Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has announced funding for projects in 18 states to improve electric service to business and residential consumers in rural areas. The $540 million in loan guarantees to fund these projects are made available through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) rural utilities program. They include more than $35 million for smart grid projects to improve rural electric system communications technology.- New speakers have been announced for Hydropower Development: Europe 2014 Summit, taking place in Porto (Portugal) on September 17-18, 2014. Speakers include: Klaus Krüger, Head of R&D, Voith Hydro; Michael Detering, Head of Asset Management Hydro, RWE Innogy; Hendrik Eden, Head of Asset Management International, RWE Innogy; and Tor Inge Akselsen, SVP International Affairs, Statnett. Attendees can also sign up to tour Energias de Portugal – edp Alto Lindoso power plant.
- Orion Energy Systems has been selected as a finalist in the Innovative category for the 2014 Star of Energy Efficiency Awards for its breakthrough energy efficient LED troffer retrofit technology (LDR) that is completely assembled within the frame and reuses the original existing troffer housing. The Alliance to Save Energy ‘Star of Energy Efficiency Awards’ are bestowed upon companies that have demonstrated a significant and tangible commitment to the cause of energy efficiency and recognizes an emerging technology that has the potential to transform the energy efficiency market.
- According to the Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) Today in Energy, U.S. imports of sugarcane ethanol from Brazil fell by 40% last year, to 242 million gallons. Because Brazil is the largest source of ethanol imports into the United States, this drop led the United States to be a net exporter of the product for the year. Export volumes of corn-based ethanol to Brazil declined, but were more than offset by higher export volumes to Canada and a number of other countries. Although the net level has varied from month to month, since 2011 the United States has both imported ethanol from and exported ethanol to Brazil.
