Germany’s green dream – Global Public Square - CNN.com Blogs

No country has embraced renewable energy more avidly than Germany. But a host of untoward realities – soaring electricity bills, rising carbon emissions and growing dependence on Russian gas – are intruding rudely on Germany’s green dream.

In response to such worries, Chancellor Angela Merkel’s cabinet approved a plan last week to trim subsidies for solar and wind power. The proposed law would also exempt fewer companies from paying a stiff renewable energy surcharge, an exemption that has come under heavy fire in Europe for giving German industry an unfair competitive boost.

Germany’s green dream – Global Public Square - CNN.com Blogs

Studebaker Elementary School and McCombs Middle School in Des Moines, Iowa, Among Top 10 Energy Saving Schools in the U.S.

EPA Press Release:

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 7

11201 Renner Boulevard, Lenexa, KS 66219

Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, and Nine Tribal Nations

Studebaker Elementary School and McCombs Middle School in Des Moines, Iowa, Among Top 10 Energy Saving Schools in the U.S.

Contact Information: EPA - David W. Bryan, 913-551-7433, bryan.david@epa.gov: Des Moines Public Schools (DMPS) - Phil Roeder, 515-242-8153, phillip.roeder@dmschools.org

Environmental News

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

(Lenexa, Kan., April 17, 2014) - EPA Region 7 announced today that Studebaker Elementary School and McCombs Middle School in the Des Moines Public Schools (DMPS) finished seventh and eighth, respectively, in the annual Energy Star National Building Competition: Battle of the Buildings. Teams from more than 3,000 buildings across the country spent the past year competing to obtain the greatest reduction in energy use.

Studebaker Elementary, built in 1965, saved 31.9 percent in energy use during the 2013 calendar year, translating to a savings of 77 metric tons in greenhouse gases and an estimated more than $14,000 in energy costs. McCombs Middle School was built in 1973 and saved 29.7 percent in energy use with 138 metric tons of greenhouse gases savings and an estimated $46,700 in energy cost savings.

Together, competitors in this year’s National Building Competition saved more than $20 million and reduced greenhouse gas emissions by more than 130,000 metric tons – equal to the annual electricity use of nearly 18,000 homes. Many organizations used the competition to involve people – such as staff and students – who might not ordinarily be engaged in such efforts.

The fourth annual Energy Star National Building Competition measured energy performance for the entire 2013 calendar year. Competitors tracked their buildings' monthly energy consumption using EPA's online energy tracking tool, Energy Star Portfolio Manager. The energy use reductions for each top finisher were verified by an independently licensed professional engineer or registered architect at the end of the competition. More information on the Energy Star National Building Competition, including top overall finishers and top finishers by building category, an interactive map of competitors, and a wrap-up report: www.energystar.gov/BattleOfTheBuildings.

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Low-cost, hydrogen-powered forklifts with rapid refueling, zero emissions coming soon

LIVERMORE, Calif.— Zero-emission hydrogen fuel cell systems soon could be powering the forklifts used in warehouses and other industrial settings at lower costs and with faster refueling times than ever before, courtesy of a partnership between Sandia National Laboratories and Hawaii Hydrogen Carriers (HHC).

The goal of the project is to design a solid-state hydrogen storage system that can refuel at low pressure four to five times faster than it takes to charge a battery-powered forklift, giving hydrogen a competitive advantage over batteries for a big slice of the clean forklift market. The entire U.S. forklift market was nearly $33 billion in 2013, according to Pell Research.

Low-cost, hydrogen-powered forklifts with rapid refueling, zero emissions coming soon

PNNL: News - Relieving electric vehicle range anxiety with improved batteries

Lithium-sulfur batteries last longer with nanomaterial-packed cathode



PNNL: News - Relieving electric vehicle range anxiety with improved batteries

U.S. Parking Facilities Cut Energy Use by 90 Percent, Switch 270 Million Square Feet to Energy Efficient Lighting | Department of Energy

WASHINGTON – As part of the Energy Department’s commitment to helping U.S. businesses save money by saving energy, the Department’s Better Buildings Alliance is supporting the Lighting Energy Efficiency in Parking (LEEP) Campaign.  To date, more than 100 U.S. businesses and organizations are participating in the campaign and planning or installing energy efficient lighting in their parking lots and garages. In the past year, these organizations have committed to install efficient lighting across more than 270 million square feet of parking space – cutting energy use by up to 90 percent.



U.S. Parking Facilities Cut Energy Use by 90 Percent, Switch 270 Million Square Feet to Energy Efficient Lighting | Department of Energy

Department of Energy Issues Draft Renewable Energy and Efficient Energy Projects Solicitation to Foster Clean Energy Innovation | Department of Energy

Washington D.C. — In support of the Administration’s all-of-the-above energy strategy, the Department of Energy issued a draft loan guarantee solicitation today for innovative renewable energy and energy efficiency projects located in the U.S. that avoid, reduce, or sequester greenhouse gases. When finalized, the solicitation is expected to make as much as $4 billion in loan guarantees available to help commercialize technologies that may be unable to obtain full commercial financing. This draft solicitation represents another step in the Department’s commitment to help overcome the financial barriers to the deployment of innovative, clean energy technologies.



Department of Energy Issues Draft Renewable Energy and Efficient Energy Projects Solicitation to Foster Clean Energy Innovation | Department of Energy

GE Press Release:

GE-Exclusive Technology Helps Scottish Utility Integrate Renewable Energy and Meet Complex Grid Challenges

April 16, 2014

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CHICAGO---April 16, 2014---GE's Digital Energy business (NYSE: GE) today announced it will provide series compensation capabilities to three of SP Power Systems Limited's (Scottish Power) facilities in southern Scotland, helping the utility meet and mitigate today's highly complex and technical grid challenges. GE's series compensation technology is being showcased this week at the 2014 IEEE PES Transmission & Distribution Conference & Exposition in Chicago.

The utility will be installing series capacitor banks with sub-synchronous resonance (SSR) filters to its substations, increasing the reliability, efficiency and power transfer capabilities of Scottish Power's 400-kilovolt transmission network. The updates to Scottish Power's network will continue to allow power to flow seamlessly from northern Scotland into England. GE's series compensation solution enables the broader initiative of the European Union's target to integrate more than 15 percent renewable generation into their portfolio mix.

GE and Balfour Beatty Engineering Services (BBES)---a leading supplier for Scottish Power's substation equipment---will provide installation, commissioning and maintenance of series compensation banks with SSR filters at Scottish Power's Moffat (400-kilovolt, 560-MVAr), Gretna (400-kilovolt, 560-MVAr) and Eccles 1 and 2 (400-kilovolt, 442-MVAr each) substations. These series capacitor banks with SSR filters will provide Scottish Power, part of the Iberdrola Group, a cost-effective method to increase power transfer across its long transmission lines. Working with BBES enabled GE to fulfill and meet local requirements and standards for Scottish Power's facilities. It also establishes a localized presence in the region that can provide long-term support and maintenance to each of the series capacitor banks as needed.

"Our priority is to provide a safe, reliable and efficient transmission network to benefit all of our customers," said Mike Young, series compensation program manager, Scottish Power. "We believe that GE offers the best technical solution and meets the stringent safety and environmental requirements of our project. We look forward to working closely with the GE team to deliver this project."

The four series compensation banks installed by GE will utilize its reliable fuseless capacitor design and will include metal-oxide varistors and triggered air gaps. The scope of the project also includes detailed studies and analysis from GE's Energy Consulting business for the design and application of the SSR filters. The project is scheduled to be completed in 2015.

"Understanding Scottish Power's needs for an efficient and safe transmission network, our world-renowned Energy Consulting team provided detailed system studies and analysis on SSR mitigation and filter design, equipping Scottish Power with the most economical and reliable approach to meet their requirements," said Bob Turko, general manager, power systems, GE's Digital Energy business. "This project reinforces our industry-leading series compensation system utilizing SSR mitigation filters, demonstrating GE's strong technical capability and reestablishing its focus in the European sector."

This announcement builds on GE's deep history as a supplier of SSR mitigation solutions and filters, which dates back to the 1970s---from the Navajo station 40 years ago to the company's most recent project with Newmont Mining.

GE's Digital Energy business is a global leader in transmission and distribution solutions that manage and move power from the power plant to the consumer. Its products and services increase the reliability of electrical power networks and critical equipment for utility, industrial and large commercial customers. From protecting and optimizing assets such as generators, transmission lines and motors, to delivering analytic tools to help manage the power grid, GE's Digital Energy business delivers industry-leading technologies to solve the unique challenges of each customer. For more information, visithttp://www.gedigitalenergy.com/.

About GE
GE (NYSE: GE) works on things that matter. The best people and the best technologies taking on the toughest challenges. Finding solutions in energy, health and home, transportation and finance. Building, powering, moving and curing the world. Not just imagining. Doing. GE works. For more information, visit the company's website at www.ge.com.

Follow GE's Digital Energy business on Twitter @GEModernGrid.

Tags

• Business Unit: Energy Management
• Region: Europe
• Topics: Topic, Major Customer Wins, Products & Services, Technology & Research,International, Citizenship, North America, Energy, GE Energy Management, Energy Management, Digital Energy
• Keywords: GE, Digital Energy, Series Compensation, Scottish Power, power, Transmission,SP Power Systems Limited, SSR