Energy Collective Exclusive posts, articles, and infographics

Pitching Cleantech: Are startup competitions a good idea for energy entrepreneurs?

April 17, 2012 by Henry Spethmann
with 354 views

More and more energy investors are giving entrepreneurs the opportunity to pitch their idea in so-called 'startup competitions'. Is there any value to these? [read more]

The Truth About Natural Gas From Shale

March 26, 2012 by John McDonald
with 1,958 views

Natural gas from shale is a game-changer for the United States. It offers us greater control over our energy destiny, more jobs and government revenues, energy affordability, and reduced environmental impacts. Unfortunately, there are myths associated with this resource and its method of extraction, which is why I would like... [read more]

'A Substantial Failure' Of Energy Education

March 23, 2012 by Jesse Parent
with 921 views

It is a curious thing when a mindset develops. Thoughts, data interpretation, reactions, and behaviors become solidified into expectations about what is normal and what is to come as that sense of normal changes. It's an important process of human development, and it is a particularly interesting thing to look at on a national scale --... [read more]

Will Cheap Energy Storage Come to Coal and Nuclear's Rescue?

March 22, 2012 by Jesse Jenkins
with 1,391 views

Everyone knows that the development of low-cost, large-scale electricity storage technologies will be critical to the future of wind and solar energy--or at least everyone who reads The Energy Collective knows that! The ability to cheaply store electricity when the sun is shining or the wind is blowing and use it later when... [read more]

There is No Universal Solution for Promoting Renewable Energy Resources

March 19, 2012 by Michael Weinhold
with 506 views

In the coming years, renewable energy resources are going to play a much bigger role in the energy mix – especially in Germany, but also in Europe and worldwide. However, when it comes to harvesting renewable sources, fluctuations in their availability pose some challenges. These can be overcome. [read more]

Is Water a Barrier to a Low-Carbon Energy Future?

March 19, 2012 by Jesse Jenkins
with 1,519 views

Ask an expert on clean tech what the largest barriers to a low carbon energy future are, and chances are they will list higher technology costs, policy barriers, or the need for new infrastructure to accommodate novel energy sources. [read more]

Audio Archive: The Future of Oil & Gas: Exploring New Innovation in Old-Fashioned Energy

February 3, 2012 by Henry Spethmann
with 688 views

While renewable energy sources such as wind, solar, and biofuels experience unprecedented levels of growth and attention, such projections seem to confirm that these fossil fuels will make up large parts of our energy mix for quite some time to come.With that in mind, it's important to ask: What significant innovations, if any, are... [read more]

Industrial energy efficiency for sustainable wealth creation

January 27, 2012 by Charles Arthur
with 371 views

A recently published report by the UN Industrial Development Organization addresses the role of industrial energy efficiency in sustainable industrial development. [read more]

Are Hybrid Ribbons the Future of Renewables?

January 24, 2012 by George Green
with 497 views

Weather based renewables tend to be, by their nature, unpredictable. Your solar panel works most efficiently when there are clear skies and no clouds, while wind power clearly needs wind. Anything based on rain requires a good downpour. This means that, although you can store energy in batteries for later, these renewables are... [read more]

Community Power Gains Momentum

July 11, 2011 by Rosana Francescato
with 692 views

You may or may not have noticed, but a grassroots movement in community power is picking up speed around the country. What's community power, you may ask, and why does it matter?The community power movement aims to decentralize electricity generation, which provides benefits to communities beyond local, clean, and more... [read more]

Ok Computer: IT Waste Heat Warms Workers' Showers

June 17, 2011 by Helmuth Ziegler
with 456 views

The garbage men of the city of Hamburg/Germany are showering with water that is heated by the waste heat of a server room. The key to this ecologically and economically favorable solution is a large heat accumulator with a volume of 30,000 liters. Stadtreinigung Hamburg (SRH) is the company responsible for the waste collection and the... [read more]

Lighting, Sensors and Lumens, Oh My

June 7, 2011 by Scott Edward Anderson
with 593 views

From poor lighting in the Hilton's Trianon Room to the endless parade of LED products on display in the Exhibit Hall lighting was the word at Con Ed's Energy Efficiency Summit in New York on Wednesday. Mike Jackson, director of sales with VC-backed Digital Lumens, even brought along a prop for his presentation in the Pitch Stop, Con... [read more]

German Nuclear Power Politics: A Political Football

June 7, 2011 by David Lewis
with 1,286 views

Image source: Wikipedia:Public domain

"We believe that we can show those countries who decide to abandon nuclear power — or not to start using it — how it is possible to achieve growth, creating jobs and economic prosperity while shifting the energy supply toward renewable energies." I presume Chancellor Angela Merkel made this sound as if she was sincere, as she... [read more]

Why We're Here: Day Two at AWEA Wind Power 2011

May 25, 2011 by Alex Trembath
with 502 views

Picking up from where we left off yesterday, WindPower 2011 revved into gear early this morning in Anaheim, California. Kicking off the official start of this week's conference, the CEO of the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA), Denise Bode, rode onto the main stage of the convention center arena on a custom motorcycle... [read more]

How Walnuts WIll Make Offshore Oil Drilling More Efficient

May 14, 2011 by John Sealander
with 794 views

One of the most interesting things I discovered while wandering through the multitude of exhibits at last week’s Offshore Technology Conference in Houston was that walnuts have a natural affinity for oil. The same English Black Walnuts that we routinely crack and eat can be ground up and used to safely and efficiently clean up... [read more]