Engerati North America
An Engerati snapshot will provide you with background information and additional information about key analysts, content sites, events and search terms that will provide you with enough information to become knowledgeable about a region or topic. Generation Snapshot: Canada
06 Mar 2012
Two new reports from the US Department of Energy (DoE) point to major opportunities for new water power development in the US.
What happened
The DoE released two in-depth reports on the potential for ocean power off the US coasts:
Mapping and Assessment of the United States Ocean Wave Energy Resource
Assessment of Energy Production Potential from Tidal Streams in the United States
Terry Wildman of Global Renewable News writes that these two reports show that wave and tidal power could generate up to 1,420TWh per year. He goes on to say that wave power could yield as much energy in a year as 2,000 oil,...
25 Jan 2012
A first-ever ‘Smart Grid Demand Response Project’ launched in China, with Honeywell International as contractor.
What happened
PRNewsWire.com released Honeywell International’s press announcement on the company’s agreement with the Tianjin Economic Development Area (TEDA) to build China’s first smart grid demand response (DR) project.
The announcement represented the launch of the demand response pilot system sponsored by the US-China Economic Cooperation Program (ECP), which aims to establish smart grid industry standards and regulations across all of China.
Background ...
09 Feb 2012
Vienna is the world’s smartest city … will the EU cope without Iran’s oil? … UK’s “green” data centers not that efficient.
Smart Planet: Top 10 smartest cities in the world
Tyler Falk of Smart Planet writes about the world’s current top 10 ten smart cities, as listed by researcher Boyd Cohen, at Fast Company’s Co.Exist blog. The cities have been chosen according to:
· Past innovations
· Standard of life
· Sustainability and digital community
· ...
15 Mar 2012
According to Itron, Centerpoint Energy, Texas have installed 2.2 million smart meters.
Coupled with its CNP smart grid system, it is eliminating manual reads, maximizing efficiencies and collecting more detailed data, more frequently - for 5 million residents.
Source:
Itron: We’ve been busy.
23 Feb 2012
Donald Trump has proposed an “extraordinarily straightforward energy policy.”
William Portland of Forbes.com says that this astonishing plan is two-fold:
1. Reinvade Iraq and take over the oil fields. This is not stealing, assures Trump, merely reimbursement for the US$1.5tn that the US spent to bring down the Saddam Hussein regime.
2. Send in a better spokesperson than President Barrack Obama to go and speak to OPEC. Because OPEC controls crude oil pricing, if they are asked nicely, then they will lower oil prices....
08 May 2012
Smart meter deployment is charging ahead in the US, focusing on customer behaviors and demand reduction, but is it time to step back, take a breath and look to other smart technologies to ensure the success of the smart grid?
What happened
Ron Chebra, vice president, Management & Operations Consulting, DNV KEMA Energy & Sustainability wrote an article “Should advanced metering infrastructure take a back seat to distribution automation?” for Smart Grid Sherpa. In this article, Chebra points to the huge amounts of money invested in Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) in North America that has been economically justified by the promise of demand reduction and customer behavior change. He then...
08 Feb 2012
The Californian Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) has approved the Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) opt-out plan, which includes an opt-out fee … but if PG&E thought that the compromise would end this long battle, they were sorely mistaken.
What happened
Smart Grid News reports that the CPUC has approved PG&E’s smart meter opt-out plan. This includes an initial charge of US$75 and US$10 a month thereafter, (or a US$10 initial charge with US$5 per month charge for low-income customers.) These charges offset meter reader’s salaries, to accommodate the plan.
David R. Baker, of SF Gate, writes: “it marks the utility's biggest concession yet to smart meter opponents, many of whom consider wireless...
06 Mar 2012
February 2012: US; Kenneth Green, RealMarkets.com, says California is running the same delusional program of 22 years ago – similar to 1990 the state has again decided to lead the nation on emissions standards.
Green looks at the the proposal by Californian law makers that 15.4% of all vehicles sold by 2025 be electric cars, plug-in hybrids or (hereto non-existent) fuel cell cars.
He concludes that there have been no significant vehicular technological advances since 1990; and thus, it is high time the planners drop the “fatal conceit that they can plan the automobile market."
Source:
RealMarkets.com: Electric cars doubling down on dumb
21 Mar 2012
Largest wind farm in Argentina enters commercial operation … as largest wind project in Brazil is commissioned … while Ecuador invests in hydropower … and IDB supports hydro renewal in Haiti.
UPI: Largest wind farm in Argentina starts commercial operation
Argentina’s largest wind farm, the 80MW Rawson wind farm (Parque Eólico Rawson,PER) started commercial operation at the start of the year, UPI reported.
The wholesale market company, CAMMESA, gave the green light to the project, which started to supply the 50MW first phase of the wind farm into the country’s interconnection system (SADI).
State energy company, ENARSA, developed the 43 turbine strong PER....
06 Mar 2012
Tidal and wave power development offers huge opportunities … While Prepay meters are surprisingly popular … Gates and Chu talk power … And Envia to halve battery costs!
Engerati: Turning The Tide on Renewable Energy
Jenni McCann of Engerati looks at two wave and tidal power reports by the Department of Energy (DoE.) These reports conclude that there are “major opportunities for new water power development in the US.”
With a reputation for being expensive to build, these technologies have progressed slowly, but by utilizing marine and wind energy data, these costs are recoverable and this production costs are still lower than that of other...
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