"Wisdom begins in wonder" – Socrates
Tag: Energy
Why We Need the Viewpoints of All Communities in Combating Climate Change
07/16/19
“Why do we need everyone’s viewpoint when it comes to combating climate change?”
Climate change is one of the largest threats threatening humanity. And since everyone will be affected, we need to consider the viewpoints of all, especially of those who are exploited the most. This is Why We Need the Viewpoints of All Communities in Combating Climate Change.
Why Stable Governments are Good for Renewable Energy
07/13/19
“Why are stable governments important for renewable energy development?”
Renewable energy is one of the fastest if not the fastest growing energy source in the world. However, one of the most important things for its growth is to have a strong, unified government support behind it, which is most readily accomplished by a stable government. This is Why Stable Governments are Good for Renewable Energy.
Embodied Carbon
07/07/19
“How can we quantify the carbon emitted by a building during construction?”
Buildings energy efficiency is one of the most widely studied topics in combating climate change. However, these operational emissions are not the only cause of emissions. In addition, there is the carbon emitted during manufacturing, transport, and construction of the building. What makes this Embodied Carbon special is that once the building is finished its embodied carbon cannot go down, unlike operational carbon which can be lowered through energy efficiency programs. That’s why more research needs to go into lowering the carbon intensity of construction.
Price Signals and Energy Wholesale Markets
06/22/19
“How do price signals affect energy wholesale markets?”
When the price of a commodity in a market changes, it sends a signal to consumers about some form of information. When the price of energy in the wholesale market, this is usually to a change in supply or demand of said source of energy. This is how Price Signals and Energy Wholesale Markets relate.
Electricity Markets
06/06/19
“How can energy be bought and sold?”
Energy is one of the most vital parts of modern infrastructure. And in many countries, deregulation has led to Energy markets, or platforms where electricity can be bought, sold, and distributed. The pricing for electricity markets depend on the current supply, demand, and mix of energy resources.
Real-Time Energy Markets
05/10/19
“How is energy traded in real-time?”
Because energy is such a critical infrastructure, it needs to be planned out and purchased ahead of time. However, not all predictions are perfect, and sometimes energy needs to be provided the day of. This results in the creation of a Real-Time Energy Market where energy can be traded quickly to meet system needs. The purchasing costs of energy in real time tends to be more expensive and price volatile than its day-ahead equivalent.
Day-Ahead Energy Markets
05/07/19
“How can energy be purchased a day before it is produced?”
Energy is one of the most important facets of our civilization. So much so that it has to be predicted a day ahead of time to assure system stability. Since energy needs can be predicted a day ahead of time, energy can also be purchased wholesale by market participants a day beforehand. Although energy is purchased, it does not need to be generated in case the predicted need comes out to be lower. These Day-Ahead Energy Markets are used to ensure energy price stability.
Cross-Border Energy Trading
05/02/19
“How can energy be traded across borders?”
Energy is one of the most vital resources on the planet. But unfortunately, it is constrained by national borders. However, as energy systems evolve, so will the policy around them. Already, resource-constrained states and nations are in talks with trading energy with their overcapacity neighbors. This is developing in areas from the Western United States with California’s solar potential in the summer and its neighbor’s vast hydropower and wind reservoirs in the Winter and India with Neap, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh. Hopefully, Cross-Border Energy Trading will become more prominent in bringing peace, security, and resilience between nations.
Energy Storage Mandates
04/25/19
“How can governments use policy to increase the amount of storage on the grid?”
`Energy storage is one of the hottest things in the energy world right now. But despite its seemingly invincible potential, it still needs government action to come online. One clever way to do this is to make a policy stipulating that utilities need to adopt a certain amount of energy storage through an Energy Storage Mandate. This is commonly implemented in California and other governments to meet their carbon neutrality goals.
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