Environmental attorney Sanders predicts big changes for electric grid in future as a result of Ninth Circuit decision on transformer efficiency.

A recent Ninth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals’ decision set up an agreement by the U.S. Department of Energy to review existing energy efficiency standards for electricity distribution transformers, the gray boxes mounted on utility poles. The agreement occurred in the case of People of California v. US Dept. of Energy. The state of California, Earthjustice, the Sierra Club and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) filed the lawsuit against DOE.

As a result of the appellate decision, DOE will also propose changes to maximize future savings three years earlier than it is otherwise required. The agreement is expected to speed up efforts to increase the efficiency and the cost-saving potential of energy transmission in the United States.

The transformers lawsuit was filed by the environmental groups in December 2007, challenging the Bush Administration’s weak energy efficiency standards. The states of California, New York, Connecticut, and New Jersey and the city of New York filed a similar lawsuit.

I predict that this case will have a major, far reaching impact on the electric grid in the U.S. Far too much electrical energy is wasted on the transmission side, and President Obama is gun ho for energy efficiency. So, look for USDOE to take advantage of this opportunity to push for more energy efficient transformers in the near future.