Ecolabels and their role in mitigating climate change

whitePaper | November 15, 2019

Today more than ever, there is an urgent need to scale up progress with energy efficiency. Energy efficiency is one of the pillars of a climate mitigation strategy1. It is also a critical element to meeting the global Sustainable Development Goals and to ensuring a cost-effective transition to a reliable, low-emitting energy system. At the same time, both states have increased their ambition to transition to low-emissions sources of energy, including increased ambition on renewable energy generation and energy efficiency. As a result, the programmes in New York and California have evolved to value the wider system benefits of energy efficiency, as described below.

whitePaper | June 6, 2022

Installed solar photovoltaic (PV) capacity has grown rapidly in the United States over the past decade, reaching nearly 74 gigawatts-AC as of the end of 2020. Approximately one-third of this capacity (28 gigawatts) is distributed PV, including residential, community, and commercial solar installations (Davis et al. 2021). A combination of technology cost declines, federal incentives, and state policy support have driven increased deployment and enabled more communities to access the benefits of PV. Increasingly, solar is playing an important role in local plans such as resilience planning, sustainability planning, and climate action planning.

whitePaper | October 19, 2022

Fundamental developments in science, technology and society are transforming the generation, distribution and use of energy. At the heart of these changes is a shift away from traditional carbon-heavysources toward renewables. Together, with technologies such as battery storage, microgrids, and electric vehicles, net-zero energy is in sight.

whitePaper | June 16, 2022

This paper outlines the key strategies for delivering 24/7 clean power. Specifically, we analyze technology innovations, and the early-stage companies developing them. It contains the following sections: 1. New power capacity: How can new forms of dispatchable power generation and energy storage reduce the cost of providing roundthe-clock zero-emissions power? This section does not examine lithium-ion battery innovations.

whitePaper | May 19, 2022

Data centers leave a significant carbon footprint and, as the need for these mission critical facilities continues to surge, the current trajectory is toward increasing power use and greenhouse gas emissions. Greenhouse gas emissions can contribute to extreme weather and put the health of our planet at risk. There is growing demand from both the public and industry to reduce the environmental impact of all businesses — sustainability has moved into the corporate domain and, due to regulations and the cost implications of reducing a carbon footprint, it can be a hot button issue.

whitePaper | April 23, 2022

Our growing climate crisis demands that we conserve energy and water, reduce waste, and find ways to protect our ecosystems. But the most urgent challenge facing us globally may be to reduce our carbon emissions. And while governments and businesses across the globe are racing to set ambitious targets on a path to a net zero carbon future, we can’t reach net zero if we don’t actually know where we are. We need a common foundation to ensure that Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions are measured in an accurate, consistent, and reliable way. Without global standards, it will be difficult for organizations to develop effective roadmaps to reduce their emissions without wasting time and money—and it will be difficult to know if our collective actions are making a difference