energy
Critics of environment- and efficiency-focused government regulations like to portray such laws as trampling on people’s freedoms: the freedom, for example, to buy the most inefficient light-bulb possible or to drive gas-guzzling “autos on steroids,” if that’s what they want. It’s a libertarians-gone-wild type of thinking that
energy
What topics did Greenbang readers find most interesting in 2011? Following is a look at the 10 most-read stories of the past year: 1. Who’s the leading smart-city brand? Which companies are leading the way in helping the world’s cities become smarter, more connected and more efficient? This
energy
Among the startups vying to earn the US Department of Energy’s (DOE) title of “America’s Next Top Energy Innovator” are a firm looking to double the energy capacity of rechargeable lithium-ion batteries, a business that’s developing “smart boxes” for electronic cargo tracking and a company working on
energy
We have all the technology we need today to live more efficiently and sustainably … or so we’ve been told by everyone from Princeton University to Siemens. Unfortunately, another reality — Jevons Paradox — seems to be superseding that possibility, as this graph from the US Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) International
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
Seven cities in Washington state have saved more than $1 million on their electricity bills since launching a Home Energy Reporting program in October 2010, according to the energy efficiency firm Opower. Residents of cities in the C-7 New Energy Partnership received regular, personalized reports from Opower designed to help
energy
The Obama Administration says it is fast-tracking seven proposed electricity grid modernization projects to “speed the creation of thousands of construction and operations jobs.” The projects are designed to serve as pilot demonstrations of streamlined federal permitting and increased cooperation at the federal, state and tribal levels. The proposed improvements
energy
What’s it like to see smart-grid technology in action? A new demonstration center in Chicago features a variety of interactive exhibits showing how everything from self-healing technology to grid-integrated energy storage works. S&C Electric Company launched the Smart Grid Solutions Demonstration Center at its global headquarters as
energy
If there’s any doubt that energy — clean or otherwise — is big business and big money, GE Energy’s announcement that it’s recently inked $3 billion in new deals should lay that to rest. The global organization’s new customer agreements indicate that, contrary to the currently popular mainstream
energy
Microsoft’s Bill Gates, FedEx’s Fred Smith and Lee Scott, former CEO of Wal-Mart, are set to be among the top speakers at the US Department of Energy’s next ARPA-E Energy Innovation Summit. The ARPA-E — which stands for Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy — plans to hold its third annual
energy
Joule Unlimited Technologies, which is working to produce “Liquid Fuel from the Sun,” has been awarded its first two US patents for its new ethanol production method. The patents relate to Joule’s methods for increasing the ability of a photosynthetic microorganism to produce ethanol. According to the company, its
energy
A new initiative announced today aims to find the top sustainable energy innovations that can be quickly and cost-effectively brought to both developed and developing countries on a large scale. The LAUNCH: Energy Challenge is the third challenge to be tackled by LAUNCH, a program led by the US Agency