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By Kritee

This post was co-authored by Kritee, Senior Scientist, International Climate; Richie Ahuja, Regional Director, Asia; and Tal Lee Anderman, Tom Graff Fellow – India Low-Carbon Rural Development

National Geographic's May cover story, “Feeding 9 billion,” offers valuable insights into how to feed a growing global population while reducing agriculture’s environmental impacts. But it omits some key connections with a critical issue: climate change.

Drought in the U.S. causes withering of corn. (Photo credit: Ben Fertig, IAN, UMCES)

As the Food and Agriculture Organization recently documented in great detail, climate change is likely to fundamentally alter the structure of food systems around the globe. With about 43% of the world’s population employed in agriculture, it’s vital that farmers have the knowledge and tools they need both to adapt to climate change and to help mitigate it.

Author Jonathan Foley, who directs the University of Minnesota’s Institute on the Environment, lays out several steps for “Feeding 9 billion.” Though he starts by acknowledging that agriculture emits “more greenhouse gases than all our cars, trucks, trains, and airplanes combined,” he doesn’t explicitly mention how his plan relates to a changing climate.

The first of his steps – halting conversion of additional forests and grasslands to agriculture – is crucial to stopping climate change, given the vast quantities of greenhouse gases released in these conversions. As the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report on mitigation noted, protecting forests and increasing carbon content of the soils can decrease global emissions by as much as 13 gigatons CO2eq/year by 2030 – more than a quarter of current annual global emissions.

Foley also highlights the need to reduce meat consumption, because only a very limited portion of calories consumed by animals yield edible food for humans, and to reduce food waste. According to the IPCC, these consumer-level steps have the potential to decease agricultural emissions by 60% below the current trajectory. While Foley didn’t acknowledge these mitigation potentials, we agree that these are important steps to feeding the world’s population and protecting our environment.

But it’s his steps calling for improving productivity – both by growing more food on existing farms, and by using fertilizer, water and energy more efficiently – where the interactions with climate are more complex and need special attention.

Foley rightly points out that to feed the world’s future population, more food needs to grow on existing farms. However, he doesn’t note that some of the effects of climate change – droughts, floods and heat waves in many parts of the world – are already reducing crop yields, and these effects and their consequences are expected to worsen.

The IPCC’s recently published 5th Assessment Report on adaptation concludes that:

• Climate change is already negatively affecting yields of crops and abundance of fish, and shifting the regions where crops grow and fish live
• Future changes in climate will increase competitiveness of weeds, making it difficult and more expensive to control them
• By 2050, changes in temperature and precipitation alone will raise global food prices by as much as 84% above food prices projected without these two climatic factors
• Major grains like wheat, corn, and rice could see as much as a 40% decrease in yield from a 20C increase in local temperatures. That’s because of the changing rainfall frequency and intensity, unpredictability and irregularity of growing seasons, and higher ozone levels that often accompany high CO­2 levels

To deal with these consequences and ensure food security and livelihoods, adaptation to climate change is essential. Indeed, adopting carefully chosen adaptation and resilience measures could improve crop yields as much as 15-20%. The IPCC recommendations include:

• Altering planting/harvesting dates to match the shifting growing seasons
• Using seed varieties that might be more tolerant of changing climatic patterns
• Better managing water and fertilizer use

A farmer training session, led by EDF’s partner NGO in India (Photo credit: Accion Fraterna)

Achieving high yields requires enabling farmers all over the world to adapt, build and restore the resilience of agricultural ecosystems in the face of continued climate change. Given that many farmers in developed countries have already reached what are currently maximum possible yields, it’s particularly urgent to work with farmers in the developing world.

A vast majority of these farmers in developing countries own small-scale farms (less than two acres in size) and have limited resources, and as a result are on the frontline of experiencing the unfolding impacts of climate change. These farmers are already growing the majority of the world’s food – more than 90% of the world’s rice, over 65% of its wheat and 55% of its corn. Notably, as opposed to our recommendations for farmers in the developed countries, some of them might need to increase their fertilizer use to achieve better yields as opposed to decreasing it. Feeding a world of 9 billion thus requires facing the disproportionate effect that climate change has on the 2 billion people who depend on small-scale farms for their livelihood.

The latest IPCC report also noted that the “nature” of the agriculture sector means:

“there are many barriers to implementation of available mitigation options, including accessibility to … financing, … institutional, ecological, technological development, diffusion and transfer barriers.”

We couldn’t agree more.

Many farmers, especially small scale land-owners in developing parts of the world, lack access to reliable scientific information and technology. In some cases, relevant information has not even been generated.

An Indian peanut farm where EDF is monitoring yield and greenhouse gas emissions. (Photo credit: Richie Ahuja)

For example, small-scale rice farmers in Asia lack access to information enabling them to determine what amounts of water, organic and synthetic fertilizer will optimize yields while also minimizing release of the greenhouse gases methane (which is 84 times more potent than carbon dioxide in the first 20 years after it is released), and nitrous oxide (which is nearly 300 times more potent than carbon dioxide). EDF is working with the Fair Climate Network in India and with Can Tho University and other partners in Vietnam to help generate that information and facilitate its use by farmers.

More generally, agricultural institutions at all levels – international, regional, national and local – need to work closely with farmers to learn and promote evidence-based, locally appropriate agricultural adaptation and mitigation technologies and practices. Farmer access to finance can further help improve the adoption rate of these technologies. Larger investments in farming infrastructure and science from government and private sector also need to be channeled to promote food security through low-carbon farming.

Our food system cannot achieve high yields without building and restoring the resilience of agricultural ecosystems, and the system won’t be sustainable if agriculture doesn’t do its part to mitigate climate change.

To feed 9 billion people, we must overcome barriers to reducing climate change’s effects on agriculture, and agriculture’s effect on climate.

By Marcelo Norsworthy

This year Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is celebrating the 10 year anniversary of its SmartWay program, a voluntary program created to help freight companies move more goods across more miles without the extra emissions. Texas boasts more than 180 SmartWay partners and affiliates, including Dell, AT&T, and BNSF Railway to name a few, that have made a commitment to improve fuel efficiency, reduce diesel consumption, and increase sustainability along transportation routes. These pledges have turned into action as SmartWay partners across the nation have saved $16.8 billion in fuel costs, reduced oil consumption by more than 120.7 million barrels, and reduced 51.6 million metric tons of carbon dioxide across the nation – that’s equivalent to taking over 10 million cars off the road every year.

EPA’s SmartWay program is a tremendous example of what can happen when businesses, government, non-profits, and associations come together in support of a common goal. Through the program, freight stakeholders are provided with tools to track their environmental performance and reduce fuel use from freight transportation activities. EPA then recognizes partners and affiliates for their active participation in the program and achievements in emissions reductions.

EDF has long been a supporter of SmartWay and helped develop the drayage truck component of the program in 2011. Drayage trucks, typically older and more polluting than long-haul trucks, operate in and around port areas and represent one of the largest sources of diesel emissions associated with ports. Considering Texas’ rapid population growth, air quality challenges in metro areas, bustling ports, and status as the top polluter in the nation, we need programs like SmartWay to lead the way toward a sustainable future.

This 10-year milestone is significant – but so is the work left to be done. We look forward to many more successful years for EPA’s SmartWay Program and the growing number of partners and affiliates that commit to driving economic and environmental achievements. Texas businesses and residents are counting on it!

By Marcelo Norsworthy

This year Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is celebrating the 10 year anniversary of its SmartWay program, a voluntary program created to help freight companies move more goods across more miles without the extra emissions. Texas boasts more than 180 SmartWay partners and affiliates, including Dell, AT&T, and BNSF Railway to name a few, that have made a commitment to improve fuel efficiency, reduce diesel consumption, and increase sustainability along transportation routes. These pledges have turned into action as SmartWay partners across the nation have saved $16.8 billion in fuel costs, reduced oil consumption by more than 120.7 million barrels, and reduced 51.6 million metric tons of carbon dioxide across the nation – that’s equivalent to taking over 10 million cars off the road every year.

EPA’s SmartWay program is a tremendous example of what can happen when businesses, government, non-profits, and associations come together in support of a common goal. Through the program, freight stakeholders are provided with tools to track their environmental performance and reduce fuel use from freight transportation activities. EPA then recognizes partners and affiliates for their active participation in the program and achievements in emissions reductions.

EDF has long been a supporter of SmartWay and helped develop the drayage truck component of the program in 2011. Drayage trucks, typically older and more polluting than long-haul trucks, operate in and around port areas and represent one of the largest sources of diesel emissions associated with ports. Considering Texas’ rapid population growth, air quality challenges in metro areas, bustling ports, and status as the top polluter in the nation, we need programs like SmartWay to lead the way toward a sustainable future.

This 10-year milestone is significant – but so is the work left to be done. We look forward to many more successful years for EPA’s SmartWay Program and the growing number of partners and affiliates that commit to driving economic and environmental achievements. Texas businesses and residents are counting on it!

Advisory panel gets preview of complex problems facing Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion project
By Mark Schleifstein, The Times-Picayune. May 1, 2014.
“An expert panel advising state officials on issues involving plans to build as many as 10 major sediment diversions along the Mississippi and Atchafalaya rivers…” (read more)

Morganza-to-the-Gulf levee protection system moves forward in Washington
By the Associated Press. April 30, 2014.
“The Morganza-to-the-Gulf levee protection system, which has inched its way along the federal authorization process for decades…” (read more)

Do you prepare for hurricane season? Take our survey; tell us when, how
By Andrea Shaw, The Times-Picayune. April 30, 2014.
“For agencies such as the Army Corps of Engineers and Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authority-West…” (read more)

Storm surge a serious threat from hurricanes
Margaret Orr, WDSU TV. April 30, 2014.
“There’s a saying, “Hide from the wind, and run from the water.” Evacuations are based on storm surge, not wind…” (read more)

Film laments oystermen's plight
By John Harper, The Daily Comet (Lafourche Parish, La.). April 30, 2014.
“At the New Orleans Art Museum Tuesday night, the bright blue skies of the Gulf of Mexico gave way to gnarled, dead carcasses of oysters…” (read more)

Advisory panel gets preview of complex problems facing Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion project
By Mark Schleifstein, The Times-Picayune. May 1, 2014.
“An expert panel advising state officials on issues involving plans to build as many as 10 major sediment diversions along the Mississippi and Atchafalaya rivers…” (read more)

Morganza-to-the-Gulf levee protection system moves forward in Washington
By the Associated Press. April 30, 2014.
“The Morganza-to-the-Gulf levee protection system, which has inched its way along the federal authorization process for decades…” (read more)

Do you prepare for hurricane season? Take our survey; tell us when, how
By Andrea Shaw, The Times-Picayune. April 30, 2014.
“For agencies such as the Army Corps of Engineers and Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authority-West…” (read more)

Storm surge a serious threat from hurricanes
Margaret Orr, WDSU TV. April 30, 2014.
“There’s a saying, “Hide from the wind, and run from the water.” Evacuations are based on storm surge, not wind…” (read more)

Film laments oystermen's plight
By John Harper, The Daily Comet (Lafourche Parish, La.). April 30, 2014.
“At the New Orleans Art Museum Tuesday night, the bright blue skies of the Gulf of Mexico gave way to gnarled, dead carcasses of oysters…” (read more)

By Megan Ceronsky

(This post was co-authored by EDF Attorneys Megan Ceronsky and Graham McCahan)

In a tremendous victory for clean air, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a landmark decision this week upholding the Cross-State Air Pollution Rule.

The high court found the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) rule to be a:

permissible, workable, and equitable interpretation of [the Clean Air Act]. (page 32 of the decision)

The Cross-State Air Pollution Rule is a common-sense and cost-effective framework to protect American communities from the dangerous air pollution that is emitted by coal-fired power plants and then carried by the wind from one state to another.

The Cross-State Air Pollution Rule implements the “good neighbor” provision of the Clean Air Act, which Congress put in place to address this problem.

The “good neighbor” provision requires each state to curb emissions from in-state power plants that interfere with the ability of downwind states to secure clean and safe air for their citizens.

By cutting the emissions that create smog and soot, the Cross-State Air Pollution Rule — when implemented – will avoid up to 34,000 premature deaths, prevent 400,000 asthma attacks, and provide up to $280 billion in health and environmental benefits each year.

Downwind communities will finally have cleaner, safer air to breathe.

This victory is only the latest in a series of court decisions upholding EPA’s actions to address harmful pollution from power plants as firmly grounded in law and science.

Just two weeks ago, for example, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit upheld the agency’s landmark standards to cut mercury and other toxic pollutants emitted by power plants.

The Mercury standards will eliminate 90 percent of the mercury emitted by coal-fired power plants. They will avoid 11,000 premature deaths each year while preventing thousands of heart attacks, bronchitis cases, and asthma attacks. They will also save up to $90 billion a year by reducing sick days and trips to emergency rooms.

As we look forward to the proposal of the Carbon Pollution Standards for power plants, we expect more of the same — common-sense, cost-effective standards, built on a solid legal foundation, which will finally curb climate-destabilizing emissions from the largest source of this pollution in our country.

The Supreme Court’s ruling made Tuesday a wonderful day for clean air.

We believe more good air days are yet to come.

By Megan Ceronsky

(This post was co-authored by EDF Attorneys Megan Ceronsky and Graham McCahan)

In a tremendous victory for clean air, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a landmark decision this week upholding the Cross-State Air Pollution Rule.

The high court found the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) rule to be a:

permissible, workable, and equitable interpretation of [the Clean Air Act]. (page 32 of the decision)

The Cross-State Air Pollution Rule is a common-sense and cost-effective framework to protect American communities from the dangerous air pollution that is emitted by coal-fired power plants and then carried by the wind from one state to another.

The Cross-State Air Pollution Rule implements the “good neighbor” provision of the Clean Air Act, which Congress put in place to address this problem.

The “good neighbor” provision requires each state to curb emissions from in-state power plants that interfere with the ability of downwind states to secure clean and safe air for their citizens.

By cutting the emissions that create smog and soot, the Cross-State Air Pollution Rule — when implemented – will avoid up to 34,000 premature deaths, prevent 400,000 asthma attacks, and provide up to $280 billion in health and environmental benefits each year.

Downwind communities will finally have cleaner, safer air to breathe.

This victory is only the latest in a series of court decisions upholding EPA’s actions to address harmful pollution from power plants as firmly grounded in law and science.

Just two weeks ago, for example, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit upheld the agency’s landmark standards to cut mercury and other toxic pollutants emitted by power plants.

The Mercury standards will eliminate 90 percent of the mercury emitted by coal-fired power plants. They will avoid 11,000 premature deaths each year while preventing thousands of heart attacks, bronchitis cases, and asthma attacks. They will also save up to $90 billion a year by reducing sick days and trips to emergency rooms.

As we look forward to the proposal of the Carbon Pollution Standards for power plants, we expect more of the same — common-sense, cost-effective standards, built on a solid legal foundation, which will finally curb climate-destabilizing emissions from the largest source of this pollution in our country.

The Supreme Court’s ruling made Tuesday a wonderful day for clean air.

We believe more good air days are yet to come.

Written by Dominique Browning

People say it takes a village to raise a child. I say it takes a village to raise a mom. Who does the bulk of that work? Grandmothers. Grandmothers guide us along life’s exhilarating and exhausting journeys. They are among the first to set a child’s moral compass. And they can be counted on, by all of us, for infinite resets, too.

After all the terrible news from the world’s most prestigious climate scientists about the impacts of carbon and methane pollution on our atmosphere, it is nice to have a reset of our moods — from a grandmother.

There’s excellent news in the air: First, an important win in the courts, upholding the important Mercury and Air Toxics Standards that will do so much to protect the developing brains, hearts, and lungs of our babies and children. Then, stunning news from the Supreme Court, upholding EPA’s right to regulate the pollution coming from coal plants in the Midwest and Appalachia, creating blankets of smog that waft out of states like Ohio and Kentucky — triggering waves of asthma attacks — into states like Maine and Tennessee.

The Supreme Court decision on the “good neighbor” regulation of coal pollution was written by Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. And yes, she’s a grandmother. Just sayin’.

The Cross-State Air Pollution rule crossed party lines from the beginning. “We don’t want Kentucky’s dirty air,” said Republican Tennessee Senator Lamar Alexander. “Nine million tourists [a year] come to see the Great Smoky Mountains, not the Great Smoggy Mountains.” Republican Senator and New Hampshire mom Kelly Ayotte, who bravely crossed party lines to join Senator Jeanne Shaheen in support of the rule during a Congressional attack, welcomed the Supreme Court decision on behalf of her downwind state.

I don’t understand why Kentucky allows itself to stand for Dirty Coal — at a time when coal companies themselves boast of being able to produce Clean Coal to their shareholders. My grandmother lived in Kentucky, and some of my most cherished memories are of spending time sitting in her lap, basking in her goodness. She valued honesty, decorum, kindness, and thrift. She certainly knew what it meant to be a good neighbor. She loved the outdoors–she loved spending time at the family farm. She never raised her voice. But she always made herself heard.

Moms Clean Air Force boasts a joyful number of grandmothers, judging from the comments we get. Women who care, women who are concerned about what we are leaving behind for the next generations, women who understand that we have a moral obligation to keep the village safe.

Mother’s Day is coming up, but I want to preempt it with a shout-out to the world’s grandmothers. You are our models: your passion, persistence, and power — tempered by years of reality checks — are beacons for us all.

Now, onto the Mother of All Pollution Battles — against the carbon and methane emissions that cause global warming. A grandmother’s work is never done.


TELL EPA YOU SUPPORT NEW LIMITS ON CARBON POLLUTION




orizontal drilling and fracking are now having an even bigger impact on domestic oil production.

By EDF Blogs

Source: National Retail Federation Flickr

Each month, the Energy Exchange rounds up a list of top clean energy conferences around the country. Our list includes conferences at which experts from the EDF Clean Energy Program will be speaking, plus additional events that we think our readers may benefit from marking on their calendars.

Top clean energy conferences featuring EDF experts in May:

May 11-13: 2014 American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy Energy Efficiency Finance Forum, Washington, DC

Speaker: Brad Copithorne, Financial Policy Director

• Designed specifically for investors, financiers, utilities, and policymakers, the Energy Efficiency Finance Forum will explore the latest opportunities in financing and investing in energy efficiency. Over the past seven years, the conference has grown to become one of the premier venues for discussions of energy efficiency financing policies, and an important networking opportunity.

May 12-14: Association of Energy Service Professionals Spring Conference, 2014, Baltimore, MD

Speaker: Holly Lambert, Office Manager

• This conference, featuring two days of speaker presentations, panel discussions, networking events and post-conference training courses, is designed for anyone in a position of managing, developing, implementing or marketing energy efficiency programs. Have you traveled down the well-trodden path in energy efficiency programs, and are now faced with “what’s next?” to achieve deeper energy savings? In this conference, AESP will explore the promising new paths charted by those developing new market segments, and utilizing new techniques and technologies.

Other top clean energy conferences across the U.S. in May:

May 5-6: 2014 Comverge Utility Conference, New Orleans, LA

• Utility executives, industry regulators, Comverge customers and partners, and other demand-side management professionals will attend the three-day event to share best practices, discuss industry trends and learn about the latest Comverge solutions. The theme of this year’s conference is “Engaging Customers. Discovering Solutions”, a reflection of the significant changes the energy management industry is currently undergoing, including the need for utilities to develop advanced customer engagement strategies, and the continued evolution of two-way communications technology that increases the effectiveness of demand response and energy efficiency programs.

May 5-8: AWEA Wind Power Conference and Exhibition 2014, Las Vegas, NV

• WINDPOWER is one of the most powerful gatherings of the wind energy industry in the world and registering as an event attendee is a perfect way to experience the wind industry for three full days of education, networking, and exhibition.

May 12-14: Association of Climate Change Officers Climate Strategies Forum, Washington, DC

• The Association of Climate Change Officers proudly launches its inaugural Climate Strategies Forum in conjunction with the recent publication of Core Competencies for Climate Change Officers (version 1.0). The Forum will feature prominent leaders from across sectors in a plenary format, and a series of half-day bootcamps aligned with the core competencies. Plenary sessions will focus on climate and energy, and bootcamps will focus on topics including adaptation planning, implementing change management schemes, implementing a greenhouse gases management structure, and building a public-private partnership project. Gina McCarthy of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will be speaking.

May 13-14: 2014 Deloitte Energy Conference, Washington, DC

• Dedicated to providing the energy industry with insights on emerging topics, Deloitte brings together energy executives, researchers, entrepreneurs, investors, and regulators from around the globe for an in-depth analysis of key developments and challenges facing today’s global and domestic energy markets. Speakers come from a cross-section of the world’s energy industry, and the conference topics are of keen interest to energy company management, boards of directors, investors, and all other industry professionals. This year’s theme is “A Global Industry…Competing Locally.”

May 19-21: The National Town Meeting on Demand Response and Smart Grid, Washington, DC

• The National Town Meeting on Demand Response and Smart Grid® is the premier event in the U.S. focused on the business and policy aspects of demand response and its enabling technologies and applications. It is unique in that it devotes an entire day to roundtable discussions featuring experts in demand response and smart grid, who discuss with each other and with the audience the latest trends, issues, and business developments. The National Town Meeting also features panel discussions, case studies, and presentations of best practices. Another hallmark is attendee engagement, whether through Q&A sessions with top business leaders and policymakers, through formal electronic voting, or through the National Town Meeting’s reception and other networking sessions.

May 20-21: 2014 Energy Efficiency Global Forum, Washington, DC

• In 2014, the Energy Efficiency Global Forum (EE Global) is poised to bring its proven brand of high-level networking, partnership building, and action inspiring energy efficiency discourse to Capitol Hill and beyond. EE Global is an invitation-only opportunity to join hundreds of executives and policymakers from across sectors, disciplines, and borders. The energy efficiency elite will convene in Washington, D.C. for two days with a goal of integrating effective policies and business practices into actionable plans for the next generation of energy efficiency.

By EDF Blogs

Source: National Retail Federation Flickr

Each month, the Energy Exchange rounds up a list of top clean energy conferences around the country. Our list includes conferences at which experts from the EDF Clean Energy Program will be speaking, plus additional events that we think our readers may benefit from marking on their calendars.

Top clean energy conferences featuring EDF experts in May:

May 11-13: 2014 American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy Energy Efficiency Finance Forum, Washington, DC

Speaker: Brad Copithorne, Financial Policy Director

• Designed specifically for investors, financiers, utilities, and policymakers, the Energy Efficiency Finance Forum will explore the latest opportunities in financing and investing in energy efficiency. Over the past seven years, the conference has grown to become one of the premier venues for discussions of energy efficiency financing policies, and an important networking opportunity.

May 12-14: Association of Energy Service Professionals Spring Conference, 2014, Baltimore, MD

Speaker: Holly Lambert, Office Manager

• This conference, featuring two days of speaker presentations, panel discussions, networking events and post-conference training courses, is designed for anyone in a position of managing, developing, implementing or marketing energy efficiency programs. Have you traveled down the well-trodden path in energy efficiency programs, and are now faced with “what’s next?” to achieve deeper energy savings? In this conference, AESP will explore the promising new paths charted by those developing new market segments, and utilizing new techniques and technologies.

Other top clean energy conferences across the U.S. in May:

May 5-6: 2014 Comverge Utility Conference, New Orleans, LA

• Utility executives, industry regulators, Comverge customers and partners, and other demand-side management professionals will attend the three-day event to share best practices, discuss industry trends and learn about the latest Comverge solutions. The theme of this year’s conference is “Engaging Customers. Discovering Solutions”, a reflection of the significant changes the energy management industry is currently undergoing, including the need for utilities to develop advanced customer engagement strategies, and the continued evolution of two-way communications technology that increases the effectiveness of demand response and energy efficiency programs.

May 5-8: AWEA Wind Power Conference and Exhibition 2014, Las Vegas, NV

• WINDPOWER is one of the most powerful gatherings of the wind energy industry in the world and registering as an event attendee is a perfect way to experience the wind industry for three full days of education, networking, and exhibition.

May 12-14: Association of Climate Change Officers Climate Strategies Forum, Washington, DC

• The Association of Climate Change Officers proudly launches its inaugural Climate Strategies Forum in conjunction with the recent publication of Core Competencies for Climate Change Officers (version 1.0). The Forum will feature prominent leaders from across sectors in a plenary format, and a series of half-day bootcamps aligned with the core competencies. Plenary sessions will focus on climate and energy, and bootcamps will focus on topics including adaptation planning, implementing change management schemes, implementing a greenhouse gases management structure, and building a public-private partnership project. Gina McCarthy of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will be speaking.

May 13-14: 2014 Deloitte Energy Conference, Washington, DC

• Dedicated to providing the energy industry with insights on emerging topics, Deloitte brings together energy executives, researchers, entrepreneurs, investors, and regulators from around the globe for an in-depth analysis of key developments and challenges facing today’s global and domestic energy markets. Speakers come from a cross-section of the world’s energy industry, and the conference topics are of keen interest to energy company management, boards of directors, investors, and all other industry professionals. This year’s theme is “A Global Industry…Competing Locally.”

May 19-21: The National Town Meeting on Demand Response and Smart Grid, Washington, DC

• The National Town Meeting on Demand Response and Smart Grid® is the premier event in the U.S. focused on the business and policy aspects of demand response and its enabling technologies and applications. It is unique in that it devotes an entire day to roundtable discussions featuring experts in demand response and smart grid, who discuss with each other and with the audience the latest trends, issues, and business developments. The National Town Meeting also features panel discussions, case studies, and presentations of best practices. Another hallmark is attendee engagement, whether through Q&A sessions with top business leaders and policymakers, through formal electronic voting, or through the National Town Meeting’s reception and other networking sessions.

May 20-21: 2014 Energy Efficiency Global Forum, Washington, DC

• In 2014, the Energy Efficiency Global Forum (EE Global) is poised to bring its proven brand of high-level networking, partnership building, and action inspiring energy efficiency discourse to Capitol Hill and beyond. EE Global is an invitation-only opportunity to join hundreds of executives and policymakers from across sectors, disciplines, and borders. The energy efficiency elite will convene in Washington, D.C. for two days with a goal of integrating effective policies and business practices into actionable plans for the next generation of energy efficiency.

By Michael Panfil

Resiliency+ is a new blog series, which highlights the ways in which different clean energy resources and technologies can play an important part in increasing energy resiliency in New Jersey and around the country. Check back every two weeks, or sign up to receive Energy Exchange blog posts via email.

Renewable energy, such as solar and wind power, provides clean and sustainable power to our electricity grid. But it also offers other benefits beyond environmentally-friendly electricity. Renewable energy can increase energy resiliency by keeping the lights on, including at critical facilities in the wake of a natural disaster. That’s why it has the potential to play a particularly pivotal role in New Jersey, which is vulnerable to vicious storms such as Superstorm Sandy.

Renewable energy, unlike other forms of energy, is less vulnerable to sustained disruption. Other, more traditional forms of energy, such as fossil fuels, require an input (coal, oil and gas, etc.) that needs to be shipped, often via pipeline, to create electricity, leaving them vulnerable to a natural disaster that might interrupt transport. On the other hand, renewable energy has the ability to generate stable, on-site power from sources such as solar and wind when it operates from a microgrid. A microgrid can generate power both connected to and independently from the main, centralized grid. They can vary in size, providing power to several city blocks or to an individual home, but microgrids have the unique potential to “island” from the main electricity system. This is important during and/or in the wake of a natural disaster like Superstorm Sandy because this autonomous electricity system is able to power local buildings regardless of whether or not the main electric grid is down.

The potential for renewable energy to improve resiliency is vast, and the opportunities are global.

The United Nations recently proposed using local renewable energy in the Philippines after typhoon Haiyan, stating that, “renewable local energy systems, such as solar, micro- and pico-hydro or local biomass systems, are less vulnerable to disruptions, not to mention being more affordable to run and more environmentally sustainable.”

An Obama administration report last year also called for increased system flexibility and resilience in the form of microgrids, renewables, and energy storage (such as large-scale batteries), with the grid facing more power outages “as climate change increases the frequency and intensity of hurricanes, blizzards, floods, and other extreme weather events.”

In New Jersey, the state’s Action Plan likewise stated that “technologies such as combined heat and power, fuel cells, and solar with storage proved extremely resilient following Superstorm Sandy.” This was in marked contrast to fossil fuel sources. The plan noted: “even those critical infrastructure assets reliant on diesel generators for back-up power experienced electric reliability issues, due to limitations on the availability of liquid fuel.”

Although the upfront cost of solar – particularly that which can island and function when the power grid goes down – remains a challenge in New Jersey, the state enjoys significant potential and recent progress. Beyond the steadily decreasing cost of solar power and energy storage, the state has proposed an Energy Resiliency Bank, which will help to fund these kinds of projects, while also spreading up-front costs throughout the lifetime of the renewable energy resource. Likewise, the state’s strong renewable portfolio standard, which requires 4.1 percent of all electricity to come from solar power by 2028 and roughly 20 percent to come from other forms of renewable energy by 2021, is helping to drive adoption of renewable energy. As of March 2014, 1,491 megawatts of solar energy have been installed, enough to power over 200,000 New Jersey homes.

Despite this progress, more can be done in New Jersey to make the state resilient with renewable energy. Much of the renewable energy that exists (and that could be added) has the potential to be ‘islanded’, for example, but is not yet equipped to do so. Likewise, renewable energy in combination with storage can provide even greater resiliency, about which we’ll go into greater depth later in this series. Regardless, the path towards a more resilient and sustainable energy future in New Jersey should include renewable energy as part of a larger portfolio of clean energy assets. This, in turn, will better prepare the state for natural disasters and reduce power loss in the future.

By Michael Panfil

Resiliency+ is a new blog series, which highlights the ways in which different clean energy resources and technologies can play an important part in increasing energy resiliency in New Jersey and around the country. Check back every two weeks, or sign up to receive Energy Exchange blog posts via email.

Renewable energy, such as solar and wind power, provides clean and sustainable power to our electricity grid. But it also offers other benefits beyond environmentally-friendly electricity. Renewable energy can increase energy resiliency by keeping the lights on, including at critical facilities in the wake of a natural disaster. That’s why it has the potential to play a particularly pivotal role in New Jersey, which is vulnerable to vicious storms such as Superstorm Sandy.

Renewable energy, unlike other forms of energy, is less vulnerable to sustained disruption. Other, more traditional forms of energy, such as fossil fuels, require an input (coal, oil and gas, etc.) that needs to be shipped, often via pipeline, to create electricity, leaving them vulnerable to a natural disaster that might interrupt transport. On the other hand, renewable energy has the ability to generate stable, on-site power from sources such as solar and wind when it operates from a microgrid. A microgrid can generate power both connected to and independently from the main, centralized grid. They can vary in size, providing power to several city blocks or to an individual home, but microgrids have the unique potential to “island” from the main electricity system. This is important during and/or in the wake of a natural disaster like Superstorm Sandy because this autonomous electricity system is able to power local buildings regardless of whether or not the main electric grid is down.

The potential for renewable energy to improve resiliency is vast, and the opportunities are global.

The United Nations recently proposed using local renewable energy in the Philippines after typhoon Haiyan, stating that, “renewable local energy systems, such as solar, micro- and pico-hydro or local biomass systems, are less vulnerable to disruptions, not to mention being more affordable to run and more environmentally sustainable.”

An Obama administration report last year also called for increased system flexibility and resilience in the form of microgrids, renewables, and energy storage (such as large-scale batteries), with the grid facing more power outages “as climate change increases the frequency and intensity of hurricanes, blizzards, floods, and other extreme weather events.”

In New Jersey, the state’s Action Plan likewise stated that “technologies such as combined heat and power, fuel cells, and solar with storage proved extremely resilient following Superstorm Sandy.” This was in marked contrast to fossil fuel sources. The plan noted: “even those critical infrastructure assets reliant on diesel generators for back-up power experienced electric reliability issues, due to limitations on the availability of liquid fuel.”

Although the upfront cost of solar – particularly that which can island and function when the power grid goes down – remains a challenge in New Jersey, the state enjoys significant potential and recent progress. Beyond the steadily decreasing cost of solar power and energy storage, the state has proposed an Energy Resiliency Bank, which will help to fund these kinds of projects, while also spreading up-front costs throughout the lifetime of the renewable energy resource. Likewise, the state’s strong renewable portfolio standard, which requires 4.1 percent of all electricity to come from solar power by 2028 and roughly 20 percent to come from other forms of renewable energy by 2021, is helping to drive adoption of renewable energy. As of March 2014, 1,491 megawatts of solar energy have been installed, enough to power over 200,000 New Jersey homes.

Despite this progress, more can be done in New Jersey to make the state resilient with renewable energy. Much of the renewable energy that exists (and that could be added) has the potential to be ‘islanded’, for example, but is not yet equipped to do so. Likewise, renewable energy in combination with storage can provide even greater resiliency, about which we’ll go into greater depth later in this series. Regardless, the path towards a more resilient and sustainable energy future in New Jersey should include renewable energy as part of a larger portfolio of clean energy assets. This, in turn, will better prepare the state for natural disasters and reduce power loss in the future.

By Michael Panfil

Resiliency+ is a new blog series, which highlights the ways in which different clean energy resources and technologies can play an important part in increasing energy resiliency in New Jersey and around the country. Check back every two weeks, or sign up to receive Energy Exchange blog posts via email.

Renewable energy, such as solar and wind power, provides clean and sustainable power to our electricity grid. But it also offers other benefits beyond environmentally-friendly electricity. Renewable energy can increase energy resiliency by keeping the lights on, including at critical facilities in the wake of a natural disaster. That’s why it has the potential to play a particularly pivotal role in New Jersey, which is vulnerable to vicious storms such as Superstorm Sandy.

Renewable energy, unlike other forms of energy, is less vulnerable to sustained disruption. Other, more traditional forms of energy, such as fossil fuels, require an input (coal, oil and gas, etc.) that needs to be shipped, often via pipeline, to create electricity, leaving them vulnerable to a natural disaster that might interrupt transport. On the other hand, renewable energy has the ability to generate stable, on-site power from sources such as solar and wind when it operates from a microgrid. A microgrid can generate power both connected to and independently from the main, centralized grid. They can vary in size, providing power to several city blocks or to an individual home, but microgrids have the unique potential to “island” from the main electricity system. This is important during and/or in the wake of a natural disaster like Superstorm Sandy because this autonomous electricity system is able to power local buildings regardless of whether or not the main electric grid is down.

The potential for renewable energy to improve resiliency is vast, and the opportunities are global.

The United Nations recently proposed using local renewable energy in the Philippines after typhoon Haiyan, stating that, “renewable local energy systems, such as solar, micro- and pico-hydro or local biomass systems, are less vulnerable to disruptions, not to mention being more affordable to run and more environmentally sustainable.”

An Obama administration report last year also called for increased system flexibility and resilience in the form of microgrids, renewables, and energy storage (such as large-scale batteries), with the grid facing more power outages “as climate change increases the frequency and intensity of hurricanes, blizzards, floods, and other extreme weather events.”

In New Jersey, the state’s Action Plan likewise stated that “technologies such as combined heat and power, fuel cells, and solar with storage proved extremely resilient following Superstorm Sandy.” This was in marked contrast to fossil fuel sources. The plan noted: “even those critical infrastructure assets reliant on diesel generators for back-up power experienced electric reliability issues, due to limitations on the availability of liquid fuel.”

Although the upfront cost of solar – particularly that which can island and function when the power grid goes down – remains a challenge in New Jersey, the state enjoys significant potential and recent progress. Beyond the steadily decreasing cost of solar power and energy storage, the state has proposed an Energy Resiliency Bank, which will help to fund these kinds of projects, while also spreading up-front costs throughout the lifetime of the renewable energy resource. Likewise, the state’s strong renewable portfolio standard, which requires 4.1 percent of all electricity to come from solar power by 2028 and roughly 20 percent to come from other forms of renewable energy by 2021, is helping to drive adoption of renewable energy. As of March 2014, 1,491 megawatts of solar energy have been installed, enough to power over 200,000 New Jersey homes.

Despite this progress, more can be done in New Jersey to make the state resilient with renewable energy. Much of the renewable energy that exists (and that could be added) has the potential to be ‘islanded’, for example, but is not yet equipped to do so. Likewise, renewable energy in combination with storage can provide even greater resiliency, about which we’ll go into greater depth later in this series. Regardless, the path towards a more resilient and sustainable energy future in New Jersey should include renewable energy as part of a larger portfolio of clean energy assets. This, in turn, will better prepare the state for natural disasters and reduce power loss in the future.

By Michael Panfil

Resiliency+ is a new blog series, which highlights the ways in which different clean energy resources and technologies can play an important part in increasing energy resiliency in New Jersey and around the country. Check back every two weeks, or sign up to receive Energy Exchange blog posts via email.

Renewable energy, such as solar and wind power, provides clean and sustainable power to our electricity grid. But it also offers other benefits beyond environmentally-friendly electricity. Renewable energy can increase energy resiliency by keeping the lights on, including at critical facilities in the wake of a natural disaster. That’s why it has the potential to play a particularly pivotal role in New Jersey, which is vulnerable to vicious storms such as Superstorm Sandy.

Renewable energy, unlike other forms of energy, is less vulnerable to sustained disruption. Other, more traditional forms of energy, such as fossil fuels, require an input (coal, oil and gas, etc.) that needs to be shipped, often via pipeline, to create electricity, leaving them vulnerable to a natural disaster that might interrupt transport. On the other hand, renewable energy has the ability to generate stable, on-site power from sources such as solar and wind when it operates from a microgrid. A microgrid can generate power both connected to and independently from the main, centralized grid. They can vary in size, providing power to several city blocks or to an individual home, but microgrids have the unique potential to “island” from the main electricity system. This is important during and/or in the wake of a natural disaster like Superstorm Sandy because this autonomous electricity system is able to power local buildings regardless of whether or not the main electric grid is down.

The potential for renewable energy to improve resiliency is vast, and the opportunities are global.

The United Nations recently proposed using local renewable energy in the Philippines after typhoon Haiyan, stating that, “renewable local energy systems, such as solar, micro- and pico-hydro or local biomass systems, are less vulnerable to disruptions, not to mention being more affordable to run and more environmentally sustainable.”

An Obama administration report last year also called for increased system flexibility and resilience in the form of microgrids, renewables, and energy storage (such as large-scale batteries), with the grid facing more power outages “as climate change increases the frequency and intensity of hurricanes, blizzards, floods, and other extreme weather events.”

In New Jersey, the state’s Action Plan likewise stated that “technologies such as combined heat and power, fuel cells, and solar with storage proved extremely resilient following Superstorm Sandy.” This was in marked contrast to fossil fuel sources. The plan noted: “even those critical infrastructure assets reliant on diesel generators for back-up power experienced electric reliability issues, due to limitations on the availability of liquid fuel.”

Although the upfront cost of solar – particularly that which can island and function when the power grid goes down – remains a challenge in New Jersey, the state enjoys significant potential and recent progress. Beyond the steadily decreasing cost of solar power and energy storage, the state has proposed an Energy Resiliency Bank, which will help to fund these kinds of projects, while also spreading up-front costs throughout the lifetime of the renewable energy resource. Likewise, the state’s strong renewable portfolio standard, which requires 4.1 percent of all electricity to come from solar power by 2028 and roughly 20 percent to come from other forms of renewable energy by 2021, is helping to drive adoption of renewable energy. As of March 2014, 1,491 megawatts of solar energy have been installed, enough to power over 200,000 New Jersey homes.

Despite this progress, more can be done in New Jersey to make the state resilient with renewable energy. Much of the renewable energy that exists (and that could be added) has the potential to be ‘islanded’, for example, but is not yet equipped to do so. Likewise, renewable energy in combination with storage can provide even greater resiliency, about which we’ll go into greater depth later in this series. Regardless, the path towards a more resilient and sustainable energy future in New Jersey should include renewable energy as part of a larger portfolio of clean energy assets. This, in turn, will better prepare the state for natural disasters and reduce power loss in the future.