Smart homes are a critical component of the developing smart energy grid. Smart home technologies make it easier for homeowners to reduce their energy consumption, and these features alleviate stress on the grid during periods of high electricity demand. As su... More »
Over the past decade, the trend of switching to electricity as a power source for everything from cars to space heaters has garnered much attention. With electricity now increasingly being generated from renewable energy sources, the electrification of transpo... More »
Since the early 2000s, there has been an increase in the number of earthquakes observed near oil and gas exploration and production sites in the US, particularly in states such as Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Texas. Until recently, details of the relationship betwe... More »
With less than five percent of the world’s population, the United States consumes about one-fifth (21 percent) of the world’s energy.In a working paper for The Hamilton Project published in 2012, Greenstone and Looney find that the true social cost (private co... More »
In light of the United States’ reduced need for oil imports, more West African and Latin American producers are competing with China’s traditional Middle Eastern suppliers for market share. The fall in global oil prices, due to increasing supply and slowing de... More »
A new study proposes a model to estimate the welfare impacts of providing energy saving reports for households. The study shows that this type of nudge overestimates the reports' impact because they do not take into account the overall costs of changing people... More »
Research shows that minor, individual energy savings can lead to a significant aggregate decrease in energy consumption. The challenge is informing consumers in a way that changes their behavior. More »
New evidence of a “not in my backyard” attitude, illustrated in a recent study, conflicts with the conception of the inevitability of renewable energy sources as most important future sources of energy. More »
Much of the controversy over environmental issues in the US can be attributed to interest groups campaigning in the media. A new model strives to show the ways in which these efforts might inform or misinform audiences and their effects on environmental issues... More »
Co-benefits from improved air quality can offset some if not all of the near-term costs of carbon-reduction policies. If the US commits to buying a carbon policy, citizens will also get reduced air pollution and improved health for free. More »
A 2011 pilot program found that when customers opted-in to electricity rates that vary by time of day, they reduced their peak-hour electricity use. More »
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory researchers compare the 50-year net savings for white and “green” (vegetated) roofs, which are displacing conventional black roofs in the US building sector. More »