An Internet-routing algorithm that tracks electricity price fluctuations could save data-hungry companies such as Google, Microsoft, and Amazon millions of dollars each year in electricity costs. A study from researchers at MIT, Carnegie Mellon University, and the networking company Akamai suggests that such Internet businesses could reduce their energy use by as much as 40 percent by rerouting data to locations where electricity prices are lowest on a particular day.
“Symantec also found that Green IT has reached critical mass. Virtually all the companies we surveyed (97 percent) are discussing their Green strategy, with just one percent saying it is unimportant.
Survey of Canadian utility company executives by Pwc shows that
main concerns are : regulatory changes and development, ageing workforce, lack of transmission capacity and pressures to replace ageing assets.
diminished access to capital is having a significant or major impact on their planning over the coming 12 months.
credit constraints is a significant issue for the sector, yet utilities company executives expect these constraints to improve as current financial conditions ease.
88% of Canadian utility companies believe that greenhouse gas regulations are the largest major issue facing the sector in the next five years
In Ontario ,concerns about the size and scale of investment required in generation and transmission dominate, with regulatory delays adding to cost concerns
A new paper in Science says that using biomass—corn or switchgrass—to make electricity rather than ethanol is the smarter move on all counts. “Bioelectricity” offers more energy per acre of cropland, and fewer environmental impacts. Scientific American does the heavy lifting.
My friend Sanyakhu-Sheps Amaré , Executive Director of Phoenix Communities, Inc., and I are putting together NECST (pronounced “Next”): Northern Eastern Electricity Community Systems and Technology, i.e. an an internet think tank hub on electrical micro-grid clearinghouse publishing scientific and Community Economic Development social impact papers on Micro-Grids. Contact me at benoit@hardyvallee.net if you are interested in providing thought leadership in this area.
The first paper we are discussing to be developed is on the need for governments and municipalities to simultaneously include in their national and regional grid infrastructural upgrade equal focus Micro-grids development. Here is a powerpoint that present the approach. The idea is to have a micro-grid (a community smart-grid) as a tool for Community Economic Development. You can also read an interview with Sanyakhu here
Working in a Management Consulting firm (SBR Global), I blog
about organizations, decision-making and energy. My background includes
cognitive science, economics and philosophy of science.
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