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Europe: +44 (0) 207 198 1634 Drought has brought the water level at Lake Oroville in California close to a record low. Credit Ruth Fremson/The New York Times A solid majority of Americans say the United States should join an international treaty to limit the impact of global warming, but on this and other climate-related questions, opinion divides sharply along partisan […]
Hurricanes Sandy and Irene and a number of lower profile emergencies have had a great impact on Connecticut. Instead of just nervously watching The Weather Channel, the state is taking action. The latest example of efforts to ensure that key functions kept operating in emergency – and to give a boost to the traditional grid […]
The U.S. Army wants to build backpacks that generate electricity when the person wearing them walks. The Army Research Laboratory is testing a prototype of what it calls the “Energy Harvesting Backpack” at facilities in Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland. The prototype is essentially a standard assault backpack equipped with a two-spring frame that moves up […]
Back in 2009, a colleague started laughing as I was explaining how El Niño affects energy markets in the Americas. When I asked why, he told me to Google ‘Chris Farley El Niño’. While Chris Farley’s short skit (in which the late comedian, dressed as an overweight wrestler, dramatically explains that “El Niño is Spanish […]
For over a century, Aspen, Colorado, has been a pioneer in the renewable energy community. Earlier this year, the city achieved a new milestone in reducing its carbon footprint. In August, Aspen became the third community in the United States to use only renewable energy as the source for electricity, joining Burlington, Vermont, and Greensburg, […]
Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, based on the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) Note: Hourly averaged generation shown. Instantaneous peaks highlighted in the hour in which they occurred. Wind generation on the Texas electric system recently hit several all-time highs. The latest all-time instantaneous peak of 12,238 megawatts (MW) reached on October 22 replaced […]
Pew has issued a new report looking at the evolving electricity grid through the lens of industrial efficiency, concluding the grid is quickly being modernized – but perhaps not fast enough. Power outages cost U.S. businesses billions of dollars each year, and the high number of grid disturbances put the country’s electric system in weak company. The […]
FERC puts renewables at 17.4% of total installed U.S. generating capacity, including 8.59% hydro, 5.91% wind (68,830 MW), 1.43% biomass, 1.13% solar (13,180 MW), and 0.34% geothermal steam. No new nuclear capacity was added in 2015, and only 9 MW of oil and 3 MW of coal. Because of differing capacity factors, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) […]
The City of Dallas has yanked the title of top green power user from Houston, according to the federal Environmental Protection Agency. The EPA on Monday said the City of Dallas is now the largest local government user of green power in the nation, taking the top spot away from the City of Houston, which still […]
The Texas electric grid hit a new record for wind power use early Thursday, as the state continues dominating the rest of the nation in wind farm growth. At 12:30 am Thursday, the main Texas grid operator reported that nearly 37 percent of demand was met with wind power. The Electricity Reliability Council of Texas, […]
