State, URI open online energy database

By Dana Reilly
PBN Staff Writer

PROVIDENCE – The first Rhode Island-specific energy information clearinghouse, RIEnergy.org, has been produced in a partnership between the state and the University of Rhode Island.

The website, which opened officially on July 2, was announced Tuesday by Gov. Lincoln D. Chafee.

A coalition of stakeholders known as the Renewable Energy Siting Partnership convened in fall 2011 to address renewable energy issues and energy data collection.

Two products came out of RESP stakeholder engagement with URI scientists: reports on land-based renewable energy for state and municipalities and a comprehensive online energy database, RIEnergy.org.

RESP met again in June at URI's Narragansett Bay Campus to kick off the public comment period for their report findings.

Danny Musher, energy data coordinator at the URI Outreach Center, told Providence Business News the site is designed to take a lot of the information from the RESP report and redistribute it in a more accessible format.

RIEnergy.org provides general information and resources, such as energy prices, consumption trends and a mapping interface to help visualize data, for residents, towns, businesses and government agencies.

The RIEnergy.org project is coordinated by URI on behalf of the State Office of Energy Resources.