Month: July 2023

GreenEdgeSM allows customers to contribute toward their carbon emissions reduction goals through the purchase of ‘blocks’ representing a blend of renewable natural gas environmental attributes and carbon offsetsCustomers can purchase GreenEdgeSM blocks starting at $3 a monthBlocks purchased by participating North Carolina customers in 2022 offset greenhouse emissions equivalent to driving an average car nearly 1 million miles

CHARLOTTE, N.C., July 7, 2023 /3BL/ – Residential and commercial Piedmont Natural Gas customers in South Carolina and Tennessee now can reduce the impact of their own natural gas usage by participating in GreenEdge – a voluntary program that offers customers the opportunity to purchase green “blocks” from Piedmont and then claim the associated environmental benefits.

Piedmont Natural Gas customers can subscribe to one block for $3 a month. Each block funds carbon offset projects that help protect forests and wetlands as well as renewable natural gas projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

“The GreenEdge program was designed based on customer feedback to provide access to tools and programs for customers to pursue their own carbon-reduction goals,” said Sasha Weintraub, senior vice president and president of Piedmont Natural Gas. “We consider it an important part of Piedmont’s own clean energy transformation, as well. We’re excited to now make GreenEdge available to our South Carolina and Tennessee customers.”

Piedmont made the GreenEdge program available to its North Carolina customers last summer. By the end of 2022, enrolled customers offset 367 metric tons of carbon emissions, or the equivalent of greenhouse emissions created by driving an average gasoline-powered car for 940,822 miles.

Each $3 block is equivalent to 12.5 therms of natural gas usage. Just one block is equal to 25% of an average household’s monthly natural gas usage, meaning customers who purchase four blocks could claim associated environmental benefits for approximately 100% of their monthly household natural gas usage.

Carbon offsets and renewable natural gas environmental attributes are defined as:

Carbon offset – a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions created when 1 metric ton of carbon dioxide emissions, or other greenhouse gas equivalent, is captured, avoided or destroyed to compensate for an equivalent emission made elsewhere.Renewable natural gas environmental attribute – reflects measurable and verifiable generation of natural gas via renewable and sustainable biomass sources, such as wastewater, landfills, agricultural waste or food waste.

When a customer purchases a block, Piedmont will add the associated charges to that customer’s bill. There is no limit on how many blocks a customer can purchase. Participating customers will receive an annual report highlighting their contributions and their overall effect on GreenEdge, which is a self-funding program.

Piedmont received approval for GreenEdge from the South Carolina Public Service Commission in April 2023 and from the Tennessee Public Utility Commission in March 2023.

For more information or to enroll in GreenEdge, visit Piedmont’s GreenEdge webpage.

Piedmont Natural Gas

Piedmont Natural Gas, a subsidiary of Duke Energy, distributes natural gas to more than 1.1 million residential, commercial, industrial and power generation customers in North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. Piedmont Natural Gas earned the No. 1 spot in customer satisfaction with residential natural gas service in the South among large utilities, according to the J.D. Power 2022 U.S. Gas Utility Residential Customer Satisfaction Study, and has been named by Cogent Reports as one of the most trusted utility brands in the U.S. More information: piedmontng.com. Follow Piedmont Natural Gas: Twitter, Facebook.

Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK), a Fortune 150 company headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., is one of America’s largest energy holding companies. Its electric utilities serve 8.2 million customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky, and collectively own 50,000 megawatts of energy capacity. Its natural gas unit serves 1.6 million customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Ohio and Kentucky. The company employs 28,000 people.

Duke Energy is executing an aggressive clean energy transition to achieve its goals of net-zero methane emissions from its natural gas business by 2030 and net-zero carbon emissions from electricity generation by 2050. The company has interim carbon emission targets of at least 50% reduction from electric generation by 2030, 50% for Scope 2 and certain Scope 3 upstream and downstream emissions by 2035, and 80% from electric generation by 2040. In addition, the company is investing in major electric grid enhancements and energy storage, and exploring zero-emission power generation technologies such as hydrogen and advanced nuclear.

Duke Energy was named to Fortune’s 2022 “World’s Most Admired Companies” list and Forbes’ “World’s Best Employers” list. More information is available at duke-energy.com. The Duke Energy News Center contains news releases, fact sheets, photos and videos. Duke Energy’s illumination features stories about people, innovations, community topics and environmental issues. Follow Duke Energy on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook.

Media contact: Jason Wheatley 
Media line: 877.348.3612 
jason.wheatley@duke-energy.com 
Twitter: @PNG_JasonW

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In Environmental Business Journal’s (EBJ) 2023 “Water Industry Issue,” Jill Hudkins, President of Tetra Tech, discusses the state of the water industry, helping clients address water supply challenges, and harnessing water data to provide actionable intelligence for clients.

As EBJ noted in the issue, key drivers in the water and wastewater industry continue to include resilience, digitalization, personnel, and PFAS. Tetra Tech partners with clients to address these critical factors through a range of water services, from asset management and financial planning to engineering and operations.

Solving our clients’ toughest One Water challenges

“One Water strategies, intelligent planning, and digital water advances have facilitated our clients’ ability to integrate and manage multiple sources at any given time,” Jill told EBJ. “Climate uncertainty, environmental protection, environmental justice, and energy resilience for water production will drive innovation in the municipal water sector for the next decade. Some of the more proactive utilities are already implementing plans to comprehensively address these trends.”

Engineering News-Record (ENR) has consistently ranked Tetra Tech #1 in Water in its Top 500 Design Firms issue since 2003, as well as consistently ranking #1 in water treatment and desalination. Tetra Tech actively applies our Leading with Science® approach to develop global One Water solutions that recognize the water cycle as an integrated system and embrace the view that all water holds value. One Water shifts from a linear model of water management to a circular strategy, emphasizing recovery, recycling, and reuse instead of discharge.

Addressing mounting water scarcity concerns

To support the resiliency of water supplies against mounting climate change impacts, municipalities and regional water authorities are undertaking reuse projects as part of their strategy. Jill explains, “As a result, our clients are increasingly relying on recycled water from water reuse facilities to meet their water supply needs. These sources are proving to be more resilient and sustainable than other supplies being considered.” Tetra Tech has held a leadership position in this sector for nearly two decades, with signature reuse projects in Orange and San Diego Counties in California as well as Clearwater, Florida, and Oklahoma.

Transforming data silos into smart decision-making

“We are helping clients to remove data silos and unlock the potential of their data, enabling them to use new sources of business intelligence across their planning, capital delivery, and operations Teams,” Jill told EBJ. “We are supporting large water utilities in modernizing their supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems and partnering with clients on cybersecurity programs as they address an evolving digital landscape.”

She explains that clients must deal with high volumes of data that outputted at high frequency from various systems. Finding actionable insights to optimize operational and capital spending can be a challenge. Tetra Tech partners with clients across all aspects of digital transformation, from asset management and financial planning to engineering and operations. We also have invested in digital tools that enable our experts to turn this data into actionable intelligence for clients.

Read more from Jill in EBJ’s 2023 “The Water Industry” issue.

ZURICH, July 7, 2023 /3BL/ – South Pole, the globally leading climate company, today announced its strategic equity investment in Renewabl, an innovative tracking and trading platform specialising in the procurement of hourly matched Energy Attribute Certificates (EACs). This strategic investment aims to fuel the acceleration of clean energy procurement in the UK, Europe and beyond.

Many companies are working towards establishing renewable electricity strategies and achieving 100% renewable electricity targets. Innovative organisations have recognised that adopting a 24/7 carbon-free electricity procurement strategy can significantly increase their environmental impact and contribute to the expansion of renewable energy capacity in the grid, and additionally enhance their brand.

Unlike the traditional annual matching approach, Renewabl’s innovative tracking and trading platform will enable hourly matching of Energy Attribute Certificates (EACs), which means that supply and demand is aligned on an hourly basis. Similar to how annual matching of the supply and demand of EACs propelled wind and solar PV from expensive alternatives into affordable mainstream energy solutions, the approach to hourly matching is poised to drive a significant breakthrough in the adoption of new technologies, such as storage and demand response, and an increase in the share of renewable electricity in the grid.

The hourly granularity of EAC prices will facilitate the transfer of surplus renewable electricity from peak hours and months to periods of shortage as well as the shaving of peak hours. For businesses, the shift towards procuring 24/7 clean electricity is the crucial next step towards a zero-emissions future.

Patrick Horka, Global Director of Renewable Energy Solutions at South Pole, said, “We are excited to partner with Renewabl and will leverage their infrastructure and our global team of renewable energy advisors to support companies on their journey to reach a 24/7 carbon-free electricity target. This collaboration will empower our clients to make a tangible difference and contribute to fighting climate change.”

Juan Pablo Cerda, CEO of Renewabl, added: “We are excited to get started and address the questions that a lot of the corporate sector are asking right now: where do my certificates come from? Will they count towards my sustainability targets? Are they impactful? Can they be matched to my exact consumption? This is why Renewabl was born.“

“This collaboration will empower our clients to make a tangible difference and contribute to fighting climate change.” – Patrick Horka, Global Director of Renewable Energy Solutions at South Pole

Energy Attribute Certificates: Driving Renewable Energy Adoption

Energy Attribute Certificates (EACs) are tools that verify the production of renewable electricity. They certify that specific electricity has been generated from clean and sustainable sources like wind or solar power. Accredited bodies issue these certificates, with each one representing a unit of renewable electricity produced. EACs are often bought and sold independently of the consumption of the corresponding physical electricity. This characteristic allows a wide array of organisations – from businesses to governments – to support renewable energy production without directly consuming the physical electricity related to the certificate. Many corporations aspire to showcase their dedication to renewable electricity, but procuring the actual physical renewable electricity, e.g through an on-site solar PV rooftop, may not be immediately feasible or practical. In such cases, purchasing EACs enables these organisations to support the green energy sector, help fund it and scale it, and make legitimate renewable energy claims.

EACs offer an avenue towards a more sustainable future. They funnel financing to renewable energy projects, enhance transparency in renewable energy and emission reduction claims, foster the acceptance of green power, and provide a flexible way to support the growth of renewable energy, regardless of an organisation’s ability to directly consume the related physical electricity. This creates a pathway for all types of organisations to transition towards cleaner and greener sources of energy.

Enabling corporates to develop and implement renewable energy strategies

Renewabl’s cutting-edge platform aligns with South Pole’s impact-driven mission of providing companies and governments worldwide with usable climate solutions that help solve the climate crisis. South Pole’s investment as part of £1.1 million pre-seed round in Renewabl paves the way for a unique digitised portfolio management solution and marketplace, enabling seamless and efficient trading of hourly time-stamped EACs. This game-changing investment is a milestone in South Pole’s ambition to help corporates develop and implement renewable energy strategies, including the delivery of EACs. The investment also underpins South Pole’s efforts to respond to the growing demand from clients for a 24/7 carbon-free electricity scoring and the supply of hourly-time stamped EACs.

Renewabl will use the very latest technology and draw upon extensive market knowledge and industry experience. This is particularly valuable for organisations looking for a traceable and hourly time-stamped solution to guarantee the origin of their certificates, as well as compliance with emission reduction initiatives like the Carbon Disclosure Project and RE100, the global initiative that brings together businesses committed to 100% renewable electricity.