Renewable Energy
Engineering Newswire 36: Electric Car Charge Time Cut in Half
May 2, 2013 10:50 am | by Eric Sorensen, Coordinator of Multimedia Development | Videos | CommentsToday on Engineering Newswire, brought to you by Interpower, the premier supplier of power system components for worldwide markets, we’re bending cellphones, electrifying motorcycles, cutting electric vehicle charge time in half, and riding a screw-propelled snowboard. This week's episode features...
Battery and Memory Device in One
April 25, 2013 9:31 am | by Prof. Rainer Waser, Jülich Aachen Research Alliance (JARA) | News | CommentsResistive memory cells (ReRAM) are regarded as a promising solution for future generations of computer memories. They will dramatically reduce the energy consumption of modern IT systems while significantly increasing their performance. Unlike the building blocks of conventional hard disk drives and memories...
Concentrated Solar Power with Thermal Energy Storage Can Help Utilities’ Bottom Line
January 15, 2013 1:44 pm | by NREL News | News | CommentsThe storage capacity of concentrating solar power (CSP) can add significant value to a utility company’s optimal mix of energy sources, a new report by the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) suggests.
Securing Skills for a Successful Offshore Wind Industry
September 20, 2012 7:37 am | News | CommentsTrade group RenewableUK has said that the offshore wind and marine energy sector could support 88,000 jobs in the UK by 2021, up from approximately 10,600 at present. In order to reach this target the right policies and financial conditions must be in place and, as obvious as it may seem, there will need to be an adequate amount of skilled recruits to fill these jobs.
Could Minneapolis Get Cleaner Energy With a Utility Takeover?
August 16, 2012 10:18 am | by They decide which bills will be heard and, ultimately, which will be passed into law. Not coincidentally, a champion of clean, local energy was denied a seat on the Public Utilities Commission by the Legislature. | News | CommentsAs we spoke to legislators and activists roaming the halls of the State Capitol this past legislative session, it became increasingly clear that Xcel Energy and other utilities are calling the shots for our energy future. Minnesota spends more than $20 billion a year on energy -- primarily importing polluting fossil fuels -- and the state's utilities typically lobby against decreasing our dependency.
How to Make a Parking Garage Energy Efficient
August 16, 2012 10:12 am | News | CommentsIt's no secret that researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) do cool things — including finding new ways to capture energy from the sun and wind. But there's nothing cooler than working on a parking garage, right? "It doesn't sound glamorous, but it is a place for building energy savings," NREL Energy Efficiency Research Engineer Jennifer Scheib said.
It's Back to the Future on the US Clean Tech Industry
August 16, 2012 10:01 am | News | CommentsPresident Barack Obama and Gov. Mitt Romney recently stated how each would "get tough" with China. This reminded me of a conversation with economists I had in Vice President Biden's office several years ago. We discussed how to put together the president's stimulus proposal and the possibility of using clean tech programs — solar, wind, batteries and others — as one of the lynchpins of the program.
Cutting Building Energy Use in Half with Renewables
July 30, 2012 12:28 pm | News | CommentsThe blips of a heart monitor, the hum of an MRI, the intense lights of a surgical room: all can bring both comfort and fear — and all require a lot of power. But new hospitals are being filled with natural, calming light and are leveraging energy from the sun and earth to power the machines, instruments, and tools medical professionals use to help patients recover.
Report: Two Solar Technologies That Will Thrive; Two On the Demise
June 4, 2012 12:55 pm | News | CommentsFor every revolutionary advance in solar, there are countless evolutionary dead-ends — technologies that were well worth exploring, but ones that ultimately failed to live up to the mantra of "cut costs or die." These are the Solyndras of the world. Their science may have raised the bar, but ultimately they were judged by the market, which measures the bar on cost alone.
Energy Innovation: Snails and Griddies
June 4, 2012 12:44 pm | News | CommentsAsk most people to describe vanguard energy technology, and they’ll name LED lights, certain forms of solar energy and new electric storage methods. But how about this — generating energy from a living body? The Journal of the American Chemical Society is reporting a “real-life scientific tail of the first electrified snail.
WindFi: Renewable Energy Wireless Basestation
May 3, 2012 12:38 pm | News | CommentsThe WindFi basestation was initially designed to address issues of rural broadband in the mountainous, undulating and remote terrain of the Scottish Highlands & Islands in communities where fibre or xDSL access is not available. Using open source software, GIS tools, and driven by the broadband needs of rural communities, whole new business models are enabled by WindFi.
Biogas Technology: "Cow Power" Catching On in US
April 12, 2012 12:20 pm | News | CommentsFor years, third world ranchers have been using methane from manure to run electrical generators down on the farm. This clean-burning biogas is not only a good local fuel in countries with little or no infrastructure, now even countries like the U.S. are reaping energy from this foul-smelling source.
Solar Leases Attracting New Demographic
April 12, 2012 11:59 am | News | CommentsThe sun is shining on homeowners in less affluent neighborhoods who are discovering they can afford solar energy after all — by leasing rather than buying the panels on their roofs. Kyle Travis (left) and Jon Jackson (right) of Lighthouse Solar install microcrystalline PV modules on top of Kevin Donovan's townhome in Arvada, Colorado.
Best Marketing for Renewable Energies
April 6, 2012 5:07 am | News | CommentsTransmission system operators must assess precisely the supply of electricity from renewable energies for the next day in order to market this electricity on the European Power Exchange (EPEX) as effectively as possible. The sharply fluctuating supply of solar and wind energy makes reliable forecasts even more difficult.
Vermont's Solar Deal: One Small State Makes a Big Solar Impact
March 29, 2012 7:01 am | News | CommentsSo, you want to put solar on your roof. You're part of the 94 percent of Americans who think it's important for the nation to develop solar energy, as evidenced by the SCHOTT Solar Barometer, a nationally representative survey conducted by independent polling firm Kelton Research. You call several companies for quotes, and come to find out – a residential solar system is a bit more than you can afford, and your excitement to join the solar cause is diminished.
Impact of Curtailment on Wind Economics
March 29, 2012 6:08 am | by Posted by Janine E. Mooney, Editor | News | Commentsby Jonathan Cheszes, Navigant The increase in utility scale wind development across North America has and continues to change the energy supply mix in many jurisdictions. Driven primarily by state-level renewable portfolio standard (RPS) requirements and clean air regulation, state and provincial supply mixes once dominated by coal, hydro nuclear and natural gas are now becoming more diverse.
Fund Set to Drive Growth of Renewable Energy in Scotland
March 23, 2012 6:14 am | News | CommentsScotland’s energy minister Fergus Ewing has announced a new £103m investment fund designed to drive the growth of renewable energy in the country. The Renewable Energy Investment Fund (REIF) will initially focus on supporting communities and rural businesses to develop their own local renewable projects on supporting district heating and on supporting wave and tidal developers with the development and deployment of array projects.
Fabricating Solar Cells Onto Everyday Surfaces
March 15, 2012 7:54 am | News | CommentsThe prestigious $30,000 Lemelson-MIT Student Prize has been awarded to Miles C. Barr for his innovative solar technologies and creativity. Barr received his Ph.D. from the Department of Chemical Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 2012 and a Master of Science in Chemical Engineering Practice in 2008.
Twin Creeks Unwraps New Tool, Process to Slash Silicon Solar PV Costs
March 14, 2012 7:43 am | News | CommentsA startup company has emerged from stealth mode with a new technology that promises to radically change the game for silicon solar photovoltaics (PV) manufacturing, by taking out almost all the starting material and up-front process costs. Progressing further toward the goal of "grid parity" means continually refining all steps along the solar supply chain, from manufacturing to balance-of-systems.
Canadian Renewable Energy Makes Big Splash in U.S.
March 14, 2012 7:38 am | News | CommentsWith more hydropower than it can use, Canada sells cheap, clean power to U.S. utilities and has been doing so for years. Now, large transmission projects across the Northeast and Midwest will mean more hydro will be used to meet utilities needs. The debate over the Keystone XL Pipeline has overshadowed news that a different sort of Canadian energy, hydropower, is poised has to take a much bigger role in the East Coast and Midwest markets.
Heat Recovery and Energy Efficiency Good for Pocket and Environment
March 12, 2012 12:02 pm | News | CommentsOilon, a privately owned Finnish company, is highlighting how using the most advanced technology in combustion of oil and gas can provide significant savings in overall energy consumption. Modern oxygen control that compensates changes in ambient temperature and fuel qualities can increase energy efficiency up to 3%.
UCLA Working on Building a Smarter, Greener Power Grid
March 7, 2012 11:36 am | News | CommentsAs the nation's power system ages and grows insufficient, University of California researchers are building a smarter, greener electric grid for the future, which will enable drivers to power up their cars by plugging them in to a grid predominately powered by solar, wind and other renewable energy sources.
Wireless Sensor Networks Market to 2016 - Energy Harvesting Techniques to Create New Opportunities
March 7, 2012 11:19 am | News | CommentsResearch and Markets has announced the addition of the "Wireless Sensor Networks Market to 2016 - Energy Harvesting Techniques to Create New Opportunities" report to their offering. GBI Research's new report, Wireless Sensor Networks Market to 2016 - Energy Harvesting Techniques to Create New Opportunities provides key information and analysis on the market opportunities in the Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) industry.
Thermal Storage Gets More Solar on the Grid
March 7, 2012 11:02 am | by To the rescue comes concentrating solar power (CSP), a technology being tested and deployed by utilities in America's deserts and southern Spain. | News | CommentsIt's 4:45 on a sweltering August afternoon, and the rooftop solar panels are starting to lose juice. The sun's lower angles and that huge cottonwood tree are interfering with the efficient photon-to-electricity transfer. What is an environmentally conscious — but air-conditioning-loving — homeowner to do? Peak demand for electricity in the United States typically hits between 4 p.
Extensible Home Energy Gateway Integrating Proven Smart Thermostat Performance
March 7, 2012 10:59 am | News | CommentsEnergate introduced its next-generation Foundation platform at DistribuTECH in San Antonio. Foundation is the industry’s first multi-load, extensible Home Energy Gateway that supports utility RDR programs and extends control of devices beyond Learning and Smart Thermostats. It combines an in-home display, load control, load management, automatic dynamic price response and an industry leading smart thermostat in a simple, single unit with multi–radio capability.
