By Natalie Fortman, summer intern at David Gardiner and Associates

Last week, two reports—one from the Rhodium Group and the other from DGA’s Alliance for Industrial Efficiency—highlighted the challenges and opportunities for energy use and greenhouse gas emissions in the industrial sector. These reports also raise issues of regulatory and informational barriers to the further implementation of energy efficiency in the industrial sector.

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Recent industry reports have highlighted the major impact of large customers on renewable energy growth in 2017. Large buyers have cited falling costs and stable, long-term prices as driving factors for clean energy investment. These trends point to significant continued growth of renewable energy in the coming years.

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DGA is currently accepting applications for our second spring internship program and we will be showcasing the incredible work of our former DGA interns who have gone on to pursue exciting careers.

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David Gardiner and Associates hosted a discussion about how manufacturers are increasingly powering their operations with renewable energy. Our webinar on February 14, 2018 featured Rob Threlkeld, Global Manager of Renewable Energy at General Motors and Steve Skarda, Global Climate and Energy Leader for Procter & Gamble. The two panelists from major U.S. manufacturers discussed their companies’ leadership on renewable energy and how it fits with their business strategy. Read more

Earlier this week, the Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) and the Information Technology Industry Council (ITI) released a memo in response to request from Minnesota Senator David Osmek for more information on how to improve Minnesota’s business climate through clean energy. The memo explains why Minnesota ranks 31^st in the RILA/ITI Clean Energy Procurement Index—in large part due to the lack of policies that enable customer choice. Read more

By William Sherman, in collaboration with David Gardiner

In recent years, Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) have been the main avenue for large businesses to procure renewable energy and have received considerable attention in the United States. But companies have recently successfully argued the European Union (EU) should expand the corporate PPA market.

In December, Amazon, DuPont, Facebook, Google, Microsoft, Unilever and other companies urged the EU to lift on all regulatory barriers (direct and indirect) to PPAs and to establish ambitious 35 percent renewables by 2030 target for member states.

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Today, as part of its A Renewable America campaign, the Wind Energy Foundation released a David Gardiner and Associates report, “Transmission Upgrades & Expansion: Keys to Meeting Large Customer Demand for Renewable Energy.”

This report examines the need to expand and upgrade U.S. transmission lines to meet the significant renewable energy demand of large non-utility customers, especially from Fortune 500 companies. The report finds that:

1. Renewable energy commitments from large corporations are growing rapidly and will lead to significant renewable energy procurement through 2025. The Renewable Energy Buyers Alliance has a goal of 60 gigawatts of new renewables by 2025, for example.
2. Most of the best renewable energy resources are in a 15-state Mid-American region, while load growth is highest outside the region. The 15 states between the Rockies and the Mississippi River account for 88 percent of the country’s wind technical potential and 56 percent of the country’s utility-scale solar photovoltaic technical potential, but 70 percent of projected 2050 electricity demand is outside that region.

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By Courtney Arnett, climate and clean energy intern at David Gardiner and Associates 

One of Michigan’s largest utilities, Consumers Energy, recently announced the creation of a new green tariff aimed at providing corporate customers with 100 percent renewable energy options. This action reflects Consumer Energy’s response to the rising tide of demand for renewable energy from Fortune 500 companies, including those in the manufacturing sector. It is a major step to seizing the economic development opportunity of providing renewable energy to corporate customers.

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By David Gardiner, President of David Gardiner and Associates

This Fall, I participated in two clean energy conferences in the Great Plains: the 10^th annual Nebraska Wind & Solar Conference and the 2017 Kansas Energy Conference. Those events provided a fresh reminder that renewable energy is becoming a dominant player in the breadbasket of America. Kansas produces 32 percent of its electricity from renewables, while Nebraska produces 16 percent. Read more

By David Gardiner, President of David Gardiner and Associates

On Manufacturing Day, as we think about how decisions made today will inspire future manufacturers, two recent events suggest it’s time for a new conversation about how we use renewable energy to make America’s manufacturers competitive.

First, our recent report demonstrates that manufacturers are increasingly powering their operations with renewable energy. Of the 160 large manufacturing companies reviewed in this report, 40 (25 percent) have renewable energy targets, of which 18 are for 100 percent renewable energy. Companies committed to this target include Anheuser Busch InBev, GM, Johnson & Johnson, Nike and the VF Corporation. And 132 companies (83 percent) have made public commitments to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions, which many will do with renewable energy.

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