US invests $2 billion for lower-carbon construction at federal buildings

WASHINGTON, Nov 6 (Reuters) - The Biden administration on Monday said it will invest $2 billion in 150 federal building projects across 39 states that use materials that minimize carbon emissions, its latest effort to tackle climate change through government purchasing power. The General Services Administration will prioritize the purchase of asphalt, concrete, glass and steel produced and disposed of with lower levels of associated greenhouse gas emissions that meet…


Startup claims breakthrough in turning the earth’s heat into clean power

Fervo Energy, a leading geothermal energy startup, says it achieved a technology breakthrough that could eventually accelerate the push to pull up carbon-free energy from deep down in the earth. On Tuesday, Fervo said it had successfully completed a full-scale well test that confirms the commercial viability of its next-generation technology. The Houston-based startup uses horizontal drilling techniques and fiber-optic sensing tools to access geothermal resources that are otherwise too expensive or technically complex to reach…


DIVE BRIEF To improve multifamily housing energy efficiency and resiliency, HUD offers $4.8B for retrofits

Dive Brief: The Department of Housing and Urban Development has opened its first round of funding applications for the Green and Resilient Retrofit Program, which will provide a total of $4.8 billion in direct loans and grants for HUD-assisted multifamily properties to fund green, energy-efficient and resiliency renovation projects. The housing agency published a set of guidelines and qualifications for potential applicants to the GRRP, including information on each of its “cohorts,”…


NEW YORK HOLDS THE TORCH FOR AN ALL-ELECTRIC BUILDINGS FUTURE

New York recently made history when it became the first state to pass ambitious legislation that will require most new buildings to be all-electric. The law, negotiated as part of the state budget deal, underscores the importance of tackling buildings in order to meet our climate goals and sets an important precedent for the rest of the country. Along the way, state leaders want to show how eliminating fossil fuels…