Defying conventional wisdom about the limits of wind power, in 2012 both Iowa and South Dakota generated close to one quarter of their electricity from wind farms. Wind power accounted for at least 10 percent of electricity generation in seven other states. Across the United States, wind power continues to strengthen its case as a […] … learn more→

Sunlight is an unlimited source of non-polluting energy. Most power plants currently produce electricity with steam turbines. The heat to generate the steam is supplied by the combustion of fossil fuels such as oil, natural gas, or coal. Staggering volumes of carbon dioxide gas are produced through the combustion process. Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse […] … learn more→

Imagine a home in which every appliance — computer, television, washing machine, refrigerator, air conditioner — can carry on a minute-by-minute \”conversation\” with the local power grid, allowing the devices to power down when the price of electricity is at a premium and to consume energy when it is cheapest. Such smart-grid technologies can lead […] … learn more→

You have probably heard at least a little about thorium. There are certainly advocates out there who strongly believe it could help solve the world’s energy problems. The idea is that thorium-based nuclear energy (it is nuclear) would have all the advantages of a uranium-based system – producing large-scale electricity with low emissions – without […] … learn more→

The United States uses many different technologies to produce electricity. It is important to understand the different impacts these technologies have on water resources. Water’s many roles in electricity Water is involved at many points in the process of producing electricity: Electricity Generation – More than 90 percent of U.S. power plants require cooling, a […] … learn more→

An early snowstorm put us all in the dark… and it will happen again! … learn more→

Hybrid cars, powered by a mixture of gas and electricity, have become a practical way to \”go green\” on the roads. Now researchers at Tel Aviv University are applying the term \”hybrid\” to power plants as well. Most power plants, explains Prof. Avi Kribus of TAU\’s School of Mechanical Engineering and its innovative new Renewable […] … learn more→

Systems to harness the sun’s energy typically generate either electricity or heat in the form of steam or hot water. But a new analysis by researchers at MIT shows that there could be significant advantages to systems that produce both electricity and heat simultaneously. The new study incorporates thermoelectrics — devices that can produce an […] … learn more→

A pilot waste-to-energy system constructed by Duke University and Duke Energy this week garnered the endorsement of Google Inc., which invests in high-quality carbon offsets from across the nation to fulfill its own carbon neutrality goals. The system, on a hog finishing facility 25 miles west of Winston-Salem, converts hog waste into electricity and creates […] … learn more→