SACRAMENTO (Dec. 19, 2019) – Two lighting industry trade associations are suing California in a desperate attempt to block the state’s updated light bulb efficiency standards from going into effect on January 1. The lawsuit puts at risk the billions of dollars Californians would save and millions of tons of climate pollution that would be avoided annually. The lawsuit by the National Electrical Manufacturers Association and the American Lighting Association, filed in U.S. District …

Perovskite materials can recycle light particles – a finding which could lead to a new generation of affordable, high-performance solar cells. Depiction of photon recycling inside the crystalline structure of perovskite. The study shows that perovskite can reabsorb photons that are regenerated inside the material, a feature which could enable researchers to break through the efficiency limits of existing solar …

NRDC’s Noah Horowitz explains new light bulb energy efficiency standards in California that are expected to cut the state’s annual electricity bill by more than $400 million. The California Energy Commission (CEC) made history again today when it set minimum energy efficiency standards for small diameter directional light bulbs used for accent, spot and track lighting that will be the …

Hydroelectric energy is the “backbone of clean power,” but an urgent need to improve efficiencies is driving engineers to explore a whirlwind of options Among alternative energy solutions, wind, solar, and hydrogen capture the majority of attention. Yet the combined output from these sources pales in comparison to that of hydroelectric power. Producing more than 4,300 TWh worldwide, hydroelectricity produces …

Today, the US Department of Energy (DOE) released two rules that continue the administration’s assault on common sense light bulb energy efficiency standards. The standards, scheduled to take effect in January 2020, would require most everyday light bulbs to achieve LED levels of energy efficiency, would save consumers billions of dollars, and would avoid millions of tons of carbon dioxide …

Solar powered products are everywhere these days taking away our need to plugin all of our energy needs. Solar security lights are a developing market for solar. By introducing a small charging panel to an exterior protected light with an on board battery home owners or business owners now have a way to secure their property with motion activated lights …

SCS Energy Solutions Announces The Completion of The LED Lighting Retrofit Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles (CHLA) LOS ANGELES, Feb. 14, 2017 /PRNewswire/ — Two multi-level parking garages and subterranean guest parking floors were upgraded to energy efficient lighting. Existing fixtures were retrofit with state of the art SCS lighting products, and in many locations out of date luminaires were completely replaced with …

February 02, 2017 Sheryl Carter Energy efficiency programs to help utility customers save energy (and money) have dropped markedly in cost, and they’re cheaper than building new power plants to meet electricity demand, according to a new analysis from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL). The findings are a fitting tribute to Art Rosenfeld, the Berkeley Lab scientist and “godfather …

 World Energy Council Energy Efficiency report applauds progress but seeks further commitment to deliver the promise Action to be stimulated at COP22 in Marrakesh Over the last 15 years’ energy efficiency improvements have saved the world 3.1 gigatonnes (Gtoe) of primary energy consumption and 7Gt of Co2, in 2014 equating to 23% of global energy consumption and 21% of global …

Conservation measures at Coleman, Fla., facility to exceed federal mandates for water and energy reductions, expected to save $79 million over 19 years  Constellation  today announced that it has been awarded a contract by the Federal Bureau of Prisons to implement $45 million in water and energy conservation measures and install a 2-megawatt (DC) solar generation project at the Federal …

Solar is experiencing over-the-top popularity among US homeowners; energy efficiency not so much. But what if state programs made solar a subset of energy efficiency? That’s the recommendation of an intriguing paper released August 19 by the Center for Sustainable Energy. The California non-profit tried to tease out what it takes to motivate solar customers to pursue energy efficiency.  Homeowners run the …

Energy efficiency advocates have argued for years that energy efficiency should be a first fuel – considered before others in portfolio planning.  Today, they appear victorious with the release of the US’ first-ever carbon dioxide restrictions for existing power plants. The draft rule places energy efficiency in good position to be a top choice as states set strateagies to meet …

It’s never a bad thing to have the leader of the free world in your corner. And President Barrack Obama made clear again last week that he’s with energy efficiency. At a Walmart in Silicon Valley, Obama laid out his next round of green energy expansion plans. Sexy solar got much of the play in the media coverage. But staid …

There is nothing like a blast of frigid weather – and an energy shortage – to wake up the US consumer to the economic value of energy efficiency. We were caught almost napping this winter, drowsy in the confidence that we are awash in plenty of oil and natural gas. True, the US is in the middle of an energy …

Commercial building owners have been lamenting the loss of a popular energy efficiency tax break that ended with the New Year. But it turns out they still may be able to use it. Section 179D of the Energy Policy Act, (EPACT) offers up to $1.80 per square foot for energy efficiency improvements to building envelope and lighting, along with heating, ventilation …

With California’s strict new guidelines for LED lighting, manufacturers are working to come up with lights that provide both energy savings and lighting quality. As they work to improve their technologies, we’re seeing LED lights that can be used for many, if not all, applications. That’s the word from Mike Watson, vice president of corporate marketing for the manufacturer Cree. The company has released …

The Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE, Soitec, CEA-Leti and the Helmholtz Center Berlin jointly announced today having achieved a new world record for the conversion of sunlight into electricity using a new solar cell structure with four solar subcells. Surpassing competition after only over three years of research, and entering the roadmap at world class level, a new …

Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania have demonstrated a new mechanism for extracting energy from light, a finding that could improve technologies for generating electricity from solar energy and lead to more efficient optoelectronic devices used in communications. Dawn Bonnell, Penn’s vice provost for research and Trustee Professor of Materials Science and Engineering in the School of Engineering and Applied …

The energy efficiency  industry is mad for data, especially anything that will give insight into what spurs consumers to save energy or buy green products. But unfortunately, not all data is good data and some leads the industry astray. Take for example the oft-cited surveys that consumers are willing to pay more for green energy. This led several utilities to …

A pretty big wad of money – $40 billion – is hiding somewhere inside the lights, AC, thermostats, furnaces and fans of our offices, stores, hospitals and schools. That’s the amount of money the federal government estimates we can save annually by reducing energy use in commercial buildings 20 percent by 2020. To achieve the goal, the Obama administration in …