Honeywell Introduces Online Energy Savings Calculator To Save Homeowners Energy And Money

Honeywell Introduces Online Energy Savings Calculator To Save Homeowners Energy And Money

NYC landfill converts trash into power - YouTube

Staten Island's Fresh Kills landfill is making sure New York City's trash doesn't go to waste. Brian Montopoli reports on how the facility is capturing methane gas created by the decomposing garbage and using it to power thousands of homes.

Video (2:05)

NYC landfill converts trash into power - YouTube

This is an excerpt from EERE Network News, a weekly electronic newsletter.

July 31, 2013

Sioux Students Kindle Solar Knowledge

It started with a spark—an interest in green energy. This glimmer of curiosity led Lyle Wilson, an instructor at Oglala Lakota College in South Dakota and U.S. Army veteran, to start researching renewable energy technologies such as solar, wind, and geothermal. Now sparked by Lyle’s interest, members of the Oglala Sioux Tribe of the Pine Ridge Reservation are finding new possibilities in their clean energy capabilities.

As part of his work at Oglala Lakota College, Lyle works with students in the applied sciences department to construct houses for members of the tribe. He envisioned taking the work a step further by integrating solar panels into new homes to help reduce power bills. To make it happen, Lyle reached out to Solar Energy International (SEI), which helps coordinate solar training courses for the Energy Department’s Solar Instructor Training Network.

From there, a group of students and instructors at the college signed on for SEI's Photovoltaic (PV) 101: Solar Design and Installation course, in which they set up their first grid-tied photovoltaic system. This introduction served as fuel for their solar fire. Next, about 20 people took part in SEI's PV 203: Solar Electric Design (Battery-Based) class. This course allowed them to install two 250-watt solar panels on their construction trailer. For the complete story, see the Energy Blog.

This is an excerpt from EERE Network News, a weekly electronic newsletter.

July 31, 2013

U.S., China Lead 2nd Quarter Energy Investment: Report

Global investment in clean energy was $53 billion in the second quarter of 2013, up 22% from the first quarter, mainly because of an upturn in the financing of wind and solar projects, according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance. The rebound was led by the United States, which saw investment grow 155% compared to its first quarter, reaching $9.5 billion. China's investment was up 63% to nearly $14 billion.

Europe saw investment fall 44% compared to the first quarter of 2013, reaching $9.5 billion, that continent’s lowest quarter total for more than six years. The downturn in Europe led to a drop in global investment in clean energy in the second quarter of 2013 ended up 16% below the figure for the second quarter of 2012, the report said. Overall, the biggest category of investment between April and June 2013 was asset finance of utility-scale projects, such as wind farms and solar parks, with a total investment of nearly $32 billion, up 39% on the first quarter but down 21% year-on-year. See theBloomberg New Energy Finance press release.

This is an excerpt from EERE Network News, a weekly electronic newsletter.

July 31, 2013

DOI Announces Offshore Virginia Wind Energy Lease Sale

The U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) and its Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) on July 22 announced that BOEM will hold a competitive lease sale for commercial wind energy off the shore of Virginia. The auction, which will be the second such U.S. offshore lease, is scheduled to take place on September 4 and will offer nearly 112,800 acres. The nation’s first wind energy lease sale will be held on July 31 for an area offshore of Rhode Island and Massachusetts.

The Virginia wind energy area, located 23.5 nautical miles from the Virginia Beach coastline, will be auctioned as a single lease. The lease area has the potential to support more than 2,000 megawatts of wind generation—enough electricity to power approximately 700,000 homes.

As part of the ‘Smart from the Start’ program for expediting commercial-scale wind energy in federal offshore waters, DOI has identified Wind Energy Areas to spur responsible development of this abundant renewable resource. See the DOI press release, lease background on the BOEM website, and the lease announcement in the Federal Register.

This is an excerpt from EERE Network News, a weekly electronic newsletter.

July 31, 2013

DOE Awards $11 Million to Small Clean-Tech Businesses

The Energy Department on July 24 announced new awards totaling nearly $11 million to help small businesses in nine states develop innovative ideas that could cut carbon pollution, reduce U.S. reliance on imported oil, and boost energy efficiency. The 11 projects—located in California, Colorado, Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, Oregon, and Virginia—will focus on developing clean energy technologies with a strong potential for commercialization and job creation.

Technologies receiving awards include a project led by Applied Spectra, Inc. of Freemont, California, to develop an optical sensor for in-vehicle, real-time measurements of battery materials and chemistry to enable optimum performance and extend the life of lithium-ion batteries. Another project, led by Cool Energy, Inc., of Boulder, Colorado, will test a high-efficiency, low-temperature geothermal power technology that could help develop geothermal energy resources across most of the United States. And Proton OnSite of Wallingford, Connecticut, will lead a project to reduce the cost and improve the efficiency of systems that produce hydrogen fuel from renewable energy sources.

Funded by the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy through the Energy Department's Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs, these awards are for Phase II projects to further develop Phase I projects and produce a prototype or equivalent within two years. Ten awards are for SBIR projects, and one is for an STTR project. See the Energy Department Progress Alert and the complete list of awards.

This is an excerpt from EERE Network News, a weekly electronic newsletter.

July 31, 2013

ARPA-E Announces $30 Million for Full-Spectrum Solar

The Energy Department on July 16 announced that the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) will offer up to $30 million for a new program to develop new technologies that deliver cost-effective solar energy when the sun is not shining, in bad weather and even at night. The program, Full-Spectrum Optimized Conversion and Utilization of Sunlight (FOCUS), seeks to develop two distinct technology options to deliver low-cost, high-efficiency solar energy on demand: new hybrid solar energy converters and new hybrid energy storage systems. The technologies developed will help advance solar energy beyond current photovoltaic (PV) and concentrated solar power (CSP) technologies to ensure solar power remains a consistent, cost-effective renewable energy option.

The first approach will develop advanced solar converters that turn sunlight into electricity for immediate use, while also producing heat that can be stored at low cost for later use. These hybrid converters will use the entire solar spectrum more efficiently than PV or CSP technologies. The second approach will develop innovative storage systems that accept heat and electricity from variable solar sources to deliver electricity when needed. See the Energy Department press release and the ARPA-E website.