Hummer Bummer? Might be Smarter than Dumber!
It was just announced that the “inked” deal for GM to sell its Hummer brand to Sichuan Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machinery Company, of China, has fallen through, most likely putting a final stake in the heart of the behemoth car brand.
Some are applauding this event, and others are bemoaning it, pointing out that by any [...]
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Hawaiian Green More than Just Palm Trees
On one parcel of a government-created energy laboratory, rows of mirrors shine white-hot in the sun, turning heat into energy. On another, brown water tanks harbor strands of algae that will be made into fuel. Nearby is a wind turbine whose blades spin parallel to the ground, nurtured by 42 green private-sector businesses on 877 [...]
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Distributed Generation – The Good, The Bad and The Ugly
Part VIII
If you have been following this eight part series, by now you are probably thinking that this article could go on and on and on – which it definitely could do. I haven’t yet spoken about so many other issues, complexities and risks of the installation and operation of these DG systems. [...]
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Distributed Generation – The Good, The Bad and The Ugly
Part VII
At this point, I want to discuss a couple of interesting details about running the business of Distributed Generation. For example, our company had to have an entire department dedicated to the billing process. To review the business model, we built a DG system on the building’s roof, at our cost and based solely [...]
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Distributed Generation – The Good, The Bad and The Ugly
Part VI
Let’s now look more closely at the realities of running a DG system, in order to be profitable and stay in business. The assumption here is that one is able to build the system within budget, “commission” it (which means get it running, approved, fine-tuned and operating to produce energy), and then provide operation [...]
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Distributed Generation – The Good, The Bad and The Ugly
Part V
So, if you have been following this eight-part series, you may be starting to get an idea of how difficult the DG business is. But, you ain’t seen nothin’ yet! Let’s talk about the realities of where you can and can’t do business, either by regulation or by practical matters.
A few years [...]
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Turbines Gaining Ground – High Above The Ground
The city of Palmdale, CA, located about one hour north of Los Angeles in the high desert, has approved allowing certain shopping centers and business parks to install small wind turbines for on-site electricity generation. Their plan allows for turbines of no more than 60 feet high to be perched atop light standards in designated [...]
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Distributed Generation – The Good, The Bad and The Ugly
Part IV
Now, let’s look at the business side of things. Like all companies, ours was in business to provide an excellent service and make money at our enterprise. This business involved huge amounts of capital expenditures to put the systems in place, and then significant ongoing capital requirements (for natural gas, maintenance, parts & labor, [...]
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Solar Decathlon Hits D.C.
The Solar Decathlon, run by the Energy Dept. is a biennial event designed to attract college students toward careers in science and engineering, stimulate “Green” thinking and raise awareness about the development and implementation of new and emerging green technologies.
Hundreds of undergrads have worked for up to two years in planning, designing and building the [...]
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Distributed Generation – The Good, The Bad and The Ugly
Part III
Besides coming up with a creative and innovative business model, in order to be successful in business, a company needs something very important: money. Our company did something that no one in the field had ever done: we raised a whole lot if money. In fact, through a variety of private and institutional investors [...]
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