energy security
For a fascinating and in-depth — if also somewhat despair-inducing — account of efforts to build a modern energy infrastructure in Afghanistan, be sure to check out Glenn Zorpette’s article in this month’s IEEE Spectrum. “Re-engineering Afghanistan” illustrates more vividly than any whitepaper the vast assortment of obstacles (sadly, far
wind energy
GE is joining forces with a company planning to develop one gigawatt — that’s 1,000 megawatts — of wind-energy projects across India. GE Energy Financial Services and India-based Greenko Group both plan to invest in a new venture to increase wind power across India. GE will invest $50 million — its
The latest report from the International Energy Agency (IEA) is classic good news/bad news: The good news: By 2030, it’s possible to bring energy to the 1.3 billion people who don’t have electricity, and the 2.7 billion who don’t have clean cooking facilities … most
Subsidies for clean energy are taking a hit these days, particularly in the wake of the bankruptcy of Solyndra, a solar-panel company that had received a $535 million loan guarantee from the US Department of Energy (DOE). But renewables advocates who feel green power has never gotten its due can
building energy management
Johnson Controls has released a new building efficiency solution it says is designed to make it easier to improve the performance of facilities of any size. Panoptix features the following: * An open technology platform to help operators collect and manage data from disparate building systems and other sources, such as
Energy
Seven cities in Washington state have saved more than $1 million on their electricity bills since launching a Home Energy Reporting program in October 2010, according to the energy efficiency firm Opower. Residents of cities in the C-7 New Energy Partnership received regular, personalized reports from Opower designed to help
smart cities
Faced with growing pains that might be hard for residents or smaller or quieter cities to imagine, Nairobi could find its way to a more livable future with the help of smart technologies. Leaders from across the region came together together today to discuss those possibilities during the Nairobi Smarter
distributed energy systems
GE and the UK-based electricity network distribution operator Western Power Distribution (WPD) plan to measure demand and voltage data across southwest England and south Wales to develop “templates” for utilities working to build modern, lower-carbon energy grids. The research effort is among the projects being funded by a £500-million Low
Energy
The Obama Administration says it is fast-tracking seven proposed electricity grid modernization projects to “speed the creation of thousands of construction and operations jobs.” The projects are designed to serve as pilot demonstrations of streamlined federal permitting and increased cooperation at the federal, state and tribal levels. The proposed improvements
electric cars
Convergys and Plug Smart are teaming up to provide real-time rating, billing and data management support for electric vehicle charging stations. The partnership pairs Zephyr, Plug Smart’s charging station technology, with Convergys’ “Smart Revenue” billing solutions for electric vehicle (EV) charging. “The billing challenges utilities face in the wake
efficiency
ABB’s programmable logic controllers are helping to run what is believed to be the world’s first zero-emissions data center, a facility in Iceland that gets its electricity from hydropower and geothermal energy. The Thor Data Center near the capital city of Reykjavik recently opened its first data storage
zero net energy
What better way to revive an industrial infill site in urban California than to use it as site for showcasing an innovative, zero net energy (ZNE) building design? That’s the motivation behind a new competition sponsored by the San Francisco chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and