Dynamic pricing schemes are viewed as one of the key utility tools for reducing peak load during the summer, which is growing over time. Such pricing schemes, which adjust the price of electricity based on the time of day and the cost of generating electricity during different time periods, are on the rise throughout the United States. (more…)

Despite soaring rhetoric and some promising proposals, President Obama is repeating the same mistakes that have doomed U.S. energy policy to failure for 40 years. Until Obama and Congress finally put a true price on the fossil fuels America consumes, the U.S. will continue its addiction to foreign oil and domestic coal. (more…)

Greenpeace has released a report titled How Dirty is your Data? which looks at the energy choices powering cloud computing. Based on 2007 data the report claims that if the cloud is compared to nations across the globe it would be the fifth largest consumer of electricity. The cloud would rank ahead (more…)

Most individuals know of Google as one of the top global internet search engines. But what many are not aware of is the keen interest Google has taken into renewable energy and creating a sustainable environment for the future. They have been involved in a number of projects and initiatives to assist in creating a cleaner, greener world. Here is just a sampling of (more…)

As a Boulder resident, I am loosely participating in the SmartGridCity project run by our local electric utility, Xcel Energy. I say “loosely” because the extent of my participation has been the few times I logged into my online account to see a more granular view of my energy consumption. On this website, I could see into my daily energy usage in as small as 15 minute (more…)

Supporters of energy efficiency often talk about the tremendous untapped opportunity to squeeze energy savings out of the existing building stock. This fact has been proven time and time again.

However, choosing the right measures that will achieve the deepest levels of efficiency in the most cost-effective way remains (more…)

Currently, many countries around the world, worried about increased use of energy, are looking to implement a number of smart grid projects to decrease total energy consumption through energy efficient measures provided by smart grids. Smart grids provide improvements in the reliability of a grid by decreases duration and frequency of power outages (more…)

Louisiana has been very big at pushing forward on utilizing renewable energy end becoming more energy efficient. The state has had a number of programs, incentives, and other items to help assist the state’s residents in understanding the importance of clean technologies and how it can help create a more sustainable environment for future generations. (more…)

New Jersey’s universities have been making significant strides to become greener facilities, and Kean University (Kean) prides itself on being at the forefront of that effort. Kean has signed an agreement with the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to enhance sustainable environmental practices at the school. As part of the agreement, Kean has pledged to reduce (more…)

State renewable energy standards have gained momentum over the past decade with 29 states having put in place various types of standard mandates and five more having implemented voluntary standards (34 total). Now the federal government is looking to get into the game with a bi-partisan bill (S. 3813) aiming to set a minimum national standard. Renewable (more…)