Recently in Efficiency Category

Oak Ridge National Laboratory recently announced it will replace its steam plant with a wood boiler and will take additional efficiency measures to cut energy and water consumption at the lab. ORNL anticipates the improvements will cut energy consumption by 50 percent and water usage by 23 percent. Wood for the boiler will be provided by suppliers within a 50 mile radius of the lab consisting primarily of waste wood from timber mills and pallet manufacturers. Completion of the project will occur in the next 2-3 years. More on this story can be found here.

In a press release, Toyota has announced that the newly built Mississippi manufacturing plant while original slated to produce the Toyota Highlander SUV, will instead produce the Toyota Prius. Siting increase demand for hybrids in North America, the plant will be Toyota's second hybrid producing plant. The company also announced a three-month suspension of production of the Tundra and Sequoia in their Alabama plant. No job losses were announced. The full press release can be found here.

In May 2008, the Brookings Institute released their report Shrinking the Carbon Footprint of Metropolitan America. The report quantifies transportation and residential carbon emissions in the 100 largest U.S. metropolitan areas in 2000 and 2005. According to the report, "Residential density and the availability of public transit are important to understanding carbon footprints, as were the carbon intensity of electricity generation, electricity prices, and weather." Metro areas east of the Mississippi were relatively worse in GHG emissions. And the South particularly, had the largest carbon footprints of any region in both 2000 and 2005. In addition to system-wide changes, such as pricing carbon, establishing and RFS, and increasing R&D, the report also offered more particular suggestions for reducing GHG emissions in metro areas. These policy options included:

• Promoting more transportation choices;
• Introducing more energy-efficient freight operations;
• Requiring home energy cost disclosure when selling and "on-bill" financing;
• Using federal housing policy to create incentives for energy and location efficient decisions; and
  
• Issuing a metropolitan challange to induce innovative solutions.

The full report can be found here.

The Southern Alliance for Clean Energy (SACE) recently released the report Cornerstones: Building a Secure Foundation for North Carolina's Energy Future. The report recommends North Carolina take specific policy steps to reduce carbon emissions by 60 percent in 2030. The recommendations fall under the four categories of energy efficiency, clean energy, pollution capture, and long-range planning. The full report can be found here.

Department of Transportation Secretary Mary Peters proposed a 4.5 percent per year increase in fuel efficiency standards for passenger and light truck vehicles from 2011-2015.  For passenger cars, the proposal would increase fuel economy from the current 27.5 miles per gallon to 35.7 miles per gallon by 2015. For light trucks, the proposal calls for increases from 23.5 miles per gallon in 2010 to 28.6 miles per gallon in 2015.

All told, the proposal will save nearly 55 billion gallons of fuel and a reduction in carbon dioxide emissions estimated at 521 million metric tons. The plan will save America's drivers over $100 billion in fuel costs over the lifetime of the vehicles covered by the rule, Secretary Peters said.

As required by Congress, the proposed rule allows for automakers to earn credits for exceeding Corporate Average Fuel Economy, or CAFE, serving as an incentive for companies to exceed these goals. The full proposal can be viewed here and the press release can be viewed here.

A survey of 700 American adults found that 37 percent of those polled named "fuel efficiency and alternative fuels" as the top priority for technological investment in the next 10 years. Fuel efficiency and alternative fuels received the most votes followed by medical (30%) and environment (14%). The survey was commissioned by the Fairfax County (Virginia) Economic Development Authority and conducted by Ipsos Public Affairs. Survey results can be found here.

The Environmental Protection Agency and the National Association of Manufacturers have signed a memorandum of understanding challenging manufacturers to reduce their energy consumption by 10 percent. The industrial sector comprises of one-third of U.S. energy consumption and one-third of U.S. carbon dioxide emissions. To cut energy use by 10 percent would save manufacturers over $10 billion and enough power to service over 10 million American homes. Under the MOU, EPA will "support NAM members in developing and refining company-wide energy management programs, share best energy management practices, provide training, and recognize the energy efficiency achievements of NAM members." The full press release can be found here.