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I just recently combined two of Green Energy Consumers’ programs: 1) signed up for Green Powered 100% and 2) leased a Chevy Volt via the Drive Green program. I was driving and it occurred to me… Read more
We want to thank the Drive Green program for making our Chevy Bolt EV purchase easy and haggle-free. The Drive Green discounts (in addition to the state MOR-EV rebate) really gave us the extra… Read more
The Drive Green site was a great resource for EV shopping. As a member of the Drive Green program, the dealer was well trained on the car and since the price was already arranged, the visit to the… Read more
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A new report says a plug-in hybrid can beat out the greenest of electric vehicles
If you try to imagine a “green” car, an electric vehicle is probably the first thing that comes to mind. A silent motor with tons of torque; no fumes, gasoline smells or air pollution belching from an exhaust pipe. Last year, U.S. consumers had over 50 EV models to choose from, up from about 30 the year before.
But a new report from the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy suggests that the “greenest” car in America may not be fully electric. The nonprofit group, which has rated the pollution from vehicles for decades, says the winning car this year is the Toyota Prius Prime SE, a plug-in hybrid that can go 44 miles on electricity before switching to hybrid.
“It’s the shape of the body, the technology within it, and the overall weight,” said Peter Huether, senior research associate for transportation at ACEEE. “And all different types of Priuses are very efficient.”
It’s not the first time that a plug-in vehicle has topped the GreenerCars list; the Prius Prime also won in 2020 and 2022. But with more and more electric vehicles on the market, the staying power of the plug-in hybrid is surprising.
The analysis shows that simply running on electricity is not enough to guarantee that a car is “green” — its weight, battery size and overall efficiency matter, too. While a gigantic electric truck weighing thousands of pounds might be better than a gas truck of the same size, both will be outmatched by a smaller, efficient gas vehicle. And the more huge vehicles there are on the road, the harder it will be for the United States to meet its goal of zeroing out emissions by 2050.
The GreenerCars report analyzes 1,200 cars available in 2024, assessing both the carbon dioxide emissions of the vehicle while it’s on the road and the emissions of manufacturing the car and battery. It also assesses the impact of pollutants beyond carbon dioxide, including nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide and particulate matter — all of which can harm human health.
Combining these factors, the authors gave each car a “green score” ranging from 0 to 100. The Toyota Prius Prime received a 71, followed by several all-electric cars such as the Nissan Leaf and Mini Cooper SE with scores in the high 60s. The Toyota RAV4 Prime, a plug-in hybrid SUV with 42 miles in range, got a 64. One gas hybrid, the Hyundai Elantra Blue, made the list as well — thanks to an efficient design and good mileage.
At the bottom of the list were large gas-guzzling trucks such as the Ford F-150 Raptor R, with scores in the 20s. So was one electric car: the Hummer EV, which weighs 9,000 pounds and scored a 29.
Plug-in hybrids haven’t gotten too much attention in the race to electrify the nation’s cars. The vehicles, which can travel on electric power alone for 20 to 50 miles, have a few downsides. Drivers are forced to maintain both an electric motor and a gas-powered engine; plug-in hybrids also generally can’t be charged at super-fast charging stations. EV purists scorn them as a meager halfway step toward all-electric cars.
But for some drivers, plug-in hybrids can be a happy medium between converting to all-electric or sticking with gas. Many plug-in hybrids allow drivers to do most of their regular driving on electricity (the average American drives only about 27 miles a day) and switch to gas for longer road trips. That allows plug-in hybrid owners to avoid wrestling with America’s complicated and faulty charging infrastructure.
The Prius Prime outranked its competitors, Huether said, because of its small battery — which lowers the emissions and pollution associated with manufacturing — and its high efficiency. The vehicle’s battery is less than one-tenth the size of the battery on the monstrous Hummer EV. That means fewer emissions in making the battery, and fewer rare minerals to mine and extract.
Jessika Trancik, a professor at MIT’s Institute for Data, Systems, and Society who was not involved in the report, said that the GreenerCars study used a standard methodology to analyze the environmental harm of cars, but that it is hard to predict how much drivers actually run their plug-in hybrids on electricity. “In the U.S., it often comes down to whether they have an easy way to plug in while they’re at home,” she said.
The GreenerCars report assumed that Prius Prime drivers were using electricity for a little over 50 percent of their driving, based on data from SAE International. For drivers with charging available at home, that might be an underestimate.
But Gil Tal, director of the Electric Vehicle Research Center at the University of California at Davis, said some studies show that drivers use their plug-in hybrids as regular hybrids, almost never charging them. That could undercut the findings from the GreenerCars report. “I don’t think the Prius Prime is the greenest,” Tal said. “If you can buy a full-electric, it’s always the best, regardless of the few points of difference here.”
As more wind and solar power are plugged into the grid, Tal added, electric cars will get cleaner and cleaner over time. “And your gas car will be worse over the years,” he said.
Huether says the most important thing is that drivers can find the most environmentally friendly option that suits them — whether that’s a plug-in hybrid, conventional hybrid or all-electric car. “Some folks are still concerned about the charging infrastructure,” he said. “But we still want them to have a very green option.”

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JLL Korea Office with green certification (Image courtesy of JLL Korea)
SEOUL, May 31 (Korea Bizwire) – As corporations strive to respond to environmental crises by implementing decarbonization strategies, interest in eco-friendly offices has surged, according to a report released on May 30 by JLL, a global real estate services firm. 
The report reveals that the proportion of Grade A offices in Seoul with green certifications has more than doubled over the past four years, increasing from 21% in 2019 to 45% in 2023. 
JLL classifies offices as Grade A if they offer exceptional facilities, with a total floor area of at least 33,000 square meters and a floor plate of at least 1,089 square meters, in addition to prime locations. 
“In line with climate neutrality declarations by the government and local authorities, the commercial real estate industry has steadily increased the supply of buildings with environmental certifications,” a JLL representative stated.
“Tenants have begun considering environmentally friendly building operation strategies and related certifications as essential requirements.” 
In a JLL survey on environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues, more than 80% of tenant respondents expressed a desire to transition all their office spaces to green-certified buildings by 2030.
Moreover, over 70% of tenants identified environmentally friendly building designs based on energy circulation techniques as their top priority for carbon reduction.
However, 60% of respondents cited cost concerns regarding sustainable building renovations in the current high-interest rate market environment as a significant challenge.
Addressing this issue, JLL highlighted potential solutions, such as Seoul’s building energy efficiency programs and green-based collaboration structures between tenants and landlords. “Business models like ‘green leases’ that facilitate cooperation between landlords and tenants are gaining attention,” the representative added.
Green leases incorporate clauses for sustainable office operations, including the adoption of alternative energy sources and waste reduction plans, in addition to standard rental terms.
“The Korean real estate market’s interest in sustainability will continue to grow,” said Shim Hye-won, head of the JLL Korea Research Team. “The trend of preferring green-certified offices is expected to persist.”
Lina Jang (linajang@koreabizwire.com) 
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By Zoran Popovici | Euractiv
31-05-2024 (updated: 31-05-2024 )
Created for Supplied by an entity that has paid the news provider for its placement; not impartial journalism.
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Forests, trees and wood have always played a critical role for humanity and our future is intertwined with theirs. The coming years will reveal whether we manage to restore a most sustainable relationship with them and secure healthy forests for future generations.
The content of this publication represents the views of the author only and is his/her sole responsibility. The Agency does not accept any responsibility for use that may be made of the information it contains.

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Remembering a victim of a climate-driven weather disaster  NPR
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By McKenna Schueler on Wed, May 29, 2024 at 2:33 pm
City officials are considering launching a new, on-demand shuttle service in downtown Orlando in the hopes of expanding transit options and activation the downtown core.
The idea was discussed during a Downtown Orlando Community Redevelopment Area Advisory Board (CRAAB) meeting last week, where the board recommended program approval. A city spokesperson confirmed the concept will now go before the Orlando City Commission for a vote on June 10.

The company that the city would be partnering with — Circuit Transit — has similar shuttle programs in West Palm Beach (where most rides are free), Fort Lauderdale and more than 40 other locations across the country, from California to Texas and Massachusetts.
According to Palm Beach Daily News, their on-demand shuttle service with Circuit Transit began as a pilot program back in 2021, transporting riders between downtown West Palm Beach and the town of Palm Beach. The program was extended in 2022 due to the popularity of the program, with ride prices ranging from free to $8, depending on where you’re headed and the number of passengers.
According to the West Palm Beach Downtown Development Authority, the program’s use within the first year represented “over 85,000 rides provided in the past 12 months, a reduction of more than 60 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions, and the creation of 37 jobs for local residents as managers, supervisors and driver/ambassadors.”
On-demand shuttle programs that run in other Florida cities allow up to five passengers per ride, with rides accessible through the company’s mobile app. So, basically, if replicated in Orlando, it’s a city-subsidized Uber ride that is eco-friendly and would exclusively serve the downtown Orlando core.
Unlike the crash-prone, driverless shuttle program the city launched last year, these vehicles would be driven by fully licensed human drivers. According to the company’s contract with Orlando’s Downtown CRA, drivers would be employed by Circuit Transit and paid no less than a “living wage” of $15 an hour minimum. Tips for drivers would be appreciated and accepted, but not required.
The city is eyeing an initial one-year term for the program, with the option of renewing the program for two one-year terms. If approved by the CRA, the program would launch within 30 days of the effective date of their agreement with Circuit. A city spokesperson confirmed they anticipate the program would launch sometime this fall, if approved.

This post has been updated to clarify that the shuttle charge in West Palm Beach depends both on where you are headed and the number of passengers.

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PVRadar Labs has expanded its software platform to include PV project risk assessment functionality, reportedly enabling more realistic performance estimates based on historical climate data.
Image: PVRADAR
PVRadar Labs, a Germany-based software company, has expanded the functionality of its PVRadar software platform, adding the ability to model utility-scale project performance using climate data, in addition to soiling and cleaning optimization.
“By using PVRadar developers can do a proper risk assessment to factor in snow losses, soiling, or albedo effects. It is especially useful for European or US-based developers who are entering new geographic markets because the climate data is global,” PVRadar Labs co-founder and CEO, Thore Müller, told pv magazine.
“Originally, the software was set up to optimize PV module cleaning costs at the early stage of planning, but we found that many of our clients struggled to correctly determine loss factors for yield estimation. Usually they use simple tools, like excel spreadsheets, but there is a clear need for accurate prediction based on historic conditions, such as rainfall, snowfall, and particulate matter, for example.”
PVRadar provides historical climate data going back 20 years. It is based on geographical information system (GIS) sources, as well as national weather databases, if available. “We saw that for some project inputs, there is verifiable data available to developers, such as the price of the modules supplied by manufacturers, or the performance attributes supplied by testing labs. But it was not so with climate-related effects and loss factors. Therefore, all too often project developers rely on generalized assumptions, for example assuming a flat 2% soiling loss, which in many dry areas has no relation to reality,” said Müller.
The platform is complementary to internal workflows and commercially available design tools, such as PVCase, PVFarm, PVDesign, or PVSyst. It provides users with realistic loss factor inputs, according to Müller.
Access to the platform comes in two variations, either a single project license or a corporate subscription for unlimited projects. “We have twelve project development companies using the platform for multiple projects. That is because developers are usually assessing a lot more sites than they end up developing. It could be ten designs for every project that gets built,” Franco Clandestino, co-founder and head of product, told pv magazine.
Looking ahead, the team is working on additional risk assessment tools. “We will be continuously adding more models, for example, for the degradation rate, and we will also allow users to create their own models and feed them from our database,” said Müller.
This content is protected by copyright and may not be reused. If you want to cooperate with us and would like to reuse some of our content, please contact: editors@pv-magazine.com.
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In a wide-ranging interview Wednesday night, Attorney General William Tong discussed litigation addressing issues ranging from climate change to online safety, putting an emphasis on his relationships with fellow attorneys general in crafting those lawsuits.
His frequent collaboration with other states was a theme that ran through his discussion with events host John Dankosky in the third installment of The Connecticut Mirror’s “In the Room” event series.
Tong said he is aware of the criticisms he has received about consistently involving Connecticut in multistate lawsuits. But, he says, his response to those critiques would be: “Which ones do you want me to sit out?”
Tong touched on a range of litigation during the conversation at the University of Connecticut’s Stamford campus, including consumer lawsuits against ExxonMobil and LiveNation and a child protection suit against Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram.
Both the Meta lawsuit, which accuses the company of violating trade-practice and child protection laws, and the Live Nation lawsuit, which claims the company exercises monopoly power in violation of antitrust laws, were filed by dozens of states, including Connecticut.
That coordination is necessary, Tong said, because no attorney general can work on the litigation alone. And, he argued, the issues raised are important to Connecticut.
“Do you want me to take a pass on the fight against Meta and TikTok to protect our kids? You want me to sit out and not file a case against ExxonMobil? You want me to take a pass on the antitrust cases against Google and Amazon and Apple?” Tong said. “I don’t think we can because… this is Connecticut business. Right? This affects all of us.”
Tong, who represented Stamford in the state House for over a decade before being elected attorney general in 2018, said serving as Connecticut’s chief legal officer is not so different from being a member of the General Assembly. He argued that his legislative skills and experience play a role in his negotiations with other attorneys general.
He pointed to his ability to work with Republican attorneys general, like Ken Paxton of Texas and Kris Kobach of Kansas, saying they’ve “done a lot of important, multistate business together” despite their political differences.
Conversations around bipartisanship are not new to CT Mirror’s “In the Room” series. In its kick-off on March 28, U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy delved into his emerging role as a negotiator and the thorny debate over compromise and working across the aisle.
Similar to Tong, Murphy said elected officials must work with lawmakers to find common ground on certain issues. But he also argued for turning to voting when those political and policy differences are insurmountable.
“I think there are moments where you need to put down your swords and try to find a compromise. I think there are some irreconcilable differences in which the ballot box is your only means of redress,” Murphy said. “I don’t think it’s either-or. I think you have to be doing both.”
And the country’s attorneys general are not immune to the “irreconcilable differences” that Murphy referred to. On May 22, 19 Republican attorneys general petitioned the Supreme Court to block several states, including Connecticut, from pursuing litigation against ExxonMobil and other major oil and gas companies.
Tong’s lawsuit, and those of other states, allege Exxon knew for decades that their products contributed to the emissions that caused climate change, but hid that from the public.
Tong called the Republicans’ petition “ridiculous and absurd” and said he expects the Supreme Court to dismiss it.
Another recent initiative Tong has undertaken involves the rising price of groceries.
He announced last month that his office is seeking detailed cost and profit information from retail grocers in the state in an effort to determine whether their business practices are partly to blame for persistent elevated prices of food staples.
Tong said at the time that he was prompted to pursue the inquiry after a Federal Trade Commission report, released last month, found that major grocery chain profits “rose and remain elevated” in the wake of pandemic-induced disruptions to food supply chains — even after those disruptions appeared to have eased.
“We’re all concerned about inflation,” Tong said. “We all know that the cost of food is going up, and the cost of groceries is going up. And we all feel it.”
Tong is no stranger to conversations about food: He spent part of the discussion talking about his childhood growing up as the son of two immigrants who worked seven days a week operating a Chinese restaurant in Wethersfield.
He recalled his father’s checkered pants and chef’s smock splattered with soy sauce and oil, as well as the distinctive sights, smells and sounds from hours spent working in the restaurant’s hot kitchen.
But it wasn’t the sight of his father that Tong remembers most vividly.
“It was the smell of 12, 15 hours of caked-in, baked-in Chinese food,” Tong said. “And I looked forward to that. And I can still smell it.”
Tong said his upbringing taught him about the struggles faced by working people and small business owners. But, he said, it also proved that the son of immigrants could grow up to become a state constitutional officer.
“I think we know that that only happens in one place in this world, and that’s in this country,” he said to applause.
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