FEATURES AND NEWS
Portland, ME, is considering ways to track and reduce energy consumption by residential and commercial users, according to the Portland Press Herald.
The Obama administration has issued final rules on exploratory oil and gas drilling in the Arctic, requiring oil companies to take additional safety and environmental mitigation measures compared do drilling operations in other waters. The regulations, issued by the US Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) ... Read more »
The Ohio, Illinois and West Virginia Coal Associations have filed amicus briefs asking the Fourth Circuit of Appeals to consider their views in support of Don Blankenship. While laying out their argument, the coal associations say explicitly that they do not wish to address the specifics of the former coal barons case; rather, they feel that criminal law has been
Is Tesla's recently submitted offer to purchase SolarCity, valued at $2.8 billion, a grand plan to create an integrated energy company, or a last ditch attempt to save an empire deeply in debt?
Robots are making their way into agriculture, potentially altering the farming landscape across the world, according to Lux Research. Planting the Seeds of a Robot Revolution: How Autonomous Systems Are Integrating into Precision Agriculture, says that while cost is a barrier to widespread adoption, it is on the downward slope. ... Read more »
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MCW Energy has developed a water-free, solvent-based approach to oil sands production that allows for oil extraction without the environmental fallout.
After registering as a new business in Hawaii recently, billionaire Warren Buffett’s competitive retail energy supplier, MidAmerican Energy Services, now may pursue an interest in purchasing Hawaiian Electric (HECO), provided that state regulators do not approve NextEra Energy’s $4.3 billion acquisition of the Honolulu-based utility, Pacific Business News reported on ... Read more »
Food Cowboy has launched two initiatives to fund startups and technologies that reduce food waste.
There are a number of offerings in the marketplace that do some variation of what IBM Watson and Current are doing: Taking data from sensors in buildings and applying advanced analytics to generate information and insights that can create efficiencies and cut costs. It is important to look at the nature of the vendor as well as its technology.
Garden City, KS, is using funds left over from an energy efficiency program to upgrade HVAC in a low-income housing facility.
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The Chambers, AL, County Commission voted this week to approve a contract with AL Solar A LLC to bring 72 MW of solar power to the county, according to the Opelika-Auburn News.
A bill that would limit e-waste exports has been introduced in the US House of Representatives. HR 5579, the Secure E-waste Export and Recycling Act (SEERA), would stop the flow of e-waste to China and other counties and encourage responsible electronics recycling, according to the bill’s authors Rep. Gene Green ... Read more »
The construction industry produces a huge amount of waste. In the US alone, about 40 percent of solid waste comes from construction and demolition (C&D). To combat this, one US city is taking the unique approach of banning home demolitions, which it says will encourage the reuse of building materials ... Read more »
Southern Co. is firing back at a piece in the New York Times that presents its advanced coal plant in Mississippi at as a boondoggle gone awry. In truth, the Atlanta-based utility has been a pioneer in technology development, spearheading a range of innovations ranging from solar plus batteries to the latest nuclear plants to the carbon capture coal plants.
Renewable energy is slowly gaining ground in the overall energy mix, but it still faces many hurdles before it can be widely adopted and overtake fossil fuels as a primary source. That’s where building efficiency can step in and provide the backing renewables need to be successful. Building efficiency matters because without it, renewables will continue to face a steep
In the tide of global climate agreements, organizations of all sizes and in all industries are dutifully searching for products and services to increase their operational efficiency while simultaneously preparing for a more sustainable future. But this point is not merely conjecture; it is rooted in fact. A report published ... Read more »
New technologies developed by ExxonMobil and Saudi Aramco can produce ethylene, an important chemical in plastics, directly from crude oil, potentially saving refiners as much as $200-per-ton of ethylene produced, according to a report by IHS. The two steam-cracking processes, developed by ExxonMobil and Saudi Aramco, respectively, allow petrochemical producers ... Read more »
Minnesota Power filed a new rate plan on June 30 (Docket No. E015/M-16-564) with the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (MPUC), designed to provide lower electric rates, the utility claims, “for up to a dozen northeastern Minnesota industrial companies that are uniquely exposed to global competitive pressures.”
Three Wisconsin utilities – Madison Gas & Electric, WE Energies, and Xcel Energy – have been ordered by the state’s Public Service Commission to refund millions of dollars to their ratepayers in restitution for overestimating costs last year.
What the judges said… “The cr360 system is clearly a step above others in the scope and scale of the system. With over 1 million users across more than 200 companies, it has proven to be a true global system that meets the EHS and sustainability system needs of corporations.” ... Read more »
Control of plug loads, which is far from the glitziest tools in an energy manager’s tool chest, can be one of the most useful.
The County Commissioners in Athens, OH, have approved an agreement aimed at making county buildings more energy efficient.
Leidos has signed a $5.7 million energy savings performance contract with the Ford Motor Company.
An advanced coal project in Mississippi is now under greater scrutiny. Documents have come to light that show that the plant’s owner, Southern Co., concealed certain technical difficulties that the plant has been experiencing. It chose to keep such information under wraps to avoid regulatory criticisms.
Short-Term Price Benchmark Trends ERC’s average benchmark price for retail electricity remained virtually unchanged last week, increasing marginallyly (-0.11%) to $0.0749 per kilowatt hour. Once again, Texas bucked the trend, increasing its benchmark price by 1.69% in response to a high level of cooling demand. Compared to this time last ... Read more »