The OurEnergyLibrary aggregates and indexes publicly available fact sheets, journal articles, reports, studies, and other publications on U.S. energy topics. It is updated every week to include the most recent energy resources from academia, government, industry, non-profits, think tanks, and trade associations. Suggest a resource by emailing us at info@ourenergypolicy.org.
Resource Library
281 to 290 of 343 item(s) were returned.
This report highlights best practices to make steam heating systems in NYC’s multifamily stock significantly more energy efficient, thus reducing this important building sector’s oil and gas usage. The bottom line is that no single measure can maximize a steam system’s efficiency – a comprehensive approach must be taken. And the gains are significant. If we appropriately repair and upgrade steam heating systems in larger multifamily buildings, owners could save $147 million annually inheating and maintenance bills. In addition, 312,000 tons of carbon emissions could be avoided.
A DINOSAUR IN THE BASEMENT. Our steam heating systems were designed for that …
View Full ResourceAbout 40% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions originate from energy use in industry, transport, and buildings, and another 25% from power generation (IPCC 2014). A highly efficient use of energy is thus fundamental to limit GHG emissions. Yet, energy efficiency receives much less attention than the decarbonization of the energy supply. A recent report by the International Energy Agency states that global energy efficiency (EE) investments since 1990 have avoided more than 870 MtCO2e (megatons of CO2-equivalent emissions) in 2014, while reducing fuel costs by 550 billion US Dollar (IEA 2015). For this reason, the IEA calls EE the …
View Full ResourceThis document serves as a resource to companies, policymakers, and other stakeholders to advance direct use of natural gas in homes and businesses as an emissions reductions tool.
Encouraging the increased use of natural gas by replacing electric or oil appliances with natural gas models can achieve significant carbon emissions reductions and should be considered among the suite of greenhouse gas emissions reduction tools.
The opportunities for emissions reductions in buildings through the direct use of natural gas is well established in technical literature but often goes unrecognized by decision makers. This case rests on two facts. First, natural gas …
View Full ResourceThe United States is in the midst of an energy revolution. Over the last decade, the United States has slashed net petroleum imports, dramatically increased shale gas production, scaled up wind and solar power, and cut the growth in electricity consumption to nearly zero through widespread efficiency measures. Emerging advanced energy technologies provide a rich set of options to address our energy challenges, but their largescale deployment requires continued improvements in cost and performance. Technology is helping to drive this revolution, enabled by years to decades of research and development (R&D) that underpin these advances in the energy system.
The …
View Full ResourceThe U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) presents the Green Building Economic Impact Study, prepared by Booz Allen Hamilton (Booz Allen). The study explores the multifaceted economic contribution of green construction to the U.S. market. Building from the 2009 Green Jobs Study1 that Booz Allen compiled for USGBC, we have refined the methodology and data to account for the evolving market environment. In this study we have quantified the economic value creation from green construction and Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) building construction in gross domestic product (GDP), jobs, labor earnings, individual states’ tax contributions, and environmental indicators at …
View Full ResourceA joint working paper from the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) and the Copenhagen Centre on Energy Efficiency (C2E2) illuminates crucial synergies that can help to ensure a sustainable global energy future.
The interplay between energy efficiency improvements and the deployment of renewable energy technologies is complex. If the respective potentials in these two fields are combined, total global energy demand can be reduced by up to a quarter by 2030, IRENA and C2E2 find. Energy efficiency measures would account for half to three-quarters of the total energy savings, with renewables delivering the rest.
Demand reduction through renewables depends on …
View Full ResourceThe grid storage market has been developing more slowly than many expected over the past several years. However, rapidly decreasing prices for lithium ion (Li-ion) batteries have opened new markets and revenue-generating opportunities for stationary storage systems. At the same time, advances in storage system software and controls are turning storage systems into highly flexible resources capable of providing a variety of services to system owners and grid operators. In these evolving markets, Li-ion is emerging as the go-to technology for many system developers due to an attractive combination of energy density, efficiency, warranties, and price points.
The landscape of …
View Full ResourceTwo years after President Obama announced his Climate Action Plan, the administration has made marked progress toward achieving its goals. The plan, announced June 25, 2013, outlines 75 goals in three areas: cutting carbon pollution in the United States, preparing the United States for the impacts of climate change, and leading international efforts to address climate change. To date, there has been at least initial government action related to every item in the plan.
Notable areas of progress include steps to limit carbon pollution from power plants; new energy efficiency standards; actions to reduce methane and hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) emissions; the …
View Full ResourceThis report provides a high-level overview of the current U.S. shared solar landscape and the impact that a given shared solar program’s structure has on requiring federal securities oversight, as well as an estimate of market potential for U.S. shared solar deployment. Shared solar models allocate the electricity of a jointly owned or leased system to offset individual consumers’ electricity bills, allowing multiple energy consumers to share the benefits of a single solar array.1 Despite tremendous growth in the U.S. solar market over the last decade, existing business models and regulatory environments have not been designed to provide access to …
View Full ResourceIn our second annual survey of U.S. homeowner purchasing trends and attitudes, we find that clean-energy products and services – including solar PV, utility-scale renewables, hybrid electric vehicles, and green buildings – continue to experience double-digit compound annual growth rates (CAGRs). Sustained double-digit growth rates for more than a decade reflect the long-term nature of this current shift to more efficient, cleaner, and environmentally friendly products and services. But don’t be mistaken; as our research clearly points out, it is cost savings, much more than environmental factors, that are driving this monumental shift. Our annual survey of U.S. homeowners provides …
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