Energy Utilities
Utilities Spending Less on Energy Efficiency Despite Higher Fuel Prices
A survey of major utilities reveals a link between states with strict efficiency standards and incentive programs and efforts to improve efficiency on the part of utilities.
Bipartisan Compromise in Arizona Results in Carbon-Free Energy Plan
The state of Arizona has a plan to eliminate carbon emissions from electricity generation by 2050.
New Jersey Has a Plan to Shift to Clean Energy, but Questions Remain
The state’s energy plan focuses on the move to renewable energy, but specifics about how that will happen and what the costs will be need to be pinned down.
The High Cost of Cool Air
Air conditioning has drastically changed modern life and the ways cities have developed. But, the environmental consequences are immense, and it’s time to cut back.
Mixed Results on Renewable Energy Initiatives
Two western states had very similar renewable energy initiatives on the ballot sponsored by NextGen America requiring utilities to get 50 percent of electricity by 2030. It passed in Nevada but was rejected in Arizona.
Arizona and Nevada to Vote on Renewable Energy Initiatives
Voters in two Western states next month will determine whether to require energy utilities to increase their share of electricity from renewable sources to 50 percent by 2030. In Arizona, the campaign has become the costliest in state history.
Utilities Still Catching Up to Public Opinion on Renewable Energy
Renewable energy enjoys broad public support—the utility industry is more skeptical.
Making Older Coal Power Plants More Efficient Without Making Them Cleaner
At the center of the EPA's newly proposed Affordable Clean Energy rule is doing away with a permitting process known as New Source Review that requires coal power plants to add scrubbers and other expensive pollution control equipment when upgraded.
South Carolinians Still on the Hook for Failed Nuclear Plants
“It has to be one of the greatest wastes of money in any state’s history,” Alan Greenblatt writes.
Solar Power Beats DOE Cost Targets Three Years Early
With a set of 2020 affordability targets met three years early, the DOE can turn its attention to reliability, resilience, and storage.
Large Michigan Utility to Go Coal-Free by 2050
Apparently Michigan's largest electricity supplier did not receive the Trump memo that the Clean Power Plan will be rolled back as they are proceeding on a plan that will achieve even higher carbon emission reductions.
Wyoming Law Would Penalize Utilities for Using Renewable Energy
Republican legislators in the state of Wyoming are choosing sides in the energy market—with dire consequences for consumers and the environment.
Southern California Power Grid Will Soon Back Up on a Tesla Battery
Tesla just won a competitive bid to supply utility-scale power in Southern California—providing security in the event of a catastrophe like the Porter Ranch methane leak.
A New Era in the U.S.: More Carbon Emissions from Transportation Than Utilities
Data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration shows that the total carbon emissions of the transportation sector is now greater than the carbon emissions of energy utilities.
Wind Turbines Likely Banned From Unincorporated Los Angeles County
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors acted against the recommendations of county planners in moving toward banning utility-scale wind energy production from unincorporated parts of the county.
The Sunny Places that Prohibit Solar Power
An examination of the challenges facing the solar industry in Southeastern states, like Virginia, South Carolina, and Florida, where utilities and governments have largely blocked residents and businesses from tapping their solar resources.
How Utilities Fail to Predict the Economic Effects of Environmental Regulation
A familiar refrain: the EPA proposes new regulation of energy production, and the utility industry responds that new requirements will increase costs. The Center for American Progress recently looked back at how clairvoyant those claims proved to be.
Distributed Solar Sparks ‘War of Business Models’
Threatened by the increasingly diverse electricity generation market, more utilities are pushing back on incentives for rooftop solar, such as net-metering credits.
Green Carrot Incentivizes More Efficient Buildings; Will Owners and Utilities Bite?
Felicity Barringer looks at an innovative program being tested in Seattle to incentivize commercial property owners to undertake major energy efficiency retrofits. A partnership between skeptical building owners, investors, and utilities is key.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
City of Albany
UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
City of Piedmont, CA
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research
