Author: Rod Janssen

Batteries are becoming an increasingly viable option for supporting the stability of power grids

EiD provides our readers with many posts on batteries and energy storage because the pace of development is increasing. Ed Crooks writes a good article in the Financial Times about some of those recent developments.   Batteries start to compete for power grid The cost of batteries is falling to the point that they are … Continue reading Batteries are becoming an increasingly viable option for supporting the stability of power grids →

Canada, Mexico and the United States looking at a closer continental approach to energy and climate policies

Canada has a new government and it is now preparing for a new approach to the global climate summit – COP 21 – starting soon in Paris. Shawn McCarthy writes in Canada’s Globe and Mail that Canada is also launching negotiations with Mexico and the US on a continental energy and climate accord. These are … Continue reading Canada, Mexico and the United States looking at a closer continental approach to energy and climate policies →

Reflecting on the slow death of Britain’s Green Deal

Many posts have been written in recent years about the rise and then demise of the Green Deal. Andrew Warren, a regular contributor to EiD and undoubtedly our most prolific commenter, writes an important post in the November/December issue of the magazine Energy in Buildings and Industry, questioning who is responsible for its slow death. … Continue reading Reflecting on the slow death of Britain’s Green Deal →

Latest developments in supercomputers

It is quite amazing when supercomputer developers are willing to have slower machines, giving a higher priority to their energy performance. Peter Sayer of IDG News Service provides a good post on the PC World website. Interestingly, six of the seven most efficient machines, measured in flops/watt, are new entrants, all of them from China. … Continue reading Latest developments in supercomputers →

Why not re-use old electric vehicle batteries?

We know about the problems of the life of electric vehicle batteries. It only makes sense to find another use for them, but this really has not been done – until now. Megan Geuss writes on the Ars Technica website about Daimler’s plan to have its stationary storage unit will come online in early 2016. … Continue reading Why not re-use old electric vehicle batteries? →

Arguing for greater ambition in our approach to sustainable energy

Richard Layard, director of the Wellbeing programme at the London School of Economics Centre for Economic Performance, provides a thoughtful post in the Financial Times, that the pace of change in developing sustainable energy has been far too slow and there is a need for an entirely new, more ambitious and aggressive approach. What do … Continue reading Arguing for greater ambition in our approach to sustainable energy →

Reflecting on the importance of renewable energy

Recently there was a major event in the Philippines on clean energy. Bernardo M. Villegas writes in the Manila Bulletin about many of the themes that were developed.   Moral dimensions of renewable energy (Part I) In the recently held Clean Asia Energy Forum sponsored by the Asian Development Bank, speakers strongly recommended greater investments … Continue reading Reflecting on the importance of renewable energy →

Here’s why we need more energy efficiency

Where the G20 goes, the world is likely to follow, writes Sheryl Carter for the Natural Resources Defense Council staff blog site. Ms. Carter calls on the G20 to lead in energy efficiency because Global energy efficiency standards are a win-win for economies and for the environment   This Single, Sensible Move by the G20 … Continue reading Here’s why we need more energy efficiency →