Carbon-free buildings

Hydrogen

Experts say blending hydrogen into gas pipelines won't work

Utilities want to extend their infrastructure's useful life. But the evidence suggests the risks and costs far outweigh the negligible emissions-reduction impact.

By Jeff St. John . 29 March 2022
Carbon-free buildings

This Latinx leader is working to electrify buildings in US cities

Canary talks to Cristina Garcia of the Building Electrification Institute.

By Maria Virginia Olano . 15 March 2022
Carbon-free buildings

How to get New York City’s biggest buildings to zero carbon

High-rise buildings can’t eliminate natural gas all at once. But they can and should start electrifying their heating right now.

By Jeff St. John . 20 January 2022
Podcast

Florida is the latest battleground in the fight over gas bans in buildings

Republicans and the gas industry strike back at city plans to phase out fossil fuels.

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By Stephen Lacey . 8 December 2021
Podcast

Ithaca’s novel plan to eliminate carbon from buildings

A city proves there’s lots of private money for the Green New Deal.

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By Stephen Lacey . 30 November 2021
Clean industry

Major firms pledge to start buying low-carbon materials and technologies

Amazon, Apple, Boeing and others say they'll make the first move to clean up global supply chains, while a West Coast coalition will help decarbonize construction materials.

By Ingrid Lobet . 9 November 2021
Energy efficiency

BP acquires Blueprint Power to tap the grid-balancing capability of big buildings

The startup has 13MW of flexible energy in its NYC portfolio and is looking to expand.

By Jeff St. John . 7 October 2021
Carbon-free buildings

Cement is terrible for the climate. California just passed a law to fix that

A first-in-the-nation law will force a 40% reduction in the carbon-intensity of cement, which is now responsible for about 8% of greenhouse gas emissions.

By Ingrid Lobet . 27 September 2021
Carbon-free buildings

We already have the low-cost tools we need to cut the carbon hidden in buildings

A new report from RMI shows how materials and technologies available today can slash "embodied carbon" nearly in half.

By Jeff St. John . 24 August 2021
Electrification

Quebec utilities have a plan to curb gas use and cut emissions during winter heating season

An unusual partnership between electric and gas providers targets fewer winter peaks and lower overall costs than an all-electric approach.

By Jeff St. John . 19 August 2021