Kyocera is introducing a new home energy management system that couples solar power panels with a lithium-ion battery for power storage that allows Japanese homes to operate off-grid if necessary.

What if electricity cost more when the sun was shining? Many utilities are using new electronic “smart meters” to adjust the price of electricity as often as every hour, to reflect supply and demand.  And charging more when electricity is in short supply can be good news, increasing the value of solar by 33% or more. Time-of-use (TOU) pricing is a different billing method for electricity, where the customer pays based on the time of day of using electricity rather than a flat rate per kilowatt-hour consumed.  The premise is that electricity is more expensive when in high demand (e.g. by air conditioners in the afternoon on hot, sunny days) and that pricing accordingly will help reduce demand. For example, customers in San Francisco on a TOU pricing plan pay more for electricity during peak hours (12 PM ...

A judge rules against smart meter opponents in Naperville, Illinois who wanted to hold a vote on whether the devices should be installed in their city.

The intermittent, yet often complementary, nature of wind and solar energy has long been observed and increasingly remarked upon of late. Minnesota’s Ecos Energy is looking to take advantage of that by building the state’s largest solar photovoltaic (PV) array on a 13-acre site in southwestern Minnesota, home to more wind farms than any other region state-wide, the StarTribune reports. At 2-megawatts (MW), the solar power array can’t be considered large by any stretch, but it’s expected to provide enough electricity for 340 homes, about as much as a single wind turbine. Yet more significantly, Ecos Energy’s Slayton project will provide some trailblazing data as to whether or not intermittent solar energy and wind turbine arrays can be used in tandem to provide a more consistent supply of power to the grid. More than 70 wind farms are up and ...

Stuffed into the envelope with the electricity bill is sometimes a little pamphlet telling you where that energy comes from. Sometimes, it’s pretty detailed; other times, not so much. But the percentage of energy coming from renewable sources often isn’t that high, and part of the reason for that is that renewable energy is generated in bursts and is then hard to store. Energy storage on a large scale would help even out the intermittent nature of renewable energy; in fact, techniques such as batteries and fuel cells are used on smaller scales right now to manage grids with high percentages of renewable sources. The problem with wide-scale use is that energy storage systems are not cheap. The Falling Cost of Technology While energy storage tech is expensive now, any consumer will note that the price of technology (whether that’s computers, ...

February 1, 2012
6:00 pm	to	8:00 pm

Date: February 1, 2012

Time: 6:00pm – 8:00pm

Location: Ambers Brewery, 9926 78 Avenue NW Edmonton

Topic: Industry Perspectives on the CleanTech Industry in Alberta

Speakers: Kyle Kasawski, Solar Productions, Landmark Group, David Neely, Canadian Smart Grid / Smart Cities – Integration Leader, GE Energy, Klaas Rodenburg, Sustainable Design, Stantec Consulting
Cost: $20 for drink & snacks and a 1 year individual membership to ACTia (limited time offer)

Register for this event

Listen to brief presentations from both SME and larger industry players about their perspectives on the CleanTech Industry in Alberta. Network with like-minded people from business, industry groups, potential investors and government.  Come network and enjoy some food and drinks!

What is ACTia?

ACTia is an association that focuses on addressing common issues facing the clean technology industry. ACTia’s mandate is to promote clean technologies to the private and public sectors. Key areas of interest to …

EnergyHub's e5 home energy management software uses weather forecasts to program heating and cooling cycles and optimize grid response.

February 13, 2012 1:00 pm

to

February 14, 2012 11:00 am

WADE Canada, the voice of Canada’s decentralized energy industry, invites you to attend PART I of a two-part investment boosting program (valued at $1,200). Grow your company by attracting clients, partners and investors to your clean energy technology business. We thought you might also like to connect with more like-minded professionals across the country, so you’ll receive a free 1-year membership with WADE Canada too!

PART I

Building Capacity Program, Live Webinar

February 13, 2012    1:00 – 3:00 p.m. Mountain

February 14, 2012    9:00 – 11:00 a.m. Mountain

This 2-hour webinar will provide professional business training, offering ways to strengthen your business proposal and verbal pitch, a “12 questions” methodology to better tailor your value proposition. Armed with improved selling tools, webinar participants will be invited to meet with investors and potential business partners at a clean energy event this spring (Part II).

REGISTER HERE

If …

As the need for visibility into a company's carbon emissions and energy use accelerates, the major players in the market are stepping up their acquisitions and evolution. You can count on more changes coming soon, but here's the current lay of the land in this fast-changing market.

Energenie's remote-controled power strips and their latest power socket plug will have your electricity bill dropping like a rock.