QUICK NEWS, September 16: ENERGY AND WATER ON COLLISION COURSE; CALIF AND TEXAS HAVE THE BEST GRIDS; ARKANSAS WANTS MPG EFFICIENCY RATING FOR HOUSES

ENERGY AND WATER ON COLLISION COURSE Report: Thirsty U.S. Energy Production On "Collision Course" With Climate-Imperiled Water Supply; Coal-Fired Power, Nuclear, Natural Gas from Fracking Singled Out As Increasingly Untenable in Portions of U.S. Already Struggling With Shrinking Water Supplies; U.S. Needs to Start Planning to Take Into Account Energy Water Use ... Not Just Energy Production.

September 12, 2013 (Civil Society Institute)

“…[C]ritics of solar and wind power are quick to assert that there will be problems for renewable energy when the sun doesn't shine and the wind doesn't blow. But a new Civil Society Institute (CSI) report prepared by Synapse Energy Economics suggests that dirty energy sources - including coal-fired electric power, nuclear power, and natural gas from fracking - face an even bigger challenge…Thermoelectric plants withdraw 41 percent of the nation's fresh water-more than any other sector…The amount of water available to serve diverse needs is a growing concern across the country, from the arid western states to the seemingly water-rich Southeast. Thermoelectric generation compounds the stress…” click here for more

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CALIF AND TEXAS HAVE THE BEST GRIDS Texas Boasts Most Modern Power Grid In The Country

Marita Murzatuny, September 9, 2013 (Environmental Defense Fund)

“…GridWise Alliance evaluated grid modernization in 41 states and the District of Columbia. Texas and California tied for first place…Texas restructured its electricity market in 1999, introducing competition into the retail electric market. The new competitive retail market gave most Texans a choice of electricity providers…[T]hese energy providers compete to offer the most advanced services…[T]o update Texas’ electric grid, the Public Utility Commission, Texas’ governing body for electricity, passed a resolution prompting “wires companies”(the firms that deliver energy from power plants to homes and businesses) to invest in millions of smart meters…[A]dvanced, smart metering and greater customer engagement could produce a more resilient power grid of the future, where customers participate as “prosumers’ – or consumers and producers of energy…” click here for more

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ARKANSAS WANTS MPG EFFICIENCY RATING FOR HOUSES Arkansas Proposes “Miles-per-Gallon” Rating for New Homes; Rules Would Provide Market-based Incentives for Home Energy Performance

September 9, 2013 (Southeast Energy Efficiency Alliance)

“In a move that spells major benefits for Arkansans, the Arkansas Economic Development Commission – Energy Office (AEO)…will promulgate rules to update Arkansas’ residential energy code and require that all new homes in the state receive an energy rating and label. The proposed rules are designed to improve market recognition of energy efficiency. Energy ratings, which are similar to the miles-per-gallon ratings assigned to cars, would be generated by a third-party Home Energy Rating System (HERS) professional…[M]ore than one million homes have been issued a HERS rating…” click here for more

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