Energy Management and Renewable Energy Newsletter

News and Updates:

NCTCOG Regional Energy Management Activities Wrap Up
Utility-Scale Solar is Becoming More Widespread in Texas
More Trees Can Help Dallas Keep It's Cool
ULI Research Explores Impact of Rising Temperatures, Excessive Heat on Urban Development
Department of Energy Releases Annual Wind Market Reports
Department of Energy Announces $64 Million for Research on Plants and Microbe
EPA Finalizes 3 Distinct Rule Makings
EPA Estimated the Health Benefits per-Kilowatt Hour of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
The Transportation Sector Consumes More Petroleum than All Other Sectors Combined
ULI Research Explores Impact of Rising Temperatures, Excessive Heat on Urban Development

Events and Webinars:

National Drive Electric Week - September 21st
North Texas Facilities Expo - September 25th and 26th
The Annual US Renewable Power Conference - October 22nd and 23rd
Texas Energy Summit - November 12th through 14th
Webinar: Capturing More Value from Distributed Resource Combinations - September 10th
Webinar: Portfolio Manager 101 - September 11th
Webinar: Discovering Energy Savings with Treasure Hunts - September 12th
Webinar: How 2 Midwest Hospitals are Partnering with DOE to Beat Energy Reduction Goals - September 17th
ATEM Online CoAsk the Experturse: Modules 3&4 - September 17th
Webinar: Ask the Expert - September 18th
Webinar: Portfolio Manager 201 - September 18th
Webinar: Portfolio Manager 301 - September 24th
Webinar: Saving Water in Restrooms with WaterSense - September 25th
CELC Webinar: Energy + Equity - September 26th

Regional Energy Management Activities Wrap Up

On August 28th, NCTCOG held the last two of four regional energy management workshops that were developed in response to a regional energy survey conducted in February. Each workshop was designed to address the top needs and interests expressed in the survey by our members. In addition to hosting the workshops, NCTCOG published new digital resources on the Conserve North Texas website and created three local-government case studies. To learn more about the recent workshops, read on.

Workshop Recap: Facility Retrofits to Reduce Overall Energy and Water Consumption
The Facility Retrofits to Reduce Overall Energy and Water Consumption workshop explored the benefits of implementing facility retrofits to buildings to reduce overall energy and water consumption. Compared to other energy-consuming infrastructure, buildings have longer economic lifespans and are one of the most affordable ways to cut emissions, even when compared to the agriculture and transportation sectors. This makes the benefits of facility retrofits both a financial and environmental win-win. At this workshop, participants learned about low/no cost reduction measures ranging from behavioral and operational practices to more long-term maintenance and operations measures such as LED lighting and HVAC retrofits, Energy Management Control Systems, and thermal storage.

Workshop Presentations:

Workshop Flyers & Handouts:

Workshop Recap: Energy Preparedness and the Energy Supply

The Energy Preparedness and the Energy Supply workshop explored various ways local governments can reduce their demand on the grid while properly integrating energy efficiency into resilience planning. Topics included combined heat and power (CHP) for resiliency, the benefits of utility coordination in emergency planning as well as alternative fuel vehicles and technologies to increase resiliency.

Workshop Presentations:

Workshop Flyers & Handouts:

Learn more about Energy Management Activities here: https://www.nctcog.org/envir/natural-resources/energy-efficiency

Utility-Scale Solar is becoming more Widespread in Texas

ERCOT released a one page report on growth of utility-scale solar resources. Generally speaking, Texas gets a lot of sunshine, however certain parts of the states get consistently have less cloud cover. This impacts how solar power can be produced. "Nearly 16,000 MW of the capacity under study is in West Texas, where fewer clouds tend to result in better solar availability." The other half possible projects are dispersed throughout other areas of the state.

Read the full report here: http://bit.ly/2UafMdl

More Trees Can Help Dallas Keep It's Cool

After months of discussion and over half a year of fundraising, Dallas officially got the green light for it's Forestry Plan. The Texas Trees Foundation (a non-profit dedicated to enhancing urban forests in Texas) has raised $230,000 for this plan. A 2015 study found that in addition to keeping the city cooler, the trees also save the city money. More than 9 million dollars was saved in 2015 due to the city of Dallas' 14.7 million trees. By 2020 Dallas is hoping to see large scale-scale tree-planting.

Read the full article: http://bit.ly/3483XZT

ULI Research Explores Impact of Rising Temperatures, Excessive Heat on Urban Development

According to the European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service, this past July was the hottest month on record. The rising temperatures are already affecting urban development and will continue to do so unless mitigation strategies are adopted. A new ULI report highlights some of the strategies that can help, as well as stating some key observations, and spotlighting some of the benefits that can be achieved. Benefits such as $1 billion dollars could be saved if all commercial buildings in the United States switched from dark to light roofs. The report also highlighted several case studies of developments that have incorporated extreme heat mitigation strategies. Sundance Square Plaza of Fort Worth and Bagby Street in Houston were amoung those highlighted.
Read more about the article here: http://bit.ly/33RB4Rv
Read ULI's full report here: http://bit.ly/33VzFcO

Department of Energy Releases Annual Wind Market Reports

The Department of Energy released three annual reports that document data trends in wind installations, technologies, costs, prices and performance through the end of 2018. The United States collectively stands at 1,127 MW from over 83,000 wind turbines, and the offshore wind industry has a pipeline of 25,824 MW. The Wind Technologies Market Report, Distributed Wind Market Report, and Offshore Wind Market Report were the three reports released. These reports found that Texas installed the most capacity in 2018 with 2,359 MW, remaining the "clear leader" with almost three times the amount of the next highest state, Iowa. Texas also continues to lead the way in taking steps to reduce curtailment, even as wind penetration increases.

Read the full story here: http://bit.ly/34nrXZ8

Department of Energy Announces $64 Million for Research on Plants and Microbes

The Department of Energy has announced $64 million dollars in funding for 25 university-led research projects. The genomics-based research will help development of crops for bioenergy. The plant research focuses on expanding knowledge of gene function in plants and the microbe research aims at better understanding how communities of microbes cycle nutrients in soil and the environment. "This research will help us improve crops grown for bioenergy and bioproducts while at the same time deepening our knowledge of complex and interacting biological processes within specific environmental systems."
Read the full article here: http://bit.ly/2TZLDxh

EPA Finalizes 3 Distinct Rule Makings

Three separate and distinct rule makings were finalized by the EPA. The first of these repealed the Clean Power Plan (CPP) because it was determined that the CPP exceeded the EPA's statutory authority under the Clean Air Act (CAA). Second, the EPA finalized the Affordable Clean Energy rule (ACE),that will inform states on the development, submittal and implementation of state plans to establish performance standards. Finally, the APS is finalizing state implementation of ACE and any future emission guidelines issued under CAA section 111(d) for the EPA. These will be effective September 6, 2019.

For more information, please visit http://bit.ly/33zEo3v

EPA Estimated the Health Benefits per-Kilowatt Hour of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy

EPA has developed a set of values that estimate the outdoor air quality-related public health benefits of investments in energy efficiency and renewable energy. These values will be helpful for:

State and local energy, air quality, or public health agencies
Public utility commissions
Industry organizers
Non-government Organizations
Other researchers

For more information on the health benefits calculations, see the technical report.

Read the full article here: http://bit.ly/2TE3U3c

The Transportation Sector Consumes More Petroleum than All Other Sectors Combined

The Department of Energy's fact of the week for August 12, 2019 was a study on the Transportation Sector. This sector is the leading consumer of petroleum and consumption has increased threefold between 1950 and 2018. That is an increase from 6.5 million to 30.5 million barrels a day.

See the graph below, and for more information visit: http://bit.ly/2Tz3U4p
Or check out the May 2019 Monthly Energy Review

National Drive Electric Week

Experience what it means to drive electric at this year’s National Drive Electric Week 2019.
This is an opportunity to get an up-close view of electric vehicles and talk to owners who have made the switch from gasoline-powered cars. Event attendees will learn how EV owners continue all of their daily routines, plan road trips, and commute to work without visiting a gas station.
NDEW 2019 will be held from 10 am to 2 pm Saturday, September 21 at Dallas Area Rapid Transit’s North Irving Transit Center. This new location will allow people to access the event via public transportation from the nearby Irving Convention Center Station. And if they want to arrive using zero emissions, attendees can ride their bikes, combining active transportation with transit.
This event represents the largest showcase of EVs in Texas each year and the second-largest in the country. And this year is no different. Organizers expect up to 200 electric vehicles.
Bring the whole family out to learn about electric vehicles from real North Texas EV owners and enthusiasts and be part of the rEVolution!

Did we mention prizes? We’ll have those too! Follow @nctcogtrans on Facebook and Twitter, for more details!

Date: Saturday September 21, 2019
Time: 10:00 am - 2:00 pm
More info: https://www.dfwcleancities.org/ndew

North Texas Facilities Expo

North Texas Facilities Expo provides a unique selling opportunity – it is the only combined facilities, maintenance, and green building event in the region! By exhibiting, you can reach a targeted audience of influential facilities managers, maintenance managers and energy managers. This will be our 15th year in the North Texas Region; as in the past, North Texas Facilities Expo will attract attendees from leading commercial, industrial, government and institutional facilities in the area. Don’t miss this opportunity of reaching existing customers, targeting new prospects, and showcasing your products to a wide audience of local decision makers!
There will be:

Educational Conference Session
Managing Green Buildings Sessions
Meetings with Exhibitors
Networking with Peers

Admission to the Exhibit Floor and Conference is FREE!

Date: September 25th & 26th
More info: https://www.fent.facilitiesexpo.com/exhibitor-info

The Annual US Renewable Power Conference

tegration Renewables into Power Generation & Financing conference is coming to Dallas, TX to provide an overview of the power generation industry moving towards a greener future. With the uncertainties surrounding power generation, reducing environmental footprints and developing a greener and a more renewable future, this event will bring together key figures from power utility, governmental organisations, technology/solution providers, and financial institutes to better understand the power industry and how to achieve the EPA’s vision of a more environmentally friendly future.

Date: October 22nd and 23rd
Register here: https://lmnpower.com/pass/irpg-financing-conference-pass/

Texas Energy Summit

The Texas Energy Summit is in its 16th year as the leading energy conference specifically focused on Texas. In 2019, the Summit will be held at the Texas State Capitol, November 12-14 where we will explore the latest market, policy, and technology changes in the energy industry. The Texas Energy Summit is the place for conversations on renewable energy, energy efficiency, sustainable transportation, carbon capture, energy storage, and air quality.

Date: November 12th -14th, 2019
More info: https://texasenergysummit.com/

Webinar: Capturing More Value from Distributed Resource Combinations

Much has been written about the value of solar photovoltaic (PV) generation, but PV systems are limited in the services and value streams they can provide. When PV is combined with other distributed energy resources, however, new opportunities for synergy arise. These opportunities can make the total value of combining PV with another distributed resource — including energy storage, electric vehicles, demand response, or energy efficiency — greater than the sum of the values of each component alone.

Join this webinar to look more in depth at the types of value streams that combinations of distributed energy resources can create and consider how best to compensate the owners of these resources. The discussion will examine use cases that demonstrate why customers might consider pairing resources such as solar and storage, and provide a roadmap for capturing more of the full value of these pairings.

Date: September 10th, 1:00 pm CST
Registration

Webinar: Portfolio Manager 101

Join this webinar for an introduction and demonstration of the core functionality of EPA’s ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager tool. Attendees will learn how to: navigate Portfolio Manager; add a property and enter details about it; enter energy and water consumption data; and generate template performance reports to assess progress.

Attend this webinar if you’re interested in:
• Portfolio Manager
• Getting started with
• Generating reports

Date: September 11th, 12:00 pm CST
Registration

Webinar: Discovering Energy Savings with Treasure Hunts

During this webinar, you'll hear from two ENERGY STAR partners that have used Treasure Hunts as a way to improve day-to-day operations and engage building operators and employees in "discovering" treasure in their facilities.

During an Energy Treasure Hunt, groups of people walk around a building looking for opportunities to save energy. Treasure Hunts focus on quick fixes with a short payback period. Hundreds of organizations have used Energy Treasure Hunts to reduce their facilities' energy use by 7 to 15 percent

An overview of new resources available from EPA to help your organization plan and host a successful Treasure Hunt in time for Energy Awareness Month this October will be provided.

Attend this webinar if you’re interested in:
• Energy management

Date: September 12th, 12:00 pm CST
Registration

Webinar: Ask the Expert

Join this live webinar that gives all users an opportunity to ask their questions directly to EPA experts in an open forum. Want to talk to a "real" person? Have a question about how Portfolio Manager calculates your score? Want to learn more about entering Green Power? Get the answer to all your questions about ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager in this public forum.

Attend this webinar if you’re interested in:
• Portfolio Manager
• Getting started with benchmarking
• Solutions to your unique questions

Date: September 18th, 11:00 am CST
Registration

Webinar: Portfolio Manager 301

With a good background on the basic functionality of EPA’s ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager tool, learn about some advanced features including: using spreadsheet upload templates to update property data; setting goals and targets to plan energy improvements for properties; creating custom reports; and using the Sustainable Buildings Checklist.

Attend this webinar if you’re interested in:
• Portfolio Manager
• Setting goals for energy improvement
• Custom reports

Date: September 24th, 12:00 pm CST
Registration

Webinar: Saving Water in Restrooms with WaterSense

Water use in restrooms and laundries can account for nearly 40 percent of water use within a facility. Join this webinar to learn about water-efficient operation and maintenance practices and retrofit and replacements options that can help reduce water and energy use in public and private bathrooms and commercial laundries. Find out how using WaterSense labeled and ENERGY STAR qualified products in these areas can significantly reduce your facility operating costs.

Attend this webinar if you’re interested in:
• Water efficiency

Date: September 25th, 12:00 pm CST
Registration