Utilities // Current TV

Potential investors in renewables are everywhere, but debt finance is hard nut to crack

http://bit.ly/H0fUzT Why should energy-intensive corporations invest in green power... more

Danbethrach
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1 year ago
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Utility Cyber Security is in a State of Near Chaos

"Utility cyber security is in a state of near chaos. After years of vendors... more

Paisano1
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1 year ago
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Utilities Giving Away Power as Wind, Sun Flood European Grid

– The 15 mile-per-hour winds that buffeted northern Germany on July 24 caused... more

joeeddy
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1 year ago
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Don't Be Fooled-Still A Recession ~N ~You Need God!

Starvation! Working or not-inflation-recession... calls for a sacred moment with Jesus... more

DJMonaLisa
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1 year ago
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Hobbs conference focuses on nuclear energy issues: ABQ Journal

Hobbs conference focuses on nuclear energy issues

N.M. Tech News Service
HOBBS – Nuclear energy, small-scale reactors and safety in the industry will take center stage next month at the 2011 national energy conference in Hobbs.
The Uranium Fuel Cycle Conference on Wednesday and Thursday, April 27 and 28, will focus on potential developments and implementation of small-scale reactors.
The conference features top leaders in nuclear technology, including Babcock & Wilcox, New Mexico Tech, URENCO USA, Washington TRU Solutions, Uranium Resources Inc., Energy Solutions and the U.S. Department of Energy.
The "uranium fuel cycle" begins with mining, continues with enrichment, followed by use in a reactor, and ends with processing and storage. Hobbs is in the center of the developing Eastern New Mexico Energy Corridor, which is involved in all aspects of the nuclear energy fuel cycle.
"Almost the entire cycle is contained in New Mexico, from mining to waste storage. This conference is an important step in bringing together key players in the area and continuing a dialogue about energy and our national policies," said Van Romero, Ph.D. and vice president of research at New Mexico Tech.
A new enrichment facility is now operational near Eunice, N.M. A deconversion plant is in the licensing stage in Lea County. Also located in the region are Waste Control Specialist LLC and the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, near Carlsbad, which is a long-term storage facility funded by the Department of Energy. While not currently being mined, vast deposits of raw uranium ore exist in west-central New Mexico.
What's missing? The small-scale nuclear power plants.
"Communities in southeast New Mexico have expressed an interest in nuclear power," Romero said.
One area the conference will focus on is the commercial deployment of small nuclear reactors in eastern New Mexico. Representatives of Babcock & Wilcox will present their strategy to how to deploy a light-water reactor system to provide energy to communities in New Mexico.
Babcock & Wilcox is the leading international company in development and deployment of small-scale nuclear reactors. The company unveiled the B&W mPower reactor in 2009. The mPower reactor, with its scalable, modular design, has the capacity to provide 125 megawatts to 750 megawatts of electricity for a five-year operating cycle without refueling. The reactor is designed to produce clean, near-zero emission operations, according to the company website.
Following the Babcock & Wilcox presentation, Romero will lead a discussion on "Small Reactor Research and Readiness." Then, a representative from the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Nuclear Energy will talk on the status and outlook for nuclear energy development.
The two-day conference is hosted by the New Mexico Center for Energy Policy, a division of New Mexico Tech, the Economic Development Corp. of Lea County and New Mexico Junior College.
Online registration is under way at www.energyplexnm.com or by calling 575-397-2039.

Read more: ABQJOURNAL BIZ: Hobbs conference focuses on nuclear energy issues http://www.abqjournal.com/biz/212143529029biz03-21-11.htm#ixzz1Jmt91Adv
Subscribe Now Albuquerque JournalHobbs conference focuses on nuclear energy issues N.M. Tech News Service... more

bluehelen [removed]
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2 years ago
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The French Connection with guest Muhammad Rafeeq December 13, 2010

The French Connection Podcast from www.iamthewitness.com Download mp3... more

maasanova
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2 years ago
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Saudi uses a tenth of its oil to power the nation | ConstructionWeekOnline.com

Saudi Arabia dedicates about a tenth of its current oil production capacity, or... more

holdmybackpack
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2 years ago
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Arizona Official Threatens to Cut Off Los Angeles Power as Payback for Boycott

If Los Angeles wants to boycott Arizona, it had better get used to reading by... more

IndustryRule
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3 years ago
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658 comments

Summer 101: How to ready your home for summer energy usage

Your checklist for readying your home for summer from heating to air conditioning and... more

zigandme
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3 years ago
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1 comment

Weekly Mulch: Cochacamba Summit to Combat Climate Change Innovatively

By Sarah Laskow, Media Consortium blogger Image courtesy of Flickr user swperman... more

MediaConsortium
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3 years ago
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democrats need a spine, chamber of commerce faces revolt, & porn in government agencies - [happy hump day round-up]

The first half of the day is coming to a close, but before you run off to grab lunch take a look at a few of the recently featured stories on Current.com.

On matters of health care, filmmaker/documentarian Michael Moore advises Democrats to "find your spine." He directed this at the Democrats in Congress that he feels have been "dogging" the health care debate. What's your take? Join the conversation here.

Hot on the heels of the U.S. being called 'climate illiterate', we're learning that even more utility companies are backing out of the U.S. Chamber of Congress as the global warming legislation debate continues to heat up in Congress.
The defections began when PG&E Chairman and CEO Peter Darbee sent a sharply worded two-page letter outlining why the privately owned utility, which provides gas and electricity to 15 million customers from Eureka to Bakersfield, is pulling out of the chamber, which represents 3 million large and small businesses across the country and has one of the most powerful lobbying operations in Washington.

Darbee, who has invited leading climate scientists to meet with PG&E's board of directors in recent years, was particularly alarmed that the chamber recently requested a public "trial" to weigh the scientific evidence that global warming endangers human health.

"We find it dismaying that the Chamber neglects the indisputable fact that a decisive majority of experts have said the data on global warming are compelling and point to a threat that cannot be ignored," Darbee wrote. "In our view, an intellectually honest argument over the best policy response to the challenges of climate change is one thing; disingenuous attempts to diminish or distort the reality of these challenges are quite another."
Weigh in on this story here

The Washington Times has revealed that employee porn surfing is apparently out of control at the National Science Foundation. Here's what you need to know:

6 out of 10 misconduct cases involve online pornography.
One Sr. Exec was found to have spent 331 days either viewing porn, or participating in XXX webchats with women via his computer.
The NSF received $6 billion in taxpayer funding in 2008.

Feel like chiming in about this? You can join the conversation on Current.com by clicking here.The first half of the day is coming to a close, but before you run off to grab lunch... more

mario_a
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3 years ago
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`Smart' meters have security holes

Computer-security researchers say new "smart" meters that are designed to... more

TommyTooThumbs
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3 years ago
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Intel, too, eyes home energy management | Green Tech - CNET News

Intel has designs on the nascent home energy management business, following Google,... more

BUILDUSMAXIMUS
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3 years ago
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National Grid - Smart Grid: Rethinking Energy

ENERGY http://www.us.capgemini.com/nationalgrid/

BUILDUSMAXIMUS
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3 years ago
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The wind blows in the right direction for Indiana

~y2009m12d3-The-wind-blows-in-the-right-direction-for-Indiana

mashoffner
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3 years ago
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Bailed-Out AIG Forcing Poor to Choose Between Running Water and Food

What are we getting in return for the bailout? So far, predatory credit card rates, exorbitant bank fees and obscene Wall Street bonuses. But we're being robbed in other, sneakier ways, too. It seems that taxpayers in the poorest, most vulnerable parts of the county are getting plundered by the same institutions they bailed out. One example is AIG's underhanded fleecing of residents of rural Kentucky.

Middlesboro and Clinton are two tiny, impoverished towns in southern Kentucky with a combined population of 12,000. In 2008, Middlesboro's per capita income was $13,189 a year, only a few hundred dollars more than the average worker earned in third-world Mexico. That is if they were lucky to even get a job. Real unemployment hovers somewhere around 30%, and the state is so broke that half the people eligible for unemployment benefits can't receive them. Life may be tough and most people live in poverty, but that doesn't mean they can't be made a little poorer. That's the lesson locals learned after bailed-out insurance villain AIG took over their water utility and instantly raised rates to squeeze an extra $1 million in profits out of its new customers, forcing some to consider choosing between running water and food...

...Here is how the AIG takeover went down: In 2005, flush with cash from its shady dealings in the mortgage derivatives market, AIG announced that it was in the process of acquiring Utilities Inc., a holding company that controlled scores of small water utilities across 17 different states. With just 300,000 customers, the company wasn't huge, but it boasted of being the largest privately held water utility in the country.

"We have long considered water infrastructure as an attractive investment opportunity and an excellent complement to [our] existing energy infrastructure portfolio. Utilities Inc. is a leader in this industry and we are pleased that [we have] the opportunity to acquire this business,” AIG Chairman and CEO Win J. Neuger gloated in a press release.

AIG had reason to be pleased with its purchase. Water utilities are one hell of a profitable business, with international corporations easily making a 20 to 30% profit margin, according to a 2007 report by Food and Water Watch. In the US, federal regulations limit profits to 10%, a pesky rule that companies easily subvert by shuffling their income around and “investing” it in side businesses. These kinds of returns would be the envy of the pharmaceutical and oil industries. How do water companies do it? According to Food and Water Watch, they charge 50% more for services than public utilities and pocket the difference, thereby unleashing the potential of the free market.What are we getting in return for the bailout? So far, predatory credit card rates,... more

StrangE2U
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3 years ago
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18 comments

Glary Utilities - Best Freeware Registry Cleaner?

Ever got tired of searching for the best freeware registry cleaner but coming up with... more

Ildamos
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3 years ago
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0 comments

Smart meters cracking into U.S. homes (Save money on utilities)

The number of smart electricity meters with two-way communications is poised to... more

TommyTooThumbs
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3 years ago
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3 comments

Google’s new ‘PowerMeter’ sparks excitement at the NGU Europe Summit

It is not very often the words ‘Google’ and ‘energy-saving’ appear in the same sentence. However, in Portugal last week at the industry-leading Next Generation Utilities Summit, over 50 European Utility leaders were presented with the company’s new venture; Google’s ‘PowerMeter’.

Utilities, Power, and Energy have the potential to change the way the world operates in today’s environment. Saving money and reducing global energy usage is a familiar occurrence in the media, but there is not enough accessible information for the consumer on where to start. Posted paper bills are made up of complicated figures which give little information on energy consumption and how to save power. Google’s Jens Redmer, Director of Business Development for Europe discussed at the summit of a way to help the consumer in making the right decisions on their energy usage.

Google’s ‘PowerMeter’ provides customers with data on their personal electricity usage right on their own iGoogle homepage. It does this by receiving information from smart meters and energy management devices, calculating a customer’s energy consumption, and allowing each individual the ability to see what, in their homes, wastes the most energy.

Currently Google are testing the tool in the US, India & Canada, with the hopes of expanding later in the year. Not surprisingly, the NGU summit was the perfect place to introduce it to the European market. Redmer’s presentation sparked the interest of utility heads including João Torres, President of EDP Distribuição, Frank Borchardt, Head of Smart Metering at E.ON, Corne Meeuwis, CEO of CASC-CWE, Odd Håkon Holsæter, Chairmanof Nordpool and CEO of Statnett Norway, and Inge Pierre, Head of European Affairs at Svenskenergi. The innovative product was a mere catalyst for this esteemed group to discuss new ways to develop global energy supply with technology leaders from Siemens, Oracle, Alcatel – Lucent, SAP and Navita.

Many different companies will need to work together in order create a “path to smarter power”. Platforms like the NGU Summit need to become available to the industry’s figureheads for discussions and collaborations to occur more frequently. Already, Utility heads are booking their travel arrangements for the next NGU Summit in Europe, which is due to occur next February.

It is not very often that influential companies like Google take the time to develop innovative tools with the ability to aid in the reduction of energy waste. Having said this, it is clear technological applications like ‘PowerMeter’ are just the beginning and alone will not solve the energy saving issues that surround us.

But can Google’s’ initial contribution be the first step needed to move forward, before it’s too late?It is not very often the words ‘Google’ and ‘energy-saving’... more

JFunnell
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3 years ago
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3 comments

Utility execs fear impact of U.S. policies on profit

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Less than half of utility executives support the Obama... more

ClipsFC
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4 years ago
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