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By Jeffrey Moe
Global Director, Energy Policy & Advocacy,
Center for Energy Efficiency and Sustainability at Ingersoll Rand
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- Do you agree that these two policy examples would encourage the adoption of sustainable practices?
- Are there any negative aspects to increased adoption of corporate energy efficiency policies?
- Would these policies be helpful for corporations of all sizes? How can policy provide support to smaller organizations looking to expand their sustainable business practices?
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"While improved energy efficiency—and policies that encourage it—are a good thing, the actual goal is to eliminate greenhouse gas emissions. And while it seems logical that improved energy efficiency will lead to reduced [greenhouse gas] GHG emissions,
the impact will likely be less than assumed because of the 'Rebound Effect,'
also known as Jevons Paradox. Jevons Paradox simply says the more efficiently a commodity is used, the higher the total use of the commodity will be....
There is a way around Jevons Paradox:
If the efficiency improvement is done in response to fee or tax on the commodity
, then the cost of using the commodity in the more efficient manner will not cost less than before and demand for the commodity will go down. So,
a better way to promote improved energy efficiency is to implement a carbon pricing policy
that continually increases the cost of using fossil fuels."
"
I agree that the end goal is to solve the climate change issue. While Energy Efficiency by itself does not get us there,
we have seen how energy efficiency has helped de-link economic growth in the US and overall energy demand.
In the last decade, In the past decade, US GDP has grown 20% while overall energy demand has only grown 2.2%. The power sector has made slightly better progress with ~2% reduction since 2010. In addition,
energy efficiency is an investment that delivers positive returns
on investment today, which is important as other climate mitigating technologies mature.
So,
I see energy efficiency as an early investment opportunity that helps us progress in the right direction now.
"
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Jeffrey Moe
, Global Director, Energy Policy and Advocacy, Center for Energy Efficiency and Sustainability at Ingersoll Rand
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Manhattan Institute
July 10, 2019
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Sustainable Development Solutions Network
July 8, 2019
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Podcast Spotlight
In
this episode
of
Energy Policy Now
, from the Kleinman Center for Energy Policy, former Nuclear Regulatory Commission Chairman Allison Macfarlane discusses four decades of failed efforts to find a permanent disposal solution for America's civilian nuclear waste.
She also discusses new thinking, based on successful disposal efforts in the military and overseas, that might make it possible to reach a workable solution here in the U.S.
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Update from Congress
Hearings
- Fri, July 12 - The House Committee on Energy and Commerce, Subcommittee on Energy, held the hearing, "Keeping the Lights On: Addressing Cyber Threats to the Grid" with witnesses from the U.S. Department of Energy, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, and the North American Electric Reliability Corporation.
- The House Natural Resources Committee held a hearing on the future of the federal coal program with witnesses from the National Mining Association, the Northern Plains Resource Council, and others.
New Legislation
- Thurs, July 11 - Senators Cory Gardner (R-CO) and Michael Bennet (D-CO) introduced cybersecurity legislation to protect the electricity grid: the Enhancing State Energy Security Planning and Emergency Preparedness Act (S. 2094) and the Enhancing Grid Security through Public-Private Partnerships Act (S. 2095).
Resolutions, Letters, Caucuses
- Mon, July 15 - Last week, Senator Mazie Hironi (D-HI) and 21 other senators sent a letter to Dr. James Reilly, the Director of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), to express their concern over recent reports that the USGS will only utilize climate models that project the effects of climate change through 2040 instead of through the end of the century.
- Tues, July 9 - Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) introduced a resolution in both chambers of Congress to declare "that there is a climate emergency which demands a massive-scale mobilization to halt, reverse, and address its consequences and causes." See further coverage from Reuters.
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Facts & Figures
(Animated)
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Click on the chart above to see this animated "bar chart race" visualization of U.S. electricity generation by energy source shared from 1949 to 2019 (through April), as well as six main conclusions.
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Featured Events This Week
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Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- When: Thurs-Fri, July 18-19
- Where: Sheraton Philadelphia Society Hill Hotel, One Dock Street (2nd and Walnut St), Philadelphia, PA 19106
Washington, D.C.
- When: Wed, July 17, 10:00 a.m.-3:30 p.m.
- Where: Ronald Reagan Building, 1300 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, D.C. 20004
- When: Wed, July 17, 10:00 a.m.-11:30 a.m.
- Where: 406 Dirksen Senate Office Building
- When: Wed, July 17, 2:00 p.m.-3:30 p.m.
- Where: 2318 Rayburn House Office Building
- When: Wed, July 17, 2:00 p.m.-3:30 p.m.
- Where: Center for Strategic and International Studies, 1616 Rhode Island Avenue, NW, Washington, D.C. 20036
To see a more comprehensive list of energy events across the United States, visit the OEP
Events Calendar.
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The Our Energy Policy Foundation is a non-partisan, 501(c)(3) non-profit and does not have or endorse any specific political, programmatic, policy, or technological agendas, but rather seeks to encourage a broad discussion of all points of view. OurEnergyPolicy.org's mission is
to facilitate substantive, responsible dialogue on energy policy issues and provide this dialogue as a resource for the public, policymakers, and the media.
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