May 17, 2020
Massachusetts Ranked Most Energy Efficient State
2 min
Last week the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEE) announced its annual rankings of the most and least energy efficient states in t...
Last week the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEE) announced its annual rankings of the most and least energy efficient states in the US. Taking into account the state-level programs and policies each state uses to encourage energy efficiency, it was a surprise to see Massachusetts trump California, considering California became the first state to enact the cap-and-trade system on the same day of the announcement. So how did they do it?
“Thanks to our investments in innovation and infrastructure, Massachusetts is now leading the nation in energy efficiency,” Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick told the ACEE. “Through our Green Communities Act, we set aggressive goals and laid the foundation for greater investment in energy efficiency -- and now we are proud to be a model for the nation and world.”
The Green Communities Act, signed by Patrick in 2008, helped the state take giant steps toward a clean energy future under a bold and comprehensive bill. Under the new law, major utility companies in the state are required to purchase all available energy efficient retrofits that compete with electricity, allowing customers to save on utilities and make upgrades to current energy systems in their homes. The utility companies were also required to enter 10 to 15 year contracts with renewable energy developers, in turn, financing clean energy developers to get started on future projects.
“With this legislation, Massachusetts takes its rightful place as a national leader in energy reform and environmental protection,” according to Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs Ian Bowles in a 2008 statement. “This legislation will help businesses and residential consumers fight rising energy costs, reap the benefits of renewable energy, and grow our clean energy industry.”
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The ACEE's top 10 energy efficient states are ranked as follows: Massachusetts (#1 for the first time), California (after holding the top spot in all of ACEE's previous four rankings), New York, Oregon, Vermont, Washington, Rhode Island, Minnesota, Connecticut and Maryland.
The 10 states listed as needing the most improvement were, from last place, North Dakota, Wyoming, Mississippi, Kansas, Oklahoma, South Carolina, West Virginia, Missouri, Alabama and South Dakota.
The ACEE also found that total budgets for electricity efficiency are up by over a billion dollars since 2009, and many states have adopted energy-saving programs, including the Energy Efficiency Resource Standard (EERS).
Apr 20, 2021
Amazon's renewable energy projects surpass 200 milestone
2 min
Nine new projects announced today takes Amazon's renewables portfolio beyond 200 projects
Amazon claims it is now Europe's largest corporate buyer of renewable energy as its projects surpassed 200 globally.
Broken down, it has 136 solar rooftops on facilities and stores and 71 utility-scale wind and solar projects, nine of which were announced today covering the US, Canada, Spain, Sweden and UK. They include:
First solar project paired with energy storage Based in California’s Imperial Valley, Amazon’s first solar project paired with energy storage allows the company to align solar generation with the greatest demand. The project generates 100MW of solar energy, and includes 70MW storage.
It now has more than 2.5 GW of renewable energy capacity, enough to power more than two million European homes a year, and aims to power all its activities with renewables by 2025 and net zero by 2040.
Amazon and Global Optimism co-founded The Climate Pledge in 2019, a commit ment to reach the Paris Agreement 10 years early and be net-zero carbon by 2040. The pledge now has 53 signatories, including IBM, Unilever, Verizon, Siemens, Microsoft, and Best Buy.
A map of all of Amazon’s renewable energy projects around the world can be found here.
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