As I mentioned, the video-taped sessions on the main stage at the ARPA-e show are online. I keep returning mentally to the talk on the future of the grid that featured David Crane, CEO of NRG Energy, the second-largest power producer in the U.S., and Richard Lester, professor of Nuclear Science and Engineering at MIT.
What are the issues at stake here? We’ll, there are several.
I was deeply disappointed that a family matter forced me to skip what is most certainly the world’s single best conference on energy innovation: the ARPA-e (Advanced Research Projects Agency – energy) show in Washington, DC.
We’re talking about a) the presence of 3000 high-level people in the industry, b) a very well-vetted set of 250 exhibits showcasing cutting-edge technologies, and c) some really good sessions with the planet’s top experts on the subject. The good news is that, though it pained me to miss out on the first two ingredients, the third was videotaped and put online for the benefit of us all. I spent a fair amount of time on this today, and I plan to work my way through all of it by the end of the week.
In her brilliant and poignant keynote on the ecological devastation that humankind is wreaking on the waters of Earth, legendary oceanographer Dr. Sylvia Earle (pictured) ended her talk on an upbeat note (more…)
If you are a university student, then you may be paying for quite a few things for the first time in your life as you begin on your path to independence. You should therefore learn to save energy so you can lower your overall bills.
If you are billed for your electricity, then you will need to find out the rates at which you’re paying it.Under a schedule for pricing like that you will be charged with a different amount, depending on the time of usage. (more…)
Many companies both large and small have been successfully saving money after becoming more environmentally friendly, and, in today’s uneasy and somewhat lean economic times, being a little more financially responsible will do wonders for the inherent success of your business. Although people may typically imagine that doing this will involve a large amount of stress and turmoil for all concerned, businesses are gradually becoming both eco-friendly and fiscally accountable, and all with no huge company-wide headaches. (more…)
With people across the UK leading ever more hectic lives, finding the time to take care of our environmental responsibilities can be increasingly difficult. Although the world of technology is often forced to take much of the blame when it comes to environmental damage, in many ways it is working incredibly hard to right the wrongs it has perhaps been unfairly burdened with.
Taking Responsibility for Our Energy (more…)
I just reviewed another in a long series of attempts at ocean wave energy. This one is similar to a Pelamis, but, because it requires less material it will be less expensive, thus offering a lower levelized cost of energy (LCOE).
I wrote back: It’s hard for me to evaluate these claims re: LCOE. I’m reminded of something a wise-cracking engineer at Black and Veatch told me a few years ago when I showed him one of my client’s ideas and told him how inexpensive it would be to build. “We have a saying around here, Shields,” he retorted. “It’s always cheap until you build it.”
Here’s an article that discusses the economics by which utility customers — both consumers and businesses – are leaving the grid in favor of solar and battery storage. This isn’t something that will occur in the distant future; the trend is already underway, and it’s accelerating as the prices of solar PV and batteries fall, and the efficiency of our buildings improves.
The problem, of course, is that this leaves fewer (and less affluent) people as the utilities’ remaining customers.
Perhaps it’s time to take an obvious but much resisted step: rethink the relationship we have with our utilities from the ground up. We’ll always need them around, just not in the way we wanted them when we laid the rules down 100 years ago.
Each one of us uses energy in some way or other all day long, throughout our entire lives. We depend on energy for almost everything to make our life more comfortable, and enjoyable. Unfortunately what we don’t realize is that we are wasting energy unnecessarily. (more…)
There’s a green revolution going on. More and more people are making their homes energy efficient. Some of them are doing this to protect the environment, while others are doing it to save money. Either way, the environment is benefiting from this. You too should join this green revolution and transform your home. It’ll benefit you and the environment simultaneously. Here are 6 tips to make your house energy efficient and save money at the same time.
Replace Your Appliances (more…)
Here’s another short essay from one of our interns, Nikita Rao. Thanks, Nikita. -ed
The need for renewable resources is increasing tremendously in several regions of the world, due to its limitless availability. Solar power is one among the many resources that has gained a stable place in the market; it is expanding massively.
The increase in solar power is due to many reasons, one of which being the incentives provided to solar power generators by the utilities. (more…)
