Archive for the ‘Energy’ Category


Close-up on Wind Energy

Thursday, March 11th, 2010

Engineers are installing the two largest turbines ever tested at the laboratory, a 1.5 MW turbine manufactured by General Electric.

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Nuclear Power Plants. Is this the Right Infra-Direction?

Thursday, February 25th, 2010

U.S. Department of Energy: President Obama Announces Loan Guarantees to Construct New Nuclear Power Reactors in Georgia
USA Today: Vermont bucks Obama’s nuclear call by voting to shut plant
What do you think?

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Infrastructure in All Shapes and Sizes

Thursday, February 25th, 2010

Images of infrastructure from around the USA

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California Wind Turbines

Wednesday, February 10th, 2010

The USA road trip blog: http://usa-roadtrips.blogspot.com/
-supaswag on YouTube

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The Public Works

Wednesday, February 10th, 2010

URBAN OMNIBUS
Yes indeed, today in America we know that something is wrong, and we would like things to be better. Certainly the design disciplines have been energetic in engaging the converging crises of energy, housing, infrastructure, environment, climate change…

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Guest on The Infra Blog: Andrés Duany, Architect, Author of “The Smart Growth Manual”

Thursday, January 28th, 2010

Andrés Duany, F.A.I.A., is a founding principal at the architecture and planning firm, Duany Plater-Zyberk & Company (DPZ). DPZ is widely recognized as a leader of the New Urbanism, which seeks to end suburban sprawl and urban disinvestment. Duany has authored several books, including “The Smart Growth Manual” (most recently) and “Suburban Nation: The Rise of Sprawl and the Decline of the American Dream.”

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AWEA YEAR END 2009 MARKET REPORT

Tuesday, January 26th, 2010

The U.S. wind industry broke all previous records by installing close to 10,000 megawatts of new generating capacity in 2009 thanks to Recovery Act incentives. The total installed capacity in the U.S. is now over 35,000 MW. In 2009, 38 manufacturing facilities were brought online, announced or expanded…

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Energy Secretary Steven Chu at the Copenhagen Climate Conference

Thursday, December 17th, 2009

Steven Chu released his Power Point Presentation from Monday’s session at the Copenhagen climate conference. For more information on the specific role outlined for the US, check out the executive summary of the Major Economies Forum Technology Action Plan.

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Recovery Act Funding Will Upgrade the Electrical Grid, Save Energy and Create Jobs

Wednesday, December 2nd, 2009

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
At an event in Columbus, Ohio this afternoon, Secretary Chu announced that the Department of Energy is awarding $620 million for projects around the country to demonstrate advanced Smart Grid technologies and integrated systems that will help build a smarter, more efficient, more resilient electrical grid. These 32 demonstration projects, which include large-scale energy storage, smart meters, distribution and transmission system monitoring devices, and a range of other smart technologies, will act as models for deploying integrated Smart Grid systems on a broader scale. This funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act will be leveraged with $1 billion in funds from the private sector to support more than $1.6 billion in total Smart Grid projects nationally…

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Climate Change in the United States: The Prohibitive Costs of Inaction

Thursday, November 12th, 2009

UNION OF CONCERNED SCIENTISTS
“Recognizing the urgency of global warming, policy makers are beginning to pursue solutions to help us avoid the worst effects of climate change, while transitioning the nation to a clean energy economy. However, the debate over comprehensive climate and energy policy often focuses on the costs of climate action, rather than on the serious economic and environmental consequences if we fail to act. One study shows that if global warming emissions continue to grow unabated—a high-emissions scenario—the annual economic impact of more severe hurricanes, residential real-estate losses to sea-level rise, and growing water and energy costs could reach 1.4 percent of GDP by 2025, and 1.9 percent by 2100 (Ackerman and Stanton 2008).”

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