energy security
Here’s a question for you: What is the best way for the energy and technology industries to overcome irrational opposition? The problem of non-fact-based thinking appears to be snowballing, just when we need clear, logical heads more than ever. Instead, we have US Republicans who seem beyond-eager to eliminate
marine energy
Marine energy technology could pump £76 billion into the UK economy by 2050 — that’s one-fourth of the global marine energy market — according to a new Carbon Trust Green Growth report on marine renewables. The report, focused on demonstrating the potential of marine energy in the UK, concludes this growing
smart metering
For most other businesses, a defect rate of 0.08 per cent is pretty darned good … practically something to brag about. For Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E), though, that level of malfunctioning is enough to generate news stories like this one. Sitting as it does at the
power quality
Silver Spring Networks has launched a new application that lets utilities monitor power quality across the grid and gain insights into potential problems before they can affect service. UtilityIQ Power Monitor uses the distributed intelligence in Silver Spring networking devices to help utility companies keep an eye on key power
demand management
Energy customers in Delaware, Maryland and Virginia will begin testing a new demand management program next year aimed at reducing utility costs and better managing fluctuations in wholesale energy prices. The program is part of a new partnership between Constellation Energy and Old Dominion Electric Cooperative (ODEC). Working together, the
energy security
In a world where access to ever-more and real-time data is critical for effective government, competitive business and smart, sustainable communities, hearing that a key source of vital information is being cut off is very bad news. And that’s exactly what the latest announcement from the US Energy Information
Smart Grid
Building owners and residents in Finland will soon be able to try out an energy efficiency technology that could outsmart — in terms of potential energy savings — their already-smart electricity meters. The utility company Fortum has begun one pilot program using new smart-meter communications modules from Echelon, and plans to launch
buildings
The competitive spirit can inspire people to do some pretty dumb things — competitive eating, anyone? — but it’s also proven to be a good motivator for better energy efficiency. So it’s cool to hear that teams from 245 buildings across the US will be competing against one another to
demand management
One of the big obstacles people always talk about in making the switch from fossil fuels to cleaner energy is intermittency in supplies: that is, the variable nature of sun and wind power. Keeping the lights on gets tricky when your electricity sources are neither steady nor 100-per cent predictable.
wind energy
Germany’s first commercial offshore wind farm, capable of supplying energy to more than 50,000 homes, is now in operation. The EnBW Baltic 1 wind farm was commissioned by EnBW Energie Baden-Württemberg AG and consists of 21 Siemens wind turbines, each with a capacity of 2.3 megawatts (MW)
energy efficiency
Modular, all-parts-included data centres could not only improve energy efficiency but provide rapid access to IT services in remote areas or after a disaster, according to Cisco. Cisco’s new Containerised Data Centre comes in a weather-proof ISO container with an open architecture. It’s designed to help meet the
energy efficiency
Done on a large-enough scale, simple actions like switching to compact fluorescent lightbulbs (CFLs) and getting rid of older-model spare refrigerators can help save a small town’s worth of energy. Consumers Energy reports that the efficiency steps it and its customers have taken have cut electricity consumption by more
