Expanding the Pool of Federal Policy Options to Promote Industrial Energy Efficiency

Expanding the Pool of Federal Policy Options to Promote Industrial Energy Efficiency
Author:
Publisher:
Total Pages:
Release: 2011
Genre:
ISBN:

Improving the energy efficiency of industry is essential for maintaining the viability of domestic manufacturing, especially in a world economy where production is shifting to low-cost, less regulated developing countries. Numerous studies have shown the potential for significant cost-effective energy-savings in U.S. industries, but the realization of this potential is hindered by regulatory, information, workforce, and financial obstacles. This report evaluates seven federal policy options aimed at improving the energy efficiency of industry, grounded in an understanding of industrial decision-making and the barriers to efficiency improvements. Detailed analysis employs the Georgia Institute of Technology's version of the National Energy Modeling System and spreadsheet calculations, generating a series of benefit/cost metrics spanning private and public costs and energy bill savings, as well as air pollution benefits and the social cost of carbon. Two of the policies would address regulatory hurdles (Output-Based Emissions Standards and a federal Energy Portfolio Standard with Combined Heat and Power); three would help to fill information gaps and workforce training needs (the Superior Energy Performance program, Implementation Support Services, and a Small Firm Energy Management program); and two would tackle financial barriers (Tax Lien Financing and Energy-Efficient Industrial Motor Rebates). The social benefit-cost ratios of these policies appear to be highly favorable based on a range of plausible assumptions. Each of the seven policy options has an appropriate federal role, broad applicability across industries, utilizes readily available technologies, and all are administratively feasible.

Effects of Federal Policy on the Implementation of Energy-efficient Industrial Technologies

Effects of Federal Policy on the Implementation of Energy-efficient Industrial Technologies
Author:
Publisher:
Total Pages:
Release: 1979
Genre:
ISBN:

The National Energy Act of 1978 contains several policy provisions to accelerate the implementation of energy-efficient industrial technologies. Among these are measures related to the energy-efficiency labeling of certain industrial equipment, a study for Congress on the possible effects of performance standards for energy efficiency, the establishment of industrial energy conservation tax credits, the regulation of public utilities to promote cogeneration, and the expansion of the industrial energy conservation reporting program. In some respects these policies may act independently to promote greater industrial energy efficiency. In other respects the conservation that results from one policy may affect the impact of another measure. Thus, the researcher can never totally abstract one aspect of the analysis from the others. This work discusses this larger sphere of analytical interplay while focusing on each policy option separately.

Green Savings

Green Savings
Author: Marilyn A. Brown
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
Total Pages: 210
Release: 2015-09-29
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN:

This landmark work lauds the benefits of decreased energy consumption, investigating its relationship to public policy and analyzing its potential billion-dollar benefits to the U.S. economy. U.S. consumers tend to use energy indiscriminately—something they may no longer be able to do with impunity. This game-changing book asserts that reducing energy consumption should be a frontline strategy to address global climate change, threats to energy security, and the challenge of grid reliability. The book supports two bold arguments: that policies motivating greater investment in high energy efficiency should be a priority, and that energy efficiency can help the nation in times of crisis. To make their case for the necessity of prioritizing demand reduction, the authors examine the policies and markets operating in a number of leading cities, states, and nations across the globe to uncover the keys to their success. These examples show how demand-side strategies can significantly reduce pollution, cut costs, and make the electric grid more resilient. The authors explain why these technologies are not widely adopted and assess the potential savings they can produce. The book will be an eye-opener for policymakers, energy professionals, and the public as it demonstrates how cost-effective demand reduction policies can improve air quality, strengthen electricity markets, and generate jobs.

Climate of the Southeast United States

Climate of the Southeast United States
Author: Keith Ingram
Publisher: Island Press
Total Pages: 358
Release: 2013-11-12
Genre: Science
ISBN: 1610914392

Prepared for the 2013 National Climate Assessment and a landmark study in terms of its breadth and depth of coverage, Climate of the Southeast United States is the result of a collaboration among three Regional Integrated Sciences and Assessments Centers: the Southeast Climate Consortium; the Carolinas Regional Sciences and Assessments; and the Southern Climate Impacts Planning Program; with contributions from numerous local, state, federal, and nongovernmental agencies to develop a comprehensive, state of the art look at the effects of climate change in the region. The book summarizes the scientific literature with respect to climate impacts on the Southeast United States, including 11 southern states to the east of the Mississippi River, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands; reviews the historic climate, current climate, and the projected future climate of the region; and describes interactions with important sectors of the Southeast and cross-sectoral issues, namely climate change mitigation, adaptation, and education and outreach. Rich in science and case studies, it examines the latest climate change impacts, scenarios, vulnerabilities, and adaptive capacity and offers decision makers and stakeholders a substantial basis from which to make informed choices that will affect the well-being of the region’s inhabitants in the decades to come.