America produces more than three times as much power from the sun, the wind and the earth as we did in 2013, with growth in all 50 states. Key technologies such as electric vehicles and battery storage are also booming - helping to repower America with clean energy.
How often do you buy a new car? Not too often, I bet, and therein lies a major challenge to cutting carbon dioxide emissions from vehicles. Even though new cars, SUVs and light trucks are, on average, less polluting, it takes a long time for older vehicles to be retired and replaced with more efficient ones. And unlike houses, which can be renovated with insulation, weather sealing and more efficient appliances to reduce energy use and emissions, there’s no way to renovate cars to use less fuel and produce less global warming pollution. But that might be about to change, at least in a small way.
The commitment that Maryland made in 2008 to invest in energy efficiency is starting to pay off. Lower electricity use and lower peak demand have begun to save money for consumers and spurred local economic activity. A Smart Solution explains how consumers will spend $60 million less per year on their power bills as a result of recent energy efficiency investments, and how local businesses have benefited from investments in efficiency.
