California utility issues RFP for plug-and-play storage systems to fill broader range of grid needs Someday, grid batteries will come in standard packages, ready to be plugged in as fast as utilities can find places and use cases for them. At least, that’s how utility Southern California Edison would like its next round of energy… Keep reading →
General Electric (GE) and Norway’s Statoil have announced a strategic collaboration to advance more environmentally friendly and economically sustainable technologies for oil and gas production. GE and partially state-owned Statoil have a long history of working together and both share a commitment to improving their environmental footprints, which is a goal increasingly valued by investors… Keep reading →
Lighting makers keep their options open for smart home platforms. Just over a year ago, the emergence of a sub-$10 light-emitting diode (LED) bulb was big news for the lighting industry. The same pricing trends are headed for smart bulbs too. Now, for just a few dollars more, consumers can buy a GE LED light bulb for… Keep reading →
Breaking Energy had the honor of touring Masdar City in Abu Dhabi last year – a UAE government-supported initiative to build the world’s most sustainable city – which will house research centers and corporations doing cutting-edge sustainable energy work. Masdar City reached a milestone with the opening of GE’s Ecomagination Clean Tech Hub. “The new… Keep reading →
Everywhere I go, utilities and the vendors who serve them are talking about the advent of distributed generation. They all agree that DG will be a disruptive force, even if they disagree how quickly it will hit critical mass. Your future is a distributed one, so it’s not too soon to start thinking through the… Keep reading →
Better lighting, energy reductions, and no more blinds—with View Inc.‘s dynamic glass Has View Inc. and its electrochromic window glass solved the cost challenge that has long stymied this innovative building efficiency technology? Corning (NYSE: GLW), the 160-year-old glass giant, must believe it has — as it just led a $60 million funding round in… Keep reading →
With GE’s software, stored wind can increase three revenue streams. After premiering its 2.5-megawatt, 120-meter rotor Brilliant wind turbine in February, GE is now announcing the commercial installation of the first three models that will integrate energy storage capability. GE’s (NYSE:GE) engineering advances have long been moving toward two broad objectives: achieving a more rapid… Keep reading →
One criticism of wind and solar power is their lack of reliability. Both depend on the weather for energy production and any change in weather affects their ability to produce electricity. In many regions, wind has the added liability of producing power when it is least needed. To solve this challenge, some suggest pairing standby generators with wind and solar farms so continuous power can be produced. Under this scheme, proponents argue that standby generators should be capable of varying its output to assure continuous energy production.
Varying output is called load following or turn down. The physical objective is to throttle back power generation to response to changing demands. The financial objective is to turn down without increasing fuel consumption on a unit basis. The environmental objective is to minimize air pollution, specifically carbon. Keep reading →
In the United States, utilities have been switching fuels for the power generators. While many commentators believe the motivation to switch is regulatory, the primary incentive is economics.
Of course, the Environmental protection Agency’s (EPA) new coal and coal-fired power plant rules influence a utility, but the markets are the primary driver behind utilities to seek fuel options. EPA’s rules are not the prime mover, at least not now. Keep reading →
With each passing month, it’s becoming more evident that increasingly inexpensive and abundant supplies of natural gas are overhauling America’s energy landscape. The price of natural gas is at a 10-year low and is roughly half of what it was this time last year, due largely to technological advances – in hydraulic fracturing or ‘fracking’ especially – which allow for recovery of enormous stores of natural gas found in shale deposits. Fracking has in turn led energy magnates including General Electric CEO Jeffery Immelt to suggest that natural gas could be “permanently cheap,” and that the U.S. is entering a new era of domestically produced fossil fuels.
In response, analysts and pundits such as Thomas Friedman have expressed concern that the shale gas boom will significantly defer the transition to solar and other renewables. This is a valid point – the long-term goal of the solar industry has always been to be truly price-competitive with conventionally produced electricity, and cheap natural gas makes that a more difficult task. Keep reading →
