This week in buildings, land and industry news, the municipal bans on new natural gas that have been overturned by courts are not slowing down as a result, E&E News by Politico reported. The earliest such bans, like that in Berkeley, Calif., were overturned, but activists have been trying to craft new policies that will stand up to legal scrutiny, according to the article. Getting rid of emissions from gas is key to some states’ midcentury climate goals, but it runs against the plain interest
of natural gas utilities and the broader industry.
Massachusetts is moving forward with recent state legislation that encourages natural gas utilities to start serving customers with alternative technologies. Eversource Energy serves natural gas customers in the state, and it recently stood up a pilot program in Framingham to serve customers with geothermal heat, Inside Climate News reports. Recent legislation encourages Eversource and other local delivery companies to move beyond pilots and start providing heating alternatives to customers in their territories.
Canary Media took a look at policies aimed at cutting the emissions profile of big buildings, highlighting policies being implemented in New York and St. Louis. The two cities are the first with building standards that will kick in shortly. By May, large building owners will have to submit data on energy performance. In total, nine local governments and four states have adopted similar energy performance standards.
With the change in presidential administration, some of the key policies around energy efficiency and decarbonization are up in the air, with CNET writing about how President-elect Trump and the GOP-run Congress might change tax credits. More than 1.2 million Americans took advantage of the residential clean energy tax credit in 2023, getting money back for solar panels, batteries and solar water heaters, while more than 2.3 million claimed the energy-efficient home improvement credit, which offsets the costs of efficiency upgrades and heat
pumps.
Philadelphia’s NPR station, WHYY, published a story about how 21 states had not been approved to start dispersing residential energy efficiency rebates received through the Inflation Reduction Act for heat pumps, electric stoves and insulation. Trump has vowed to repeal the IRA, but it is unclear how his administration would handle the rebate program. The states have pending applications that have not been approved by the Department of Energy.
Read other stories from this week’s Intelligence Report:
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Building DecarbonizationIllinois
Chicago powers 411 city buildings with 100 percent renewable energy, setting a major climate milestone. Nation of Change
International
The Ingka Group has a stated goal of reducing its negative climate impact by 85% by 2030, and moving away from dirty fuels will be a major part of accomplishing that plan. The Cool Down
Massachusetts
Underground pipes and wells tap geothermal energy to heat and cool a neighborhood. Next stop, the world. Environmental Health News
Massachusetts
Massachusetts' new law will help state move past natural gas system, as the utilities can now offer geothermal and other alternatives. Yahoo
New Hampshire
The Department of Environmental Services is accepting applications to reimburse schools, businesses, local and state government agencies and departments, and others for eligible diesel emissions reduction projects. New Hampshire Bulletin
U.S.
In New York City and St. Louis, innovative laws meant to curb emissions from buildings are kicking in this year. More states and cities will soon follow. Canary Media
U.S.
Local efforts to ban natural gas continue to move ahead around the country, despite industry wins in court. E&E News
Energy Efficiency
New Jersey
Feature-style exploration of the energy efficiency benefits that are available to New Jersey small businesses, with interviews of owners who have used them. njbmagazine.com
Ohio
Ohio legislators scuttle utility energy efficiency bill, despite growing demand in the state from data centers, etc. E&E News
U.S.
With Trump and the GOP being opposed to the IRA, the article looks into the chances that its tax credits - including for home efficiency upgrades - are overturned. CNET
U.S.
National Association of Home Builders and 15 state AGs (all GOP members) sue over new energy efficiency requirements HousingWire
U.S.
The complaint takes issue with the Act's "Energy Efficiency Standards" section, which imposes regulations when constructing new public housing and single-family and multifamily residential housing. Nebraska Examiner
U.S.
Some states application to spend IRA home energy efficiency $$ are still pending at DOE with little time left to approve them before Trump takes over. WHYY
U.S.
New materials change colors at specific temperatures, could be used to coat windows/paint and improve efficiency of buildings by blocking light absorption on hot days. The Cool Down
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CementInternational
Swedish cement producer Cemvision has referred to the milestone as an industry first, and is now able to combine hydrogen, plasma and resistive heating technologies to electrify at scale. Power Engineering International
Industrial DecarbonizationInternational
Greenland's abundance of renewable energy and cold climate makes it an ideal place for Trump to encourage American Bitcoin mining. Bitcoin Magazine
International
Matthias Rebellius says energy sourcing is one of the main factors holding back data centers, which provide computing power for AI models. The Wall Street Journal
International
As the use of artificial intelligence grows, the power demand from data centers is overwhelming the capabilities of existing renewable technologies. Sourceability
U.S.
Examining these considerations, including potential environmental concerns, equipment lifespan, energy load implications, and the overall impact of co-location are critical in determining the financial and practical viability of a development project. Husch Blackwell
U.S.
The closed-loop system continuously circulates water between servers and chillers like traditional water-cooling systems, but thanks to the temperature controls, it doesn't require a fresh water supply due to loss from evaporation. Network World
U.S.
The new measures will include establishing a competitive process for companies to build data centers on federal land, and steps to speed approvals for geothermal and nuclear energy development. DatacenterDynamics
U.S.
The energy that will power the booming data-center industry could end up increasing emissions, at least in the short term. The New York Times
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