energy
California’s Butte College has become the first college in the US to go “grid positive,” which means it will generate more electricity from its solar arrays than it consumes, delivering that excess power back into the electric grid. Butte College, located 75 miles from Sacramento, expects to save between
energy
Could another benefit to the smart grid be an end to rampant energy theft by marijuana grow houses? Jordan Diplock and Darryl Plecas, researchers at Canada’s University of the Fraser Valley, conducted a study that found illegal growing operations in British Columbia alone might be responsible for up to
energy
S&C Electric Company is expanding its UK-based Power Systems Services operation to meet the needs of Europe’s evolving and increasingly complex electricity grids. The expansion is needed to help its customers manage “the biggest changes in power delivery systems in over a century,” said Andrew Jones, managing
energy
With the UK having just set a carbon reduction goal that goes beyond the standard deadline of 2020, the question now is, will other countries follow its lead? The UK recently announced that it aims to cut carbon emissions by 50 per cent by 2025. The original 20-20-20 targets set
energy
How do you know whether your smart-grid initiatives are succeeding or failing? The Ontario Smart Grid Forum, established in 2008 to draft a vision for the Canadian province’s next-generation energy infrastructure, outlines four key metrics in its latest progress report. While noting that “this is just a starting point,
energy
The European Commission has proposed to overhaul outdated rules on the taxation of energy products in the European Union. The new rules aim to restructure the way energy products are taxed to remove current imbalances and take into account both their CO2 emissions and energy content. Existing energy taxes would
energy
For all the growing recognition about the need for a smart grid, “smart” — ultimately — shouldn’t be our primary goal. “Lean” is what we really have to aim for. Think about it: a smart, efficient grid could, in theory, support an ever-expanding consumer base with rising energy demands. Eliminating waste
energy
Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) has reached an agreement to sell to Wipro Ltd. certain SAIC operations focused on providing specialised IT services to oil and gas companies. The operations being sold comprise SAIC’s US oil and gas IT services business along with subsidiaries located in the UK, France,
energy
Starting this summer, groundbreaking will begin on a long-dreamed-of energy project that’s become possible only recently thanks to advances in technology: a high-tech link that will finally connect the US’s three major electricity grids into one. The Tres Amigas project will connect three grids that currently operate as
energy
Together with the operating company BritNed Development Ltd., Siemens Energy has placed the BritNed HVDC (high-voltage direct current) transmission link between Britain and the Netherlands into operation. BritNed is a joint venture of National Grid, the international electricity and gas company and one of the largest investor-owned utilities in the
energy
Direct Grid Technologies, a manufacturer of photovoltaic (PV) micro‐inverters for utility- and commercial-grade solar power generation, will be adding Echelon Corporation’s energy control networking to its micro-inverter products. Micro-inverters convert electricity generated by PV panels from direct to alternating current at the individual panel. This increases the overall
energy
GE’s Energy business has entered into an agreement to acquire approximately 90 per cent of Converteam, a provider of electrification and automation equipment and systems. The acquisition from a controlling shareholder group that includes management, Barclays Private Equity and LBO France is valued at about $3.2 billion. The