EUCI Blog

Energize Weekly, October 31, 2018 The legal cannabis industry in the U.S. is becoming a big energy consumer, using 1.1 million megawatts-hours a year—enough to power 92,500 homes— with consumption projected to grow by 162 percent between 2017 and 2002, according to a study by New Frontier Data. “As more states transition from illicit markets…

Energize Weekly, October 31, 2018 Energy efficiency programs could dramatically cut greenhouse gas emissions even as economic activity doubled—but those programs’ gains slowed as efficiency policies have weakened, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). Following two years of low growth, global energy demand grew by 2 percent in 2017, the fastest increase since 2010.…

Energize Weekly, October 24, 2018 Google Maps is now a guide to electric vehicle (EV) charging stations in countries around the world. A search on Google Maps in the U.S. will show the stations operated by Tesla, ChargePoint, SemaConnect, EVgo and Blink Network. The five companies account for about three-quarters of the more than 21,000…

Energize Weekly, October 17, 2018 Georgia-Pacific Gypsum, which operates a gypsum wallboard and plastic manufacturing plant near Las Vegas, is seeking to leave Nevada’s largest utility, NV Energy and buy power on its own. More than a dozen other companies have left or are seeking to leave NV Energy. Georgia-Pacific (GP) filed its application with…

Energize Weekly, October 3, 2018 The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is providing $398.5 million in funding to upgrade electric service in 13 states, including smart grid and renewable energy projects. “Reliable and affordable electricity is undeniably a necessity in today’s world,” Anne Hazlett, rural development assistant to Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue, said in a…

Energize Weekly, September 26, 2018 As electric utilities grapple with the challenges posed by significant revenue losses caused by the growth of distributed generation, the century-old business model utilities have long used to generate returns on their investments will die if utilities don’t change their ways, according to an industry survey for a new report…

Energize Weekly, September 12, 2018 The pace of electric vehicle (EV) sales is accelerating, reaching a total of four million vehicles on the roads worldwide this September, according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance. China has emerged as the key market for EVs, responsible for around 37 percent of passenger EVs sold globally since 2011 and…

Energize Weekly, August 29, 2018 A switch from coal-fired generation to a mix anchored by low-cost wind and solar could save the rural electricity cooperatives served by one western generation and transmission association $600 million by 2030, according to analysis by the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI). RMI, a non-profit energy consultant, used the Tri-State Generation…

Energize Weekly, August 1, 2018 A record 36 megawatt-hours (MWh) of home energy storage systems were installed in the first quarter of 2018, according to the U.S. Energy Storage Monitor report from GTM Research and the Energy Storage Association. That was as much residential storage capacity as had been installed in the previous three quarters…

Energize Weekly, June 20, 2018 Energy consumption grew worldwide 2.2 percent in 2017, about an 80 percent increase year-over-year, and the fastest growth in four years as emission of the greenhouse gas, carbon dioxide also rose for the first time since 2014. Consumption of natural gas and oil rose, and for the first time in…

Energize Weekly, June 13, 2018 New York State has launched a $250 million expansion plan for electric vehicle (EV) charging stations and infrastructure with the aim of having 10,000 stations in place by 2021. The program—EVolve NY—will include initiatives by the New York Power Authority (NYPA) and private sector partnerships through 2025 to accelerate the…

Energize Weekly, June 6, 2018 The use of carbon pricing mechanisms by countries and regions, as a way to control greenhouse gas emissions, has tripled in the past decade and is poised to be more widely used in the coming years, according to the World Bank. Seventy jurisdictions—45 nations, 25 sub-national entities such as states,…