US carbon permits price falls as shale gas replaces coal

Emissions from power plants under the RGGI programme have fallen 37 per cent since 2008. Last year they totalled 83.2m short tonnes of CO2, 6.3 per cent below the annual emissions cap, according to Acadia Center, an environmental group.

[…]

Even after earlier efforts to address the glut, traders banked surplus credits worth 25.3m tonnes in 2014-2015, according to Acadia Center.

“In fact, current trends suggest that a substantial additional surplus will be amassed by the end of the decade,” it said.

Read the full article from the Financial Times here. 

Confidence in collaboration: Rhode Island targets a common perspective on DER values

Rhode Island’s Energy Efficiency and Resource Management Council(EERMC), formed to implement its 2006 least-cost procurement and energy efficiency mandates, has led to a “very rarely antagonistic and often collaborative” relationship between the stakeholder groups and National Grid, said Abigail Anthony, executive director of the Acadia Center.

The energy efficiency law requires them to reach a settlement outside the regulatory process and go to the commission only when there is agreement, Anthony said. “I would speculate the utility finds working with us rather annoying and would rather do their jobs without stakeholder involvement, and I understand that. But we end up with more stable decision making and a better product.”

Read the full article from Utility Dive here.

New Push to Double City Energy Efficiency Gains by 2030

An economic modelling study, conducted by the Acadia Center, found that for every $1 million spent on energy efficiency, $3 million to $4 million of GDP growth and 22 to 27 new person-years of employment can result.

[…]

There is also an improvement in government tax revenue which more than offsets the cost of energy-efficiency programs. The Acadia Center estimates that aggressive investment in energy efficiency in Canada alone could generate as many as 304,000 jobs and $48 billion in GDP annually.

Read the full article from the Energy Collective here.

Maryland balks at push for deeper cuts to power-plant carbon emissions

The reduction is 16 percent greater than in states that haven’t joined the initiative, according to an analysis by the Acadia Center, which advocates for clean energy. The analysis also says electricity prices have decreased 3.4 percent on average for participating states, while rising elsewhere.

Read the full article from the Washington Post here.