Renewable energies are surging. Between 2011 and 2020, the amount of energy the United States generated from solar and wind almost quadrupled. When combined with geothermal generation, it accounted for an annual growth of almost 15 percent, reports The Washington Post. Among the findings originally reported by the nonprofit Environment America Research and Policy Center […]
Global temperatures are soaring. Since pre-industrial times, human activity has warmed the planet global by 2 degrees Fahrenheit. Any further warming could be potentially catastrophic. Integrating renewable sources such as wind and solar into energy grids is vital to helping governments reach zero carbon electricity generation. However, there is a major problem: renewables are not […]
Power outages are soaring due to climate change. In 2020, extreme weather was responsible for a 73% spike in blackouts, according to PowerOutage.US, a site that aggregates utility power outage data. With global temperatures on track to rise by over 2.7 degrees Celsius (4.9 degrees Fahrenheit) by the end of the century, rising outages will […]
Not only are electronic devices everywhere in our homes, they also take large amounts of energy from the power grid. According to a 2015 report from the Natural Resources Defense Council, roughly a quarter of home energy consumption in the U.S. is eaten up by devices that are in idle power mode—and that doesn’t include […]
The smart grid is a digitized electrical grid that allows for two-way communication between the utility and the consumer. While the smart grid can provide a greener, cost-effective solution to humanity’s energy needs, implementing it won’t be easy. It will take both time and money to replace the decades-old electric grids that currently supply the […]
In recent weeks, natural disasters such as hurricanes and the California wildfires have wrought a path of destruction across the United States. Without investment in renewable technology that can help combat climate change, events such as these are likely to get worse. As discussed in a previous post, the COVID-19 pandemic impacts the renewable industry […]
In California, rolling blackouts have left millions of people in the dark as they rush indoors to escape both the COVID-19 pandemic and heatwaves. With so many people blasting air conditioners at once, California’s electric grid, which relies on renewables more than ever, is struggling to supply power. There are two primary reasons for the […]
As the COVID-19 pandemic shut down cities around the world, and major transportation systems slowed to a crawl, pollution levels plummeted by around 50% in Delhi, India, according to a recent report from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The researchers found an 8% increase in solar panel energy production as a result of clearer, less […]
Around the globe, utility companies are investing in smart grid projects. According to the research firm Guidehouse Insights, utilities are anticipated to grow their smart grid capacity by nearly 20% per year over the next decade. Despite shutdowns due to the coronavirus-related closures, smart grid projects are slowly moving forward in some regions. In India, […]
While the global pandemic has created an uncertain future for renewables, new discoveries are giving researchers hope for a greener tomorrow. According to a pair of recently published studies from Tel Aviv University, two naturally abundant resources—plants and humidity—may revolutionize renewable energy in the future by generating electricity. Can Plants Generate Electricity? One of the […]
