Utilities: Page 13

  • A rendering of an Electric Era charger charging a vehicle.
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    Permission granted by Electric Era
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    Opinion

    To spur more EV chargers, regulators must get creative with demand charges

    No matter what the incentives for installing an EV charger, very few businesses will enter this marketplace if selling the product leads to thousands of dollars in charges that aren’t made up for with revenue.

    By Chris Kaiser • Jan. 8, 2024
  • A detailed landscape design plan showing topographic contour lines, orange building illustrations, green trees, and directional arrows. The layout includes winding paths and clustered vegetation. A triangular scale ruler lies on the left, and three colored pencils, colored blue, green, and yellow, rest on the lower right corner of the page.
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    Column

    Department of Energy makes available $40M to train auditors of commercial, residential buildings

    Editor's note: This article was originally published in American City & County, which has merged with Smart Cities Dive to bring you expanded coverage of city innovation and local government. For the latest in smart city news, explore Smart Cities Dive or sign up for our newsletter.The Depart...

    By Andy Castillo • Jan. 5, 2024
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    Trendline

    Energy Codes and Building Performance Standards

    Cities are using these levers to meet climate goals and address everything from data centers to building decarbonization.

    By Smart Cities Dive staff
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    To define zero emissions for buildings, Biden administration seeks input

    Feb. 5 is the deadline to submit information on Part 1 of the definition, which addresses operating emissions, including those from tenants.

    By Nish Amarnath • Jan. 5, 2024
  • A detailed landscape design plan showing topographic contour lines, orange building illustrations, green trees, and directional arrows. The layout includes winding paths and clustered vegetation. A triangular scale ruler lies on the left, and three colored pencils, colored blue, green, and yellow, rest on the lower right corner of the page.
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    Column

    84 Wisconsin communities to receive $414M in state funding for wastewater and stormwater projects

    Editor's note: This article was originally published in American City & County, which has merged with Smart Cities Dive to bring you expanded coverage of city innovation and local government. For the latest in smart city news, explore Smart Cities Dive or sign up for our newsletter.Eighty-fou...

    By Andy Castillo • Jan. 2, 2024
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    Federal court won’t reconsider decision to overturn Berkeley, California, natural gas ban

    The denial of the city’s request for a rehearing left the court divided, with a strong dissent by 11 judges. 

    By Ysabelle Kempe • Jan. 2, 2024
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    What US cities could look like in 2024: 6 predictions

    Safer, greener communities with more housing, greater civic participation, and diversified downtowns are what these experts envision for the coming year.

    By the Smart Cities Dive Team • Jan. 2, 2024
  • natural gas stove flame
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    "Stove flame" by Paul Kretek is licensed under CC BY 2.0
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    Legal threats to city, state natural gas bans: A timeline

    A Maryland county’s law requiring building standards that mandate all-electric buildings is under fire from business and labor groups and a gas utility.

    By Ysabelle Kempe • Updated Oct. 30, 2024
  • Sign for the US Department of Energy out-front of their headquarters the James Forrestal Building in Washington, D.C.
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    DOE allocates $40M for energy audit training

    The funds aim to help states upskill a workforce that will evaluate energy efficiency to help building owners save money and combat climate change.

    By Nish Amarnath • Dec. 22, 2023
  • 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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    Gas industry sues DOE over new furnace efficiency rule, citing cost and other concerns

    The new rule will require gas furnaces to be 95% efficient, but the American Gas Association and other stakeholders say it effectively bans a product class and will drive prices higher for many consumers.

    By Robert Walton • Dec. 21, 2023
  • Person holding up EV charger to car
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    Tesla EV charging stations are coming to these North American hotels

    The partnership is the latest between a hotel company and EV charging provider as hotels increasingly seek to cater to eco-conscious guests.

    By Noelle Mateer • Dec. 21, 2023
  • A view of the Statue of Liberty against the New York City skyline with a backdrop of the World Trade Center, Brooklyn Bridge and Manhattan high-rise buildings
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    NYC releases second set of final rules for Local Law 97 implementation

    The rules define what a good-faith effort to decarbonize is, create a framework for retroactive enforcement, limit the use of renewable energy credits and more.

    By Nish Amarnath • Dec. 20, 2023
  • The James V. Forrestal Building Building, the headquarters of the United States Department of Energy, in downtown Washington, DC at sunset.
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    $530M in building code technical assistance grants available from DOE

    The grants will support a wide range of energy code and building performance standards activities, including workforce development, by state, local and tribal governments.

    By Joe Burns • Dec. 20, 2023
  • A hospital covered in solar panels.
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    Microgrids can drive resiliency, efficiency and profitability: JLL

    Government buildings and healthcare facilities are among those that can benefit most significantly from microgrids, the report says.

    By Joe Burns • Dec. 19, 2023
  • An artistic rendering of a sustainable building representing the concept of corporate goals for net-zero emissions by 2050.
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    To be truly net-zero, buildings must buy 100% renewable energy, global council says

    A globally consistent definition of net-zero buildings is needed, the World Business Council for Sustainable Development says, while market commentators decry carbon compliance ambiguities.

    By Nish Amarnath • Dec. 18, 2023
  • Aerial shot of Manhattan
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    Drew Angerer/Getty Images via Getty Images
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    More climate-friendly housing, faster, is the goal of NYC proposal to speed environmental reviews

    Each eligible housing project could save an average of $100,000 and two years of review time, the city estimates.

    By Ysabelle Kempe • Dec. 14, 2023
  • The Seattle skyline, featuring the Space Needle and skyscrapers.
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    Seattle requires large buildings to zero out greenhouse gas emissions by 2050

    As building performance standards gain traction nationwide, Seattle’s policy is the city’s most ambitious plan ever to reduce building emissions, the City Council said.

    By Ysabelle Kempe • Dec. 13, 2023
  • The Statue of Liberty stands in the foreground as Lower Manhattan is viewed at dusk, September 8, 2016 in New York City
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    Drew Angerer via Getty Images
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    NYC overhauls zoning to boost renewables, electrification

    The “City of Yes” initiative, which took effect Dec. 11, is among the most significant zoning changes in New York City's history, the city's chief climate officer said.

    By Joe Burns and Ysabelle Kempe • Dec. 12, 2023
  • A Resideo smart thermostat mounted on a wall of a home.
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    Courtesy of Ford Motor Co.
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    Ford, Resideo to study how EVs can power homes

    The automaker and smart home product company will test how Ford’s future electric vehicle batteries can reduce home energy costs.

    By Eric Walz • Dec. 12, 2023
  • An illustration depicting Volkswagen's vehicle-to-home electric vehicle charging technology.
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    Courtesy of Volkswagen AG
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    VW is launching a vehicle-to-home EV charging pilot in Sweden

    Other automakers are also working on bidirectional charging technology, which allows homeowners to tap into the massive power reserves of EV batteries when the vehicle is stationary.

    By Eric Walz • Dec. 11, 2023
  • A technician connects cable on a solar rooftop array.
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    Warehouse roofs house New Jersey’s largest rooftop community solar project to date

    The two installations will provide more than 1,400 nearby homes with discounted solar energy.

    By Joe Burns • Dec. 11, 2023
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    Existing building stock challenges decarbonization goals

    New construction codes that don’t align with performance standards for existing buildings pose a “serious problem,” said Sustainable Energy Partnerships’ managing director at an ASHRAE conference.

    By Joe Burns • Dec. 8, 2023
  • Closeup of a sign reading "United Nations Climate Change COP28 UAE" with blurred groups of people standing in the background
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    Sean Gallup/Getty Images via Getty Images
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    HUD announces new building decarbonization efforts at COP28

    As the U.S. pledges to make near-zero-emissions buildings the “new normal” by 2030, the housing agency is teaming up with other departments for access to the best available data and research.

    By Ysabelle Kempe • Dec. 7, 2023
  • Michigan representative Tim Walberg sits behind a lectern as he speaks into a microphone during a congressional session
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    Courtesy of Rep. Tim Walberg
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    House passes CARS Act to halt EPA’s proposed tailpipe emission standards

    Proponents of the Choice in Automobile Retail Sales Act have said the environmental agency’s proposal is a de facto EV mandate.

    By Kalena Thomhave • Dec. 7, 2023
  • A blue Ford shuttle drives over a wireless charging roadway
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    Retrieved from Electreon on December 06, 2023
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    Detroit unveils wireless EV charging roadway

    The quarter-mile stretch recharges vehicles as they drive or park on the street. The charging technology will cover one mile of the road when complete.

    By Kalena Thomhave • Dec. 6, 2023
  • A wastewater treatment plant powered by wind turbines and solar panels near Atlantic City in New Jersey, USA. Aerial elevated view at the sunset.
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    Authorities raise alarm on cyber threats against water, other critical sectors

    Hackers affiliated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps are behind a series of attacks targeting devices used in U.S. water and wastewater facilities, according to federal agencies.

    By David Jones • Dec. 5, 2023