Engineers working at the Vehicle Testing and Integration Facility (VTIF) enjoy a stunning view of the Denver skyline. However, some days the view includes Denver’s ‘brown cloud’ — air pollution caused in part by vehicle emissions. While disheartening, the brown cloud helps the engineers focus on future technologies that will drastically reduce — and ultimately eliminate — those emissions.
Tag: Energy Storage
Asia Report: India Scales Back Subsidies, What it Means for Solar
India is targeting a deficit target of 5.3 percent of its GDP for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2013, but at current spending India will fall short by about 20%, or roughly 2.06 trillion rupee. Among the measures to hit that target are a reduction i…
Shifting into a Higher Clean Energy Gear – New Training Safeguards Aligned with Jobs
Welcome to the confusing and somewhat chaotic world of credentialing! Last month, the result of a marathon endeavor, the Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC) reached two national milestones in our commitment to credentialing in renewable energy and energy efficiency. Our goal – standardized quality training matched with employer needs – train
US Elections Behind, A123 Sale Moves Ahead
After a stormy 2012 that saw growing trade friction between China and the US, I’m happy to see that 2013 is getting off to a better start with Washington’s approval of a potentially sensitive sale of a bankruptcy US technology firm to a Chinese buyer. Many readers will know that I’m talking about the case of A123 Systems, a former high-flying U.S.
Wanxiang Wins U.S. Government Approval to Buy Battery Maker A123
Wanxiang Group Co., China’s biggest auto-parts maker, won approval from the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. to buy most of the assets of A123 Systems Inc., the bankrupt electric-car battery maker backed with U.S. government funds.
PG&E Approved to Buy Power from SolarReserve CSP Project with Molten Salt Storage
PG&E Corp., the owner of California’s largest utility, received approval from regulators to buy power from a 150-megawatt solar-thermal project in the state’s Sonoran Desert, the first commercial-scale system in the state to include energy-storage capabilities.
Developers Will Invest 1.9 Trillion in Clean Energy Over Next Five Years
Developers and financiers will invest $1.9 trillion building clean-energy power plants worldwide from 2012 through 2018 as demand for electricity increases, according to The Pew Charitable Trusts.
Norway Needs New Power Cables to Boost Hydro, Statkraft CEO Says
Norway needs new power cables to allow it to double installed capacity in its hydropower plants, Europe’s largest, and boost electricity exports to the region, according to Statkraft SF.
Norway Needs New Power Cables to Boost Hydro, Statkraft CEO Says
Norway needs new power cables to allow it to double installed capacity in its hydropower plants, Europe’s largest, and boost electricity exports to the region, according to Statkraft SF.
Energy Storage Wars: Which Technology Will Win the Battle?
Pumped hydro has been the gold standard of renewable energy storage for decades. Its combination of efficiency (70-85%) and ubiquity (perhaps as much as 99% bulk storage capacity worldwide) have made it the go-to technology for energy storage.
Apple Delves Deeper into Renewable Energy, Offers Wind Energy Storage Concept
Technology continues to change and expand faster than most consumers can keep up with – but many try their best. And the company that is arguably the most popular and innovative – the one that techies follow like groupies to a rock star – is Apple. But with each new feature, iTunes, iCloud, Apps, and more, comes a greater need for power, which is why Apple is hard at work to find renewable solutions for its ever-growing energy needs.
Do EVs Make Good Cents or Sense?
David Herron of Torque News stated in his article “60 kWh Tesla Model S rated at 208 mile electric driving range by EPA: “The 85 kilowatt-hour Model S, $77,400 for 265 miles range, or $292/mile of range. The 60 kilowatt-hour Model S, $67,400 for 208 miles range, is $324/mile of range. The other electric cars cost a lot more per mile of driving ran
RenewableEnergyWorld.com’s Top 5 Most Read Articles and Blogs of 2012
At the close of each year, we like to take a look back to see which stories made an impact on our readers. This year’s most read articles show the many twists and turns that the industry took this year and reveal interesting trends for us as editors an…
Solar: A High-Yield, Low-Risk Financial Instrument for Your Investment Portfolio
Recent talk about the upcoming fiscal cliff has caused many investors to reflect upon the real long-term threats to their own portfolios. It occurred to me that there are some striking similarities between the current rate of return on a solar investme…
Advice to US: Approve A123 Systems Sale
In writing this blog, I generally try to keep my own views muted and focus instead on the latest news and what it means for the companies involved. But I’m making one of my occasional exceptions to that rule today to say that the US really should go ahead and approve the sale of bankrupt battery maker A123 Systems to a Chinese company, since this d
Renewable Energy Goes Mainstream NOW in Orlando, Florida
Back in February, we announced that Renewable Energy World Conference and Expo, North America would be co-locating with Power-Gen International at the end of the year. PGI is the largest trade show for the power generation industry, attracting more th…
MHI and SSE Partner to Bring Cargo Container Battery Storage to Orkney Islands Power Grid
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) has announced a partnership with SSE plc, an electric utility company located in Scotland, for an energy storage demonstration project that will use two 40-foot cargo containers full of thousands of lithium-ion recharg…
Renewable Energy Executive Roundtable
Power Engineering’s Lindsay Morris hosted this year’s Renewable Energy Executive Roundtable with five executives in the clean energy sector: Matt Burkhart, vice president of electric and fuel procurement, San Diego Gas & Electric; Rhone Resch, presiden…
SolarReserve Gets Approval for 150-MW CSP Plant in Maricopa County, AZ
Relying on the sun to produce energy always leads to the question: what happens when’s the sun’s not shining? Can the energy produced be stored? The good news is, companies like California-based SolarReserve know the answer to those questions, and they…
Greening with Graphene: Using the Wonder Material in Green Technology
Graphene is the thinnest and strongest material known to man. The pure carbon substance is 100 times stronger than steel and thin enough that an ounce could cover twenty-eight football fields. It’s also transparent, electrically conductive, flexible an…