The cell phone is quickly becoming a handy tool for tracking home energy use and even switching appliances on and off from afar. It also turns out to be a good way for consumers to view the inner workings of the electric grid – as ISO New England is showing.

ISO-NE in September became the first grid operator (more…)

Widespread adoption of electric vehicles will reduce greenhouse gas emissions significantly. Some are worried that the electric grid will be stressed leading to a decrease in its reliability. In related news today, Battelle and AeroVironment have a technology that will address this concern, and help EV’s charge when the grid is most able to support charging. (more…)

German capital Berlin is one of Europe’s great cities and if BürgerEnergie Berlin (Citizens Energy Berlin) could have its way, it will be even greater.

Greenbang writes that the government coalition that leads Berlin has decided to regain control of electricity (more…)

According to a recent joint University of Delaware and Delaware Technical Community College study, a well-designed combination of wind energy, solar energy, and storage in batteries and fuel cells would be a cost effective way of meeting electricity demands. (more…)

Brazil is known for its non-fossil energy matrix largely thanks to its reliance on hydropower, which comes with its fair share of controversy as the case of the mega dam Belo Monte exemplifies. Wind power is starting to grow in the country but solar photovoltaic is still a minuscule, virtually non-existent industry.

Therefore, it comes as good news that the fifth global (more…)

Here’s an overly simplistic article that questions the validity of electric vehicles as “green” transportation, suggesting that charging EVs can require more coal to be burned. I note the comment: “I power my electric car totally from solar PV panels. This article should be citing coal-fired power plants, not electric cars.” He has an excellent point, but, since most EV (more…)

The electrical grid is a complex network connecting thousands of power sources with millions of consumers all across the U.S. While producing enough power to supply the energy needs of a nation is an extremely difficult task, just as challenging, if not more so, is the need to balance supply and demand on the grid. (more…)

A waste treatment plant in Waterbeach, UK, is now being powered mostly with solar energy. Lightsource Renewable Energy Limited and Solarcentury have jointly developed the photovoltaic (PV) 5MW project that will provide 70 percent of AmeyCespa’s Mechanical Biological Treatment plant in the small village in the region of Cambridgeshire. (more…)

With more and more solar being built in California, new records of peak solar generation are being set and re-set. On September 5, the California Independent System Operator issued a press release (pdf) to celebrate how solar is helping meet the state’s energy needs: “California surpassed a major milestone during a recent heat wave that hit the sun-soaked state. More (more…)

The historic blackouts that left more than 670 million people in India without electricity this week revealed profound problems with a power network struggling to keep pace with one of the world’s fastest growing economies, experts say.

While it’s unclear what specifically triggered this (more…)