Category Archives: Energy

Google obtains a Renewable Energy Power Purchase Agreement in Texas

Posted on by
Reply

See on Scoop.it – Green Energy Technologies & Development

Duane Tilden‘s insight:

>The structure of this agreement is similar to our earlier commitments in Iowa and Oklahoma. Due to the current structure of the market, we can’t consume the renewable energy produced by the wind farm directly, but the impact on our overall carbon footprint and the amount of renewable energy on the grid is the same as if we could consume it. After purchasing the renewable energy, we’ll retire the renewable energy credits (RECs) and sell the energy itself to the wholesale market. We’ll apply any additional RECs produced under this agreement to reduce our carbon footprint elsewhere.<

See on googleblog.blogspot.ca

Boston Leads Ranking of Energy-Efficient U.S. Cities by ACEEE

Posted on by
Reply

See on Scoop.it – Green & Sustainable News

A new ranking highlights Boston’s achievements in conserving energy as the Senate debates a bipartisan energy efficiency bill.

Duane Tilden‘s insight:

>ACEEE graded 34 cities for their efforts in five areas: buildings, transportation, energy and water utility programs, local government operations, and community-wide initiatives.  […]

The cities’ leap forward in energy-efficiency efforts has been a stark contrast to the slow movement on Capitol Hill, where the Energy Savings and Industrial Competitiveness Act of 2013, authored by Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-New Hampshire) and Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) has been struggling to move forward.

The bill, […] would require the federal government—the nation’s single largest energy consumer—to update government buildings to improve energy efficiency, institute electricity-saving measures for government computers, and make it easier for agencies to switch to electric and natural-gas-powered vehicles. It also would provide training for workers in how to build more energy-efficient buildings for the private sector, and help finance private-sector renovations for energy efficiency. […]<

See on news.nationalgeographic.com

Developing an Energy Management Program for Your Business

Posted on by
Reply

See on Scoop.it – Green Building Operations – Systems & Controls, Maintenance & Commissioning

Today more than ever, businesses are concerned with maximizing operational efficiency, minimizing costs, and seeking out untapped revenue streams. At the same

Duane Tilden‘s insight:

>Large energy users like many commercial, institutional, and industrial organizations have a unique opportunity to act as a “virtual power plant” while reducing their real-time demand for electricity—and opening up a new revenue stream. This strategy, known as demand response, is not only a cost-free way to reduce energy usage, but also it generates payments for participating businesses simply for being on call.

Demand response providers work with commercial, institutional, and industrial businesses to identify ways for facilities to reduce energy consumption without affecting business operations, comfort, or product quality. In turn, those facilities agree to reduce their demand during strategic times so that utilities and grid operators can improve reliability during times of peak demand. Demand response also helps increase economic efficiency in regional energy markets and integrate renewable generation capacity into generation systems.

Demand response can be considered a form of strategic energy efficiency, but what about long-term, persistent energy efficiency, a second key to a comprehensive energy management program? In even the most high-tech, LEED Platinum certified buildings, it can be very difficult to ensure efficient operation over time. […]<

See on www.dailyenergyreport.com

Japan to Switch Off Nuclear Power, With No Firm Date for Re-Start: Sci Am

Posted on by
Reply

See on Scoop.it – Green & Sustainable News

Japan is set to be nuclear power-free, for just the third time in more than four decades, and with no firm date for re-starting an energy source that has provided about 30 percent of electricity to the world’s third-largest economy.

Duane Tilden‘s insight:

>Kansai Electric Power Co’s 1,180 MW Ohi No.4 reactor is scheduled to be disconnected from the power grid late on Sunday and then shut for planned maintenance. It is the only one of Japan’s 50 reactors in operation after the nuclear industry came to a virtual halt following the March 2011 Fukushima disaster.

Japan last went without nuclear power in May-June 2012 – the first shutdown since 1970 – a year after a massive earthquake and tsunami triggered reactor meltdowns and radiation leaks at the Fukushima facility. The country’s nuclear reactors provided close to a third of the electricity to keep the $5 trillion economy going before the Fukushima disaster, and utilities have had to spend billions of dollars importing oil, gas and coal to make up for the shortfall. […]

 

IMPORT BILL

Japan consumes about a third of the world’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) production, and will likely boost LNG demand to record levels over the next couple of years. LNG imports rose 4.4 percent in volume to a record 86.87 million tonnes, and 14.9 percent in value to a record 6.21 trillion yen ($62.1 billion) in the year through March.

Imports are likely to rise to around 88 million tonnes this year and around 90 million tonnes in the year to March 2015, according to projections by the Institute of Energy Economics Japan based on a mid-scenario that 16 reactors will be back on-line by March 2015.<

See on www.scientificamerican.com

Scotland gives green light to Europe’s largest tidal energy project

Posted on by
Reply

See on Scoop.it – Green Energy Technologies & Development

Wave power to provide electricity to 40% homes in Highlands as work on building turbines in Pentland Firth gets approved

Duane Tilden‘s insight:

>”This is a major step forward for Scotland’s marine renewable energyindustry. When fully operational, the 86 megawatt array could generate enough electricity to power the equivalent of 42,000 homes – around 40% of homes in the Highlands. This … is just the first phase for a site that could eventually yield up to 398 megawatts.”<

See on www.theguardian.com

Coal Power: One Percent Of U.S. Power Plants Produce 12 % Of U.S. Carbon Emissions

Posted on by
Reply

See on Scoop.it – Green & Sustainable News

The disproportionate greenhouse impact of a small portion of U.S. power plants shows how damaging inefficiency and inertia can be.

Duane Tilden‘s insight:

>That one percent is actually 50 plants, all of them coal-fired. In fact, America’s single dirtiest power plant — Georgia Power’s Plant Scherer — dumped over 21 million metric tons (MMT) of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere in 2011. That’s more than all the energy-related emissions produced by the state of Maine that year.

And the disproportionate contribution of the dirtiest plants to greenhouse gas emissions continues on down the scale: in 2011, half of all the power sector’s carbon emissions came from the 100 dirtiest plants (98 of which are coal-fired). And 90 percent of all those emissions came from just the 500 dirtiest power plants. That’s out of almost 6,000 electricity generating facilities — renewable and fossil-fuel-powered alike — in the country.<

See on thinkprogress.org

Coal opposes Senate Energy Commission Nomination

Posted on by
Reply

See on Scoop.it – Green & Sustainable News

Ronald J. Binz, nominated to lead the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, is opposed by the coal industry because of his efforts to promote renewable energy.

Duane Tilden‘s insight:

>At the Electricity Consumers Resource Council, which represents large industrial customers, Marc Yacker, a vice president, said that the coal industry had some reason to be worried. The industry believes, he said, that “the whole idea of socializing the cost of new transmission necessary to get wind to population centers is anti-coal.”<

See on www.nytimes.com

Scottish Power should not sponsor fuel poverty conference, say campaigners

Posted on by
Reply

See on Scoop.it – Green & Sustainable News

Fuel Poverty Action says energy company with £712m profits ‘whilst people froze in their homes’ is not appropriate sponsor

Duane Tilden‘s insight:

>Scottish Power came under particular fire this summer when its annual report revealed a doubling of annual pre-tax profits to £712m barely months after it had hiked its gas and electricity prices by 7%. The same report also showed that Scottish Power had paid a dividend of £890m to its parent company, Iberdrola, and given a £129,000 bonus to chief corporate officer Keith Anderson, taking his total pay for 2012 to over half a million pounds.

Fuel Poverty Action accused Scottish Power at the time of “making a killing” while Citizens Advice also expressed concern that there were “too many families forced to choose between heating or eating” and urged companies to put customers before shareholders.<

See on www.theguardian.com

Remote Wireless Power Systems for Buildings

Posted on by
Reply

See on Scoop.it – Green Building Operations – Systems & Controls, Maintenance & Commissioning

Mobile Technology News and Information

Duane Tilden‘s insight:

>Ossia’s patented smart antenna technology uses phased arrays to transfer power without the use of inductive coils, ultrasonic waves, magnetic resonance, charging pads or mats. The Cota technology consists of two parts: a charger and a receiver. The Cota-powered charger automatically locates Cota receivers built into devices or batteries, and delivers signals that are sent omnidirectionally. Once they hit the charger, these signals follow the same path back to the receiver, focusing energy at the exact location of the device. Cota continuously streams power to multiple devices, even as they move around a room. The laws of physics make the Cota technology inherently safe, naturally avoiding anything that absorbs energy, such as people, pets and even plants.<

See on www.mobiletechnews.com

Canadian renewable energy output continues to fall

Posted on by
Reply

See on Scoop.it – Green & Sustainable News

The contribution from renewable energy sources continues to decline in Canada in comparison to conventional carbon-based fuel according to Federal statistics

Duane Tilden‘s insight:

>“While wind output dropped 14.4% and solar slipped 3.6%, Canada’s total generation of electricity declined 0.8%, which means that renewables continue to lose share” said Bill Eggertson, the Executive Director of the Canadian Association for Renewable Energies. “We’ve been warning for some time that the good news on the growth in renewables, is overshadowed by the even-greater growth in conventional energy output. The recent meeting of energy ministers in Yellowknife noted that green power capacity has grown at a rapid pace over the last decade and the trend is expected to continue, but that is not due to sources which many Canadians regard as truly renewable. Feed-in tariffs and legislated renewable portfolio standards are key, but there must be stronger efforts to curtail the growth of conventional energy sources, or the share from renewables will continue to drop.”<

See on www.renewableenergymagazine.com