Reliability

How Schools Can Use Less Energy & Spend Less Money, Without the Sacrifice

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Making schools energy efficient need not be an exercise in sacrifice. Schools can get the same or better services, as well as increase the health and comfort of students and staff, all while using less energy.

The first step is to get an energy assessment that can help identify and prioritize opportunities for substantial energy and operational savings. Once these opportunities are identified, a school can develop a customized plan to reduce energy use, replacement and operating costs, and their carbon footprint. Common energy-saving measures for schools include installing high-efficiency lighting and lighting controls; heating, cooling and ventilation equipment; and motors, controls and variable frequency drives. Keep reading →

 /  Published July 6, 2012 at 8:00 AM

It’s the Planning, Stupid! How Utilities are Messing up their Smart Grid Communications

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Communicating with customers has become a big part of the smart grid conversation, but according to a new survey from Distributed Energy Financial Group (DEFG), utility smart grid communications efforts are below average and 40% of survey participants rated them “ineffective.”

DEFG’s online survey included more than 200 energy professionals, almost one-third of them from utilities. Keep reading →

 /  Published July 2, 2012 at 3:30 PM

Offshore Wind Energy Developers Focus on Northeast US Shores

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Offshore wind power has become a significant component of several European countries’ electricity generation portfolios and now the US is looking to expand the power generating capacity of wind beyond its coastline.

The economics can be complex – particularly if the production tax credit expires at the end of 2012 – but offshore wind has the potential to become an affordable source of electricity for some of the largest US markets. Keep reading →

 /  Published July 2, 2012 at 1:30 PM

Hawaiian Cable Project ‘May Boost Hopes’ for US Offshore Wind

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A plan to build a 100-mile undersea cable linking power grids on Hawaii’s islands would help meet the state’s ambitious renewable-energy goals, reduce its heavy dependence on imported oil, and cut electric bills for consumers.

It could also become an important test case for the ability of existing grids to rely on power from renewable sources. If it proves, as its backers hope, that grids can take more power from renewable sources than the maximum levels currently assumed by the industry, that would be a big boost to plans for offshore wind farms along the U.S. East Coast. Keep reading →

 /  Published June 25, 2012 at 8:30 AM

States Abandoning VC Approach to Renewable Power

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States should abandon the “venture capital” approach to supporting renewable energy and focus on a fuel and technology-agnostic portfolio approach, Connecticut’s energy and environment commissioner says.

Connecticut is abandoning technology-specific renewable energy credits and instead funding a “green bank” that tightens the focus on creating scale in the deployment of both renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies, Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Commissioner Daniel Esty said at the Renewable Energy Finance Forum – Wall Street in New York City today. Keep reading →

 /  Published June 19, 2012 at 12:05 PM

Solar Flares Endanger Nuclear Plants, Power Grids

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To the experts, it’s a Geomagnetic Disturbance, or GMD. To most of us, it’s a solar flare.
Whatever its name, it can fry a large electricity system, burn out controls, and black out square miles in seconds, like the massive flare that brought down the grid in Canada’s Quebec province for nine hours in 1989.

Now, the power industry and regulators responsible for electric reliability are trying to figure out how to stop it, or at least minimize the potential damage. Keep reading →

 /  Published June 19, 2012 at 8:30 AM

Nuclear Energy Institute Chief ‘Optimistic’ About California Nuclear Plant

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The San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station is seen from the beach along San Onofre State Beach on March 15, 2012 south of San Clemente, California.

The head of the Nuclear Energy Institute yesterday said he was optimistic that California’s San Onofore nuclear plant would again start producing electricity and denied that the US industry was troubled by high costs and safety concerns after Fukushima. Keep reading →

 /  Published June 13, 2012 at 12:30 PM

How Do We Create a Smarter Grid? Simple: Put the Grid First

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There’s no question that the US power grid is in need of an overhaul. It’s 20th century infrastructure trying to meet 21st century needs. But how do we move forward? Modernizing the power grid may take decades-which is how long it took to originally build the grid – but how can we begin to see immediate improvements?

Many existing smart grid programs emphasize advanced meters. In fact, the emphasis on advanced meters has been so pronounced that this technology is often considered synonymous with a smart grid. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Although advanced meters are an important component of a smart grid, they are used to gather information rather than take action in response to changes in grid conditions. That’s where intelligent grid-based technologies come into play. Keep reading →

 /  Published June 11, 2012 at 8:30 AM

‘Smart Meters are not Smart Grid’

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Smart meters are great, limits remain: An outage further up the delivery chain for power means no information for them to consolidate and analyze.

It is now well known that the US power grid has reached its twilight years and requires massive capital investment to overhaul. Sensor technology is a less expensive option than replacement that can help extend the useful life of elderly equipment. Keep reading →

 /  Published June 8, 2012 at 2:30 PM

EVs Could Collapse the Grid, PJM Warns East Coast

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A forum hosted by the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission to explore potential impacts of alternative fuel vehicles on critical infrastructure heard a good news, bad news scenario from the CEO of the PJM Interconnection, the regional grid operator.

PJM CEO Terry Boston told the forum that with smart grid controls in place and re-charging properly synchronized between midnight and 7 a.m., the electric distribution system could accommodate 25 million EVs, according to coverage of the forum in the Philadelphia Inquirer. Keep reading →

 /  Published June 7, 2012 at 10:30 AM
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