Hydro

Environmentalism Stalwart Gets A Facelift

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More than 60 years after its founding, the Nature Conservancy is amping up its efforts to reach its membership and readers of its eponymous magazine. The publication recently relaunched with a more-frequent publishing schedule, a digital edition app and a slate of prizes.

Nature Conservancy magazine is also taking advertising for the first time, which Publisher Teresa Duran says reflects the spirit of the group’s long-held belief that the private sector has an important role to play in conservation. Keep reading →

Published April 4, 2013 at 3:15 PM

Discovery Showcase: ABB Claims Breakthrough in DC Transmission

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Quick Take: Not only can old dogs learn new tricks. They can invent them. Usually our Discovery Showcase pieces highlight breakthroughs from small startups or government research labs. This time, however, we’re putting the spotlight on new technology from ABB, the 129-year-old industrial giant headquartered in Switzerland. The firm claims to have invented a circuit breaker for high voltage direct current (HVDC). If so, then HVDC just became a much more viable alternative for the long-distance transfer of large amounts of power. – By Jesse Berst

ABB’s super fast high voltage direct current (HVDC) circuit breaker will, the company says, open the doors to more efficient and reliable electrical supply systems and the efficient integration of renewable energy. It combines extremely fast mechanics and power electronics that will be able to interrupt power flows “equal to the output of a large power station within five milliseconds – 30 times faster than the blink of a human eye.” Keep reading →

Published November 8, 2012 at 2:45 PM

‘The Simple Life’ on Canada’s Lasqueti Island (Off the Grid)

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This is the fourth of a five-part series called “Off the Grid,” in which we explore environmentally sustainable, self-sufficient communities across the globe. We’ll attempt to answer the question: Is green, off-grid living our future? This week, we take a look at a self-sufficient island community off the coast of Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada.

Published October 15, 2012 at 11:30 AM

The Supposed Decline of Green Energy http://s.hbr.org/VCXj49

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The Supposed Decline of Green Energy http://bit.ly/RUWjKw HarvardBiz

Published September 25, 2012 at 1:45 PM

Trilliant Goes to Brazil: Leveraging Smart Grid Lessons

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New markets are the Holy Grail for businesses, but success in accessing and serving new markets is far from easy. The difficulties are multiplied when those new markets are in parts of the world where language, culture and regulation are completely different.

Brazil’s energy market is undergoing a transformation that opens up new opportunities for many businesses that might have steered clear of the tightly regulated sector in the past, despite the obvious temptations offered by the country’s broader economic growth trajectory. Keep reading →

Published September 18, 2012 at 8:30 AM

10 Most Expensive Energy Projects in the World

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Estimates vary widely on its cost, but it’s thought the Three Gorges Dam is the most expensive hydroelectric project ever built.

Published August 28, 2012 at 10:45 AM

FERC Licenses First U.S. Wave Power Project

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Ocean Power Technologies has gained approval from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission for the complete build-out of its wave power station off the southern Oregon Coast, the first wave power station to be licensed in the U.S.

FERC granted a 35-year license for the wave power station to OPT subsidiary Reedsport OPT Wave Park, LLC. OPT said in a news release that construction of the first PowerBuoy® is almost completed and should be deployed 2.5 miles off the Reedsport coast later this year. After the first buoy is deployed, OPT will build up to 9 additional buoys and their grid connection infrastructure – assuming additional funding and the remaining regulatory approvals are obtained. Keep reading →

Published August 27, 2012 at 10:30 AM

Data Show Brazil’s Wind Energy Market is Wide Open for Business

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Blessed with abundant surface water resources and a considerable amount of associated hydroelectric power, Brazil has lots of renewable energy, and a lot of room to generate additional power from renewable sources like wind and solar.

Brazil is the world’s second largest hydro power consumer behind China, but a sharp contrast between wet and dry seasons – along with occasional droughts – has driven the country to import LNG in recent years to supplement its energy security. Keep reading →

Published August 27, 2012 at 8:30 AM

The ‘Perfect Partner’: Brazil Follows its Own Wind Energy Model

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Brazil is a country blessed by nature. Famous for its beaches, renowned for its beauties, the emerging global economic leader is also blessed by huge energy reserves, ranging from deep sea oil to huge rivers that drive hydroelectric production and some of the best wind resources in the world.

Countries have built wind energy as a complement to their existing power infrastructure, but in few places does the natural setting make wind so much “the perfect partner” for hydroelectric power as Brazil, the Global Wind Energy Council said in a report on regulatory frameworks for the country’s emerging wind industry. That is nature at work, with the wind cycle complementing Brazil’s rainy season by blowing strongest during the dry season. Keep reading →

Published August 22, 2012 at 3:30 PM

In Hydropower, Small Can Be Beautiful

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While some parts of the world take hydropower for granted, it’s an unfamiliar concept in many others. Energy market analysts at GlobalData, however, say government support globally is “making hydropower a key renewable energy resource” and that small hydropower plants (SHP) in particular are showing serious growth, largely because of the numerous advantages they have over larger facilities.

According to a recent GlobalData report, global installed hydropower capacity grew from 896.9 gigawatts in 2006 to 1.072.1 gigawatts in 2011. The company anticipates that number to climb to 1,443 gigawatts by 2020 because of continued government support. Keep reading →

Published August 2, 2012 at 1:00 PM
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