Energy
A new initiative announced today aims to find the top sustainable energy innovations that can be quickly and cost-effectively brought to both developed and developing countries on a large scale. The LAUNCH: Energy Challenge is the third challenge to be tackled by LAUNCH, a program led by the US Agency
cleantech
As federal stimulus funding for cleantech development runs out, market activity is shifting to safer technologies with quicker and more predictable returns, according to a mid-year update from Peachtree Capital Advisors, an investment bank that offers advice on mergers and acquisitions. The “2011 Mid-Year Greentech M&A (merger-and-acquisition) Review”
peak demand
An extreme heat wave that’s now moved into the northeastern US and Canada pushed electricity demand to its highest level ever in the Midwest and eastern states, although the grid has so far remained stable. The Midwest Independent Transmission System Operator (MISO) reported that electricity demand in its 12-state
smart metering
ELEXON, which provides balancing and settlement services to the UK electricity industry, plans to investigate the potential benefits that could come from using more accurate, up-to-date data from smart meters in homes and small businesses. In a just-launched consultation, ELEXON is seeking public input into how smart meters could help
The Missouri city of Fulton is enlisting the help of Tantalus to provide the communications backbone for its smart grid. The city’s smart-grid deployment is funded by a US Department of Energy grant with strict performance requirements. City officials say their selected Tantalus based on a number of criteria,
GE has finalized its acquisition of FMC-Tech, a smart-grid technology provider based in Ireland. The acquisition, first announced in May, expands GE’s presence in the emerging smart-grid market in the UK and Ireland. FMC-Tech provides real-time monitoring capabilities for power lines. ESB Networks, an Irish electricity distribution operator, has
energy efficiency
Almost exactly two years after it finished installing one of the largest green roofs in the country, the US Postal Service (USPS) says it’s reduced its energy costs by more than $400 million since 2007. In addition to using green roof technology, energy audits and employee conservation, the USPS
energy storage
SustainX, a company developing a new compressed-air energy storage (CAES) technology, is moving to a larger headquarters with the expectation of a fast-growing market for its offering. The firm plans to relocate on August 1 from its Lebanon, New Hampshire, facility to a larger, 42,000-square-foot building in Seabrook, New
energy efficiency
California-based smart-grid company Nexant has begun testing a new energy efficiency system it is developing for the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA), a federal agency that markets hydropower in the northwest US. The Energy Efficiency Central (EE Central) system is designed to replace BPA’s existing Planning, Tracking & Reporting (PTR)
wind energy
Smart-grid integrator S&C Electric Company is helping to bring more wind energy to the Orkney Islands, located off the northern coast of Scotland. The Thorkell project, under development by Orkney Sustainable Energy, will add 900 kilowatts of new wind energy to the base of renewable energy already installed
electric cars
US drugstore chain Walgreens plans to have electric-vehicle (EV) charging stations up at some 800 locations across the country by the end of the year. The plan would make the chain the largest retail host of EV charging stations in the US. The charging stations will feature either a high-speed
Smart Grid
Oracle Utilities will be helping Georgia’s Cobb Electric Membership Corporation manage the vast amount of data the utility will be gathering from its deployment of 196,000 smart electricity meters. A not-for-profit electric membership cooperative that serves parts of the metropolitan Atlanta area, Cobb EMC will work with Oracle
