XIOLINK LLC, has completed the first phase of the installation of an advanced solar electricity system to provide sustainable energy to its downtown St. Louis, Missouri headquarters. The building has become one of the first in the city’s central business district to install solar panels. The full solar system will be completed by Labor Day. “We’re committed to using innovative, …
New Energy Systems Integration Facility Announced
A new Energy Systems Integration Facility (ESIF) will be built in Golden, Colorado, sponsored by the Energy Department and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) that will focus on utility-scale clean energy grid integration. The facility’s first industry partner – Colorado-based Advanced Energy Industries – has already signed on to start work at ESIF, developing lower cost, better performing solar …
EPA Approves EcoEngineer’s QAP Program
The U.S. Environmental Agency (EPA) has approved EcoEngineers’ application to implement a quality assurance program (QAP) for Renewable Identification Numbers (RINs) generated on biofuels produced at foreign facilities and imported into the U.S. In February, EcoEngineers became the first in the U.S. to be approved to audit domestic RINs, which oil companies use to account for their compliance under the …
LCFS Remains Under Fire
Recently, the Institute for Policy Integrity (IPI) announced that it will not sue the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) at this time to force it to promulgate a national Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS). According to the Consumer Energy Alliance (CEA), such a cap and trade program for transportation fuels would make drivers pay more at the pump and significantly …
Redrawing the Energy-Climate Map
Warning that the world is not on track to limit the global temperature increase to 2 degrees Celsius, the International Energy Agency (IEA) has urged governments to swiftly enact four energy policies that would keep climate goals alive without harming economic growth. “Climate change has quite frankly slipped to the back burner of policy priorities. But the problem is not …
Utilities’ Energy Efficiency Ideas Short on Savings
A review of five-year energy efficiency plans submitted to the Iowa Utilities Board by MidAmerican Energy Company and Alliant Energy shows utilities are failing to deliver programs that will maximize the benefits of energy efficiency. In testimony filed with the Board, the Iowa Environmental Council, Environmental Law & Policy Center and their partners demonstrated that MidAmerican Energy’s proposed programs would …
Plug-In Hybrids That Go the Extra Mile
The latest edition of of Sierra, published by the Sierra Club, features which plug-in hybrids go the extra mile. The annual Electric Vehicle Guide reviewed six vehicles: Chevrolet Volt, Ford C-Max Energi, Ford Fusion Energi, Honda Accord Plug-In, Fisker Karma, and Toyota Prius Plug-In. There is also a new, complementary online Electric Vehicle Guide. The new EV Guide brings together, …
Natural Gas & Renewable Energy, Friend or Foe?
According to a recent report that analyzes the short and long-term relationship between natural gas and renewable resources, the path to resource adequacy and low-carbon generation in the Texas electric power market will need the co-development and integration of both natural gas and renewable energy resources. The report focused on the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) electricity market and …
BioEnergy Bytes
The Sierra Club has released a report that highlights many of the threats the Transatlantic Trade and Investment deal could pose to the health of communities, air, water and the global climate. “The Transatlantic Trade Agreement: What’s at Stake For Communities and the Environment,” focuses on three important regulatory arenas that the trade negotiations might disrupt: environmental protection, food safety …
Senator Barrasso: Repeal the RFS
Today U.S. Senators John Barrasso (R-WY), Mark Pryor (D-AR) and Pat Toomey (R-PA) introduced “The Renewable Fuel Standard Repeal Act” (S. 1195). The bill would repeal the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) in its entirety. “The Renewable Fuel Standard is fundamentally broken and beyond repair,” said Senator Barrasso. “Instead of delivering meaningful environmental benefits, it’s driven up food and fuel costs …