Local governments use Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) programs to help property owners finance renewable energy and energy efficiency improvements on residential and commercial properties. Commercial properties may include multi-family residential, industrial and agricultural properties. The PACE concept began as …
Many states have completed comprehensive Climate Action Plans, or are in the process of revising or developing one. The plans detail steps that the states can take to reduce their contribution to climate change. The process of developing a climate …
Twenty-nine states and the District of Columbia require electric utilities to deliver a certain amount of electricity from renewable or other clean energy sources. Most of these requirements take the form of: a renewable portfolio standard (RPS) adopted by 26 …
Net Metering is a billing method or a financial incentive provided by utilities to customers (commercial and residential) who have installed any form of small-scale distributed generation. This includes rooftop solar, small wind, biogas, micro-combined heat and power, micro turbines, …
Under the present rate structures in U.S. energy markets, utilities’ revenues depend on the amount of energy they produce and deliver to consumers. This system discourages utilities from enacting conservation and efficiency measures because they would decrease sales, and therefore …
Energy efficiency can be a cost-effective strategy to reduce emissions associated with electricity and natural gas generation and consumption. An Energy Efficiency Resource Standard (EERS) or energy efficiency target is a mechanism to encourage more efficient generation, transmission, and use …
This map shows billion-dollar weather events in the United States since 2000, as identified by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Climatic Data Center. Click on any circle to learn about one of the billion-dollar weather events, or any …
A greenhouse gas emissions target refers to the emission reduction levels that states set out to achieve by a specified time. Currently, 23 states and the District of Columbia have implemented statewide greenhouse gas targets. Following the United States announced …
In 2016, the electricity sector was the second-largest source of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. Electricity-related emissions are primarily the result of combusting fossil fuels in power plants. Coal-fired power plants accounted for nearly 70 percent of greenhouse gas emission from …