LED Bulb for General Lighting Priced Below $20
Home Depot is selling an LED bulb bright enough to replace a 40-watt incandescent. Is the $20 threshold enough to entice more people to LEDs? Source: cnet.com
California Opens the Market to Demand Response
Wanted: California electricity consumers who can turn off 100 megawatts or more of power use on a moment’s notice. In return, you can get paid as if you’re actually generating that same amount of power, with prices set on the open market. Source: Earth2Tech
Will Rooftop Solar Have Its Day in the Sun?
SunRun's solar leasing program has removed two obstacles to solar -- the upfront cost and hassles. Yet despite more than $155 million in funding, the company only has about 5,000 customers – so far. Source: GreenBiz.com
PC Power Management Solution Delivers Energy Savings, Reduces Emissions
New Boundary Technologies is offering businesses a free 30-day trial of its Web-based PwrSmart Service, a PC power management solution that is said to deliver energy savings and reduce carbon emissions. Source: EnvironmentalLeader.com
World's Largest Hydrogen Fuel Cell Generator Ready for Use in Ohio
It’s the size of a tractor trailer, it’s on wheels and completely transportable, with the capacity to power a small town. And now the world’s largest hydrogen fuel cell – one of the world’s cleanest and greenest sources of energy – will soon be on its way to Eastlake, Ohio for a five year trial run – the first ever deployment of its kind. Source: Electric Energy Online
Photo by Flickr user The Freewheeling Daredevil
Hospitals More Likely to Invest in Energy Efficiency
According to new research from the American Society for Healthcare Engineering (ASHE) and Johnson Controls, healthcare organizations are more likely to invest in energy efficiency for their facilities compared to other industry sectors across North America.
Demand Response Helps Fill Supply Gaps in Heat Wave
Faced with brutally hot days and high energy demand last week, grid operators found that dialing down energy with demand response efficiency technology worked as effectively as drawing more juice from power plants.
Philadelphia Adds Solar Panels to Historic Bourse Building
Contributing to Philadelphia’s goal to become the greenest city in the U.S. by 2015, the historic Bourse building, the nation’s first commodities exchange, circa 1895, now has 210 solar panels on its roof, reports The Philadelphia Inquirer.
PA Investments Will Help Replace Inefficient Energy Systems with Cleaner, Money-Saving Solutions
Commercial businesses, school districts, and homeowners throughout Pennsylvania will be able to replace old, inefficient energy systems with new technology and save a total of $190,000 a year, Department of Community and Economic Development Secretary Austin Burke said on July 7.
Smart Thermostat Connects to Solar Panels
You have solar panels on your rooftop, a digital thermostat on your wall and a heating and cooling system throughout your home — why not connect the whole lot of them?
Photo courtesy of brykmantra
The week's edition of Energy Management News features cows, manure, and the EPA.
Dead Cows, Earthquakes, and the Future of Green Energy
Dead cows, water-well explosions, and contaminated groundwater from drilling are hurting Chesapeake Energy's efforts to market natural gas as a clean alternative to coal.
Government Roadblocks Private Production of Biogas
Turning manure into fuel means dealing with a lot of red tape.
Is Demand Response Clean?
Demand response rarely results in a significant reduction in energy use because load is either shifted to off-peak hours or substituted by a backup generator. Does that sound clean to you?
NY Injects $100M into Energy Efficiency Projects
New York companies will be able to improve the energy efficiency of their manufacturing facilities and data centers with the addition of $100 million in funds from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA).
LA Mayor Proposes Carbon Surcharge on Energy Bills
Customers of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power may one day see a carbon surcharge added to their bills. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa has proposed a surcharge to help shift the utility away from coal power.
Prepaid Electric Service Launched
Texas utility First Choice Power becomes the first affiliated retail electric provider in the state to offer consumers a prepaid service option.
AT&T Launches Smart Charger to Fight Vampire Power, Finally
The phone company says it will start selling a smart charger in May - dubbed the AT&T ZERO charger and made by Super Communications - that eliminates vampire power (wasted standby power).
EPA to Phase in CO2 Emissions Permits
The Obama administration will give small businesses a break on coming carbon dioxide emissions rules but big emitters like coal-fired power plants will face a crack-down.
How Congress Accidentally Saved Us Millions
Legislation that halted purchases of oil for the Strategic Petroleum Reserve in 2008 aimed to push gas prices down - it didn't work. Nevertheless, the legislation still delivered positive results.
Industry Reacts to Smart Meter Anger
Oncor faces customer backlash over smart meters and skyrocketing electric bills.
Photo by JelleS