efficiency
-
Geothermal
Shallow Geothermal Energy: A Strategic Solution for the U.S. Energy Crisis and Demands
The U.S. is facing an energy emergency, as escalating electricity demand, unstable fossil fuel markets, and the rapid growth of energy-intensive infrastructure strain the nation’s energy systems. Shallow geothermal energy offers a groundbreaking solution to this crisis by stabilizing the grid, reducing emissions, and delivering cost-effective heating and cooling. This article explores the technological, economic, […]
Tagged in: -
Sustainability
District Energy Systems: The Invisible Giant of Urban Efficiency
District energy systems employ a centralized facility to supply heating, cooling, and sometimes electricity for multiple buildings in an area through a largely underground, mostly unseen network of pipes. When district energy systems are utilized, individual buildings do not need their own boilers, chillers, and cooling towers. This offers a number of benefits to building […]
-
Connected Plant
How Successful SCADA Implementation Improves Efficiency, Uptime, and Safety
Boiler systems play a crucial role across industrial, institutional, commercial, and other large-scale facilities. The systems are often complex and require meticulous oversight to ensure optimal performance and safety. This is where supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems are vital in supporting the management of boiler rooms. SCADA platforms are advanced systems used to […]
Tagged in: -
Commentary
Finding Equilibrium Between Growth and Decarbonization
With the global population expected to reach approximately nine to 10 billion by 2050, and one billion people still without energy access, our energy requirements are not only growing but also evolving. Each equinox reminds us of the essential balance we need to strive for in achieving net zero by 2050. COMMENTARY Crucially, the need […]
-
Commentary
How the Data Center Industry is Redefining Energy Efficiency
The rising demand for artificial intelligence (AI)-powered workloads and high-performance computing driving a surge in electricity consumption by the data center industry. Worldwide, data centers account for 1-2% of global electricity use, and in the U.S. data centers are responsible for about 2% of total electricity consumption. The demand will continue to grow. Today’s generative […]
Tagged in: -
Gas
Original Approach to Fogging Regains Popularity
MeeFog’s very first installation of inlet air fogging was done at Harbor Cogen in Southern California in 1991 on a GE 7EA turbine where it continues to be used for power augmentation to this day (Figure 1). When it was installed, the fogging arrays were placed upstream of the air filters. Since that time, more […]
-
Commentary
Connecting Infrastructure’s Dots to Solve Today’s Urban Management Issues
Connected infrastructure offers a holistic approach to creating a smarter, greener, and more livable world. More people are moving to urban areas than ever before, even as the impacts of climate change are
-
O&M
Four O&M Strategies to Give Your Solar Asset Efficiency a Boost
As the solar industry matures, pressure for asset owners to deliver higher returns continues to mount. Not surprisingly, so has the demand to improve operations and maintenance (O&M) efficiency – the single largest component of a utility-scale solar asset’s post-construction budget. Whether an asset owner performs O&M in-house, outsources to a third-party, or utilizes a […]
-
Legal & Regulatory
DOE Eases Requirements in Final Transformer Efficiency Standards Amid Supply Chain Strain
The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) final energy efficiency standards for distribution transformers appear to strike a compromise with industry, softening the agency’s stance on steel requirements for essential transformer components and extending compliance deadlines to five years. The DOE’s final standards issued on April 4 seek to reduce losses in three types of distribution […]
-
Trends
COP28 Concludes with Landmark Decision to Shift Away from Fossil Fuels
Negotiators from nearly every country in the world closed COP28 with a decision that—for the first time—formally recognizes the necessity of moving away from fossil fuels to achieve Paris Agreement targets. The decision, adopted on the last day of the two-week 28th Conference of the Parties (COP 28) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate […]