Solar Panels – The Asphalt of the 21st Century?

With the increased focus on renewable energy, solar panels, which are more formally referred to as photovoltaic cells, are becoming more widespread in: Roofs of homes, reducing the amount and cost of purchased electricity, Roofs of hybrid cars, powering its air conditioner and thus placing less drag on the gasoline-powered engine, and Calculators and small electronic devices. There are thoughts...

Hybrid Cars and Solar Power

Hybrid electric cars try to save energy and reduce emissions wherever  possible while the car is running. Fuel efficiency is achieved when a vehicle is stopped, decelerating, or moving slowly in traffic because the gasoline engine switches off and an electric motor (which creates little or no emissions) switches on. The gasoline engine reengages only as the driver requires more power to reach...

Net Metering – A Developing Concept

What is Net Metering The prospect of dwindling energy resources and increased attention to environmental stewardship have expanded the role consumers can play in improving energy efficiency. Certainly the installation of solar panels on roofs and turning off of lights and appliances when not in use contribute to these initiatives. Despite these best of intentions, the problem of unused (i.e....

Nuclear Power – Part of the Solution

Nuclear Power – Safe, Clean, and Efficient Electricity Despite the controversy which often surrounds nuclear power, it remains a vital part of the solution in generating safe, clean, and efficient electricity: Among its many environmental friendly attributes, nuclear power produces no controlled air pollutants or greenhouse gases, contributing to clean air, addressing concerns around...

Integration of MDMS and OMS

Outage Management-An Evolving Process The electric industry has come a long way since the 1980s with respect to service restoration during unplanned system outages: The manual process of collecting and sorting trouble reports to the call center and manually discerning patterns from which to generate work orders has largely been replaced by sophisticated algorithms of computerized outage...

Green Roofs are Energy Efficient and Environmentally Clean

Long-Term Cost Savings Green Roofs: Energy Efficient and Environmentally Clean A green roof is one that can sustain living vegetation, yet still protect a building from the elements. The initial costs of installing a green roof are higher than more traditional roofing methods. However, the long-term benefits of a green roof produce savings and have the added benefit of protecting the environment....

Maintenance Testing of Protective Relays

Protective Relay With the increased focus on testing practices for protective relaying systems brought about by the NERC Standard PRC-017-0 – Special Protection System (SPS) Maintenance and Testing, electric utilities are taking measures to ensure that their installed SPS is: Properly designed, Performing to applicable specifications, and Coordinated with the overall protection schemes. As a...

Time of Use Electricity Rates

There are a growing number of U.S. electric utilities that offer time-of-use rates where the rates for using electric energy will vary by the time of day, the day of the week and/or by the season. Varying frameworks and criteria based on regional and utility-specific considerations are used to design these programs to encourage more desirable usage patterns and especially to reduce electricity...

Geothermal Heat Pumps Have Lower Lifecycle Costs

Geothermal Heat Pump Qualified geothermal heat pumps have traditionally used 30 percent less energy than standard heat pumps, but with the recently developed ENERGYSTAR specification that went into effect in December 2009 the efficiency should improve to 45 percent. Though more expensive to purchase than standard options, the difference will most assuredly by paid back over time through reduced...

Geothermal Energy – Earth Driven Electricity

Geothermal Compares Favorably with Other Renewable Sources Geothermal Energy Geothermal Energy originates from the heat stored in the earth, drawing from underground heated water and steam to drive electricity-generating turbines. In comparison to other well-accepted renewable technologies (e.g. wind and solar), geothermal energy: Is available 24/7 and avoids the challenges of variability or...