Policy guide for deploying more Combined Heat and Power – a highly efficient energy technology | NRDC

See on Scoop.itGreen Energy Technologies & Development

The Guide to the successful implementation of state Combined Heat and Power (CHP) policies was released last week, by SEE Action.

Duane Tilden‘s insight:

Currently, 82 GW of CHP is installed in more than 4,100 facilities across every state in the U.S. – this is almost nine percent of all U.S. power generation capacity. But more than 130 GW of potential remains. This Guide is a terrific boost to coordinating efforts to deploy more CHP.

See on switchboard.nrdc.org

New ComEd ‘smart grid’ bill passes, heads to governor

See on Scoop.itGreen Energy Technologies & Development

A ComEd-backed bill that bulks up the revenue the utility will receive as it modernizes the electrical grid has passed the Illinois House and now heads to the governor.

Duane Tilden‘s insight:

The bill’s swift passage Thursday by a 86-to-28-vote was crucial for ComEd, which expects to see a veto by Gov. Pat Quinn. A spokeswoman for Quinn said the governor opposes the bill. He has 60 days to act on the bill once the House officially ships it to him. The bill is expected to be vetoed.

See on www.chicagotribune.com

Hackers attack BBC Twitter accounts

See on Scoop.itTwitter & Social Media

The BBC has become the latest victim of Twitter hackers as several of its feeds, including @bbcweather, are taken over by pro-Syrian hackers.

Duane Tilden‘s insight:

The BBC weather Twitter feed, which has 60,000 followers, was among those affected.

 

Alongside the standard tweets from the weather feed such as "’last night was chilly" some more bizarre comments began emerging. 

 

They included: "Saudi weather station down due to head-on collision with camel."

 

Another read: "Chaotic weather forecast for Lebanon as the government decides to distance itself from the Milky Way."

 

The group claiming responsibility has previously spread messages in support of Syrian President Bashar-al-Assad.

 

The BBC’s Arabic and Radio Ulster feeds were also affected.

See on www.bbc.co.uk

Cheaper LED Bulbs Make It Easier to Switch Lights

See on Scoop.itGreen Energy Technologies & Development

LED bulbs last longer and use less power than older ones, and with prices falling, a change makes even more sense.

Duane Tilden‘s insight:

LEDs last about 25 times as long as incandescents and three times as long as CFLs; we’re talking maybe 25,000 hours of light. Install one today, and you may not own your house, or even live, long enough to see it burn out. (Actually, LED bulbs generally don’t burn out at all; they just get dimmer.)

See on www.nytimes.com

ResearchMoz: Global Energy Storage Market to 2020 – Targeting Transportation Sector Applications – New Market Research Report

See on Scoop.itGreen Energy Technologies & Development

ALBANY, New York, March 21, 2013 /PRNewswire/ –New Report Added in ResearchMoz Reports Database: “Global…

Duane Tilden‘s insight:

GBI Research’s new report, "Global Energy Storage Market to 2020 – Targeting Transportation Sector Applications, Advanced Batteries, Ultracapacitors and Fuel Cells All Set for Growth", provides key data, information and analysis on the market opportunities in the energy storage devices market. The report provides market potential of key energy storage technologies such as advanced batteries, fuel cells, pumped storage, flywheels and ultracapacitors.

See on www.prnewswire.com

Want Sales from Social Media?

See on Scoop.itTwitter & Social Media

How auto dealerships can use social media to find more customers.

See on dealermarketing.com

Why PCs, not smartphones, are best for social media sharing | PCWorld

See on Scoop.itTwitter & Social Media

In a world dominated by social media we must choose the best way to consume it. A vast majority would look to their mobile devices, but the true platform is the PC.

Duane Tilden‘s insight:

Phones offer very little room for an expansive and clean user interface. Buttons are smothered for space, and there’s just too much social networking to fit into those teeny, tiny screens. Indeed, when you only have enough room to see four tweets at a time, scrolling becomes a chore.

Social media services provide loud vocal cords for businesses, but trying to orchestrate content promotion on your smartphone is madness. To do it effectively, you need quick, comfortable access to tools for scheduling, account management, and analytics, and these are available only on the desktop, often through desktop client software.

See on www.pcworld.com

GTM Research Names Top 150 Vendors in Smart Grid Across 12 Market Segments : Greentech Media

See on Scoop.itGreen Energy Technologies & Development

The Networked Grid 150 report is the strategic compendium on the vendor and technology landscape for today’s smart grid utility.

Duane Tilden‘s insight:

… the report ranks the top vendors within each of the following market segments: Advanced Metering Infrastructure, Building Area Networks, Consulting & Integration, Demand Response, Electric Vehicle Infrastructure, Energy Storage, Field Area Networks, Home Area Networks, Networking & Management, Soft Grid, Security, Transmission & Distribution, and Wide Area Network Communications.

See on www.greentechmedia.com

Biofuels Suffering from High Corn Prices and Dropping Demand | The Energy Collective

See on Scoop.itGreen Energy Technologies & Development

Nearly 10 percent of the nation’s ethanol plants have stopped production over the past year, the drought having pushed commodity prices so high that ethanol has become too expensive to produce.

Duane Tilden‘s insight:

The other half of this is falling demand for gasoline — a result of both the recession, and a renewed policy push for electric and hybrid vehicles and tougher fuel economy standards. […]

Globally, the combined effect of U.S. and European biofuel policy has been a massive divergence of corn crops into biofuel production, which in turn drove up the price of corn and contributed to global food insecurity. […]

Cellulosic biofuels, by relying on crops that don’t double as food, could provide a solution. But whether they can be widely commercialized without requiring high levels of water and land use remains an open question.

See on theenergycollective.com

Boulder’s Smart Grid Leaves Citizens in the Dark : Greentech Media

See on Scoop.itGreen Energy Technologies & Development

Utilities have to engage with consumers and businesses to make the smart grid work.

Duane Tilden‘s insight:

“I had a smart meter, but I didn’t even know I had a smart meter,” said Dick.

Dick and a team of CU engineers are working on exactly this problem: how to inform people about their electricity use. The team is creating an online system called “EMPIRE” — EMpowering People In Reducing Energy consumption.  […]

Huston said that because Boulder’s smart grid was one of the first in the country, some of the technologies it used, such as fiber optic communication technology, turned out to be less ideal than hoped. The new two-way communication technology, installing smart meters for less than a quarter of the population and other features almost doubled the project’s cost within a year after it began. As of October 2012, the total costs were pushing $45 million.

See on www.greentechmedia.com