Electric motors are everywhere. They lift elevators, bring conditioned air to your desk, make your washing machine agitate and your PC hard drive spin. What’s surprising is that they are quietly – or not so quietly – consuming more electricity than any other single use. One company is working to change that. Read the rest of this entry »
Energy models apply the laws of physics, but the hazy laws of human behavior might be behind the surprisingly good results found in recent independent tests of a retrofit window insulation product from Portland, Oregon-based Indow Windows.
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How does a utility with some of the country’s lowest electric rates convince customers to do anything to save energy? Denis DuBois talked with John Francisco, who manages Energy Services for Inland Power, to find out why their energy efficiency programs are successful. Inland Power and Light is an electric co-op powering 39,000 homes, farms and businesses in eastern Washington. Read the rest of this entry »
Judges for the 2012 Cleantech Open have chosen the nation’s most promising cleantech startup in 2012′s final competition. The top winner’s invention may power your next washing machine. Read the rest of this entry »
The renewable energy sector has had its share of bad press domestically in the past couple of years. Globally, China and other countries like Germany and Brazil are making serious investments in clean energy and threatening to leave the US behind. But the authors of a new book have a seven-point action plan to put the U.S. in front of this growing industry and keep it there. Denis Du Bois interviews industry analyst Ron Pernick, co-author of Clean Tech Nation: How the USA Can Lead in the New Global Economy. Read the rest of this entry »
Snohomish County Public Utility District is known in the Pacific Northwest for its innovative approaches to energy efficiency and renewable energy. Denis Du Bois interviewed Bob Gunn, senior utility analyst for the PUD, to find out what programs are successful today and why. Read the rest of this entry »
Do customers’ experiences with utilities matter? Customer experience expert Roy Barnes thinks so. At a conference in Washington, Barnes inspired the audience to improve their customers’ experiences at every touchpoint. Read the rest of this entry »
If the cleantech sector has an Academy Awards, the Cleantech Open is it. Cleantech startups from around North America are gathering this week to learn which lucky teams will represent their regions in the national Cleantech Open business competition in November, 2012. Denis DuBois attended the Pacific Northwest region’s judging and awards party in Portland, Oregon, to get a taste of the action. Read the rest of this entry »
The Cleantech Open has begun naming the teams that have successfully passed the first screening by judges. Across the United States, a total of 150 startups will go on to compete for awards between now and November, 2012, when seven regions will send their finalists to Silicon Valley for final judging and awards. The Cleantech Open educational program names dozens of award winners along the way, and prepares startups to make investor pitches and get funding from venture capital firms.
Silicon Valley played host this week for the Department of Energy’s “Apps for Energy” awards presentation. Five teams came away with $75,000 in prize money. Their winning software apps could turn into profitable businesses in a vacuum left by the hasty exits of Microsoft and Google.
