Grist | Topics | 63 Results

RESULTS		Results 51 – 63 of 63
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Headline	Author	Published	Section
Beyond storage, demand, and grid management On smart grids	Gar Lipow	11 Jun 2007	Gristmill
My last post made the points that: Long-distance transmission lines tying different climate zones together reduce storage needs to a few hours capacity, by ensuring that most of the time when one machine is not producing, another is. The least expensive and most ecologically sound way to store electricity on the particular scale needed is with closed-cycle, lined, modular pumped storage that recirculates the same water over and over again, and thus does not draw on ...
Topics: electricity grid, energy, renewable energy (all these topics)

Adventures in the Smart Grid no. 1 Why the Smart Grid is important	Patrick Mazza	10 Jun 2007	Gristmill
It's the world's largest machine -- the interconnected network of power plants, transmission towers, substations, poles, and wires that make up the power grid. When you flip the switch you expect the juice to flow and don't have much reason to think about it, except during the occasional blackout. Power engineers and energy wonks might get passionate about the grid, but for most people it's just a background fact of life. It's time to bring the grid into the for ...
Topics: electricity grid, energy, energy efficiency, renewable energy (all these topics)

Massachusetts is going to blow	David Roberts	18 May 2007	Gristmill
The electrical grid in Massachusetts is getting ready to blow: Documents obtained by the Herald show more than 12,000 transformers from Attleboro to Ayer are operating at above 200 percent capacity, with some as high as 900 percent over design standards. Union officials, who last night reached an agreement in contract talks with National Grid, say the overloads are pushing the state's electrical system to the brink and could lead to widespread blackouts this summer. ...
Topics: electricity grid, energy, Massachusetts (all these topics)

Put one of these babies on an electric bike A123 introduces new battery	biodiversivist	17 May 2007	Gristmill
From the Energy Blog: A123 Systems today introduced its 32-series NanophosphateTM Lithium Ion cells, specifically designed for Hybrid Electric Vehicle (HEV) and Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV) use. The 32-series cells are designed with abuse-tolerance in mind. A123 Systems Automotive Class cells take advantage of lessons learned from the mass-production of ANR26650M1 cells, used in DeWalt's and Black & Decker's power tool lines, in order to deliver 10+ ye ...
Topics: cars, electric vehicles, electricity grid, energy, hybrids, placemaking, tech (all these topics)

Microgrid porn You know you love it	David Roberts	04 May 2007	Gristmill
This AP story is a bit old but it's incredibly significant so I'm going to go ahead and get in a tizzy about it. It's about efforts by the city of Stamford, Conn. (among other places) to establish a micro grid district. What's that, you ask? Within these special zones, sometimes referred to as 'energy independence districts,' businesses, government buildings and office buildings can design and create their own power source, such as a fuel cell or natural gas gener ...
Topics: Connecticut, electricity grid, energy, placemaking (all these topics)

Grid porn The latest on smart grids, microgrids, and nerd grids	David Roberts	29 Apr 2007	Gristmill
Three good bits from the smart grid front. First up, there's a new report out from the California Energy Commission called Distributed Generation and Cogeneration Policy Roadmap for California (PDF). Hot reading! The New Rules Project has a nice write-up on it. See also the NRP's section on barriers to distributed generation. Next up, five big companies have teamed up to create GridNet NOW, an alliance that "offers a comprehensive, cost effective suite of se ...
Topics: cogeneration, electricity grid, energy, geothermal power, renewable energy (all these topics)

Smart grid baby steps: smart meters (metres?) in the U.K. Helping homeowners monitor electricity use	David Roberts	17 Apr 2007	Gristmill
One piece of the smart-grid puzzle is home electricity monitoring -- allowing homeowners (and eventually business and factory owners) to track their electricity use in real time. As the old saw goes, what gets measured gets done. Simply making people aware of energy flows is the first step to helping them modulate those flows efficiently. On that note, it's fantastic to see this: soon, every household in the U.K. will be able to request a smart meter and have it insta ...
Topics: electricity grid, energy, hybrids, placemaking, politics, United Kingdom (all these topics)

'Electranet' slowly moving into media bloodstream Stories on smart grid starting to pop up	David Roberts	03 Apr 2007	Gristmill
I'm late on this too, but do check out what is the first straight news story (that I've seen anyway) on Gore's "electranet" -- i.e. smart grid -- proposal. Congrats to Lisa Friedman. It's a nice piece of work, making the simple point that Gore is not talking about science fiction. The tools to make the electricity grid smarter and more resilient, and to decentralize electricity generation and storage, exist. The barriers are political. As usual, Californi ...
Topics: energy, electricity grid, Al Gore (all these topics)

He Believes in Miracles Former Jamaican bobsled team founder seeks energy independence as mayor		12 Mar 2007	Daily Grist
He Believes in Miracles Former Jamaican bobsled team founder seeks energy independence as mayor It's a career crisis we've all faced at some point: what comes after you've created the Jamaican Olympic bobsled team? For George Fitch, now the mayor of Warrenton, Va., the answer stinks. Fitch wants to make the 8,000-person town energy independent by 2010 by building a $30 million biomass plant at the local dump. Are ...
Topics: electricity grid, energy, news, Virginia (all these topics)

Yes We Ken London mayor unveils comprehensive climate-change plan		28 Feb 2007	Daily Grist
Yes We Ken London mayor unveils comprehensive climate-change plan London Mayor Ken Livingstone unveiled a Climate Change Action Plan yesterday in hopes of making the English capital the greenest city in the world. Under the scheme, London will switch 25 percent of its power supply to local generation, and businesses that invest in green technology will earn merit badges ...
Topics: climate, electricity grid, energy, energy efficiency, London, news, United Kingdom (all these topics)

V2G (vehicle to grid): real but limited potential It's not the key to making renewables work	Gar Lipow	13 Dec 2006	Gristmill
In his post on the potential of our current grid to support electric cars, John McGrath mentioned V2G in passing. Electric cars (either hybrids or full EVs) have the potential to be a real-life silver bullet. Anyone who advocates for increased use of renewables is inevitably confronted with the problem of intermittency. With wind, the rule of thumb is that if grid energy supplied by wind grows to more than 25-30%, utilities need to spend prohibitive amounts on 'spinn ...
Topics: cars, electric vehicles, electricity grid, energy (all these topics)

What a green wants: An index-card manifesto (first draft) A positive environmental program that can (almost) fit on an index card	David Roberts	17 Feb 2006	Gristmill
Without further ado, here's the first draft of my index-card manifesto. It turned out to be two index-card manifestos, with five points each: one for stuff I consider immediately urgent, and a second for what I consider longer-term goals. Feedback is welcome -- nay, requested. (I'll discuss the whole project more in a subsequent post.) WHAT A GREEN WANTS: IMMEDIATE PRIORITIES Energy efficiency: Proven techniques can get the same amount of work with 50% of the oil. ...
Topics: agriculture, cars, electricity grid, energy, environmental movement, green living, messaging, placemaking, renewable energy, urban planning (all these topics)

Electric Slide Deregulation in California didn't help consumers, or the environment	Donella H. Meadows	22 Jan 2001	Global Citizen
As blackouts roll through California, the New Hampshire Supreme Court cleared the way for electrical restructuring, while a Vermont utility assured legislators that what is happening out West can't happen here. Why not? The powers that don't have to be. As I hear people try to explain California's electricity problem, I wonder whether anyone really understands the market syste ...
Topics: California, electricity grid, energy (all these topics)

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