Monthly Archives: January 2012
From Edison’s Trunk, Direct Current Gets Another Look
By MICHAEL KANELLOS Thomas Edison and his direct current, or DC, technology lost the so-called War of the Currents to alternating current, or AC, in the 1890s after it became clear that AC was far more efficient at transmitting electricity over long distances. Today, AC is still the standard for the electricity that comes out of […]
For Excess Solar Flow, a Veg-O-Matic for Voltage
By MATTHEW L. WALD Until very recently, the solar industry was mainly concerned with getting a toehold in the production of electricity at a utility-level scale. Now a New Jersey company is looking for its niche in a different field — how to handle a system that is saturated with solar energy, sometimes enough to destabilize […]
Car Batteries Are Not Just For the Car
By MATTHEW L. WALD Coda Automotive is supposed to start selling its electric sedannext month. On Friday, its parent company announced that it was also moving into a related line: stationary batteries for electricity storage. Coda Holdings will make minor modifications to battery packs for its cars, which use Chinese-manufactured lithium iron phosphate cells, and sell them individually […]
energy Tax Breaks Proposed, Despite Waning Support for Subsidies
By DIANE CARDWELL Assisted by technological innovation and years of subsidies, the cost of wind and solar power has fallen sharply — so much so that the two industries say that they can sometimes deliver cleaner electricity at prices competitive with power made from fossil fuels. At the same time, wind and solar companies are telling Congress that […]
On the Horizon, Planes Powered by Plant Fuel
By MATTHEW L. WALD The use of jet fuel from renewable sources is now well demonstrated, but it costs more than double what fuel made from petroleum does, according to airlines, aircraft companies and suppliers. One way to cut the cost may be to tinker with the plants that biofuel is made from. Take jatropha, for example. […]
Preparing for a Flood of Energy Efficiency Spending
By KATE GALBRAITH KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — To the casual eye, the basement of this city’s Firehouse 9 looks like a jumble of old hydrants, Dr Pepper cartons, rakes and random gear. To specialists in energy efficiency, the 1960s-era building is a mess of a different sort: wasteful hot water heaters for the firefighters’ showers, […]
Solar CEOs Predict Boom in China Will Ease Glut in 2012: Energy
By Alex Morales and Jacqueline Simmons – Suntech Power Holdings Co. CEO Zhengrong Shi Simon Dawson/Bloomberg Shi Zhengrong, chief executive officer of Suntech Power Holdings Co. Shi Zhengrong, chief executive officer of Suntech Power Holdings Co. Photographer: Simon Dawson/Bloomberg Play Video Q Jan. 25 (Bloomberg) — Suntech Power Holdings Co. Chief Executive Officer Shi Zhengrong […]
Renewables From Vestas to Suntech Plan Profit Without Subsidy
By Alex Morales and Jacqueline Simmons – Congress Delay on Wind Energy Tax Break May Mean Lost Jobs Parts of a Vestas Wind Systems A/S turbine wait to be assembled at the Sacramento Municipal Utility District Wind Power Plant in Rio Vista, California, on Nov. 17, 2011. Vestas, the world’s biggest maker of turbines, said […]
Solar Cheaper Than Diesel Making India’s Mittal Believer: Energy
Q By Natalie Obiko Pearson – Solar Cheaper Than Diesel Making India’s Mittal Believer Dhiraj Singh/Bloomberg Mittal’s Bharti Airtel Ltd., India’s largest mobile-phone operator, and Jain Irrigation Systems Ltd., the world’s biggest mango-puree producer and supplier to Coca-Cola, are among companies swapping diesel generators for photovoltaic modules. Mittal’s Bharti Airtel Ltd., India’s largest mobile-phone […]
Obama Backs Fracking to Create 600,000 Jobs, Vows Safe Drilling for Gas
By Jim Snyder and Katarzyna Klimasinska – U.S. President Barack Obama Joshua Roberts/Bloomberg U.S. President Barack Obama, front center, delivers the State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress with U.S. Vice President Joseph “Joe” Biden, back left, and House Speaker John Boehner at the Capitol in Washington. U.S. President Barack […]
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