Valerie Eacret, ERS, for Zondits March 21, 2016. Image credit: Seabirds Almost 30 years ago, Brazil flooded an enormous area in the Amazonian rainforest to generate hydroelectric power in what some called an environmental crime. Today, it only produces 20% of its capacity. The artificial lake is so large that the horizon is barely visible from … Read more
National Grid to Provide One-Stop Solar Shopping For Rhode Island Customers 3BL Media, March 8, 2016. Image credit: Hans Rhode Island electric customers of National Grid will soon have a convenient online tool to use in researching and purchasing solar energy systems for their homes and businesses. Thanks to action taken by the Rhode Island Public … Read more
US agency reaches ‘holy grail’ of battery storage sought by Elon Musk and Gates The Guardian, March 3, 2016. Image credit: A US government agency says it has attained the “holy grail” of energy – the next-generation system of battery storage, that has has been hotly pursued by the likes of Bill Gates and Elon … Read more
California’s Revolution in Western Energy Markets T&D World, March 9, 2016. Image credit: blickpixel The Energy Times’ recently talked with BPA Administrator Elliot Mainzer on the regional impact of bold new renewables and storage initiatives in California ahead of the landmark California Renewables Rush conference in San Francisco April 6 supported by virtually all major utilities … Read more
Valerie Eacret, ERS, for Zondits March 9, 2016. Image credit: geralt The Mass Net Zero Data Center (MassNZ) is an experiment in Holyoke, Massachusetts, which is a testing center for using renewable energy for data center applications. Not surprisingly, the key is storage, and MassNZ uses heavy flywheels as part of a distributed energy storage demonstration … Read more
Stockholm Wants To Ditch Fossil Fuels By 2050 Triple Pundit, February 25, 2016. Image credit: mariannakrarup0 Clean transportation and energy must expand What is Stockholm doing to achieve its environmental goals? The simple answer is plenty. Transportation is a key element of the city’s plans. Many Stockholm residents drive what Vision 2030 describes as “clean vehicles,” … Read more
Blockchain-based microgrid gives power to consumers in New York New Scientist, March 2, 2016. Image credit: Unsplash Transactive Grid aims to enable people to buy and sell renewable energy to their neighbours. To deal in energy at the moment, you have to go through a central company like Duke Energy in the US or National Grid … Read more
U.S. Department of Energy Launches $40 Million Effort to Improve Materials for Clean Energy Solutions US DOE, February 24, 2016. Image credit: Comfreak The U.S. Department of Energy today announced the launch of its Energy Materials Network (EMN), a new National Laboratory-led initiative that will give American entrepreneurs and manufacturers a leg up in the global … Read more
Ryan Pollin for Zondits, February 23, 2016. Image credit: gr8effect California is a national leader in clean tech across the board, and the California Public Utilities Commission’s plans for grid modernization are getting only bolder. Increasing volumes of electric vehicles, full-size acquisitions of behind-the-meter batteries, new solar inverters, and other new grid widgets are all converging … Read more
Reversible fuel cell goes both ways for the US Navy Gizmag, February 9, 2016 Boeing has delivered a new type of fuel cell to the US Navy for testing that can both store energy and generate electricity. Called a “reversible solid oxide fuel cell,” it’s designed to absorb energy from renewable sources, such as wind … Read more