As Uncle Ben said to Peter Parker, “With great power comes great responsibility,” but in this case change “power” with “knowledge.” As consumers, we are able to choose how we affect the environment with our purchases. Using knowledge and what we know, we can shape how we consume Energy in 2017 and make better decisions that can affect many generations to come.

Energy is an industry that’s constantly evolving, and it’s difficult to keep with what’s happening in the energy world, but here are some things to keep an eye out for in 2017 in energy:

1. More Businesses Move Towards Renewable Energy – With global warming on everyone’s radar, sources for energy are a big concern for businesses, so many companies like Google that house large warehouses of servers are moving towards renewable energy. In 2017, the search engine firm (amongst many other services the company offers) will operate entirely on renewable sources and buying excess energy.
2. More Benefits for People/Businesses – Do you find it’s too difficult to make the switch to energy saving appliances? Most local energy providers offer rebates on water heaters, furnaces, and any other appliances that you may need to replace — giving the consumer another reason to make the switch.
3. Solar Power – Solar power was the cheapest for of energy in 2016, and while it may have had some setbacks in 2016, according to the Economic Times, solar power will speed up “the tempo for solar panel installation at homes, schools and hospitals; plans are afoot to expand the rooftop program to government buildings by providing target-based incentives” in cities like New Dehli and all over India. In China, the price of PV cells have peaked, but “EnergyTrend predicts that the rush will surely come because the recent policies continuously stimulate Chinese domestic market demand in first half of 2017.”
4. Recycling – While recycling is not new, finding new ways to consume and reuse items will be a huge push in 2017 as we become more aware of how things are made and how they will decompose in landfills. Cities are even getting deeper into recycling by adding compost options for customers. Find out what your recycling options are in your town.
5. President Trump’s Energy Policies – Renewable Energy World shares their prediction on how President Trump will go green in 2017 since “renewable energy is the most efficient way to make the U.S. independent and self-sufficient. U.S. citizens like independence and so does President-elect Trump. Many U.S. families have gasoline-powered electric generators in their garages. If policies are made to curb feed-in tariffs and net-metering, Tesla will just sell more batteries and more households will go off-grid. The PV revolution has just started and it will take more than a policy shift to stop it.” Forbes isn’t so sure; they share  their thoughts that “Mr. Trump also indicated during his campaign that he intended to rescind the Obama Administration’s Climate Action Plan (which aims to cut carbon emissions from power plants), with intentions to cancel the Paris climate agreement that world powers signed in December 2015.” One thing we do know is that 2017 will bring change.

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