Tag Archives: Nebraska Energy Quarterly

Energy efficiency guru Amory Lovins: ‘It’s the largest, cheapest, safest, cleanest way to address the crisis’

By John Vidal, The Guardian

One of the leading advocates of energy conservation explains why this
could be a turning point for climate economics

Temperatures dropped far below freezing this week in Snowmass, Colorado. But Amory Lovins, who lives high up in the mountains at 7,200ft above sea level, did not even turn on the heating. That’s because he has no heating to turn on. His home, a great adobe and glass mountainside eyrie that he designed in the 1980s, collects solar energy and is so well insulated that he grows and harvests bananas and many other tropical fruits there without burning gas, oil or wood. Nicknamed the “Einstein of energy efficiency”, Lovins, an adjunct professor of civil and environmental engineering at Stanford University, has been one of the world’s leading advocates and innovators of energy conservation for 50 years. Continue reading here.

Physicist Amory Lovins is Cofounder (1982) and Chairman Emeritus of Rocky Mountain Institute, which he served as Chief Scientist 2007–19 and now supports as a contractor and Trustee; energy advisor to major firms and governments in 70+ countries for 45+ years; author of 31 books and more than 700 papers; and an integrative designer of superefficient buildings, factories, and vehicles. Source: Rocky Mountain Institute

ENERGY EFFICIENCY RESOURCES 

  1. Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy (NDEE)
    Nebraska Weatherization Assistance Program
    Dollar & Energy Savings Loans
    Nebraska Energy Quarterly 2022 – 1st Quarter Issue
  2. Nebraska Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP)
  3. Residential Energy Services Network (RESNET)
  4. Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency (DSIRE)-Nebraska
  5. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy (EERE)
  6. Energy Saver, Department of Energy 
  7. Heat Pump Systems, Department of Energy 
  8. Advanced Water Heating initiative Fact Sheet, New Buildings Institute
  9. American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy (ACEEE)
  10. Midwest Energy Efficiency Alliance (MEEA)
    Nebraska Initiatives
    Policy

MEEA Webinar: The Value of Energy Efficiency in Buildings for Safety and Wellness
Tuesday, March 29, 2022 at 12 p.m.

Over the last two years the focus of building owners and operators has, rightfully so, been on health and safety concerns. Join us for a webinar to learn more about how energy efficiency can help with your health and safety goals while saving money and improving occupant comforts.

UNIQUE TINY HOUSE IN NEBRASKA

UNO Magazine: Big Future for Tiny Homes, University of Nebraska Omaha News Center

A living space that can be efficiently heated
by an energy output equivalent to
16 birthday candles.

Focused on the future of tiny houses, Bing Chen, Ph.D., a UNL professor of electrical and computer engineering based out of Omaha’s Peter Kiewit Institute, envisions a future filled with tiny, environmentally friendly houses.

Nebraska Energy Quarterly: March 2020 Edition Now Available

Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy

Inside the March 2020 Edition:

NDEE Releases Energy Annual Report
The 2019 Energy Annual Report is now available on the Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy’s website.
 
EV Charging Station Rebates Awarded
The Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy (NDEE) has awarded rebates totaling over $1.8 million for new Electric Vehicle (EV) charging stations that will be installed over the next two years.

How Many Homes can be Powered by Solar Energy?
As new solar facilities are being developed in Nebraska, NDEE has been asked to translate the scale of these projects into a more tangible way of understanding them.
 
MEAN Sets Carbon Neutral Goal
The Municipal Energy Agency of Nebraska (MEAN) Board of Directors approved a resolution laying out a vision to a carbon neutral power resource portfolio by 2050 at its board meeting on Jan. 23 in Kearney.

EIA Website Shows State Rankings
Did you know the Energy Information Administration (EIA) maintains an overview of states’ energy profiles?

Rebates Fund Engine Replacements
NDEE awarded more than $950,000 through its 2019 Clean Diesel Rebate Program.

The Marshmallow Challenge
Their mission is to build a tower as tall as they can.
 
Smart Home Lighting
It seems like every device is getting smarter these days. Since smart home lighting is so new, many of us could use a little introduction.

Download the March Edition here.

Nebraska Energy Quarterly – December 2019 Edition

Published by the Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy

Inside this issue of the Nebraska Energy Quarterly:

Clean Diesel Rebate Applications Accepted Through Jan. 17
The Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy’s 2019 Clean Diesel Rebate Program is now accepting applications for two types of rebates—local diesel truck replacements and agricultural irrigation pump diesel engine replacements.

NDEE Announces Survey Results
Inherent to the duties of the Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy (NDEE) is the preparation of the Nebraska State Energy Plan (NSEP).

Winter Forecast Projects Possible Lower Energy Bills
On Oct. 11, the National Association of State Energy Officials (NASEO) and the U.S. Energy Information Agency (EIA) convened their annual call with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to discuss the winter forecast.

Nebraska’s Renewable Status
Renewable resources fuel almost one-fifth of Nebraska’s net electricity generation.

Poultry Operation to Install Solar Array
NDEE, along with Dundee Bank of Omaha, has awarded a low-interest rate loan for solar facilities associated with a poultry operation.

NIBB and Educational Outreach
In 2016, the then-Nebraska Energy Office submitted a state competitive application to the U.S. Department of Energy.

How Does Your Home Handle the Cold?
When the thermometer dips below 20oF, you can find out a lot about how well your home seals out the cold.

Read the articles here.

Nebraska to Become the Midwest’s Leader in Building Efficiency

By Tara Lukasik, Building Safety Journal. Republished in the Nebraska
Energy Office’s June 2019 Newsletter, Nebraska Energy Quarterly

The state of Nebraska is ready to update the state’s energy codes for residential and commercial buildings — from the 2009 to the 2018 edition — which will make the state a regional leader on building efficiency. Nebraska lawmakers presented LB 405 to Governor Pete Ricketts on May 2, 2019, which he signed into law (effective Sept. 7, 2019).

Shortly before, Governor Ricketts signed LB 348 into law (also effective Sept. 7, 2019) which updates the International Building Code, International Residential Code and International Existing Building Code from the 2012 to the 2018 edition. Read the entire article here.

Additional articles and resources in the electronic newsletter are posted here.

Click here to subscribe to the Nebraska Energy Quarterly.

Nebraska Energy Quarterly

By The Nebraska Energy Office

In this issue:

Nebraska Energy Quarterly

Wind energy the new ‘cash crop’ for Colorado farmers

By Liz Forster, The Gazette

For more than a century, Jan and Virgil Kochis’ family has farmed wheat, corn and other cash crops on 10,000 acres of pasture and farmland near Matheson in Elbert County.

It’s the only lifestyle they know, they said. So when crop prices started to plummet, the Kochises turned to a resource that is breathing new economic life into eastern Colorado: wind turbines. Continue reading here.

Liz Forster is a general assignment reporter with a focus on environment and public safety. She is a Colorado College graduate, avid hiker and skier, and craft beer enthusiast.

Photo by Excel Energy: Colorado Wind Turbines

RELATED READING

ADDITIONAL RECOMMENDED READING

March 2018 Issue of The Nebraska Energy Quarterly Now Available

The Nebraska Energy Quarterly is a newsletter produced by the Nebraska Energy Office devoted to energy efficiency and renewable energy issues.

Articles and news items in this issue:

Nebraska Energy Quarterly
Nebraska Energy Quarterly Archives

Track Kearney solar park’s energy with online tool

By KHGI, Nebraska TV

Click graphic to link to Kearney Solar Farm’s energy production dashboard.

The online dashboard will display the amount of energy produced on an hourly, monthly, yearly and lifetime basis . . . and how much of other natural resources Kearney residents have saved by going green with solar. Read more.

ADDITIONAL NEBRASKA / MIDWEST NEWS

NEBRASKA ENERGY QUARTERLY
The Nebraska Energy Office’s December2017 Newsletter includes the following articles:

Click here to access additional articles and here to subscribe to the Nebraska Energy Quarterly, sent by email.