Putting renewables and energy efficiency to work: How many jobs can the clean energy industry generate in the US?

An analytical job creation model for the US power sector from 2009 to 2030 is presented. The model synthesizes data from 15 job studies covering renewable energy (RE), energy efficiency (EE), carbon capture and storage (CCS) and nuclear power. The paper employs a consistent methodology of normalizing job data to average employment per unit energy produced over plant lifetime. Job losses in the coal and natural gas industry are modeled to project net employment impacts. Benefits and drawbacks of the methodology are assessed and the resulting model is used for job projections under various renewable portfolio standards (RPS), EE, and …

Guide to energy efficiency and renewable energy financing districts for local governments

Improving energy efficiency in buildings is central to combating climate change, with more than a third of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions coming from the building sector. Over the past year, there has been a much stronger push from the federal level to fund energy efficiency programs as part of a national agenda to foster a clean energy economy that generates sustainable high-quality jobs and reduces our dependence on imported fossil fuels. Vital to this process is to develop innovative financing solutions that reach broadly across energy efficiency and low-carbon energy options.
Energy Financing Districts (a.k.a Property-Assessed Clean Energy (PACE), Sustainable …

Towards a low carbon economy: Municipal financing for energy efficiency and solar power

Clean energy municipal financing mechanisms like the City of Berkeley’s program Berkeley FIRST (Financing Initiative for Renewable and Solar Technology) have the potential to help catalyze the transition to a more sustainable use of energy and also deliver benefits beyond emissions reductions, including a new source of job growth, reduced strain on the electric power system, and more comfortable and well-maintained buildings. How do these initiatives work, and what might the financial impact be on participants at the state and national levels? How do the benefits of clean energy municipal financing compare to other available financing options like mortgages and …

Energy Efficiency in the Power Grid

The U.S. Department of Energy estimates that increasing energy efficiency could reduce national energy use by 10% or more in 2010, and as much as 20% in 2020, with net economic benefits for consumers and businesses as a result.

This paper will focus primarily on the electric power system, where most end-use applications outside of transportation and heating get their energy.  We will first present a broadly inclusive definition of efficiency and then explore a variety of ways the grid can be made more efficient.…

Energy Efficiency Policy

Energy efficiency issues include research and development (R&D) priorities, funding for climate-related efficiency programs, implementation of equipment efficiency standards, regulation of vehicle fuel efficiency, and electricity industry ratemaking for energy efficiency profitability.  The Bush Administration has proposed an Advanced Energy Initiative (AEI) to accelerate hydrogen programs.  For the Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) energy efficiency R&D programs, the Administration seeks $484.7 million, with increases for Hydrogen and Hybrid/Electric Propulsion.  The request would cut $74.8 million from the Weatherization Program and eliminate controversial funding earmarks.  The House-passed version of the FY2007 Energy and Water Appropriations Bill (H.R. 5427) would fund AEI and …

Letter Report for the Committee on Prospective Benefits of DOE’s Energy Efficiency and Fossil Energy R&D Programs

From the time the Department of Energy was formed in 1977, successive administrations in Washington, D.C., have looked to technological innovation as a critical tool for ensuring that the nation has a reliable supply of affordable, clean energy. Recognizing the importance of technological innovation, DOE, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), and congressional committees have given increasing attention to understanding the effectiveness of federal funding for applied energy research and development (R&D).2 Evaluating government investment in applied energy R&D programs requires assessing their costs and benefits. Doing so is not a trivial matter. First, the analysis of costs and …

Expanding Our Vision of Energy Efficiency

Deploying renewable energy and improving energy efficiency are the two primary levers for climate action between now and 2030. Agreements among nations at COP28 put these two in parallel, with the twin goals of tripling renewables and doubling the rate of efficiency improvement between now and 2030.

With renewable growth exceeding expectations, the authors turn to the question: what about energy efficiency? The global agreement at COP28 calls for energy efficiency improvement rates to reach 4 percent every year until 2030. Yet when looking at global performance so far, the highest recent improvement rate is 2 percent in 2022, dipping …

The Incredible Inefficiency of the Fossil Energy System

Today’s fossil energy system is incredibly inefficient: almost two-thirds of all primary energy is wasted in energy production, transportation, and use, before fossil fuel has done any work or produced any benefit. That means over $4.6 trillion per year, almost 5% of global GDP and 40% of what we spend on energy, goes up in smoke due to fossil inefficiency.

The winds are changing, though, as fossil technologies are undercut by more efficient alternatives. End-use efficiency is driving out fossil fuels, reinforced by three new tailwinds that upend the energy landscape: renewable electricity, localization, and electrification. These drivers will allow …

A Review of Examples and Opportunities to Quantify the Grid Reliability and Resilience Impacts of Energy Efficiency

Grid reliability and resilience are foundational to meeting electricity needs and have significant economic and societal impacts. Energy efficiency can help meet grid reliability objectives and improve resilience, but metrics and methods used today may not fully recognize these benefits. This paper explains how existing planning processes for bulk power and distribution systems capture the impact of energy efficiency on power system reliability and resilience, with illustrative examples. We identify limitations in using existing reliability and resilience metrics to quantify efficiency and other distributed energy resource (DER) benefits. The paper concludes with opportunities for regulators and utilities to enhance planning …

The Potential Impact of Climate Change on the Efficiency and Reliability of Solar, Hydro, and Wind Energy Sources

Climate change impacts the electric power system by affecting both the load and generation. It is paramount to understand this impact in the context of renewable energy as their market share has increased and will continue to grow. This study investigates the impact of climate change on the supply of renewable energy through applying novel metrics of intermittency, power production and storage required by the renewable energy plants as a function of historical climate data variability. Here we focus on and compare two disparate locations, Palma de Mallorca in the Balearic Islands and Cordova, Alaska. The main results of this …