Denis Du Bois http://energypriorities.com/ Energy Priorities delivers information, ideas and commentary on smart energy -- a resource for businesses who want to be more informed energy users -- an asset to entrepreneurs and investors in the new energy sector. Topics include energy-related technologies and best practices for business, presented in non-technical language, with insights that help you take action. Published as a public service of P5 Group, Inc., Seattle USA. ISSN 1938-7326 energypriorities.com Energy Priorities delivers information, ideas and commentary on smart energy -- a resource for businesses who want to be more informed energy users -- an asset to entrepreneurs and investors in the new energy sector. Topics include energy-related technologies and best practices for business, presented in non-technical language, with insights that help you take action. Published as a public service of P5 Group, Inc., Seattle USA. ISSN 1938-7326 energypriorities.com en Copyright 2004-2008 Energy Priorities Wed, 01 Oct 2008 08:21:11 -0800 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/?v=3.2 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss http://energypriorities.com/images/EP-iTunes-cover-art.jpg http://www.energypriorities.com/ 300 300 720 energy, power, efficient, efficiency, renewable, sustainable, green, building, climate, warming, property, hvac, lighting, controls, marketing, denis dubois Smart energy ideas for sustainable business. EnergyPriorities.com Clean Denis Du Bois itunes-contact@energypriorities.com White papers are pouring out of vendors in the information technology space as they shift their marketing positions to "green" as fast as they can. Many have locked onto an imagined want in data centers to reduce energy consumption from equipment and cooling. Energy efficiency is out of line with the business goals of most IT departments.

]]> White papers are pouring out of vendors in the information technology space as they shift their marketing positions to "green" as fast as they can. Many have locked onto an imagined want in data centers to reduce energy consumption from equipment and cooling. Energy efficiency is out of line with the business goals of most IT departments.

]]> http://energypriorities.com/entries/2008/10/data_center_energy.php http://energypriorities.com/entries/2008/10/data_center_energy.php Smart Energy Wed, 01 Oct 2008 08:21:11 -0800 Clean Denis Du Bois Michael Morris, chairman, president and chief executive of American Electric Power, which runs the nation's largest electrical transmission system, told the Associated Press he sees a dire situation ahead for the power grid, and the U.S. could eventually face power rationing.

]]> Michael Morris, chairman, president and chief executive of American Electric Power, which runs the nation's largest electrical transmission system, told the Associated Press he sees a dire situation ahead for the power grid, and the U.S. could eventually face power rationing.

]]> http://energypriorities.com/entries/2008/08/power_rationing_aep.php http://energypriorities.com/entries/2008/08/power_rationing_aep.php Smart Energy Fri, 15 Aug 2008 06:04:59 -0800 Clean Denis Du Bois On August 14, 2003, a sagging power line coming into contact with untrimmed trees near Cleveland, Ohio triggered a massive blackout that left 50 million people without electricity in a 9,300 square mile area in the Northeast and Midwest United States and parts of Canada. Economic losses were estimated at as much as $10 billion. Five years later, is the North American electrical power grid less susceptible to disruption?

]]> On August 14, 2003, a sagging power line coming into contact with untrimmed trees near Cleveland, Ohio triggered a massive blackout that left 50 million people without electricity in a 9,300 square mile area in the Northeast and Midwest United States and parts of Canada. Economic losses were estimated at as much as $10 billion. Five years later, is the North American electrical power grid less susceptible to disruption?

]]> http://energypriorities.com/entries/2008/08/5-year_anniv_blackout.php http://energypriorities.com/entries/2008/08/5-year_anniv_blackout.php Smart Energy Thu, 14 Aug 2008 05:49:25 -0800 Clean Denis Du Bois PG&E Chairman and CEO Peter Darbee called a handful of journalists into his boardroom and talked about being a successful utility in an era when it's is less about building centralized power plants and more about tapping renewable energy and balancing supply and demand.

]]> PG&E Chairman and CEO Peter Darbee called a handful of journalists into his boardroom and talked about being a successful utility in an era when it's is less about building centralized power plants and more about tapping renewable energy and balancing supply and demand.

]]> http://energypriorities.com/entries/2008/05/pge_darbee_green_fortun.php http://energypriorities.com/entries/2008/05/pge_darbee_green_fortun.php Smart Energy Thu, 01 May 2008 16:00:06 -0800 Clean Denis Du Bois The next issue of ComputerWorld magazine (Monday, 18 February, 2008) will feature the magazine's picks for the top "green IT" companies. The winner's circle includes 12 vendors and 12 user companies.

]]> The next issue of ComputerWorld magazine (Monday, 18 February, 2008) will feature the magazine's picks for the top "green IT" companies. The winner's circle includes 12 vendors and 12 user companies.

]]> http://energypriorities.com/entries/2008/02/top_green-it_data_center.php http://energypriorities.com/entries/2008/02/top_green-it_data_center.php Smart Energy Sat, 16 Feb 2008 16:23:26 -0800 Clean Denis Du Bois Thomas L. Friedman says Mumbai and Calcutta, strained from the influx of workers from rural areas, can't keep growing. The tech revolution in India could expand to rural villages, benefiting some of India's 700 million villagers. But it can’t do it off car batteries, backup diesel generators and India’s rural electric grid. It will take a real energy revolution.

]]> Thomas L. Friedman says Mumbai and Calcutta, strained from the influx of workers from rural areas, can't keep growing. The tech revolution in India could expand to rural villages, benefiting some of India's 700 million villagers. But it can’t do it off car batteries, backup diesel generators and India’s rural electric grid. It will take a real energy revolution.

]]> http://energypriorities.com/entries/2007/10/india_it_energy_tech.php http://energypriorities.com/entries/2007/10/india_it_energy_tech.php Smart Energy Wed, 31 Oct 2007 14:07:55 -0800 Clean Denis Du Bois In the 1970s, American utilities started burying cables to avoid unisghtly poles and vulnerable overhead lines. It soon became common practice to also bury privately-owned power lines under corporate campuses, universities, hospitals and factories. Now there are billions of feet of underground aluminum and copper cables nearing the end of their 25-year lifespan. One company has invented a way to rejuvenate cabling and extend the life of its insulation. Novinium treats the cable by injecting chemicals into it, for about half the cost of replacing the line. There are important environmental advantages to this method, too. Denis Du Bois interviews Glen Bertini, CEO of Novinium. (podcast)

]]> In the 1970s, American utilities started burying cables to avoid unisghtly poles and vulnerable overhead lines. It soon became common practice to also bury privately-owned power lines under corporate campuses, universities, hospitals and factories. Now there are billions of feet of underground aluminum and copper cables nearing the end of their 25-year lifespan. One company has invented a way to rejuvenate cabling and extend the life of its insulation. Novinium treats the cable by injecting chemicals into it, for about half the cost of replacing the line. There are important environmental advantages to this method, too. Denis Du Bois interviews Glen Bertini, CEO of Novinium. (podcast)

]]> http://energypriorities.com/entries/2007/10/novinium_bertini.php http://energypriorities.com/entries/2007/10/novinium_bertini.php Smart Energy Mon, 29 Oct 2007 05:28:22 -0800 Clean Denis Du Bois As American businesses wrestle with sustainability and the prospect of even higher energy costs, competitive energy suppliers and members of the building automation industry are coming together at DR Expo 2007 to collaborate on ways to fast-track energy demand response solutions.

]]> As American businesses wrestle with sustainability and the prospect of even higher energy costs, competitive energy suppliers and members of the building automation industry are coming together at DR Expo 2007 to collaborate on ways to fast-track energy demand response solutions.

]]> http://energypriorities.com/entries/2007/10/dr-expo_2007_moves_dema.php http://energypriorities.com/entries/2007/10/dr-expo_2007_moves_dema.php Buildings Fri, 12 Oct 2007 17:34:07 -0800 Clean Denis Du Bois In business, as with utilities, the real cost savings come not from the technologies themselves, but from the business strategies they enable. As energy costs rise, businesses must take strategic advantage of being able to know and control the costs in operations and production.

]]> In business, as with utilities, the real cost savings come not from the technologies themselves, but from the business strategies they enable. As energy costs rise, businesses must take strategic advantage of being able to know and control the costs in operations and production.

]]> http://energypriorities.com/entries/2007/09/pushing_smart_grid.php http://energypriorities.com/entries/2007/09/pushing_smart_grid.php Smart Energy Thu, 27 Sep 2007 18:31:57 -0800 Clean Denis Du Bois One of the promises of a "smart grid" is to bring the advantages of data and communications networks to the infrastructure that delivers electricity to our businesses and homes. That would make it possible to fully deploy ideas like demand response and real-time pricing -- ideas that depend on having intelligence at both ends of the wire -- sophisticated systems at the utility end; and at the customer's site, smart energy meters. Why is the United States so far behind Europe in deploying advanced metering infrastructures? What will it take to accelerate adoption? Denis Du Bois interviews Jeff Lund, a VP in the Networked Energy Services division at Echelon. (podcast) (transcript)

]]> One of the promises of a "smart grid" is to bring the advantages of data and communications networks to the infrastructure that delivers electricity to our businesses and homes. That would make it possible to fully deploy ideas like demand response and real-time pricing -- ideas that depend on having intelligence at both ends of the wire -- sophisticated systems at the utility end; and at the customer's site, smart energy meters. Why is the United States so far behind Europe in deploying advanced metering infrastructures? What will it take to accelerate adoption? Denis Du Bois interviews Jeff Lund, a VP in the Networked Energy Services division at Echelon. (podcast) (transcript)

]]> http://energypriorities.com/entries/2007/09/echelon_smartmeter_lund.php http://energypriorities.com/entries/2007/09/echelon_smartmeter_lund.php Smart Energy Thu, 20 Sep 2007 05:07:26 -0800 Clean Denis Du Bois Trojan Battery Company made record-setting investments in technologies that essentially enable them to buy less energy from their utility. What's unusual about that? The utility paid for the technology, and pays Trojan Battery to use it. The process of preparing for summer demand response yielded a fortunate financial byproduct: Trojan gets lower rates that are saving the company thousands on its electric bill every month. (photos)

]]> Trojan Battery Company made record-setting investments in technologies that essentially enable them to buy less energy from their utility. What's unusual about that? The utility paid for the technology, and pays Trojan Battery to use it. The process of preparing for summer demand response yielded a fortunate financial byproduct: Trojan gets lower rates that are saving the company thousands on its electric bill every month. (photos)

]]> http://energypriorities.com/entries/2007/08/trojan_battery_dr_case.php http://energypriorities.com/entries/2007/08/trojan_battery_dr_case.php Smart Energy Fri, 17 Aug 2007 06:44:41 -0800 Clean Denis Du Bois Energy Minute: Smart electric meters communicate over a network, so utilities can verify demand response and provide net metering of on-site renewable energy. (podcast)

]]> Energy Minute: Smart electric meters communicate over a network, so utilities can verify demand response and provide net metering of on-site renewable energy. (podcast)

]]> http://energypriorities.com/entries/2007/05/smart_meters_minute.php http://energypriorities.com/entries/2007/05/smart_meters_minute.php Smart Energy Mon, 21 May 2007 07:22:15 -0800 Clean Denis Du Bois This is the last day of GridWeek. Denis Du Bois is hosting a daily podcast series featuring the top speakers at the conference. Today he interviews Kurt Yeager, Executive Director of the Galvin Electricity Initiative, and Volker Hartkopf, Director of the Center for Building Performance and Diagnostics at Carnegie Mellon University. (podcast)

]]> This is the last day of GridWeek. Denis Du Bois is hosting a daily podcast series featuring the top speakers at the conference. Today he interviews Kurt Yeager, Executive Director of the Galvin Electricity Initiative, and Volker Hartkopf, Director of the Center for Building Performance and Diagnostics at Carnegie Mellon University. (podcast)

]]> http://energypriorities.com/entries/2007/04/gw07_day4.php http://energypriorities.com/entries/2007/04/gw07_day4.php Smart Energy Thu, 26 Apr 2007 04:24:57 -0800 Clean Denis Du Bois This morning marks the halfway point for GridWeek. Denis Du Bois is hosting a daily podcast series featuring the top speakers at the conference. Today he interviews four presenters, including the head of the North American Energy Reliability Council. (podcast)

]]> This morning marks the halfway point for GridWeek. Denis Du Bois is hosting a daily podcast series featuring the top speakers at the conference. Today he interviews four presenters, including the head of the North American Energy Reliability Council. (podcast)

]]> http://energypriorities.com/entries/2007/04/gw07_day3.php http://energypriorities.com/entries/2007/04/gw07_day3.php Smart Energy Wed, 25 Apr 2007 04:49:51 -0800 Clean Denis Du Bois Day two of GridWeek is devoted entirely to the topic of demand response. Denis Du Bois is hosting a daily podcast series featuring the top speakers at the conference. Today he interviews the DOE's Director of the Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability, Kevin Kolevar, one of today's keynote speakers. (podcast)

]]> Day two of GridWeek is devoted entirely to the topic of demand response. Denis Du Bois is hosting a daily podcast series featuring the top speakers at the conference. Today he interviews the DOE's Director of the Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability, Kevin Kolevar, one of today's keynote speakers. (podcast)

]]> http://energypriorities.com/entries/2007/04/gw07_day2.php http://energypriorities.com/entries/2007/04/gw07_day2.php Smart Energy Tue, 24 Apr 2007 04:48:47 -0800 Clean Denis Du Bois