Energy

Web resources energy, renewable energy sources, and energy conservation, especially in Pittsburgh and Southwestern Pennsylvania.

Pittsburgh Region

• Annual International Pittsburgh Coal Conference
  http://www.engrng.pitt.edu/~pccwww/
  An annual conference dealing with coal utilization both in the United States and internationally.
• The Combustion Institute
  http://www.combustioninstitute.org/
  The Combustion Institute is a non-profit, educational international institute established in 1954 with headquarters in Pittsburgh whose purpose is to promote and disseminate research in combustion science.
• Conservation Consultants, Inc.
  http://www.ccicenter.org/
  Conservation Consultants, Inc. is a regional non-profit organization that promotes environmental responsibility through education, service and demonstration programs with special attention given to lower income and elderly households.
• Duquesne Light Company
  http://www.duquesnelight.com/
  Go to their Home Energy Center to use their Home Energy Calculator. The Home Energy Calculator provides a starting point from which you can compare potential energy-saving measures.
• Equitable Resources Inc.
  http://www.ert.com/
  a fully-integrated energy exploration, distribution, marketing and energy se rvices company headquartered in Pittsburgh.
• Green Mountain Energy Resources
  http://www.greenmountain.com/
  Getting as much electricity as possible from renewable resources like wind, water, and solar energy.
• Penneco Oil Company, Inc.
  http://www.penneco.com/
  provides ongoing leasing, exploration, and drilling operations for natural gas and oil; and mining operations for coal, limestone, clay and sandstone in Western Pennsylvania, Texas and West Virginia.

Pennsylvania

• Green-e Certified Electricity options in Pennsylvania
  Most electricity in Pennsylvania comes from power plants that use coal, natural gas, or nuclear energy. At this site, you can learn which companies use renewable sources.
• New Wind Energy
  http://www.newwindenergy.com/
  This is a product of Community Energy, Inc. (CEI), which was founded in the fall of 1999, with the backing of several environmental groups, to develop and market clean, renewable electricity. CEI only sells new renewable energy, produced with no fuel and no pollution.
• Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission
  http://www.puc.state.pa.us/
  Information about the deregulation of electricity, the deregulation of gas, universal service discount program for schools and libraries (telecommunications), water and sewage companies.

United States

• American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE)
  http://www.aceee.org/
  The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy is a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing energy efficiency as a means of promoting both economic prosperity and environmental protection. Look at their website for policy assessments and reports, including an annual report on fuel efficient, low emission vehicles, and a rating of states and their energy policies.
  • Consumer Resources
  • Greenercars.com
  • The State Energy Efficiency Scorecard for 2006
    Pennsylvania ranked 14th.
• American Energy Now
  http://americanenergynow.org/
  The American Energy Initiative is a joint project of the Worldwatch Institute and the Center for American Progress emphasizing the importance of renewable energy to the economic, environmental and national security of the United States. You can download their report, American Energy: The Renewable Path to Energy Security, which advocates the thoughtful expansion of renewable technologies.

• American Petroleum Institute
  http://api-ec.api.org/
  The API represents the American petroleum and gas industry and so is not a conservation group. It is, however, a source of recent news in the industry and of the industry's response to environmental concerns.
• American Wind Energy Association
  http://www.awea.org/
  AWEA is a national trade association that represents wind power plant developers, wind turbine manufacturers, utilities, consultants, insurers, financiers, researchers, and others involved in the wind industry -- one of the world's fastest growing energy industries. In addition, AWEA represents hundreds of wind energy advocates from around the world.
• CASEnergy
  http://www.cleansafeenergy.org/
  Clean and Safe Energy is a coalition advocating the use of nuclear energy. Their website has statistics on the type of energy used in each state. Nuclear energy makes up 35% of Pennsylvania's energy (coal: 55.7%).
• Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Network (EREN)
  http://www.eere.energy.gov/
  A website from the US Department of Energy
  • Consumer's Guide to Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
  • Clean Cities
    The Clean Cities Program, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy, supports public-private partnerships that deploy alternative fuel vehicles (AFVs) and build supporting infrastructure.
  • Fossil Energy Web Network
  • Energy Information Administration
    Official energy statistics for countries throughout the world
• EnergyFiles
  http://www.osti.gov/EnergyFiles/
  A virtual library of energy science and technology created by the Office of Scientific and Technical Information of the US Department of Energy. Links to journals, websites, and databases arranged by scientific discipline.
• Energy Star
  http://www.energystar.gov/
  ENERGY STAR was introduced by the US Environmental Protection Agency in 1992 as a voluntary labeling program designed to identify and promote energy-efficient products, in order to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. EPA partnered with the US Department of Energy in 1996 to promote the ENERGY STAR label, with each agency taking responsibility for particular product categories. ENERGY STAR has expanded to cover new homes, most of the buildings sector, residential heating and cooling equipment, major appliances, office equipment, lighting, consumer electronics, and more product areas.
• Green-e.org
  http://www.green-e.org/
  Green-e is a voluntary certification program for renewable electricity products. The Green-e Program sets consumer protection and environmental standards for electricity products, and verifies that Green-e certified products meet these standards. Electricity products that meet the Green-e Standard for environmental excellence are denoted by the Green-e logo. It is administered by the Center for Resource Solutions.
• Interstate Renewable Energy Council
  http://irecusa.org/
  "A non-profit organization committed to accelerating the sustainable utilization of renewable energy resources and technologies in and through state, local government, and community activities."
• NRDC: Clean Air & Energy
  http://www.nrdc.org/air/
  From the Natural Resources Defense Council
• Power Scorecard
  http://www.powerscorecard.org/
  The Power Scorecard is a rating mechanism that assesses the environmental impact of different types of electric generation. It was produced by a group of six nationally recognized environmental organizations: Environmental Defense, the Izaak Walton League, the Natural Resources Defense Council, the NW Energy Coalition, the Pace Energy Project, and the Union of Concerned Scientists. The website was created by the Pace Law School Energy Project, part of the Pace University School of Law's Center for Environmental Legal Studies, located in White Plains, New York.
• Solar America Initiative
  http://www.eere.energy.gov/solar/solar_america/
  The Solar America Initiative (SAI) is part of the President's Advanced Energy Initiative and its goal is to make solar energy cost-competitive with conventional forms of electricity by 2015.
  • Solar America Cities
    Pittsburgh is one of the cities committed to promoting solar energy.
• Union of Concerned Scientists: Clean Energy
  http://www.ucsusa.org/clean_energy/
  Offers publications on Clean Energy and Clean Vehicles.

International

• Ban the Bulb
  http://www.banthebulb.org/
  An international campaign to save money and help the environment by using energy efficient light bulbs.
• World Alliance for Decentralized Energy (WADE)
  http://www.localpower.org/
  WADE envisions a transition from the traditional central model of energy generation based on large, relatively inefficient and remote generating plants to a more modern system - one based on a hybrid of decentralized and centralized models with open and fair competition between generation sources. Check their collection of links for additional resources in power generation.
• World Energy Council (WEC)
  http://www.worldenergy.org/wec-geis/
  The leading global multi-energy organization with committees and activities in approximately 100 countries whose mission is to promote the sustainable supply and use of all forms of energy for the greatest benefit of all.