Blog
Silvio contributes to several energy and climate-focused websites including CleanTechnica, The Energy Collective, Earth & Industry, Planet Forward, and Grist. His posts, as well as guest posts from our network, appear here.
May 17, 2013
Note: this post was originally published on CleanTechnica
By Silvio Marcacci
Breakthrough renewable energy forecasting technologies may be two years away from revolutionizing the efficiency of wind and solar generation on America’s grid.
The National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) is adding to its already impressive list of renewable energy innovations with a new two-year plan to develop custom forecasting systems for wind energy and solar power.
NCAR scientists and engineers will develop technology to improve wind power output by predicting sudden changes in wind speed, help wind farm operators avoid curtailment during icy conditions, and predict the amount of energy generated by small-scale solar energy installations.
Pushing Past State Of The Art To Probabilistic Forecasts
This new batch of renewable energy forecasting systems will be deployed at Xcel Energy regional control centers in Denver, Minneapolis, and Amarillo to help the utility increase renewable energy output to the grid while reducing costs and ensuring… Continue reading >
May 15, 2013
Note: this post was originally published on CleanTechnica
By Silvio Marcacci
Offshore wind power may yet not match the overall strength of onshore wind, but the industry is on course grow rapidly to become an €130 billion global market by 2020.
A new report from industry consultants Roland Berger, “Offshore Wind Toward 2020,” concludes a combination of industry trends will soon make offshore wind cost competitive with other generation sources in many markets.
Europe is expected to continue dominating the global offshore wind industry, but the Asia Pacific and North American regions will soon represent significant market shares as technological innovation reduce many bottlenecks that have stymied project development to date.
Europe Continues To Dominate Global Markets
New turbines are expected to sprout from seas across the globe, but Europe will lead the charge, buoyed by ambitious national policy goals in multiple countries.… Continue reading >
May 13, 2013
Note: this post was originally published on CleanTechnica
By Silvio Marcacci
As American government seek out the best industries to invest shrinking public funds for the biggest return on investment, one economic sector offers the most bullish outlook around – the smart grid.
An analysis from the US Department of Energy (DOE), “Economic Impact of Recovery Act Investment in the Smart Grid,” reports smart grid projects funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) created nearly $7 billion total economic output, nearly 50,000 jobs, and over $1 billion in government tax revenue.
DOE’s analysis covers $1.48 billion in ARRA investments from the Smart Grid Investment Grants (SGIG) and Smart Grid Demonstration Program (SGDP) programs, as well as $1.48 billion in associated matching investments made by grant recipients in the private sector between August 2009 and March 2012.
Smart Grid Funds Created Over 2-to-1… Continue reading >
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