The Net Zero Plus Electric Training Institute (NZP-ETI) is now modeling the future of energy-efficient building design

By Roy Hales, Originally published on the ECOreport, 9 March 2017   The first zero-net-energy building in the United States was erected at the beginning of this century. In California, this standard has penetrated the residential market, and every new home will have to produce as much energy as it consumes by 2020. A building in greater Los Angeles goes far beyond that …

Small diesel losing its grip? Nigeria debates $30 million for off-grid solar power

March 8th, 2017 by Tina Casey on Clean Technica   The news buzzing around the Intertubes this week shows just how far the solar energy field has come in a few short years. In the latest development, the Nigerian government is considering a $30 million allocation for off-grid solar projects. According to a report in Bloomberg solar panels are an “economic option” …

Energy storage set to increase by 40x in developing countries in the next 8 or 9 years

Over the next eight to nine years, energy storage capacity in developing countries is expected to skyrocket from 2 gigawatts (GW) today to more than 80GW, according to a new report by the World Bank Group.  The report, “Energy Storage Trends and Opportunities in Emerging Markets,” indicates the annual growth in energy storage capacity will exceed 40% each year over …

Denver new city hub will be an internet of things (IoT), have self-driving EasyMile shuttle, and an energy grid with solar power during the day and batteries at night

Peña Station, currently a remote rail station south of Denver International Airport, may be the location of one of the most futuristic smart city developments. Denver Mayor Michael Hancock expressed his desire for Peña Station to be more than just a transit hub and earlier this year Panasonic jumped at the chance to make it a thriving community, outfitted with …

Plug & Play Microgrid Systems

October 17th, 2016 by Steve Hanley  Originally published on Solar Love. On October 10th, ABB, a pioneer and world leader in microgrid technology, announced a new range of microgrid solutions to enhance and promote distributed power generation. These modular and scalable “plug and play” products are designed expressly to address the needs of remote areas that are not tied to the …

Utility planners are beginning to think about how distributed solar can serve system needs

Cross-posted from Utility Dive “Utilities are starting to plan for customers adding distributed solar and for procuring it themselves,” Andrew Mills, lead author of the study, told Utility Dive. “We wanted to know how they are doing it.” The report also assesses planning by five system operators, along with distribution system analysis in California, New York, Hawaii, and Massachusetts. While the …

Transport agency making side areas available for vegetable gardening

By Jonathan Prynn, cross-posted from the London Evening Standard 22 September 2015 After Transport for London made the spot available, charity workers transformed a windswept station platform into a thriving fruit, vegetable and flower garden to brighten up commuters’ lives.  They plan to create dozens more across London. The “Energy Garden” at Brondesbury Park Overground station in Kilburn has been so successful …

It’s time to change our definition of ‘real’ energy in developing countries

Many of us have long argued for the rapid scale-up of off-grid, pay-as-you-go solar as a faster way to deliver energy and financial services to those without access to the grid or traditional banking. In January, Katherine Wolfram, a business professor at the University of California, Berkeley, argued that this model does not deliver “real” kilowatt-hours comparable in quality or price to the …