http://www.energyinsight.info/ The latest articles from Energy Insight en-us Copyright 2009 Energy Insight and LightningStrike Studios info@lightningstrikestudios.com (LightningStrike Studios) Energy Insight In house http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss/ Fri, 11 May 2012 12:05:13 EST Fri, 11 May 2012 12:05:13 EST http://www.energyinsight.info/environmental_impact_assessment_offshore_wind_farm.html http://www.energyinsight.info/environmental_impact_assessment_offshore_wind_farm.html While wind power from offshore wind farms has proven itself to be a viable component of renewable energy portfolios, it is not without its drawbacks. Measuring and mitigating the effects of offshore wind farms requires comprehensive environmental impact assessments. How are such assessments carried out and what should they cover? Fri, 11 May 2012 12:05:13 EST http://www.energyinsight.info/mchenry_solar_project.html http://www.energyinsight.info/mchenry_solar_project.html K Road Power has acquired the 25-megawatt McHenry Solar Project that SunPower designed and is currently constructing in Modesto, California. The project is creating up to 144 construction jobs and injecting approximately $18.7 million into the local economy during construction. SunPower will provide operations and maintenance services when the project begins commercial operation in September. Mon, 7 May 2012 12:05:13 EST http://www.energyinsight.info/gujarat_charanka_solar_park.html http://www.energyinsight.info/gujarat_charanka_solar_park.html Drenched with sunlight, India is pressing forward in making maximum use of that limitless resource. This past week, the west Indian state of Gujarat added another 214 MW to what is now the world's largest photovoltaic power field. Gujarat's 214 MW Charanka Solar Park covers 1,000 acres of desert. Wed, 25 Apr 2012 12:05:13 EST http://www.energyinsight.info/first_solar_restructures.html http://www.energyinsight.info/first_solar_restructures.html First Solar, a global provider of comprehensive photovoltaic solar systems, has announced that it is restructuring its operations in order to reduce costs and in response to deteriorating market conditions in Europe. The company will close its manufacturing operations in Frankfurt and reduce its global workforce by approximately 30 percent. Wed, 18 Apr 2012 12:05:13 EST http://www.energyinsight.info/renewable_energy_price_hikes.html http://www.energyinsight.info/renewable_energy_price_hikes.html Instituting renewable energy systems costs money. But this cost is tiny compared to the huge investment required to meet peak demand and replace aging poles and wires, and is not responsible for major price hikes in consumer electricity bills, according to Australia's Clean Energy Council. Mon, 9 Apr 2012 12:05:13 EST http://www.energyinsight.info/renewable_energy_telecom_towers.html http://www.energyinsight.info/renewable_energy_telecom_towers.html Providing cell phone coverage in rural areas typically calls for off-grid telecom towers. How are these towers powered? Often, using diesel generators. India's Bharti Infratel is working to change that through a series of renewable and green energy initiatives to power its growing infrastructure of telecom towers. Tue, 3 Apr 2012 12:05:13 EST http://www.energyinsight.info/germany_renewable_energy_opportunities.html http://www.energyinsight.info/germany_renewable_energy_opportunities.html A decision is expected by the end of March on changes to Germany's cornerstone law - the Renewable Energy Sources Act. Drastic reductions to solar subsidies are still on the table, but even this scenario cannot curb Germany's march forward in renewable energy. Tue, 27 Mar 2012 12:05:13 EST http://www.energyinsight.info/solar_parking_canopies.html http://www.energyinsight.info/solar_parking_canopies.html The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority has begun sheltering its buses while helping to power its maintenance facilities at the same time with solar parking canopy systems. The systems produce a total of 2.1 megawatts of power. Wed, 14 Mar 2012 12:05:13 EST http://www.energyinsight.info/low_carbon_electrified_future.html http://www.energyinsight.info/low_carbon_electrified_future.html Imagine a world with abundant clean energy: less risk of climate change, no peak oil, and more renewable ways to provide power to an exploding global population. The Waterloo Global Science Initiative's Equinox Summit: Energy 2030 examines the possibilities. Mon, 20 Feb 2012 12:05:13 EST http://www.energyinsight.info/renewable_drop_in_gasoline.html http://www.energyinsight.info/renewable_drop_in_gasoline.html Primus Green Energy has produced its first sample of renewable drop-in gasoline through a process that transforms herbaceous and woody biomass into high-octane gasoline. The biofuel is virtually indistinguishable from gasoline produced from fossil fuels, and does not require costly engine modifications, overhauls of the fuel delivery infrastructure, or changes in consumer behavior. Thu, 16 Feb 2012 12:05:13 EST http://www.energyinsight.info/zayed_future_energy_prize_2012.html http://www.energyinsight.info/zayed_future_energy_prize_2012.html Winners have been announced in the 2012 Zayed Future Energy Prize. His Highness General Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, presented the prestigious awards to three winners and two runners up at a ceremony held in Emirates Palace. Wed, 25 Jan 2012 12:05:13 EST http://www.energyinsight.info/andasol_3.html http://www.energyinsight.info/andasol_3.html A consortium of five German companies have completed the largest European solar power plant to date, located in the Spanish province of Granada. Andasol 3 will generate approximately 165 million kilowatt hours of electricity a year. In all, the three more or less identical Andasol power plants can meet the electricity needs of about half a million people using power generated by solar energy. Fri, 6 Jan 2012 12:05:13 EST http://www.energyinsight.info/washington_understand_biofuel.html http://www.energyinsight.info/washington_understand_biofuel.html One of the greatest hurdles facing the biofuel industry is not technical but political. It's convincing the policymakers and legislators in government that biofuel can strengthen both the economy and the country. In the United States, the Advanced Biofuels Association hopes to overcome this hurdle through a new online video series -- Biofuel STAT -- that gives viewers, including government representatives, a unique perspective on the state of America's domestic biofuels industry. Thu, 5 Jan 2012 12:05:13 EST http://www.energyinsight.info/rna_cad_better_biofuels.html http://www.energyinsight.info/rna_cad_better_biofuels.html The CAD tools that made it possible to fabricate integrated circuits with millions of transistors may soon be coming to the biological sciences. Researchers at the U.S. DOE's Joint BioEnergy Institute have developed CAD-type models and simulations for RNA molecules that may aid in microbial-based sustainable production of advanced biofuels. Wed, 4 Jan 2012 12:05:13 EST http://www.energyinsight.info/asantys_solar_mali.html http://www.energyinsight.info/asantys_solar_mali.html Asantys Systems has successfully implemented two off-grid solar installations in the African Republic of Mali. The two solar power plants -- 50kWp and 150kWp -- were installed by order of Foundation Rural Energy Services, an NGO from the Netherlands whose aim is to provide electrification in rural areas of developing countries. Fri, 9 Dec 2011 12:05:13 EST http://www.energyinsight.info/energy_globe_world_award.html http://www.energyinsight.info/energy_globe_world_award.html The Drake Landing Solar Community in Alberta, Canada has received the Energy Globe World Award for 2011 for its district heating system that stores solar energy in an underground thermal energy storage reservoir during summer months and distributes the energy to the homes for space heating during winter months. Mon, 5 Dec 2011 12:05:13 EST http://www.energyinsight.info/platts_global_energy_awards.html http://www.energyinsight.info/platts_global_energy_awards.html Green was the predominant color as the 2011 Platts Global Energy Awards were presented to 21 companies and industry leaders at a gala dinner in New York on December 1st. Clean energy and sustainability themes prevailed in the entries for this year's awards, setting the criteria for honors in energy efficiency and technology categories. Sun, 4 Dec 2011 12:05:13 EST http://www.energyinsight.info/alloy_heat_electricity.html http://www.energyinsight.info/alloy_heat_electricity.html University of Minnesota engineering researchers in the College of Science and Engineering have recently discovered a new alloy material that converts heat directly into electricity. This revolutionary energy conversion method is in the early stages of development, but it could have wide-sweeping impact on creating environmentally friendly electricity from waste heat sources. Thu, 1 Dec 2011 12:05:13 EST http://www.energyinsight.info/renewable_energy_economy.html http://www.energyinsight.info/renewable_energy_economy.html Is renewable energy good for the economy? Does it create -- or destroy -- jobs? Would government investment in renewable energy create more or fewer jobs than a similar investment in traditional energy industries, such as oil and gas? As is so often the case, it depends on whom you ask. Thu, 3 Nov 2011 12:05:13 EST http://www.energyinsight.info/t-solar_india_peru.html http://www.energyinsight.info/t-solar_india_peru.html The T-Solar Group is continuing its international expansion with the construction of a further 61 MW in Peru and India. The group, which already has over 230 MW under operation and construction in Spain, Italy, India, and Peru, has just brought its first photovoltaic power plant in India online. The new plant uses thin-film amorphous silicon panels produced in the company's state-of-the-art factory in Galicia, Spain. Thu, 27 Oct 2011 12:05:13 EST http://www.energyinsight.info/sunpower_c7_tracker.html http://www.energyinsight.info/sunpower_c7_tracker.html Real estate is expensive. Solar photovoltaic cells are expensive. Obviously, there'd be an advantage to being able to produce the same power using less of each. SunPower's new C7 Tracker makes this possible by combining parabolic mirrors to concentrate the sun's power and an automated tracking system that follows the sun as it transits the sky. Wed, 19 Oct 2011 12:05:13 EST