Market and Behavioral Barriers to Energy Efficiency: A Preliminary Evaluation of the Case for Tariff Financing in California

Consumers regularly forgo purchases of high efficiency appliances that appear to be cost effective at a reasonable rate of return. While some argue that this is a true revelation of preferences for appliance features, this “efficiency gap” can be largely explained by a combination of market and behavioral failures that reduce consumers’ ability to evaluate the relative value of appliances and skew preferences toward initial cost savings, undervaluing future reductions in operating costs. These failures and barriers include externalities of energy use, imperfect competition between manufacturers, asymmetric information, bounded rationality, split incentives, and transaction costs (Golove 1996).

Recognizing the social …

Making Industry Part of the Climate Solution: Policy Options to Promote Energy Efficiency

Improving the energy efficiency of industry is essential for maintaining the viability of domestic manufacturing, especially in a world economy where production is shifting to low-cost, less regulated developing countries. Numerous studies have shown the potential for significant cost-effective energy-savings in U.S. industries, but the realization of this potential is hindered by regulatory, information, workforce, and financial obstacles. This report evaluates seven federal policy options aimed at improving the energy efficiency of industry, grounded in an understanding of industrial decision-making and the barriers to efficiency improvements. Detailed analysis employs the Georgia Institute of Technology‟s version of the National Energy Modeling …

Transforming Industrial Energy Efficiency

Meeting the energy needs of future generations without overheating the planet is one of the most vexing challenges of our time. In an increasingly resource-constrained world, improving the energy efficiency of industry must be part of the climate solution. In addition to environmental, security, and competitiveness benefits, improving industrial energy efficiency will deliver a return on investment that contributes to the profitability of enterprises and strengthens the nation’s employment base.…

Inventory of U.S.-led International Activities on Building Energy Efficiency

Several U.S. Government agencies promote energy efficiency in buildings internationally. The types and scope of activities vary by agency. Those with the largest role include the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the U.S. Department of State and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Both USAID and the Department of State have a substantial presence overseas, which may present some complementarities with the Department of Energy’s efforts to reach out to other countries. Generally speaking, USAID focuses on capacity building and policy issues; the Department of State focuses on broad diplomatic efforts and some targeted grants in support of these efforts, …

Energy Future: Think Efficiency

Making major gains in energy efficiency is one of the most economical and effective ways our nation can wean itself off its dependence on foreign oil and reduce its emissions of greenhouse gases.  Transportation and buildings, which account for two thirds of American energy usage, consume far more than they need to, but even though there are many affordable energy efficient technologies that can save consumers money, market imperfections inhibit their adoption. To overcome the barriers, the federal government must adopt policies that will transform the investments into economic and societal benefit.  And the federal government must invest in research …

Worldwide Trends in Energy Use and Efficiency

Abating Air Pollutions at Negative Cost Via Energy Efficiency

A single 18-watt compact fluorescent lamp, producing the same light as a 75-watt incandescent lamp for about 13 times as long, will over its 10,000-hour nominal lifetime avoid the emission from a typical U.S. coal-fired power plant of about one tonne of CO2 and eight kilograms of SO2, plus NOx, heavy metals, and other pollutants. If the fluorescent lamp is displacing nuclear power instead, it will typically avoid producing one-half a curie of strontium-90 and cesium-137, plus approximately 25 milligrams of plutonium equivalent in explosive power to 385 kilograms of TNT.

All these calculations include distributed losses and net space-conditioning …

Robust H-Infinity Control of a Two-Phase Interleaved Boost Converter for Second-Life Battery Integration in Battery Energy Storage Systems

Integrating second-life batteries (SLBs) into energy storage systems (ESSs) offers a sustainable and cost-effective solution for extending battery utility. However, the inherent uncertainties and performance variations of these aged batteries present significant challenges in maintaining system stability and efficiency. Hence, this work introduces a robust control strategy employing an H-infinity H∞ controller to regulate a two-phase interleaved boost (IBC) converter interfacing SLBs. The IBC topology effectively steps up the output voltage of SLBs while reducing current ripple and enhancing overall system performance. Also, the developed H∞ control, combined with the IBC, ensures resilience against system uncertainties and load variations, which …

Renewable Energy Consumption Optimization Allocation Strategy for a Regional Microgrid Based on a Shared Energy Storage Mechanism

With the continuous maturation of the sharing economy model, the shared energy storage station service model emerges as a promising user-side energy storage application. This article proposes a bilayer optimal configuration method for regional microgrid systems, leveraging shared energy storage station services. First, this article introduces and analyzes the new model’s operation mechanism and profit model (the financial framework that outlines how the shared energy storage station service generates revenue and manages costs to achieve profitability), emphasizing its role in energy sharing governance to enhance economic and operational efficiency within the microgrid system. Second, this service model was applied to …

Advanced Dynamic Programming for Optimal Microgrid Energy Management Under RER Intermittency

This article explores energy planning and management in microgrids using Advanced Dynamic Programming (ADP) to address uncertainties in solar and wind power generation. Probability Distribution Functions (PDFs) are employed to accurately estimate the fluctuations of renewable resources, ensuring a stable and efficient energy management strategy. The proposed approach focuses on optimizing the logistical management of batteries and distributed generation, enhancing microgrid efficiency in power integration while maintaining economic feasibility. MATLAB-based simulations validate the effectiveness of this method, demonstrating key benefits such as reduced curtailment of renewable generation and improved system reliability. A major advantage of ADP is its rapid implementation, …