http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/electricity/ en-us Tue, 18 Jun 2013 02:16:19 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3032511/posts (Reuters) - An electricity outage that blacked out large swathes of the Philippines' main island of Luzon for up to eight hours last month has highlighted worries about a potential power crisis that could undermine Asia's fastest-growing economy. Predictions that electricity demand will outstrip government forecasts have raised fears over the impact on the expansion of industries such as call centres, tourism and gaming. A raft of private firms has rushed in recent months to put some $9 billion of new plants on the drawing board, but lead times for construction are around three years and environmental opposition to coal-fired... Reuters http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3032511/posts#comment Tue, 18 Jun 2013 02:16:19 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3029989/posts NRG Energy plans to fire up the mothballed SR Bertron natural gas-fired generation plant to help meet the growing electricity need as the Texas summer heats up. The plant, in Deer Park, Texas, had been in mothball status since last summer and required about 45 days of preparations to return online. The SR Berton plant, comprising four units built in the late 1950s and early 1960s, can generate about 750 megawatts – additional capacity that NRG expects to add to the grid on the hottest days of the summer, when demand typically peaks. One megawatt can serve about 200 typical... Fuel Fix http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3029989/posts#comment Tue, 11 Jun 2013 17:36:52 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3029982/posts But that software is vulnerable. A September 2012 policy report from the James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy at Rice University, says “The potential for a real cyberattack capable of physically impacting electricity generation and transmission as well as upstream and downstream oil and gas operations has moved from hypothetical to possible,” according to the report. DailyTicker-Yahoo News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3029982/posts#comment Tue, 11 Jun 2013 17:17:46 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3025192/posts KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Spring rains cascade over the lip of the Norris Dam in a torrent of white foam and spray. A hundred yards downriver from this concrete waterfall, people stop at the little park to record the scene on their smart phones or digital cameras. It is an image made for a postcard -- a remarkable marriage of nature and technology. And a centerpiece of the Tennessee Valley Authority. Created in 1933 by President Roosevelt, the TVA brought electricity to Appalachia, with the goal that wiring up Tennessee, parts of North Carolina, Alabama and Mississippi would help bring prosperity... Fox News.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3025192/posts#comment Thu, 30 May 2013 00:22:12 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/3020771/posts Question for you all, since you're always knowledgeable about these things. I want to put a ceiling fan in a room. The room is on one of the ends or "wings" of the house, has an HVAC "out" register in the near-middle of the ceiling, and is always always always scorching hot or freezing cold. I know this is caused by a lack of cross ventilation where the cold/hot air would be exchanged for hot/cold. The attic goes across the top of the main part of the house, then sort of squishes down to a lower roof where you can't... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/3020771/posts#comment Fri, 17 May 2013 19:44:25 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3016786/posts The president's recently proposed budget for fiscal year 2014 included a strategic review of the federal government's role in the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA). TVA is a federally owned corporation that owns and operates 56 power plants in the Tennessee Valley Region, which stretches across parts of six states (Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, and Tennessee). TVA's plants are primarily hydroelectric, natural gas, nuclear, and coal-fired facilities with a combined net summer capacity of more than 35 gigawatts (GW), about 3% of the total U.S. electricity capacity. According to the proposed 2014 budget, TVA's current capital investment plan... Energy Information Administration http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3016786/posts#comment Tue, 7 May 2013 21:23:29 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3013174/posts Colorado Senate Bill 252 and the multibillion-dollar economic burden it would impose on .. Colorado. ... SB 252 is being fast tracked to limit public debate. The bill squeaked through the Senate by just one vote and now will be heard in the House. Coloradans: It's time to contact your representative to say how critical it is to stop this costly bill. ... It will just take a minute or two to make your voice heard and your representative needs to hear from you today. Keep Electricity Affordable http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3013174/posts#comment Sat, 27 Apr 2013 20:12:57 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/3010753/posts Normally when I see somebody upset with the EPA, it’s because they’re shoving their regulatory boot down on the throat of somebody else. That’s why it came as something of a surprise to learn that the agency may be facing a lawsuit from a coalition of very blue states. What on Earth, I wondered, might the EPA have done to these guys? Nothing, as it turns out, and that’s why they’re upset. The EPA has, in the opinion of the complainants, dragging its heels on ramming through new energy production standards which will effectively exterminate construction of any new coal... Hot Air http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/3010753/posts#comment Mon, 22 Apr 2013 05:39:03 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3006273/posts Though its name sounds better suited to fantasy or sci-fi, researchers have recently gathered evidence that something called dark lightning exists, the Washington Post reported. Like any evil twin, dark lightning appears to "compete" with the ordinary lightning during thunderstorms. A person could be struck by dark lightning and not even know it. Like ordinary lightning, dark lightning brews inside thunderclouds. In fact, it may be a competing way for the clouds to release their energy, says Joseph Dwyer, a lightning researcher at the Florida Institute of Technology. Dwyer has come up with a model explaining how dark lightning arises.... Popular Science http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3006273/posts#comment Wed, 10 Apr 2013 16:41:20 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/3000234/posts Much to the chagrin of people who are sure I’m evil, in the pocket of big oil, and highly carbon positive, I’m actually an independent and pretty energy efficient guy, and I challenge any of my detractors to show their solar and energy efficiency projects. Put your money where your mouthpiece is, I say. For example, do loud climate campaigners Joe Romm and Bill McKibben have solar power on their homes? Do Jim Hansen and Michael Mann have solar power while telling us we all must cut back our energy usage linked to fossil fuels? Inquiring minds want to know.... Watts Up With That? http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/3000234/posts#comment Sun, 24 Mar 2013 15:25:48 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2994576/posts Coal-fired power may be on the wane in the United States, but reports of its death are greatly exaggerated, energy executives said Thursday. The bluster about coal’s demise came as the end of IHS CERAWeek approached and delegates mused about the diversity of the United States’ power mix. “We’re talking about coal going from 42 percent of generation in 2010 to about 33 to 35 percent …in 2030,” said Barry Nicholls, vice president of power systems sales for Siemens Energy North America. “I don’t think going from 42 percent to 33 percent means coal is going away. I think that’s... Fuel Fix http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2994576/posts#comment Thu, 7 Mar 2013 21:44:53 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2992183/posts Two wind turbines towering above the Cape Cod community of Falmouth, Mass., were intended to produce green energy and savings -- but they've created angst and division, and may now be removed at a high cost as neighbors complain of noise and illness. "It gets to be jet-engine loud," said Falmouth resident Neil Andersen. He and his wife Betsy live just a quarter mile from one of the turbines. They say the impact on their health has been devastating. They're suffering headaches, dizziness and sleep deprivation and often seek to escape the property where they've lived for more than 20... foxnews.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2992183/posts#comment Thu, 28 Feb 2013 16:11:57 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2990468/posts I just wrote a check this morning for my monthly power bill, made payable to American Electric Power (NYSE: AEP) in the amount of $260.02.  I'm not alone. AEP serves five million residential and business customers in 11 states.  Rain or shine, that's five million checks that pour in each month. They add up fast. AEP's utility segment collected $14 billion in revenue in 2011. But on closer inspection, the company only retained $2.8 billion in operating profits. Where did the other $11 billion go? Well, nearly half ($4.4 billion) was spent on fuel needed to run the firm's power... Townhall.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2990468/posts#comment Sat, 23 Feb 2013 15:31:03 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2988837/posts Airbus said it is dropping plans to use lithium-ion batteries on its new A350 airplane, under development, in the wake of problems with the batteries on Chicago-based Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner. The Boeing Co. rival said, while it believes the battery architecture it has been developing and qualifying for is robust and safe, it will instead use nickel cadmium main batteries, which have a proven track record. “Airbus considers this to be the most appropriate way forward in the interest of program execution and A350 reliability, Airbus said in a statement. The entire fleet of 50 Boeing 787s was grounded by... suntimes.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2988837/posts#comment Fri, 15 Feb 2013 16:13:22 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2986495/posts The spark spread is a common metric for estimating the profitability of natural gas-fired electric generators. The spark spread is the difference between the price received by a generator for electricity produced and the cost of the natural gas needed to produce that electricity. It is typically calculated using daily spot prices for natural gas and power at various regional trading points. The chart above shows spark spreads during 2012, calculated for four locations around the United States. Spark spreads tend to be fairly volatile, more so than crack spreads in petroleum markets, largely because of the volatility of wholesale... Energy Information Administration http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2986495/posts#comment Fri, 8 Feb 2013 13:26:08 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2985177/posts The Super Bowl power outage on Sunday happened after electrical monitoring equipment “sensed an abnormality in the system,” according to the power provider for the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Entergy, which provides power to the Superdome, along with 2.8 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas, said in a statement Monday that the change triggered a partial electrical shutdown. Entergy’s service area includes 400,000 customers in southeast Texas, including homes in Beaumont, Port Arthur, The Woodlands, Huntsville and Conroe. The only customer affected by the problem was the Superdome, Entergy spokesman Michael Burns told FuelFix. “Shortly after the beginning of... Fuel Fix http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2985177/posts#comment Mon, 4 Feb 2013 17:41:44 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2983913/posts A jump in natural gas usage combined with big gains in energy efficiency have helped the United States make strides in cutting emissions over the past five years, according to a report released Thursday. The “Sustainable Energy in America” factbook documents a 6.4 percent slide in total energy use between 2007 and 2012. During the same time frame, the amount of electricity generated both by natural gas and renewable sources climbed, and coal-fired power generation declined, helping to trim carbon dioxide emissions produced when fossil fuels are burned. “Significant changes are occurring in the US energy sector that are boosting... Fuel Fix http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2983913/posts#comment Thu, 31 Jan 2013 19:03:54 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2981772/posts In January 2008 Barack Obama told the San Francisco Chronicle: “Under my plan of a cap and trade system electricity rates would necessarily skyrocket. Businesses would have to retrofit their operations. That will cost money. They will pass that cost onto consumers.” He promised that his plan would cause electricity rates to skyrocket. ... Barack Obama’s EPA just killed off another 3,900 energy jobs in Texas. ... Obama’s new EPA regulations will cost the coal industry $180 billion and force electricity rates to skyrocket. Gateway http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2981772/posts#comment Fri, 25 Jan 2013 15:19:13 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2981053/posts Link only....... http://www.wtsp.com/news/local/article/290793/8/No-decision-yet-on-crippled-Crystal-River-nuke-plant www.wtsp.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2981053/posts#comment Wed, 23 Jan 2013 16:22:53 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2934427/posts Egyptian authorities fearful of a monopoly on Nile waters received agreement from Khartoum to build an airbase in Sudan, to launch attacks on Ethiopian damming facilities, claims the anonymous media outlet; Wikileaks. Wikileaks has leaked files allegedly from the Texas-based global intelligence company, Stratfor, which quote an anonymous "high-level Egyptian source," claiming the Egyptian ambassador to Lebanon said in 2010 his nation would do anything to prevent the secession of South Sudan because of the political implications it will have for Egypt's access to the Nile. The Nile is vital in providing fresh water to the people and agricultural projects... All Africa http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2934427/posts#comment Fri, 21 Sep 2012 15:59:57 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2976096/posts WASHINGTON – The United States now is facing two serious national security challenges, but they aren’t expected to be addressed effectively because of the serious budgetary headaches Congress has created, and a virtually deadlocked legislature on just about every issue pending, according to report from Joseph Farah’s G2 Bulletin. And the White House apparently isn’t paying attention. The first is the growing concern of the impact that an electromagnetic pulse, or EMP, event – either natural or manmade – could have on the national grid system, on which the Department of Defense has a 99 percent dependency. The other concern... WND http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2976096/posts#comment Tue, 8 Jan 2013 18:37:30 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2967563/posts PERHAPS THE MOST IMPORTANT energy story of the summer deserves revisiting. India suffered through massive blackouts that spilled across regions with a combined population about twice that of the United States. The televised images of that outage were easily compartmentalized and dismissed. Here was a far-off undeveloped country. It can't happen here. Thinking about the Indian power calamity, I recalled admonitions from grid and cyber security experts in the United States that it is only a matter of time before terrorists, criminals or a hostile state disrupts the power grid in this country. World War III, should it come, or... Energy Biz Magazine http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2967563/posts#comment Tue, 11 Dec 2012 03:19:18 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2966535/posts NRG Energy has abandoned plans for a massive coal-fired electric generating unit between Houston and Dallas, citing poor economics. The 800-megawatt unit would have been an addition to an existing coal plant in Limestone County near Buffalo, and had drawn opposition from environmentalists. The New Jersey-based power producer told the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality last month that it no longer needed environmental permits since it does not plan to proceed with the $1 billion project. The proposed new unit at NRG’s Limestone generating station would have been too costly compared with the potential of a plant running on cheap... Fuel Fix http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2966535/posts#comment Fri, 7 Dec 2012 14:38:41 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2966391/posts The Dallas Observer published a report1 recently that Texas has worst electric grid in the nation. This was based on a North American Electric Reliability Corp report2. That’s not very encouraging. They are also reporting that there is the possibility of rolling blackouts in 2013. For a couple of years I have had the interest in setting up a backup power system for home use. There is a mobile system that provides power for work a couple of times per month, and is a backup system when at home. It provided power for 2 freezers, a refrigerator and a fan... http://www.thesurvivalistblog.net/ http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2966391/posts#comment Fri, 7 Dec 2012 01:20:29 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2964812/posts Solar Companies Seek Ways to Build an Oasis of ElectricityBy DIANE CARDWELL Published: November 19, 2012 When Hurricane Sandy wiped out the power in areas like coastal Long Island and the Jersey Shore, what should have been beacons of hope — hundreds of solar panels glinting from residential rooftops — became symbols of frustration. Despite the popular perception that installing solar panels takes a home “off the grid,” most of those systems are actually part of it, sending excess power to the utility grid during the day and pulling electricity back to run the house at night. So when the... NY Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2964812/posts#comment Sun, 2 Dec 2012 02:49:08 GMT