Providence, RI – Governor Lincoln D. Chafee today announced the launch of RIEnergy.org, a website providing energy information and resources for Rhode Island residents, businesses, and municipalities.
"The groundbreaking launch of RIEnergy.org is a great accomplishment for our state, one that I am proud my Administration supported and made possible," Governor Chafee said. "This website will provide useful tools and educational information for residents, businesses, and municipal officials interested in exploring hydropower, solar, and wind energy opportunities. The site will also provide background information about different state and federal polices and programs for renewable energy and energy efficiency, and offer the chance to reveal statistics about our fossil fuel energy consumption and usage."
"The University of Rhode Island Outreach and Energy Center staff and the University's Environmental Data Center have done a tremendous job with the creation of RIEnergy.org, in collaboration with my office, the Office of Energy Resources, the Department of Environmental Management, and the Division of Planning," Governor Chafee continued. "I commend all involved for their continued work to make Rhode Island a leader in renewable energy and energy efficiency."
The Renewable Energy Siting Partnership (RESP), a collaboration with URI's Coastal Resources Center as well as the Outreach and Energy Center, evaluated potential opportunities and impacts of land-based renewable energy development in the State of Rhode Island. The information gathered through the RESP was based on URI research, expert input, and stakeholder involvement, providing a foundation for informing sound policy decisions on the state and local level. In order to sustain this capacity for promoting data-driven energy decision-making, the RESP developed the first Rhode Island-specific website housing energy data, resource mapping and siting tools, and information for citizens, businesses, and government officials. This energy information clearinghouse is called RIEnergy.org. By providing Rhode Island decision-makers and communities with easy access to a centralized source of energy information, RIEnergy.org will pave the way for the Ocean State to capture a smarter and brighter energy future.
RIEnergy.org provides general information and resources regarding energy in Rhode Island. Some of these resources are geared toward members of the general public; others toward academics or student researchers; still others toward local or state officials. Users new to energy issues might navigate to the "Energy 101" page to learn more about Rhode Island's energy landscape or access educational resources on energy issues. Other users might visit the "Programs & Policies" page looking for incentives to implement energy solutions in their home or business. Some users might browse the portal of energy-related publications under the "Papers" page to find a resource to further explore a subject of interest. Other users may be curious about which agencies, organizations, and partnerships are involved in energy issues in the state – those visitors should visit the "Who's Who" page.
The goal of RIEnergy.org is to provide a comprehensive, publicly accessible collection of Rhode Island-specific energy datasets. In addition to renewable energy siting constraints data, information was gathered on various fuels and energy sources used in Rhode Island and their historical prices, consumption, generation, associated generation facilities/infrastructure, emissions, and other relevant information. The website contains both a database of all the energy data collected through the RESP, as well as a Map Gallery to provide quick viewing of all the maps produced by the RESP. Downloadable files found in the Data Center correspond to the information visually represented in each Map Viewer and graphically represented in each Chart Viewer on RIEnergy.org. Therefore, users who work with a map viewer to analyze renewable energy resources or users who examine a chart displaying a certain trend can then access the corresponding raw data to manipulate for their own purposes.