Car makers collaborate with utility companies
A successful transition to electric vehicle (EV) transport will require more than electric cars that perform well on the road. It will also require charging systems that fulfil the consumer’s needs.
The development of such systems can only be accomplished through collaboration between car makers and utility companies.
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By Bruno De Wachter / Published on Tue, 2009-09-22 05:30
Thinking out of the box
Surfing the Internet, one frequently comes upon articles on new inventions for harvesting energy and solving the energy problem. Last week, we reported on the concept of 'solar highways'. That idea is certainly not the craziest one to come along...
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This paper extends a broad functional category approach for the study of technological capability progress recently developed and applied to information technology to a second key case—that of energy based technologies.
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By HDK / Published on Tue, 2009-09-15 14:55
In cooperation with PSERC, we are pleased to offer access to this archived webinar. To watch the recording (56 minutes), click the link in the further reading block.
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By Bruno De Wachter / Published on Tue, 2009-09-15 05:30
Integrating road networks and power networks
The US Department of Transportation has awarded funding for building a 'solar highway' prototype. A solar highway contains photovoltaic (PV) modules covered with bulletproof glass as a road surface. The surface also contains a grid of LEDs that can light the roadway, draw lines, and flash warnings that react to traffic sensors. Apart from supplying power for the LEDs and sensors, the energy generated by the PV modules will also be used to heat the highway when required. The remaining energy can be used for houses and businesses alongside the road. If this systems works as projected, it could well make power stations and power lines superfluous. According to an article on Matter Network, covering all American roads with this system would produce an annual yield of energy three times as large as the entire U.S. energy consumption in 2006.
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By Hans De Keulenaer / Published on Wed, 2009-09-09 11:54
This document is an overall report of the seminar “Electricity in the next decade”, the first in an annual series of events regarding “Low carbon electricity systems”. KEMA, ECI and Leonardo ENERGY are jointly organising these events.
Next to the topics presented during the first event, a few additional topics have been added in order to create a white paper and a more complete picture on the theme “Electricity in the next decade”.
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By Sarah Hatch / Published on Wed, 2009-09-09 11:43
This is the fourth in a series of articles for members of the new International Testing Centres Network and others who are interested in sharing experience of energy efficiency testing of industrial three-phase electric motors.
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By HDK / Published on Wed, 2009-09-09 08:29
Shortly after George Bush declared that the U.S. would not adopt the Kyoto Protocols, the City Council of Boulder, Colorado declared that the City would. Since then, a number of activities have taken place to achieve the aims of the Kyoto Protocols. A committee called the Boulder Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (BREEE) Working Group was formed of energy professionals, City officials, and concerned citizens.
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By HDK / Published on Wed, 2009-09-09 08:28
The aim of the Rõuge rural municipality in southern Estonia is to develop a zero-CO2 community, excluding transportation, in within five years.
100% renewable heating in public buildings has already been reached as biomass for heating is the most important renewable energy source in the district. The municipality institutions exclusively use green label electricity.
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By HDK / Published on Wed, 2009-09-09 08:26
The intelligent metering of energy and water consumption in local and regional public buildings and the half hourly analysis of consumption data can enable savings opportunities to be identified, including the detection of faults. From Leicester City Council’s experience with intelligent metering it has been found that in some buildings savings of up to 20-30 % can be obtained with little or no investment.
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By HDK / Published on Wed, 2009-09-09 08:25
“klima:aktiv” is the climate change program of the Austrian Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, Environment and Water Management. The aim of “klima:aktiv” is to reduce CO2 emissions as well as reinforce renewable energy in Austria. To achieve these goals more than 20 programs for renewable energies and energy efficiency were created – “energy efficient companies” being one of them.
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By HDK / Published on Wed, 2009-09-09 08:20
While improved energy services have many quality of life benefits like lighting or television, the productive use of electricity can also help to reduce poverty, leading to increased profitability and productivity for micro, small and medium enterprises, and small industries. The remoteness of rural locations usually makes it difficult to expand electricity supply through a centralised grid system. Therefore people living in off-grid regions often rely on expensive fossil fuels like diesel and kerosene.
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By HDK / Published on Wed, 2009-09-09 06:42
“Energy efficiency improvements don’t cost – they pay.”
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By HDK / Published on Wed, 2009-09-09 06:41
Over the last few years a lot of test and full scale intelligent street lighting installations have been installed both in Oslo as well as other municipalities. The experience gained and the developed skill within the field has opened the way to a rapid increase of the market. The technical challenges are not all solved, but the systems can demonstrate high quality performance although there have been some challenges to overcome.
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By HDK / Published on Wed, 2009-09-09 06:36
Defendants of energy efficiency have argued that policy-makers focus excessively on the “trendier” energy supply and not enough on end-use energy efficiency. Focusing on supply side energy policies, as is the case of supporting large renewable electricity generation plants, without looking at the same time for the opportunities in the demand-side, may generate avoidable costs.
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By Peter Vaessen / Published on Tue, 2009-09-08 07:04
An option when there is no alternative
It is clear that wireless power transmission systems in the range of 100 W to 100 kW cannot compete with traditional systems just looking at the costs. At places where economic competition is not the prime consideration, it can be an option. Microwave wireless power transmission can supply power to places that are difficult to reach. Especially small communities in rural areas could be supplied with power using WPT.
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By Bruno De Wachter / Published on Mon, 2009-09-07 05:30
David Dornfeld argues for a holistic strategy in manufacturing businesses
According to the most widely accepted definition of sustainability, a sustainable business has objectives on three different fronts: the environment, the economy, and social capital. These are often seen as conflicting goals, an idea that results in a search for compromises and tradeoffs. David Dornfeld, Department Head of the Laboratory for Manufacturing and Sustainability at the University of California (Berkeley), opposes this point of view. He states that 'a business must be analyzed holistically, that is, let’s not fiddle with just little parts'. In such a holistic approach, the economy, the environment, and social capital become integrated. Much of the foundation for Dornfeld’s ideas can be found in the Total Quality concepts of W. Edwards Deming.
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