All posts published in 2016
Turning Windows into Solar Panels DOE, March 7, 2016. Image credit: LANL Researchers in the Center for Advanced Solar Photophysics at Los Alamos National Laboratory are seeking to transform everyday windows into solar collectors by harnessing the unique properties of quantum dots. The advantages of solar power as a source of clean, renewable energy seem … Read more
How To Hack Your Electric Bill Huffington Post, April 27, 2016 You turn off the lights when you leave a room. You unplug small appliances when they aren’t in use. You think you’re being pretty smart about your energy consumption, yet every month your electric bill keeps creeping up. You shudder to think how high … Read more
Energy efficiency: Binding targets will hinder EU growth The Parliament Magazine, May 3, 2016 This autumn, the European Commission is planning a revision to the energy efficiency directive. Both the Commission and Parliament are currently evaluating the implementation of the existing directive, originally adopted back in 2012. The best word to describe how the directive … Read more
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory announces 3 energy-saving projects The Daily Californian, April 14, 2016. Image credit: StockSnap Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory announced Wednesday the launch of three research projects aimed at increasing energy efficiency for a variety of electrical devices. The new projects tackle the energy consumption of different types of “plug loads” — devices … Read more
Allison Donnelly, ERS, for Zondits. May 3, 2016. Image credit: Marc van der Chijs Last week, the Wall Street Journal published an opinion piece by former Obama energy advisor Jason Bordoff entitled, “How Driverless Cars Could End up Harming the Environment.” Among the host of benefits being touted by proponents, one that has been getting increasing … Read more
A Lightbulb Moment: How Energy Efficiency Builds Business Business Aspects Magazine, April 28, 2016 Plenty of businesses are approaching energy efficiency as a business growth opportunity, seeking to increase their competitiveness, grow their customer base and capitalise on new markets, both at home and abroad. Energy saving is not just about reducing bills, but rather … Read more
Make Energy Efficiency Programs Efficient Electric Co-op Today, May 3, 2016. Image credit: Alexas_Fotos It’s ironic: Energy efficiency saves consumers money, but it can cost electric cooperatives a bundle to run a program. That doesn’t have to be the case. A new report from NRECA’s Business and Technology Strategies unit looks at where co-ops are running up … Read more
Oracle Corp. (ORCL) To Tap US Utility Transition With Purchase Of Energy Efficiency Developer Opower Inc. (OPWR) IBT, May 2, 2016. Image credit: Peggy_Marco U.S. software giant Oracle Corp. says it wants a slice of the clean energy transition unfolding across America’s $2.3 trillion utilities industry. Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) announced Monday it will buy software-as-a-service company Opower Inc. … Read more
How California Blackouts Will Make Solar and Batteries A National Story Triple Pundit, April 18, 2016. Image credit: Life-Of-Pix Imagine islands of light fueled by solar connected to batteries Here’s how solar and distributed generation could become national news this summer. It is 7 p.m., and Los Angeles is blacked out. It’s the third day of … Read more
ENERGY EFFICIENCY: Power-use scorecards help building managers cut usage The Press Enterprise, April 9, 2016. Image credit: skeeze Hooper manages San Francisco’s five-year-old building-efficiency ordinance, created to measure wasted energy in the city’s largest structures, give them a score the public can see and prod owners to lower the lights and thermostats. San Francisco’s ordinance is … Read more