power grid Archives – The Green Optimistic

Scare Tactics – Renewable Energy will Spike Electricity Prices

Benji Jerew — Mon, 28 Apr 2014 16:42:18 +0000

We know that, to reduce emissions associated with power production, fully we need to make the switch to renewable energy. Some say this will cause energy prices to “skyrocket.” So far, United States’ adoption of renewable energy has been poor, at best. Power producers, responsible for about a third of US greenhouse gas emissions, could […]

The post Scare Tactics – Renewable Energy will Spike Electricity Prices appeared first on The Green Optimistic.

Could Development of Efficient DC Power Grids be Spurred by New USB PD Standard?

Benji Jerew — Mon, 28 Oct 2013 21:06:13 +0000

It may not seem that the ubiquitous USB cable has anything to do with the power grid. It’s all a matter of current. The problem is that the universal standard power grid is alternating current [AC], while USB [universal serial bus] cables carry only direct current [DC], in addition to data, for powering devices. In […]

The post Could Development of Efficient DC Power Grids be Spurred by New USB PD Standard? appeared first on The Green Optimistic.

Electric Vehicle Charging Requires Significant Power Grid Upgrades

Benji Jerew — Fri, 16 Aug 2013 18:41:37 +0000

Last year, some 50,000 electric vehicles were sold, most of them in California. This is good news for the California air, but not so good news for the California power grid. Now, there is enough capacity to handle the additional load of charging electric vehicles, but not in individual neighborhoods. For example, a typical neighborhood […]

The post Electric Vehicle Charging Requires Significant Power Grid Upgrades appeared first on The Green Optimistic.

New Simpler Flow Battery for Grid Storage Developed at Stanford University

Benji Jerew — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 16:45:45 +0000

The development of grid storage solutions is critical if the power grid is to switch to entirely renewable energy sources. The problem is that renewable energy is largely weather-dependent, so we need backup power sources to take up the slack when demand outstrips the supply of renewable energy. This often means that conventional fossil fuel […]

The post New Simpler Flow Battery for Grid Storage Developed at Stanford University appeared first on The Green Optimistic.

Calcium-Aluminum High Voltage Power Cables Could be Lighter and More Durable

Benji Jerew — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 15:42:45 +0000

We may never give high voltage power cables a second thought, but there’s a lot that goes into their construction that could be improved. High voltage cables are typically made from a steel core and an aluminum shell. Aluminum is the 4th-best conductor of electricity after gold, silver, and copper, but doesn’t make a good […]

The post Calcium-Aluminum High Voltage Power Cables Could be Lighter and More Durable appeared first on The Green Optimistic.

Can the French Power Grid Handle All the Electric Vehicles?

Benji Jerew — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 21:45:18 +0000

Since electric vehicles don’t fill up at a pump but instead at an outlet, concerns over power grid stability are rising in France. Renault has launched the ZOE electric vehicle in France just recently. While it isn’t the first electric vehicle in France, its more reasonable price could make it much more appealing to the […]

The post Can the French Power Grid Handle All the Electric Vehicles? appeared first on The Green Optimistic.

Researchers at NREL Striving to Increase EV Adoption

Benji Jerew — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 06:37:47 +0000

Researchers at the Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory [NREL] have set a goal, “to target the key innovations necessary to accelerate the rate of adoption for electric drive vehicles. In addition, our efforts are focused on scenarios that will incorporate expanded use of renewable energy resources to charge those vehicles.” – Bob Rehn, […]

The post Researchers at NREL Striving to Increase EV Adoption appeared first on The Green Optimistic.

Grido’s Internet-Like Next Generation Power Grid

Leigh Hutchens — Tue, 29 Jan 2013 21:11:23 +0000

A new type of smart grid is taking its cues from the Internet by using distributed and decentralized power grid management. Three year old Gridco Systems, a startup founded by Namish Patel, the entrepreneur who founded Sycamore Networks, is using digital solid state transformers and software that ingests data in real time in order to […]

The post Grido’s Internet-Like Next Generation Power Grid appeared first on The Green Optimistic.

Indian EV, Mahindra E2O – Can the Power Grid Handle It?

Benji Jerew — Wed, 09 Jan 2013 17:27:56 +0000

In a recent press release, Mahindra REVA announced the release of a new electric vehicle [EV] to be called the E2O. The new mini-car expects to have a 62-mile range, the perfect combination of size and range for city driving. Additionally, it can charge on any 15A standard socket in the country, as well as, […]

The post Indian EV, Mahindra E2O – Can the Power Grid Handle It? appeared first on The Green Optimistic.

Recent Study Finds Climate Change Threatening California’s Power Grid

Benji Jerew — Wed, 19 Dec 2012 17:07:06 +0000

Climate change has been studied in its effect on various human activities, including agriculture, health, water supplies, and of course, the weather. Effects on the power grid, though, haven’t been scrutinized as thoroughly until a recent study completed by researchers at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory [BL]. We already know that climate change is forcing temperatures […]

The post Recent Study Finds Climate Change Threatening California’s Power Grid appeared first on The Green Optimistic.