energy security
Electric cars, wind and solar energy and even next-generation biofuels might all help to build a more energy-secure future, but the areas we should be focusing our efforts on today more than anywhere else are much simpler: energy efficiency and energy savings. That’s the conclusion of International Energy Agency
photovoltaics
Ever-cheaper solar panels are proving to be a good news, bad news proposition. While they seem great for efficiency-minded homeowners, businesses and schools, low-cost photovoltaics (PV) haven’t been kind lately to the US solar industry. The problem, according to a group of US-based companies that make solar cells and
energy security
Mitsubishi Electric has begun testing a range of technologies designed to help people not only control their energy use but to have access to a reliable power grid that can keep the lights on even in emergencies. The full-scale tests of smart-grid and smart-city technologies are taking place at the
low carbon economy
For all the hand-wringing over the “death” of a low-carbon economy and the overwrought criticism of government spending on clean energy, sustainable technologies and strategies enjoy public support that’s not only widespread but growing. And, believe it or not, there’s some big money behind that support, too. To
lighting
“Smarter” street lighting could help Japan manage its energy use better while ensuring safety in public spaces at night … two areas of especially great concern in the wake of the deadly earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster that hit the country earlier this year. Just such an intelligent street lighting system
compressed air energy storage
A company developing compressed-air energy storage technology has earned a seventh US patent for an innovation it says will make its offering even more promising for large-scale storage systems. According to New Hampshire-based SustainX, the latest patent will enable additional ways to use its compressed-air system with either hydraulics or
energy security
With energy bills for the average UK resident rising dramatically this summer, politicians and citizens alike have been looking ahead toward the winter months with growing apprehension. Writing in a guest commentary on the site MoneySavingExpert.com this week, Prime Minister David Cameron and Energy and Climate Secretary Chris Huhne
electricity grid
A $2.1-billion program to improve electricity service in rural parts of the US includes only around $40 million in investment in smart-grid technologies. Rather than smart technologies, new transmission and distribution lines dominate the improvements being funded. It’s a noticeable shift in priorities from previous infrastructure investments supported
photovoltaics
A new solar farm able to generate enough energy for 12,000 households has just come online in the south of France. The Les Mées solar farm in the department of Alpes-de- Haute-Provence features six Siemens photovoltaic (PV) power plants with a combined peak output of 31 megawatts. The project
solar energy
If the US wants to promote the much-vaunted “job creators,” it should do more to help the solar-energy industry grow. That’s the takeaway from The Solar Foundation’s second annual Solar Jobs Census, which finds that, from 2010 to 2011, employment in the US solar industry grew at a
energy
Instead of paying incentives only for new, clean energy like solar power, governments looking to promote sustainability should also reward energy efficiency. In Britain, paying for greater efficiency would cost half as much as investing in new energy sources, according to a new report from the Green Alliance. That could
energy efficiency
People across Europe and the US see energy efficiency as an important way to help them save money. But many of them also aren’t getting the information they need to make the most of the efficiency opportunities that are available. That’s according to the results of a just-released
