Energy & Utilities: Page 2

  • Offshore wind turbines in the ocean.
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    TebNad via Getty Images
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    Local opposition to renewable energy projects ‘widespread and growing’: Columbia University report

    The report tracks 395 local restrictions on renewable energy development, with 55 of those emerging in the last year.

    By Diana DiGangi • June 14, 2024
  • Aerial shot of buildings in a downtown. A tree-covered hill sits in the background.
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    Davel5957 via Getty Images
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    Tax on gas-powered large buildings will go to voters in Berkeley, California

    A 2023 court decision that struck down Berkeley’s first-in-the-nation ban on gas hookups in new construction is part of what led to the ballot measure, an organizer said. 

    By • June 10, 2024
  • A facade of a Department of Energy building
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    MingzheZhang via Getty Images
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    5 states, DC get $45M to finance energy efficiency retrofits

    The revolving loan funds established with the federal awards can unlock millions in private capital for energy efficiency improvements, says the U.S. Department of Energy.

    By Nish Amarnath • June 10, 2024
  • U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm holds a news conference at the Department of Energy headquarters to announce a breakthrough in fusion research on December 13, 2022 in Washington, DC.
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    Chip Somodevilla via Getty Images
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    DOE releases zero-emissions building definition, part 1

    The definition will bring clarity to the public and private sectors, supporting their efforts to decarbonize buildings and ramp up clean energy, said U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm.

    By Nish Amarnath • June 7, 2024
  • A worker in a hard hat and yellow vest lays a large pipe in the ground. On the side of the pipe, the word "geothermal" is written three times.
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    Permission granted by Ania Camargo
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    Geothermal system is a US first

    A networked, utility-owned system in a Massachusetts community's pilot could replace fossil fuel for heating and cooling across entire neighborhoods.

    By • June 5, 2024
  • Charging port on the Volvo C40 recharge SUV.
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    Courtesy of Volvo Cars
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    $1.3B available for EV charging network expansion in US

    Government entities nationwide can apply for federal funding to build charging infrastructure in their communities. 

    By Haley Cawthon • June 4, 2024
  • A person wearing a ponytail and purple tank top raches up to touch cardboard around a window AC unit on the outside of a building. A plastic water bottle sits on the windowsill.
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    David Ryder/Getty Images via Getty Images
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    How US summer cooling costs are rising in 2 charts

    The average U.S. electric bill this summer is projected to set a 10-year record, finds a June 3 report from the National Energy Assistance Directors Association and Center for Energy Poverty and Climate.

    By • June 4, 2024
  • Fermata Energy has partnered with the City of Boulder on a vehicle-to-grid charging project
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    Permission granted by Fermata Energy
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    EVs will power buildings in Colorado city’s ‘transformative’ pilot

    The pilot will inform how vehicle-to-everything charging technology can be used in areas at high risk of prolonged outages due to natural disaster or emergency events, a utility partner said.

    By Robert Walton • May 31, 2024
  • A Ford Pro electric vehicle charger with a F-150 Lightning pickup truck parked in the background.
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    Courtesy of Ford Motor Co.
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    Dallas signs EV charging agreement with Ford Pro

    As the city aims to electrify all its fleet vehicles by 2040, Ford will scale up the necessary EV charging infrastructure.

    By Eric Walz • May 30, 2024
  • Looking up at skyscrapers against a blue sky
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    aiisha5 via Getty Images
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    Top cities for certified energy-efficient buildings announced by EPA

    Los Angeles has dominated the rankings for Energy Star-certified buildings year after year. The U.S. EPA has some ideas on why. 

    By • May 24, 2024
  • Overhead view of brick, multistory buildings along a one-way street.
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    deberarr via Getty Images
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    Legal battle over NYC’s building emissions law resurfaces in appellate court

    A panel of New York State Supreme Court judges said the defendants, including New York City, have failed to show that the state’s existing climate legislation does not preempt Local Law 97. 

    By Nish Amarnath • May 20, 2024
  • The hallway of a home with white walls, with a thermostat that reads "70" on the wall. Above it is a panel that reads "Year-Round Comfort & Savings."
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    Dylan Slagle, BGE

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    EPA launches new Energy Star residential standard

    Requirements for certification include heat pumps, resident electric vehicle charging stations, electric cooking appliances and highly energy-efficient construction.

    By Mary Salmonsen • May 17, 2024
  • A city skyline behind a waterway lined by trees. A boat is in the waterway.
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    pawel.gaul via Getty Images
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    Clean energy fund surplus sparks tension in Pacific Northwest city

    The Portland, Oregon, program has brought in millions of dollars more than originally anticipated, putting some city leaders and climate advocates at odds over how to proceed.

    By • May 16, 2024
  • A wide-angle side view of a man in business dress stood at an electric charging station
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    istockphoto.com/SolStock

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    Sponsored by Franklin Electric EV Systems

    Investigating the uptime challenges facing charge point operators

    Explore the common causes of DC fast charger uptime issues.

    May 13, 2024
  • The outside of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit during the day
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    Retrieved from U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.
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    23 states, rural co-ops sue EPA over ‘unlawful, unreasonable’ power plant rules

    “This rule intentionally sets impossible standards to destroy the coal industry,” North Dakota Attorney General Drew Wrigley said Thursday.

    By Robert Walton • May 10, 2024
  • Apartment building with three cars parked in front
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    Retrieved from Bauer House on Facebook on May 09, 2024
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    HUD’s $4.8B green retrofit program announces first construction project deal

    A new heat pump system will replace the existing gas-powered system at an apartment community housing low-income older adults.

    By • May 9, 2024
  • The BMW Vision Neue Klasse X electric Sport Activity Vehicle.
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    Courtesy of BMW Group AG
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    BMW’s future EVs will support bidirectional charging

    The automaker’s next generation of vehicles will be able to store energy to send back to the grid.

    By Eric Walz • May 7, 2024
  • Close-up of a pipeline in a trench dug in the ground
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    ImagePixel via Getty Images
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    How can cities build a future with fewer gas pipelines?

    As some communities question the logic of continued investment in the gas system, a new RMI and National Grid paper looks at efforts to find alternatives.

    By • May 6, 2024
  • A facade of a Department of Energy building
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    MingzheZhang via Getty Images
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    DOE picks local clean energy projects to receive $27M in grants

    More than three dozen state and local governments will receive funds, including $2.2 million for Chicago to launch a building electrification campaign, install EV chargers and other projects.

    By Robert Walton • May 2, 2024
  • A closeup of JPMorgan Chase's headquarters in New York.
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    Michael M. Santiago via Getty Images
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    Clean energy transition could take ‘decades or generations,’ JPMorgan warns

    New research from the U.S. bank pointed to inflation, high interest rates and geopolitical issues as key roadblocks delaying the shift from fossil fuels to renewable energy.

    By Zoya Mirza • May 1, 2024
  • An outside view of a courthouse of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas.
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    "Tyler May 2016 45 (William M. Steger Federal Building and United States Courthouse)" by Michael Barera is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
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    Energy Department finalizes rule to phase out fossil fuels in federal buildings

    The elimination of on-site fossil fuel use in new projects after 2030 is part of the Biden administration’s push for net-zero emissions from federal facilities by 2045.

    By Nish Amarnath • April 29, 2024
  • Photovoltaic solar panels on a residential building.
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    xphotoz via Getty Images
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    EPA awards $7B to 60 low-income solar access programs

    The funds will support community solar programs as well as initiatives to provide loans and grants to low-income households looking to install rooftop solar, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

    By Emma Penrod • April 24, 2024
  • Group of green sprouts growing out from soil.
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    amenic181 via Getty Images
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    Sponsored by Reworld™

    7 starting points for effective sustainability strategies

    In today's environmentally conscious world, businesses cannot afford to ignore the impact of waste.

    April 22, 2024
  • Solar panel over police department parking lot
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    Permission granted by Carlos Chavez & Schneider Electric
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    Sponsored by Schneider Electric

    New tax credits are spurring resilience and clean energy shift in cities

    The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) enables cities to adopt clean energy with new tax credit benefits.

    April 15, 2024
  • A parking space painted with "EV charging only" with a charger behind it
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    Mario Tama/Getty Images via Getty Images
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    5 ways cities can accelerate EV charger deployments equitably

    Seek community input, learn from other cities, reduce regulatory barriers and other ideas from participants in the DOE’s Clean Energy to Communities Program.

    By Iulia Gheorghiu • April 12, 2024