Depleting freshwater supplies and unpredictable weather patterns that could bring rain to an area are causing much concern over future water supplies. Places like California have seen, in recent years, severe drought to the point where once gushing rivers are now trickling streams. Water rationing has become a normal way of life for many Californians…
Category: Energy
A Board of Directors is “appointed by the governor, deemed fully qualified by the Senate Public Utilities Review Committee and confirmed by the state Senate.” Among the 12 Santee Cooper board members, seven members are involved in investment, business, or insurance and are not involved in energy-related matters, two are involved in law, and two have…
A utility has different power loads that feed into the energy grid. Baseload power is the most reliable energy source that meets the minimum demand, there is also a peak load that meets spikes in energy demand. Natural gas is often used to meet the energy demand spikes because it does not take long to…
In 2014, South Carolina’s average utility bill for residential customers was $147.74 making it the 2nd highest utility bill next to Hawaii which has an average of $187.59. Massachusetts has low energy consumption compared to South Carolina. One of the factors for this being “state efficiency programs” among other things like: “state economy’s reliance on…
Currently, residential solar photovoltaic (PV) systems, as well as batteries and energy storage on a residential scale, are not affordable for the average person. Batteries and solar PV will become more affordable (as shown above) over time with ever-improving technology and decreases cost as the market for energy storage and residential solar PV installation matures becoming…
Quick Facts on Solar Affordability: The cost of a solar panel lease is about $700 a year The Federal government reimburses up to 30% of installation costs South Carolina has tax incentives up to 25% $18k in “profit” for SC residents in 15 years by adding tax credits and electricity savings over this period Costs…
Nuclear energy currently provides 51% of the total energy used in South Carolina. The majority is produced and used by Duke Energy, as nuclear currently makes up 56.8% of Duke’s total energy production. SCE&G aims to have 30% of the total energy generated come from nuclear by the year 2020 (current energy percentages of SCE&G…
“Hardening refers to physically changing the infrastructure to make it less susceptible to damage from extreme wind, flooding, or flying debris. Hardening improves the durability and stability of energy infrastructure, making it better able to withstand the impacts of hurricanes and weather events without sustaining major damage.” “Resiliency refers to the ability of an energy facility…
According to The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Certification (LEED), “In the US, buildings account for 38 percent of all CO2 emissions.” LEED works to reduce environmental and societal impact of current buildings by reducing energy use, water use, and improving air quality through proper planning. Certification is aimed at new and innovative…
Ecosystem services are processes by which the environment or nature provides us with resources that are often taken for granted. For example, how much it would cost to purify the air we breathed day in and day out? We cannot accurately estimate how much these services cost. Another ecosystem service is farming and using the…