Some innovative California cities are engaging in assurance planning practices to make their energy supply more resilient during a major disaster such as earthquake, wildfire or landslide that could disrupt the normal supply for weeks. Their forward thinking includes the application of renewable distributed generation, microgrids, demand response, and other smart grid techniques and technologies… Keep reading →
A White House and DOE report calls for investments to increase the nation’s electric grid resilience and outlines strategies for grid modernization. On August 12, 2013, the White House Council of Economic Advisors and the Department of Energy (DOE) released a report emphasizing the importance of grid resilience for climate adaptation. The report, titled “Economic… 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 →
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 →
Intense heat up and down the East Coast has air conditioning cranking and power generators pushing it to the limit. With electricity demand in places like New York City flirting with all-time highs, power prices are reaching staggering levels. “System demand in New York is expected to top out today at 99% of its all-time… Keep reading →
For the second consecutive day this week, the New York Power Authority (NYPA) Wednesday activated a program to reduce electricity use at public-facility locations in New York City in response to anticipated higher energy demand due to the hot weather. NYPA has also issued a day-ahead notice of the possible activation of the program tomorrow.… Keep reading →
One thing about the smart grid sector: you can always count on seeing how technologies, services and products are progressing – and how and where they are being implemented. This week’s smart grid wins highlights some notable examples. PROJECT WINS Ambient Corporation announced that Consolidated Edison Company of New York, Inc. has contracted the communications… Keep reading →
Smart meters and advanced analytics could come to the rescue. It’s no secret that it takes a lot of energy to grow blueberry kush, purple sour diesel, voodoo or any of the dozens of other potent strains of marijuana available in North America. In the U.S. alone, indoor cannabis growing uses about $5 billion in… Keep reading →
Post Hurricane Sandy, an influx of electricity workers from various parts of the country came to the New York/New Jersey area to help in the recovery process and to restore power in the region to nearly 10 million people left in the dark. Sandy caused massive flooding of power substations and corrosion of key electrical… Keep reading →
East Coast utilities are making big grid investments to prep for a hot and stormy 2013. Fresh on the heels of Hurricane Sandy’s destruction last year, East Coast utilities are girding their grids for future storms, including a 2013 hurricane season that’s shaping up to be a tough one, according to the latest forecasts. That spending… Keep reading →
