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From state to state, the issue of energy efficiency as a viable, essential practice is cropping up. At the 2008 National Regulatory Conference held at the University of William & Mary’s Marshall-Wythe School of Law, I served on a panel that focused on what the Commonwealth of Virginia can do to increase energy efficiency, particularly programs that relate to the utility industry. As the energy needs of Virginia residents and businesses grow, legislation turns to energy efficiency; in particular we discussed last year’s energy legislation in Virginia and the need for a new regulatory framework that places cost recovery and incentives for energy efficiency programs at the same levels utilities receive for building generation assets. At the 5th Annual North Carolina Sustainable Energy Conference, the topic was geared more toward policy initiatives. In my address following Governor Mike Easley’s Welcome Speech, I described how the Perfect Storm – gasoline prices, global warming, and energy security – will drive legislatures, both state and federal, to enact more energy efficient laws. And what about the federal government – what are they doing to alleviate the looming energy crisis? Quite a lot, really. In addition to the impressive strides taken by Chief Administrative Officer Dan Beard to enact Nancy Pelosi’s Green the Capitol campaign, the question of energy efficiency within our government provokes great discussion. I served as the Provocateur (otherwise known as a moderator who both moderates and “provokes” dialogue with the audience) of an interactive dialogue panel on Government Going Green. The panel included David Bibb, Deputy Administrator, as well as Raymond Cline, Vice President of EDS; Larry Vertal, Vice President of AMD and Board Member of the Green Grid; and Mike Zatz of EPA’s Energy Star program. My conclusion? The nation’s leaders are well poised to walk the walk, and are developing solutions to reducing data center energy consumption through a smart public-private partnership. At the Ukraine-US Energy Dialogue III - Energy Policy Forum, I was a “featured speaker” on the history and potential of energy efficiency in Ukraine. In terms of GDP, Ukraine is not only less energy efficient than its neighbors, but also very dependent on them for energy resources: 75% of its fuel comes from Russia. I discussed how Ukraine can stimulate energy efficiency through policy, capacity and awareness (e.g., training, the forming of national agencies, and cross-platform partnerships), and financing, and noted some of the work the Alliance and its Associates are doing in the Ukraine. Moving further East in topic, I spoke as part of a panel at the 2008 Northeast Asia Energy Outlook, sponsored by the Korea Economic Institute, where I presented a piece on Energy Efficiency Initiatives in China. Energy needs here rising in a big way: China has overtaken the U.S. as the world’s biggest emitter of CO2 through fossil fuel consumption and industrial processes. Yet through studies undertaken by two DOE laboratories (Oak Ridge, and National Energy Technology Laboratory) as well as Lawrence Berkeley National Lab – not to mention various summits and conferences, China is striving to meet its 2010 energy/GDP reduction target. |
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