That depends on how you measure it. Today. – The current ranks and leaders: http://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.cfm?id=6090 – Recent increases by state: http://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.cfm?id=5750 The Future. California, Minnesota, Maine, Colorado, and New York have the strongest regulations to require renewable power in the future as a portion of their total. Each has a target to achieve…
Author: Kent McDonald
Kent works at RealPage and helps apartment firms reduce operating costs related to utilities. You can connect with Kent at LinkedIn.com/in/kentmcd or Twitter.com/AptsKent.
A crystal ball and the future of renewable energy
A few months ago, I had the opportunity to attend a lecture hosted at the US Dept of Energy given by Dr. Eric Martinot who is Senior Research Director for the Institute for Sustainable Energy Policies in Tokyo, Japan. He presented an overview of a recent report that he authored titled “Renewables: Global Futures Report”…
Smart Meter deployments continue to rise
Smart Meters are an important part of the Smart Grid. Many utilities offer incentives to install Smart Meters. For information on incentives available in your area, browse the database cataloged at www.DsireUsa.org. According to the Energy Information Administration (EIA), a division of the US Department of Energy (DOE): Electric meters with enhanced communication capabilities—an essential…
Good or bad? Nuclear power expected to hold steady
Nuclear power in the United States is not likely to be built at new sites due to safety concerns. Older power plants will be retired, but a few existing plants have plans to add capacity via new reactors. Other technology innovations have resulted in increased output. The net effect is likely that the USA will…
Energy you can be proud of: United States energy supply growing faster than demand
In a development that is good for national security, consumers’ wallets, and tree-huggers’ consciences, the latest projections from the US Department of Energy expect our production of energy to grow faster than our consumption. EIA projections show U.S. energy production growing faster than consumption through 2040 Kent McDonaldKent works at RealPage and helps apartment firms…
Water, wind, and sun: helping to power America
The forces of nature are among the “green and clean” sources of electric power generation. While the United States is a world leader in terms of total KWH generated via renewable sources, it produces only about 13% of our total power. Many hope to see the renewable portion increase in the future for reasons of…
Should we be worried? America’s power infrastructure is getting older
You may have heard that many water utilities around the country are increasing their rates in order to help offset their rising capital costs to maintain and upgrade their aging infrastructure. But do these same concerns relate to electric utilities? How old are U.S. power plants? Kent McDonaldKent works at RealPage and helps apartment firms…
Solar PV installations are on the rise
Wind energy gets most of the renewable energy attention these days, but solar PV has been growing too. As the technology grows more affordable, perhaps you have communities worth considering. For more info, see: Utility-scale installations lead solar photovoltaic growth New EIA data show total grid-connected photovoltaic solar capacity Kent McDonaldKent works at RealPage and…
How to compare electricity, natural gas, and other energy uses with a common unit of measure
Rental properties use electricity, natural gas, and other forms of energy. These commodities do not have a common unit of measure by default. NWP’s Consumption Smart and other tools help to make these conversions, but sometimes you have a need to understand and make the conversions on your own. How can we compare or add…
Green Button Promising to Give Millions of Americans Better Handle on Energy Costs
In September 2011, former White House Chief Technology Officer Aneesh Chopra challenged the utility industry to make energy data more available to their customers, using one standard all providers could agree upon. A standard has been developed and is called Green Button. It provides millions of utility customers with easy access to a downloadable copy…