Category Archives: Climate Change

The Pandemic’s Effects on the Energy Efficiency Sector

The COVID-19 pandemic is, of course, having a tremendous impact across the U.S. One hundred thousand or more will likely perish and tens of millions will have lost their jobs or had their businesses greatly weakened – including those in the energy sector.

1. Most companies are not thinking about energy right now. Of course, any company’s main concerns these days will be the health and safety of themselves and their employees, making sure technologies work so people can work from home, and maintaining their systems if they are allowed to function. Nobody is thinking about energy and upgrades and how to save usage and cost.

2. No or few site visits. Most companies and buildings that were seriously looking at energy upgrades are not going through with them. Many contractors are prohibited from or do not want to work in places where health is unsure. Many energy firms have had business losses “overnight” and have had to lay off staff.

3. Lack of capital. Potential customers for energy efficiency upgrades will be hard put to find the money to pay for potential projects – even if they understand the many benefits. The pandemic has put the U.S. in a recession, meaning there is less money available for projects and businesses looking to rebound will focus on projects with immediate paybacks or ways to re-attract their customer base. The many business failures probably will mean reduced revenue for many utilities and governments, meaning less money available for incentive programs. The good news is that the potential follow up to the CARES package is rumored to contain stimulus provisions for energy. Plus, several states want energy efficiency to be part of their recoveries, as well, as they understand that energy efficiency is one way to benefit businesses (help them reduce costs).

4. Losing motivation.  There is a concern that society will lose its motivation for energy management and sustainability as more data is published that the new recession and lockdown situation has caused traffic, power demand and green-house gas emissions to decline rapidly. Of course, a need for energy efficiency may return if people will return to our previous high consumption lifestyle.

5. Real estate changes.  We simply don’t know what the future of the workplace and its real estate will be, causing businesses to wait until that is worked out to design space more efficiently. People have gotten used to working from home and using video conferencing. When the lockdowns end, will businesses move to smaller spaces, encouraging staff to continue to work from home? Or might they wish to move into larger spaces to enable greater distances between employees as we continue to have social distancing at least until the virus is completely controlled? Until businesses decide on these trends (likely, many months or years), companies may be hesitant to invest in energy efficiency.

However, there are factors that favor a robust comeback of the energy efficiency sector.

1. Energy efficiency will be critical for businesses making a comeback. For most such businesses, it will be hard to bring back staff, make one’s product, get back customers, etc. Sales may lag for some time, even when lockdowns are lifted. Thus, it will be more important than ever for a company to lower costs, one of the greatest ones being energy. As long as energy projects are seen as financially beneficial with a short payback, it will be important for a business trying to come back to reduce regular costs, and energy efficiency meets this.

2. Prepare for the next “big thing”.  The pandemic hurt businesses so much and so quickly, certainly making people realize that one must prepare for circumstances that can potentially change rapidly. One way to prepare is to lower costs and operate more “lean and mean”. Being energy efficient is certainly an example to help businesses weather the next potential “storm”.

3. Climate Change may be the next “storm”.  While the pandemic was caused by a microscopic virus, perhaps the next big effect on people’s health and businesses is the opposite extreme. The changes to huge planetary systems, encompassed by Climate Change will surely cause large-scale death and business upheavals. Of course, the best way to deal with upheaval is to be efficient. Given Climate Change is so linked to energy, energy costs will likely rise significantly in the future, so controlling these costs by being energy efficient and using renewable technologies will likely be favored greatly.

For these reasons, it would appear that the energy efficiency business market will suffer in the short-term, but can undergo tremendous growth in the longer term.

CCES has the experts to help your company develop an energy plan and help you incorporate energy efficiency in your future growth plans to provide many competitive financial benefits. Contact us today at karell@CCESworld.com or at 914-584-6720.

Reduced Activity Caused by COVID-19 Leads to Drop in GHG and Other Air Emissions

Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions have fallen sharply since the growth and spread of COVID-19 as activity from business and travel has slowed, according to experts. For example, according to a BBC report, traffic levels are down by about 35% and carbon monoxide levels are down by nearly 50% in New York City compared to the same time last year.

Closures of factories in China during the outbreak caused a significant drop in smog levels. Air pollution levels in Italy have dropped, too. In both nations, millions of people were kept under lockdown or quarantine to slow the virus, reducing business and other activities. The decline in emissions has been confirmed by NASA and European Space Agency satellites. In the US, where 50% of car trips take people to or from work or school, where so many have been closed, similar declines are expected.
According to https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-51944780, by May, scientists predict that GHG emissions may be at their lowest levels recorded in a decade, since the Great Recession.

One area where the business slump will significantly reduce GHG emissions is the airline industry as some studies believe CO2 emissions from air travel may have a disproportionate effect on heat trapping. The severe slump that the airlines are facing would mean significant reductions in their contribution. Therefore, airlines are expected to push back against proposed European climate change taxes meant to address the industry’s outsized effects.

There is concern by many in the environmental field that this downward spikes in GHG and other emissions are temporary and will result in a bounce back when economic conditions return to close to normal. In fact, there may be a major increase in emissions as people “catch up” on lost travel and other manufacturing opportunities. This has been observed after financial crises and terrorist attacks as those reductions in economic activity, such as certain manufacturing, driving, and air travel were temporary and then bounce back. On the other hand, some are predicting that social distancing practices that many are implementing, such as more home cooking, remote meetings and working and learning from home, may gain traction and become the norm even after activity approaches normal again, cutting back on manufacturing, transportation, and agricultural GHG and other emissions in the long-term.

CCES has the experts to help you assess your greenhouse gas and other air toxic emissions from your operations and project future emissions in a recovery or for other changes. Contact us today at 914-584-6720 or at karell@CCESworld.com.

Traits of Resiliency To Help in A Crisis

The ongoing events of the past few weeks about the COVID-19 pandemic made me think about a concept I had written about when it comes to Climate Change but had not in awhile. Resiliency is the ability to address and recover from a crisis or some difficulty.

A word that comes to mind for resiliency is change. Think about what likely all of us has begun to do over these past few weeks. We’re much more cognizant of the need to wash hands, no longer shake hands or kiss or hug, use hand sanitizers, clean your phones, keyboards, bannisters, etc. Even the most antiseptic person among us has probably stepped up their routine about cleanliness. For everyone, this represents a sudden, major change in your lifestyle. And as we see in the news, some people are going against the health experts and not making the necessary changes. Another example is work. So many people will have to change the way they do business, who they serve or sell to, how they make a living and, of course, where they work (such as suddenly having to work from home). How will people show resiliency and change?

Another important aspect of resiliency is perspective, realizing that a crisis that one is in is, although painful, something that will subside in time and allow normalcy to return. When it comes to COVID-19, we are seeing of stories of people panicking, hoarding supplies they don’t need, not doing things that need to be done on the assumption that they will catch the virus and die. Part of being resilient is to realize that the difficulties you face are temporary, something you have to adjust to, but preparing to go back to life as it was before and not panic. Those that put matters in perspective, look at the medium- and long-term future and make rational decisions for themselves and loved ones to survive the crisis and come out better for it will more likely survive and thrive.

Finally, another important aspect of resiliency is listening, listening to information. When one is in a crisis, one does not know who or what to listen to. Well-meaning advice may come from many sources but may not be right for you. The resilient person is one that listens to the different pieces of advice of different people during a crisis, sorts out which ones make the most sense, disregards quickly the foolish ones, and then picks one and re-assesses and re-calibrates and potentially changes the strategy based on results and the future of the crisis. The resilient one keeps calm, listens to many voices, and chooses the one he/she thinks is best, but with an open mind to change if need be.

Change. Perspective. Listening.  All important traits to resiliency, which is the way we can survive the current COVID-19 crisis and future Climate Change calamities in both our personal/family lives and society. Be strong and resilient!

CCES can be contacted at karell@CCESworld.com or at 914-584-6720. We are there for you.

Community Solar: A New Win-Win Approach

More state and local governments and utilities are encouraging new solar plants to enhance flexibility of sources of electricity and to meet “green” goals. Building and maintaining a solar farm is now cheaper than that of a new fossil fuel-fired power plant, encouraging this even more. A problem that solar developers face – like any entrepreneur – is ensuring demand for the new plant. One approach is the many people who want to have solar panels but cannot have them on their homes because of shading or because they live in apartments without the space. Such people can invest in solar projects to get credit for creating solar power while the electricity generated from these plants go either to their community or certain spots, such as poor neighborhoods or nursing homes to help defray their costs. Such projects are called community solar.

For example, a community solar farm just began commercial operation in in Greene County, NY. The 3-MW solar project is under the category of “community” and, therefore, received funding and administrative support from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA).

In this project, residential and small business electricity users near the proposed project were given the choice to invest in this project simply by switching their electricity to solar energy generated by the project. Such a switch even allowed them to receive State credits reducing their electricity bill. The commitment of a minimum number of utility customers to solar was what was needed to know that the output of the proposed plant would be accepted into the grid. In this case, having the community choosing solar even if each could not house their own solar panels was sufficient for allowing the electricity into the grid and to allow the investment and construction to start.

But this project did not end there. The project also called for the development of 2.5 acres of pollinator-friendly habitat to be planted around the site. In addition, the project included nearly $10,000 in funding to a local land trust to restore floodplain forest and enhance public access to a nearby nature preserve.

Solar projects used to be individual homes or buildings installing solar panels on their roofs or nearby yards. That’s fine. However, solar is and will go farther with this new emphasis on the community contributing together to support the construction of a new solar plant in or near the community and contributing to its electricity mix. And with solar farms now being cheaper than conventional power plants, this can even lead to a decrease in electricity rates for the community.

CCES has the experts to help you decide whether solar or any other potential renewable project is right for your building or company. We can bring in the experts to design the source for you and project manage it to ensure you get the maximum benefits and utility and government incentives. Contact us today at 914-584-6720 or at karell@ccesworld.com.

Talking Points: Climate Change

Part of a series with basic information to inform your colleagues.

Don’t let climate change deniers have an equal say. It took several decades of intensive research but scientists now have a good understanding of Earth’s climate system and the impact people have on it. This is not just a few outlier researchers but scientists in diverse fields of study collaborating and showing the many impacts of GHGs and how impacts build on each other. Tens of thousands of scientists around the world have done work that strongly meet scientific criteria. Research that is rigorous, thorough, uses evidence, transparent, overseen by institutions that value accuracy, and withstand public scrutiny. The climate change deniers who have looked for any weakness from this list (although they lack evidence themselves) are now quietly backing away.

This research has led to 3 incontrovertible facts:

1. people are causing our climate to change, particularly due to GHG emissions,

2. human-caused climate change is dangerous with potential dire consequences,

3. there are still viable options for reducing the consequences of climate change.

Climate change will affect both our personal and professional lives. Some places or industries will get hit harder or sooner than others, but there will be a ripple effect. It is unlikely anybody – even the richest and most secure people – will go unscathed. Yet we have options to manage and potentially reduce climate change impacts:
1. mitigate: implement GHG emission reductions (renewable power, efficiency),
2. adaptation: improve a society’s capability to cope with changes in climate,
3. intervention: in planetary or regional system to counteract some GHG impacts,
4. study and research: to better understand our climate and our impacts on it.

What can we do? No one person can change everything. But people can use their voice and their vote. They should demand that political leaders make climate change a very high priority and pass legislation to encourage green energy and discourage or outlaw dirty sources. Leaders can also pass legislation that introduces incentives for making good energy choices and additional costs for sticking with dirty ones. One can also remain involved with one’s own company to understand and speak up on how climate change will hurt the bottom line and how it can do its part by being more green.

You can encourage your company or local community to seriously consider implementing adaptation, implementing strategies avoid, withstand, and/or recover from climate change impacts, such as passing or adhering to land-use planning and building codes, response planning and disaster recovery; impact assessment for critical systems (e.g., water, energy health, etc.

But whatever you do in your personal and professional lives, realize that climate change is real and it’s not something that will happen in the future. There is plenty of incontrovertible evidence that unwelcome impacts are happening to many people now.

CCES can help your firm develop a climate change action plan and put your firm forward as an effective advocate. Contact us today at 914-584-6720 or at karell@CCESworld.com.

Tips To Be A Good Facility Manager (For the Sake of Your Engineer)

Speaking as an engineer and a contractor, my job is to use my expertise and experience to help my clients prosper within their specific building or corporate situation. I deal quite a bit with corporate and facility managers who often think very differently about a problem than I, as an engineer, would. I can’t tell a client, under very different pressures than me, how to act in his or her field, but I can and hope to give my opinions here on things for the manager to be aware of to make the exchange of ideas with the engineer or contractor more successful. The facility or corporate manager knows its facility or company and its challenges more than I can ever know. Despite the client communicating such issues, I must work within those limits. I recognize that what I, as an engineer, consider the “best” solution to a problem may not be feasible for the company, given the specific situation, facility, goals, and company.
It works the other way, too. Facility and corporate managers must recognize our capabilities and limitations and work within them for the project to proceed successfully for all involved. Here are some tips for the facility manager to understand to work better with an engineer and help the project succeed.

1. Trust Your Senses. You are a smart person. Trust the evidence you see that something may be wrong. It is tempting to see, hear, smell a problem in your building or operation and ignore it. It is tempting to say, “It’s too much work. Life is easier if I ignore.”; “I’m too busy”; “It’s somebody else’s job.”, etc. But that’s all the more reason to at least record the issue and get details. We engineers like and need details. I can’t tell you the number of times a client describes in the most general terms an odor, a leak, etc., but does not know the details of it, when or even exactly where it happened. I need such information, in many cases, to determine a cause and solution. Being told in general about a problem does not help. You don’t need to solve the problem; just collect details for the engineer to handle..

2. Know and Check Your Staff and Your Processes. You are probably a good communicator and know your staff well. Being around your equipment and processes on a daily basis, you probably know a lot about them. Don’t think that way. You only know what your staff tells you; other things may be going on. I once did an air emissions inventory for a chemical plant. I was given the formulas and steps used to make certain products. I walked on the floor to see the equipment in action. I spoke to some of the workers who set up the tanks, reactors, etc. I showed them the official formulas; they laughed. They had not followed those procedures in years, even though those were the official versions. The workers on their own made changes, in many cases, to save the company time, resources, etc., but had never informed the managers. Problematic. Worse still was the project I did on an air matter where some workers admitted they routinely took the barrels of spent material with low solvent content and dumped them in the next door wetlands. “But it was very diluted”, they said. I reported this to the manager, who was totally unaware, and he had to report this to the authorities. Be aware of what goes on. Bottom line: know your equipment and processes, not just by what the specs. say, but how it does in the field, too.

3. Listen to and Trust Your Consultant. I can’t tell you the number of times that I made a suggestion to a client and the person is not listening or assumes I have an ulterior motive. I can’t say every single consultant is straight forward, but the vast majority are. So it’s in your interest to listen to what he/she says and trust that he/she is looking after your best interests as understood. That doesn’t mean the engineer is right, but at least seriously listen to their suggestions and see the angle he/she presents.

4. Think About Different Perspectives. Every client has their own motives. We understand. Some truly are concerned with their company; some care only about getting the credit for a project well done; some like to wield power; some only care about saving money short-term. That is fine. Circumstances, corporate culture may dictate this. But at least, be open to different pictures that your engineer presents, such as “While this saves you cost now, it may lead to higher costs because …..” or “This project cannot proceed smoothly without the cooperation of _____ in _____ Dept.” Your engineer will likely offer you different perspectives and effects of options. Listen and consider them carefully. Yes, one may be more important, but you owe it to yourself to not dismiss other perspectives or side effects the engineer offers.

5. Challenge Your Engineers – with Facts. If a manager hires an engineer to do a project, there is nothing wrong with checking on and even criticizing his/her work, assumptions, sources, etc. Some engineers merely give a client (and an agency) numbers without any background. It is certainly your right to ask the engineer how the work was done. Similarly, it is OK to ask or criticize the assumptions made. What is important, however, is not to criticize for the sake of criticism, but with real curiosity and real facts. I had an emotional client once who often lashed out at me, critical of certain decisions I made on behalf of the client for work performed. When I sat down with him I showed him my assumptions and what my goals were in discussing the issue and the client understood, apologized and agreed. This is a productive exchange. However, being crass and angry and not giving your engineer a chance to respond is counterproductive.

CCES has the experts and experience to work with you to upgrade your processes for productivity and energy cost savings. Contact us today at 914-584-6720 or at karell@CCESworld.com.

Can We Meet the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Goals?

As many of us know, scientists believe we can still avoid the worst impacts of climate change if we can stop pumping so much greenhouse gases (GHGs) into the atmosphere. Nature will take care of itself in time and we will return to close to normal. The numbers cited is that worldwide we need to reduce GHG emissions by 80% from a 1990 baseline by 2050. In fact, a number of municipalities and other entities have “80 X 50” campaigns. Since most entities did not track GHG emissions in 1990, they pick a different baseline, but still wish to reduce by 80% to show they are doing their part.

But can the world do this? Of course, GHG emissions are tied to energy usage, particularly fossil fuel combustion. Using less energy and more of that energy from renewable sources will help. Lifestyle changes (less meat and dairy) should help, too. However, problems lurk.

Electricity usage will likely double by 2050.
Several commentators predict this and should not be a surprise as electricity production did double from 1990 to 2015. And with electrification being encouraged (electric cars, heat pumps replacing boilers), another doubling is quite conceivable. So while it will be nice to shut down fossil fuel-fired power plants for renewable power in the future, if we have such a future increase in electric demand, we may have to continue to hold onto old fossil fuel-fired plants for longer. Or can we prioritize the construction and utilization of renewable plants?

Increasing population and middle class.
The world’s population is expected to rise by at least 1½ billion between now and 2050. That’s not good to meet a goal of decreasing GHG emissions by 80%. But what’s worse is that the demographers state that many poor people already here will move to the middle class – perhaps as many as 2 billion. These people will go from low energy users, such as not owning a car, and few or no electric “toys” (TVs, computers, etc.) to having all these things. In other words, 2 billion more high energy users and high GHG producers. This is not hypothetical. Much has been reported of regions of China, India, Brazil, Russia growing a middle class, leading to increased electricity generation (and not necessarily from renewable sources), car ownership, and meat eating. How can we encourage economic growth, but do so in a sustainable way to not increase GHG emissions so much? And what about those of us who have access to electricity, but whose lifestyles are expansive and we can afford the latest “toys” or be more comfortable than past generations (air conditioner in every room, activated ahead of time from the office, bigger, fancier cars, etc.).

And there is the lack of political will to incorporate GHG reduction technologies and strategies across nations.

Well, I hope I haven’t depressed you and made you give up hope that climate change will cause mass destruction around 2050. Actually, I am an optimist. No, there will be adverse effects. But as an engineer, I believe in technology that not only reduces GHG emissions, but has other practical benefits, including saving costs that business leaders and the public will latch onto for our benefit.

Clean Fuels and Diversification.
In 1990, 99% of electricity was generated by fossil fuels plus hydro, and much of this was coal. Now, sustainable sources of power (solar, wind, etc.) and natural gas are upstaging coal and oil and the trends are likely to continue (see Nov. 2019 newsletter). It is now cheaper to build and operate a renewable power plant than a coal-fired one.

Energy Efficiency is a Mainstream Business Strategy.
It was not long ago that a person suggesting a company or plant be more energy efficient would be ignored. Energy was cheap; efficiency strategies expensive so that the cost could not be paid back. Plus, anything that might “mess with” the process was considered risky. It was considered OK to overpay costs, such as energy, to have a repetitive process.
This has changed. All the major business schools teach the importance of being more energy efficient and sustainable, in general. Many MBA degrees specialize in sustainability. Many current CEOs may not feel comfortable with these subjects, but the new generation sure does. Plus, there is more real-life examples of buildings that invested in energy efficiency or in sustainability and came out way ahead.

Localized Distributed Generation.
It used to be that electricity was produced by a huge power plant, perhaps hundreds of miles away, with electricity transmitted by lines. Losses during transmission were common, understood and accepted as normal. Now, there is a movement called distributed generation, encouraging construction of small generator plants closer to where the electricity is used – even at major sites themselves. Co-generation also yields steam which can have uses, both in comfort and in processes. This increased efficiency plus reduced losses as electricity is transmitted much shorter distances means much less fuel combusted and less GHG emissions to produce the electricity used all around.

Improved Farming Methods and Reduction in Meat/Dairy Consumption.
While the focus here is energy, certainly agricultural practices and methane released by tens of millions of cows kept alive (and emitting) to produce so much meat and milk we drink contribute to climate change. Even large farmers are incorporating practices which happen to increase yields and reduce GHG emissions. And certainly, there is a growing vegetarian/vegan movement, which can reduce GHG emissions some more.

Progress and awareness of strategies and technologies like these have a chance to lessen the blows of climate change, which will benefit all of us.

CCES has the experts to help you develop a sustainability and/or energy efficiency program to meet your climate change or other goals and reap the many benefits. Contact us today at 914-584-6720 or at karell@CCESworld.com.

Architect Invents Refugee Tents That Collect Rainwater and Store Solar Energy

As this decade of the 2010’s comes to an end, we can look back and see a number of upheavals around the world leading to many devastating humanitarian disasters. Perhaps the greatest example is the estimated 13.5 million Syrians displaced intermally or outside of Syria, many living in tents in inhospitable areas. Moved by this, the Jordanian-Canadian architect Abeer Seikaly developed a solution to help the lives of these refugees.

Living in tents, families are hard-pressed to have access to electricity, clean water, and basic sanitation. In addition, many refugees are forced to move; moving tents (and the contents in them) is challenging. Ms. Seikaly developed a unique tent design, called ‘Weaving a Home’, which uses a structural fabric composed of high-strength plastic tubing molded into sine-wave curves that can expand and enclose during different weather conditions for shelter and water collection. In addition, it can also be broken down to allow easier mobility and transportation.

This tent is unique as it can collect rainwater and have it used for showering. Rainwater is collected from the top of the tent and then filters down the sides to storage pockets. Given the issue of basic health and sanitation, having access to showers within their own tent will improve their health and quality of life.

Through its innovative engineering design, the tent can also absorb solar energy and transform it into electric energy, which is stored in special batteries.

The tent has not become commercially available yet, but she hopes final approval will occur soon and these tents can be made available for refugees soon after it is finalized. There have been difficulties in transforming the design into a product, ensuring that its capabilities such as water collection and solar energy collection work under real world conditions.

CCES has the experts to help your firm find and adapt the latest technologies to benefit your firm for energy or water conservation or environmental compliance. Contact us today at 914-584-6720 or at karell@CCESworld.com.

Climate Change Study Mandatory in Italy’s Schools

Italy will next year become the world’s first country to make it compulsory for schoolchildren to study climate change and sustainable development, Education Minister Lorenzo Fioramonti said. Fioramonti said all state schools would dedicate 33 hours per year, almost one hour per school week, to climate change issues starting next academic year. In addition, many traditional subjects, such as geography, mathematics and physics, will begin to be studied from the perspective of sustainable development. He stated: “I want to make the Italian education system the first education system that puts the environment and society at the core of everything we learn in school.”

He played a part in the government’s 2020 budget presentation which included taxes on airline flights, plastics, and on sugary drinks to address greenhouse gas emissions and other environmental issues. Surveys showed 70-80% of Italians backed taxing sugar and flights, as a way to discourage consumption which is harmful to the environment, while generating resources for schools, welfare, or lowering the income tax.

Fioramonti said the new government, which has gotten off to a shaky start with weeks of bickering over the budget, will only last if it enacts unique and brave actions, such as Climate Change curricula and taxes to discourage behaviors deemed bad for Climate Change.

CCES has the experts to keep you current on Climate Change laws and facts and can help you be on the right side of the Climate Change movement. Contact us today at 914-584-6720 or at karell@CCESworld.com.

Progress and Regress in Clean Energy

The International Energy Agency (IEA) recently published its annual World Energy Outlook (https://webstore.iea.org/world-energy-outlook-2019), a major report forecasting global energy trends to 2040. The report has changed its projections since last year, significantly increasing projected offshore wind farms, solar installations and battery-powered cars due to both the growing affordability of these technologies and progress of developing nations to progress toward clean energy goals. However, their rapid growth is not sufficient to slash overall global GHG emissions and meet reduction goals.

The report states that global GHG emissions will not decline as is needed but will continue to rise for the next 20 years, mainly because of the overall rise in demand for energy globally. While the rise in renewable energy is encouraging, it is not large enough to satisfy the extra demand. Fossil fuels will supply the rest of the demand.

Global consumption of coal is declining. The report notes that investment in new coal-fired power plants has dropped sharply recently. Renewable energy with battery storage is now a cheaper way to produce power and is predicted to surpass coal by 2030, rising to 42% of global generation. Natural gas will also cut into coal’s portion, which would drop to 34%. Coal will not go away, as hundreds of young coal plants will continue to operate to fulfill initial investments; policies to retire such plants early are not in place.

Solar power with battery storage is growing fastest of all renewables. However, offshore wind may make bigger gains in the near future. Land-based systems are difficult to approve, but major offshore projects are in the offing. Offshore wind is expected to supply as much as 18% of the European Union’s electricity by 2040 from the current 2%. Major new projects are planned for the U.S., China, South Korea and Japan.

The report states that the transportation sector has mixed news. Last year, 2 million electric cars were purchased globally, helped by declining costs, improved infrastructure (places to “fuel up”), and financial incentives. The IEA expects the electric car market to continue to grow; gasoline/diesel use for the transportation sector will peak by the mid-2020s. However, sales of large SUVs, which use more gasoline than conventional cars, has grown from 18% of passenger vehicles sold in 2000 to 42% today. If this continues, the report notes, it could negate much of the fossil fuel savings of the electric car boom. Carmakers are researching how to manufacture battery-powered versions of SUVs.

Another avenue to reduce GHG emissions is to improve the energy efficiency of buildings and vehicles through building codes and fuel economy standards. The report states that the energy intensity of the global economy improved by only 1.2%, a lower than usual rate. Many nations are weakening these policies, thinking this will lift their economy. In the US, the Trump administration plans to roll back light bulb standards.

The report also notes concerns about Africa, which is projected to grow over the next few decades at a faster pace than China did in recent years. If Africa supplies the energy for such growth with fossil fuel sources, then global GHG emissions could rise greatly. The African continent, researchers say, has greater potential than China and others for solar energy if it can be allowed to be developed properly.

CCES has the experts to help your company or building learn more about energy to become more efficient, save costs, and reduce GHG emissions. We can help you tap into existing incentive programs (which you may be paying into without realizing it) to pay some of the upfront costs and quicken the payback. Contact us today at karell@CCESworld.com or at 914-584-6720.