In response to pressure from the state’s new data centers, Duke Energy recently filed a pilot program with the North Carolina Utilities Commission requesting approval to directly sell renewable energy to “new” industrial customers in the state. This pilot program seems directly targeted to the new d … Read more

There is a popular notion that people find living near energy generation facilities undesirable.  There are concerns about health, odor, and aesthetics, to name a few.  But does living near electricity generation impact property values? Recently, researchers at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laborat … Read more

Last week, I spent an afternoon “clamming” in a Massachusetts estuary with my family. After a few hours of futile “raking,” a local resident told my dad and me that a commercial fisherman swept the area just the week before, and we were unlikely to find very many clams. He directed us toward an area … Read more

Local governments may find opportunities for economic development through energy programs and energy installations.  Some communities have even used energy installations to turn otherwise undesirable properties into economic opportunities. The town of Hull, Massachusetts is located on a peninsula in … Read more

Energy and sustainability programs can be important economic development initiatives for governments.  Governments interested in initiating energy efficiency and renewable energy programs for their business and industry should first learn about how those businesses and industry sites use energy. Two … Read more

Government-backed energy efficiency programs provide opportunities for all types of buildings to reduce their electricity consumption and save money—from single family residences and affordable housing facilities to small businesses and industrial plants.  These same energy improvements also have po … Read more

The USDA and the Department of Energy are helping rural communities  “…create jobs, grow markets for American-made products, reduce energy bills for families and businesses and make the American economy more competitive” by providing funding to promote energy efficiency. The USDA provides loan gua … Read more

In 1971 in South Korea, a public official presented a draft enforcement decree for the Pollution Prevention Law to the country’s cabinet.  The minister of the Economic Planning Board, also vice prime minister at the time, was not impressed, first calling the official an “idiot” and then further bera … Read more

Recycling rates across the state of North Carolina are on the rise. According to a NC DENR press release, “this occurred in spite of a weak consumer economy, a trend towards decreased weight of packaging, and the continued decrease in the circulation and size of newspapers. The report recognized Cat … Read more

Glenn Barnes is a Senior Project Director with the Environmental Finance Center based at the UNC School of Government.  A year ago, this blog post highlighted the work done by the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab to drive demand for home energy improvements. The Berkeley Lab staff have now come out wi … Read more