Electricity
Nuclear: A “Grossly Uncompetitive” Energy Option
As the “grave and unpredictable” nuclear crisis in Japan continues, energy experts both internationally and domestically are questioning the viability of nuclear to deliver safe and reliable energy.
Learning From Japan’s Nuclear Disaster
As heroic workers and soldiers strive to save stricken Japan from a new horror—radioactive fallout—some truths known for 40 years bear repeating. An earthquake-and-tsunami zone crowded with 127 million people is an unwise place for 54 reactors. The 1960s design of five Fukushima-I reactors has the smallest safety margin and probably can't contain 90 percent of meltdowns. The U.S. has six identical and 17 very similar plants.
A Universe of (Good) Data At Your Fingertips
Building energy modelers want, and need a universe of useful data. Observing the BEM Summits “Support and Resources” breakout group (which focused on the question, “what tools does an energy modeler need when they sit down to model?”), this point was abundantly clear.
Building a Future Vision Starts with Common Language
What’s the difference between a building energy modeler and a building energy analyst? This may just sound like semantics, but according to participants at RMI’s BEM Innovation Summit, the devil’s in the details. Building a common language for energy modeling services is essential for defining and growing the market.
Feds Get Fashionably Hip Office Space
The words "government office building" may bring to mind visions of Franz Kafka's notorious clerks' office. Endless rows of literally gray partitions. Government workers packed into a maze of windowless tunnels. God forbid they should have a view of the outdoors, or be able to occasionally move from their cubes to a comfortable chair or table.