Posts Tagged by energy efficiency
A Lot To Like About Forester Media’s Distributed Energy
| December 21, 2011 | Posted by Craig Shields under Efficiency |
One of their properties is “Distributed Energy,” covering energy efficiency and, of course, distributed generation. I have dozens of ways I can add value to what they’re doing there, one of which I’m doing right now, urging readers to check them out, and subscribe to their free printed and electronic publication. Here’s the link to “Distributed Energy.”
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Efficiency and Renewables Are Blood Brothers
| December 14, 2011 | Posted by Craig Shields under Efficiency |
Very few people traipsing around this planet know more about energy efficiency than John Robbins. As he puts it: “Energy education for homeowners is my arena. I’ve thought, taught and written about it for a long time.” (Coming up on 30 years, to be exact.)
Efficiency and renewables are blood brothers; advocates of clean energy who aren’t pushing efficiency are completely missing the boat. And the fact that there is relatively little discussion of efficiency here is a sad truth that I’d like to rectify with great speed and force – which is why I’m encouraging John to put up more guest-blog posts soon.
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Free Webinar: Energy Efficiency — Both How and Why
| December 5, 2011 | Posted by Craig Shields under Efficiency |
I hope you’ll be able to join us for our December webinar, in which noted environmentalist and energy expert Bruce Severance will be my guest in a discussion we call: How to Increase the Energy Efficiency of Existing Structures – and WHY.
Sorry if that title sounds a bit mysterious. Let me explain: From his vast experience as a design engineer, Bruce will offer us tips on eco-friendly construction and retrofit. But from his life-long advocacy for the environment, he proposes to tell us exactly why what we’re doing here and now has such a dramatic effect on the quality of the planet we’ll inhabit in a few years.
We hope you can join us on Tuesday, December 13 at 10 AM PST, for this fast-paced discussion, during which we’ll field your questions live.
The sign-up form is here: http://2greenenergy.com/free-webinar/.
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How to Increase the Energy Efficiency of Existing Structures – and WHY
| November 29, 2011 | Posted by Craig Shields under Sustainable Building |
Noted environmentalist and energy expert Bruce Severance will join me for December’s webinar: How to Increase the Energy Efficiency of Existing Structures – and WHY.
Now, if that title carries with it a certain feeling of mystery, that’s not an accident. From his vast experience as a design engineer, Bruce will offer us tips on eco-friendly construction and retrofit. But it is from his life-long advocacy for the environment that he proposes to tell us exactly why what we’re doing here and now has such a dramatic effect on the quality of the planet we’ll inhabit in a few years.
Hope you can join us. Sign-up information will be available soon.
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Eutricity — Changing the Game in Energy Efficiency
| June 14, 2011 | Posted by Craig Shields under Efficiency |
What a great day I had today in San Francisco, starting with breakfast with Eutricity’s Brent Marsh. Here’s a company with game-changing technology in intelligent building management.
Those of us who were around the development of IT over the last few decades saw countless struggles to define standards. In reaction to IBM’s dominance as a set of proprietary, “closed” architecture (for a time, a quite successful attempt to force the world to buy computing systems and networks from Big Blue) a set of standards for “open systems” came into being and evolved over time.
Now, predictably, that story is playing itself out in the energy industry as part of Smart Grid. The DoE has defined 77 standards that suggest how devices should talk to one another – all the way from the generator to the load. 12 of these 77 apply to what happens inside the building, i.e., once the power is within the walls that contain the load. Within this space, OBIX, “open building information exchange,” is a complex set of rules that govern the basis flow of information that deal with lighting, heating, air conditioning, etc. – all aimed at reducing the amount of energy we waste, using what we need to rationally, and responding intelligently to peak demands.
I hope readers will check out Eutricity; I’m betting on them in the race to further refine – and become part of – these critically important energy standards.
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Electric Power Utilities Face Issues
| October 2, 2010 | Posted by Craig Shields under Renewables - Business |
It doesn’t sound like a piece of cake to be a CEO of a power utility. Sure, as we have discussed elsewhere, there are ways to lock in and hide profits, while staving off the world’s insistence that we migrate to renewables. But there are a great number of issues that make life extremely complicated for these folks.
Demand is declining, as technologies for energy efficiency and smart grid begin to reduce the overall consumption of kilowatt-hours.
Even the small incursion of renewables (especially solar) means reduction of on-peak (highest-rate) billing
Utilities will soon be in competition with the oil companies, as people begin to plug in their cars.
Most of the states have done a fairly decent job at legislating Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPSs) that force utilities to cut Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) with solar and wind developers.
Overall: times must be fairly interesting at the utilities.
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Renewable Energy Versus Energy Efficiency
| August 27, 2009 | Posted by Craig Shields under Renewables - Science |
At the risk of stating the obvious, the subject of renewable energy is so much sexier than energy efficiency. I’m always amazed at all the interest on CFL bulbs, energy-efficient appliances – even hybrid electric vehicles. Every joule of energy your sending to the wheels of your Prius is coming from the chemical energy of the gas you’re putting in the tank; you’re just managing the process if bit better. Personally, I fail to see the excitement.
Energy efficiency is like dieting. You find ways to consume less, normally at the expense of some level of deprivation. What I like about renewable energy is that, once we’d gotten a handle on it, we can consume like utter pigs! Drive a Hummer with a 600 hp motor! Heat your swimming pool in February!
Again, a solar thermal farm in the shape of a square 92 miles on a side in the southwest US desert will produce more energy each day than the entire continent of North America can consume. We need this, or any of the other ways to capture and distribute 1/6000th of the energy our planet receives daily from the sun.
I’m convinced that we have the technology at our disposal. Google “solar thermal,” “molten salt,” and “high voltage DC” and see if you don’t become convinced as well.
But do we have the political will to deploy it?
