The $499-billion legislation contains nearly $370 billion in carbon reduction, resiliency, and clean energy incentives. Once fully adopted, analysts forecast the combination of grants and tax credits will cut U.S. carbon emissions 40 percent by 2030. Notable changes to the federal tax code include: Larger tax credits for renewable energy, clean transportation, and energy efficiency…

Initial efforts focused on the carbon footprint of government-owned buildings or set minimum standards for newly constructed buildings. Recent policies now require existing, privately owned commercial, institutional and multifamily buildings take action as well. Non-compliance will result in significant fines. As property owners confront their emission-reduction obligations, it will be important to prepare well in…

Modern U.S. hospitals require huge amounts of energy. A lack of insights into consumption trends can leave facility managers uncertain how to best remedy inefficient use of electricity, gas, or steam utilities. By tracking both facility-specific and campus-wide energy consumption, hospitals have greater visibility into their most inefficient building systems. Comprehensive, transparent system-performance data can…

Prudent airport management calls for special planning efforts. Airports will need to better understand power demand forecasts, assess on-site energy generation and microgrid technologies, determine the likely timing of these changes, and predict their impact on current infrastructure. Large-Scale Airport Electrification Takes Off A recent Airport Cooperative Research Program study forecast the cumulative impact of…

As fleet operators consider a hydrogen-powered future, infrastructure considerations include the fueling capacity necessary as more FCEVs are added to the fleet, the impact of refueling stations on operational costs and maintenance procedures, and the overall environmental goals of the fleet-electrification transition. Photo courtesy of National Renewable Energy Laboratory Falling Technology Costs, Greater Hydrogen Supplies…

Campus leaders who choose to undertake this challenge should prepare for a long and unpredictable journey. Each campus requires a customized decarbonization strategy, involving a transformation of conventional power sources, building systems, transportation options, and more. The transition will inevitably raise new financial, technical and operational challenges. Electrification powered by renewable energy With solar and…

Fleet Electrification Airports have a long history of converting ground service equipment (GSE) to run on electricity. American Airlines was the first to undertake a major electric GSE (eGSE) conversion. In 2001, the airline replaced their complete fleet of fossil fuel powered GSE at El Paso International Airport. Major airlines have since followed suit, transitioning…

Rising to the challenge, a market for fleet-charging services is taking shape. Fleet electrification creates opportunities for service providers who can efficiently and cost effectively install, operate, monitor and maintain charging equipment and related infrastructure. Greater understanding of these newly emerging business and financing models will ultimately lead to a faster, more widespread and cost-effective…

Losing Power Comes at High Cost Recent utility data suggests the average number of annual weather-related power outages have at least doubled in recent years. Source: Climate Central It remains unusual for extended power outages to occur outside of a major weather event. Such incidents are, however, not unheard of. Reasons backup generators may stop…

Microgrid Benefits Microgrids are independent, self-sustaining, decentralized energy systems that power distinct buildings, campuses or geographic areas. The concept has been around for decades. However, a number of factors has coalesced in recent years to make microgrids and the distributed power sources that feed them less expensive, more efficient and more reliable. The quickly evolving…