Blog

Feb 13

What's in Storage for At-Home Batteries?

With increases in renewable generation and advances in battery technology, the energy storage market has begun to take off, especially for small-scale batteries. The Tesla Powerwall battery has become a household name since its first release in 2015 and second model in November 2016. Though one of the most-recognized small-scale batteries available, the Powerwall is not alone in the expanding small-scale energy storage market.

Feb 12

11 big ideas in the Massachusetts Senate's "An Act to Promote a Clean Energy Future"

The Massachusetts Senate Committee on Global Warming and Climate Change released a proposed bill today called “An Act to Promote a Clean Energy Future.” It’s over 60 pages long and quite comprehensive. Here’s a hot take on several items that jumped out at me.

Feb 07

AEO 2018 projects further coal decline in favor of higher levels of renewables and natural gas

On February 6, 2018, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) released the 2018 Annual Energy Outlook (AEO). The final AEO 2018 contains projections of energy use from the electric power, residential, commercial, industrial, and transportation sectors through 2050. It is important to note that the AEO Reference case is not a forecast, but is instead a projection based on estimates of fuel availability, changes in technology costs, and currently enacted legislation.

Feb 07

Working Toward a Clean, Reliable Electric Grid

On January 17, 2018, ISO New England (“ISO”) released a draft of its Operational Fuel Security Analysis. This study lays out many different possibilities for a 2024/25 winter, assessing the electric grid’s reliability under a varying array of assumptions. ISO’s main finding is clear: adding more renewables and more imports, and increasing the availability of LNG deliveries and backup oil during supply emergencies, will all contribute to improved system reliability.

Dec 06

AVERT Fuel Type Analysis

Synapse maintains EPA’s Avoided Emissions and Generation Tool (AVERT) model, a publicly-available tool designed to estimate the emissions displaced at electric power plants by incremental additions of energy efficiency and/or renewable energy. Recently, Synapse worked with EPA to implement several upgrades to the AVERT framework, including incorporation of particulate matter (PM_2.5) into the tool and several algorithmic improvements. In addition, the release of the 2016 data year means that a full decade of AVERT data is now publicly available.

Dec 01

Book Talk with Frank Ackerman: Worst-Case Economics

Congratulations to Frank Ackerman on the release of his new book, Worst-Case Economics: Extreme Events in Climate and Finance! Juliet Schor describes it as "highly accessible but profound," and Samuel Bowles calls it "an important book and a delight to read." Dr. Ackerman will be doing a talk about the book at the Synapse office next Monday, December 4th at 7pm. Those of you in the Boston area won't want to miss this unique opportunity. We hope to see you there!

Nov 14

Energy Efficiency Programs Plan for Post LED Success

Image: Progression to LED and Beyond

Oct 16

October Webinar on Energy Efficiency

Join Synapse this Thursday for the October edition of our Third Thursday webinar series!

Raise Your (Cost-Effectiveness Screening) Standards: A Discussion of the National Standard Practice Manual for Assessing Cost-Effectiveness of Energy Efficiency Resources

October 19, 2017 | 2:00-3:00pm ET

Oct 05

Happy Energy Efficiency Day!

Energy efficiency is experiencing a period of rapid transformation.

In many states, energy efficiency programs have transformed the residential lighting market, and LED bulbs are now the norm for many applications. As residential lighting opportunities diminish for these energy efficiency programs, new opportunities are emerging.

Sep 22

Synapse Welcomes Nina Peluso and Jamie Hall!

As Synapse bids farewell to another New England summer, we also welcome two new staff members. We're thrilled to have Nina Peluso and Jamie Hall join the Synapse team!

Photo of Nina Peluso Photo of Jamie Hall

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