Search Results for u-s-energy-policy
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Expert Insight

Developing Water/Energy Policies for the Smart City of the Future

Author(s): Bobbi Harris
Founder and CEO
SMART WATER, SMART CITY LLC
Date: April 21, 2015 at 7:00 AM

Around the country, a new conversation is emerging among municipal leaders and utility executives as they explore the energy/water nexus. While Senator Murkowski started the discussion at the federal level in 2014, local leaders are just beginning to question the impact of the energy/water nexus. The water/energy nexus deals with the need for water to produce energy, and for energy to treat and distribute clean water. Water infrastructure is an essential public service in any city and is intrinsically linked to energy. Smart technologies and smart strategies for water and energy utilities are needed to address conservation challenges and form… [more]

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Expert Insight

EPA’s Clean Power Plan: Will it Work and Will it Be Upheld?

Author(s): Carol Werner
Executive Director
Environmental and Energy Study Institute
Date: April 7, 2015 at 7:00 AM

According to the EPA, its proposed Clean Power Plan (CPP) would lead to a 30 percent cut in carbon emissions from the power sector by 2030, compared to 2005 levels. The CPP sets a customized goal for each state, which takes into account its existing policies and the unique structure of its energy system. The current draft regulation gives states interim goals for 2020-29, and a final target for 2030. The EPA proposal offers a great deal of flexibility for states to choose how best to achieve these emissions reduction goals. The CPP suggests four “building blocks” that states can… [more]

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Expert Insight

Climate Engineering: Solution or Problem?

Author(s): Simon Nicholson
Assistant Professor
American University
Date: March 18, 2015 at 9:00 AM

On February 10, the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) released two major new reports on climate engineering (or “geoengineering”). The reports set out to summarize the scientific basis for what the authors chose to call “climate intervention,” identify governance and ethical challenges, and chart a new research agenda. While the authors were careful to state that climate intervention is no substitute for reduction in carbon dioxide emissions, the reports indicate support for further investigation into large-scale technological responses. The paired studies assess two specific groups of strategies: (1) carbon dioxide removal and (2) reflecting sunlight, or albedo modification. While the… [more]

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