The story of artificial intelligence (“AI”) is one of technological promise and societal challenge, and its impact on the U.S. electric power grid is fast becoming a pivotal chapter. The promise is compelling. AI could...more
The Role of Energy Consumption Analysis in Extreme Weather Insurance Claims - Water damage to structures is among the most common type of first party property insurance claims. During periods of extreme weather, water...more
Beginning October 1, 2023, under a benchmarking program administered by the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (BPU), all property owners or operators of commercial properties over 25,000 square feet in New Jersey will be...more
5 Questions is a periodic feature produced by Cornerstone Research, which asks our professionals, senior advisors, or affiliated experts to answer five questions. We interview Mike DeCesaris, vice president of Cornerstone...more
The cryptocurrency industry is receiving a significant amount of executive and legislative attention. Biden’s Executive Order on Digital Assets in April 2022, several Congressional inquiries, proposed federal legislation, and...more
There is a lot of buzz around "The Merge" for the Ethereum blockchain, and it is finally here. But what is The Merge, and why is it important? The Ethereum Foundation describes it as "the most significant upgrade in the...more
On June 3, 2022, the New York State Senate passed the first bill in the country that bans certain cryptocurrency (crypto) mining operations. This bill, passed by the New York State Assembly in April 2022, now goes to...more
The Chemical Industry Is the Largest Industrial Energy Consumer Worldwide - With a total gross value addition to the global economy of $5.7 trillion annually, equivalent to 7% of global GDP, the chemical industry is an...more
Although only 16% of Americans have personally invested in or exchanged cryptocurrencies, the ever-increasing use of this virtual currency in the U.S. will have very real ramifications for virtually all Americans. Arguably,...more
On January 20, 2022, the U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce (the “Committee”) held a hearing on the energy consumption associated with cryptocurrency activity....more
In the latest example of the government attempting to regulate the environmental and social impact of public and private businesses, the New York Legislature is considering legislation that targets the fashion industry. If...more
Recently, the New York City Department of Finance published a Notice of Adoption of a new rule broadening the scope of the Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy (C-PACE) finance program. The amended rule, which goes into...more
Hydrogen is the new buzzword in every industry, and real estate is no exception. Hydrogen does not emit carbon dioxide when burnt and could therefore help reduce the climate impact of buildings, which in aggregate represent...more
With every change in the federal executive administration, speculation rages over what changes to expect in regulation, policy, and guidance. The current transition is no different. And agricultural policy and conservation...more
Gould & Ratner presents the next installment of our Construction Interview Series. As a continued effort to keep our clients informed of new building techniques and processes, we will continue to periodically sit down with...more
The electricity sector, like numerous others in France, has been heavily affected by the economic shutdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The first two weeks of confinement led to a reduction in electricity consumption in...more
It was once again an honor to moderate a panel of game-changing women at GreenPearl’s 9th Annual Women’s Real Estate Forum on February 27. Below are key takeaways from our panel discussion, “Shaping the Future: Real Estate...more
Yesterday, was a big day for climate change policy in New Jersey. Official announcements were made on plans to achieve 100% clean energy by 2050 and to reduce statewide greenhouse gas emissions to 80% below 2006 levels. The...more
Since 2010, French law has required that actions be undertaken to improve the energy efficiency of buildings dedicated to tertiary sector activities in order to optimize their energy performance....more
The Lamont Energy Policy Committee (part of the Lamont Transition Team) recommended the Governor-elect to adopt a “Green New Deal” with Connecticut and its ratepayers. The suggested Green New Deal includes a reduction of...more
As recently as 2008, experts predicted a dire U.S. energy crisis by this time. In my last column, I surveyed the present positive energy landscape and described the energy crisis that never happened. Here are four factors...more
A group of data center providers, colocation service providers, and customers of data center facilities (collectively “Data Centers”) with operations in Virginia submitted September 17th comments to the Virginia State...more
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (“NREL”) released a July 2018 study titled: Electrification Futures Study: Scenarios of Electric Technology Adoption in Power Consumption for the United States (“Study”)...more
The Arkansas Public Service Commission (“PSC”) issued Order No. 43 (“Order”) on July 13th addressing Arkansas utility energy savings targets for PY 2020-2022. See Docket No. 13-002-U....more
AB 802, California's energy use disclosure law, requires owners of commercial buildings containing more than 50,000 square feet to report their energy performance by June 1, 2018. Building owners who have missed the June 1,...more