Cheaper and More Sustainable Materials are Compelling Performance Gains Continue In looking at the big picture regarding climate change, and metrics that seem to be steadily trending in the wrong direction, it is easy to overlook progress being made by companies and organizations researching new technology solutions on a global scale. A key area of recent […]
Tag: clean energy
Small Modular Nuclear Reactors
Are SMRs a Key Part of a Clean Energy Portfolio? Ratings and Applications of SMRs Small modular nuclear reactors (SMRs) have a typical rating in the 50 to 300 megawatt (MW) range. The International Atomic Energy Agency estimates there are about 50 SMR designs in various stages of development globally. When commercialized, if the economics […]
Let’s Increase Rooftop Solar by 10 Times!
Back-of-the-Envelope Feasibility Calculations Millions More Installations Would Have a Significant Impact This article takes a broad look at the feasibility and potential benefits of widely-deployed rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV) panels, limited to residential properties in the US. It is estimated that there are currently about 3 million residential solar PV installations in the US. What […]
Community Microgrid with Nuclear Power
Nuclear Microreactors are In Development A Small Physical Footprint is a Selling Point OK, local nuclear power might be the ultimate “not in my backyard” scenario, but it could have some merit in the future. Massive wind and solar farms are getting significant pushback from local communities in the U.S. and elsewhere, with land use […]
Economics of Green Investments – Part 2
Economics of Financing a Project A Rooftop Solar Project Financed Using a Loan Part 1 of this series looked at cash flow and return on investment for purchase of an example solar photovoltaic (PV) system. This article looks at the economics of financing a similar system. The information on financing a PV system via a loan […]
Economics of Green Investments — Part 1
Cash Flow and Return on Investment Purchase of a Rooftop Solar PV System This article examines the economic aspects of investing in green projects such as installing solar photovoltaic (PV) panels on your home or installing more energy-efficient air conditioning equipment. A framework is provided to look at such investments from a cash flow perspective […]
Renewables and The Electric Grid
The Old Grid is Slowly Learning New Tricks An Overview of the Challenges of Integrating Intermittent Renewable Sources with the Power Grid In the last decade or so, engineers who design and operate electrical grids have gone from thinking grids were limited to a maximum of 10 to 20% renewable power to “how can we […]