News Roundup
News Roundup for August 31
A NEW SPIN IN S.C.
Rep. Jim Clyburn
Rep. Jim Clyburn, D-S.C., emphasized lessening dependence on oil imports, along with creating new jobs, as he helped dedicate a new wind turbine at Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical College. Walter Tobin Jr., the school’s president, said students would be trained in use of the turbine and other equipment—which includes another turbine and solar panels—at the campus’s Renewable Energy Park. Students will be involved in collecting energy created by the equipment, and Energy Secretary Steven Chu underscored the importance of green energy during the ribbon-cutting in Orangeburg, S.C.
FAILURE TO COMMUNICATE
Many consumers around the globe fail to understand the basic unit of electricity pricing and other fundamental energy concepts used by providers, according to a new IBM survey. More than 30 percent of those polled had never heard of the term “dollar per kilowatt-hour” or the equivalent currency, and more than 60 percent were unaware of smart grids or smart meters. The survey found that such knowledge is linked closely to people’s willingness to embrace change, such as smart meter and smart grid deployment, and local energy initiatives.
EFFICIENCY IS COOL
The Department of Energy has announced new efficiency standards for refrigerators, saying they will cut the energy use of most new models by 25 percent. Under the new regime, a typical refrigerator in 2014 will use about one-fifth as much electricity as one from the mid-1970s. The standards have been revised three times since their enactment in 1987, DOE said. “These new standards will deliver even more benefits for consumers and the environment,” said Steven Nadel, executive director of the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy.
LET’S GO FISSION
Scientists at Idaho National Laboratory have designed a suitcase-sized nuclear plant that can power up to eight normal-sized homes and, thanks to its size and durability, provide fission power not only on Earth, but on the moon, Mars, or any other place NASA requires a power generator. While most nuclear plants generate hundreds or thousands of megawatts of electricity, this portable device would create only 40 kilowatts. The smaller size is ideal for the type of conditions seen in space, said James Werner, lead researcher on the project.
—Based on news and wire reports
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