Walmart Announces New Commitments To Dramatically Increase Energy Efficiency And Renewables</h1> <article> <h1>Walmart Announces New Commitments To Dramatically Increase Energy Efficiency And Renewables</h1> <p>Nikki Chandler — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 16:57:38 +0000</p> <div class="field field-type-text field-field-teaser"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item odd"> <p>Walmart President and CEO Mike Duke last week announced the company's next step on the path to achieving its goal of being supplied 100 percent by renewable energy.</p> </div> </div> </div> <p id="">Walmart President and CEO Mike Duke last week announced the company's next step on the path to achieving its goal of being supplied 100 percent by renewable energy. Unveiled at <a target="_blank" href="http://www.walmartgreenroom.com">Walmart's Global Sustainability </a>Milestone Meeting, the company committed to achieving the following by Dec. 31, 2020:</p> <p id="">-- Drive the production or procurement of 7 billion kWh of renewable energy globally every year, a 600 percent increase over 2010 levels;</p> </article> <article> <h1>Smart Grid: It's All About Communications</h1> <p>Nikki Chandler — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 15:13:41 +0000</p> <div class="field field-type-text field-field-teaser"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item odd"> <p>Although the new normal may be an increasing frequency of violent superstorms like Sandy, there is no doubt those storms have proved the value of a smart grid.</p> </div> </div> </div> <p>The pressure is mounting to determine how well the smart grid — and particularly the communications system, the central nervous system of the smart grid — has performed under stress and whether increasing investment in the communications system is the answer.</p> </article> <article> <h1>Air Infiltration: The Hidden Energy Efficiency</h1> <p>Nikki Chandler — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 14:52:22 +0000</p> <div class="field field-type-text field-field-teaser"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item odd"> <p>Until now, the HVAC industry has not fully embraced the possibilities of energy reduction with air infiltration in a truly meaningful way. However, that is likely to change.</p> </div> </div> </div> <p>Air infiltration long has been a little-understood or even ignored factor when it comes to energy efficiency in commercial buildings. Engineers understand it exists, but tolerate its existence by simply accounting for it in heating- and cooling-system design. Fixing the problem at its source can be complicated and span beyond a designer’s scope of work. Until now, it has been the elephant in the room no one wants to talk about.</p> </article> <article> <h1>Energy Department Announces New Investment in Nuclear Fuel Storage Research</h1> <p>Nikki Chandler — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 14:38:55 +0000</p> <div class="field field-type-text field-field-teaser"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item odd"> <p>As part of its commitment to developing an effective strategy for the safe and secure storage and management of used nuclear fuel, the Energy Department has announced a new dry storage research and development project led by the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI).</p> </div> </div> </div> <p>As part of its commitment to developing an effective strategy for the safe and secure storage and management of used nuclear fuel, the Energy Department today announced a new dry storage research and development project led by the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI). The project will design and demonstrate dry storage cask technology for high burn-up spent nuclear fuels that have been removed from commercial nuclear power plants.</p> </article> <article> <h1>Solar Gains Land PSE&G a Top Spot in Industry Ranking</h1> <p>Nikki Chandler — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 14:25:28 +0000</p> <div class="field field-type-text field-field-teaser"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item odd"> <p>The Solar Electric Power Association announced yesterday that Public Service Electric and Gas Co. ranks third among U.S. utilities for the amount of solar capacity added within its electric service area in 2012. </p> </div> </div> </div> <p>The Solar Electric Power Association announced yesterday that Public Service Electric and Gas Co. ranks third among U.S. utilities for the amount of solar capacity added within its electric service area in 2012. This annual ranking, which identifies the companies that are integrating solar into the nation's power grid, is part of SEPA's sixth annual Utility Solar Rankings report. This is the fourth consecutive year that PSE&G has ranked in the top three among U.S. utilities for solar integration.</p> </article> <article> <h1>New Standards Could Help U.S. Policies Accelerate Growth of the Advanced Energy Industry</h1> <p>Nikki Chandler — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 14:15:11 +0000</p> <div class="field field-type-text field-field-teaser"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item odd"> <p>Advanced energy CEOs and senior executives across America say the nation could spur faster industry growth if U.S. policy was designed to maintain market stability, create a level playing field, support a broad innovation portfolio, limit the duration of incentives, and solve broad problems rather than prescribe narrow solutions, according to a new report released by Advanced Energy Economy (AEE).</p> </div> </div> </div> <p>Advanced energy CEOs and senior executives across America say the nation could spur faster industry growth if U.S. policy was designed to maintain market stability, create a level playing field, support a broad innovation portfolio, limit the duration of incentives, and solve broad problems rather than prescribe narrow solutions, according to a new report released today by Advanced Energy Economy (AEE).</p> </article> <article> <h1>Plasma Device Developed at MU Could Revolutionize Energy Generation and Storage</h1> <p>Nikki Chandler — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 03:27:10 +0000</p> <div class="field field-type-text field-field-teaser"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item odd"> <p>University of Missouri engineer Randy Curry and his team have developed a method of creating and controlling plasma that could revolutionize American energy generation and storage. </p> </div> </div> </div> <p>University of Missouri engineer Randy Curry and his team have developed a method of creating and controlling plasma that could revolutionize American energy generation and storage. Besides liquid, gas and solid, matter has a fourth state, known as plasma. Fire and lightning are familiar forms of plasma. Life on Earth depends on the energy emitted by plasma produced during fusion reactions within the sun. However, Curry warns that without federal funding of basic research, America will lose the race to develop new plasma energy technologies.</p> </article> <article> <h1>Sustainability, Social Responsibility and Profitability Can Exist in One Utility</h1> <p>Pamela Kufahl — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 02:42:15 +0000</p> <div class="field field-type-text field-field-teaser"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item odd"> <p>For the second year in a row, Target Rock put together a Sustainable Utility Leaders Index (SULI), which is a stock index that helps guide sustainable and socially responsible investment decisions. Twenty-four utilities made the cut out of 150 publicly traded U.S.-based utilities that were scored.</p> </div> </div> </div> <p>Can companies that focus on sustainability and being socially responsible make for good investments? According to Target Rock Advisors LLC, they can.</p> <p><a target="_blank" href="http://www.targetrockadvisors.com/"><strong>Target Rock Advisors</strong></a>, Hauppauge, NY, offers consulting to utilities and the financial community, and it offers research, data and analytics.</p> </article> <article> <h1>The Market's Wild West</h1> <p>Nikki Chandler — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 15:58:28 +0000</p> <div class="field field-type-text field-field-teaser"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item odd"> <p>LED lighting and photovoltaic products are challenging conventional distribution strategies.</p> <p> </p> </div> </div> </div> <p>Two new technologies are now riding down Electric Avenue and shooting up conventional distribution strategies, according to Jim Lucy, <em>Electrical Wholesaling </em>Editor. He is talking about the <a target="_blank" href="http://ewweb.com/commentary/electric_markets_wild_west/">LED (light-emitting diode) and solar businesses</a>, where new-age marketers are using utterly unique go-to-market strategies that don't look anything like what electrical manufacturers have used for decades to get their products in front of end users and buying influences.</p> </article> <article> <h1>Energy Partnerships for Schools</h1> <p>Nikki Chandler — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 15:53:42 +0000</p> <div class="field field-type-text field-field-teaser"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item odd"> <p>Public-private partnerships can help pay for renewable energy projects for schools and universities.</p> </div> </div> </div> <p>Entities such as schools that own education facilities but don’t pay federal income taxes can take advantage of federal tax credits for renewable energy installations that may lower costs by as much as 40 percent. <em>American School & University </em>reports in its March issue that <a target="_blank" href="http://asumag.com/energy-management/energy-partnerships?page=1">even in tough economic times, great opportunities exist for governments, schools and tax-exempt organizations interested in using renewable energy </a>to reduce operating costs.</p> </article> </main></body></html>