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Posts Tagged ‘DOE’

The Future of Demand Response

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Demand response is a resource that allows electric customers to voluntarily reduce their electricity usage in response to a price signal, financial incentive, environmental concern or reliability emergency. By lowering usage at these times, customers are able to help lower wholesale energy prices and possibly prevent rolling black-outs by offsetting the incremental amount of electricity needed to meet increased demand during high load periods. It is a tariff or program that was designed to motivate changes in electricity use by end-use customers that can help modify the load profile of a utility or region. 

Common methods of…
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For Small Businesses Developing Clean Energy Technologies, Aug. 4 Deadline Approaches for DOE Funding

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Small companies developing clean energy technology, including wind shown above, have until next Wednesday to submit applications for funding to the DOE.

Great news for the future of clean energy technology and small businesses! Small companies developing clean energy technology can now receive funding from $30 million appropriated by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) from the Recovery Act and Fiscal Year 2010 budget. The DOE’s recent announcement of the funding opportunity states that successful small business applicants “may receive up to $3 million…
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How PACE Bonds Could Help You Finance an Energy Efficiency Project

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It’s well known that facilities and energy managers are extremely interested in reducing their overall energy costs. And according to the U.S. Dept of Energy, residential and commercial retrofits have the potential to cut energy bills by $40 billion annually.  With this in mind, why aren’t all building owners investing in energy efficiency (retrofitting windows, lighting, and HVAC) measures?

Because most managers are looking for ways to cut costs that either has a short payback, or a demonstrable improvement in their top line – in other words, they’re conservative and reluctant to invest capital. The challenge is to…
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How the Smart Grid Will Change the Way You Think About Electricity

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What the “Smart Grid” is depends a lot on who you ask.

According to the Department of Energy, the Smart Grid is “an automated, widely distributed energy delivery network; the Smart Grid will be characterized by a two-way flow of electricity and information and will be capable of monitoring everything from power plants to customer preferences to individual appliances.  It incorporates into the grid the benefits of distributed computing and communications to deliver real-time information and enable a near instantaneous balance of supply and demand at the device level.”

From Constellation NewEnergy’s perspective, the new modern grid…
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Top Five Energy Efficiency Strategies for Buildings – Part 3

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Third part of a five part series on the Top Energy Efficiency Strategies

In addition to CFLs, there are other ways to reduce energy use caused by lighting. Energy Star, a joint program between the EPA and the DOE, reports that lighting consumes 25%–30% of energy in commercial buildings, and is a primary source of heat gain and waste heat.

Both small measures and complete upgrades are a relatively low-risk investment for profitable savings.

Some simple measures are installing occupancy sensors for offices, and motion sensors or time clocks on exterior parking lots and security…
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