NETL and its partners are continuously making progress towards building and restructuring the nine energy districts of the City of Pittsburgh MOU, conducting extensive research for clean energy solutions, and providing support for other projects that utilize the clean, efficient use of fossil energy and advance Pittsburgh into being a “City of the Future”. As these updates are released to the public, the News Center will showcase the documents here for your convenience.
Click the following link to see where the electric vehicle charging stations are located throughout the City of Pittsburgh and surrounding communities: List of charging stations.
News Releases:
‘Deep Geothermal’ Promises to Let Drillers Go Deeper, Faster and Hotter [11.13.22]
Sustainable Pittsburgh: Insights for a Successful Decarbonization Strategy [9.30.22]
Global Clean Energy Action Forum in Pittsburgh: News Coverage and Recorded Sessions [9.26.22]
Forecasting our Future: Pittsburgh hosts Global Clean Energy Action Forum [9.23.22]
New Allegheny County Sustainability Report Provides Overview of Efforts Since 2009 [9.5.22]
Pittsburgh’s PNC Bank to Power Operations With Renewable Energy [7.13.22]
Governor Tom Wolf Announces an Aggressive Push to Secure a Hydrogen Hub in Pennsylvania [5.23.22]
Pennsylvania Enters the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative [4.22.22]
Pittsburgh Modernizes Waste Collection While Combating Climate Change [2.15.22]
City of Pittsburgh Unveils Large Electric Vehicle Charging Depot for City Fleet [12.31.21]
Pittsburgh Creates Energy Strategy to Address Climate Action in City Development Reviews [11.13.21]
Ithaca, NY is first U.S. city to begin 100% decarbonization of buildings [11.4.21]
Pittsburgh Delegation Shares City’s Successes at COP26 Climate Summit in Glasgow [11.3.21]
Aviation Fans Are Excited About the New Airport Terminal Being Built in Pittsburgh [10.19.21]
New Pennsylvania Climate Action Plan Charts Path for Steep Cuts in Greenhouse Gases [9.23.21]
World’s First Battery-Electric Freight Train Unveiled in Pittsburgh [9.20.21]
Pennsylvania Recognizes Clean Energy Week on September 20-24, 2021 [9.20.21]
Pittsburgh Manufacturing Company Wabtec Unveils First Battery-Electric Train [9.10.21]
Why is the Green Building Alliance Honoring Epic Metals, a Steel Company? [9.9.21]
Penn State Creates Task Force to Reduce the University’s Carbon Emissions [9.6.21]
AIRLINEGEEKS: Pittsburgh International Airport Launches Sustainable Energy Microgrid [7.16.21]
EQT, pledging to reach net-zero emissions by 2025, launches carbon storage pilots [7.1.21]
Wabtec Makes it Official at Neighborhood 91 - Blue Sky PIT News Site [6.14.21]
Pittsburgh 2030 District Partners Purchased Over 196,000 MWh of Renewable Energy in 2020 [5.30.21]
Mayor Peduto Issues Executive Order Committing Pittsburgh to Be Carbon Neutral by 2050 [4.22.21]
Biden Administration Releases Pennsylvania Infrastructure Needs Report on April 12, 2021 [4.19.21]
Allegheny County Community College Approves Installation of 540kW Solar Energy Array [1.13.21]
Pennsylvania Awards City of Pittsburgh a State Grant for Electric Vehicle Fleet Chargers [12.10.20]
U.S. Department of Energy Incorporates Microgrids Into Plan for 16 Federal Projects [12.7.20]
Pennsylvania passes chemical recycling bill - Plastics Recycling Update [12.2.20]
Putting carbon back in the earth re-emerges as bipartisan strategy [11.2.20]
Pennsylvania Joins 6 States in Commitment to Plan for CO2 Transport Infrastructure [10.1.20]
NETL Celebrates 5th Anniversary of City of Pittsburgh Partnership [8.27.20]
City Theatre Announces Drive-In Arts Festival at Hazelwood Green [8.18.20]
Rocky Mountain Institute: How Cities Can Influence the Energy System [8.12.20]
City of Pittsburgh Leaders Say We’re at the “Fulcrum Point” for the Future Green Economy [7.30.20]
COVID-19 Has Opened the Floodgates For Smart Cities — Whether We Like It Or Not [7.23.20]
The United States Installed a Record Number of Microgrids in 2019 [7.23.20]
Bloomberg CityLab: How to Design a Post-Pandemic City [7.14.20]
What are Connected Communities? And Why Are They the Future? [7.8.20]
Ars Technica: Columbus, Ohio’s plan to get more people to buy electric cars worked [6.24.20]
New Natural Gas-Fired Power Plant Begins Operations in Western Pennsylvania [6.24.20]
Solar Power Deal Accelerates the University of Pittsburgh’s Sustainability Progress [6.23.20]
Campus Microgrids Emerge as Solution to Energy Challenges in Higher Education [6.15.20]
Pennsylvania Evaluates Carbon Capture Options, With National Implications [6.5.20]
Government Technology: Next Chapter for Smart Cities Is Practical, Equitable [6.1.20]
Microgrid 2020 Conference is Scheduled for November 18-20, 2020 in Philadelphia [5.28.20]
Pittsburgh is the Least House-Poor City in the Northeast, According to a Study [5.18.20]
POWER Magazine Interview: Vicinity CEO Discusses District Energy [5.8.20]
First Microgrid Knowledge Virtual Conference is Free to All Attendees on June 1-3, 2020 [4.22.20]
Andrew Place Ends His Tenure on the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission [4.18.20]
What’s the Ideal Way for the Microgrid Industry to Return From COVID-19? [4.17.20]
Earth Day 50: Pittsburgh Earth Week Coalition Teach-In Goes VIRTUAL on April 19, 2020 [4.6.20]
Pittsburgh to Replace Thousands of Lead Drinking Water Pipes [3.30.20]
COVID-19 Likely to Spur More Microgrid Development [3.27.20]
COVID-19 Coronavirus Pandemic Likely to Spur More Interest in Microgrids [3.27.20]
Phipps Conservatory Will Host April 2020 Symposium on Air Quality in Pittsburgh [3.10.20]
Hazelwood Green Gets Innovation Hub With Newest Silicon Valley Tenant GSVLabs [2.26.20]
Pittsburgh’s Air Was Unsafe to Breathe for Three Months in 2018, According to a New Report [1.30.20]
How Carnegie Mellon Helped Transform Pittsburgh into a Smart City Playground [1.23.20]
67% of US mayors support improving their cities’ Electric Vehicle (EV) infrastructure [1.22.20]
Pennsylvania Solar Congress is Scheduled for February 15th in Indiana County [1.6.20]
Pittsburgh Region’s Manufacturing Employment at the Lowest Point In Modern History [11.20.19]
The Philadelphia Navy Yard Story: The Remarkable Emergence of an Unintentional Microgrid [12.20.19]
Autonomous Vehicle Company Aptiv Moving to Pittsburgh’s Hazelwood Green [12.4.19]
December 12th Symposium to be Held at Penn State to Explore the Future of Solar Energy [11.25.19]
Penn State University Breaks Ground on the Largest Solar Energy Project in Pennsylvania [10.28.19]
City of Pittsburgh Aiming to Release New Greenhouse Gas Inventory in 2020 [10.7.19]
Pittsburgh Named U.N. Centre of Excellence on High Performance Building [9.26.19]
Panelists Discuss Opportunities in the Pittsburgh Airport Corridor [9.26.19]
Mill 19 at Hazelwood Green Now Open, 15 Years in the Making [9.4.19]
VW Invests $2.6 Billion in Pittsburgh’s Argo AI, Partnering with Ford on Self-Driving Cars [7.12.19]
New Report: Clean Energy Jobs Grew to 90,772 in Pennsylvania in 2018 [6.18.19]
Pennsylvania Energy Efficiency Conference on September 26-27, 2019 in Harrisburg [6.17.19]
Pittsburgh is Ahead of Schedule on the 2030 District Environmental Challenge [5.24.19]
Duquesne Light Providing Electric Vehicle Charging Station Rebates to Commercial Customers [4.11.19]
The GCEAF is a joint convening of the 13th Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM) and 7th Mission Innovation (MI) ministerial hosted by the United States in Pittsburgh, PA, Wednesday, September 21–Friday, September 23, 2022. The theme for the GCEAF is Rapid Innovation and Deployment, with possible topics headered under fuels, power, transport, industry, building, enabling environments, and cross-cutting technologies. The three-day event will feature a high-level plenary, topical roundtables with energy and science ministers from at least 30 countries, CEOs and experts, side events, the Clean Energy Technology Showcase, and other activities. Research Partnerships has been asked to support GCEAF activities including technical roundtables, Technology Showcase, Business Forum, and an NETL lab tour. Registration and exhibit space is free, but invitations will be prioritized. Limited virtual participation options are expected. For more information, please click here.
Date: Wednesday, September 21 – Friday, September 23, 2022
Locale: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
GMIS is the world’s first cross-industrial and cross-functional platform that offers a voice and venue for leaders to transform manufacturing, encourage greater investment in capabilities, foster innovation and drive global skills development. Uniting influential delegates, including visionary world leaders, expert industry CEOs and specialist researchers and academics, the summit aims to place manufacturing at the heart of economic regeneration and government policymaking, utilizing it as a tool for global cooperation and collaboration.
Pittsburgh’s rejuvenation from a traditional heavy manufacturing heartland that had fallen on hard times to a modern, advanced technology and innovation hub in the space of just a few decades is one of the great success stories of the 21st century. GMIS will offer Pittsburgh the chance to share the secrets of its successful renaissance with the world while showcasing its capabilities in advanced manufacturing technologies. The city’s revival is a perfect example to many others around the world facing a similar situation, as well as to developing countries embarking on an advanced industrialization drive for the first time.
Date: Wednesday, September 28 – Friday, September 30, 2022
Locale: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Partners working with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) in the Better Buildings Initiative set ambitious goals and contribute the kinds of real-world energy, water, and waste solutions that are accelerating our future toward a clean energy economy. Through their leadership and commitment to transparency, partners demonstrate effective strategies to help address our climate emergency, create jobs, and promote healthy, safe, and thriving communities.
This past year, building owners and plant managers faced significant new barriers to energy efficiency caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. These challenges included dramatic fluctuations in occupancy levels, the need for increased ventilation, the repurposing of budgets, and layoffs and staffing disruptions. Despite these difficulties, many partners continued to prioritize energy efficiency and found ways to meet the challenge of operating during a pandemic, while taking advantage of reduced occupancy in buildings and plants to make upgrades.
Achieved Impressive Energy and Cost Savings
The 950+ private and public sector Better Buildings partners have collectively saved more than 2.2 quadrillion British thermal units (QBtu) of energy since the start of the program. This amounts to a savings of more than $13 billion and 130 million tons of CO2 . Partners also have reduced their water use by more than 10.2 billion gallons.
Shared Solutions and Collaborated to Overcome Barriers
Partners shared portfolio-wide, clean energy strategies and real-world solutions with the marketplace. Best-practice efficiency measures that have been implemented in buildings and plants are highlighted in peer-to-peer events and featured in the tools, in-plant trainings, and other resources distributed by DOE.
Advanced Innovative New Technologies
Partners tested, validated, and helped disseminate new energy-, water-, or waste-saving technologies in their buildings and plants. They participated in technology campaigns led by experts from DOE's National Labs and signed up for technical field validation studies.
Embraced New Opportunities
Many partners have also set waste and water reduction goals to complement their energy reduction commitments. Additionally, more than 50 partners joined a pilot effort to demonstrate pathways to achieve low carbon emissions from building and manufacturing operations by leveraging on-site and off-site renewables and other low carbon energy generation options.
Date: May 17, 2021
Author: U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)’s Better Buildings Initiative
The purpose of creating this strategic plan is to:
The strategic plan and its recommendations will be implemented and updated over time as needed by The City’s Electric Vehicle Task Force.
The scope of this plan expanded from its initial focus on Pittsburgh Parking Authority (PPA) facilities to also include other public-facing City facilities such as parks and recreation centers, primarily to enable an increased focus on improving Citywide access to public EV charging, including in areas without Parking Authority facilities. Additionally, the plan addresses opportunities to partner with stakeholders to drive private investment in EV charging, and discusses potential options for pursuing curbside charging in the future.
Date: April 19, 2021
Author:City of Pittsburgh Department of City Planning in collaboration with Bloomberg Philanthropies American Cities Climate Challenge and the Pittsburgh Parking Authority
Pennsylvania 2020 Clean Energy Employment Report
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) works to protect the state’s air, land, and water from pollution; restore these natural resources; and provide for Pennsylvanians’ health and safety through a cleaner environment. Advancing this mission, the DEP Energy Programs Office is the primary entity under the Governor’s jurisdiction responsible for programs that promote knowledge and use of energy efficiency and energy conservation technologies as well as indigenous, clean, alternative fuels, including energy production and use technologies.
One of the core functions of the Energy Programs Office is to work with partners to gather data and develop resources to help policy makers, planners, and other leaders in Pennsylvania make informed and best-outcome energy decisions. To provide a foundation on which to understand future energy employment changes and base energy employment decisions, the Energy Programs Office commissioned BW Research to conduct a baseline analysis of Pennsylvania’s clean energy workforce from 2017 through 2019. This is the 2020 Pennsylvania Clean Energy Employment Report.
This report details employment in the clean energy sector, as defined by the Energy Programs Office. Clean energy jobs are categorized into the following five major technology sectors: Energy Efficiency, Clean Energy Generation, Alternative Transportation, Clean Grid and Storage, Clean Fuels.
Date: August 17, 2020
Author: Commissioned from BW Research by the DEP Energy Programs Office
Cities are global hubs of economic activity and energy consumption, accounting for 66% of energy use and 70% of CO2 emissions. All of them rely on the uninterrupted flow of energy to function properly. However, climate change is presenting them with an unprecedented array of risks, challenges, and disruptions. In response, cities are actively planning to improve energy efficiency and promote renewable energy to make their neighborhoods more resilient in the face of climate change as well as other shocks and stresses.
This American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) report details their study that reviewed and rated 66 plans selected from the 100 Resilient Cities international program. ACEEE identified the energy efficiency and renewable energy initiatives that cities commonly include in their plans. They also identify and discuss opportunities that cities have missed to improve their energy efficiency and increase their reliance on renewable energy.
The Key Takeaways from this report are:
Date: January 2019
Author: Metropolitan Policy Program at Brookings (Robert Maxim and Mark Muro)
IDEAS for PENNSYLVANIA INNOVATION: Examining efforts by competitor states and national leaders:
This Brookings Institution report documents ongoing initiatives, both nationally and in other states, that are contending with challenges similar to those that Pennsylvania’s innovation economy is facing.
The initiatives range from those that address a narrow problem or leverage relatively few public resources to those that require substantial time, financial resources, and or/political will to enact. While Pennsylvania’s innovation economy has lagged in recent years, a path is ahead that leads to renewed commitment to inclusive innovation-oriented economic development. Pennsylvania can build upon the initiatives in this report to invest in a state-wide innovation strategy that leverages industry R&D and state resources.
Date: August 2019
Author: Metropolitan Policy Program at Brookings (Robert Maxim and Mark Muro)