Tag Archives: energy
2030 EU Sets Energy Efficiency Targets Announced
Yesterday The European Commission took the first step towards developing a 2030 framework for EU climate change and energy policies. It adopted a Green Paper which launches a public consultation on the content of the 2030 framework. The Commission also published a Consultative Communication on the future of carbon capture and storage (CCS) in Europe, [...]
3-D Printing and Energy Efficiency
3-D printing, also known by its technical name of “additive manufacturing,” is a concept that makes tech-heads and entrepreneurs bubble with excitement. President Obama even gave 3-D printing a shout-out in his recent State of the Union address, talking about a government-sponsored lab in Ohio for testing and scaling new technologies: “There’s no reason this [...]
Residential vs. Commercial Energy Use
Combined, buildings in the United States consume 40% of all energy. But these buildings are not created equal. The important first step in reducing energy use in buildings is to understand what type of building it is, and what the occupants are there to do. A school will have different energy consumption habits than a [...]
Renewable Energy and Utilities
Utilities in the US and Europe are having to take a hard look at their business model – will it continue to be viable in an era of rooftop solar and distributed energy? As people finally realize the value of solar – that it can make them independent energy generators that don’t rely on the [...]
Solar Power Stars in Newest NASA Video
Today’s solar video gives a pretty awesome visual reminder of the immense energy produced by the sun. Watch for the scale-drawing of the earth appearing at 1:06. Eruptive events on the Sun can be wildly different. Some come just with a solar flare, some with an additional ejection of solar material called a coronal mass [...]
Residential Solar: When Analyzed Properly, Returns are Great
One of the issues faced by consumers when considering going solar is that things are changing so frequently that it is hard for consumers to evaluate solar as an investment. Solar prices have fallen significantly over the past few years, but government and utility rebates and incentives have been in a perpetual state of change. These constant [...]
In Focus: Obama’s SOTU Climate Change Remarks
Those who haven’t seen my writing elsewhere may be surprised to learn that I’m a self-described proud, Liberal progressive Democrat who enthusiastically supports President Obama. Last night’s speech had a lot in it that I liked–and I’m well aware that many of my readers will disagree. But like I say, it takes all kinds… He [...]
Warren Buffett “Likes” Energy Sharing
PacifiCorp and the California Independent System Operator Corporation (the ISO) will work together to lead the entire western U.S. toward a new energy-sharing market that will smooth the way for more reliability in power delivery and more renewables. PacifiCorp (PINK:PPWRP), which controls two balancing authorities covering portions of six western states, and the ISO, the [...]
Did You Know? Smartphones Reduce Energy Usage
Smartphones are an increasingly ubiquitous aspect of modern life and research shows that they are decreasing the amount of energy used globally. This is the finding from Outlier, a research group that explores trends in how people use energy. As reported in Energy Manager Today smartphone sales volumes in 2012 were estimated at 717 million [...]