New Book on Electricity Sector Sustainability Features EPRI and Industry Expertise

The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) announced today the publication of a first-of-its-kind book titled Sustainable Electricity: Case Studies from Electric Power Companies in North America. The book is a compilation of company-authored case studies describing how power companies are working toward sustainable electricity in North America as the industry experiences rapidly changing energy system operations and business models.

EPRI senior program manager, Jessica Fox, is the book's editor. The book was developed under the guidance of EPRI's sustainability research program. The program is the largest collaboration in the electric power industry around sustainability. The focus is to help electric power companies address sustainability challenges and opportunities in the electric industry through collaboration, technical research, and opportunities to interact with key sustainability experts.

"Power companies seeking to understand the process for implementing meaningful sustainability projects in their organizations will greatly benefit from the insights shared in this volume," said Fox. "This book will initiate broader societal discussion about what 'sustainable electricity' means and how to move forward when the win-win outcomes are elusive."

Chapters discuss some of the most hotly debated energy and electricity challenges of today: renewable energy, water use, species impacts, employee engagement, stakeholder communication, climate change resiliency and adaptation, distributed energy, energy efficiency, demand-side management, greenhouse gas emissions, consumer preferences, and business vitality. Each chapter shares topic-focused case studies regarding the challenges, key issues, and reality of implementing sustainable electricity in North America.

Anda Ray, EPRI's chief sustainability officer and senior vice president for energy, environment, and external relations, added, "Often competing demands among electric power company stakeholders, shareholders, regulators, and customers, make sustainable electricity a highly complex and challenging proposition for this industry. But just like EPRI's collaborative business model, we can learn from others and use those lessons for the benefit of the public; that is just what this book is about. The case studies brought forth in the book demonstrate the challenges, but more importantly, call attention to the choices companies make as they strive for real world solutions and successes."

Each chapter is authored by leading sustainability experts representing 12 electric power companies including American Electric Power, BC Hydro, Consolidated Edison Company of New York, CPS Energy, DTE Energy, Duke Energy, Entergy, Exelon Corporation, Hoosier Energy Rural Electric Cooperative, Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, Southern California Edison, and Tennessee Valley Authority.

"Sustainable Electricity tackles the thorny issues of what sustainability means in practice, how to reconcile demands from competing stakeholders—consumers, investors, regulators, environmentalists, and others—and how to turn sustainability into a business opportunity," said Janet Ranganathan, vice president for science and research, World Resources Institute and author of the book's foreword. "It cuts to the chase, compiling practical industry-told case studies of how electric power companies are already moving toward more sustainable electricity."

More information about Sustainable Electricity is available here. Information on EPRI's sustainability research is available at www.epri.com/sustainability.

About EPRI:

The Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. (EPRI, www.epri.com) conducts research and development relating to the generation, delivery and use of electricity for the benefit of the public. An independent, nonprofit organization, EPRI brings together its scientists and engineers as well as experts from academia and industry to help address challenges in electricity, including reliability, efficiency, affordability, health, safety and the environment. EPRI's members represent approximately 90 percent of the electricity generated and delivered in the United States, and international participation extends to more than 30 countries. EPRI's principal offices and laboratories are located in Palo Alto, Calif.; Charlotte, NC; Knoxville, Tenn.; and Lenox, Mass. 

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