Determining the value of a Nest thermostat appears straightforward – compare the costs of purchase and installation with the total energy cost savings gain. However, this equation doesn’t account for an increasingly popular and potentially disruptive business model: the bundled energy efficiency/electricity supply contract. About the Nest Thermostat The Nest thermostat is the most publicized hardware… Keep reading →
Researchers at the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab designed a way to dynamically control light and heat transfer through windows, which can save heating/cooling and lighting costs by reducing the amount of energy needed to perform those functions. The technology works by embedding nanocrystals – invisible to the naked eye – within the glass that can… Keep reading →
The enormous blackout that left 50 million people along the US East Coast without power occurred 10 years ago this week and Scientific American spoke with electrical engineer Jeff Dagle, a member of the task force and a specialist in power-grid resilience at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, to find out what caused the failure and what’s… Keep reading →
DOE has commenced construction of the federal government’s largest wind energy project, at the Pantex nuclear weapons stockpile facility in Texas. The Pantex Plant (Texas DSHS) On August 13, 2013, the Department of Energy (DOE) officially began construction of the 11.5 MW Pantex Renewable Energy Project, the federal government’s largest wind project, at Pantex Plant,… Keep reading →
A crazy sounding, but apparently not-so-crazy, solution to prevent groundwater contamination at the damaged Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant involves constructing subterranean ice walls around the facility. This is reportedly a proven technology currently being piloted in Canada’s oil sands region. [Quartz] It’s been 10 years since a major blackout knocked out power to 50 million… Keep reading →
How green is your college or University? The Sierra Club’s magazine “Sierra” just released its ranking of US schools based on metrics including energy efficiency, total energy consumption, sustainability-related curriculum and many more. “By showing such strong leadership on so many fronts – from energy use and transportation to the courses they offer – the… Keep reading →
It’s an old adage in the energy business that forecasts are always wrong and miscalculations regarding US gasoline demand growth and advanced biofuel supply growth led to a regulatory regime that is increasingly becoming untenable. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) last week issued its 2013 Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) final rule. This year’s volumetric requirement… Keep reading →
As consensus builds around climate change, with new evidence seeming to emerge daily, many questions remain about the degree to which human activity contributes, the rate at which carbon dioxide levels are increasing, the severity of and speed at which the changing climate will impact modern society. New research into the planet’s most recent warming… Keep reading →
The decade long reformation of energy trading now looks to be only the opening act of a transformation that Dodd Frank regulation and a newly aggressive – and costly – approach by federal regulators is set to propel into its next stage. Deregulation of energy markets, only partially finished by federal regulators before the collapse… Keep reading →
The Mexican government’s announcement with respect to opening the country’s energy sector to outside investment made its way into some of our recent Energy News Roundups, but this is such an important story – with roughly 1 million barrels per day or more oil production at stake – today’s roundup features 3 stories detailing the decision’s… Keep reading →
