BrightSource, SCE Contract for 1,300MW of Solar Thermal
Solar thermal company with unique tower design signs another major contract for power plants in the Mojave Desert.
AMSC, NREL to Collaborate on Superconductor Wind Turbine
Technology company and national lab will evaluate the economics of a 10-MW wind turbine.
Onzo Joins Silver Spring Networks Partnership Program
U.K.-based maker of smart metering devices partners with grid networking company.
Editorial: Google Your Neighbor's Smart Meter
By Bart King Internet giant Google this week introduced a prototype web application that displays real-time data about a home’s energy use. In theory, if you have a smart meter on your house or business, PowerMeter can track how much electricity your appliances use—and at what cost—for display on your homepage, right beside your weather forecast or stock quotes. Research shows that providing consumers with detailed information about their electricity usage triggers a reduction in electricity demand. But I don’t think the do-gooders at Google have gone far enough. I don’t just want to know how much electricity I’m using; I want to see how much my neighbors are using, too—and let’s throw in water and gas while we’re at it. Sure, there are privacy issues involved—so we’ll probably have to let people opt in. But the idea is to get a little friendly competition going. An interesting report published last fall by an Oxford cultural anthropologist asserted that greater visibility of community habits is a key to persuading individuals to adopt less energy intensive lifestyles. The author, Dr. P. Chenevix Trench, suggests this approach is more effective than environmental education campaigns, which she claims are creating a backlash and […]
Finavera To Surrender License for Wave Project
In 2007, the company received the first U.S. license for a wave project in the Pacific. But the company has chosen to focus on near-term wind projects.
Weekly Clean Energy Roundup: February 11, 2009
President Obama Orders Swift Action on Appliance Efficiency Standards DOE Awards $40M for Industrial Use of Alternative Fuels, CHP Ausra Backs Off on Large CSP Projects, Focuses on Industries U.S. Wind Capacity Vaults to Top Spot Supercar Manufacturer Unveils All-Electric Powertrain Gasoline Prices Climb Slowly, Natural Gas Stays Low President Obama Orders Swift Action on Appliance Efficiency Standards President Barack Obama issued a memorandum last week that instructs DOE to take all necessary steps to finalize new appliance efficiency standards as quickly as possible. As noted by the president, the Energy Policy and Conservation Act of 1975 (EPCA) set deadlines for DOE to set energy efficiency standards for a broad class of residential and commercial products, and in 2005, DOE was sued for allegedly failing to meet the deadlines and other requirements of the EPCA. In November 2006, DOE entered into a consent decree, under which DOE agreed to publish the final rules for 22 product categories by specific deadlines, the latest of which is June 30, 2011. In addition, the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (EISA) directed DOE to establish energy standard for additional product categories. Although DOE has made progress on meeting its consent decree, the […]
Obama Admin Delays Last-Minute Bush Actions
New administration extends time periods to develop comprehensive offshore energy policy and review emissions rule.
Comparison of Senate, House Cleantech Spending – Breakdown
The Senate allotted approximately $86 billion for the cleantech sector, versus $100 billion from the House.
Efficiency Can Displace 60% of Coal-Fired Power – Report
Rocky Mountain Institute report shows tremendous benefits if laggard states adopt efficiency best practices.
Ireland Sets 10% EV Goal
Irish government wants 10% of vehicles in country to be electric by 2020.
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