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It may not feel like it here in Kansas City, but summer is right around the corner. For businesses looking to save on utility costs, that means implementing strategies for cooling commercial buildings. It seems that commercial buildings are more susceptible to higher energy use. This is because offices and commercial buildings have high indoor […]

What's the future look like for global renewable energy? The REN21 Renewable Global Future Report is a yearly assessment of the global market for renewable energy. The recently released report is a compilation of scenarios of what the global renewables industry would look like in 2050. Currently, renewables make up 17 percent of total energy. […]

While still in its beginning stage, companies and investors are beginning to meld together sustainability reporting with traditional financial reporting for their companies. Most sustainability reports contain information about the impacts and risks of sustainability strategies. But a growing movement is shaping up to push companies toward integrated reporting that combines conventional financial information along […]

The emerging green technology sector may be delivering the economic benefits its advocates have long said it would. According to a year-end report from Environmental Entrepreneurs, more than 300 new renewable energy or clean transportation projects, facilities projects, and facilities were announced in 2012, promising an estimated 110,000 new jobs. Sectors covered in the report include […]

As data increases and businesses are taking a proactive approach to energy savings, there's a growing opportunity to capture it with application software. Apps are a great way to monitor and make use of this data for consumers and professionals. The growth of apps in sustainability is all about data. "Energy, water, waste, toxics, carbon – […]

An analysis released by GTM Research and the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) found that 3,313 megawatts (MW) of solar photovoltaics was installed in the U.S. in 2012. The Solar Market Insight: Year in Review 2012 reported that the U.S. solar industry grew from $8.6 billion in 2011 to $11.5 billion in 2012. When broken down […]

The streets of Buffalo, New York are a little brighter these days. The city recently updated their street lighting to LED, increasing security, safety, and savings for the city. During 2011, commercial and institutional buildings, and street and highway lighting, consumed "about 275 billion kilowatt hours for lighting or 21 percent of commercial electricity consumed," […]

Ratings agency Standard & Poor has said that the renewable energy market shows a promising future for solar and wind technology. In fact, the oil and gas giant Shell forecasts that solar could become the world's largest primary source of energy by 2070. Take for example, Germany, which now has a cumulative capacity of 32.6 […]

The U.S. Department of Energy Technical Assistance Program (TAP) recently released an 11-step outline for public sector organizations to use in developing an energy benchmarking plan. Benchmarking is comparing a metered building's current energy performance with its energy baseline. It can help building managers compare performance over time or between similar types of buildings or to […]