Lynn Price, LBNL

The China-US Energy Efficiency Alliance is pleased to announce that Lynn Price, Senior Scientist and Group Leader of the China Energy Group at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), has joined the Alliance Leadership Council.  The Leadership Council provides strategic advice and insights to the Alliance on a variety of policy, network development, and programming issues.

Lynn Price has worked at Lawrence Berkeley since 1990, and has also been a member of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change since 1994. She has provided technical and policy assistance to many projects for groups as diverse as the US EPA, the US DOE, the State Department, UNDP, USAID, The Energy Foundation, the California Air Resources Board, and the California Energy Commission.

The China Energy Group at LBNL works to understand ways in which demand for energy in China can be met, including via energy efficiency. You may see a variety of publications that Lynn Price has researched and coauthored at the China Energy Group’s publications page.

Alliance President Barbara Finamore was just featured in the Huffington Post on “8 Ways that China and California Can Work Together to Reduce Pollution and Protect the Environment”.

The piece details insights from California Governor Jerry Brown’s recent trip to China. Finamore notes that climate change and environmental protection were a key focus on this trip, and that the importance of collaboration between China and California was emphasized.

Finamore’s article underlines the fact that although there is renewed attention to environmental technology in China, as well as cooperation with California, there is an existing history of collaboration in this area.

In fact, the China-US Energy Efficiency Alliance’s work is part of this history of cooperation – given the Alliance’s involvement in bringing the energy-efficiency expertise of California utilities and regulators to China.

Check out the complete article here to read an in-depth discussion of the 8 ways that China and California can work together in the future to ensure a cleaner environment and more sustainable future for all.

Air Pollution In Beijing January 2013 By Flickr User Chris Aston

National Public Radio’s “All Things Considered” radio show recently featured Barbara Finamore, President of the China-US Energy Efficiency Alliance and NRDC Asia Director. The radio piece, entitled: “China’s Air Pollution Linked To Millions Of Early Deaths” aired on NPR on April 2.

The interview was prompted by a new analysis that claims that each year, up to one million Chinese citizens succumb to premature deaths linked to air pollution. The report focused in on the fact that air pollution is now regarded as the 4th leading cause of death in China.

Finamore noted the tide seems to be turning in terms of the national government’s willingness to institute stronger regulations to protect the air and environment.  As international and local attention  focuses on the dire air pollution challenge, the Chinese government is becoming more and more likely to take strong action to protect human health and the environment.

From ASE 2030 Homepage

The Alliance to Save Energy is heading up an initiative aimed at envisioning what the energy picture in the US could look like in 2030 “if energy productivity doubles”. Dubbed “Energy2030″ this initiative is part of a larger project: “The Alliance Commission on National Energy Efficiency Policy”. The Commission works with a bipartisan group of experts and politicians to work on a set of energy goals and policy recommendations. The result of this partnership and work is the “Energy2030″ project.

On the “Energy2030″ page, you can view a tidy infographic that visually represents just some of the key impacts that increased efficiency could have in the US by 2030. Cutting across livability, economic productivity, cost savings, security, and environmental impact, the “Energy2030″ project makes a clear case for enacting strong energy-efficiency policies and incentives immediately.

If you are interested in learning more, the Commission’s full report is available to the public here.  While this project focuses on the US, we think the lessons learned and the importance of promoting the potential impact of energy efficiency is a message we can take worldwide.

Photo of solar field in Massachusetts by Flickr account Office of Governor Patrick

Terry Fry, Senior Vice President at Nexant and Member of the Board of the China-US Energy Efficiency Alliance, has been selected for another term with the Department of Commerce’s Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency Advisory Committee.

This Commerce committee makes recommendations on improving federal policy as it relates to the renewable energy and energy efficiency sector. In addition,  the committee advises on the competitiveness of US energy efficiency-related goods and services.

• Read more about the Department of Commerce Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency Advisory Committee

• Read the full press release

• Read more about Nexant