We interviewed executives at some of the biggest Internet companies, as well as hardware vendors, economic development groups, and utilities to find out why North Carolina has emerged as a hub for Internet leaders mega data centers. Here are the 10 biggest reasons: Read more »
Changes in the power market are rippling through the Internet industry, altering both the location of data centers and their sources of power. There are many factors in picking a data center location beyond the geographic location, such as how to procure energy and green-energy models. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Google’s choice of thermal energy storage for its Taiwan data center suggests greater openness and thinking about how to store energy. Energy storage takes on greater importance as we move towards renewable energy sources which contain intermittency challenges. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Nevada has tried very hard to attract solar energy investments and one of its latest efforts is both grandly ambitious and peculiar: Chinese energy company ENN Group promises to invest $5 billion to build a solar panel factory, a solar power plant, and an “eco-community.” Read more »
The solar industry has begun 2012 with some trepidation, with many on the warpath to cut costs and reduce output. These moves give the market a chance to reduce inventories and get production more in sync with demand. But recovery will likely come slowly. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
While 2011 will be remember as a troubling year for solar manufacturers, it also is a year when major U.S. power companies such as Duke, MidAmerican and Exelon took a plunge into investing and owning solar power plants. Read more »
Connectivity changes everything. That’s the credo driving just about every corner of our day-to-day lives. As human beings, we are now connected to one another through not just our social networks but also our cars, the books we read, the albums we download and even our own health and wellness habits (to name just a few areas). With that in mind, GigaOM Pro has singled out certain areas in the technology industry where we see this shift to constant connectivity taking place most drastically. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Looks like Groupon will go public on Friday morning at $20 per share, giving it a valuation of $12.6 billion for its online coupon business. Let’s compare it to some of the greentech startups and big energy firms and try not to get disturbed. Read more »
The emergence of the smart grid has raised concerns about cybersecurity among utilities; two-way digital networks are more vulnerable. But according to utility executives, distributed power generation technologies, such as solar, particularly combined with energy storage, could help minimize the impact of an attack. Read more »
China is poised to become a giant solar and wind energy producer, and that will open opportunities for energy storage technology developers. ZBB announced its foray into China on Tuesday and more American companies are sure to follow. Read more »
Duke Energy is turning to cellular networks as the backbone for its smart grid. The utility detailed the network plan in a white paper released earlier this month, and revealed one of the most aggressive uses of cellular networks by the utility industry in the U.S. Read more »
Utility Duke Energy has opted for the most advanced wireless connection pretty much available for a new building efficiency program in Charlotte, N.C.: Verizon Wireless’ 4G LTE network. Verizon’s LTE network could help building owners in Charlotte reduce energy consumption by 20 percent. Read more »
The bigger the better for the greentech sector. Is 2011 the year of the Godzilla greentech company? On this news-laden Monday, there’s some particularly interesting evidence of the market advantages of being a massive company today selling into the energy, fuel and chemical markets. Read more »
The Center for Public Integrity reports that funds from the stimulus package for clean power and energy efficiency were issued with “sweeping exemptions” from basic environmental oversight. Read more »
What makes a smart grid pilot a success — even when it’s a failure? General Electric and Accenture spent an hour Wednesday with some energy industry big shots at the World Economic Forum in Atlanta and explained it all to us. Read more »
What are the powerhouse trio including Bill Clinton, Cisco CEO John Chambers, and Duke Energy CEO Jim Rogers all excited about this morning? If you were thinking a new energy bill or more green stimulus spending, think again. It’s building energy efficiency in Charlotte, North Carolina. Read more »
Even with smart meters and home energy portals, customers want opt-out options for home energy management rather than plans that ask them to monitor energy use every day. Here’s how the opt-out concept can guide startups and IT giants in the home energy management ... Read more at GigaOM Pro »
What if the most successful home energy-saving technology ends up being the one people have to opt out of? Utilities can sign customers up for programs automatically, unless they actively choose not to join. Companies targeting the home energy management space should remember this powerful tool. Read more »
Echelon has launched a new software-hardware combo to control the distribution portion of the grid. The product has two notable aspects: it’s open to third-party developers, and its first customer will be utility Duke Energy. Read more »
In the second quarter of 2010, greentech startups scored record venture capital and increased spending despite a weak economy. Solar power retained its lead in greentech venture financing, while global investment for clean energy asset financing fell. China, meanwhile, underscored its rising might in the greentech industry, raising billions of dollars in green energy financing. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Today on the Net: Apple is moving its iTunes music and movie service into the cloud, about a third of US residents watched the World Cup, according to Nielsen, and TiVo will supply software and services to power a next-generation TV initiative at ONO in Spain. Read more »
I came across TrashMe while looking for a decent uninstaller for my Mac. Unlike Scott, I made the transition to Mac quite a while ago, but I still struggle with some aspects of it. One thing that irks me is the way that apps are installed. Read more »
Cisco sees a $20 billion opportunity in the smart grid, and while it may have gotten off a bit late to the party, it’s crashed it in a big way. The networking giant wants to deliver products and services that span the grid. Read more »
Duke Energy says cost estimates for an Indiana coal plant (designed to test carbon capture and storage technology and use what’s called integrated gasification combined cycle tech) have ballooned to $2.88 billion, up from original estimate of less than $2 billion. Read more »
Since deciding that a move to the cloud was needed for my lifestyle, I have migrated much of my Mac life there. Here are a few of the key ways I made this happen. Read more »
