Energy + Environment

  Across the United States, utilities are increasingly turning to large-load tariffs and special service agreements as they prepare for an unprecedented wave of data center development. In recent weeks, utility after utility has announced billions of dollars in projected ratepayer savings attributed to these arrangements. But how are utilities generating such substantial sums from [...]

  The Trump Administration announced its decision not to renew USMCA in its current form. The move could potentially reshape sourcing, pricing, and supply-chain planning across North America. For lighting manufacturers, distributors, and specifiers, the key issue is not an immediate break in trade, but a decade-long review process that keeps the pact in force [...]

  “Rolling power plants” — electric vehicles used as flexible grid resources through vehicle-to-grid (V2G) and managed-charging programs — may provide a meaningful, lower-cost way to support grid reliability, reduce peak demand, and avoid expensive infrastructure upgrades. GM is expanding its V2G plans and utility pilots with PG&E and DTE to show that the concept [...]

  The Claim On July 2nd, US DOE’s Office of Critical Minerals and Energy Innovation (that replaced the shuttered EERE) sent out an email stating, “U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright today announced the Department of Energy (DOE) has issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to permanently end home appliance and equipment mandates that raise [...]

  Surging utility rate cases, accelerating load growth, and eroding public trust are converging into a critical inflection point for the U.S. power sector. In the first quarter of 2026 alone, utilities filed $9.4 billion in rate-hike requests, underscoring the scale of capital recovery now flowing through regulatory pipelines. Yet this wave of filings arrives [...]

  A new class of photonic radiative cooling (PRC) coatings is advancing from laboratory research into viable commercial products, offering a passive pathway to reduce building heat loads without electricity. These coatings are engineered to reflect the vast majority of incoming solar radiation while simultaneously emitting heat through the Earth’s atmospheric window, enabling surfaces to [...]

    By Szymon Slupik, President & CTO, Silvair Energy saving is the primary feature of lighting control systems. The concept is well known: dim the lights if there is enough sunlight (daylight harvesting controls) or turn the lights off when there are no people in the room (occupancy / vacancy – based controls). The [...]

  Researchers at CU Boulder have developed a way to make living algae emit light for much longer than the tiny flashes seen in nature, opening the door to electricity-free lighting and other “living material” applications. The team used simple chemical solutions to trigger sustained bioluminescence in Pyrocystis lunula, an algae embedded  in 3D-printable hydrogel [...]

  An interesting article in US Lighting Trends compares the economics of diesel vs. solar construction site light towers. The article argues that while diesel light towers remain the familiar default for construction jobsites, solar-powered area lighting is becoming a more compelling option as owners and contractors prioritize lower emissions, quiet operation, and long-term cost [...]