Browsing by Subject "energy efficiency"

Now showing 1 - 8 of 8
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    Assessing Energy Efficiency Alternatives in North St. Paul
    (Resilient Communities Project (RCP), University of Minnesota, 2013) Abreu, Joao; Prebich, Tom; Schmidt, Peter
    This project was completed as part of the 2013-2014 Resilient Communities Project (rcp.umn.edu) partnership with the City of North St. Paul. The City of North St. Paul is unique in that it operates its own electric utility, in cooperation with Minnesota Municipal Power Agency. The city sought assistance investigating and providing information to residents, businesses, and elected officials about alternative energy and energy conservation initiatives, as well as identifying strategies for dedicating electric utility revenue toward green energy initiatives such as wind, solar, and geothermal. North St. Paul Electric Utility Director Brian Frandle partnered with five teams of students in PA 5271: Energy and Environmental Policy, to investigate such opportunities. A memo and presentation prepared by student group 1 are available. A video produced by the students is available at https://youtu.be/weSVDRS0Ssc. (Student deliverables from the other four student teams are catalogued separately.).
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    Carver County Government Center Exterior Lighting Improvement
    (Resilient Communities Project (RCP), University of Minnesota, 2015) Damuth, Travis; Rooker, Olas; Berkaoui, Ghaya; Divani, Razieh; Tadros, Marco
    This project was completed as part of a year-long partnership between Carver County and the University of Minnesota’s Resilient Communities Project (http://www.rcp.umn.edu). Carver County has been exploring opportunities for renewable energy and energy efficiency in county government buildings. The Carver County Government Center in Chaska was a potential candidate for a renewable energy installation, specifically exterior solar lights. The goal of this project was to determine the feasibility and potential payback time for exterior solar lighting and other energy-efficient lighting systems at the Carver County Government Center. In collaboration with the county project lead, Nick Koktavy, a team of students in BBE 5733: Renewable Energy Technologies, examined three scenarios--conversion of exterior lights to LED, installation of solar-powered lights, and a combination of both LEDs and solar power--and concluded that installing LEDs alone was the most cost-effective solution. A final report and PowerPoint slides from the project are available.
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    Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reductions and Housing Affordability in Minnesota: Opportunities for the Residential Sector
    (2020) Peterson, Kristen; Milnar, Mike; Wolski, Dan; Mezey, Rachel
    Emitting more than one fifth of the State of Minnesota’s overall emissions, the residential building sector is a top priority for decarbonization to meet the state’s goals in the Next Generation Energy Act. Based on current levels of energy usage, the state is expected to fall short of these goals by nearly 100 million tons of CO2e by 2050. At the same time, many Minnesotan households are energy burdened, paying significant fractions of income for home space heating and energy expenses.
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    How Markets, Policies and Consumers Influence the Transition to Clean Energy
    (2018-08) Sun, Bixuan
    Climate change poses fundamental threats to human populations and ecosystems. Transitioning to a cleaner and more sustainable energy system is central to combating climate change while ensuring universal energy access. However, the transition to clean energy is not free of obstacles. The major players in the energy system, including producers, regulators and consumers, have diverse objectives. My dissertation studies how these players shape the transition to a cleaner, more efficient energy system. The first chapter models the strategic interactions between the dirty producer and the clean producer in the transition to clean technology, showing that the incumbent dirty producer can use market power to deter the entry by the clean producer and suppress R&D investment in clean technology. The impacts of tax and subsidy on peak pollution stock, as well as social welfare, are also analyzed. In the second chapter, I develop a theoretical model of consumers’ responses to energy efficiency policies, and present empirical evidence that shows a negative direct rebound effect for Energy Star dishwashers and a potentially positive direct rebound effect for Energy Star air conditioners. Negative rebound effects can amplify energy savings, while positive rebound effects can offset energy savings from using more efficient technologies. The third chapter uses machine learning methods to study how the impacts of solar rebate programs vary with the presence of other solar policies and demographic characteristics in the U.S. The results show a positive average treatment effect of solar rebate programs with significant heterogeneity. Important factors explaining the heterogeneity include Renewable Energy Portfolio, residential electricity rate and year of installation. Relationships between treatment effect and important explanatory factors display significant non-linearity. These findings suggest that legislative goals are more likely to support rebate programs than other types of solar policies, and certain solar market characteristics are indicative of high program effects.
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    Low-Income Energy Efficiency Programs for Connexus Energy
    (2023-05) Komoroski, Sarah E; Hetchler, Cory J; McKenzie, Conor C; Knetsch, Carl H
    This report explores Connexus Energy's low-income spending requirement as part of Minnesota's Conservation Improvement Program (CIP). The paper reviews the current landscape of Connexus’ low-income programs and offers recommendations to increase direct spending, energy savings, and program participation. Our research consisted of a mix of general literature review, demographic data analysis, creation of spatial maps, and direct interviews with Connexus’ partners and other relevant organizations. We emphasize the importance of dedicated low-income programs in overcoming the barriers that prevent low-income households from engaging in energy efficiency programs. The report focuses on single-family households, which constitute the majority of homes in Connexus' service territory. We recommend Connexus pursue a comprehensive home energy audit program, build more robust relationships with Community Action Agencies, and raise the visibility of all their low-income programs. By implementing these recommendations, Connexus can meet their low-income spending requirement while improving the quality of life for their most vulnerable members.
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    Mainstreaming Motel Optimization: Guest Survey Results
    (University of Minnesota Tourism Center, 2015) Qian, Xinyi; Nygaard, Katrina; Samuelson, Carl W.
    There has been extensive research on hotel guests’ expectation and satisfaction. There has also been growing attention on the sustainable practices of hotels and guest attitudes toward these practices. Much less research has been conducted to assess how hotels’ sustainable practices influence guests’ perceived comfort or satisfaction. Therefore, the purpose of the current guest survey is to assess whether and how hotels’ energy efficiency performance, which is an aspect of sustainability, affects guests’ perceived comfort.
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    Smart Meters: Implementation and Use in North St. Paul
    (Resilient Communities Project (RCP), University of Minnesota, 2013) Bhandari, Vivek; Jayaraman, Sathish; McClintock, Maria; Wood, Charlotte
    This project was completed as part of the 2013-2014 Resilient Communities Project (rcp.umn.edu) partnership with the City of North St. Paul. The City of North St. Paul is unique in that it operates its own electric utility, in cooperation with Minnesota Municipal Power Agency. The city sought assistance investigating and providing information to residents, businesses, and elected officials about alternative energy and energy conservation initiatives, as well as identifying strategies for dedicating electric utility revenue toward green energy initiatives such as wind, solar, and geothermal. North St. Paul Electric Utility Director Brian Frandle partnered with five teams of students in PA 5271: Energy and Environmental Policy, to investigate such opportunities. A memo, presentation, and poster prepared by student group 2 are available. A video produced by the students is available at https://youtu.be/_9LpRwc1Im4. (Student deliverables from the other four student teams are catalogued separately.).
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    State of Sustainable Tourism in Minnesota 2013 Initital Assessment of Water & Energy Practices
    (University of Minnesota Tourism Center, 2013) Barker, Renee; Schneider, Ingrid E.
    This study identifies the status of sustainable tourism practices among MN tourism industry organizations & if/what changes have occurred since 2007.