Hans De Keulenaer's Bookmarks tagged efficiency →  View Popular

A year ago this writer would have had one answer: Definitely. But the answer, it turns out, shouldn't be so clear cut.

At least that's the conclusion of a recent paper by Michael Ivanco, a senior scientist at Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd., and professor Bryan Karney (along with graduate student Kevin Waher) from the department of civil engineering at the University of Toronto.

The three have authored a study called "To Switch or Not to Switch: A Critical Analysis of Canada's Ban on Incandescent Light Bulbs," and you may be surprised by the findings.

Neuwing Energy Ventures, a New York-based marketer of energy-efficiency certificates, would perform an initial assessment of IBM customers' sprawling data centers -- the massive, air-conditioned facilities that store information and route anything from eBay purchases to e-mail. IBM would identify potential energy savings areas for its clients, and Neuwing would grant the IT firms certificates for the total megawatt-hours no longer needed to cool or operate the data center equipment.

Each certificate would equal 1 megawatt-hour (MWh) per annum, said Rich Lechner, IBM's vice president for IT optimization.

Clients could sell the certificates to utilities subject to state renewable portfolio standards, as well as sell to other companies that aim to reduce their carbon footprint through energy savings. The value of the energy efficiency certificates, historically in the $2-$10 range, is determined by the supply and demand for those certificates in each trading market.

The European Union's (EU) energy objectives, legislation and programmes are determinant for the current strategy for the promotion of renewable energy sources (RES) and energy efficiency (EE) in Spain, which is becoming a key element for its international competitiveness.

Firstly, this article explores the evolution of the EU's energy strategy, focusing on the adopted legislations and programmes to promote RES and EE. It concludes with an analysis of the impact of those measures in Spain.