Scientists at the University of Michigan, using a $2 million grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF), are exploring plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV) that not only use grid electricity to meet their power needs, but return it to the grid, earning money for the owner.

In February 2008, the Mexican environment minister announced that 30,000 environmentally-friendly homes are to be built by 2011. The new housing is to be equipped with smart devices like solar water heating, low-energy lighting, high-efficiency appliances and low-flow plumbing fixtures. This pioneering project is to be rolled out in subsequent years as Mexico’s plan for 20 million new homes over the next 20 years starts to unfold, using new building standards to allow energy efficient construction to be applied consistently in each housing development.

ITRE voted that ownership unbundling of vertically integrated companies (carrying out both generation/sales and transmission) be obligatory

Member States adopt a definition of "energy poverty"

An obligation should be placed on distribution companies by national regulatory authorities to introduce smart meters ("bi-directional electronic meters") "which shall be rolled out to all consumers within 10 years after entry into force of the Directive".

At Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU), as a complement to our work on renewable energy hedges, we are working to transform energy use on campus. One project underway is a system of grid-tied electric vehicles (Vehicle to Grid or V2G) combined with a solar photovoltaic charging system and smart computer control.

In the cleantech market there are a lot of very smart, worthy ideas for energy techs aimed at residential applications:  energy efficiency plays, distributed generation and backup power plays, etc

The Department of Energy has just wrapped up a fascinating experiment in Washington State in which it provided both homeowners and their appliances with tools that can sense stress on the power grid. Homeowners who made use of the tools saved money—approximately 10 percent on their electric bills—and the grid was more stable, too.

Like any typical consumer, the participants in SmartPower’s study want to know what is in it for them. They yearn to be inspired. They do not want to be preached to. They want to feel that they are a part of a “we” approach. They want to understand and feel the real world ramifications of their actions. They’re busy. They’re over worked. They want simple, quick tasks they can do which will make a difference. They want to feel smart and cool. They want to feel empowered and knowledgeable about saving money and saving energy. One of the participants responded, “When I save energy it’s like a light bulb has gone off in my head that I’m getting it.”

After safety, the longevity of the batteries in a plug-in hybrid is the greatest unknown. Can a plug-in hybrid’s battery pack retain the bulk of its energy capacity over 10 years of daily use and more than 4000 full-discharge cycles? (For a deeper look at the challenges facing plug-in hybrid batteries, see “Lithium Batteries Take to the Road”.)[ LINK: http://www.spectrum.ieee.org/sep07/5490 ] As Don Hillebrand of Argonne National Laboratory, in Illinois, said tartly, “Batteries are the showstopper.” Periodic demands from the grid, even for only a small fraction of the battery’s stored energy, would clearly affect the cells’ life span—but no one has data on how much. Another open issue is the development of creative financing models for replacement battery packs costing several thousand U.S. dollars even after mass production is achieved. Third-party battery leasing could be one answer, if combined with a secondary market for batteries whose performance has fallen below automotive levels. Carmakers, electric utilities, and large consumer-financing groups are quietly batting around these notions to see if they can build a financial model that makes sense for all three parties.

The biggest question asked when planning to install solar panels is, “can they tolerate extreme weather conditions?” Every year many roofs are damaged by the weather extremes.  Is it really wise to put solar panels on a roof that has to withstand those kinds of weather extremes?  Here is some information to help you decide.