energy security
The US State Department has created a new bureau to address the vital importance of energy in international affairs and diplomacy. The Bureau of Energy Resources (ENR), announced in October by Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, has begun operations with three primary goals: * To “manage the geopolitics” of today’
microgrids
Power and automation giant ABB aims to expand its capabilities in renewable power integration through its acquisition of Australia-based Powercorp. Financial details of the transaction, which is expected to close before the end of the year, were not disclosed. Based in Darwin and employing around 30 people, Powercorp provides automation
smart metering
Nottingham is the UK’s top “Smart-Meter City,” based on how much smart meters there could help residents cut their electricity consumption and energy bills. Esri UK, a geographic information systems company, identified Nottingham as the community likely to benefit the most from smart energy meters in a study conducted
natural gas
How do you get large amounts of stable power to regions facing an energy crunch fast? Bolivia has found an answer in mobile power plants. Two GE aeroderivative gas power plants are on their way to the energy-hungry cities of Carrasco and Kenko, where they will be quickly deployed to
smart cities
Achieving energy self-sufficiency is an ambitious enough goal for an island community that’s not sitting atop a giant oil or gas field or straddling the sunny equator. But leaders of the Isle of Wight’s EcoIsland initiative are aiming for even more: they hope to eventually make the region
smart cities
The city of Sunderland in the northeast of England is looking to the cloud to build a smarter community for residents and a more investment-appealing location for businesses. Just last week, officials announced that the city would become the first in Britain to offer wall-to-wall, superfast broadband coverage. And today,
sustainability
If today’s release of the International Energy Agency’s (IEA) World Energy Outlook 2011 was the “bad news” part of energy coverage for today, Oracle’s new “Future of Energy” report leans toward the “good news” side. While acknowledging the many energy and sustainability challenges facing us, the Oracle
sustainability
We’re fast running out of time to steer away from business-as-usual energy and carbon policies that are not only unsustainable but threaten to destabilize the future with serious climate and security impacts. That, in a nutshell, is the message delivered in the latest World Energy Outlook from the International
energy management
The US Department of Energy (DOE) is offering up to $8 million in funds to promote new ways to make better energy consumption data available to residential and business utility customers. The “Smart Grid Data Access” Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) aims to encourage utilities and third-party technology companies to work
hydropower
Alstom’s new Global Technology Center (GTC) in Canada will focus on innovative ways to retrofit hydroelectric plants to help them last longer, become more efficient and generate more electricity. Inaugurated this week, the center is located at Alstom’s North American hydro headquarters in the Quebec town of Sorel-Tracy.
interoperability
Smart-grid communications company Trilliant has rolled out a new offering designed to help utilities enable demand response and energy awareness programs for their customers. “Engaging customers in their energy consumption is one of the most critical benefits of a smart grid,” said Rob Conant, chief marketing officer for Trilliant. “However,
photovoltaics
Utilities today are increasingly finding themselves in a chicken-and-egg situation. Which comes first: a smarter grid, or a greener grid? While the two, in theory, go hand in hand — more intermittent renewables increase the need for smarter, automated management, while a smarter grid inherently means more green energy to reduce
