Moving Toward One Energy Future Part 1: Cheaper and More Abundant Renewables Posted January 18, 2017 by Evan Evans 2017 may be the year that the world finally gets serious about climate change and embraces the vision that there is only one viable, sustainable energy future. Consensus about carbon emissions reductions was formed among the nations participating in the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP21) in Paris. The commitments to a low-carbon future that emerged from Paris have now been translated into country-specific targets at COP22 in Marrakesh, Morocco. Together, these country targets lay out the road map by which the world’s people can collectively make aggressive reductions in carbon emissions and thereby achieve a manageable level of climate disruption. Many milestones in renewable energy have been reached in the past few years. For example, the delivered cost of renewable energy, in many cases, is now cheaper than energy delivered from fossil-fuel sources; and the amount of renewable energy capacity additions now exceed non-renewable capacity additions. Renewables are Getting Cheaper In Read More
An Introduction to Green Power Procurement Posted December 27, 2016 by Dan Sobrinski Green power is becoming an essential component of leading sustainability programs. Developing a strategy for green power procurement will help ensure that companies define and achieve their objectives in an efficient and cost-effective way. Seven distinct green power procurement options are explored in our white paper Green Power Procurement – Understanding the Options. All offer unique benefits and considerations and can be the basis for developing a strategy. For purposes of this article, we present a brief discussion of two green power options – power purchase agreements (PPAs) and utility green power products. Power Purchase Agreements PPAs are a contractual agreement used in the utility power sector for long-term purchase of electricity produced by a particular source of generation. For electricity producers, PPAs offer long-term revenue certainty with a credit-worthy purchaser that allows the project to attract capital investment. For electricity purchasers, PPAs offer a long-term supply of green power with Read More
Three things you should know about the Scope 2 guidance Posted December 20, 2016 by Eric Christensen At the start of 2016, World Resources Institute (WRI) and World Business Council for Sustainable Development released the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Protocol Scope 2 Guidance, an amendment to the GHG Protocol Corporate Standard. The guidance is intended to address gaps and concerns in past Scope 2 reporting such as consistency in Scope 2 calculation methodologies and minimum quality standards for Scope 2 energy and renewable energy purchases. Adapting your inventory to the new guidance may not be easy. With the guidance out since last year, reporting frameworks and third-party verifiers will expect to see it reflected in your 2015 inventory. CDP updated its annual climate change questionnaire to reflect the new guidance; The Climate Registry recently updated its General Reporting Protocol (Version 2.1). There are three major changes to the guidance that you should consider as you develop your inventory: 1. Dual Reporting. The most significant change is a requirement to report Read More
