Load Management, Efficiency & Demand Response


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    Permission granted by PJM Interconnection
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    FERC approves PJM plan to omit energy efficiency resources from capacity auctions

    PJM Interconnection’s current load forecasting methodology “reasonably accounts for energy efficiency measures on the demand side,” the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission said Tuesday.

    By Nov. 8, 2024
  • Puget Sound Energy's Encogen Generating Station located next to the Bellingham District Energy Utility
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    Retrieved from Corix on October 30, 2024
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    Corix district energy system launches in Bellingham, Washington, waterfront neighborhood

    The system, which captures waste heat for districtwide heating and cooling, is expected to help the district meet Washington state energy code requirements, the Port of Bellingham says. 

    By Nish Amarnath • Nov. 6, 2024
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    Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images via Getty Images
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    2024 Elections

    Trump win is ‘setback’ for climate protection, but clean energy advocates say progress will continue

    Trump’s victory means a Republican will be selected to lead FERC, which will likely work to reign in transmission incentives, said Tyson Slocum, director of Public Citizen's Energy Program.

    By Nov. 6, 2024
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    Sean Pavone
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    Massachusetts utilities file $5B efficiency plan with focus on ‘thoughtful electrification’

    The 2025-2027 Mass Save proposal includes about $1 billion more in efficiency investments than the current three-year plan, with a focus on decarbonizing residential buildings.

    By Nov. 4, 2024
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    istockphoto.com/danchooalex

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    Sponsored by Huron

    How utilities can navigate the energy transition with near-term and long-term actions

    Utilities professionals – take these steps to progress toward sustainability while managing rate increases. 

    By Ned Calder, Simar Grewal and Anna Veatch • Nov. 4, 2024
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    Permission granted by Schneider Electric
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    Schneider Electric’s North America growth drives Q3 revenue, led by energy management

    The company’s North America revenue organically grew 15.1% year over year, to about $3.8 billion, on the back of organic 18.3% year-over-year growth in energy management, it says.

    By Nish Amarnath • Updated Nov. 6, 2024
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    milehightraveler via Getty Images
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    Grid-interactive efficient building systems need robust cybersecurity measures, DOE says

    Federal facilities managers must assess the potential risks of GEB systems and understand how they can affect the physical and data security of overarching systems where they are deployed, the Department of Energy says. 

    By Brian Martucci • Oct. 30, 2024
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    Andrey Semenov via Getty Images
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    EPRI launches data center flexibility initiative with utilities, Google, Meta, NVIDIA

    The DCFlex project will establish up to 10 “flexibility hubs” to demonstrate innovative data center and power supplier strategies, the Electric Power Research Institute said.

    By Oct. 30, 2024
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    TW Farlow via Getty Images
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    DOE school program helps districts decarbonize, identify best practices

    Benchmarking and retrofit implementation are among the categories in which school districts can apply for recognition as part of the Efficient and Healthy Schools program, the Energy Department says.

    By Joe Burns • Oct. 29, 2024
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    eyecrave productions via Getty Images
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    What does it take to electrify, decarbonize a manufactured home community?

    A community-scale retrofit project in Colorado offers a path toward lowering power bills for a population that faces high levels of energy insecurity.

    By Leslie Nemo • Oct. 25, 2024
  • A facade of HouseZero retrofitted from a pre-1940s house into a prototype office building.
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    Retrieved from Harvard Center for Green Buildings and Cities on October 22, 2024
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    Building retrofit data sheds light on energy efficiency: Harvard study

    A two-year dataset on a residential-to-office building retrofit shows how low-energy and passive building systems can boost performance and sustainability in future projects, according to a paper published in Scientific Data.

    By Nish Amarnath • Oct. 23, 2024
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    Daniel Meglas via Getty Images
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    AI, data center load could drive ‘extraordinary’ rise in US electricity bills: Bain analyst

    Utility revenue requirements to serve growing data center electricity demand could increase customer bills by 1% annually through 2032, according to Bain & Company.

    By Oct. 23, 2024
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    Mario Tama via Getty Images
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    Nissan joins ChargeScape EV charging joint venture

    The company, along with BMW, Ford and Honda, will deploy electric vehicle charging software aiming to simplify charging and return power to the grid.

    By Kalena Thomhave • Oct. 22, 2024
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    halbergman via Getty Images
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    Opinion

    Can America keep up with AI’s energy appetite in the race with China?

    Even with companies like Amazon, Google, Meta and Microsoft making big moves on clean energy, without an improved permitting process, their data centers might struggle to get the power they need to go online.

    By Divyansh Kaushik • Oct. 21, 2024
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    LPETTET via Getty Images
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    California enrolls 515 MW in load management program featuring 200 MW VPP

    More than a quarter of a million participants are helping to ensure a reliable electric grid during extreme demand, the California Energy Commission said.

    By Oct. 16, 2024
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    Permission granted by Black & Veatch
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    Sponsored by Black & Veatch

    Are utilities ready for data centers’ big AI energy?

    Amidst challenges of renewable integration and aging infrastructure, Black & Veatch’s new report signals data center power demands may test utilities’ capacity planning.

    By Phil Fischer, Black & Veatch, Data Center Client Executive • Oct. 14, 2024
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    Fahroni via Getty Images
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    ‘Split incentive gap’ impedes building decarbonization, SMI says, as it suggests solutions

    Emission reduction targets, legislative measures and green leases can resolve the misalignment between landlords and tenants in decarbonization efforts, the Sustainable Markets Initiative says.

    By Nish Amarnath • Oct. 11, 2024
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    Romaset via Getty Images
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    DOE allocates $43M+ to advance industrial decarbonization technologies

    The projects selected for the funding are expected to have implications for operators of industrial and commercial buildings, a U.S. Department of Energy official says.

    By Nish Amarnath • Oct. 11, 2024
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    Sergey Sidorov via Getty Images
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    Demand flexibility programs ‘need to evolve’ as utilities shift to winter peaking: LBNL report

    Today, most utilities in the U.S. operate summer-peaking electricity systems, but that could change as building electrification shifts consumption patterns.

    By Oct. 9, 2024
  • A female engineer squats down to inspect and control the cooling system of a large factory air conditioner
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    Panupong Piewkleng via Getty Images
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    Skills gap looms for energy efficiency jobs tied to net-zero emission goals: IEA

    Retrofitting buildings could create 1.3 million jobs by 2030 in areas such as HVAC installation and insulation, but labor shortages persist, according to the agency’s scenario for reaching net-zero emissions by 2050.

    By Nish Amarnath • Oct. 7, 2024
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    mesh cube via Getty Images
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    For data center cooling project, Advanced Cooling Technologies gets $1.1M DOE grant

    ACT is a subcontractor on two COOLERCHIPS program projects aimed at cutting total cooling energy expenditure to less than 5% of a data center’s IT load.

    By Joe Burns • Oct. 7, 2024
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    Alex Potemkin via Getty Images
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    Affordable multifamily housing owners would get decarbonization help in NYC proposal

    Building owners purchasing “offset certificates” to help meet Local Law 97’s greenhouse gas emissions-reduction requirements would pay into the fund.

    By Ysabelle Kempe • Oct. 2, 2024
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    Just_Super via Getty Images
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    AI will help, not hinder, grid decarbonization: NVIDIA CEO

    Artificial intelligence will make computing and data centers more efficient — if they're built in regions with excess energy, NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang said.

    By Emma Penrod • Sept. 30, 2024
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    iStock | onurdongel

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    Sponsored by GridX & Uplight

    Virtual power plants and time-varying rates: The next big power move for a smarter grid

    The energy system is fundamentally changing. There is a major need for new grid management strategies to handle this transition and the challenges that come along.

    By Rachel Bryant, Senior Director of Regulatory & Policy Business Development at GridX and Alex Lopez, Senior Product Marketing Manager at Uplight • Sept. 30, 2024
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    Lisa-Blue via Getty Images
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    Schneider Electric’s building decarbonization tool aims to ease regulatory compliance

    The new calculator allows building owners and operators to simulate energy-saving retrofits and evaluate their impact on emissions to aid compliance with laws such as New York City’s Local Law 97, the company says.

    By Nish Amarnath • Sept. 26, 2024