Tag Archives: efficiency
Energy Efficiency: Is It The Real Deal?
According to the Energy Information Administration (EIA), peak electric loads in the U.S. are 20,800 MW lower than they would be without utility energy efficiency programs[1]. If it is correct it represents perhaps 100 power plants that did not need built that would have otherwise been required. Similarly, the EIA data shows that electric usage [...]
The World’s Lowest Emissions Building
One of Japan’s largest construction companies is making a bold claim. Shimuzu Corp. believes its new Tokyo headquarters emits less carbon dioxide per square meter than any other building in the world. Thanks to a myriad of energy efficiency technologies and renewable energy installations, the building (pictured below) uses only 38 kilograms per square meter [...]
China’s Renewable Energy Targets
China has repeatedly increased the Solar capacity targets since the last one year as solar panel prices have crashed making solar power increasingly affordable. Note China installs the largest amount of electricity capacity each year at around 100 GW. 80% of China’s power comes from dirty polluting thermal power plants. This has made the situation [...]
In Focus: The Greening of American Sports
The multi-billion dollar American sports industry may not be the most polluting industry, but it is among the most visible. With over 60 percent of Americans identifying themselves as sports fans, the greening of the sporting world could serve as model for a wide swath of people. The White House seems to agree. Last week, [...]
Renewable Transportation Fuels Gaining Popularity with Large Corporations
Below are excerpts from an interesting article at AOL Energy, providing yet more evidence – on top of stories like this one about record investment in renewable power – that cleantech is increasingly where it’s at from a hard-nosed business and investment perspective. Large corporations are steadily replacing governments and banks in financing renewable energy transport [...]
Energy Efficiency = More Sex?
My first foray into this topic, “Sex is better with energy efficiency,” was warmly – aye, steamingly– received. (We are a simple people, no?) So let’s dive deeper… First, for the record: Jimmy Carter is a great man, a courageous humanitarian, and a vastly underappreciated former President. It’s not his fault. But one of the [...]
In Focus: California Energy Use
Californians are poised for a more functional, data-driven model for setting the prices people pay for electricity. The new model will make the massive differences in costs of providing electricity during the course of a typical day more evident to us as energy users, thereby inspiring more efficient use of electricity resources. The California Public [...]
Top Ways To Cut Back On Fuel Consumption
It’s no secret that today’s car manufacturers have spent a good deal of time in the first decade of 2000 to present day on making their vehicles as fuel efficient as possible. From aerodynamic changes to more streamlined mechanisms underneath the hood, whereas 25 MPG was a starting point, it’s looking more and more likely [...]
40 of the Sickest Eco Apps
Technology may not be a panacea to solve the climate crisis, but green applications (eco-apps) are helping to drive awareness and foster responsible action. There was a time when eco-apps did little more than provide lists of so-called “green” products and services. Now green-themed apps have turned mobile devices into portals for environmental education and [...]