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Europe: +44 (0) 207 198 1634 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 […]
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, […]
A wind farm in West Texas, outside of Roby. (Photo courtesy Rational Middle Media) San Diego-based EDF Renewable Energy said Monday it will build a 123-megawatt wind farm north of Dallas to power Procter & Gamble’s plants that make its laundry, dish-washing and other cleaning products. Procter & Gamble made the announcement of the Tyler […]
AUSTIN, Texas – The world can transition to 100 percent renewable energy by the year 2050, according to a new report from Greenpeace. The plan calls for phasing out oil and gas at a rate that matches the depletion of existing fields, and warns exploration for new fields should be seen as high-risk investments since those fossil […]
A new report finds much of the low-hanging fruit has already been picked, but the options higher up are worth the effort Energy efficiency used to be easy with narrow options. But now a smorgasbord of technological options and standards have emerged, complicating what used to be a simple process. A decades-long shift towards compact fluorescent […]
