Rate Increases Ahead, Warn Utilities
Companies across the US will likely see their electricity bills rise as utilities spend billions replacing old infrastructure, adding renewable resources and cleaning up aging power plants, Reuters reports.
Duke Energy
LEDs Cut Rooms To Go Energy Use Up To 45 Percent Per Store
Furniture company Rooms To Go has converted 115 of its retail stores to LED lighting, reducing energy use an average of 35-45 percent in each store. The switch to energy efficient 16-18 W LED track lamps from the 60 W halogen track lamps previously in use by the retailer started ... Read more »
Google, Ford, GE Pledge Workplace EV Stations
Google, Ford and GE are among the 13 companies that have joined with the DOE to launch the Workplace Charging Challenge, an effort to increase the number of US employers offering electric vehicle charging tenfold in the next five years. And Nissan, another signatory to the challenge, has separately announced ... Read more »
Democrats Canvas Walmart, NFL, Apple on Climate Change Strategies
Congressional Democrats’ Bicameral Task Force on Climate Change has written to Google, the NBA, the NFL, Walmart, Wells Fargo, the Clinton Global Initiative and more than 300 other organizations to canvas their opinions on combating global warming. The letter, which was also sent to companies including Whole Foods, Target, Ford, ... Read more »
DOE Launches Workplace Charging Challenge
Thirteen major employers and eight stakeholder groups have joined the Department of Energy’s new Workplace Charging Challenge to help expand access to workplace EV charging stations for American workers across the country. The initiative aims to increase the convenience of plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) and provide drivers with more options. It’s ... Read more »
Duke Energy, Toshiba Unveil Solar EV Station with Battery
Simon Group along with partners Toshiba Corp., Duke Energy, Itochu Corp., and Tom Wood Automotive Group has unveiled an advanced vehicle charging station, with solar panels and a battery – the first such installation to emerge from a regional project. The installation, which is located at Clay Terrace in Carmel, ... Read more »
Indianapolis to Require 500 EVs, Plug-in Hybrids
Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard has signed an executive order requiring the city to purchase either electric or plug-in hybrid vehicles for its non-police fleet. It is the first city in the US to enact such a requirement, according to the mayor’s office. Ballard’s mandate is part of a plan to ... Read more »
Panel: 2013 a Breakthrough Year for Company Sustainability
Companies will continue to make breakthroughs in sustainability in 2013, including collaborating on environmental goals, finding new ways to bring innovation into operations and developing net positive plans, according to predictions by World Wildlife Fund UK’s Dax Lovegrove and the Guardian Sustainable Business advisory panel. As companies increasingly understand the ... Read more »
Potentially Toxic Chemicals in 58% of Couches, Study Finds
More than half of all couches tested in Duke University-led research contained potentially toxic or untested chemical flame retardants that may pose risks to human health, according to a study published yesterday in the journal Environmental Science & Technology. The study analyzes 102 polyurethane foam samples from couches purchased for ... Read more »
Green Fleet Roundup: Volt Problems, BYD EVs in London, Duke Energy
General Motors said it will correct a software glitch in the 2013 Chevrolet Volt that has caused the car’s electric motor to shut down abruptly, Edmunds Inside Line reported. The issue, which affects about 4,000 Volts, was initially reported on the company’s consumer forum GM-Volt.com. GM has asked owners to ... Read more »
Nike, Campbell Soup, Chevron Among ‘Best Corporate Citizens’
Nike, Campbell Soup and Chevron are among the best corporate citizens, according to the second annual Top 10 rankings by Corporate Responsibility Magazine. CR Magazine ranked the Top 10 Best Corporate Citizens by industry in 10 sectors — consumer items; consumer staples; energy; financial, insurance and real estate; healthcare; information ... Read more »
Broadscale to Link Utilities, Power Companies With Cleantech Startups
General Electric, National Grid and Duke Energy have become the first members of Broadscale Group, a New York-based investment firm that connects energy corporations with cleantech startups. The newly formed Broadscale has developed a network of power and utility companies that are looking to invest in and help commercialize technologies ... Read more »