Duke Energy Renewables achieves momentous safety milestone - Duke Energy

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -

Duke Energy Renewables and its third-party services group, Duke Energy Renewable Services, have completed one year and counting without an Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recordable incident.

OSHA defines a recordable incident as one that requires medical treatment beyond first aid, as well as one that causes death, days away from work, restricted work or transfer to another job, or loss of consciousness. Sept. 19, 2015, was the one-year mark for this injury-free record.

Duke Energy Renewables achieves momentous safety milestone - Duke Energy

Making Older Homes More Energy Efficient

From the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy:

High upfront costs and long payback times prevents many #US homeowners from replacing drafty and inefficient windows, especially in older homes like this one pictured. Our office supports research to lower window replacement costs, improve the technology, and validate the results of research, so Americans cans save #energy and money. Learn about one technology, developed with support from the Energy Department’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory - PNNL that will become more and more common in energy-efficient upgrades – low-emissivity storm windows. This technology could cut energy bills for nearly 90 million American homeowners who currently use single-pane or low-performing double-pane windows. Learn more: http://go.usa.gov/3zFpV.

From GE:

Smart Streets Are Made of These: San Diego Deploys First GE Intelligent Cities System

September 24, 2015

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The world’s first pilot of GE’s intelligent LED solution for cities is now up and running in San Diego, California. Hear what residents are saying about the potential of the Intelligent Environments for Cities solution and how the connected LEDs fit into the city’s vision for intelligent infrastructure.

Learn more about the pilot and why timing is right for activating the intelligent city on GE Reports.

Review our bi-coastal Intelligent Environments for Cities pilot announcement release here.

See how the White House is supporting intelligent city initiatives to help local communities tackle key challenges such as reducing traffic congestion, fighting crime, fostering economic growth, managing the effects of a changing climate, and improving the delivery of city services.

Don’t miss out on the social conversation around Intelligent Environments: Follow GE Lighting on Twitter,Instagram and Facebook for updates, and follow #brainycity for more on GE’s Intelligent Environments for Cities pilots.

About GE
GE (NYSE: GE) imagines things others don't, builds things others can't and delivers outcomes that make the world work better. GE brings together the physical and digital worlds in ways no other company can. In its labs and factories and on the ground with customers, GE is inventing the next industrial era to move, power, build and cure the world. www.ge.com

Accenture and Siemens Expand Smart Grid Joint Venture by Launching OMNETRIC Group in Brazil

From Accenture:

Accenture and Siemens Expand Smart Grid Joint Venture by Launching OMNETRIC Group in Brazil
 
OMNETRIC Group brings together the best in information technology and operational technology capabilities from both companies to unlock the full benefits of smart grids

                                                                                                
SÃO PAULO; Sep. 24, 2015 – Accenture (NYSE: ACN) and Siemens have announced that their joint venture company, OMNETRIC Group, focused on smart grid solutions, would expand operations to Brazil and, in future, throughout Latin America.
 
OMNETRIC Group, formed in 2014 and based in Munich, brings together Siemens’ products and solutions with Accenture’s management and technology consulting, systems integration and managed-services capabilities. This unique combination offers the energy industry advanced and innovative solutions and services to help obtain greater reliability and efficiency of grid networks.
 
The services and solutions offered by OMNETRIC Group allow an efficient and customized integration of IT systems supporting smart metering, energy consumption and work and asset management with operational technologies (OT), such as distribution management and real-time grid operations. This provides for more transparent and integrated management of all network applications.
 
"By combining the strengths of Siemens and Accenture, OMNETRIC Group brings the highest level of expertise and execution to a rapidly changing global market. In Brazil, we will have a dedicated structure, with highly-skilled and global support to meet the highest demands of the Brazilian market," said Maikel Van Verseveld, chief executive officer of OMNETRIC Group.
 
OMNETRIC Group will begin operations in Brazil later this year. Once operational, the company will be based in the city of Belo Horizonte, which is also a hub for Siemens smart grid research and development and an Accenture office location.
 
"The launch of OMNETRIC Group in the country will help meet the growing local market demand for advanced solutions that facilitate smart grid management,” said Adriano Giudice, managing director of Accenture’s utilities industry group in Brazil. “Through effective convergence of IT and OT, these solutions will help Brazilian utilities to better integrate new technologies, such as renewables and microgrids, into electricity networks. They will also help to improve grid operations with reduced costs and increase capital effectiveness by enabling more-informed business decisions based on real-time data from the grid.”
 
Through a system integration platform, the solutions offered by OMNETRIC Group will be demonstrated at the Latin American Utility Week in Sao Paolo from 23-25 September, at the Siemens booth. Visitors can see the potential benefits that the integration of IT and OT can bring from better management, monitoring, diagnosis and planning of power distribution networks.
 
"We believe that no other company will be able to help manage this integration better than OMNETRIC Group, which brings together in a single organization the best industrial know-how and deep experience in IT. The arrival of OMNETRIC Group in the country reinforces the commitment and future vision of the opportunities for Siemens related to the development of Brazil," said Guilherme Mendonca, senior vice president of Energy Management division of Siemens Brazil.
 
About Accenture
Accenture is a global management consulting, technology services and outsourcing company, with more than 358,000 people serving clients in more than 120 countries. Combining unparalleled experience, comprehensive capabilities across all industries and business functions, and extensive research on the world’s most successful companies, Accenture collaborates with clients to help them become high-performance businesses and governments. The company generated net revenues of US$31.0 billion for the fiscal year ended Aug. 31, 2015. Its home page is www.accenture.com.
 
About Siemens Group in Brazil
Siemens has been present in Brazil for over a hundred years and is currently the largest conglomerate of electrical and electronic engineering in the country with its activities grouped by divisions: Power and Gas; Wind Power and Renewables; Power Generation Services; Energy Management; Digital Factory; Mobility; Building Technologies; Healthcare; Industrial Process and Drives. The company is a leading provider of medical devices for diagnostic imaging such as CT scanners and MRI, and laboratory diagnosis. The first activities of the company in Brazil date back to 1867, with the installation of the pioneering telegraph line between Rio de Janeiro and Rio Grande do Sul. In 1895, in Rio de Janeiro, it opened its first office and ten years later, occurred the founding of the company in the country. Over the past century Siemens actively contributed to the construction and modernization of infrastructure in Brazil. Today, Siemens' equipment and systems are responsible for 50% of the electricity generated in the country, 30% of digital diagnostic imaging performed in Brazil and are present in 2/3 of all Brazilian offshore platforms designed for the past 8 years. In Brazil, the Siemens Group has 12 plants and seven research and development centers throughout the country.
 
About OMNETRIC Group
OMNETRIC Group is dedicated to the global delivery of integrated information technology and operational technology solutions and services, helping utility companies to achieve greater grid reliability and efficiency. OMNETRIC Group is a joint venture between Siemens AG and Accenture. Combining Siemens’ leading energy technology product portfolio with Accenture’s systems integration, consulting and managed services capabilities, OMNETRIC Group can support clients with innovative solutions wherever they may be on their path to a smarter grid. For more information, visitwww.omnetricgroup.com.
 

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Wall Street goes all in on climate policy

Large U.S. financial firms are putting their deep pockets and political clout behind alternative energy, in a key stamp of approval from companies that have traditionally funneled money into fossil fuels.

In a statement Monday, six companies, including the four largest U.S. banks, pledged to cooperate to accelerate investment in renewable energy. They called for governments to help push clean power sources and combat "significant" economic risks from climate change ahead of critical private and public sector talks at the Sustainable Innovation Forum in December. 

Wall Street goes all in on climate policy

Distribute Wind Energy Systems

From the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy:

Distributed wind #energy systems are commonly installed on residential, agricultural, commercial, industrial, and community sites, and can range in size from a 5-kilowatt home turbine to a multi-megawatt turbine at a #manufacturing facility. The Energy Department and our National Renewable Energy Laboratory took action today to help #USmanufacturers of small and mid-size wind turbines improve their turbine designs. This lab-industry partnership could help manufacturers cut costs, improve efficiency, and ultimately meet performance and safety requirements so that distributed wind becomes an option for more Americans. Learn more on the EERE Blog: http://go.usa.gov/3zF5w.

Duke Energy Osceola project to light the way for more solar in the Sunshine State - Duke Energy

ST. PETERSBURG, FLA. -

Duke Energy Florida continues to advance the development of solar energy with the announcement of a new 3.8-megawatt solar facility in Osceola County.

The company has filed a storm water and environmental resources permit with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. DEF will file a land development permit with the Osceola County Planning Department. The agencies’ review of the permits may require up to eight weeks.

Duke Energy Osceola project to light the way for more solar in the Sunshine State - Duke Energy