industry – California Climate and Energy Collaborative

How to make computers faster and climate friendly

December 12, 2018

“Your smartphone is far more powerful than the NASA computers that put Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin on the moon in 1969, but it is also an energy hog. In computing, energy use is often considered a secondary problem to speed and storage, but with the rate and direction of technological advancement, it is becoming…

Air conditioning is broken. Here’s how we can (and must) fix it

December 12, 2018

Sarina Soor

air conditioning, industry

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“The use of energy for cooling buildings has more than tripled between 1990 and 2016, with nearly 70 percent of this increase stemming from the residential sector. According to Solving the Global Cooling Challenge, a new report by the Rocky Mountain Institute, room air conditioners (RACs) — the typical window and split units used in…

A solar cell that does double duty for renewable energy

November 18, 2018

Sarina Soor

industry, renewable energy, solar energy

No Comments

“In the quest for abundant, renewable alternatives to fossil fuels, scientists have sought to harvest the sun’s energy through “water splitting,” an artificial photosynthesis technique that uses sunlight to generate hydrogen fuel from water. But water-splitting devices have yet to live up to their potential because there still isn’t a design for materials with the…

Study shows natural gas, wind and solar to be cheapest technologies for generating electricity

November 18, 2018

Sarina Soor

energy market, industry, natural gas, solar, wind

No Comments

“Changing market conditions have made natural gas, wind and solar energy the lowest-cost technologies for new electricity generation for most of the U.S., according to updated research released today by The University of Texas at Austin’s Energy Institute.” Click here to read more from Tech Explore.

Chevron’s U.S. natural gas volumes surge 14%, liquids jump 25%

November 18, 2018

Sarina Soor

Chevron, industry, natural gas

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“Supermajor Chevron Corp. produced a record 2.96 million boe/d net in 3Q2018, 9% higher than a year ago, as the Wheatstone natural gas export project in Australia ramped up and Permian Basin volumes continued to climb.” Click here to read more from Natural Gas Intel.

Visualizing the global transition to green energy

November 18, 2018

Sarina Soor

energy transition, graph, green energy, industry

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“A fully green future could be closer than you think. With each passing year, the steadily declining price of renewable energy makes it increasingly competitive against fossil fuels.” Click here to read more from Visual Capitalist.

Hyundai and Kia adding solar panels to cars

November 18, 2018

Sarina Soor

electric vehicles, hybrid vehicles, industry, solar panels

No Comments

“The first few minutes inside a car that has been sitting out in the sun on a hot day can feel like you’re trapped in an oven, frantically winding down windows and cranking the AC to achieve a survivable temperature for the drive. Well, what if that solar energy could be converted to help power…

Utilities benefit from renewable energy growth

November 12, 2018

Sarina Soor

financial reportings, industry, renewable energy, solar energy

No Comments

“Even at a glance, NextEra Energy’s (NYSE: NEE) third-quarter results are impressive. Earnings per share grew 18 percent, thumping management’s long-term compound annual growth target of 6 to 8 percent. That keeps the utility on track for another 12 to 14 percent dividend boost early next year. But the best news is inside that performance.…

Stung by failed carbon fee, greens focus on renewables

November 12, 2018

Sarina Soor

carbon fee, elections, industry

No Comments

“Climate hawks began to shift their focus yesterday from a defeated carbon fee referendum in Washington state to boosting renewables in states where Democrats wrested control of legislatures and governors’ mansions from Republicans. Heading into Tuesday’s midterms, greens had hoped a win in Washington, where a ballot initiative asked voters to approve a fee on…

The drive behind smart cars and the security movement

November 12, 2018

Sarina Soor

automated vehicles, electric vehicles, industry, transportation

No Comments

“Transportation trends towards automation and increased usage of mobility services like Uber and Lyft is expected to rapidly expand the percentage of electric vehicles on the road, further increasing electricity demand, which will have significant impacts on infrastructure and will require upgrades to the energy system. The costs of these investments are likely to be…

Turning algae into biofuel

November 12, 2018

Sarina Soor

biofuel, industry

No Comments

“Algae is usually thought of as a bad thing but turns out it can can be turned into biofuel and jet fuel. “Basically what we’re doing is taking whole algae, harvested, and dried, and we’re pressure cooking it. Kind of like you do with your turkey over Thanksgiving,” said mentor to Yang Han and Research…

Can the electricity industry seize its resilience moment?

November 12, 2018

Sarina Soor

disaster resiliency, industry, renewables

No Comments

“Resilience discussions come and go in the energy industry. Storms like Hurricane Sandy and Matthew can spur a nationwide focus on resiliency, but change is largely concentrated in local areas that experienced the disaster. After a few news cycles, the topic fades into the background. However, experts agree that resilience is becoming much more important…

Why wind power isn’t the answer

November 2, 2018

Sarina Soor

industry, renewable energy, wind power

No Comments

“The punchline here is obvious: wind energy has been sold as a great source of “clean” energy. The reality is that wind energy’s expansion has been driven by federal subsidies and state-level mandates. Wind energy, cannot, and will not, meet a significant portion of our future energy needs because it requires too much land. Miller…

AI-powered smart outlet to help consumers save energy and take control of their homes

November 2, 2018

Sarina Soor

ai, energy efficiency, industry

No Comments

“Currant, a startup devoted to creating smart products that reduce energy consumption, today announced the Currant Smart Outlet — the first smart outlet on the market powered by artificial intelligence (AI). This unique outlet and its connected app enable customers to view a breakdown of their power usage and receive personalized, easy-to-implement suggestions for taking…

A powerful new solar cell produces both hydrogen fuel and electrical power

November 2, 2018

Sarina Soor

electricity, hydrogen fuel, industry, solar cells

No Comments

“In a field that’s essentially water-bending meets renewable energy, researchers successfully harnessed photosynthesis to split water to produce hydrogen fuel. Splitting H2O at its molecular level is something scientists have been doing for over 200 years, and could hold the tantalizing key to an emission-free hydrogen economy — if only it could be scaled up.…