в области энергетики, энергосбережения и повышения энергетической эффективности и Комиссии по финансовой безопасности Совета по финансово-промышленной и инвестиционной политике Торгово-промышленной палаты Российской Федерации.  

Специалисты Филиала АО «СО ЕЭС» «Региональное диспетчерское управление энергосистемы Рязанской области» (Рязанское РДУ) разработали и реализовали комплекс режимных мероприятий для проведения реконструкции и включения в работу ОРУ 220 кВ подстанции (ПС) 220 кВ Заречная на территории Рязанской области.

В филиале «Россети Центр Костромаэнерго» приступили к реализации программы технического обслуживания и ремонта.

Москва, 28 января 2020 года — Эксперты компании Schneider Electric, мирового лидера в предоставлении цифровых решений в области управления электроэнергией и автоматизации, рассказали об уровне цифровизации в основных сегментах экономики в исследовании, проведенном Schneider Electric совместно с ЦСП «Платформа».  

Филиал АО «СО ЕЭС» «Объединенное диспетчерское управление энергосистемы Сибири» (ОДУ Сибири) ввел в эксплуатацию цифровую систему мониторинга запасов устойчивости (СМЗУ) на четырех контролируемых сечениях в Объединенной энергосистеме Сибири (ОЭС Сибири). Это обеспечит возможность использования от 120 до 400 МВт дополнительной пропускной способности этих контролируемых сечений. 

В 2019 году филиалом «Россети Центр Смоленскэнерго» было израсходовано 56,97 млн рублей на выполнение мероприятий, направленных на снижение рисков производственного травматизма, выполнение требований нормативно – правовых актов по охране труда, улучшение санитарно-бытовых условий персонала.

В филиале «Россети Центр Тамбовэнерго»* подвели итоги реализации ремонтной программы 2019 года. Все ее мероприятия выполнены в полном объеме и в установленные сроки, по ряду направлений наблюдалось опережение графика.

Себестоимость ВИЭ-электричества уже сейчас ниже электроэнергии новых АЭС и гидростанций и сравнима с угольной электростанцией.

As US cities take an active role in advancing clean energy, they will need a ready and capable workforce to achieve their goals. The good news: Half (37) of the 75 cities in our 2019 City Clean Energy Scorecard have clean energy workforce development programs, and in a new topic brief published today, we highlight innovative examples nationwide.

These programs and initiatives can help ensure that a pipeline of workers is set to join the growing clean energy economy. As our research shows, these efforts vary greatly, with some offering free hands-on training and others increasing city contracts to minority-owned and women-owned businesses. Some have a strong focus on equity and aim to recruit underrepresented groups for jobs using clean energy services and technologies.

Cities are not doing this alone. Many have cultivated partnerships with utilities, non-profits, colleges, and other stakeholders to support local energy efficiency and renewable energy workforce development efforts, which often provide the necessary training and certifications. In 2018, energy efficiency jobs accounted for nearly half of all energy sector jobs, and the sector is projected to grow nearly 8% in 2019, thus enabling even more economic and job opportunities.

Our new topic brief, Cities and Clean Energy Workforce Development, discusses the models cities can emulate to jumpstart robust and diverse programs, as well as inclusive procurement and contracting strategies. It draws on a larger ACEEE report about local government actions to develop an energy efficiency workforce for new and existing public and private buildings.

It also features case studies of cities with promising programs. In Florida, for example, Orlando offers energy benchmarking workshops for building owners, partners with a local college to develop an energy-focused curriculum, and offers mini-workshops on energy policy and solar installation to at-risk youth, veterans, and low-income community members.

Findings from the 2019 City Scorecard

Most (30) of the 37 cities with workforce development efforts have aligned their programs with existing clean energy policies and/or funded clean energy related trainings. For instance, Birmingham, AL, partnered with local institutions to offer energy efficiency training opportunities to Minority Business Enterprise contracting partners. By strengthening these skills among the local workforce, it plans to scale up energy savings and building efficiency in its municipal buildings and future efficiency projects.

The map below highlights cities that, based on our 2019 scorecard using 2018 data, have clean energy workforce development programs and/or procurement contracting policies to facilitate clean energy investments.

 

 

 

We found that each city takes its own approach to clean energy workforce development, which may include cultivating partnerships with local businesses to sustain high-quality jobs, offering educational and technical support, and/or extending benefits to historically marginalized groups. The following cities have noteworthy approaches:

Buffalo – In New York, Buffalo Public Schools offer career and technical education for students in solar technology, with some schools offering students hands-on training and a certification in solar installation.

Cleveland – Through the Office of Equal Opportunity, Cleveland has an inclusive procurement and contracting process for all projects, including energy efficiency and renewable energy projects.

Denver – Denver partnered with Xcel Energy to implement a workforce development program as part of the Denver Energy Challenge that included contractor certification training, health and safety training, and business sales training.

Worchester – In Massachusetts, Worchester provided funding for the South Middlesex Opportunity Council’s Green Jobs Academy. The academy provides free or low-cost building science training to youth and low-income individuals.

For a more detailed overview and a look at what other cities are doing with clean energy workforce development, procurement, and contracting strategies, see ACEEE’S State and Local Policy Database.

These examples and the map above also highlight how cities are incorporating inclusivity and diversity into their workforce strategies. We identified 22 cities with equity-driven initiatives that target traditionally underrepresented groups and/or address disparities by awarding clean energy contracting opportunities to minority- or women-owned businesses. For example, San Jose’s Work2Future program trains young adults from disadvantaged populations in energy-efficient building construction. Since 2014, the program has successfully trained 267 young adults, and it has an 82% job placement rate.

While we profile cities that are helping to achieve energy savings and create real opportunity for high-quality careers for their residents, many cities have not established workforce strategies. Clean energy workforce programs must play a big part in addressing gaps in workers’ skills so we can scale up clean energy projects and extend the economic benefits to more residents, especially those historically left out of the clean energy economy.

Topic Brief

Mary Shoemaker, Roxana Ayala, and Artisha Naidu

Underrepresented community members like women and minorities need equal access to energy efficiency and renewable energy jobs. ACEEE has identified local governments that have inclusive contracting policies and/or energy workforce development programs, several of them equity-focused. This brief provides a review of current city efforts, an overview of policy options, and case studies of programs from Orlando and Chattanooga that can serve as examples for other cities to adopt.

Cities Workforce Development v2.pdf

Неудовлетворительное состояние расчетов на оптовом рынке электрической энергии и мощности гарантирующих поставщиков, функционирующих на территории Северного Кавказа, Республики Калмыкия и Республики Тыва (далее – гарантирующие поставщики) с самого начала запуска оптового рынка вызывало особую озабоченность и на текущий момент продолжает оставаться одной из наиболее сложных проблем. Основной причиной недоплаты на оптовый рынок электрической энергии и мощности всегда являлся низкий уровень платежной дисциплины потребителей электроэнергии розничного рынка группы жилищно-коммунального хозяйства и исполнителей коммунальных услуг, а также крайне высокий уровень потерь в сетях в отдельных субъектах Российской Федерации, расположенных на территории Северо-Кавказского федерального округа.

Nearly 40% of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States come from our energy use in residential and commercial buildings – from office towers and malls to apartment buildings and single-family houses. To live and work comfortably, we need heat and air conditioning, hot water, lighting, and a range of appliances and electronics, all of which require energy. But many buildings are poorly designed or insulated, or use inefficient equipment, and use far more energy than necessary, which in turn increases emissions from furnaces and boilers and from the power plants providing electricity.

It’s clear from the inclusion of building efficiency in their climate plans that the candidates running in the Democratic presidential primary each seem to recognize the opportunities here. So without aiming to make a direct evaluation between the candidates’ plans or endorsing one, we pulled together some of the key pledges from each of the proposals:

Michael Bennet says he would “collaborate with the private sector to improve energy efficiency in buildings and vehicles” while prioritizing “opportunities to cut waste in communities that have been most harmed by pollution.” He’d seek to “cut energy bills for struggling families” through measures including retrofits and requiring “new federally subsidized housing to be energy efficient.”

Joe Biden’s plan calls for “creating incentives for deep retrofits” and offsetting upfront costs with a program targeting a “package of affordable energy efficiency retrofits in American homes.” He pledges to “accelerate new efficiency standards for household appliances and equipment” and to “repair and accelerate the building code process and create a new funding mechanism for states and cities to adopt strict building codes and train builders and inspectors.”

Mike Bloomberg wants to “incentivize cities and states to adopt energy efficiency standards for existing buildings that require owners of large buildings to gradually reduce pollution and improve energy performance.” He says he’d use “rebates, tax credits, and low-cost financing for both appliances and building renovation” and “design incentives to specifically work for low-income households, including encouraging Pay as You Save programs.” He pledges to “ramp up appliance efficiency standards.”

Pete Buttigieg seeks to “double Weatherization Assistance Program funding” and to develop an “energy efficiency rebate to cover 30% of the cost of the improvements for residential homes and apartment buildings” and a commercial building efficiency credit “to make significant building and appliance upgrades to meet LEED Gold or Platinum standards.” He pledges to “support mayors and governors who improve building codes so new single-family and multi-family homes and commercial buildings are energy efficient.”

John Delaney proposes a “Climate Corps” in which recent high school graduates would work “in low-income urban and rural communities” to support a “transition to a green economy.” The Corps would assist in “improving building efficiency” and “provide information and support to families about sustainability, energy efficiency, and renewable energy.”

Tulsi Gabbard’s climate plan centers around her OFF Fossil Fuels Act, which includes funding the Weatherization Assistance Program at $1.5 billion each year, nearly a five-fold increase over current funding levels.

Amy Klobuchar wants to “retrofit existing buildings to reduce their emissions through grants and tax credits that support insulation, weatherization improvements, upgrades to heating and cooling systems, and other energy saving upgrades.” She would “support the development of the next generation of low-emission buildings through model building energy codes and benchmarking and transparency programs” and would “ensure that all federal housing programs put strong standards in place to reduce carbon emissions.”

Deval Patrick has not yet released his full climate plan, but his climate page calls for “decreasing our energy consumption while increasing our capacity for clean energy.”

Bernie Sanders pledges to provide “$2.18 trillion for sliding-scale grants for low- and moderate-income families and small businesses to invest in weatherizing and retrofitting their homes and businesses” in a program that prioritizes “the oldest, leakiest and least energy efficient homes and the homes of seniors, people with disabilities, and low-income families first.” He says a “federal mandate through the Department of Energy will ensure that new and existing commercial buildings and wealthy homeowners meet our energy retrofit goals.”

Tom Steyer aims to dedicate over $3 trillion in total for “energy, industry, and building upgrades and pollution reduction projects,” including residential and commercial building upgrades. He calls for “100% zero-carbon new commercial and residential buildings by 2030” and “100% zero-carbon retrofits for all buildings nationwide by 2045.”

Elizabeth Warren seeks to “link energy and pollution standards to federal support for new construction projects” and “provide incentives for local governments to adopt more aggressive standards.” She’d offer “tax credits, generous and inclusive financing, and direct federal funding to put Americans to work reducing the carbon output of existing homes and businesses” and “work with utilities to increase on-bill investment in energy efficiency solutions.” She pledges to refurbish “4% of houses and buildings every year until the job is done.”

Andrew Yang’s plan calls for setting “sustainable infrastructure standards for all new buildings” and basing “any infrastructure spending on meeting these standards.” He commits to “equipping and powering all federal buildings with American-made efficiency and clean energy technology.”

Responding to the climate challenge will be even more urgent in the next presidential term, so it’s great to see these candidates all understanding the importance of including building efficiency as part of the solution.