As one might have predicted, there was plenty of talk about V2G (vehicle to grid) at the EV and the Grid Summit in Los Angeles this week. How could it have been predicted? Because it’s been a topic of discussion at every event of its kind since long before I started showing up in the 2008-timeframe. (more…)
Everyone wants to make spending cuts these days, from the government to the average homeowner. Whereas the bills passed through in Parliament may or may not have a direct impact upon your life, making significant changes to your home certainly will.
Reducing the amount of energy used to heat your home will lower your carbon footprint, encouraging a more eco-friendly lifestyle and slashing heating bill costs. Whatever the size and shape of your house there are a number of simple changes you can make that reduce your energy usage while maintaining its current décor. (more…)
I had a very engaging experience at the EV and the Grid Summit in Los Angeles yesterday, which I suppose I can sum up with the following bullet points about the overall unique (and unenviable) position in which the power utilities find themselves:
• Offering a commodity delivered across an aging infrastructure; they spend $4 billion annually in repairs and upgrades
• Seeing declining utilization due to self-generation, energy efficiency solutions, and conservation (they spend $400 million annually convincing consumers to buy less of what they sell) (more…)
The green energy sector is trapped in its efforts to produce innovative energy solutions. This seems unexplainable in an environment where consumers are looking for better and cheaper energy and engineers are coming up with more technologically advanced systems every day.
The demand is there. But consumers are presented with products that do not have the ROI and speed of return they want.
The supply is there. But engineers struggle to bring their innovative solutions to market. (more…)
Development of electric truck technologies is considered a key part of the efforts for reducing global greenhouse gas emission levels and improving air quality, but a large-scales electrification of commercial fleets has yet to occur.
One of the world’s largest commercial vehicle manufacturers, Scania, is looking to change that, as it plans to test electrically-powered trucks using conductive technology, which can help make electric trucks a practical and viable option for commercial fleet operators that want to cut fuel consumption and carbon emissions. (more…)
Re: My piece called Energy Policy: Taking a Stand Against Fossil Fuels, frequent commenter MarcoPolo writes:
Joe Public has grown weary of endless doomsday predictions that just don’t occur. (more…)
Here’s a discussion I’m having with a fellow who proposes this idea for desalination, and is looking for help getting it off the ground:
Reader: Where I need help is to strategize about a) how to get a water district to accept a fixed price contract for water with no capital outlay, (more…)
You may be approaching the point of oversaturation when it comes to eco-friendly materials. Every company left, right and centre, are coming out with “green” products, to varying degrees of actual environmental credentials.
With so many dubious claims flying around, it can be hard to suss out which product is best for you and the environment you live in. (more…)
A reader who offers a very interesting concept in green real estate development notes:
Want to first thank you for your informative newsletters, and your overall mission.
My position is the director of marketing and research for 3C-innovate,Inc., I spoke to you at the beginning of the year briefly. (more…)
In response to my recent post: Can Renewable Energy Scale Up To Power the Entire Planet?, a reader notes: Looking at how many countries around the world are getting involved in renewable energy. I would say that it’s possible. I remember a statement from a National Geographic magazine: if we were to build a solar farm of one hundred square miles that we could power the United States of America.
In truth, it’s actually 100 miles on a side, or 10,000 square miles. Still, that’s 1/350th of the land mass of the continental U.S. And obviously, no one is suggesting this, given that: (more…)
