Message from our ceo
Our country is steadily moving to a clean energy future. In the best of American traditions, competitive markets are spurring innovation and delivering big economic and health benefits for all of us…
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Message from our ceo
Our country is steadily moving to a clean energy future. In the best of American traditions, competitive markets are spurring innovation and delivering big economic and health benefits for all of us: Residents in multifamily housing are saving money every month from more efficient buildings. Our cars and trucks go farther on a gallon of gas, with less pollution. Solar industry growth last year created jobs at a rate 20 times faster than the national average, bringing low-cost electricity to more and more homes and businesses. 73,000 people now work in the growing U.S. wind industry.
As clean energy prices continue to drop, it just makes good business sense for leading U.S. companies to invest in renewables and energy efficiency. Walmart has more on-site installed solar capacity than any other company in America. Apple, Facebook, Microsoft, Google, Yahoo, and other tech leaders are investing in clean energy—in some cases powering their data centers with 100 percent renewables. In response to consumer demand for cheaper electricity, Lennar Homes is building communities where every house is equipped with affordable solar power. General Motors and Tesla say that, thanks to advances in technology, within two years each will offer a family-friendly electric vehicle with a 200-mile range and a roughly $30,000 price tag.
American innovation is driving the clean energy economy and serving the public good. New investments in cutting-edge technologies provide local jobs, reduce electric bills, and clean the air and water—for today’s children and future generations. And they help curb climate change.
At the Energy Foundation, staff energy experts use their experience and industry knowledge to make grants to organizations working to accelerate the transition to a clean energy economy. We are immensely proud of our grantees—and grateful to our foundation partners for making this work possible.
I hope you enjoy our 2014 annual report.
Eric Heitz CEO and Co-founder
Investments Deliver Jobs, Healthier Air
America’s most successful companies are investing in renewable energy because it’s good for business. Markets are growing, costs have dropped, and reliable, affordable clean energy is the new normal.
At Apple, renewable energy powers 100 percent of U.S. operations and data centers, and 87 percent of global operations. Facebook Inc. set a goal of running half its operations with clean energy by the end of 2018. And renewables—including wind—power 35 percent of Google’s operations.
“Because energy is a large operating expense at Google, it is beneficial to power the data centers with low-cost wind power,” Director of Data Center Energy Operations Gary Demasi told Utility Dive in April 2015.
Walmart, the world’s largest retailer, now has more installed solar capacity than any other company in America—by far. Nearly 26 percent of its electricity needs globally are provided by renewable energy.
IMAGE: Think Progress
U.S. companies seek low-carbon future
Thirteen American companies took the American Business Act On Climate Pledge in July 2015. As part of the pledge they acknowledged that, “accelerating the transition to a low-carbon economy will produce multiple benefits with regard to sustainable economic growth, public health, resilience to natural disasters, and the health of the global environment.”
Each company outlined measures they’ll take to reduce their emissions, increase low-carbon investments, deploy more clean energy, and other actions. For example, Berkshire Hathaway Energy committed to double-down on its investment of more than $15 billion in renewable energy generation under construction and in operation through 2014 by investing up to an additional $15 billion.
“It’s part of our business plan to increase energy efficiency and renewable energy.”Kevin Gardner Senior Director of Global Responsibility Communications for Walmart
“It’s part of our business plan to increase energy efficiency and renewable energy,” says Kevin Gardner, Senior Director of Global Responsibility Communications for Walmart. “Every project we undertake has to have a return on investment, and those projects must meet established financial targets.”
As demand for renewable energy increases, so does the workforce needed to build, deliver, and service it. In 2014, solar industry jobs grew at a rate 20 times higher than the employment growth in the overall economy. Wind-related jobs grew to 73,000 across fields such as development, siting, construction, transportation, manufacturing, operations, and services.
As the maps in this section show, companies are investing in wind and solar projects all around the country because it’s good for business. The economic and health benefits they bring—jobs and cleaner air, for example—serve the public good.
U.S. companies seek low-carbon future
Thirteen American companies took the American Business Act On Climate Pledge in July 2015. As part of the pledge they acknowledged that, “accelerating the transition to a low-carbon economy will produce multiple benefits with regard to sustainable economic growth, public health, resilience to natural disasters, and the health of the global environment.”
Each company outlined measures they’ll take to reduce their emissions, increase low-carbon investments, deploy more clean energy, and other actions. For example, Berkshire Hathaway Energy committed to double-down on its investment of more than $15 billion in renewable energy generation under construction and in operation through 2014 by investing up to an additional $15 billion.
U.S. companies SUCH AS Walmart, Kohl’s, Costco, Apple, AND Ikea have embraced solar energy. COLLECTIVELY, THEY have 1,110 systems totaling 569 megawatts.
Go to www.seia.org to Find out more
U.S. Wind capacity by state
GM and Tesla alike to offer $30,000 electric vehicles
that will go hundreds of miles on a charge.
Cleaner Cars Mean Consumer Savings
Cars and trucks are getting more efficient and going farther on a gallon of gas, thanks to fuel economy standards. Rules passed in 2012 require passenger vehicles to average 54.5 miles per gallon by 2025 and reduce by half the carbon pollution that causes climate change.
Standards that cover model years 2012 through 2025 are projected to save consumers more than $1.7 trillion in fuel costs and reduce America’s dependence on oil by more than 2 million barrels per day in 2025.
Some of the technological advances spurred by the standards include lighter-weight materials, more efficient engines and drive trains, and advanced designs for plug-in hybrids and electric vehicles (EVs).
One of America’s earliest automakers, General Motors, and the country’s newest car company, Tesla, plan to debut EVs in the next two years that will get 200 miles on a charge, with target prices of $30-$35,000. The designs will showcase American innovation—and competition—as they incorporate game-changing technology. Car-buyers are ready.
The average driver will save about $8,000 net over the lifetime of a model year 2025 car compared to a model year 2011 car.
“The message from consumers about the Bolt EV concept was clear and unequivocal: Build it,” said General Motor’s North America President Alan Batey in early 2015. The car will be manufactured at the company’s Detroit-area Orion Assembly plant, which is powered by gas from two nearby landfills, and a large, 350-kilowatt solar installation.
U.S. auto start-up Tesla says it will deliver its Model 3 EV in mid-2017. Its power will come from batteries produced in the new Tesla Gigafactory in Nevada. With a price tag in the $35,000 range, the Model 3 is expected to get at least 200 miles per charge.
Even more impressive: Plug these electric cars into a home powered by solar panels—and you’re practically driving on sunshine.
Cleaner cars = a healthier America
About half of all Americans live in places that don’t meet federal air quality standards. Passenger vehicles and heavy-duty trucks are the main sources of this pollution, according to the Union of Concerned Scientists.
Poor air quality increases respiratory ailments such as asthma and bronchitis, heightens the risk of life-threatening conditions like cancer, and burdens our health care system with substantial medical costs. Particulate matter is singlehandedly responsible for up to 30,000 premature deaths each year.
Cleaner transportation fuel, like electricity or hydrogen, will help clean our air for today’s children and future generations.
Making sure everyone benefits from EVs
California sold its 100,000th electric vehicle in 2014 . The Charge Ahead coalition is a pioneering effort to get 1 million electric vehicles on the state’s roads over the next 10 years. With a focus on social equity, the group wants to ensure that all state residents—especially lower-income households in communities most impacted by air pollution—benefit from zero tailpipe emissions.
The campaign is working with state agencies to provide access to clean transportation in disadvantaged communities through new car-sharing programs, financing options that would lower combined monthly car payments and fuel costs, and incentives for the replacement of gas-guzzling “clunkers” with electric cars or vouchers for transit and car-sharing.
Charge that EV with solar power
Electric vehicles save money at the pump and help curb air pollution because they’re not fueled by gasoline. The best-case scenario, however, is when an EV is charged with electricity provided by renewable energy instead of the fossil fuels that power the grid in most areas of the country.
Homeowners who install solar can get even more bang for the buck out of their rooftop systems when they use them to charge the family EV—especially during off-peak hours. Businesses around the U.S. are building solar-topped parking structures that charge employees’ EVs during the workday.
Charge that EV with solar power
Electric vehicles save money at the pump and help curb air pollution because they’re not fueled by gasoline. The best-case scenario, however, is when an EV is charged with electricity provided by renewable energy instead of the fossil fuels that power the grid in most areas of the country.
Homeowners who install solar can get even more bang for the buck out of their rooftop systems when they use them to charge the family EV—especially during off-peak hours. Businesses around the U.S. are building solar-topped parking structures that charge employees’ EVs during the workday.
Cleaner cars = a healthier America
About half of all Americans live in places that don’t meet federal air quality standards. Passenger vehicles and heavy-duty trucks are the main sources of this pollution, according to the Union of Concerned Scientists.
Poor air quality increases respiratory ailments such as asthma and bronchitis, heightens the risk of life-threatening conditions like cancer, and burdens our health care system with substantial medical costs. Particulate matter is singlehandedly responsible for up to 30,000 premature deaths each year.
Cleaner transportation fuel, like electricity or hydrogen, will help clean our air for today’s children and future generations.
Fuel economy standards
In the Year 2025
The fleet-wide average will be
0 MPG
A family that purchases a new vehicle in 2025 will
SAVE
0
in fuel costs when compared with a similar vehicle in 2010.
Consumers will have SAVED
0 TRILLION
at the pump over the life of the program.
Over the life of the program, the standards will
SAVE
0
Billion barrels
of oil.
ELIMINATE
0
Billion metric tons of carbon dioxide pollution.
Homebuyers demand clean, efficient energy
Energy efficiency and clean power make American homes more comfortable while costing less to maintain. Rooftop solar cuts electricity bills, as do LED lights, energy-saving appliances, smart home-management systems, and weatherization.
Lennar, one of the nation’s largest homebuilders, is responding to consumer demand for solar with a program that includes solar technology as a standard feature in hundreds of communities across the country.
Lennar’s program outfits every home in the community with a solar power system designed to generate 60 to 70 percent of the home’s anticipated electricity needs. Buyers put no money down for the system and are guaranteed to never pay more than retail for the clean energy produced on their roofs.
“New home buyers want the latest in technology, comfort, and design—at competitive prices,” says Emily Frager of SunStreet Energy Group, the Lennar subsidiary that created and operates the solar program. “By leveraging Lennar’s scale and production efficiency, we’re able to hit the sweet spot where consumer desirability and economic viability converge.”
“It’s good for buyers, good for us, good for the economy, and good for the planet,” says Frager. “Those things are not mutually exclusive.”
This multifamily housing is affordable—and efficient
Aeon, one of Minnesota’s largest developers and managers of affordable housing, is finishing work on The Rose, a 90-unit mixed-income complex designed to be 75 percent more energy efficient than code requirements. Among its features: a solar thermal wall that produces hot water while also serving as an architectural feature. The building is also solar photovoltaic-ready to bring it closer to net zero energy.
Residents will enjoy lower utility bills and a healthier living environment.
“It is sound business to develop properties that reduce energy use, can stay affordable for residents, and function optimally over time,” says Alan Arthur, Aeon’s CEO.
“It’s good for buyers, good for us, good for the economy and good for the planet. Those things are not mutually exclusive.”Emily Frager Chief Marketing Officer of SunStreet Energy Group
Thriving solar industry means jobs in East L.A.
Homeboy Industries in Los Angeles provides hope, training, and support to formerly gang-involved and previously incarcerated men and women, allowing them to become contributing members of the community. That includes covering the costs for clients to enroll in the Photovoltaic Training program at East Los Angeles Skills Center and providing hands-on installation experience through a partnership with nonprofit GRID Alternatives.
“Close to 1,000 Homeboy clients have been trained since we started the program in 2008,” says Thaddeus Skiles, solar program coordinator. “We graduate over 92 percent of our candidates and place more than 70 percent of them within 90 days of graduation. Every member of the latest class of 19 students is now working.”
- PHOTO:
- GRID Alternatives
Job trainees from Homeboy Industries' solar program help install solar for a low-income family in Long Beach, Calif., through a partnership with nonprofit GRID Alternatives.
This multifamily housing is affordable—and efficient
Aeon, one of Minnesota’s largest developers and managers of affordable housing, is finishing work on The Rose, a 90-unit mixed-income complex designed to be 75 percent more energy efficient than code requirements. Among its features: a solar thermal wall that produces hot water while also serving as an architectural feature. The building is also solar photovoltaic-ready to bring it closer to net zero energy.
Residents will enjoy lower utility bills and a healthier living environment.
“It is sound business to develop properties that reduce energy use, can stay affordable for residents, and function optimally over time,” says Alan Arthur, Aeon’s CEO.
Better performance,
lower energy use
Average energy use of major appliances in the U.S. (kWh/yr)
Energy Use per Year (kWh/yr)
*What appears to be an uptick is due to a change in test methods. The trend in efficiency actually continued.
- PHOTO:
- Dennis Schroeder / NREL
A Veterans Green Jobs worker drills holes to blow cellulose insulation in the interior walls of a Denver home in the Department of Energy's Weatherization Assistance Program, which supports energy efficiency upgrades to low-income homes.
Green MLS touts homes’ efficiency
Homebuyers are increasingly on the lookout for “green” features that will save them money: EnergyStar certification, highly efficient appliances, rooftop solar, and weatherization, for example. How do they locate such homes? And how do sellers promote their homes’ efficiency to buyers?
The National Association of Realtors (NAR) worked with Elevate Energy and others to develop the new Green MLS Implementation Guide to help multiple listing services promote the energy-efficient features of a home.
“The demand for green is growing,” says NAR President Steve Brown on the organization’s website. “NAR’s research consistently shows that today’s consumers want homes and communities that are environmentally sustainable and resource efficient.”