Apple’s renewable energy enthusiasm is spreading to China – that was big news last week. But the story’s more interesting player might be SunPower, with its efforts to expand deployment of concentrator photovoltaics (CPV). The two 20-megawatt plants that Apple and SunPower have partnered on in China will use CPV, long thought to be a… Keep reading →
Imagine homeowners and businesses saving millions of dollars – and cutting pollution – without needing to do anything. Magic? No, but it does require electric utilities to take advantage of new technologies that better provide customers with just the right amount of voltage to their electrical outlets. Many appliances, including incandescent lighting, work just as… Keep reading →
Federal officials said dozens of drums of radioactive waste at a weapons laboratories in Los Alamos, New Mexico are stable after showing some signs of chemical reactions over the past year.”The drums are being closely monitored after a container with similar contents broke open in 2014, resulting in a radiation release and the indefinite closure… Keep reading →
Cycle for Science — the brainchild of Rachel Woods-Robinson and Elizabeth Case — is a 4,000 mile bike ride from San Francisco to New York. Along the way, Case and Wood-Robinson will make stops at classrooms and summer programs to teach science, talk with teachers and encourage girls to continue studying science, technology, engineering… Keep reading →
Some economists have recently predicted that it not be until the third fiscal quarter 2015 that oil prices may begin to stabilize (for example, see ATB Financial’s Alberta Economic Outlook Q2 2015, published March 31, 2015). ATB Financial predicts, however, that the price stability will begin at around $50 per barrel rather than at the over $100 per barrel highs of mid-2014.
It’s going to take a while – until 2030 for full implementation – but nine countries, ten oil companies and six development institutions have joined a World Bank effort to end the practice of routine gas flaring at oil production sites. “Gas flaring is a visual reminder that we are wastefully sending CO2 into the atmosphere,” said World Bank President… Keep reading →
Will more cities follow San Francisco’s lead? When San Francisco’s water meters were coming to the end of their lifespan about six years ago, the city wanted to make sure the next set of devices installed would prove useful for the next 20 years. “It’s the best of both worlds,” Tyrone Jue, director of communications… Keep reading →
At the next Arctic Council Ministerial Meeting held in Iqaluit, Nunavut (Canada) on 24-25 April 2015, the US will take over chairmanship of the Arctic Council from Canada for the next two years until May 2017. This comes at a time of unprecedented geopolitical volatility and tension – at least since the end of the Cold… Keep reading →
Insight for Industry – PJM Capacity Market Faces Continued Uncertainty Despite ongoing efforts by PJM Interconnection (PJM) to address system reliability issues, regulatory impacts to its capacity market continue to increase uncertainty. The March 31 Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) ruling that requires PJM to provide additional information on its Capacity Performance (CP) proposal could… Keep reading →
Rethinking the Power of the Grid
By Dr. Henri WinandOur reliance on electricity is nothing new, but in the era of global connectivity and the burgeoning mobile economy, our dependence on power has grown dramatically. This is especially true in developing countries, where the growth of mobile has opened up economic frontiers and brought new opportunities. Sadly, all of that progress can be undermined… Keep reading →