QUICK NEWS, February 11: HOW SEQUESTRATION STALLS NEW ENERGY INNOVATION; CLIMATE CHANGE WILL COST FARMERS; THE FUTURE OF BUILDING ENERGY MANAGEMENT

HOW SEQUESTRATION STALLS NEW ENERGY INNOVATION Energy Funding Outlook Looks Bleak as Obama Begins Second Term; Cuts and a decade of stagnation loom ahead for renewed clean energy funding.

Kevin Bullis, February 1, 2013 (MIT Technology Review)

“As a result of impending mandatory spending cuts known as sequestration…federal support for clean energy, which received a $90 billion jolt from the stimulus package four years ago, is likely to decrease…Under sequestration, across-the-board cuts would go into effect in March, and be followed by a decade-long funding cap…The mandatory cuts could be avoided by Congress, but key congressional staffers say that looks unlikely.

“The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) has analyzed the impact of the cuts on R&D. Originally, the cuts would have lowered defense-related R&D by 9.1 percent and non-defense R&D, such as at the DOE, by 7.6 percent. As a result of the tax deal, the cuts are lowered for fiscal year 2013 to 7.6 percent for defense and 5.1 percent for non-defense R&D, but the full cuts would go into place next year. After that, spending is supposed to stay flat for a decade.”

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“If the across-the-board cuts happen, they will affect all parts of federal energy R&D, including programs at national labs and federally funded research at companies and universities…[It’s] not clear how much flexibility agencies will have to move money around to protect high-priority programs…[because the] law calls for across-the-board cuts. Of course, Congress has the power to change the law if it wants to.

“Avoiding sequestration would require a focused effort on the part of the Obama administration, and would likely require finding alternative ways to achieve similar overall cost reductions. One way to protect R&D might be to siphon money away from some subsidy programs…For example, current subsidies for wind currently go mostly to established technologies. Shifting that to funding for next generation offshore wind turbines could have a bigger impact on clean energy innovation…”

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CLIMATE CHANGE WILL COST FARMERS Report: Climate change could devastate agriculture; A comprehensive USDA study concludes rising temperatures could cost farmers millions as they battle new pests, faster weed growth and get smaller yields as climate change continues.

Christopehr Doering, February 5, 2013 (USA Today)

“Climate change could have a drastic and harmful effect on U.S. agriculture, forcing farmers and ranchers to alter where they grow crops and costing them millions of dollars in additional costs to tackle weeds, pests and diseases that threaten their operations…[According to Climate Change and Agriculture in the United States the Agriculture Department] although] U.S. crops and livestock have been able to adapt to changes in their surroundings for close to 150 years, the accelerating pace and intensity of global warming during the next few decades may soon be too much for the once-resilient sector to overcome…

“The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said 2012 was the hottest year ever in the USA since record-keeping began in 1895, surpassing the previous high by a full degree Fahrenheit. The country was battered by the worst drought in more than 50 years, and crops withered away in bone-dry fields across the Midwest.”

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“In the report, researchers said U.S. cropland agriculture will be fairly resistant to climate change during the next quarter-century…Farmers will be able to minimize the impact of global warming on their crops by changing the timing of farming practices and utilizing specialized crop varieties more resilient to drought, disease and heat, among other practices…[but by] the middle of the century and beyond, adaptation becomes more difficult and costly as plants and animals that have adapted to warming climate conditions will have to do so even more — making the productivity of crops and livestock increasingly more unpredictable…

“Temperature increases and more extreme swings in precipitation could lead to a drop in yield for major U.S. crops and reduce the profitability of many agriculture operations…[because] higher temperatures cause crops to mature more quickly, reducing the growing season and yields as a result. Faster growth could reduce grain, forage, fiber and fruit production if the plants can't get the proper level of nutrients or water… Among the biggest threat to crops from rising temperatures and accelerated levels of carbon dioxide is an increase in the cost for the agricultural industry to control weeds, a challenge that tops more than $11 billion annually…”

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THE FUTURE OF BUILDING ENERGY MANAGEMENT Building Energy Management Technology Landscape

Eric Bloom and Bob Gohn, 1Q 2013 (Pike Research/Navigant)

“The market for building energy management systems (BEMSs) comprises hundreds of vendors offering thousands of products aimed at using building-related energy data to reduce energy costs…[that] vary…

“Vendors have historically focused on BEMSs based on a single source (building automation system (BAS) data, utility bills, operational data, etc.), but an increasing number of players are looking to integrate multiple data sets into powerful, enterprise-level energy management platforms.”

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“…[T]he two main functions of a BEMS have been energy visualization and energy analytics to provide basic dashboard views and recommendations regarding potential energy conservation measures. These will remain the foundation of BEMSs…

“…[O]ther applications, such as demand response, operations/facility management, continuous commissioning, energy procurement, and rapid energy modeling, are starting to enhance and differentiate certain vendors’ BEMS offerings. In the future, BEMSs will serve an important role in enhancing building-to-grid and vehicle-to-building interconnections through the intelligent use of digital building-related energy data…”

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