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Choreographing electrons and the hidden sophistication of the US electric grid
Flip the switch. Your light turns on. Simple, right? Actually, the light switch is straightforward but the system…
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Three months into Trump’s solar tariffs – are the promised new jobs in sight?
On February 7, 2018, the U.S. tariffs on imported silicon solar technology went into effect. As we approach…
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How Edison, Tesla, and other visionaries invented the modern grid (Part 1 of 3)
Take a moment to imagine a world without electricity. You will quickly realize how dependent our 21st-century lives…
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Using new business models to unleash competition and innovation in the power industry
Competition is all about price, features, and customer experience. Right? That’s what business schools have been teaching for…
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Three ways to reduce the risks of cyberattacks on the electric grid
As the cyberattack on the Ukraine grid showed the world, electric utilities are the new target for cyber…
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Russia has infiltrated the US electric grid – is this our doomsday nightmare?
“There is no backup system to the grid.” – Gretchen Bakke from her book, The Grid: The Fraying…
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Montgomery County Maryland didn’t have the budget for their microgrid so they invented a new business model
It was the summer of 2012 and the Mid-Atlantic was being pummeled by one of the worst storms…
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The most important question each of us needs to ask about energy
The dirty secret of power plants Every time we turn on a light, crank up the air conditioning…
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Myth busting the crazy politics of clean energy – Is Solyndra proof that the US shouldn’t fund clean energy?
OK, so you’re at a party and looking for something to talk about. Nothing is more entertaining than…
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Africa is democratizing energy – a TED talk by Amar Inamdar shares lessons that can impact energy everywhere
Local energy is the fastest path to cleaner, cheaper, more reliable power. Nowhere is this truer than Africa.…
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How did CEO Chandu Visweswariah take Utopus Insights from clean energy startup to $100M acquisition in 12 months?
On February 2, 2018, US$12 billion wind turbine giant, Vestas, acquired New York startup, Utopus Insights, for $100M…
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If we used this much fossil fuel in Edison’s time, we’d have already run out
We WILL run out of fossil fuels. In fact, we will run out of natural gas, coal, and…
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The market has spoken – clean energy just became the cheapest source of electricity
Spreadsheets, analysis, and predictions are all great. But nothing compares to the free market if you want to…
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Highlights from Drawdown, the most comprehensive plan for reversing climate change
If you want to understand the causes of global climate change and what can be done to reverse…
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An interview with Georgia Power’s CEO Paul Bowers on renewables and the future of utilities
Utilities are an essential part of our clean energy future. Whether the future grid sees a rise in…
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Clean energy seems obvious so why haven’t utilities embraced it more quickly?
Have you ever wondered why utilities don’t embrace clean energy more aggressively? While it’s true that some of…
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The Trump administration slaps a 30% tariff on all imported solar
After months of paralyzing uncertainty, President Trump’s staff announced their decision on solar tariffs today. Here is a…
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Local Energy can be expensive and hard today but so were websites in 1998
(Reading time: 4 minutes) Ask most experts and they’ll tell you that local energy systems like microgrids and community…
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How New York is once again leading the local energy revolution
After years of relentless toil in his New Jersey laboratory, Thomas Edison created one of the most celebrated…
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Three steps that will help Puerto Rico’s grid survive the next hurricane
On September 6, 2017, Hurricane Irma hit Puerto Rico and left a million people without power. Two weeks…