Category Archives: Renewable Energy

Enabling Renewable Power With Battery Storage Systems

Renewable energy has dramatically advanced in the US in recent years, progressing against the established energy base because of technological advances, the easy accessibility of raw materials, and government mandates and financial incentives. Not only are solar panels affordable and profitable for many home owners, but conditions are right to build solar farms for large-scale electricity generation. And there are many news stories about wind farms and plans to build massive off-shore wind farms. Many states have ambitious, yet achievable goals for a certain percentage of power coming from renewables. But the “elephant in the room” is that most renewable energy sources are intermittent and, therefore, limiting in terms of reliable integrating into a utility grid, such as at night or cloudy days or when the wind is not blowing. When conditions are “right”, these sources can produce a large amount of power, but when not, they produce little or none. It is hard to manage an electrical grid for a city or community this way.

The answer is to be able to store large quantities of excess power production above the demand of the moment, to be utilized during periods when power cannot be produced. Heavy research into larger and better utility-sized batteries or storage systems is proceeding. Whatever the form of such storage will become economical and prevalent, there will likely be land use, permitting and environmental issues to contend with.

Energy storage technologies do exist. Pumping water to higher ground at night to be used to generate electricity during peak demand is used. The main research these days is on lithium ion-based battery systems, which many believe offer the prerequisites for a viable utility-based system, such as reliability, fast response times, ease to implement, and large scale for residential and commercial applications.

In anticipation of the growth of utility-scale battery storage projects, several states have passed rules with goals for certain gigawatt storage capabilities state- or community-wide (CA, OR, WA, MA). However, to achieve this, it is likely that significant land must be available to install and operate such systems and infrastructure and operations be present, as well, to transmit the stored power into the grid for rapid transmittance during peak demand. This may result in critical issues that must be addressed, such as land use, noise, truck traffic, storage and transportation of potentially hazardous materials, permitting, and environmental. It is likely that such energy storage projects would be placed where power is needed in or near urban areas where space is tighter and more people reside or work. States and localities with old infrastructure or in greatest need of reliable power during peak periods would be warned to anticipate and address such issues sooner rather than later, before systems are potentially chosen and designed.

CCES has the experts to help your company become both more energy efficient and to implement renewable power to maximize financial benefits and promote flexibility with a minimum of disruption for your employees. Join the wave of a more efficient and cleaner energy future and maximize the benefits. Contact us today at 914-584-6720 or at karell@CCESworld.com.

Natural Gas Generated from Wastewater Treatment Plant Operations

Municipal wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) do the unheralded work of taking sanitary waste and treating it so it can be safely managed. Over a hundred years ago, cholera and other diseases of exposure to crude sanitary waste were commonplace in the US. But quietly, because of well-run WWTPs we have few cases any more.

While treating the solid waste portion of sanitary waste, bacteria digest the solids anaerobically to form digester gas, a gas that contains methane and has combustion capabilities. However, digester gas is more dilute, in terms of methane – than natural gas, and, therefore, is not very useful. Many WWTPs have purchased generators that can combust digester gas for supplemental power, but otherwise, there has been little interest in using digester gas for energy, particularly outside the WWTP.

A new process has been developed to convert digester gas to natural gas. This is often called RNG or renewable natural gas to differentiate it from natural gas that comes from the Earth and is mined, a fossil fuel. A large Phoenix WWTP is currently implementing this new process to turn digester gas into RNG and to place it in the city’s natural gas pipeline to use as a transportation fuel for its bus lines, making it the largest in the U.S.

This illustrates an opportunity for governments to take an asset it has (digester gas) and turn it into something useful for a different, large function (providing fuel for a bus fleet), saving much costs. It is also possible that governments could market and sell RNG to private entities, making such municipal functions money-makers. Of course, using RNG to displace fossil natural gas or diesel fuel has environmental benefits, as well, and can be part of an effort to make the municipality more sustainable. The project is expected to initially generate $1.2 million in annual revenue. While the cost of the project is high and the payback may not be strong, this is a useful endeavor for the Phoenix area and give leaders flexibility in terms of how to power their plants and fleets.

CCES can help your firm evaluate your energy sources and provide you with cost savings and greater flexibility of future use. Contact us today at 914-584-6720 or at karell@CCESworld.com.

Despite New Administration, Regional, State Climate Change Rules Progress

While the Trump Administration has stated its skepticism about climate change and actions to combat it, a number of states are planning to continue existing programs to address climate change issues and reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs). These programs also help in encouraging energy conservation and reducing the need for infrastructure upgrades, resulting in greater reliability of the electric grid and significant cost savings for businesses and consumers.

On the day of President Trump’s inauguration, Jan. 20, 2017, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) released a draft Scoping Plan to reduce state GHGs. Under the state’s climate change law, Assembly Bill (AB) 32, CARB is required to produce a scoping plan every 5 years. The proposed plan may result in changes to the state’s GHG emission rules and cap and trade program in order to meet California’s enacted goals to reduce GHGs by 40% from 1990 levels by 2030. The proposed plan would extend the state’s cap-and-trade program out to 2030. CARB auctions off remaining emission allowances to sources of GHG emissions as the cap declines to the long-term reduction goal. The proposed plan would also require oil refineries to reduce their GHG emissions by 20%. CARB plans to issue a final Scoping Plan by the spring of this year.

The proposed plan makes no change to the state’s current Renewable Portfolio Standard of 50% of electricity from renewable energy sources by 2030. It adds a goal of reducing methane and hydrofluorocarbon emissions by 40% from 2013 levels by 2030.

CARB’s grand 40% GHG emission reduction goal was planned to be met mainly by the cap and trade program with enactment of some mandatory GHG emission reductions by certain industries. However, because there is litigation against the program (that the state does not have the legal authority to manage a mandatory cap and trade program) the proposed scoping document looks into alternative strategies for CARB to pursue, including additional industry-specific GHG emission reduction rules, a carbon tax, or a “cap and tax” system, which would consist of a more flexible cap and trade system together with a carbon tax for each ton of GHG emitted.

The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) composed of 9 Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states’ cap and trade program for utilities continues to progress well. The 2016 RGGI adjusted cap was 64.6 million short tons, decreasing 2.5% each year until 2020. The average price of CO2 allowances at the latest auction was about $3.55/ton. An estimated $4 billion in funds over the length of the program has been returned to the 9 states to implement energy efficiency programs.

While these are rules pertaining directly to climate change, there are myriad more rules that many states, cities, etc. are enacting and enforcing that will result in reducing GHG emissions. These include many energy benchmarking and conservation rules. New ones appear to be coming up “every day”. (For example, St. Louis just finalized an energy benchmarking rule.)

CCES has the experts to help you assess your GHG emissions and help you reduce it to maximize your financial benefits whether you are in a GHG program or not. Contact us today at 914-584-6720 or at karell@CCESworld.com

Solar PV Will Grow in 2017 And Beyond

According to a recent Bloomberg article, solar power has become the world’s cheapest form of new electricity generation. See: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-12-15/world-energy-hits-a-turning-point-solar-that-s-cheaper-than-wind Solar PV is cheaper than not only other renewables (i.e., wind), but also is cheaper than conventional sources, such as coal and natural gas.

According to Bloomberg’s analysis, the cost of solar power in many emerging market economies has dropped by about two-thirds since 2010. The article reports that during 2016 the price of electricity from solar dropped by over 50% to a low of $29.10/MWh in Chile, which is about half the price of coal-produced electricity there. The article attributes this drop in costs to China’s massive investment in solar panel production and its assistance to other countries financing their own solar projects. 2016 is expected to see global generating capacity of newly-installed solar PVs reach a record 70 gigawatts (estimated), exceeding that of wind for the first time.

And solar PV will get a further “shot in the arm” as technology to integrate solar power into buildings themselves is ready to make its debut in the field. Tesla and Panasonic will jointly begin to manufacture and market Tesla’s solar roof products. Manufacturing will be performed at Tesla’s Buffalo, NY facility.

This technology is called building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) sector. See http://news.energysage.com/tesla-solar-panel-roof-the-next-solar-shingles/ BIPV is the inclusion of solar power-generating elements in the construction of a structure. A roof or window is present not just for protection from elements or for aesthetics, but now can contain the elements to absorb sunlight and generate electricity, as well. This is in contrast with traditional rooftop solar installations, which entails attaching PV panels separately to roofing material. Integrating solar power generation as part of the construction project rather than as a separate post-construction addition would result in cost savings by reducing labor and installation costs and eliminating the need for separate racking equipment. With Tesla’s BIPV, solar becomes an efficient building material rather than an add-on. This is not the first such product as solar roof shingles (from Dow and others) already exist, but has had a limited market. Dow has exited this business segment.

Market research indicates that some building managers are hesitant to commit to traditional solar panels because they are an add-on. If the roof underneath needs work there is extra labor to remove and then put back on the solar panels. An integrated product would address this concern. A recent study estimated an annual compounded growth rate of BIPV of nearly 10% over at least the next 5 years.

CCES can help you decide if solar PV is right for your buildings, including BIPV or traditional add-on panels and whether it makes economic sense. And we can advise you on any of many other issues in the energy and environmental areas to maximize your financial gain and minimize risk. Contact us today at 914-584-6720 or at karell@CCESworld.com.

Despite Election, Six Reasons Why Clean Energy Will Still Do Well In The Future

With a new presidential administration and team at Energy and the USEPA soon to be sworn in, it is assumed that the US will repeal many current environmental rules, attempt to develop more of its own fossil fuels, and walk away from Paris climate change commitments. However, there are strong economic, global, and non-political factors that will move the US away from these actions or prove that they are actually harmful for the companies that the new Administration wishes to benefit the most.

Here are six reasons:

1. Economic forces are stronger than repealing a few rules. Right now, there is a glut of oil relative to demand, as many nations are only slowly recovering from the Great Recession or are entering a new slowdown themselves (i.e., China). Should the US succeed in greater exploration of coal or crude oil or invest in improving pipelines to move the oil, this will be a “dump” in the market, pushing down prices more and reducing profit margins of coal and oil companies. This would be true even if this growth were to take a few years, as futures markets will react.

Further, if the Trump Administration gets its wish to relax or repeal many environmental rules, which they believe is “holding back” energy companies, economic forces will make coal, oil, etc. more inexpensive. Other oil and coal producers (Russia, Iran, Venezuela, Middle East, etc.) are all desperate for revenue to keep their regimes going and populations happy, and are likely to dump as much energy supply on the market as possible. The US will just add to that. Despite OPEC agreements to hold back putting oil on the market, countries will want to maximize needed revenue. Economic forces are greater than loosening some environmental rules.

2. The effort to get fossil fuel supplies. Even with a “green light” from Energy or the Interior, as time goes on, it will get harder for companies to drill for or mine oil, natural gas, or coal. Companies naturally look for the easiest and cheapest sources. In the future, companies will need to dig deeper or in further away places than years ago, raising the baseline cost. Because of oversupply the price of a gallon of crude oil or coal may not be worth the cost to produce it – even if environmental regulations were to be relaxed (if this is even allowed).

3. Improved technology favors clean sources of energy. Another economic force that even the Trump Administration cannot stop is technology. Improved technologies are being invented and successfully implemented all the time to make renewable energy more effective, practical, and affordable. New wind farms in west Texas can be built for as little as $22/MW, and solar farms in the desert for about $40/MW. In contrast, the cost to build a new natural gas-burning power plant is estimated to be about $52/MW and for coal about $65/MW. Even if environmental controls do not need to be included, there will still be a gap and that gap will climb as renewable technology improves more. There is also the crucial issue of time. Renewable power plants can be up and running in a matter of months; for a fossil fuel plant to begin operation, it’s years.

While causing GHG emissions, natural gas will also be favored because it is lower in GHG emissions compared to oil or coal and can be shipped overseas as LNG much more conveniently and cheaper than oil or coal.

There is also forecasted progress in battery storage capabilities. Thus, it is likely that eventually, all forms of transportation will be able to operate using electric power, lessening the need for gasoline or diesel oil combustion, resulting in lower GHG emissions and saving money, too. It is not an accident that major oil & gas companies are all investing in energy storage, LNG, and renewable energy.

4. Growing understanding of the impacts of “dirty” fuels. Another factor favoring clean energy is the strength of the problems and growing understanding about the impacts of “dirty” energy. There is much worldwide publicity about the air pollution issues in China with pictures shown worldwide of filthy vistas and people walking around in masks. Asthma and other lung diseases have risen dramatically, and the Chinese now realize that environmental issues are high impact economic issues, too, affecting future growth. Many other locations worldwide are learning this, too. So even if the Trump Administration tries to repeal many environmental and public health rules, it will not succeed because of the risk of such scenes becoming common in the US and that world markets, with the biggest component, China, in the lead, will move away from dirty fuels and toward renewables over the next few decades.

5. The power of the States. While those picked to run national environmental and energy policies have historically fought to repeal many regulations, the States have considerable sway in their energy mix. More than half of US states have laws requiring utilities to incorporate a minimum percentage of renewable energy into their generation mix. Some such rules are in force in states considered conservative politically. Some states have very aggressive goals. These will force utilities to contract for or build plants for renewable power in the near future, independent of who is President.

In addition, some states administer GHG emission rules that have been determined to be effective in getting utilities to move away from coal toward renewable power. The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) is a cap and trade system for GHG emissions from large power plants in 9 Northeastern states, and is considered a success as it met GHG reduction goals ahead of schedule at a relatively low cost to the regulated utilities. California has aggressive rules it is enforcing. Other states are considering similar rules to encourage renewable power in their states.

6. The power of the private sector. In addition to the States, some major corporations have thrown in their lot to move toward a heavy reliance for renewable power, including Wal-Mart, Microsoft, and Google. It is in their long-term plans to maximize renewable power as their source of electricity for a variety of reasons, including reliability of supply (the sun will always shine, while there could be an embargo or shortage of oil or coal). For the most part, these companies have succeeded and saved energy costs, as well. Other companies are likely to see the success and authorize their own programs to catch up and obtain the benefits.

While there is much to worry about in terms of our future work in the environmental and energy sectors, these factors, beyond the control of the upcoming Administration, should ensure that there is much progress in the future for clean energy, environmental safeguards, and renewable powers.

CCES has the experts to help your company assess impacts of future environmental or energy rules. We can provide you technical advice to help you determine your current status and determine strategies in the future to put yourself in a better place. Contact us today at 914-584-6720 or at karell@CCESworld.com.

The Future Of Energy And Environmental Policies In A Trump Administration

November 10, 2016

Last month I wrote an article about the potential course of events for environmental and energy policies if either presidential candidate was elected. Now we know there will be a Donald Trump administration. So first I will repeat the thoughts about what a Trump administration might look like when it comes to energy/environmental policy, and I’ll present some early policy areas being considered. Nothing here is written in favor or against any policy, but future issues facing the energy/environmental professional.

Energy: Donald Trump has been severely critical of current energy and environmental policy and has stated he will reverse many of President Obama’s initiatives. During a May 26 speech, Trump reflected a desire to achieve US energy independence by reducing federal regulations on the energy industry, increase investments in fossil fuel development and infrastructure to bring it to market (such as supporting the Keystone Pipeline), and reduce federal investment in renewable energy, as he has criticized both solar and wind power. Trump also supports increased use of nuclear power.

Environment: Trump has stated he would rescind a number of President Obama’s environmental rules, such as the Clean Power Plan. As a real estate developer, Trump has a particular aversion to environmental rules which he felt has cost him unnecessary money and delayed his projects. He has also specifically pointed to the Clean Water Act as another regulation he would greatly weaken. Reversing or weakening these and other EPA rules would require EPA rulemaking, requiring a public notice process. A Trump Justice Department may just not defend these and other environmental rules when challenged in court by industry. Neither approach would ensure success, as environmental and other groups would surely marshal forces in defense of the rules. Furthermore, courts could rule that these regulations are valid, legal, and necessary.

Climate Change: Trump stated on the campaign trail several times that climate change has not been proven. However, closer to the election, he was more neutral about the topic. He certainly feels it is not a high priority. He has expressed his intention to withdraw the US from the Paris Climate Agreement, which may be difficult to do. Trump could do as little as possible to implement it, which has weak enforcement mechanisms. He has also stated he would stop all US payments toward UN climate change initiatives.

Early Steps

One of Trump’s main advisors on environmental issues is Myron Ebell, a known climate change denier. There is speculation that he may be put in charge of the EPA. Mr. Ebell has been very critical of not only climate change, but also of recent Obama environmental rules. There is speculation that he may even call for the repeal of signature environmental rules, such as the Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act, and the dismantling of the EPA. This would likely require passage by Congress. Both houses of Congress are controlled by Republican majorities, but slim ones. There are many Republicans who believe in climate change and environmental rules or live in districts with constituents who would be bothered by radical change like this.

Published reports have stated that Mike McKenna has been a major advisor for the transition team on energy issues. He is a former DOE employee, and has been a lobbyist for several oil & gas and chemical companies. It is believed that a Trump-led DOE and Republican Congress would open up more federal land for oil exploration and encourage more coal production by repealing rules discouraging it. This would lead to greater energy supply, lowering prices for consumers, but also potentially raising risks of costly environmental damage. Many have argued that with other countries willing to supply much oil, gas, and coal to the global market and with rising exploration costs, the market may convince many oil & gas and coal firms to restrain anyway. With fracking and a large natural gas supply, coal and oil may yet be too expensive to invest in even with reduced regulations. But it appears that’s the direction of the new administration.

While this is happening on the federal level, it is certainly conceivable that states or groups of states will re-double their efforts to enforce meaningful environmental rules. However, with weak federal rules, one state’s lax rules could attract new businesses in place of a state with stricter rules to protect its public’s health.

And finally, there is the market. Many people were shocked by Trump’s electoral victory, but the sun still came out the next day, and with it solar and other renewable energy. While Trump has been critical of its implementation, the market has certainly favored this and being more energy efficient, as renewable power and energy efficiency programs have grown tremendously in the last few years. Renewable power is generally cheaper, growing in reliability, and reduced in cost compared to many fossil fuel applications. While dis-incentivizing these programs may set them back, positive results in the market should still attract business.

CCES can help you evaluate your company’s energy use and environmental impacts and can perform the technical aspects to determine compliance with current rules and develop opportunities to reduce your energy usage and diversifying sources, saving you money and decreasing business risk. Contact us today at 914-584-6720 or at karell@CCESworld.com.

The Future Of Energy And Environment Policies Under The Next Administration

October 17, 2016

While most of the analysts predict a Clinton victory and Democratic administration, here are some thoughts about what a Trump administration might look like when it comes to energy/environmental policy and what may change in a Clinton Administration. As I have written in other blog articles, nothing here represents writing in favor or against a candidate or policies, but instead addresses future issues facing the energy/environmental professional.

Should There Be a Trump Administration.

Energy: Donald Trump has been severely critical of current energy and environmental policy and has stated he will reverse many of President Obama’s initiatives. During a May 26 speech, Trump reflected a desire to achieve US energy independence by reducing federal regulations on the energy industry, increase investments in fossil fuel development and infrastructure to bring it to market (such as supporting the Keystone Pipeline), and reduce federal investment in renewable energy, as he has criticized both solar and wind power. Trump also supports increased use of nuclear power.

Environment: Trump has stated he would rescind a number of President Obama’s cornerstone environmental and energy achievements, such as the Clean Power Plan. Trump has also specifically pointed to the Clean Water Act as another regulation he would greatly weaken if he were elected. Reversing or weakening these and other EPA rules would require EPA rulemaking, requiring a public notice process. A Trump Justice Department could just not defend these and other environmental rules as they are challenged in court by industry. Neither approach would ensure success, as environmental and other groups would surely marshal forces in defense of the rules. Furthermore, courts could rule that these regulations are valid, legal, and necessary.

Climate Change: Trump has stated on the campaign trail that climate change has not been proven. In a recent speech, he was more neutral about the topic, but has expressed the feeling that this is not a high priority. He has expressed his intention to withdraw the US from the recent Paris Climate Agreement. With the Paris Agreement officially ratified, it would be difficult to withdraw, although Trump could likely do as little as possible to implement the Agreement, which has flexible objectives and no enforcement mechanism.

Should There Be a Clinton Administration.

Energy: To enable energy independence, Hillary Clinton has outlined a wide ranging list of investments by the federal government, such as clean energy, upgrading energy infrastructure, promoting responsible domestic drilling for oil and natural gas, and building on many of the core energy and environmental programs of the Obama Administration, such as the Clean Power Plan and Paris Climate Agreement. Clinton has spoken out in favor of natural gas development, citing it as a bridge fuel in the transition away from coal, including supports for fracking, although she has stated that deference should be given to localities who wish to ban it in their communities. Despite the “all of the above” approach in energy development, Clinton has stated policies that would discourage coal as an energy source, unless acceptable environmental levels are met. Clinton issued an infrastructure plan, prioritizing the development and repair of large-scale energy infrastructure across the country. Clinton would likely seek to continue the current Administration’s strong support for renewable energy development, call the US a future clean energy “superpower.” Clinton’s specific plan increases the percentage of renewable generation to 25% of total national energy mix by 2025.

Environment: Clinton supports the Clean Power Plan and wants to expand it in other industries in order to implement “smart” pollution and efficiency standards. Clinton has given no specifics, but states she supports additional policies to reduce US greenhouse gas emissions.

Climate Change: A Clinton Administration has committed to continue to abide by the Paris Climate Agreement. The Democratic Party platform stated: “Democrats believe that carbon dioxide, methane, and other greenhouse gases should be priced to reflect their negative externalities, and to accelerate the transition to a clean energy economy.”

Control of Congress.

Remember that while the President wields considerable power through the EPA and DOE, control of Congress is certainly important, too, in “setting the tone”, promulgating new rules and funding existing agencies. Republican control of the Senate and perhaps the House is in play in the upcoming election. A Democratic control could dramatically change the policies of several related committees in the Senate and House.

Senator Lisa Murkowski, the current chair of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, has been a strong advocate of the “all of the above” approach to energy. She supports energy exploration on federal land, such as in her home state of Alaska. Senator Maria Cantwell is the ranking Democrat on this committee and would likely chair it if the Democrats take control of the Senate. She has billed herself as a champion of “smarter” energy policies to diversify energy sources and lower costs for consumers. Senator James Inhofe, the current chair of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, is a noted climate change skeptic and strongly supports scaling back environmental regulations and promoting greater domestic energy production. If the Senate flips to Democratic control, Senator Tom Carper is expected to chair this committee.

CCES can help you evaluate your company’s energy use and environmental impacts and can perform the technical aspects to determine compliance with current rules and develop opportunities to reduce your energy usage and diversifying sources, saving you money and decreasing business risk. Contact us today at 914-584-6720 or at karell@CCESworld.com.

Applying Green Building To Manufacturing Plants

July 2016

The “green” building movement as thought of by LEED standards has progressed well as applied to residences and commercial buildings, such as office buildings. But what about manufacturing? When we think of “factories”, we imagine large “clunky” buildings built for the necessities of 100 or more years ago, when energy and water were cheap and room was needed (and available) for assembly lines. With the decline in manufacturing in the U.S. over the last few decades, few have thought it worthwhile to invest in green features in old manufacturing buildings.

However, the U.S. Green Building Council recently released a short report “LEED in Motion: Industrial Facilities,” there are more than 1,775 LEED-certified industrial facilities, covering nearly 500 million square feet of space, with high future growth likely.

Many former industrial hubs have seen an increase in available, empty industrial buildings that are primed to be refurbished or repurposed. Meeting LEED certification standards by demonstrating excellent energy, water, resources, waste, etc. performance makes such efforts worthwhile. Pittsburgh is considered the leader in this effort, as its municipal government has encouraged repurposing and refurbishing its large stock of former factories through LEED.

Why is the “greening” of factories necessary and beneficial? First of all, the economics of operating a manufacturing plant has changed compared to decades ago. Energy, water, waste management were easily available and cheap; not so anymore. Space is more of a premium, too. Factories have to be more efficient in resource management to meet the new realities of the market. In addition, US industry is competing in global markets where labor costs, which are often much greater then resource costs, are cheaper. As “LEED in Motion: Industrial Facilities” states, U.S. manufacturing buildings must be more efficient when it comes to not only energy, water, and waste, but also labor productivity. LEED buildings of all types result in high-performing buildings where the health of the labor force is enhanced.

The first packaged-goods manufacturer to achieve a LEED Platinum rating is Method Product’s cleaning products factory in Chicago. Method heavily invested in renewable energy and the world’s largest rooftop farm, expected to produce 500 tons of food annually. Method estimated that the plant cost them about $30 million, about 33% higher had it aimed for a lower LEED rating, but that they would make the extra money back quickly in increased productivity, reduced costs, and reduced transportation costs.

CCES can assess your current or prospective industrial facilities and determine whether they are candidates for upgrades to become more “green” and to estimate the necessary investment, payback, and profit of different green strategies. We can assist whether you wish to do a complete green upgrade or want to address one issue at a time. Contact us today at 914-584-6720 or at karell@CCESworld.com.

3 Ways To Get Building Owners To Say Yes To Energy Upgrades

March 2016

The CCES blog has returned. It was nice to take a break, but great to be back!!

A lot has been written about getting building owners and managers to invest in smart energy upgrades. We in the profession know they are beneficial in many ways. But how do you get somebody who may be scared by the technical aspects of upgrades to not stick with the status quo, even when presented with positive reasons? A recent article summarizes 3 barriers to overcome to get most such people to agree to move forward: http://www.slate.com/articles/business/the_juice/2016/03/ge_sells_1_4_million_leds_to_jpmorgan_it_s_the_most_important_light_bulb.html.

The three barriers are:

1. Does the technology work? Not only does it save significant energy, but does it do so without sacrificing any of the features of the technology it replaces or causes the user to sacrifice its lifestyle or workstyle to enable it to be used?

2. The finances. Is the simple payback reasonable and/or is the rate of return outstanding? As for the latter, we are looking at the energy cost savings plus other indirect benefits (reduced O&M, increased asset value, improved worker productivity) vs. the length of time the technology is used for.

3. See the project through and ensure that the technology works as designed. If the buyer just receives the technology and has to install something so new and different, it will get scared off.

If these concerns are suitably addressed for a given technology, whether it be solar PV or LED lights or anything else, then there is a good chance that even an unknowledgeable potential buyer will go forward.

CCES is an energy consulting firm helping buildings, companies, and municipalities to determine the best strategies and technologies to reduce their energy usage and demand, to reap maximum financial benefits from the upgrades, and to ensure that any chosen strategy is incorporated in the best way for your operations. Contact us today at 914-584-6720 or at karell@CCESworld.com.

Energy Trends That Will Continue in the Foreseeable Future

2015 will pass by soon. While we live our day-to-day lives and careers, it is easy to miss trends that establish themselves in a small number of or even in a single year. Yet, this is happening with energy. Some new “realities” are coming into the marketplace, likely unstoppable by those who prefer the status quo or by industries who resist change. It is likely that next month’s Paris Climate Summit will drive the establishment of these changes, as both developed and developing nations are starting to unify on the need to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and encourage more renewable energy.

What a difference in public opinion and the market that has occurred since previous recent climate summits. These influences will likely stay with us in the future.

Global and US use of renewable energy has and will rise significantly.

In just the last few years, solar panel prices have fallen over 80% and, therefore, the overall cost of the energy from solar per kwh has dropped by over half. The market has taken notice, and there have been major private investments in solar, wind, and other renewable sources in the last few years, an over 6-fold increase. Not just on homes, but whole solar and wind power plants. In 2009, the International Energy Agency predicted that solar would produce about 20 gigawatts of power worldwide by 2015. Solar now produces nearly 10 times that amount! Who would have thought that nearly half of the new electricity installed in the US in 2014 would be solar? And look at the massive wind farms being constructed in Texas. In Texas!

Power companies, besides helping states meet renewable power commitments, are also learning that the upfront costs of building solar and wind farms are lower than a new fossil fuel plant, and the source of energy is and should remain free. Companies, such as Apple, are even building their own renewable-powered power plants.

Energy storage will be the ultimate game changer.

Of course, solar and wind have one major drawback, their variability. The sun does not shine at night, when most residential users have their greatest demand for electricity; wind varies from hour to hour and may also be out of synch with demand. What can be done with the excess power a farm may generate while the energy source is plentiful to supply electricity for the times it is not, while demand is high?

The answer is energy storage. Hundreds of millions of dollars are currently being invested in energy storage R&D on a large scale by major firms like GE, Tesla, Lockheed Martin, and others. Energy storage is currently available on a small scale, and it is inevitable that breakthroughs will be achieved on a grander scale allowing solar and wind farms to independently deliver electricity to meet all variable demands throughout a year. Given the cost of renewable energy is now comparable or cheaper than for fossil fuel-powered energy, this would be the breakthrough renewables need to operate competitively without additional fossil fuel-fired plants to balance load and at a lower cost than a fossil fuel only-powered plant.

New energy regulations are coming in the US – and many see additional benefits.

The USEPA recently published the final version of its Clean Power Plan containing GHG emission limits for US power plants that are estimated to cut GHG emissions by over 30% by 2030. This rule will further encourage greater renewable power and conversion to less polluting fossil fuels. Therefore, there will be significant reductions in emissions of other air pollutants, many of them known to be toxic. Public health studies show that this will greatly significantly reduce the incidents of asthma attacks and lung and other cancers, resulting in great economic benefits (people living longer and being more productive and saving governments money in Medicaid and Medicare payments).

While there are interests and certain states fighting the new rule in court, most states and companies appear to be accepting the new rule as here to stay. In fact, many prefer this to the uncertainty of an unregulated world. Governments and business like certainty for planning and financing reasons. States that are embracing renewable energy are benefiting, such as California and Texas. California has a tradition of forward-thinking climate change-based legislation. They will easily manage this and other new rules. And Texans have benefited tremendously from their large amounts of undeveloped land and its high incidence of sun and wind.

The USEPA has also proposed new rules specifically for methane emissions. Methane, the combustible portion of natural gas, is 21 times more potent as a GHG than carbon dioxide. While natural gas is thought of as the “bridge” to renewable power, a fuel source that emits less GHGs when combusted compared to coal or oil, it is recognized that natural gas infrastructure (its mining and capturing and transport thousands of miles) results in leaks of methane into the atmosphere during these stages. And the disproportional climate change effects of methane may make up for the gains of lower carbon dioxide emissions of switching from coal or oil. The USEPA is committed to getting more serious about controls to reduce methane leakage and drive up efficiency.

Major US corporations are coming on board for Climate action.

As discussed in a recent blog (http://www.ccesworld.com/blog/giant-firms-demand-strong-carbon-deal/), a dozen of the largest companies in the world, including some thought to be totally against climate change action, came out publicly in favor of a comprehensive climate change deal in Paris, so that they can smartly plan for the long-term future. In addition, a number of Fortune 100 US firms have issued statements in favor of climate change action. With these gigantic firms in favor of meaningful climate change action, it is likely that their money and weight will influence government and public opinion, too, despite what some current US presidential candidates are saying.

These signs of improved technology, acceptance by the public, favorability of the market, and acceptance of powerful corporate interests demonstrate that Climate action is now her to stay, with tangible benefits for people and businesses in the future. The Paris Climate Summit is likely to be the crown for 2015 as the year that climate change became mainstream and becomes a portent of great changes in energy in our future.

CCES can help your firm prepare for the upcoming climate change realities and obtain the greatest benefits from smart planning as far as energy and sustainability go. We can develop climate change and sustainability plans for you and help you minimize use of energy, water, and other resources. Contact us today at 914-584-6720 or at karell@CCESworld.com.