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Is There a Wind Bubble Coming?

September 12, 2008 11:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Wind power is booming, with capacity last year growing by 45 percent and wind power companies being bought and sold. The Atlantic displays an interesting map showing where the wind and the windmills are, but worries that the current optimism in the wind market may turn sour. It cites two problems: the poor capacity of transmission lines to carry the electricity from the sparsely inhabited, windy areas where it's generated to the big cities that need it, and the variability in supply caused by changes in the weather.

Web pick posted by Neil Savage, Xconomy.com

Tags: electricity, The Atlantic, wind

Boston Turns Out the Lights to Save Electricity

September 4, 2008 1:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The City of Boston is starting a two-month trial of a program to turn off the lights in 34 skyscrapers as a way to save energy. The city estimates that turning off all the lights above the 30th floor between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m. should cut the amount of electricity used for lighting by about 25 percent, according to the Boston Globe. If the program is deemed successful, it could continue year-round.

Web pick posted by Neil Savage, Xconomy.com

Tags: Boston Globe, electricity, skycrapers

Buildings Should Be All Green By 2030, Architect Says

August 5, 2008 6:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Buildings account for almost half of annual greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S. and consume more than three quarters of the electricity produced in American power plants, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Business Week tells us that New Mexico architect Edward Mazria is on a crusade to make people aware of those facts and do something about them. He wants the building industry to reach carbon neutrality by 2030, using only energy from renewable sources.

Web pick posted by Neil Savage, Xconomy.com

Tags: Business Week, electricity, global warming, U.S. Energy Information Administration

New Material Could Turn Waste Heat into Power

July 26, 2008 1:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Researchers at Ohio State University have created a new alloy with double the ability of previous materials to turn waste heat from power plants or car engines into electricity. Technology Review reports that the researchers added trace amounts of thallium to lead telluride, changing the material's electrical properties. The material could potentially convert 10 percent of the energy in heat into electricity.

Web pick posted by Neil Savage, Xconomy.com

Tags: electricity, Ohio State University, Technology Review, thallium

Wind Power May be Too Much for Northwest

July 22, 2008 3:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Utilities are getting ready to more than quadruple the amount of power they produce from wind in the Northwest part of the country, according to the Oregonian. The paper warns that the power transmission network in the area isn't ready for that much input. Right now, it says, the grid can handle only about a third of the 4,716 megawatts expected to be produced by wind turbines.

Web pick posted by Neil Savage, Xconomy.com

Tags: electricity, Oregonian, wind

Web Pick: Data Centers Look to Energy Storage

June 19, 2008 8:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

As data centers face growing demands for power to run their servers, many of them are looking to build new facilities near sources of renewable energy. But as Ars Technica points out, sources like sun and wind fluctuate in availability, so finding ways to store that energy becomes an issue. The blog looks at various ways in which electricity generate by solar cells or wind turbines might be held for later use.

Web Picks posted by Neil Savage in partnership with xconomy.com.

Tags: Ars Technica, electricity, solar, wind