Sustainable energy is often referred to as a “game changer” because it has the potential to significantly transform the way we produce and consume energy. There are a few key ways in which sustainable energy can be a game changer and provide energy security in the time of energy crisis:

1. Renewable energy sources are abundant and widely available: Unlike fossil fuels, which are finite and geographically concentrated, renewable energy sources such as solar, wind, and hydropower are widely available and can be harnessed in many parts of the world. This can help to reduce our reliance on a single energy source and improve energy security.
2. Renewable energy is more reliable and resilient: Renewable energy sources are generally more reliable and resilient than fossil fuels, as they are not subject to the same price volatility or supply disruptions. This can help to improve energy security and reduce the risk of blackouts or other disruptions.
3. Renewable energy can help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions: One of the major challenges we face today is climate change, which is largely caused by the burning of fossil fuels. By transitioning to renewable energy sources, we can help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and slow the pace of climate change.

Sustainable energy- The Trendsetters

One trend that has been particularly notable in recent years is the rapid growth of renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind power. In 2022, we saw continued growth in the adoption of these technologies, with increasing numbers of homes, businesses, and governments turning to renewable energy to meet their electricity needs. This trend is expected to continue in 2023 and beyond, as the cost of renewable energy continues to decline and technology improves.

Another trend we have seen in recent years is the increasing use of energy storage systems, such as batteries, to store excess renewable energy for use when it is needed. This can help to improve the reliability and resilience of renewable energy systems, particularly in areas with intermittent sources of power like solar and wind. This trend is also expected to continue in 2023 and beyond, as energy storage technology improves and becomes more cost-effective.

There has been a trend towards the use of microgrids, which are small-scale power systems that can operate independently of the larger power grid. Microgrids can be powered by a variety of sources, including renewable energy, and can provide a reliable and resilient source of power for communities and businesses. This trend is expected to continue in 2023 and beyond, as microgrids become more cost-effective and widely adopted.

Sustainable energy in 2023-

Sustainable energy in 2023 will depend on a variety of factors such as market trends, policies and so on. However, it is likely that we will continue to see growth in the adoption of renewable energy sources such as solar and wind power, as well as increased use of energy storage systems and microgrids this year.

One trend to watch is the continued decline in the cost of renewable energy, which has been steadily falling in recent years. As the cost of renewable energy continues to decline, it is likely that we will see more homes, businesses, and governments turning to these technologies to meet their electricity needs.

Another trend to watch is the growing adoption of electric vehicles (EVs). As the cost of EVs continues to decline and charging infrastructure improves, it is likely that we will see more people choosing EVs as their primary mode of transportation. This trend could have a significant impact on the demand for electricity, as EVs are typically charged at home or at work, which could increase the need for electricity during off-peak hours.

Factors that can further aid sustainable energy adoption in 2023

There are a few factors that could give sustainable energy a push in 2023 and beyond:

1. Technological advancements: As technology continues to advance, it is likely that we will see improvements in the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of renewable energy sources such as solar and wind power. This could make renewable energy more attractive to a wider range of customers, including homeowners, businesses, and governments.
2. Policy decisions: Government policies and incentives can also play a role in driving the adoption of sustainable energy. For example, if governments adopt policies that support the development and use of renewable energy, such as subsidies, tax credits, or renewable energy standards, this could give a boost to the industry.
3. Market trends: Market trends, such as the cost of electricity and consumer preferences, can also influence the adoption of sustainable energy. For example, if the cost of electricity from traditional sources such as coal or natural gas increases, this could make renewable energy more attractive to consumers. Similarly, if consumers become more aware of the environmental and health benefits of sustainable energy, they may be more likely to choose renewable energy sources.

Overall, it is likely that a combination of technological advancements, policy decisions, and market trends will contribute to the growth of sustainable energy in 2023 and beyond.

An underserved community is a community that lacks access to sufficient resources or services, particularly in comparison to more affluent or privileged communities. These resources and services may include things like healthcare, education, transportation, and even basic infrastructure, among others.

Underserved communities may face a variety of challenges and disadvantages due to their lack of access to resources and services. These communities may have higher rates of poverty, unemployment, and crime, and may have lower levels of education and health outcomes compared to more privileged communities. As a result, addressing the needs of underserved communities and working to improve their access to resources and services is an important issue for policymakers and community advocates.

There are a few reasons why underserved communities in the United States may have been facing power problems for years now. One reason is that these communities may be located in areas with aging or inadequate power infrastructure, which can make them more vulnerable to outages. Additionally, underserved communities may have fewer financial resources to invest in upgrading or maintaining their power infrastructure, which can also contribute to power disruptions.

Another reason that underserved communities may have struggled with power issues for an extended period of time is that they may be more prone to extreme weather events, which can damage power infrastructure and cause outages. There may be systemic issues, such as a lack of investment in infrastructure or a lack of political will to address these problems, that have contributed to the persistent power issues faced by underserved communities.

Microgrids can be a useful solution for underserved communities because they can provide a reliable and resilient source of power. Microgrids are grids that can operate independently or in conjunction with the larger grid. They can be powered by a variety of sources, including renewable energy sources like solar and wind, and can be used to serve a single building or an entire community.

Reliable and resilient source of power:

One advantage of microgrids is that they can operate in “island mode,” meaning they can disconnect from the larger grid and continue to provide power to the community in the event of an outage. This can be especially important for underserved communities, which may be more vulnerable to outages due to aging or inadequate infrastructure. Additionally, microgrids can help reduce reliance on fossil fuels and lower carbon emissions, which can be beneficial for both the environment and public health.

Local sustainable power plants have the capability to generate electricity from clean, renewable energy sources such as solar, wind, and hydroelectric power. These systems are designed to meet the energy needs of a specific community and are often owned and operated locally. In recent years, local sustainable power plants have gained popularity as a means of providing reliable and clean energy to communities around the world.

Improve the quality of life:

One of the key benefits of local sustainable power plants is that they can improve the quality of life for communities in a number of ways. For one, they can provide a reliable source of electricity, which is essential for powering homes, businesses, and critical infrastructures such as hospitals and schools. This can have a major impact on the daily lives of people living in the community, improving their access to education, healthcare, and other services.

Furthermore, local sustainable power plants can reduce a community’s reliance on fossil fuels, which are a major contributor to climate change. By generating electricity from clean, renewable energy sources, these systems can help to reduce carbon emissions and improve air quality, which can have a positive impact on public health.

Cost-effective:

In addition to these benefits, local sustainable power plants can also be more cost effective than traditional grid-based energy systems. Because they are decentralized and locally owned and operated, they can reduce the need for expensive transmission and distribution infrastructure, leading to lower energy costs for consumers.

Local jobs creation:

Local power plants, such as microgrids, can create jobs in underserved communities in a number of ways. First and foremost, the construction and installation of the power plant itself can create jobs for local workers. Additionally, once the power plant is up and running, it will likely require ongoing maintenance and operation, which can create additional job opportunities.

In addition to directly creating jobs, local power plants can also stimulate economic development in underserved communities by providing a reliable source of electricity. This can attract businesses and entrepreneurs to the area, which can create additional job opportunities. Additionally, access to reliable electricity can improve the quality of life for residents, which can make the community a more attractive place to live and work.

Overall, local sustainable power plants have the potential to significantly improve the quality of life for communities by providing reliable, cost-effective, and clean energy. As the adoption of renewable energy continues to grow, it is likely that these systems will play an increasingly important role in meeting the energy needs of communities around the world.

The need for energy security is pretty evident now. The world is going through a major energy crisis. The war has exposed our vulnerabilities and shown us our unpreparedness.
Back here at home in the United States, things are not looking promising either. Did you know the US suffers more power outages than any other developed nation?
According to PowerOutage.US, power outages jumped to 73% in 2020 due to extreme weather events.
This power crisis is costing American businesses as much as $150 billion each year, which is roughly $500 for every person. The main reason for the frequent blackout is the aging grid infrastructure and poor planning.
Right now the world is experiencing a lot, on one hand environmental, political, economic & other pressures are prompting efforts to minimize fossil fuel consumption. And on the other, energy needs are skyrocketing.
Grids are under a lot of stress and they are failing every day; this is leaving a gap in the electricity supply that is being filled by sustainable energy.
Renewable energy is no longer an implausible idea but it is in fact the future of the electric grid. Local sustainable energy can provide a source of reliable backup power should the main grid go down.

Understanding the local sustainable power plant

A local renewable power plant, also known as a microgrid, is a self-contained, localized power system that can disconnect from the main grid to function autonomously. A microgrid supplies electricity to a specific geographic area, such as a college campus, factory, shopping mall, or even a community. Since microgrids can operate independently, they help with faster response and recovery.

One or more types of distributed energy (solar panels, wind turbines, cogeneration, generators) are used to generate electricity within microgrids.

Although the name has the word ‘micro’ in it, it doesn’t really mean this system is small and insignificant. A microgrid has no limit, the size of a microgrid is decided on the basis of project requirements, space, and budget. A microgrid has the ability to power an entire campus or a major factory for several hours in the event of power disruptions. Typically, microgrid components are local power generation, energy storage, inverters, MG controller, software, and other power electronics that will allow a site to be islanded from the grid in case of a power shutdown. 

Microgrids are a great answer for continuity in times of blackout or power disruptions as they can island off from the larger power grid during times of incidents, and maintain supply with self-sufficiency.

Microgrids are essential for maintaining grid resilience, reducing and mitigating grid disturbances, and even being a key to faster response and recovery for grid disruptions. The growing integration of distributed energy resource deployments, in terms of renewables like solar, adds flexibility and efficiency to microgrids. Additionally, using local energy resources for meeting local loads can be cost-efficient and reduce energy losses in transmission and distribution, in turn improving the overall efficiency of the electric delivery system.

We must not underestimate the power of a local sustainable power plant, Gridscape has worked on many projects with cities and campuses and has made them energy-independent.

The attention was diverted from football to the Japanese fans after their cleaning posts went viral. The Japanese have won an army of fans around the world by doing something that should be done by everyone. They have taught us all a very crucial lesson in the simplest manner.

Qatar world cup 2022 is plagued with controversies. Qatar is being accused of corruption, questionable human rights conditions, bribery and the list goes on. Also football brings out a lot of emotions in people. We have witnessed people fighting outside the stadium and breaking properties just because a certain team lost. But in all this madness, the images and videos of Japanese fans cleaning up the stands after the game were published online and it suddenly changed the mood of the tournament. The fans were applauded for the act of respect as they walked in the stadium with garbage bags to pick up all the trash accumulated during the match.

Somehow in all this chaos, Japan has managed to set up a courteous tone, their gesture has changed the tone of the tournament.

If you think about it- it is very bizarre, on one hand everyone is talking about millions and billions being spent on games, shows, events, and on the other hand something like this makes news and captures hearts around the world without spending a single penny.

What does this teach us?

There are a certain things that are deep rooted in tradition. In Japan, for example, the kids are being taught to clean at a very young age. Cleaning is not unusual for Japanese fans. They are simply doing what they normally do at home, at work, on streets etc. It is a midset, not something that has been forced upon them and this can only happen when people are mindful of their surroundings, their neighbourhood- simply put- WHEN PEOPLE START THINKING ABOUT OTHERS BEFORE THEMSELVES. WHEN THEY SEE THE WORLD AS ONE RATHER THAN AS FRAGMENTED UNITS. In this case, the games were held outside of Japan yet they thought it was they duty to clean. This kind of thinking is rare. But things can only change we we all start considering the world as one unit rather than many.

Climate crisis is monster created by each one of us because we just think about ourselves.

Yes, there are never ending meetings, seminars, podcasts, big events, etc where some individuals from a few key sectors meet up to discuss climate change and its effects- but honestly climate change affects all of us, and it has also been created by each one of us so when it comes to finding a solution for this -it is crucial that everyone participates and not just a few individuals.

We need to change the mindset, instead of making it sound like a task, it is important we make ‘ saving the planet’ a part of our culture. Doing something for the climate should not sound like a chore, the feeling has to come from within and that is the only way we can move forward. Right now, sustainability sounds more like a buzz word, like a new shiny concept but this needs to change, we need to make it more organic, more approachable.

*Image source: NYTimes

”BloombergNEF’s latest projection shows electric vehicles as a $46 trillion market opportunity between now and 2050”.

Electric vehicle sales are growing ever minute, however, deploying charging infrastructure that can keep up with this ever soaring demand from electric fleets remains a significant challenge to be overcome. 

Some say the grids are more than capable, some say the grids can’t take the current load then how can one expect the grids to take the additional load? Well, the question isn’t an easy one to answer,

EV makers, cities, utilities, infrastructure providers, everyone is busy making a landscape for mass EV adoption.

In California alone, the sales of electric vehicles have jumped substantially. As a result of their success, California has continued to push for aggressive adoption goals.

EVs of all types are already displacing 1.5 million barrels per day of oil usage, equivalent to about 3% of total road fuel demand.

(Source: Bloomberg)

There is no doubt that the sale of EVs will only soar in the coming years. EVs have already broken into the mainstream market and it is estimated that by 2040, 54% of all vehicles sold in the United States and 40% globally will be electric. It’s been estimated that an electric global vehicle fleet would need around 233 million charging connectors and an additional $1 trillion of investment by 2050 ( Source: Bloomberg NEF. https://about.bnef.com/blog/the-road-to-electric-car-supremacy-in-five-charts/).

With all these extra load coming from EV, will put unmanaged peak load and stress the current grid systems creating a huge challenge for energy management. The strategy for power generation and distribution therefore becomes very critical to address.

The electric grid will have to balance supply and demand. Since the power grids are already so old and stressed , they would need help of a local sustainable power plant (microgrid). The good news is, the sudden surge in electric vehicles is coinciding with increased utilization of renewable power generation and this can really help not just customers but also utility providers.

Role of a microgrid for EV charging infrastructure

A microgrid can generate electricity on demand without stressing the grid. This can act as both a generation source and a load source, adding flexibility to the grid. Furthermore; it also allows EV users to reduce their peak demand on the grid, and shift their energy consumption to hours when the energy costs are lower. A microgrid can simplify the task of providing adequate charging facilities and that in turn will help in reducing the cost, thereby making EV charging more affordable. 

The fact that microgrids can produce energy on demand- makes them truly unique and extremely reliable.

A microgrid can provide dynamic energy management and on-site energy storage which means much better energy management and distribution system, and it can enable grids to control load in a way that puts lesser pressure on the grid.

A local sustainable power grid will allow solar energy to be stored in on-site batteries and used later to charge EVs when electricity prices are high during peak times. This simply means it allows you to charge at any time without destabilizing the grid. A microgrid also brings down costs, and the system is highly agile and software-driven which means easy upgrades and more control.

A microgrid is democratic in nature, it provides an opportunity for building EV charging stations in underserved or remote locations where power is an issue.

Our grid is an ecosystem, it is so beautifully interconnected and so complex. It touches every aspect of our lives and we all could achieve so much in our lives because electricity played a huge role. No matter what we say and how much we complain, we cannot deny the fact that these power grids have shaped our lives.

Our grids have performed very well for many many years, even today a majority of the population depends on them and that is why when the grids go down our lives become so difficult.

Since 1982 the demand for electricity grew tremendously which was mostly driven by population growth. There were more people, the purchasing power was better, people started buying televisions, machines, air conditioning, computers, and so on and the need for electricity grew exponentially. But the investment in research and innovation in this particular industry didn’t increase as much and this is where things started to go wrong.

Demand grew, but investment and upgrades didn’t.

” While hundreds of thousands of high-voltage transmission lines course throughout the United States, only 668 additional miles of interstate transmission have been built since 2000, as a result, system constraints worsen at a time when outages and power quality issues are estimated to cost American business more than $100 billion on average each year”- energy.gov

It may seem rather odd that our grids are still so ancient- in a country that is all about efficiency and technology. We are in the 21st century using a grid designed in the 20th century. Now, do you see the problem? How can you expect a grid like that to perform 100% best today? We can’t be an efficient country if our grids are not efficient.

We should have migrated to the decentralized energy production and distribution system. Our centralized grids have limitations and we should have upgraded them on time.

Did you know the United States accounts for only 4% of the world’s population but produces 25% of greenhouse gases?

We have been talking a lot about sustainability for decades now, yet most of the grids run on fossil fuels.

According to energy.gov, ” If the grid were just 5% more efficient, the energy savings would equate to permanently eliminating the fuel and greenhouse gas emissions from 53 million cars”.

The number of blackouts have increased in the past decade, these power cuts are showing the weakness of our aging grids. The grids that served us for so many years are aging and they need our attention.

According to the U.S Department of Energy, power outages have doubled in the past two decades.

Yes, the grids are going through a tough time because of many reasons like climate change, shabby infrastructures, increased energy demands, and pressure from EVs but these issues have been there for some years now and these have not suddenly cropped up, if we had done something about our aging grids on time then we may have been in a much better state. There is still hope, we can still turn everything around and make the grids resilient again. We just need to make the centralized grids work in tandem with the decentralized local sustainable power plants, these power plants will offset the load that the main grid experiences, especially during peak hours and make the electric generation and distribution system more robust.

Many grids are already working with decentralized local sustainable power plants, which are definitely the next generation of energy generation systems. This new-age energy system will be more resilient, cleaner, and reliable.

We can’t blame our grids for every outage, for the longest time these grids were our lifeline. Now the time has come to listen to our aging grids and upgrade them with a cleaner, better system.

The energy transition is a key component of a climate action plan.

Colleges and Universities have always played a significant role in technological advancement, with clean energy too, they are at the forefront and driving change. Many campuses across the country are aiming to be carbon neutral in the next couple of years. In order to attain these goals, campuses are trying to find ways to reduce their energy consumption through efficiency upgrades and clean energy initiatives to encourage energy conservation habits.

Did you know, campuses around the United States serve more than 20 million students, making them big energy consumers? This makes a campus an ideal place to champion the green energy transition. 

Why do microgrids make sense for campuses?

High utility costs can be too painful for campuses.

Campuses, especially community colleges need to be judicious about spending.

A consistent supply of power is essential for any campus. A campus must keep things running smoothly. In the event of an outage, students expect their institution to keep the power on and emergency services operational. The need for energy resilience has become more compelling as the grids are getting old and fragile and we are dealing with more instances of natural disasters now.

The on-campus solar energy solutions can help campuses to shift to 100 % green energy. College campuses are ideal places to champion the green energy transition, colleges reflect the good, they inspire generations and they are always willing to try something new. On a more practical level, solar power systems offer a dependable source of unlimited, clean energy and help reduce emissions. While fossil fuels are a finite source of energy, solar power is not and this provides an incredible advantage to campuses as the energy needs of campuses are always so high.
Also, microgrids can help campuses reduce peak demand charges, which for some institutions can be onerous, accounting for as much as 30%–70% of total monthly electric charges, according to a report from NREL and the Clean Energy Group.
Furthermore, campuses can build partnerships with local communities to expand clean energy and can help create clean energy jobs, and bring down costs.

Benefits of a microgrid for campuses:

• Realize the climate action plan: On-campus solar energy solutions can help campuses shift to 100 % green energy.
• Savings: For campuses, solar power systems offer a dependable and affordable source of unlimited, clean energy. The cost of electricity has risen considerably over the past few years. Because big campuses use a great deal of electricity, they have been the primary victims of these price hikes and microgrids can help considerably with savings.
• Achieve environmental stewardship practices.
• Workforce development & green jobs training: Campuses can build partnerships with local communities to expand clean energy and can help create clean energy jobs.
• Increased resiliency: Microgrids can provide resiliency during outages.

Advantages of Solar Microgrid over Solar-Battery System:

Ability to use Solar System when power is out – Without a microgrid, the system must be shut off.
Resiliency
– Protects data center and other critical buildings during power outages
– Community resource center during emergency and power outages
– Avoid using diesel gen-sets for backup power
Better Intelligent system for future-proofing
Minimal Cost difference over Battery System
Future Microgrid incentives and tariff may not be available to a BESS system
Grid Services Revenue

Gridscape’s microgrid system can be the best solution for campuses.

Gridscape is the largest and well-established name specializing in developing and deploying standards-compliant future-proof products and solutions for renewable energy microgrids and fleet charging. Intended to serve as a locally produced sustainable power plant, these microgrids allow sites to become less reliant on the grid by using local sources of energy. They can provide as much as 90% independence from the grid energy, and thus reduce overall energy cost & provide backup clean emergency power during PSPS or other power disruption events. Gridscape with its ‘Product Centric’ approach to microgrids integrated with fleet EV charging solutions allows for lower cost of installation and reduces the time for deployment by substantially lowering integration issues. It expects to deploy and operate over 35 microgrids in California public and commercial facilities over the next 12 months. The list of Gridscape’s microgrid and EV charging customers and partners is as follows:
Unlike traditional microgrid developers, Gridscape employs a holistic product-centric, artificial intelligence (AI) based software-driven approach to designing, deploying, and managing microgrids. It also integrates Electric Vehicle (EV) charging and other controllable loads into its solution.

Gridscape has worked with Chabot College, San Jose City College, and many others.

Did you know an average guest room in a hotel uses about $2,200 in energy costs annually?

Locally sustainable power solutions make tremendous sense for the hospitality industry because hotels need to run 24 hours a day throughout the year without a break. Running a hotel isn’t easy, a hotel can’t afford a power outage even for a second. Increasingly, many such establishments have to deal with the consequences of an aging electric grid and a business like a hotel can’t fully rely on the grid alone.

A local sustainable power plant is an excellent solution for such businesses, it can help offset usage in hotels, especially during high usage times during the day, and can provide power during blackouts.

We all know the everyday running costs for any hotel are way too high, and a microgrid can also help in cost savings. Usually, tourist hotels are located in areas with high electricity prices. With the help of a local sustainable power plant, the hotel can get off the traditional power grid during peak hours and save on electricity bills.

Gridscape has been working in the hospitality sector for years and has developed insights from experience. Gridscape helps coordinate on-site, distributed energy generation assets to optimize costs; it also helps maintain power stability, including the option to detach from the utility grid to operate completely autonomously in “island mode.”

A microgrid can power a facility’s critical infrastructure in a more cost-effective manner by utilizing multiple distributed energy resources.

Also tourists today have become very conscious, they also want to stay at properties that are equally environmentally conscious and a microgrid can reduce carbon footprints and the property more appealing to environmentally conscious tourists.

The traditional grid is under a lot of stress due to climate change, aging infrastructures, increased energy demands, and pressure from EVs.

Local sustainable power plants are also known as Microgrids lie at the epicenter of rising energy demands with real-time adjustment capability of electricity loads in distributing scarce power during hours of peak consumption. These local power plants support a flexible and efficient electric grid by enabling the integration of growing deployments of distributed energy resources such as renewables like solar.

The three core value propositions of a local power plant include resilience, cost savings, and carbon reduction.

It is a known fact that a lot of disadvantaged & underserved communities have historically struggled to gain access to power.

Microgrids have especially made progress in such communities & regions because of their onsite renewable generation that provides the benefits of affordable energy, minimized pollution, and increased resilience and reliability all at the same time.

For example, in the event of a natural disaster or power outage, traditional fuel supply lines are disrupted. Microgrids can mitigate risk and help communities maintain power. Gridscape is helping San Diego, San Pasqual Band of Mission Indians (SPBMI) and Fontana achieve these goals.

SPBMI is a thriving community of over 1,500 residents. The region, however, gets hit often due to the reoccurring forest fires and this affects every aspect of life from power disruption to infrastructural damage. This unreliable power supply creates an opportunity for a decentralized system; a local sustainable power plant can give resiliency, reliability, savings, and above all, safety to the community.

A microgrid will empower SPBMI to utilize electricity that has been produced locally. It will give them a robust power backup solution that will benefit the economy and improve the quality of life. Furthermore, the project execution and the annual maintenance will be done locally which will create employment opportunities for the tribe and benefit the local economy.

As communities look to move ahead, rebuild, and recover from the past turbulent times , we are glad to have worked together to fortify the grid system for the nice people of SPBMI for a brighter future and to have made sure reliable power supply is accessible to all. Microgrid in communities offer local balancing of supply and demand, while also integrating the community as an active part of the energy system. 

Another local sustainable energy project was conceived at Willowbrook. In an affordable housing property in a low-income, disadvantaged neighborhood in Compton, California.

Also, this project came at a significant moment in California history marked by the confluence of policy initiatives advancing decarbonization, zero net energy, and equitable access to energy innovations.

It is a known fact that economically disadvantaged and marginalized communities spend a larger percentage of their income on energy. As energy costs rise and reliability deteriorates, it affects those that can least afford it the most.

Thus, the Willowbrook project aimed at the need to manage their electricity use and reduce the energy burden of low-income customers during this transition was considered imperative. The ultimate purpose of this project was to demonstrate project pathways within a low-income multifamily setting of how to maximize the benefits of solar PV and decarbonization for a vulnerable population.  At the same time, the project aimed to enable grid flexibility and environmental benefits that extended to the entire rate base.

Greenwashing as the name suggests happens when companies purport to be environmentally conscious and have eco-friendly products, only for the sake of marketing and promotions, without having any real intentions or efforts toward sustainability.

But not all companies using this marketing tactic have bad intentions, to begin with, and may simply be unaware of how to be carbon-friendly. However, due to rampant greenwashing by small and large corporations, most consumers have a hard time trusting brands when they make claims about their sustainable practices.

These days customers buy environmentally friendly electronics, screw-on low energy lightbulbs, buy low water usage washing machines, and electric cars. Fast fashion and unsustainably manufactured products are quickly fetching to be unfashionable among the increasingly growing climate-conscious population of buyers. Yet greenwashing is a prevalent marketing gimmick intended to mislead customers.

How does this hurt the brand instead of adding to the bottom line?

Greenwashing has changed its face several times over the past 20 years. In the mid-80s the oil company Chevron had commissioned several TV ads under their popular campaign “People do” wherein they promoted their dedication to safeguarding the environment. Yet, it was soon discovered that the brand had been overrepresenting its sustainability practices, and had been dumping oil into wildfire refuges, thus, actively violating the Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act.

Hence, it is understandable that greenwashing isn’t sustainable (pun intended). Eventually, embellishments come to bite back brands at the worst times and many may never recover from the bad rap.

Fluffy language, greenwashed packaging (paper bags with eco-friendly symbols), making claims such as “made with organic cotton” or “5-star energy-rated” can have serious consequences if probed by curious minds waiting to make some money out of a lawsuit.

Our suggestion would be to clean up organizational operations with eco-friendly practices. Make valid claims; instead of saying “made with organic cotton” be transparent and say “made with 60% organic materials” and start researching about being sustainable in your business. 

A good place to start your journey towards sustainable practices is to reduce your carbon footprint and use sustainable energy.

People often confuse sustainable energy with renewable energy. While most renewable energy is sustainable, sustainable energy is derived from sources that can be renewed yet do not emit climate-affecting gases into the environment while in use. The answer to our ever-increasing need for energy resources is a complex and nuanced one. Sustainable energy is a promising solution that, when considered with efficiency and effectiveness can offer a greener tomorrow within reasonable means.